A Worrying Rule For Necromancers

[ATHATH]

Only undead with Intelligence scores can recover lost hit points, usually through necromantic healing (see below) or through the application of negative energy. An undead with the fast healing ability does not require an Intelligence score to benefit from that ability.
Source. (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/aboutundead.shtml)

Does this mean that, say, Dread Necromancers can't heal their mindless undead with negative energy?

[Buufreak]

That's a rather interesting snippet. I haven't ever seen it before in any books, and from what I could tell there wasn't a citation for this page. I wonder where it comes from.

[RedWarlock]

It looks like that refers to intelligent undead being able to recover HP without outside intervention, like how a Warforged can use Craft to ‘repair’ themselves. (See how it refers to the ‘necromantic healing’ paragraph, which specifically talks about this, vs the next paragraph which talks about spell-based recovery.) Actual negative energy spells still recover HP for unintelligent undead as normal.

[Covenant12]

Not sure I trust that as a main source, what book is it citing?

It could also be read that undead without an intelligence score (also lacking fast healing) don't heal automatically or under their own power. They don't "recover" hit points, but can be healed by someone else, usually with necromantic magic.

If you try an argument that skeletons and zombies can never recover hit points at all, I'd go for primary source (core 3 books) overrides this sentence.

[Silly Name]

Don't know what book this site is using as a reference for that, but from what is said in the following lines, I'd be inclined to say that it references "natural healing" (i.e., how many HP you recover by resting). Thus, it means that only intelligent undead get to recover hit points by resting, while other undead need to be patched up through negative energy.

[flappeercraft]

From the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#undeadType)


Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no Intelligence score, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature’s Intelligence score.

[Pleh]

The web site you cited looks like content from Libris Mortis.

[ExLibrisMortis]

I think it's meant to be read as "only undead with Intelligence scores can recover lost hit points, barring all these exceptions that exist (e.g. inflict spells)". After all, even if the general rule were "can't recover hit points", the more specific inflict rules would be an exception.

[KillianHawkeye]

Agreed, outside healing via inflict wounds spells totally works on unintelligent undead.

[Falontani]

This quote is a direct rip from libris mortis. Afb atm, but I do know that the line immediately above it classified necromantic healing (same exact process as natural healing, just doesn't require rest)
The whole thing was them trying and failing to say, "Unintelligent undead do not heal naturally, however intelligent undead's link to the negative energy plane allows them to heal naturally, this link is greater the more hd the intelligent undead has, healing 1 hit point per hit dice" or something like that.
Iirc, the whole thing is towards the end of the Undead Physiology section

[KillianHawkeye]

This is why context is important, folks.

[Telonius]

Here's the quote in context:


Only undead with Intelligence scores can recover lost hit points, usually through necromantic healing (see below) or through the application of negative energy. An undead with the fast healing ability does not require an Intelligence score to benefit from that ability.

Necromantic Healing: With 8 or more consecutive hours of inactivity in any 24-hour period, an undead with an Intelligence score recovers 1 hit point per Hit Die. If such an undead is completely inactive for a full 24-hour period, it recovers 2 hit points per Hit Die.

Magical Healing: The application of negative energy, such as an inflict spell, can restore hit points to an undead. Generally, any spell that would harm a living creature by the application of negative energy heals the same number of lost hit points when cast on an undead.


It's pretty clear that "recover lost hit points" is talking about getting them back by resting, since literally the next sentence is talking about that. Any undead can benefit from magical healing. Nothing in that section suggests you need an Intelligence score to benefit from it.

[Eurus]

One of the many reasons why 3.5's splatbooks could have really benefited from better editing.