Skyrim style animate dead

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Trigger lasts only a single minute. Are Skyrim zombies really that short lived?

Mostly, Skyrim zombies live for 60 seconds, 360 seconds, or until killed (if I remember right).

But if they live longer than 1 minute, just add an 'Extended Duration' modifier. I feel like this should reduce the cost of Trigger rather than be a general enhancement (since Ally doesn't have a general duration). Something like:

Trigger: Dead Body (Rare & Illegal; Extended Duration, x30), -24%

The -24% comes from -60% (for a Rare/Illegal Trigger) modified by Extended Duration, x30's +60% converted into a limitation because it makes a disadvantage less disadvantagous (so converted into -60%), for a result of -60%*(1-0.6) = -24%.

If you don't want to bother with that, just keep the extended duration under x30 and you're good.

[Bruno]

If the improved version consumes the soul gem instead of the corpse, that's just an alternate, less exotic and totally legal Trigger consumable. Presuming you can use white souls, of course. If it takes a black soul, we're back to illegal.

(For bystanders: "white" as in white magic, the souls are animal souls, the minor ones often collected while hunting; "black" as in black magic, the souls are from people - men, mer, etc).

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by Jerander

How about giving the Zombie a Dependency or Draining?

If the zombie is imbued with supernatural energy that slowly eats it away, then you could make it's survival based on being free of that energy:

Weakness (Animating Energy, Common, 1d/min) [-60].

Add enough levels of Reduced Time (+20%/level) to let the zombies last about as long as you'd like.

This will create some randomness as to when a particular zombie self-destructs. It will also mean that zombies that have taken damage will self-destruct quicker than undamaged ones.

Those with the Gem would have a Mitigator on this disadvantage...Destroy the Gem, the Weakness kicks in and they are reduced to ash like the rest.

Add this trait to the zombie template for your Ally.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Jerander

Add this trait to the zombie template for your Ally.

That'd be nice if it actually reduced the cost of your ally or effected the total point cost of the zombie, but zombies tend to be so far into the negatives as for further negatives not to matter.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That'd be nice if it actually reduced the cost of your ally or effected the total point cost of the zombie, but zombies tend to be so far into the negatives as for further negatives not to matter.

Skyrim undead animated by the various necromantic spells and powers are identical to their living selves, except for blindly following the orders of whoever animated them. Yes, they will express disgust at being trapped in their corpse as they perform whatever task you wish, which is usually murdering their friends.

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That'd be nice if it actually reduced the cost of your ally or effected the total point cost of the zombie, but zombies tend to be so far into the negatives as for further negatives not to matter.

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Skyrim undead animated by the various necromantic spells and powers are identical to their living selves, except for blindly following the orders of whoever animated them. Yes, they will express disgust at being trapped in their corpse as they perform whatever task you wish, which is usually murdering their friends.

A lower negative value to the zombie template will let you raise a more powerful base form while staying under the percentage point cap bought by Ally. Either, as Nereidalbel points out, allowing the zombie to retain skills, advantages, etc., or allowing the character to slap the template on, say, a dragon...

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Jerander

A lower negative value to the zombie template will let you raise a more powerful base form while staying under the percentage point cap bought by Ally. Either, as Nereidalbel points out, allowing the zombie to retain skills, advantages, etc., or allowing the character to slap the template on, say, a dragon...

The Skyrim zombie template is, literally, "Involuntary Duty: Necromancer" and the 0 point feature "Affected as Dead".

Skyrim zombies retain all their skills, advantages, etc.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Bruno

The Skyrim zombie template is, literally, "Involuntary Duty: Necromancer" and the 0 point feature "Affected as Dead".

Skyrim zombies retain all their skills, advantages, etc.

They do qualify for a couple points back for the obvious glow around them, regardless of what level of reanimation is used on them.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

They do qualify for a couple points back for the obvious glow around them, regardless of what level of reanimation is used on them.

That's true. It's a pretty lightweight template as zombies go, though. Considering you're often raising a bandit (a warrior of some kind), who's probably 75 points or so, they're probably still a net positive point value.