Fortunately, for any problem, we have undead. Order them around, use them for combat, hard labour, hat racks, you name it. They don't complain or disobey, and best of all, you don't even have to feed them. Ah, the wonders of magic. One casting of animate dead and you've got a contingent of skeletons ready to either kick ass or kiss ass, at your option.
...not that it's without its deficiencies, however. Having no intelligence or self-sufficiency feel like par for the course; I'm referring more to the fact that animate dead can get damned expensive, at 25 gp per hit die. One Turn Undead from an enemy cleric and that's all of your money and hard work wasted. Plus, there is a limit to how many you can command - 4 HD per level may sound like a lot, but the low hit points, saves and BAB of undead mean that most of the worthwhile options need HD as high as possible to make a dent.So how can you ensure a reanimated legion is worthwhile? A gang of bloodthirsty corpses can pull apart most commoners with ease, but you're going to have to put in a little more effort than that if you hope to pit them against level-appropriate threats. Here, then, I have a short treatise on what corpses to aim for when reanimating, and how to best make use of them once they're active.
The lynchpin of our discussion here is the spell animate dead. Level 3 for clerics, or 4 for wizards, this spell turns corpses into your choice of either skeletons or zombies. You can make up to twice your HD in undead, or four times your HD if you cast it within the area of a desecrate spell. Multiple castings will let you animate more corpses, but you can only control a maximum of 4 HD of undead per level. The spell only takes a standard action to cast, interestingly enough, but you need to pay in the form of 25 gp worth of black onyx per HD of the undead to be animated as a material component - so don't be too reckless with your undead minions, as they do cost a bit.
So what to make with animate dead? Surely you're not going to just animate any old corpse you make... or, er, "come across." In order to make informed decisions about what to aim for, it's best to first understand what features are offered by skeletons or zombies, respectively.
Rattle Me Bones
As a general rule of thumb, always consider skeletons first. They have many advantages over their flesh-caked brethren, and let's be honest, they're flat-out cooler. Think of the final battle in Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts and you'll know what I mean.
Being skeletonized is a template, but it homogenizes the base creature more than most. The following are features of a skeleton:
- Hit Dice aren't doubled the way they are for zombies, so you're getting more bang for your buck. Note that if it had more than 20 HD, it can't be made into a skeleton.
- Subtypes are retained, with some minor restrictions. This can score some nice side benefits on a skeleton.
- All movement modes are retained - even flight, but only if the base creature flew 'magically.' This is somewhat vague, but I imagine it basically means if it flew with wings, don't count on it.
- Natural armor is lost and replaced by a small, set number based on the subject's size.
- Strength is kept, Dexterity gets +2, everything else is basically lost (0 Constitution and Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, 1 Charisma.) The Dexterity bonus means Skeletons make ideal archers and ranged combatants.
- No Special Attacks are retained. No Special Qualities are retained asides from "any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks." Sounds promising, but you'll find that much of the time that won't amount to anything.
- All natural weapons and weapon proficiencies are retained, meaning a skeleton archer can thankfully still use a bow. They also get a claw attack for each hand, which could make something like a Marilith interesting.
- All feats and skills are lost, but Improved Initiative is gained as a bonus feat. Between this and the Dexterity increase, that means +5 to initiative.
- Immunity to Cold as a nice little bonus, and DR 5/bludgeoning.
Skeletons are the more dependable, versatile form of undead. They probably are best as archers, since they get a bonus to Dexterity and are even resistant to arrows shot in return. Since they cost half as much as zombies towards your HD limit of what you can control, it's easy to amass hordes of low-HD skeleton mooks and have them unleash a storm of arrows, sling bullets and javelins. Any time you slay something with an obscenely high Dex score, you could do worse than making it a skeleton and handing it a bow. That said, if you pick the right corpses, you can pretty easily make a hefty melee bruiser out of a skeleton as well. The 20 HD cap on what you can reanimate gives you a pretty wide selection of beefy monsters that couldn't be zombies otherwise.
The Marine Corpse
Don't let the popularity of infectious shambling corpses in widespread media taint your perceptions: zombies in D&D are slow, dumb and not very dangerous. When the only way to make them involves five levels of cleric and a king's ransom in onyx, you'll never have to fear a zombie apocalypse. Still, necromancers use them for a reason, and they have their uses. Like skeletons, the zombie template is somewhat homogenizing, and its features are as follows:
- Hit Dice are doubled, which might sound nice, but it means the resulting body is twice as expensive to animate as its skeleton equivalent. As a result, you can't animate anything with more than 10 HD as a zombie. This limits your options, but at least it gives them more hit points to play around with.
- Subtypes are retained, same as the skeleton.
- Movement speeds are maintained, including flight, but maneuverability is dropped to clumsy. Tactically this is a bummer, but it still gets the job done for simple transport or distance travel.
- Natural armor is not only retained, but actually gets a boost based on the creature's size. This is probably the best feature a zombie has in its favour.
- Strength is increased by 2, Dexterity is decreased by 2, but otherwise same as the skeleton.
- Special Attacks & Qualities are the same as for the skeleton.
- Natural weapons and weapon proficiencies are retained, and a slam attack is also gained, with damage based on the subject's size.
- No feats or skills, asides from Toughness gained as a bonus feat.
- DR 5/slashing is thrown in for free, as well as the dreaded Single Actions Only, which is the real kiss of death for zombies' general usefulness. They can move or attack once in a round, but not both. Don't forget that since they only have partial actions, however, they can still perform a partial charge.
Remade to Order
So keeping in mind what your undead minions can or can't do, what's the best to aim for? I have picked out here some monsters that synergize nicely with the undead templates, and while you don't exactly get to decide what you fight (or find conveniently laying dead in a ditch,) it can be good to remember if you happen to come across one of these in your campaign (or actively seek one out, or magically call one with planar binding, or...)
