DM Q&A: Summoning a Skeleton

[deadbeatbert]

Good day!

So let's suppose that someone in game wanted to summon a skeleton.. hypothetically speaking, because thatt's nott allowed in Cormyr and is very naughty... but let's suppose it's possible. How would one go about summoning a skeleton when the spells that summon skeletons don't summon skeletons any more. Totes asking for a friend. Not for any of my characters; they are all completely well behaved law abiding citizens, naturally.

Reason for asking - long term rp of anonymous character's habitual summoning of his or her long deceased ancestor.

Cheers!

[Munroe]

Animate dead spell should be able to create skeletons and zombies. I think on FRC the high level version makes a necromental though.

The create undead and greater create undead spells allow for making other varieties of undead, but animate dead should be limited to mindless undead. (Necromental normally has an INT score of 1, so almost mindless.)

The animate dead spell doesn't bring back the spirit of the corpse, it only animates it as a mindless creature, so I'm not sure that bringing back the body of a loved one with animate dead would be particularly satisfying either way.

However, if you are getting a necromental, necromentals are basically animated earth elementals made of graveyard dirt and tombstones, along with whatever might be in that dirt (including the bodies), so it's possible that you're getting the grave animated along with the corpse within. Rather than visiting the grave of a loved one, you're bringing the grave right along.

There are custom summoning items that allow for the summoning of different creatures with spells. It's possible a basic (or advanced) skeleton may be added at some point, but I don't think one exists currently as an alternative for animate dead. (Some characters even have unique summons, so it's possible that your anonymous friend may eventually resolve this issue via that means.)

[deadbeatbert]

Yep, that's what I was thinking. I'll look at the create spells when I get there.

Cheers!