Animate Dead

Necromancy (Black)
Tier: 3
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: 40 ft
Targets: One or more corpses
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
It begins with a twitch, and then a dozen dead eyes snap open.

This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow your spoken commands. With each casting of this spell, you can create 1 HD of undead per caster level. These undead count against the number of HD of undead you can control (normally 2 HD per caster level). If you ever exceed this limit, the undead farthest from you slip out from your control until you no longer exceed your limit.

Unlike more powerful necromancy spells, Animate Dead does not create truly independent undead. The skeletons or zombies created by this spell are sustained by your magic, and collapse back into death if you cut off that magic. When you cast this spell, the spell points you spend in the casting are divided among the undead you create (Example: if you create 5 skeletons, a spell point is invested in each one). These spell points cannot be recovered by resting or any other means while the undead remain--your spell point maximum is lowered. As your undead minions are destroyed, your maximum increases and you may again recover the spent spell points. If you spend a major action to dismiss the spell, you can cut off your creations, instantly destroying all the undead you have created with this spell, and increasing your spell point maximum back to normal.

If you create less than the maximum HD of undead you can create with a casting of this spell, you should still divide the casting cost of this spell among the maximum HD you could have created to learn how many spell points are invested in each creature.

Any undead you create with this spell are destroyed if you die or lose your ability to cast spells.