As a general rule of thumb, Giants, Outsiders and Monstrous Humanoids are good targets to aim for. They all mostly have skeletons, natural proficiencies, and great stats for their HD. Class levels are lost before the templates are applied, so humanoid zombies and skeletons are mostly worthless. Even the mightiest, most legendary human fighter of all time will end up as a 1 HD twerp once he's a skeleton.
Abyssal Drake (skeleton): This 10 HD not-dragon is notable mostly for its size and its impressive array of natural attacks - you have either a sting and a bite or two claw attacks. As a skeleton it unfortunately loses its fly speed, but it can move at a respectable 40 feet, and Huge size gives it some good reach with which to use that 29 Strength. Note that as a zombie its damage output would suffer, but you're left with 16 Natural Armor and a blistering fly speed of 150 feet!
Ankheg (zombie): Here's an interesting utility choice. Between its high AC, 21 Strength and single powerful attack, an ankheg can put up a nasty fight for 3 HD, but what's interesting is its burrow speed - having a nonmagical way to tunnel under enemies or obstacles could be very handy. Hollow one out and you could pilot it as underground transport. Note that just about any decent-sized creature with a burrow speed should be usable in the same capacity.
Bluespawn Stormlizard (zombie): Another bargain for its 6 HD, the stormlizard boasts Large size and 27 Strength. Its single gore attack, 40 foot move speed and +15 Natural Armor mean they should function just fine as zombies, able to close a gap pretty regularly with a charge attack.
Carnage Demon (skeleton): Very strong for their cost, this low-ranking demon has 20 Strength and 2 Slams at 1d4+5 each for only 3 HD.
Centaur (zombie): A centaur deals double damage when it charges with a lance - a rule that is listed in its descriptive paragraph of all things, not as a Special Attack or Special Quality, meaning it keeps this ability even in undeath. Mobile combat on a zombie might sound suspect, but seeing as centaurs have a respectable base speed of 50', it's still worthwhile. Note also that a centaur has proficiency with the longsword and composite longbow, which are better than the average simple weapon.
Cloud Giant (skeleton): With 35 Strength and Huge size, cloud giants seem like a generic, if effective, big ol' bruiser-type. However, remember the "any extraordinary special qualities that improve
its melee or ranged attacks" clause that hardly ever comes up? Here cloud giants get something kind of interesting - they have Oversized Weapon as a special quality, letting them wield a Gargantuan morningstar without penalty. Yeah, it deals the same damage as a Large greatsword, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper to make and has a better damage type. Might as well flaunt it if you've got it!
Dread Linnorm (skeleton): Just barely an option at 20 HD, the Dread Linnorm is a rare example of a Colossal critter you can turn into an undead minion. It has two bites, two claws and a tail slap on a full attack, and with 40 Strength to back them up, they're bound to hurt! Getting +51 to grapple checks is also mighty tempting. Note also that unlike regular dragons, Linnorms explicitly do not have wings - meaning a skeletonized one should keep that 90 foot fly speed! How you expect to kill off one of these CR 25 behemoths in the first place is up to you.
Dwarf Ancestor (zombie): The dwarf ancestor is a Large Outsider notable mostly for one reason: it has an astounding +18 natural armor, or +21 as a zombie! Throw some armor on it and it will be nigh-impossible to hit. It also has a respectable 22 Strength, so it's not entirely helpless for fighting back. How expensive is all of this tanky goodness? A meager 5 HD. There's probably nothing more resilient that you can spend 10 HD of your control pool on.
Elf (skeleton): Considering your undead minions keep all of their weapon proficiencies from life, any elf skeleton will be able to use a longbow despite being just a humanoid (as well as the longsword, rapier and shortbow.) Seeing as elves also get +2 Dexterity, run-of-the mill elven citizens can make for decent archers that only cost 1 HD. The wood elf is even better, getting a free +2 Strength on top of that.
Efreeti (skeleton): 10 HD for large size, 23 Strength and 17 Dexterity. The efreeti makes for a decent brawler, but most interesting is its fly speed of 40 ft. (perfect): aerial archers can be very tricky for many enemies to deal with. Note also the fire subtype, giving the efreet two immunities (see Fire Giant, below.)
Ettin (skeleton): 10 HD for large size and 23 Strength - nothing spectacular. However, ettins have Superior Two-Weapon Fighting as a Special Quality, meaning they don't get any penalty for dual-wielding. Give him a couple Large longswords and he'll be able to go toe-to-toe with most melee brutes.
Firbolg (skeleton): Compared to the fire giant, the firbolg loses the fire immunity but has 36 Strength - that of a shadow giant - for only 13 HD. It's also less likely you'll come across them, depending on what books are being used, for what that's worth.
Fire Giant (skeleton): This is the benchmark example of stacking subtypes to your benefit on a skeleton. The fire subtype from a fire giant is retained, meaning it has immunity to fire but takes double damage from cold. However, the skeleton template gives it immunity to cold, meaning it ends up with both immunities for no cost! Asides from that, fire giants are large and have a whopping 31 Strength, making them absolute melee bruisers. Equip one with a large greatsword and watch it hew through your foes with ease.
Fomorian (skeleton): Looks aren't everything, especially once you shave these guys down to the bone. Boasting 34 Strength on a Large body for 15 HD, these guys are very nearly as burly as a cloud giant for a couple HD less of your control pool!
Forest Giant (skeleton): While fire giants may be the 'classic' option, sometimes it's still worth shopping around. This obscure option requires 2 less HD at only 13, but have a superior 33 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 40 foot speed and Huge size - the only thing you're missing out on is that handy fire subtype. In basically all other aspects, you have yourself a superior bruiser.
Gambol (skeleton): 23 Strength, 18 Dexterity, large size and even a Climb speed are pretty good for 8 HD. The lynchpin here is whether or not its Haste Special Quality qualifies to be retained in undeath - if it does, the Gambol is a truly fearsome minion; if not, don't worry about tracking one down. It's nothing special otherwise.
