Animate Dead

[Joxter]

Has anyone heard anything about when they are going to release 730 - Animate Dead?

[Numbers]

Sometime this month.

[Makkah]

Yea it was pushed back from the August deadline to sometime September.


rht

[fallenSaint]

How about we call it, Before Breakage!

[Souzy]

ha! Tell me when it's in effect. Maybe I'll start playing again.

[Axhinde]

I seriously hope this spell comes out soon. I play my sorcerer as a Necromancer, and it would complete him nicely. While the 702 changes are fun, the 705 upgrade useful...we need a new spell dammit.

[Numbers]

I'm hoping it's not too complex.

From what we know of the spell, you'll need to make potions (or some such) from creature parts (not through skinning, apparantly through something else.) The higher level the creature/necromancy skill, the higher quality potion you'll end up having. So, if you get a level 100 Sorcerer who's 2x'ed in Necromancy to make you a potion, you can pretty much animate any creature in the game.

We won't be able to animate creatures that decay quickly (such as banshees or eidolons.) We will be able to use their maneuver attacks, although I don't think we'll be able to tell them WHEN to use their maneuver attacks. Depending on your Necromancy lore + the quality of potion you used, it could be something like, 1 out of every 5 attacks will be a maneuver attack. So, if you animate a roa'ter, every 5th attack it does on a creature you tell it to attack will be a burrow.

Not sure if we'll be able to tell them to use spells. Also not sure what kind of time limit it'll have.

Either way, it should be an excellent spell.

[Razorfish]

Fun!
my Sorc will finally have his blessed army of the dead...look out landing Rooster is commin and he don't wanna play...

[Numbers]

Posted by Nilven on the official boards:

I don't want to be too specific about duration at the moment. That may change with the release of the document. I don't know how specific I want to be on the duration formula but it will be a decent amount of time. I will give you the factors that effect it:

Animate Dead works on a concept of MAL. Maximum Animateable Level. This means that if a creature is above your Maximum Animateable Level, it's not animateable, period, regardless of how lucky you get with a d100. The MAL is based on your level, your necromancy ranks, the quality of salt used. You can use salt created by any other necromancer. The quality of the salt is based on the necromancy ranks of the sorcerer who created it, and the level of creature from which the components for it were gathered. The duration is based on the amount of levels your MAL is above the level of the actual creature you animated.

So a level 90 sorcerer animating a level 10 creature will have a very long duration, just based on MAL alone, but the downside is a level 10 creature is not very useful to a level 90 sorcerer.

Additional to MAL (and just as important) is how successful you were at the animation. Success at the animation is based on d100, DIS stats (very small), and Necromancy training.

Finally, the animation process requires a gem. The value of the gem will increase the duration of the animation. Any gem can be used but gems valued below 600 silvers will actually decrease the duration of the animation (the duration derived from MAL and animation success). So you may have a 20 minute duration based on MAL and animation succeess, but if you use a 10 silver gem, that would be reduced to say 10 minutes. If you used a 5k diamond that may increase to 30 minutes. Those numbers are not to scale

In most cases I expect sorcerers to be animating creatures slightly below their level because of the way MAL is set up. I don't see this as problematic because of the way attrition combat works. A level 55 creature can still hurt a level 60 creature (the level of the sorcerer), it'll just require more attrition.

The components cannot be purchased. They all need to be obtained from nature. As such their costs are whatever the secondary market will bear. The exception are the instruments used in the alchemical process which need to be purchased once (mortar, pestle, etc.) They're not hard to to get. They are in fact pretty easy to get with the exception of one forgable item which is limited in quantity (until the areas which carry it replenish) and which you might need the assistance of a ranger for.

Primarily the corpses will be able to move, follow, attack, and magic you. The corpses will be allowed in town.

[CalaDheNar]

If a sorcie uses his animate to kill someone, will charges follow? What about regular attacks?

[Latrinsorm]

Originally posted by 3704558
The corpses will be allowed in town.
Dumbest thing I've ever heard, but I have enough new toy CMANs to keep me not caring about that for now.

[Axhinde]

Why is that dumb? Demons are banned from towns unless the sorcerer knows the proper illusion. I think it'll be interesting to see a rogue try and garrote a sorcerer, only to have said sorcerer's Cloak attack back AND animate attacking. Looks to be a pretty wild spell.

[Latrinsorm]

Guards don't let ROLTONS into town. Why on earth would they allow Zombie Roa'ters?

[AnticorRifling]

I hope you all don't get shit until they fix my air lore.

/greedy me syndrome

[Numbers]

Why do they let companions in town? Why do they let wolf familiars in town? Why do they let spirit servants in town?

[Axhinde]

Originally posted by Latrinsorm
Guards don't let ROLTONS into town. Why on earth would they allow Zombie Roa'ters?

I've seen plenty of roltons in town, along with kobolds. Maybe the walking dead froze the guard into a terrified puddle of wetness and he could not react?

[Snapp]

You see them in town, but the guard doesn't let them in. They just come in when he's "sleeping" or whatever.

[Axhinde]

Exactly, there's ways to roleplay around it is all I am saying. Plus, a zombied thing really poses no threat to anyone. Animated corpses are far more easily controlled than a demon, I would think.

[Chadj]

They get in when the guard is off getting drunk at the inn.

[Latrinsorm]

Originally posted by 3704558
Why do they let companions in town? Why do they let wolf familiars in town? Why do they let spirit servants in town? Familiars are tame. How are they supposed to stop a spirit?

If it was up to me, the dangerous-looking companions (cheetahs, tigers, etc.) wouldn't be allowed in either.