Keyword	Decay; Necromancy
Prerequisite	Decay(Nature-Anima) Affinity
Target	One Humanoid Corpse (see text)
Duration	Instantaneous
Range	Touch
Action	4 AP
Saving throw	None
Spell resistance	No
Description	The caster may spend a spell point to reanimate the body of a recently deceased creature, if the body is too decayed or too maimed to function (GM discretion) the spell may outright fail, or produce a defective undead (usually requiring at least 80% of a skeleton or body to still be present). Once animated the newly created undead lasts indefinitely until destroyed, and remains loyal to the caster. The statistics of this creature is determined by the type of creature it was in life, using the Companion Page to determine specifics, such as its base form and other appropriate talents or traits, such as natural weapons and limbs (ignoring any affinity or form talent prerequisites). The Companion Type should always be undead. The newly created undead has the same number of hit dice as when it was alive, selects a base form matching its form (usually biped for humanoids for example), and automatically gains the undead companion type. The companion gains the undead creature type as well gaining all the usual effects of this creature type. Otherwise the creature retains none of its abilities or special movement modes from when it was alive. The animated dead may benefit from any equipment it possessed or any you provide. You can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per BCB. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled. You choose which creatures are released. In addition you may decide at any point to relinquish control of any undead you currently control. Animated creatures above Large size or smaller than Tiny sized count as 2 HD higher for the purposes of determining your animate dead HD limit. At 10th BCB Huge and Diminutive creatures a treated as only costing 1 HD higher. Unlike normal companions, animated undead by default are mindless, possessing a 0 intelligence and having no feats or skill ranks, except for any proficiencies the base creature possessed. You may only issue simple commands to your controlled undead such as “go”, “stay”, “follow me”, “attack”, or “guard”; more complex commands are generally not understood by the undead. Unless otherwise specified you may not add companion talents to an animated dead like a normal companion, nor does it grow in strength as you gain additional BCB. When an animated dead is reduced to 0 hit points it is destroyed, and unable to be animated again.

General Animate Dead Talents

Enhance Undead

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB 10th
Benefit	You may cast Animate dead on a single undead you already control, causing it to gain 5 hit dice of power (to a limit of your hit dice, or your current control limit, whichever is lower). In addition you may apply any greater dead talents not already applied to it, paying the additional spell point cost as usual. You may only target a specific undead with this talent once.

Grasping Corpse

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead
Benefit	Instead of the usual effects of animate dead, you may cause a single corpse to animate for only a brief moment, lurch forward up to 30 feet, and attempt to trip or grapple a single creature of your choice. The corpse used by this ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity for this movement. The combat maneuver attempted by the corpse uses your SPB in place of its BAB, and your CAM in place of Strength; adding any enhancement bonus from your implement to this combat maneuver. If choosing to grapple the corpse does not maintain the grapple, instead the creature gains the grappled condition until they break free from the corpse. Destroying the corpse may also end the grapple (the corpse has 12 hit points and DR 5/slashing).

Greater Control

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB 12th
Benefit	You may now control one additional hit dice of undead per BCB with the animate dead spell.

Prehistoric Necromancy

Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB +18
Spell	Animate Dead
Benefit	You may now animate the bodies of fossilized creatures. This still requires at least 80% of the bones to be present to be successful. Undead animated in this way must be skeletons.
Special	If you possess the Restorative Animation talent you only need 50% of the creature's skeleton to use this talent; but also may choose to restore the creature's muscle and skin enough to allow it to be a Zombie or Skeleton.

Restorative Animation

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB 14th
Benefit	You may spend an additional spell point when casting animate dead to cause the corpse you are animating to regenerate and restore itself, allowing a corpse to be animated as an undead despite any injuries, missing limbs, or excessive decay it may have possessed. You must still have at least 50% of the creature’s skeleton still to use this ability, and this does not allow the animation of fossils.

Sentry Skull

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead
Benefit	You animate and restore senses to a severed head of a humanoid or monstrous humanoid. The head has darkvision 60 feet, and low-light vision. If the head is affixed to a pole, spear, branch, or other stable object it may swivel in place to look in any direction, gaining a +5 bonus on perception checks. While within 30 feet of the head you may spend a 3 AP action to share senses with it, seeing and hearing from its location, and gaining the benefit of its vision types. Once the head is created, you may set a triggering condition. If you are within 30 feet of the head, you immediately know if it is triggered, waking you from normal sleep. (for example it may alert you if a humanoid comes into view). The head otherwise cannot speak, think, or take any other action beyond turning itself.

Undead Menagerie

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB 4th
Benefit	You may animate any corpse, not just the corpses of humanoids.

Greater Dead Talents

Agile Undead

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead
Benefit	Your animated dead gain a +4 bonus to Initiative and a +2 dodge bonus to AC. In addition they gain a +10 bonus to movement speed; if they are a zombie they may instead restore their speed to its normal speed (no longer reducing their speed by half), whichever would be higher.

Greater Undead

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB +5
Benefit	You may spend an additional spell point to cause your animated dead to gain rudimentary intelligence; gaining an intelligence score of 3. In addition it gains 1 skill it had ranks in from when it was alive of your choice. Your undead may speak when commanded to and may even convey some information they knew when they were alive. Undead with an intelligence score may receive and carry out more complex commands than the usual commands allowed by animated dead.

Martial Undead

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead
Benefit	Your animated dead are treated as having simple and martial weapon and armor proficiency. If the creature already possessed these proficiencies it may gain a single exotic armor or weapon proficiency of its choice.

Might of the Grave

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, BCB +2
Benefit	The animated undead gains an additional +4 untyped bonus to Strength and improves its hit die size from D8 to D10.

Recalled Heritage

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, Recalled Training, Greater undead, BCB +8
Benefit	Your animated dead count as its original race or creature type in addition to undead. This may allow it to benefit from any feats, abilities, or effects dependent on race (such as feats from the Recalled Training talent).

Recalled Prowess

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, Greater Undead, BCB +8
Benefit	Your animated dead to retain a single special ability or class feature it possessed. The recalled class feature may still treat its hit dice as its class levels for the purposes of determining its power, though it gains no other benefits from its class. At 12th BCB and every 4 thereafter the creature may retain one additional special ability or class feature.

Recalled Training

Spell	Animate Dead
Prerequisite	Animate Dead, Greater Undead, BCB +6
Benefit	Your animated dead retain a number of feats it possessed when it was alive. It may retain one feat per 4 BCB you possess. You must choose any prerequisite feats the creature possesses to gain the benefits of other feats that have prerequisites. Feats the rely on a race or class feature do not function unless the animated dead is capable of possessing that race or class feature.

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