Ghaele (zombie): A good example that undead need not be house-sized to be deadly melee combatants. Though not cheap or expendable, 20 HD, +16 natural armor and 27 Strength are superb on a Medium-sized body, which is much easier to hide or transport. Many outsiders have powerful stats despite their Medium size; keep an eye on them.
Giant Stag Beetle (zombie): Vermin have to be zombies, seeing as they have no skeletons, but you won't mind so much when said zombie comes with +13 natural armor. You could even add on custom-made barding if you really wanted to make a tank. Top it with a bunch of halfling or goblin skeletons and it can serve as a walking artillery platform.
Greater Dusk Giant (skeleton): Hoo boy, welcome to the big leagues. See if you can't make a mess once you're in control of a Huge body with 48 Strength for just 18 HD. Commission it a Huge greatsword and you'll find out how many things can stand up to swings of 4d6+28 damage.
Guulvorg (skeleton): You'd think that a Huge wolf would be all about its bite attack, but oddly enough its tail attack does considerably more, to the tune of 4d8+13 damage! 28 Strength and 18 Dexterity isn't astonishing for 14 HD, but that 60 foot speed does make for a very mobile combatant.
Halfling (skeleton): With the +1 to hit due to their size, any sort of Small skeleton will make a good ranged combatant - kobolds, gnomes, goblins, you name it. Halflings are a particularly nice example, as they get to retain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with ranged weapons or slings. Considering they also have a +2 Dexterity bonus (on top of the other +2 they get for being skeletons,) you can get a very high to-hit bonus on a squad of these 1 HD pipsqueaks.
Heavy Warhorse (skeleton): Needs no upkeep and never tires. Nothing outstanding about it, it just makes a good undead mount at the very low levels. As a bonus, heavy warhorses should be easy to find, unlike some of the more exotic entries on this list.
Hound of the Hunt (skeleton): Yeah, okay, this will never happen. But like, on paper this is a top-tier choice. Listed mostly for curiosity's sake, this 20 HD doggie has 45 Strength and 32 Dexterity, a 90 foot speed as well as a 90 foot fly speed with perfect maneuverability, and a bite at +37 for 2d6+25 damage. Gadzooks! If you were ever wondering what might be worth cheesing a custom-made corpse with polymorph any object, well, this might be it.
Hydra (zombie): One of the golden standards for undead bruisers. As stated in the combat block (again, not a Special Attack or Quality, like the centaur,) "hydras can attack with all their heads at no penalty, even if they move or charge during the round." This essentially removes the zombie's greatest weakness, letting it make all of its attacks as a standard action. The hydra zombie is kind of cheesy, to be honest, but if you're permitted one, do all you can to protect and preserve this damage-dealing machine.
Ibrandlin (skeleton): This notoriously under-CR'd monster can likewise turn its weirdly inflated numbers and size towards being a loyal undead minion. For only 10 HD, this dragon features an astronomical 35 Strength as well as five natural attacks which which to use it. Perhaps most striking of all is that the thing is gargantuan - and yes, at 10 HD. You could even make it a zombie to send its hit points and natural armor through the roof and just rely on that one 4d6+12 bite. An ibrandlin skeleton should single-handedly annihilate most foes even close to it in HD.
Lesser Dusk Giant (skeleton): This economy option is likewise notably overpowered for its HD, much like the greater dusk giant above. At a more affordable 12 HD, you get to enjoy an incredible 34 Strength and 40 foot speed on a Large body. Unlike the usual "two Slam attacks" giants you often see, the dusk giant gets two nasty claw attacks as well as a bite even if you don't arm him up.
Mephit (skeleton): Cheap at 3 HD, but of limited utility. What's interesting is that the combat block mentions that their "natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction." This can be handy for mid-level opponents, and each type of mephit comes with its own elemental subtype, which you may be able to capitalize on. Some of them (air, dust and ice) even have a respectable 17 Dex, meaning they have potential as archers. However, since they all are winged, it's unlikely they'll still be able to fly as skeletons.
Mountain Troll (skeleton): 35 Strength with 15 feet of reach will pulverize most foes, especially considering that as a giant, they have proficiency with martial weapons. Awaken undead adds in fast healing and a free trip attempt with every attack.
Nightmare (zombie): Tacking on a 90 ft. fly speed makes this an excellent upgrade to the heavy warhorse, and it even has an impressive +13 natural armor for its 6 HD. Note that since its flight is unarguably magical, a nightmare skeleton would also be able to fly (and even keep its good maneuverability!)
Ogre Mage (skeleton): Want a flying mount that you can actually bring into combat? Forget about zombified giant birds; their clumsy maneuverability makes them only good for getting you from point A to point B. Since they have an obviously magical flying speed of 40 feet, an ogre mage skeleton would keep it as well as the good maneuverability. They're large (making a suitable mount for most medium-size characters,) only use up 5 HD of your control pool, and as giants have proficiency in all martial weapons as well as light armor. With 21 Strength backing it up, picking up a large longbow or greatsword can give you a respectable damage output from your unorthodox steed.
Pegasus (zombie): Forget about combat, you just want this as a cheap, tireless mount with a 120 ft. fly speed. Similar situation as the ankheg above. Larger zombies (wyverns, dragons etc.) could be used to transport more than one party member at a time.
Petal (zombie): Tiny size, 20 Dexterity and 60 foot flight mean the petal makes for a pretty good scout and crossbow-user when zombified. You'd love to make it a skeleton for the Dexterity boost and lack of Single Actions Only, but the power of flight is still the biggest draw for a puny 1 HD minion.
Sahuagin Mutant (skeleton): Regular sahuagin aren't bad skeletons, but the mutants are a straight upgrade, boasting five natural attacks coming off a passable 14 Strength. They can put out a lot of damage for their 2 HD, and also feature a natural swim speed of 60 feet.
