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Old 10-14-2016, 02:36 PM   #1
thedanster7000
 
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Default [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

Is there any official (or, if not, good) way for, say, a Necromancer to kill his powerful bodyguard, burn his corpse into a skeleton, raise it with Zombie, then return his bodyguard's soul (mind, or whatever) to the Zombie'd corpse for as long as it's a Zombie?
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:12 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

Soul Jar (Magic p154-155) is a Necromancy spell that puts the soul of a willing subject into an object. While the subject's mind is in the object, they don't die if their body does.

There are lots of ways to kill someone and burn the corpse.

Raising a corpse as a zombie requires the Zombie spell (Magic p 151).

Casting Soul Jar again allows you to put the soul in a new jar, and I'd treat a zombie as an object for this purpose.

Total process takes 3 minutes + plus the time to kill and burn the corpse to a skeleton.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:14 PM   #3
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

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Originally Posted by thedanster7000 View Post
Is there any official (or, if not, good) way for, say, a Necromancer to kill his powerful bodyguard, burn his corpse into a skeleton, raise it with Zombie, then return his bodyguard's soul (mind, or whatever) to the Zombie'd corpse for as long as it's a Zombie?
Using the basic Magic system:

The first step would be to cast Soul Jar on the bodyguard. This ensures that the soul will stick around when he dies and gets zombified.
I would then cast Exchange Bodies (at 20+!) on the Soul Jar. Now I would be in the Soul Jar, and my bodyguard would be in my body. Cast it again on the skeleton, and now the skeleton's "consciousness" (to the extent it exists) is in the Soul Jar, and I am in the skeleton. One more casting, on my old body, puts me back in my own body, and the bodyguard back in his.

You have to do it three times, because the spell requires the caster to be one of the ones switching bodies.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:15 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

Wraith or Liche are probably a better places to start for spells that make willful undead champions.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:16 PM   #5
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

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Originally Posted by mlangsdorf View Post
Soul Jar (Magic p154-155) is a Necromancy spell that puts the soul of a willing subject into an object. While the subject's mind is in the object, they don't die if their body does.

There are lots of ways to kill someone and burn the corpse.

Raising a corpse as a zombie requires the Zombie spell (Magic p 151).

Casting Soul Jar again allows you to put the soul in a new jar, and I'd treat a zombie as an object for this purpose.

Total process takes 3 minutes + plus the time to kill and burn the corpse to a skeleton.


That will literally fulfill the described sequence. It will also leave the skeleton an ordinary undead and make the man a prisoner in his own body, unable to do anything. A creatively cruel revenge any necromancer should be proud of, but I don't think its what the op wants.

The Wraith spell comes pretty close, though it misses the "Burn with fire" part.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:38 PM   #6
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

Reading over Wraith, it seems appropriate, although I liked the idea of a skeletal warrior...

Does Diomedes' system work? It looks like it does to me but I'm not overly familiar with Magic.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

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Reading over Wraith, it seems appropriate, although I liked the idea of a skeletal warrior...
So make a new spell, "Death Knight", base it on Wraith, but change the "ring or amulet" to "armor" and change the template with the some of the skeleton traits.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:50 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

I am pretty sure soul jar mentioned being able to control an undead or automaton if it is what was used as the soul-jar.

If not he could just give the skeleton the command 'obey all commands from the soul inside you' (since you can talk to the soul by touching the soul-stone).
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Old 10-14-2016, 04:06 PM   #9
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

Semi-related question: the Wraith template lists a "Steal Health" spell, yet I can find no reference to it anywhere else.
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Old 10-14-2016, 04:11 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Magic] Death Knight (Sentient undead)

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Semi-related question: the Wraith template lists a "Steal Health" spell, yet I can find no reference to it anywhere else.
GURPS Magic p. 158

For a Death Knight, I'd consider replacing this with the Vampiric Strike Imbuement.

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