Double Spell

Dragon Magazine #188]] This rare spell affects only simple undead (basic zombies and skeletons from humans, demihumans, humanoids, and animals, but not the variants based on these body forms, such as crawling claws, ju-ju zombies, and baneguards). To take effect, this spell must be cast on newly created undead, or remains that are to be immediately animated, within three rounds before or after the casting of the animate dead spell that creates the undead. It operates only if triggered, and the triggering can be one of two sorts, of which one must be chosen during casting.

The most commonly chosen trigger is magic. If any magic (including a dispel magic spell!) is cast on the undead or cast to include the undead in its area of effect, the undead vanishes, and two full-hit-point replacements appear in its place. Replacements appear at the beginning of the round after the one in which the original vanished. This is a one-time-only occurrence; multiple double spells won't work on the same undead, so 'doubling' can't be made an ongoing process.

A separate double spell is required for each undead to be affected. This spell only creates duplicates of the targeted undead, not other sorts of undead. Any equipment carried by the original undead vanishes, consumed by the activated spell, and is not duplicated for either of the replacements (magical items are teleported away to a random location, not destroyed).

The second trigger is clerical turning or disruption. When these are used against the guarded undead, it vanishes and is replaced by two full-hit-point, identical replacements that are immune to turning or disruption! (The same restrictions on undead type, occurrence, and equipment apply as for the spell's other triggering.)

The material components of this spell are a drop of blood, a small glass prism, two hairs (from any source) and the undead or remains to be affected.