Storm Giant (skeleton): Among the largest and strongest options available, the 19 HD of a storm giant buys you 39 Strength and a decent 14 Dexterity on a Huge frame. While lacking the sheer strength of the Dusk Giant, don't miss that not only can ol' Stormy here move at a speed of 50 feet, but he keeps a 40 foot swim speed, too. Besides, this is probably the biggest and baddest core-only giant available if your DM swings that way.
Sun Giant (skeleton): Another reminder that degrees of "big and strong" vary among giants, the sun giant outperforms many of his peers of similar HD by boasting 37 Strength and Huge size for only 13 HD! Not good enough? How about I mention they also have a solid 14 Dexterity, 40 foot speed and that match-made-in-heaven fire subtype? We're looking at a giant that is bigger, stronger, faster and more dexterous than the classic fire giant for 2 less HD. I'd make that trade any day!
Titan (skeleton): These big boys barely squeak into the realm of possibility at 20 HD, but they boast Huge size and 43 Strength as well as a 60 foot base speed. Since undead retain all weapon proficiencies of the base creature, they will arguably still be able to use a gargantuan warhammer as mentioned in the statblock!
Umber Hulk (skeleton): Three attacks and 23 Strength is pretty good in a fight, but unlike your average critter with a burrow speed, the descriptive text for an umber hulk says it can tunnel through solid rock at a rate of 5 feet per round. Now even a stone floor can't stop you from tunneling underground, bypassing entire sections of a dungeon or ambushing someone inside a fortified building. Since skeletons can work tirelessly forever, you could even use a series of them to create an underground tunnel system between cities or other points of interest for any smuggling needs...
Unicorn (skeleton): With 20 Strength, three natural attacks and a speed of 60 feet, the unicorn has good stats for its 4 HD. The real standout, however, is the stat block mentioning that its horn counts as a +3 weapon so long as it isn't removed, allowing your undead minion to bypass DR/magic and fight incorporeal enemies. This is something that skeletons and zombies can't normally do without spell support or being supplied a magic weapon, providing some real utility. The high speed, good natural armor and reliance mostly on one main attack mean that a unicorn would make for a fine zombie as well.
Yagnoloth (skeleton): The biggest and beefiest Yugoloths make good standard minions, owing to their Large size, 30 Strength and 50 foot speed at 10 HD. The real point of interest is that they retain their Muscular Arm special quality, which means that one claw attack has +20 to hit and deals 1d6+10 damage even when used as a secondary attack. Give 'em a large longsword for the other arm and you're set!
Anything: In D&D, a corpse is defined as an object. Polymorph any object will let you turn any corpse into any other type of corpse of your choosing. For a lower-level alternative, stone to flesh explicitly creates a corpse when cast on a statue, and you can of course make a statue of whatever you want by casting fabricate upon a wall of stone. Get your hand-picked undead army on!
Alternative Programming
Is that it? Zombies and skellies? They're versatile templates, sure, but you can really only make those two things with animate dead? Well, to be honest... not exactly. Throughout the various monster manuals and splatbooks of 3.5's lifetime, a few variant undead were made that could also be raised with a casting of animate dead - often with additional material components, specific targets and only once the caster was at a certain level. Listed here are the alternative undead made available.
Bloodhulk (MM4): Lacking the versatility of skeletons or zombies, the bloodhulk is a distinct creature rather than a template. They come in Medium, Large or Huge flavours, and generally fill the same roles as zombies: big bags of hit points. It's more literal in this case, though - the reanimated corpses are so swollen with blood that they have maximum hit points per Hit Die as well as a bonus +2 hp for each HD. This can make for some pretty resilient goons (when was the last time you saw a CR 4 monster with 140 hit points?) but it's mitigated somewhat by the fact that they take extra damage from slashing or piercing weapons. They're pretty good at battering foes (the three sizes have 16, 33, and 43 Strength, respectively) but they have a severe drawback as far as minion management goes: they count for twice their HD in terms of how much undead you can control. Thus, a 20 HD Bloodhulk Crusher uses up 40 HD of your control pool, and I highly doubt it would be able to outfight a pair of ten-headed hydra zombies (or four ten-headed hydra skeletons!) Bloodhulks are interesting in that they can be made from most any corpse, but unless your DM is only providing opponents with class levels and wimpy bodies, you're probably better off sticking to zombies.
Dread (LEoF): This is kind of a weird one. A dread is just a floating pair of skeletal arms. It can use a weapon sized for a Medium creature, but otherwise it's just kind of that part near the end of Hausu. You make it by casting animate dead but also chipping in an extra 1000 gp gem. The result has only 12 Strength and maxes out at 6 HD. There's a frightful presence, but it only affects creatures with 2 or less HD (!) This thing is pretty weak, honestly.
Necrosis Carnex (MM4): Now this is a fun one. A necrosis carnex is made from three Medium corpses and a set of cold-hammered iron bands worth 200 gp; the caster need be at least 11th level to make one with animate dead. Once one does, however, the result is a support-based minion quite unlike anything else you can make with the spell. A carnex is pretty frail, but it has a 30 ft. radius aura in which all living creatures take an untyped -2 penalty to attacks and saves. Stand it behind a line of undead minions, and it can debuff your foes while they protect it. Perhaps even more interesting, though, is its touch attack. The touch deals 1d6 damage, +1 per 2 HD, to living foes, but if used on an undead creature, it instead heals them for the same amount. It can even grant them temporary hit points for up to 10 minutes. In the unfortunate case that your necrosis carnex dies, it explodes and deals damage equal to its touch attack to everything within 30 feet, so that's at least a small consolation prize. The necrosis carnex makes an excellent support minion to your melee bruisers - stand a pair of them behind a hydra skeleton, and they can heal it every turn as well as provide infinite out-of-combat healing and a nice cushion of temporary hit points. I feel that any necromancer who takes his squad seriously should have one or two of these loathsome things skittering around.
