Undead Creation

This dangerous spell is a final step required for a necromancer to turn a living individual into one of the rarer undead creatures. Typical creatures include, among others: adherers, apparitions, coffer corpses, heucuva, penanggalan, sheet phantoms, and so on.

Only one undead, regardless of Hit Dice, can be created with a single casting of this spell. The undead creature conforms to the statistics and abilities of its type in all ways, including Hit Dice and alignment. The individual (usually human) upon whom the spell is cast is allowed a saving throw vs. spell to negate the effect. If the individual's level is the same as the intended undead creature's Hit Dice, then this saving throw is made as if the individual was 1st level. Regardless of the outcome, the individual must survive a system shock check or perish (this renders the body is useless for further necromantic manipulation). If the casting is interrupted, then the caster must make a successful system shock check or be blasted to dust.

The dweomer does not give the caster any influence or control over the resulting undead creature; this must be achieved by other means.

Once successful, the magic cannot be reversed by any means short of a full wish.

The caster must place his hand on the subject's forehead while casting this spell from a scroll.

Notes: Common for Deathmasters, rare for other necromancers. (Updated from Dragon Magazine.)

Optional: This spell is not the only way to create the less common undead creatures. It does provide a way to introduce such creatures into a campaign area. The DM might further limit this spell to specific casting times (such as once per month, or only during a certain celestial configuration, and so on).