How Does Summon Undead Work? A Comprehensive Guide
The summon undead spell in fantasy role-playing games, like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), allows spellcasters to temporarily conjure an undead spirit to fight alongside them. Unlike creating permanent undead through spells like animate dead or create undead, summoning brings forth an entity from another plane, imbued with negative energy, that takes a corporeal form on the Material Plane. The exact nature of the summoned undead is determined by the spell’s casting level and the caster’s choice of form. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within the caster’s line of sight and the spell’s range.
At its core, summon undead is a magical bridge, drawing a specific type of undead entity into the caster’s vicinity. The spellcaster essentially chooses a specific stat block, which is pre-defined with stats like hit points, attack bonuses, and special abilities. This process differs from directly animating a corpse; instead, the spell is reaching into the realms of negative energy to pull forth the undead spirit. The spell also requires concentration, meaning that the caster must focus on maintaining the spell’s effect or the summoned undead will vanish. Importantly, these summoned undead are not permanently controlled or bound. Their existence is intrinsically tied to the duration of the spell’s effect.
The spell often presents a choice of forms for the summoned undead: Ghostly, Putrid, or Skeletal. This choice affects the appearance and possibly some minor special traits of the undead, but its core abilities and hit points are generally the same for all forms under the given stat block. Summon undead provides versatility in combat as a spellcaster may summon various undead creature stat blocks based on the level of the spell.
Understanding the Mechanics
The Summoning Process
The process is straightforward: the caster uses an action to cast the spell, specifies the form, and a suitable undead creature appears. Range is a key factor; the undead must materialize within a designated radius. Once present, the summoned undead acts on its own turn, following basic instructions given by the caster. These instructions are generally simple commands like “attack that enemy” or “defend this area” and do not require any actions from the caster. Concentration is required to maintain the spell, which means the undead will vanish if the caster becomes incapacitated or loses concentration.
The Undead Spirit
The summoned entity is not a physical corpse brought back to life, but rather an undead spirit that has taken a temporary, physical manifestation. The spirit is infused with negative energy, giving it abilities such as immunity to poison, disease, and mind-altering effects, a typical characteristic of most undead creatures. This is a very important distinction from spells like animate dead where the spell directly manipulates a dead body.
Level and Stat Blocks
The strength and type of undead that can be summoned depend on the spell’s level and a specified table within the game system’s mechanics. Lower levels might summon weaker forms, like a human warrior skeleton or a kobold zombie, whereas higher levels can conjure more powerful entities such as ghouls, mummies, or even a vampire spawn. Each summoned undead uses a specific stat block, which defines its abilities and statistics. The summoner can not simply summon a specific powerful undead; it is the spell level that dictates what stat blocks are available to them.
Summon Undead vs. Create Undead vs. Animate Dead
It’s important to understand how summon undead differs from other necromantic spells.
- Summon Undead: Conjures a temporary undead spirit from another place. It’s quick, often requiring only one action to cast and has a relatively long range (90 feet). The summoned undead lasts as long as the caster concentrates and can maintain the spell, usually up to one hour.
- Animate Dead: Raises corpses to create undead servants under the caster’s control. It’s slower, requiring a casting time of one minute and a short range (10 feet). The created undead are permanent until destroyed and do not require concentration, but they do require a bonus action from the caster for each command in battle.
- Create Undead: Permanently creates more powerful undead, requiring costly material components (e.g., black onyx gems) and a more complex ritual. It must be cast directly on a dead body.
The key differences lie in the creation method, the permanence, and the control required. Summon undead provides tactical flexibility for a limited duration, whereas animate dead creates more long term servants.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What happens when the summoned undead is reduced to zero hit points?
The summoned undead disappears back to its plane of origin, leaving nothing behind. Unlike regular creatures, they do not leave a corpse.
2. Can the summoned undead heal?
No, standard healing spells like cure wounds do not heal undead. They are generally damaged by positive energy and healed by negative energy.
3. What are common immunities of summoned undead?
Typically, summoned undead are immune to: poison, disease, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, etc.), paralysis, stun, sleep, and death effects.
4. Can I command the summoned undead to perform complex tasks?
No, the commands are typically basic, focusing on simple instructions like attacking a specific target or defending an area. The undead will act using its own initiative and general understanding of the given command.
5. Can I move the summoned undead across large distances?
No, the undead must remain within the spell’s range. If they move beyond this range, the spell is broken.
6. Do undead feel pain?
Undead have varied responses to pain, with most being resistant to normal physical pain and some being completely immune. However, many undead experience unique forms of pain related to their undead existence.
7. What are some weaknesses of undead?
Undead are often vulnerable to fire and are damaged by positive energy.
8. Can the Turn Undead feature destroy summoned undead?
Yes, if the summoned undead fails its saving throw against Turn Undead and is of the appropriate Challenge Rating (CR), it will be instantly destroyed, per the Destroy Undead feature.
9. Are summoned undead considered evil?
While most undead are animated by negative energy and have an inherent inclination towards malevolence, a summoned undead is more of a construct of that energy, acting in accordance with the nature of that energy and/or the given command.
10. Can a summoned undead be revived if killed?
No, summoned undead cannot be revived with standard revival spells like raise dead or resurrection. When they are reduced to 0 hit points, they simply vanish and are not considered dead.
11. Can summoned undead be blinded?
Yes, most summoned undead can be blinded, unless the specific stat block or effect grants immunity.
12. Can a good character summon undead?
Yes, any character with access to the spell can summon undead. The alignment of the caster does not affect the summoning process. However, some GMs might rule that prolonged use of necromantic spells might gradually shift a character’s alignment toward evil.
13. Are there items that can affect summoned undead?
Yes, some items, particularly those that affect undead in general, can affect summoned undead. Items that enhance or reduce resistance to certain damage or effect can modify the impact of spells or effects on them.
14. What happens if the caster loses concentration on the spell?
The summoned undead immediately vanishes, returning to its point of origin.
15. Can I summon undead that I’ve seen before?
No, the summon undead spell does not rely on the specific undead that the caster has seen before. It draws from generalized stat blocks provided by the game’s rule set.