Dragons (Dra): This deserves its own section. Your first response might be that dragons would make lousy skeletons or zombies, since their HD ratchets up fast and none of their impressive abilities transfer over. Normally you'd be right, but in the Draconomicon, specific rules were added on how animate dead functions differently for dragons. The templates are mostly similar to the ones from the Monster Manual, but the biggest difference is that it removes the HD cap. You can get some extremely big undead minions this way, and that's reason enough to get excited. The two differ as follows.
Skeletal dragons get bonus hit points equal to their HD, can't fly or swim, keep their (Ex) Special Attacks and Special Qualities, and lose any subtypes (though they keep any immunities they would have had from those lost subtypes.) Strength, Dexterity and Charisma remain unchanged. Otherwise it's the same as a regular skeleton. Frankly, this isn't very impressive either, and it comes up short in every way except the HD cap if you compare it to using the Monster Manual skeleton template on a dragon and then casting awaken undead on it. Skeletal dragons are decent scrappers but no better than many other candidates of the same HD.
In an interesting twist of fate, it's actually the zombie dragons that are more impressive. A zombie dragon also doesn't have its HD doubled (whew) and gets bonus hit points equal to twice its HD. Their natural armor is reduced to half, they keep all forms of movement, and retain their (Ex) Special Attacks (except for those that are Charisma-based) and Special Qualities - as well as their breath weapon! If the breath weapon dealt damage, it only deals half as much as before, but if not then it remains unchanged. The stats get a somewhat unfortunate -2 Dex and -6 Cha, subtypes are lost but immunities retained, and otherwise it's the same as a regular zombie. Now this is pretty great: even with the Single Action Only hobbling it, if you animate a really big dragon, you'll get a flying war machine with respectable hit points and AC, the ability to carry the whole party and even a decent breath weapon you can rain down on fools below. A dragon zombie is totally worth getting if you can, especially if you're willing to invest in it a bit.
Wakey Wakey
Mindless servants not quite enough? Find you're craving a little more from your bony minions? If you've packed on a few more levels and seen it all as far as reanimate matter goes, there's a new toy you can play with: the level 7 wizard spell awaken undead. In exchange for a piddling amount of XP, a casting of awaken undead will grant its subjects an Intelligence score of 1d6+4 (to a maximum of what it had in life,) the armor proficiencies it had in life, +2 turn resistance (if they didn't already have any,) and a +2 Will bonus to saving throws against being controlled. Well, uh... that hardly sounds worth it at all. And it wouldn't be, except for one other, key detail: the awakened undead regain any extraordinary abilities they had in life. Yowza.
Note that being made into an intelligent creature does mean the undead creature gains skills and feats. Whether you get to pick them or the DM assigns them is a key distinction but not one that is made clear in the spell's description.
So once all extraordinary abilities are an option, a lot of creatures that were earlier left usless by their undead state are back on the table - and some that were already worthwhile are left even more so. Here are a few tasty minions made available by awaken undead.
Arrow Demon (skeleton): No surprise that the creature with "arrow" in its name makes for a great archer. A regular arrow demon skeleton is actually pretty lousy for its HD, but once awakened, it regains the ability to use two bows at once, wield Large bows with no penalty, fire arrows without provoking attacks of opportunity and use them to make attacks of opportunity - now that's more like it! Don't forget that their attacks are also chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for overcoming damage reduction.
Bloodstriker Dinosaur (zombie): If you want to take the classic zombie damage-sponge to the next level and make your opponents a little afraid for their skins, awakening a bloodstriker leaves you with a 18 HD bruiser with +13 natural armor, a decent bite attack and the ability to spray acid. In addition, anyone attacking the dino takes damage from both its bristling spines and caustic blood that sprays out upon injury. That should be a real pain for any melee fighter to work through. Funnily enough, a skeletal bloodstriker technically also has caustic blood that sprays out, rules as written... that said, your DM can also technically have a turning-happy cleric come across you and your minions, so maybe save what you're trying to slip past him for something juicier.
Cave Troll (skeleton): 10-foot reach and 29 Strength is already impressive for 9 HD, but awaken adds on Dazing Blow, Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake and Rend. Note that Dazing Blow will be kind of a wash since the save DC is Constitution-based (a stat which our buddy here doesn't have) but even ignoring that, the rest of those abilities will make him a damage machine. Expect an awakened cave troll to tear through most level-appropriate threats.
Dire Tortoise (skeleton): This is a fun one. An awakened dire tortoise regains its Lightning Strike ability, which allows it to always act in every surprise round. That kind of advantage will add up in every fight for sure. With its astronomical +19 natural armor, you'd just love to make this thing a zombie, but unfotunately, 14 HD relegate it to always-skelly status. It should still make a good artillery platform, similar to the giant stag beetle.
Dragon (zombie): One of the best choices just got better. Dragons have a solid list they can pick from for skills (including Use Magic Device,) and an awakened one will not only be an intelligent flying tank, but potentially useful utility with a bucket of skills (6+Int per HD) and feats.
Dwarf (skeleton): The fact that awaken undead returns not just extraordinary abilitites but also skills and feats opens an interesting avenue not usually offered by minionmancy: it allows you to patch up some of the holes in a party without all of the skills covered. Any old dwarf, for instance, can use Trapfinding as a rogue with stone-based traps. An elf can automatically detect secret doors and has a little bonus to Spot and Listen. A kobold can produce traps on demand. A skulk gets +8 to Move Silently and +15 to Hide, making for a premiere scout. There are all sorts of low-HD races that you'll find amongst NPCs who can provide neat and useful abilities for out-of-combat utility. The real dream is to somehow get your hands on the corpse of an artificer or crafting wizard, in which case you've hit the jackpot of cheap magic items.
Fleshraker Dinosaur (skeleton): The darling of low-level druids everywhere, the pile of nasty abilities this tenacious raptor gets likewise make for an excellent awakened skeleton. A fleshraker gets Pounce, letting it full attack on a charge (with a free rake attack thrown in!) If the foe is damaged, the fleshraker gets a free Trip attempt. If the Trip succeeds, then the fleshraker immediately gets a free grapple check. And if that grapple is successful, the opponent is automatically pinned and takes both claw and rake damage on each subsequent round. Talk about a busy turn! On top of all that, the dino even has a Dexterity-damaging poison on its claws and tail attack. A fleshraker makes for a powerful lockdown-style minion, but at only 4 HD, it's vulnerable enough that you might actually want to make it a zombie. After all, even a zombie still gets to charge, meaning it can still do the whole attack routine while enjoying the doubled HD and heightened Strength and AC.
