Undead Familiar

(See also: Undead Familiar)

Using this spell, an evil wizard animates a corpse to act as his familiar. The "subject" can be in any stage of decay to the point of being nothing more than a skeleton. Any human, demihuman, or humanoid corpse can be animated.

The resulting zombie or skeleton has the same abilities and immunities as a normal undead creature of its type, but has 1d3 points of Intelligence. The wizard has an empathic link with the familiar and can issue mental commands at a distance of up to one mile. Empathic responses from the familiar are basic and unemotional, and such a familiar is unlikely to be distracted from its task.

If separated from the caster, the familiar loses 1 hit point each day, and is destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points. When the familiar is in physical contact with the wizard, it gains the wizard's saving throw against special attacks; it suffers damage as normal, according to whether or not it makes its saving throw. If the familiar is destroyed, the caster must immediately make a successful system shock check or die. Even if he survives this check, the wizard loses 1 point from his Constitution when the familiar is destroyed.

An undead familiar can be turned normally, but cannot be destroyed by turning. If within sight of its master, it is turned as a wight.

A wizard can have only one familiar of any type at any time. An undead familiar accepts more abuse than a normal familiar would.

The spell requires a corpse or skeleton and a silver ring that is placed on one of the familiar's fingers.

Notes: Very rare spell. Known to be in the tome, Kyristan's Mysteries.