Preserve Dead

This spell delays the onset of decay, preserving a corpse in its current condition for the spell's duration. The wizard can affect one corpse at 1st level, two corpses at 3rd level, three at 5th, and so on to a maximum of five bodies at 9th level. While the spell is in effect, the corpses do not rot or experience any other form of decay. Even corpses that are doomed to rise again as undead (such as individuals slain by ghouls or wights) or that host parasitic monsters, such as individuals killed by rot grubs, remain perfectly preserved throughout the spell's duration. Preserve dead has two important effects. First, it extends the amount of time in which a raise dead spell can be effective-days in which the body is under the influence of preserve dead do not count against the normal limitations of the raise dead spell. Second, preserving a body renders it more suitable for subsequent animation as a zombie. Any corpse animated while the spell is still in effect gains a bonus of +1 hit point per Hit Die when animated as a zombie, monster zombie, or juju zombie.

The material component for this spell is a pinch of quicklime.