Create Undead

Ritual 2, Arcana (expert), Occultism (expert), or Religion (expert)

Pathfinder 2e (Remaster)

You transform a dead creature into an undead creature whose level may be no higher than the Creature Creation Rituals table allows.

  • Uncommon
  • Unholy
Rank
2
Traits
Uncommon, Unholy
Cast
1 day
Casters
1 primary, 1 secondary caster
Cost
black onyx, see Creature Creation Rituals (page 390)
Primary check
Arcana (expert), Occultism (expert), or Religion (expert)
Secondary checks
Religion
Range
10 feet
Targets
1 dead creature

You transform a dead creature into an undead creature whose level may be no higher than the Creature Creation Rituals table allows. There are many versions of this ritual, each specific to one type of undead, with one ritual for all zombies, another for skeletons, another for ghouls, and so on; versions that create rare undead are themselves rare. Some undead, such as liches, arise by their own unique methods and cannot be made with any version of create undead.

Degrees of success

Critical Success
The target becomes an undead creature of the appropriate type. If it is at least 4 levels lower than you, you can make it a minion, giving it the minion trait: it can use 2 actions when you command it, and commanding it is a single action with the auditory and concentrate traits. You can have at most four minions at once. An intelligent undead that does not become a minion is helpful to you for raising it, though it remains a horrid and evil creature; an unintelligent one can be given a single simple command, which it pursues single-mindedly while ignoring anything you say later.
Success
As critical success, except an intelligent undead that does not become your minion is only friendly to you, and an unintelligent one leaves you alone unless you attack it, marauding the local area instead of following your command.
Failure
You fail to create the undead.
Critical Failure
You create the undead, but its soul, tortured by your foul necromancy, holds nothing but hatred for you, and it attempts to destroy you.

Source: Pathfinder Player Core, p. 393

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This product is licensed under the ORC License to be held in the Library of Congress and available online at various locations including paizo.com/orclicense, azoralaw.com/orclicense, and others. All warranties are disclaimed as set forth therein. This product is based on the following Licensed Material: Pathfinder Player Core © 2023 Paizo Inc., Designed by Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter. Authors: Alexander Augunas, Kate Baker, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Carlos Cabrera, Calder CaDavid, James Case, Eleanor Ferron, Steven Hammond, Joan Hong, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jenny Jarzabski, Erik Keith, Dustin Knight, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Patchen Mortimer, Dennis Muldoon, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Mikhail Rekun, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Mark Thompson, Clark Valentine, Andrew White, Landon Winkler, and Linda Zayas-Palmer Pathfinder Player Core 2 © 2024, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Amirali Attar Olyaee, Alexander Augunas, Brian Bauman, Joshua Birdsong, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, Jessica Catalan, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Jesse Decker, Eleanor Ferron, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Steven Hammond, Sasha Laranoa Harving, Joan Hong, Nicolas Hornyak, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jason Keeley, Dustin Knight, Avi Kool, Lyz Liddell, Nicolas Logue, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Patchen Mortimer, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Jessica Redekop, Mikhail Rekun, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, Jason Tondro, Clark Valentine, Andrew White, Landon Winkler, and Tonya Woldridge. Pathfinder Monster Core © 2024 Paizo Inc., Authors: Alexander Augunas, Dennis Baker, Kate Baker, Joshua Birdsong, Joseph Blomquist, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Darrin Drader, Brian Duckwitz, Robert N. Emerson, Scott Fernandez, Eleanor Ferron, Leo Glass, Matthew Goodall, BJ Hensley, Thurston Hillman, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jenny Jarzabski, Miko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Jeff Lee, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Robert G. McCreary, Philippe-Antoine Menard, Jacob W. Michaels, Dave Nelson, Jason Nelson, Tim Nightengale, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Mikhail Rekun, Patrick Renie, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Chris S. Sims, Amber Stewart, Jeffrey Swank, William Thompson, Jason Tondro, Clark Valentine, Landon Winkler, Tonya Woldridge, and Linda Zayas-Palmer Pathfinder GM Core © 2023 Paizo Inc., Designed by Logan Bonner and Mark Seifter. Authors: Amirali Attar Olyaee, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, Jesse Decker, Eleanor Ferron, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Jaym Gates, Matthew Goetz, James Jacobs, Brian R. James, Jenny Jarzabski, Dustin Knight, Jason LeMaitre, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, Amber Stewart, Clark Valentine, Landon Winkler, and Linda Zayas-Palmer

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