Hobgoblin Warsoul (zombie): The warsoul is notable because it gets something no other creature in the game (asides from lesser examples in the same book) does - spellcasting as an (explicitly) extraordinary ability! A warsoul has 9th level wizard casting for 10 HD, meaning it could quite conceivably be better casting than that of anyone in the party when you get one. The casting doesn't seem to have any way to advance, but it's a surprisingly solid list and having it around will almost certainly be preferable to having just another big guy that can hit stuff, even at high levels. The biggest hurdle here is that awaken undead only grants 7-10 Intelligence, and the Warsoul will need at least 15 to cast all of his spells. It's up to you whether it's worth investing in a Headband of Intellect +6 for a zombie. Oh yeah, Warsouls also always have 2d4 1st-level hobgoblin warriors that fight for them... as an (Ex) ability. So that's both really weird and kind of useful. Cast awaken undead and boom, five hobgoblins appear out of thin air. I figured you'd need to spring for a zombie, since skeletons don't have any way of meeting verbal component whereas a zombie reasonably could. Besides, what arcane caster would say no to the extra hit points?
Hydra (zombie): Already one of the premiere choices for animate dead, an awakened hydra will regain its Fast Healing, making it that much less likely for your golden child to get hacked apart.
Jarilith (skeleton): Any sort of big cat, even the 3 HD leopard, can be useful for retaining Pounce after being awakened. The jarilith, which is in fact a demon, is basically the paragon for that type of creature. Awakening it gives you a skeletal minion with Frightful Presence, Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake (which it can perform in a Pounce or grapple,) an Augmented Critical of 18-20 and even Scent. That's a heck of a lot of goodies for a glorified lion. Oh, and did I mention it comes with an astounding 35 Strength and 31 Dexterity? You could make it a zombie if you want to keep that +14 natural armor, since the inclusion of Pounce (and 60 ft. movement speed) will mean it's still a capable combatant.
Kelvezu (skeleton): A kelvezu has a deadly +8d6 Sneak Attack, as well as a Constitution-damaging poison that continuously coats any weapon it wields. 33 Dexterity, Uncanny Dodge and Evasion keep it safe, and it even has a 60 ft. (good) fly speed and +8 to Hide and Move Silently. An awakened kelvezu skeleton can make an excellent scout and will even lay waste to many a foe if you can get it into a flanking position.
Kuo-Toa Exalted Whip (zombie): In the same vein (and book!) as the hobgoblin warsoul above, the exalted whip has 8th level cleric casting for 10 HD - as well as domains and the ability to rebuke undead. That's right, your zombie can control zombies of its own. No better way to build up an undead army than by having lieutenants that can all command their own retinue. Note again that zombies all have 10 Wisdom, so you'll need a Periapt of Wisdom if you want the Exalted Whip to be able to cast any more than cantrips, though you could consider using owl's wisdom as a 'combat buff' of sorts.
Kuo-Toa Leviathan (skeleton): Their description distinctly states that they're exceptionally rare, but a girl can dream. While a kuo-toa leviathan has pretty unimpressive stats for its HD and size (only 26 Str and 15 Dex for 15 HD?) it has an enormous list of abilities, and every one of them (Ex)! That includes Improved Grab, a Stun attack fives times per day, Swallow Whole, Improved Evasion, Keen Sight letting it see invisible or etheral foes, immunity to webs and other confinements, Uncanny Dodge, +Wis to AC (if you want to give it a Periapt of Wisdom) and even +4 to Spot and Search. Taking all of those goodies as a whole could result in a very worthwhile minion!
Remorhaz (skeleton): A remorhaz is normally pretty decent as a skeleton, since it's Huge at only 7 HD, and has a solid 26 Strength. However, its signature ability - that mad heat damage - is locked away until you can awaken it. Anything that touches its skeleton will take a staggering 8d6 fire damage, and it can even melt objects that touch it. How can a skeleton generate such intense heat, you ask? The Bones Remember. The awakened remorhaz will also regain Improved Grab and Swallow Whole, which are a little strange, but not unfathomable, on a skeleton.
Reth Dekala (skeleton): Armored torsos with a trail of flame in place of legs, retha dekala come from the Tome of Battle and may be your ticket to a maneuver-slinging minion. While they lose out on several of their key abilities (aura and ranged fire attack) even when awakened, a reth dekala will get access to their maneuvers and stances. These aren't listed as an (Ex) ability per se, but as stated on page 40, maneuvers are always treated as extraordinary abilities unless noted as otherwise (and none of the maneuvers a reth dekala has access to are.) While the reth dekala isn't a big pile of numbers as far as stats go, its skeleton will still have a handful of useful maneuvers it can throw out every combat and a permanent air walk. And I must say, a floating skeletal torso with martial maneuvers is pretty darn cool.
Valkyrie (skeleton): Similar to the reth dekala, a valkyrie skeleton loses out on several potent supernatural abilities (as well as its fly speed, in this case) but retains access to a handy set of maneuvers even in undeath. In this case you get a much more impressive chassis with 25 Strength and 29 Dexterity for 11 HD, as well as a list of maneuvers long enough that you can probably have it use one each round and not run out before combat's over.
Buy Yourself Something Nice
So there are plenty of nasty critters to work with as far as reanimation goes, but considering how tricky it can be to find worthwhile options (you're basically at your DM's mercy for what you encounter,) how expensive it can be to cast animate dead and how the biggest weakness of skeletons - their low HP - can make all of your hard work disappear under a few lucky hits... it's wise to invest in your undead minions.
