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TalonOfAnathrax
2021-03-18, 10:36 AM
Hello! I'm looking for monsters with Animate Dead. Things that could set up in a graveyard and raise a few dozen corpses (or more) every day. I'd like to avoid anything with class levels, or Template-only stuff like Spellstitched. Is there a monster that has Animate Dead as an SLA?
All I've found so far is that Artaaglith, who has it once per day at CL 5. That's not ideal... Is there anything better out there? Any level would work, this is for worldbuilding purposes so I don't need to make it beatable by a specific party.

Morof Stonehands
2021-03-18, 10:52 AM
Graveyard sludges (mm5) can animate things as zombies, but only if they die nearby. Not quite the same but it’s something!

ShurikVch
2021-03-18, 12:00 PM
Crawling Head (Fiend Folio)
Maurezhi (Fiend Folio)
Marraenoloth (Monster Manual II)

PrismCat21
2021-03-18, 12:47 PM
Living Spell - Animate Dead
It's an Ooze creature

liquidformat
2021-03-18, 03:01 PM
Atropal Scion (LM) is all I could find and that is only once a day

unseenmage
2021-03-19, 06:07 PM
A Spellstitched undead or Runic Guardian both from MM2 have customizable SLAs that could jnclude Animate Dead.

Any creature could be manning a custom magic item or Lair ward/windrous architecture stone table with an animate dead magic item power built into it.

Shield Guardians can store a spell as a SLA.

Lastly, an Intelligent Magic Item with an animated dead item ability could activate said ability itself. Make it a Flying Weapon and it could even turn into a flying animated object.

Coidzor
2021-03-21, 10:45 PM
The Pukwudgie (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/monstrous-humanoids/pukwudgie/) from Pathfinder is that sorta critter.

Korahir
2021-03-22, 08:56 AM
Shameless plug:

I built an optimized Atropal Scion for a contest a while ago:
https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=22166049&postcount=88

Thurbane
2021-03-22, 11:15 PM
I can't recall exactly which, but a fair number of creatures on my list (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?584451) were there specifically because they have Animate Dead or Create Undead as an ability.

ShurikVch
2021-03-25, 06:00 AM
Besides the aforementioned:
Avolakia (Monster Manual II) - 3/day, CL 14
Hag Covey (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/hag.htm) - 3/day, CL 9
Hellwasp Swarm (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm#hellwaspSwarm)
Linnorm, Corpse Tearer (Monster Manual II) - 1/day, CL 15
Rakshasa, Ak'chazar (Monster Manual III) - 3/day, CL 20