Summon Undead vs. Animate Dead: A Necromantic Deep Dive
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The difference between Summon Undead and Animate Dead in tabletop role-playing games like D&D (specifically, we’ll focus on rules relevant to 5e but will touch on 3.5e where relevant) boils down to two core concepts: creation vs. calling. Animate Dead essentially reanimates existing physical remains, turning them into undead servants, while Summon Undead conjures an undead entity from somewhere else. This seemingly simple distinction has a significant impact on how these spells function in the game, their limitations, and their overall strategic value.
Key Differences at a Glance
- Animate Dead: This spell takes a corpse or a pile of bones and imbues them with a semblance of life, creating a skeleton or a zombie. It’s essentially raising something that was already dead back to a state of (un)life. The key features are:
- No material cost.
- Longer duration (typically 24 hours).
- Requires a bonus action to command in combat.
- Casting time of 1 minute.
- Range is limited (usually 10ft).
- Number of undead scales with spell slot level.
- Summon Undead: This spell calls forth an undead spirit, which manifests in a chosen physical form. It doesn’t rely on existing remains. Key features are:
- Material cost (e.g., 300 gp).
- Shorter duration (typically 1 hour).
- Requires concentration to maintain.
- Faster casting time (usually 1 action).
- Greater flexibility in the type of undead conjured.
The Nuances of Necromancy
Beyond the basic mechanics, let’s explore the deeper implications of these spells.
Animate Dead: The Undead Workforce
Animate Dead is your go-to spell for creating a lasting undead workforce. With a 24-hour duration and no concentration needed, you can establish a stable of skeletons and zombies for various purposes: guards, laborers, even cannon fodder in combat.
- Limitations: The major limitations are the casting time (1 minute) which prevents you from creating undead in the heat of battle, the short range, and the dependence on physical remains.
- Control: While the spell itself lasts 24 hours, you still have to reassert control by recasting the spell (or by other specific class abilities) periodically. Failure to do so means your undead stop following your orders. You can only control a specific amount of undead based on spell slot level and/or caster abilities.
- Resource Management: You need bodies or bones readily available, thus requiring some planning. The type of undead you can animate is also limited to skeletons and zombies.
- Strategic Use: It excels at bolstering your numbers in combat or as a means to carry heavy loads or perform menial labor with the bonus of reasserting control over time.
Summon Undead: The Tactical Undead
Summon Undead, on the other hand, provides a more tactical and temporary undead servant. The shorter duration and concentration requirement limit its use for sustained operations, but its flexibility and ease of use during combat make it a valuable tool.
- Limitations: The material cost, the concentration requirement, and the limited duration make it harder to use as a permanent workforce, and more as a spell for singular use in a battle.
- Flexibility: The big advantage is the ability to choose the type of undead you summon, which allows you to adapt to different situations in combat. For example, a ghostly spirit instead of a slow moving zombie.
- Instant Gratification: The faster casting time makes summoning undead viable mid-combat when you need a quick ally.
- Strategic Use: It’s perfect for situations where you need a specialized undead ally quickly, for example an opponent with a specific weakness.
FAQs: Delving Deeper into Undead Magic
1. Can you animate dead on undead?
No, you cannot use Animate Dead on another undead. Once a skeleton or zombie is destroyed, it cannot be animated again. This spell works by imbuing a corpse or bones with a semblance of life, and not by re-animating already reanimated beings.
2. Is Animate Dead a summon spell?
Animate Dead is not technically a “summon” spell. It creates an undead from physical remains, whereas Summon Undead calls an undead spirit into existence. The distinction is in the source of the undead.
3. What happens when Animate Dead wears off?
When the 24-hour duration of Animate Dead expires, the undead you created will no longer obey your commands. They may simply stop moving or potentially act hostile based on the DM’s ruling.
4. Is Animate Dead permanent in 3.5e?
In D&D 3.5e, Animate Dead has an instantaneous duration, effectively making the undead animated until destroyed. The spell is not considered permanent in the sense of a binding or permanent transformation, just that the reanimation lasts until the undead are destroyed.
5. Can you use Animate Dead more than once?
Yes, you can cast Animate Dead multiple times, limited by the number of corpses or bones available and the number of undead your class can control at one time. However, a destroyed skeleton or zombie cannot be reanimated.
6. What is the best use of Animate Dead?
The primary use of Animate Dead is to increase your action economy in combat by having your undead attack for you. It also serves as a useful means of having low cost labors or guards at the cost of constant reasserting.
7. Do you need a corpse for Animate Dead?
Yes, Animate Dead requires either a corpse (for zombies) or a pile of bones (for skeletons).
8. How many undead can a necromancer control?
The number of undead a necromancer can control depends on class level, spell slot level, and class abilities. A necromancer subclass gives you a bonus in number of undead that can be reanimated with one spell. The basic number is normally 1 undead with a 3rd level slot, and +2 for every spell level over 3.
9. How long does Summon Undead last?
Summon Undead typically lasts for 1 hour and requires concentration from the caster.
10. What is the oil of animate dead?
The oil of animate dead is a magical potion that, when applied to a corpse or bones, creates a zombie or skeleton. The first creature it sees becomes its master.
11. Which classes get Animate Dead?
The primary classes that get Animate Dead are Clerics and Wizards. Some subclasses and other classes, like the Circle of Spores Druid, and Warlocks with Pact of the Tome, may also gain access.
12. Is creating undead evil?
The rules do not directly call creating undead evil, but it is generally considered not good and often associated with evil characters.
13. Can warlocks get Animate Dead?
Yes, Warlocks can get Animate Dead through an Eldritch Invocation at level 5.
14. Does Animate Dead work on skeletons?
Yes, Animate Dead can be used on a pile of bones to create a skeleton. Skeletons are a common and efficient option for undead minions.
15. Does Animate Dead work on constructs?
No, Animate Dead does not work on constructs or undead. It is specifically designed for organic remains. It also will not work on creature types higher then the CR level of the spell.
Conclusion
Both Summon Undead and Animate Dead offer powerful necromantic abilities but differ vastly in application. Animate Dead gives you the capacity to build a steady undead army, while Summon Undead provides a more versatile and immediately useful tactical option. Understanding the nuances of each spell is crucial for any aspiring necromancer to master the art of undeath and create the perfect strategy that works for your character. The choice between the two depends on your immediate needs, your resources, and your overall playstyle.