Fun with Awaken Undead...

[ksbsnowowl]

So, last night I couldn't sleep, and while perusing the Spell Compendium, came across the 7th level wizard spell Awaken Undead.  For a mere 250 XP you can give an unintelligent undead 1d6+4 Intelligence, and it regains Extraordinary racial abilities of the base creature.

Crystalkeep shows only 4 unintelligent undead templates: Skeleton, Zombie, Revived Fossil, and Web Mummy.  I'm going to make use of Revived Fossil here, because it gives us decent HP's without restricting us down to single actions.

Now, apply this spell to a Revived Fossil Troll.  Trolls have Regeneration as an Ex racial ability.

Regeneration: Damage dealt to the creature is treated as nonlethal damage, and the creature automatically cures itself of nonlethal damage at a fixed rate per round...

Undead Type:
Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain...

We now have a CR 4 intelligent troll skeletal undead creature that is immune to all damage but Fire and Acid damage, has an AC of 25, 69 hit points, DR 10/Adamantine (not that the DR really matters), 3 natural attacks that deal 2d8 base damage, has reach, and Combat Reflexes.

It can't be poisoned, suffocated, drowned, or killed with death effects.

We could be crazy and add all this stuff to a fiendish War Troll, thus also making it immune to fire, and giving it acid resistance, but that would just be too much...

This makes me want to play a Dread Necromancer...

[PhaedrusXY]

Official canon is that if you don't have a Con score, you can't have regeneration.

[ksbsnowowl]

Ack, I had forgotten that....

Grrr...  Oh well.

[snakeman830]

Might as well turn this into a thread for good targets for the spell though (keep in mind that it affects all unintelligent undead within a certian radius, so you can affect multiple undead with one casting, especially if you have them crowd around you)

[telehax]

Guys guys you merely need to combine this with other more interesting tricks, For example the Fabricate-Stone to Flesh-Animate Dead trick to pick any old obscure monster you can think of...

Such as the Reth Dekla in tome of battle. It has maneuvers as an extraordinary racial ability. Along with Air Walk and 50% Fortification.

Or a hydra, which I think might actually regain its head regrowing...

[Brainpiercing]

Guys guys you merely need to combine this with other more interesting tricks, For example the Fabricate-Stone to Flesh-Animate Dead trick to pick any old obscure monster you can think of...

Such as the Reth Dekla in tome of battle. It has maneuvers as an extraordinary racial ability. Along with Air Walk and 50% Fortification.

Or a hydra, which I think might actually regain its head regrowing...

While regeneration doesn't work, Fast-healing does. Unfortunately the head regrowing thing doesn't seem to be specified at all, it's most likely a natural ability, but should by rights be Ex. Hmmm.

[snakeman830]

Or a hydra, which I think might actually regain its head regrowing...

While regeneration doesn't work, Fast-healing does. Unfortunately the head regrowing thing doesn't seem to be specified at all, it's most likely a natural ability, but should by rights be Ex. Hmmm.

Actually, I think that a non-awakened hydra skeleton/zombie would regrow heads, since the ability isn't listed as (Ex),(Sp), or (Su).

[Felix Underwood]

Other Good Targets:

Kelvezu Demon (MM2), (Ex) abilities:  poison, uncanny dodge, evasion, +8d6 sneak attack

Jarilith Demon  (MM2), (Ex) abilities:  pounce, rake, augmented critical, improved grab, frightful presence, scent

Arrow Demon (MM3), (Ex) abilities:  symmetrical archery, close combat shot, oversized weapons (bows)


For all of these, I'd prefer skeletons, but these guys do not have 20 HD as standard versions.

The BoED has examples where more advanced versions can be summoned with the planar binding/ally spells (in the celestial paragons section).

Assuming an infinite multiverse, there could be infinite Kelvezu out there... allowing for infinite guys that have advanced to 20 HD?  YMMV...


Also, for the base skeleton, I'd prefer those made using the spell Vile Death for maximum HP per HD

(along with all of the other desecrated shrine, corpsecrafter and UA necromancer variant goodies... ref: K's handbook)

[Brainpiercing]

You're thinking about Plague of Undead, not Vile Death, I think.

[pithica]

For a mere 250 XP you can give an unintelligent undead 1d6+4 Intelligence, and it regains Extraordinary racial abilities of the base creature.

Minor correction, for a mere 250xp you can give however many undead you can fit within the area of the spell all their Ex's back...

Targets: All mindless undead within
a circle with a radius of 25 ft. +
5 ft./2 levels

[Brainpiercing]

For a mere 250 XP you can give an unintelligent undead 1d6+4 Intelligence, and it regains Extraordinary racial abilities of the base creature.

Minor correction, for a mere 250xp you can give however many undead you can fit within the area of the spell all their Ex's back...

Targets: All mindless undead within
a circle with a radius of 25 ft. +
5 ft./2 levels

That's the good old stack of bones tactic...

[Felix Underwood]

I like to say:  "stack'em like cordwood".

Brainpiercing you are absolutely right about the spell name!  I got that swapped in my mind somehow.

[McPoyo]

Metamagic rod: Widen.

Or DMM Widen.

Or just plain old Widen Spell.

[Tshern]

And, for what it's worth, it seems seems to me that you could use a Maximize rod to gain the utmost benefit of the spell. Not that useful, but if you stumble across one of those rods, it's worth using here.

Also, is there a way to make an undead construct? Since Zodars can double their strength three times a day and is immune to all damage except bludgeoning damage. Both are (Ex) abilities, too.

[snakeman830]

And, for what it's worth, it seems seems to me that you could use a Maximize rod to gain the utmost benefit of the spell. Not that useful, but if you stumble across one of those rods, it's worth using here.

Also, is there a way to make an undead construct? Since Zodars can double their strength three times a day and is immune to all damage except bludgeoning damage. Both are (Ex) abilities, too.

Incarnate Construct, kill, and Animate works, but I don't know how much they would lose.

[Suzerain]

And, for what it's worth, it seems seems to me that you could use a Maximize rod to gain the utmost benefit of the spell. Not that useful, but if you stumble across one of those rods, it's worth using here.

Also, is there a way to make an undead construct? Since Zodars can double their strength three times a day and is immune to all damage except bludgeoning damage. Both are (Ex) abilities, too.

Incarnate Construct, kill, and Animate works, but I don't know how much they would lose.

Everything. Incarnate Construct is basically: Humanoid/Giant HD, but you don't gain skillpoints if you didn't already have any.

The Bone Creature template can be applied to constructs with a skeletal system.

[Bauglir]

Soulfused Construct to make it a Living Construct, then Half-dragon to make it a Dragon since it's now a living creature and thus eligible, then Dragon Zombie?

[Tshern]

So let's start working on a Zodar.

[Negative Zero]

So let's start working on a Zodar.

Awakened Zodar is eligible for Half-Elemental (Manual of the Planes 189), making it an Outsider, and therefore eligible for Corpse Creature. Depending on your reading of 'skeletal system', a Zodar may be eligible for Bone Creature right out of the box.

[Bauglir]

Got a template that makes its recipient an animal, humanoid, plant, or vermin? If so, symbiotic template is what you want for damage immunity. The only template I know of that works, though, is the Yellow Musk Zombie template, which has the notable drawback of making your precious monstrosities explode after a few days.