The first thing to understand is that a lot of the boons you can give your minions will actually happen before you even animate them - you need to be prepared in advance. There are a handful of feats, items and spells that will modify undead you create, so gather all that you can before you cast animate dead to get the most bang for your buck.
Something you'll always want to try and get your hands on is desecrate, which is a 2nd level cleric spell. It costs a pittance (a vial of unholy water and 25 gp of silver power) in exchange for a very vital effect. Any undead created in a desecrated area has +1 hit point per hit die. Additionally, when you cast animate dead in a desecrated area, you can animate twice as many HD as normal (so 4 HD per level.) That would already be reason enough to spring for it, but it gets better. If the desecrated area contains "an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture dedicated to your deity or aligned higher power," then the bonus is doubled to +2 hit points per hit die. All for investing 50 gp beforehand? Sign me up!
For you clerics out there, the Deathbound domain allows you to animate three times your caster level of undead, rather than twice your level. So a cleric with the Deathbound domain in a desecrated shrine can animate six times his level. That's some pretty powerful undead we're talking about. A 5th level cleric can animate 30 HD - that's two fire giant skeletons! Of course, being able to kill even a single fire giant in the first place would be well beyond the scope of a 5th-level party, but it's illustrative as to how much power you can theoretically gather.
If Unearthed Arcana is on the table, wizards don't have to miss out on the fun (who am I kidding, when have wizards ever had to miss out on anything?) Necromancers can take the Enhanced Undead alternate class feature to grant all of their created undead a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity, and +2 hit points per hit die. Since they're both enhancement, the Strength bonus won't stack with Corpsecrafter, but the Dexterity boost is pretty unique and the hit points are untyped, as always. This one's interesting in that it can improve the archery capabilities of your skeletons, which isn't so common. It also doesn't explicitly say it only applies to undead created with your wizard casting, so a cleric could take a one-level dip of wizard just for Enhanced Undead.
The dread necromancer, from Heroes of Horror, is a class explicitly designed around necromancy and controlling undead. Admittedly it's pretty good at what it does, but perhaps a little too specialized to accomplish much outside of that scope. Perhaps most impressive among its abilities is Undead Mastery, its 8th level class feature. It's the same effect as the wizard's Enhanced Undead - +4 enhancement to Strength and Dexterity, +2 hp per hit die - but it also vastly expands your control pool. You can control up to 4 + your Charisma bonus in HD worth of undead, rather than the regular 4 per level. Seeing as it's a Charisma-based casting class, that's probably going to be an enormous number. Undead Mastery alone is fully worth taking this class for anyone who wants to make the most of animate dead.
Arts and Corpsecrafts
Regardless of which class you take, there are some choices any caster can make use of. Perhaps most explicit among them are the Corpsecrafter line of feats, which exist solely to improve animated undead.
Corpsecrafter: This feat I'd say is near-mandatory for any necromantic hopefuls that are dedicated to the undead retinue lifestyle. Corpsecrafter gives all undead you raise or create a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and +2 hit points per hit die (functionally similar to +4 Constitution.) That can go a long way towards improving the survivability of your undead minions and even lets them hit harder, too. Note also that corpsecrafter is a prerequisite for the several other undead-modifying feats detailed below.
Bolster Resistance: Gives your undead +4 turn resistance. I couldn't ever imagine having room in a build for this, unless you really want all of the corpsecrafter feats or you're in a world where everyone's a cleric.
Deadly Chill: Makes your undead deal +1d6 cold damage with their natural attacks. More damage is nice, but this one's quite conditional - anything with Cold Resistance 5 will shrug off the bonus damage, and a lot of the best undead options are going to be using manufactured weapons. Still, if you're using creatures with tons of natural attacks (hydras being the go-to) it has potential.
Destructive Retribution: This is kind of an odd one, turning your undead minions into potential suicide bombers. When they're destroyed, they release a burst that deals 1d6 points of damage, +1d6 per 2 HD, in a 10-foot radius spread (DC 15 Reflex half.) Interestingly, since it's negative energy damage, it will in fact heal any nearby undead. Since this guide is for getting the best undead minions you can, I don't think it's wise to actively plan for their destruction. Inevitable though it may be, that's just planning for failure, if you ask me. That said, you could purposefully go out of your way to get as many cheap 1 HD skeletons you can - kobolds, rats, you name it - and have them swarm an opponent before wiping them all out in an area-of-effect spell. A fun tactic, but you'll probably find the cost will add up fast.
Hardened Flesh: Gives your undead +2 natural armor. You know another way to increase something's armor by +2? Fitting it with leather armor, which starts at a whopping 10 gp. Sure, the two of those together will stack, but no feat should be replacable by 10 gp.
Nimble Bones: This one's interesting - it grants a +4 bonus to initiative checks and +10 bonus to land speed. Any skeletons you make will have a total +9 bonus to initiative compared to the base creature! There's one problem, though - will the initiative bonus of unintelligent undead matter? In every campaign I've seen where someone had animated dead, they always just acted on their controller's turn. Would you need to give them standing orders to attack threats without your explicit orders? Can we trust mindless zombies' threat-assessment capabilities? Not a bad effect for the feat, but it raises some troubling questions.
Spell It Out For Me
The deadwalker's ring grants +2 hit points per hit die to any undead you animate - sadly, it specifically calls out that it does not stack with desecrate. Still, it's cheap at 4000 gp, and if you're having trouble getting access to the spell, this is an easy way to replicate the best part of it. The rod of undead mastery, from Libris Mortis, doubles the amount of undead you can control - eight times your caster level is a lot of room to work with!
Undead lieutenant allows any undead minion with 5 or more Intelligence to order around your other undead minions as if it were you. It also increases your control pool by an amount equal to your caster level so long as it lasts, which is a nice little bonus. This spell is a good follow-up to awaken undead, particularly if you have one impressive standout and hordes of throwaway mooks otherwise.
