Wizardry: Necromantic Spells II

Wizardry: Necromantic Spells II

I was dreading this moment, because reanimation and summoning is very complicated. Animate Dead allows you to raise skeletons or zombies and command them. Create Undead lets you create a free-willed undead being, such as a ghoul or a mummy. It is powered by character points as described in GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys. Command Undead is an undead-exlusive version of Charm. Control Undead allows a more direct control.

 
Animate Dead
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 4/10/19/28/46/92 points for levels 1-6.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S, M.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
 
This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow your spoken commands. The undead can follow you, or they can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place, or perform other tasks that their intelligence allows. They remain animated until they are destroyed. (A destroyed skeleton or zombie can’t be animated again.)
A skeleton can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton. The corpse must have bones, so creating a skeleton from a purple worm, for example, is not possible. If a skeleton is made from a corpse, the flesh falls off the bones.
A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse. The corpse must be that of a creature with a true anatomy, so a dead gelatinous cube, for example, cannot be animated as a zombie.
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, the sum of point totals of all created undead must not be higher than a multiple of your casting skill, as shown on the table below. Spellcasters without casting skills use their Will instead.

Spell Level	Point Total of Controlled Undead	Full Cost
1	Up to casting skill	4 points
2	Up to (casting skill * 2)	10 points
3	Up to (casting skill * 5)	19 points
4	Up to (casting skill * 10)	28 points
5	Up to (casting skill * 15)	46 points
6	Up to (casting skill * 20)	92 points

For the purpose of this spell, the point value of an undead creature is the higher of their actual point total and their ST level.
The animated undead creatures are vulnerable to Dispel Magic. When an animated undead creature enters a no-mana zone or is dispelled, it becomes an inert corpse or skeleton. You may still command undead creatures from a no‑mana zone but cannot dismiss them early.
If an undead creature is destroyed, you must wait a full day to animate replacements. However, you can also dismiss the animating spirit by touching the undead as a free action. In this case, you may begin animating replacements five minutes later.
Material Component: You must place a black onyx gem worth at least $20 per HP of the undead into the mouth or eye socket of each corpse you intend to animate. The magic of the spell turns these gems into worthless, burned-out shells.
Statistics: Ally (Skeleton or zombie; Built on 10%; Constantly; Accessibility, Long ritual, -5%; Adjustable, Small Class, Cannot provide information, +50%; Conjured, +100%; Cosmic, Can be split among many creatures, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Magical, -10%; Minion, +0%; Requires a body, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [4]. +130%
 

 
Command Undead
Keywords: Resisted (Will).
Full Cost (Touch): 25 points.
Full Cost (Short-Range): 35 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 40 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 2 seconds.
Range: Touch – Unlimited (-1/yard) - Unlimited (standard).
Duration: 30 minutes.
 
This spell makes an undead creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally. If you or your allies threaten or attack the subject, the spell is broken. The spell does not enable you to control the affected creature as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You still need to convince it to perform the desired actions normally.
If you tie or lose, the subject can sense coercion coming from you. In addition, you cannot try to affect it again within 24 hours.
Statistics: Mind Control (Accessibility, Only on undead, -50%; Cosmic, Can affect undead immune to mind control, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Independent, +70%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; One Emotion Only, Friendship, -80%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [25]. The Short-Range version replaces Melee Attack, Reach C, -30% with Short-Range 1, -10% [+10]. The Ranged version removes Short-Range 1, -10% [+5].

 
Control Undead
Keywords: Resisted (Will).
Full Cost (Touch): 23 points.
Full Cost (Short-Range): 33 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 38 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Touch – Unlimited (-1/yard) - Unlimited (standard).
Duration: 3 minutes.
 
This spell enables you to command an undead creature for a short period of time. You command it by voice and it understands you, no matter what language you speak. In effect, it temporarily gains the Reprogrammable (p. B150) and Slave Mentality (p. B154) disadvantages, with you as its master. It has no initiative and requires orders.
If you are incapacitated (stunned, knocked out, etc.), or attempt to force the creature to act against its principles (e.g., commit suicide or harm a loved one), roll another Quick Contest. If your victim wins, it breaks free. Roll at the moment of truth, not when the command is given.
If you fail the casting, you cannot attempt to control that creature again for 24 hours, and it feels a sense of mental coercion emanating from you.
Statistics: Mind Control (Accessibility, Undead Only, -50%; Cosmic, Can affect undead that is immune to mind control, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Hearing-Based, -20%; Independent, +70%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Puppet, -40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [23]. The Short-Range version replaces Melee Attack, Reach C, -30% with Short-Range 1, -10% [+10]. The Ranged version removes Short-Range 1, -10% [+5].

    Create Undead
    Keywords: None.
    Full Cost: 17 points.
    Casting Roll: Skill.
    Components: V, S, M.
    Cost: 1 FP, see text.
    Casting Time: 1 hour.
    Range: Touch.
    Duration: Instantaneous.
 
    This spell creates an undead creature from a dead body. The effect is instantaneous – this spell does not require any maintenance. The undead creatures created by this spell are not automatically under the caster’s control; they are free-willed beings. Thus, while this spell can be used to create a mummy, a ghost, a ghoul, or most other undead creatures that the caster knows with no Slave Mentality, it cannot be used to create simple skeletons, zombies, or other undead creatures with Slave Mentality that require constant control.
    In addition to paying the FP cost to cast this spell, the caster must transfer a part of his personal essence into the created being in the form of unspent character points, Impulse Points, or Permanency Points. Consult the following table to determine how many character points the caster must spend. “Point Total” is the created being’s point total expressed as a percentage of the caster’s point total; “Cost” is the number of character points required. If the created being’s point total falls between two percentages, use the higher.

Point Total	Cost
15%	1 point
25%	2 points
50%	4 points
75%	5 points
100%	8 points
150%	16 points

    Material Component: A clay pot filled with grave dirt and another filled with brackish water. The spell must be cast on a dead body. You must place a black onyx gem worth at least $20 per HP of the undead to be created into the mouth or eye socket of each corpse. The magic of the spell turns these gems into worthless shells.
    Statistics: Ally (Undead; Built on 150%; Constantly; Accessibility, Long ritual, -10%; Adjustable, Broad Range, Cannot provide information, +100%; Character point-powered, x1/5; Conjured, +100%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Magical, -10%; Requires a body, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Trigger, Material Component, -20%) [17].

 
Halt Undead
Keywords: Resisted (Will).
Full Cost (Touch): 24 points.
Full Cost (Short-Range): 27 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 32 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Touch – Unlimited (-1/yard) - Unlimited (standard).
Duration: 6 seconds.
 
This spell paralyzes an undead creature. If the victim takes damage or is attacked, the spell dissipates. (Thus, an attacked paralyzed undead creature gets an active defense roll.)
Statistics: Affliction 1 (Will; Accessibility, Only on undead, -50%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Based on Will, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; No Signature, +20%; Paralysis, +150%; Reduced Duration, 1/30, -30%; Requires gestures, -10%; Requires magic words, -10%; Terminal Condition, Attack/damage, -20%) [24]. The Short-Range version removes Melee Attack, Reach C, -30% [+3]. The Ranged version replaces Malediction 1, +100% with Malediction 2, +150% [+5].