Using the Zombie spell on a fossil

[Joe]

To point out one possible complication/source of fun: what if you're allowing fossilized dino-skeletons to be re-animated, and then the necromancer PC casts Zombie on a dino-skeleton that, unbeknownst to anyone, has been incorrectly assembled?

Do you get a historically inaccurate dinosaur-like undead thing, or do the bones just sort themselves into the proper, historically accurate shape? If the latter, this is an amazing way to revolutionize the field of paleontology.

What if the skeleton has been assembled using the bones of many different kinds of dinosaurs?

Just some fun ideas.

(Of course, the answer to all these questions is "it depends on your campaign - the GM decides", but that's no fun for the purposes of this discussion...)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I wonder what spell would be required to repair fossils to allow a more complete T Rex skeleton.

Rebuild (Magic p.177) does alloy for "any object" and if you did cast Schematic first(optional for simpler objects) you might get the whole skeleton. It would certainly work on bone fragments on a per bone basis.

[dcarson]

I'm envisioning a Weird West campaign with a secret magic paleontologist back in the bone wars days.

[simply Nathan]

I'd say yes, and that you can also use any of the straight bones less than two yards long as a Staff.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by simply Nathan

I'd say yes, and that you can also use any of the straight bones less than two yards long as a Staff.

Real fossils are incredibly fragile, but who wouldn't blow loads of magic just to wallop someone while yelling, "You need to check yourself before you T wreck yourself!" or "I bet you're dino-SORE now!"

[Anaraxes]

Can we blow loads of magic to prevent anyone from saying such things?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Can we blow loads of magic to prevent anyone from saying such things?

That would be a Lesser Geas "Never create stupid magic items".

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Can we blow loads of magic to prevent anyone from saying such things?

Ah yes, some form of geas to exact proper PUNishment so such joke magic goes extinct from under use.

We often have gods of the (un)dead. Why not a god of stick in the mud seriousness? ;)

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Ah yes, some form of geas to exact proper PUNishment so such joke magic goes extinct from under use.

We often have gods of the (un)dead. Why not a god of stick in the mud seriousness? ;)

Frigid, goddess of seriousness and prudish behavior? :)

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Ah yes, some form of geas to exact proper PUNishment so such joke magic goes extinct from under use.

We often have gods of the (un)dead. Why not a god of stick in the mud seriousness? ;)

"You find an altar inscribed with the letters SHFG."

"We destroy it."