Undead torch makes one undead per level deal an extra 2d6 damage with their melee attacks against living creatures. The spell only lasts for 1 round per level, but it can equal a decent wodge of damage on creatures with lots of natural attacks (hydras, dragons, etc.) without taking up a feat slot like Deadly Chill (not that you couldn't stack both, of course.) Not bad for a level 3 wizard spell.
Black sand, from Sandstorm, is aptly named: it creates a patch of a substance known as black sand. This stuff emits darkness and deals 1d4 points of negative energy damage to any creature that comes in contact with it. Of course, an undead creature would be healed by this same amount! Ensure the survivability of your minions by shoveling some black sand into their boots or gaping body cavities - who says you need awaken undead to get Fast Healing? While the spell only lasts for 1 minute per level, it notes that a creature reduced to 0 hit points by the sand "crumble into black sand themselves." I'd assume the resulting black sand is "natural," i.e. won't disappear when the spell ends. If it does, though, you can also make black sand permanent with permanency, which should leave you with all you'll ever need.
If you've managed to achieve level 9 spells and are still piddling around with skeletons and zombies for some reason, I've got some good news. The level 9 spell plague of undead from the Spell Compendium is functionally identical to animate dead except that it only costs a flat 100 gp worth of black sapphire, regardless of how many hit dice you reanimate, and it gives all the undead maximum hit points per HD. Not exactly a stellar boost for a spell all of six levels higher, but it is at least something if you still want shambling minions at level 17.
Armed and Dangerous
Once they've been animated just right, it's time to outfit your undead minions with some firepower. Keep in mind that zombies and skeletons keep all of the weapon proficiencies they had in life, but not the armor or shield proficiencies (unless you awaken them.) Giant and outsiders, for example, are proficient with all martial weapons, making them easy to work with. That said, don't forget that padded and leather armor have no armor check penalty, meaning even a non-proficient user won't suffer any mechanical penalty. At 5 and 10 gp apiece, respectively, they can be a good way to build up your undead posse's defenses a bit. Once you start getting Large or larger skeletons, it's a good idea to give one a spiked chain or other weapon that can trip. Sure, they aren't going to have the Exotic Weapon Proficiency, but only a touch attack is needed to perform a trip - targeting touch AC is certain to more than make up for a -4 penalty. The Large size and high Strength scores possible will give your minions a high degree of success in knocking your foes down.
Generally, undead are like fighters - if they're worth having around in the first place, they're worth giving magical arms and armor to. They're also good for casting buffs on, since they'll generally be on the front line, but keep in mind that many buffs that work on your Friendly Neighbourhood Fighter won't apply to the undead. An immunity to mind-influencing effects means bardic music or spells like heroism won't work, while enlarge person and the like aren't allowed due to targeting restrictions. That said, a lot of goodies are still on the table - haste, greater magic weapon, bull's strength and the like are all still valid. Even a simple protection from good can give your skeletal minion the edge he needs in combat.
Obedience School
Once everything's assembled and equipped, there's one last aspect to keep in mind - what to do with them! There are a few different methodologies for how to equip and order around your minions, which is admittedly in large part reliant on what you find/reanimate. Generally, I'd say it's wise to have a small cadre of the nastiest minions possible, as opposed to a massive swarm of as many bodies as you can get. Even rolling for three characters as opposed to one can really slow down your turn, so having dozens of skeletons to keep track of will bog down combat. The other players will get bored of sitting through your turn, and the DM is likely to get frustrated enough that he'll wipe them all out in a fireball, undoing all of your investment in one fell swoop. An elite goon squad won't overshadow the rest of the party, especially if you order them to take orders from your other party members (with your commands overriding theirs when necessary, of course.) Having everyone in charge of an undead minion will make things feel much more equal.
Even when your undead are the nastiest critters on the block, it can help make them a lot scarier by knowing how to take advantage of their immunities and other unique features. Once they've engaged the foe in melee, dropping a cloudkill, color spray, glitterdust or even full-blown antimagic field right in there will make them a whole lot scarier, since they're entirely immune to the effects, making the spell very one-sided. Keep in mind that skeletons are immune to cold damage, so a Kelgore's grave mist or boreal wind will pass right through them while wreaking havoc on your enemies. And of course, the biggest boon/bane axiom is negative energy - spam negative energy attacks where possible, draining your living foes of health while simultaneously healing your undead minions.
If you do go ahead and animate a horde of more modest minions, though (hey, maybe that was all you were given to work with!) there are still some features to play around with to make the most of them.
A good strategy with a cozy Ye Olde Warfare feel is to make a phalanx out of your minions. Animate roughly 20% of your undead as zombies and the rest as skeletons. Equip the zombies with tower shields, studded leather and shortspears; arm the skeletons with slings and javelins, maybe some longspears. Keep the zombies on the perimeter as a defensive line, using full defense to grant those behind them concealment with the tower shields. The skeletons can then fire ranged weapons out from the phalanx, whittling a foe down. This is particularly effective if you can set this strategy up in a closed-quarters or indoor environment. If you have enough minions for multiple phalanxes, that would be a good example of when to use undead lieutenant to create generals to each lead a phalanx of their mindless brethren.
If you well and truly have more undead than you know what to do with, just send the zombies forward in waves as skeletons fire arrows past them when they engage in melee. Zombies have DR 5/slashing, meaning a shortbow will at most do a single point of damage - 83% of the time, it won't do anything at all. Even without Precise Shot, you're favouring your odds in the numbers game.
Back For More
You're all set, you nasty necromancer, you. Playing the reanimation game in D&D can add tons of bookkeeping, and it can be tricky to make the most of a class feature that's entirely reliant on what your DM allows you to find. That said, the rewards of sculpting your perfect undead minions for a pittance of cash and preparation can be great: a single monster well-suited to the undead template can give you a bruiser competitive with the party fighter, not to mention some of the utility possible with all of those diverse critters out there. Play your cards right and you might find most of your effort going towards trying not to outperform the rest of your party!
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