Spell Design?: Create Corpse

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

You may want to reread the description of the zombie spell.
Basically the reason nothing happens if you cast zombie on a created corpse is because the created body does not have any "original" attributes, advantages or skills.

You can animate it using the Animate spell, but that isn't permanent.

I presume that the creation spell would generate/specify them. (As the Create Servant and Create Warrior do, for example.) Little point to designing a spell that creates a corpse with the intent to zombie it if the creating spell itself stops the zombie spell from working.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

It's not what you're asking, I'm merely putting it out as an option;

Purify Earth drags coffins and whatnot to the surface (things that can't just be magicked away so easily, I assume naked (w/out coffins) bodies count too). If she's just asking for easy corpses, she could always learn that and start slapping it down around graveyards, battlefields, ditches or football stadiums. Wherever you'd find a body, anyway.

It's not 'Instant', but it's not waiting for someone to die or murder either.

Sounds appropriate. I'll offer it as one of the suggestions. Thanks.

With all respect, Henchmen prefer to avoid Necromancers as a rule. They're good people, it's not a prejudice thing...it's just that when they need a corpse, you feel a little too convenient.

There is also the little thing that her college (St Magdalene's, in the city of Abydos) provides all the living support that she requires. Throw a few loyal wraiths in the mix, and her adventuring companions, and it'll get interesting for the poor Henchmen in ways that will leave a mark if they do anything other than maybe raise their voices a bit.

She may also suffer a lapse of ethics -- still new to her -- and set their insides on fire. Literally. (Burning Death is such a fun spell.)

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

I presume that the creation spell would generate/specify them. (As the Create Servant and Create Warrior do, for example.) Little point to designing a spell that creates a corpse with the intent to zombie it if the creating spell itself stops the zombie spell from working.

You do know Create Servant and Create Warrior are very temporary illusions of solid will, right? They only last 1 minute unless maintained.

Have you discussed the zombie usage with your GM?
I know I personally wouldn't allow it due to the thematic issue, but I would allow something like the Undead Flesh Golem I mentioned above.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

You do know Create Servant and Create Warrior are very temporary illusions of solid will, right? They only last 1 minute unless maintained.

Completely correct. And such a problem is why I'm not suggesting them to the player as a way to solve her character's newfound ethical issues.

I used them as an example of a spell that creates something humanoid with stats, even if only temporarily, in response to your suggestion that the Create Corpse spell wouldn't be able to create a zombie'able corpse because the corpse wouldn't have stats.

Have you discussed the zombie usage with your GM?
I know I personally wouldn't allow it due to the thematic issue, but I would allow something like the Undead Flesh Golem I mentioned above.

Heh. I am the GM. I find the idea interesting and thematic, for a necromancer to be able to assemble bodies for their arts without resorting to various illegalities and assorted actions of questionable ethics.

On the other hand, I find I lack the necessary command of the spell system to generate a spell that the player requested. Thereby, I asked the forums for examples and ideas on how to do so.

I will include the idea of making a golem out of parts as you've suggested, but without a method to generate said parts outside of age or murder (or slaughtering animals which the character has much less issues with) ... I'm unsure of her willingness to accept the idea.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

So. I have a necromancer character who wants to create her own corpses (for eventual animation), rather than needing to wait until people die or just killing them. The character has developed a sense of ethics ... falling in love does terrible terrible things. :)

However, while I can easily design the ability as a Power, I'm hitting blanks with spell design. Figuring that y'all are inventive people, asking for help with the problem can't hurt.

Parameter Requirements: Permanent Duration. (We've looked at the Creation spells and those aren't viable because of the maintenance requirements.) Shouldn't take more energy than creating a tree (Create Plant, for 15 energy) (trees are way bigger than a human corpse, though they are also more complex). A set of prerequisites that make sense; additional custom spells as requirements allowed.

Or, if its' been published before, feel free to point me to the right place. I have access to most of the 3rd and 4th editions if necessary. :)

Can't find it now, but I swear I read an option in GURPS Undead that let you use Zombie or the spells for making more potent Corporeal Undead using thingst hat resembled dead bodies, ie manniqueines or statues.

In any event, making a variant of those spells that will turn that bronze of General Lee into a Zombie Confederate General shouldn't be any difficulty to the GM to make (I'd put an inherent -5 penalty to casting the spell on a body that never experienced death - no penalty to animate fossils IF fossils are considered destroyed (the original material has been utterly replaced with minerals).

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

You are aware that a created body can't be animated with zombie, right?

I figure that if she making a new spell the metaphysical assumptions of this setting are different than GURPS: Magic already. It doesn't seem too terribly unbalancing either, powerful (or just motivated) necromancers are going to have a big supply of corpses anyway.

The easiest method is just buying a graveyard, of course, but I think this is supposed to be useful during an adventure.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

Heh. I am the GM. I find the idea interesting and thematic, for a necromancer to be able to assemble bodies for their arts without resorting to various illegalities and assorted actions of questionable ethics.

Ah, since you're the GM the options open up, how about summoning a corpse?

Summon Corpse

Special

Summons a corpse from another plane of existence. The GM determines the attributes and abilities the corpse had when it was alive.
Duration: Permanent until banished.
Cost: 10 for a SM 0 corpse, +10xSM for +SM. Minimum 10.
Time to cast: 5 minutes
Prerequisite: Planar Summons or Summon Demon

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by lexington

I figure that if she making a new spell the metaphysical assumptions of this setting are different than GURPS: Magic already.

GURPS Magic includes guidelines for inventing new spells on pages 14 and 15. To my understanding, making new spells is part of the book-standard system. Am I wrong?

Campaign is set within the Banestorm (/Yrth) setting. :)

It doesn't seem too terribly unbalancing either, powerful (or just motivated) necromancers are going to have a big supply of corpses anyway.

Mechanically, Create Corpse plus the Zombie spell combo should be no more unbalancing than Create Earth and the Golem spell combo.

[PK]

I could see this bringing some serious metaphysical issues into the game. For example, what happens if you create a corpse, then Resurrect it? Creating a dead person is still creating a person, and once you start messing around with giving PCs the ability to create life (even "dead life," if that makes any sense), it opens up several cans of worms.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

I could see this bringing some serious metaphysical issues into the game. For example, what happens if you create a corpse, then Resurrect it? Creating a dead person is still creating a person, and once you start messing around with giving PCs the ability to create life (even "dead life," if that makes any sense), it opens up several cans of worms.

I'd rule Ressurction wouldn't work. No former life, no former life force to bring back to the body. A crit failure could install a demon into it however.