Flesh Puppet
NecromancyNecromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures make up a large part of this school.
[ EvilSpells that draw upon evil powers or conjure creatures from evil-aligned planes or with the evil subtype should have the evil descriptor.]
PFS Legal
Available to
- Casting Time
- 1 roundMost spells take 1 standard action; others list 1 round, 1 minute, or more, or use a swift or immediate action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Components
- V, S, M (an onyx worth 25gp and a silken string)V (Verbal): A spoken incantation; you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence effect or a gag spoils it, and being deafened risks failure.S (Somatic): A precise movement of the hand; you must have at least one hand free to perform it.M (Material): One or more physical substances consumed by the casting. Cost is negligible — covered by your spell component pouch — unless a gp value is listed.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Range
- touchHow far the spell reaches. Close = 25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels; Medium = 100 ft + 10 ft/level; Long = 400 ft + 40 ft/level. Personal = yourself; Touch = a creature or object you touch.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Target
- one corpse touchedHow the spell is aimed: a Target (specific creatures or objects), an Effect it creates (e.g. a wall or a summoned creature), or an Area shape (burst, cone, line, and so on). Some areas are shapeable. "Target or Area" means the spell uses either, at your choice.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Duration
- permanent (D)How long it lasts. Instantaneous resolves at once; Concentration lasts while you keep focusing; Permanent lasts until dispelled. A trailing "(D)" means you can dismiss it as a standard action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Saving Throw
- noneIf a save is allowed, the target rolls Fortitude, Reflex, or Will: the result negates, gives partial, half, or no effect. "harmless" lets a willing target decline. Save DC = 10 + spell level + your casting ability modifier.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Spell Resistance
- noWhether a creature's spell resistance can block the spell (Yes/No). For "harmless" spells a willing creature may lower its SR to be affected.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
You animate one corpse that has been dead no more than 48 hours. It rises as a zombie (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 288) that is magically tethered to you and obeys your commands. As noted in animate dead, you can’t control more than 4 HD per caster level worth of undead in total, nor can a single casting create more than 2 HD per caster level.
This spell disguises the zombie’s appearance and allows you to control it. The zombie’s outward appearance, movement, and voice appear the same as if it were still alive. The zombie’s normal staggered condition doesn’t apply (though it can still be staggered by other means). Successfully detecting the flesh puppet as a zombie without magic requires an opposed Perception check against your Disguise check, and you add your caster level as a bonus on this Disguise check.
An ephemeral string connects you to the zombie. Through this string, you have a mental link to the zombie and can command it as a swift action. The zombie uses its own actions to complete your commands. The zombie can speak up to 25 words in 1 round, but you must mentally impart what you intend it to say as a swift action. It is incapable of articulating speech on its own. The zombie can be ordered to perform very simple tasks it knew in life but can’t make attacks, cast spells, or perform complex or difficult tasks requiring constant concentration.
The string connecting you and the zombie is nearly invisible. A DC 30 Perception check is required to detect it. It has hardness 0 and 1 hp. The length of string you can create is 100 feet + 10 feet per caster level you have. The string snaps if you and the zombie move farther apart than this length, though the zombie won’t move out of range unless forced to do so or unless you command it to do so. If the string to the zombie is severed, the spell immediately ends. The ephemeral string can pass through physical barriers, but not barriers of magical force, and it can be damaged as though it were a physical object.
When this spell ends, the zombie immediately reverts back to a normal corpse. The spell ends automatically if you cast flesh puppet or flesh puppet horde on a new corpse.
This spell disguises the zombie’s appearance and allows you to control it. The zombie’s outward appearance, movement, and voice appear the same as if it were still alive. The zombie’s normal staggered condition doesn’t apply (though it can still be staggered by other means). Successfully detecting the flesh puppet as a zombie without magic requires an opposed Perception check against your Disguise check, and you add your caster level as a bonus on this Disguise check.
An ephemeral string connects you to the zombie. Through this string, you have a mental link to the zombie and can command it as a swift action. The zombie uses its own actions to complete your commands. The zombie can speak up to 25 words in 1 round, but you must mentally impart what you intend it to say as a swift action. It is incapable of articulating speech on its own. The zombie can be ordered to perform very simple tasks it knew in life but can’t make attacks, cast spells, or perform complex or difficult tasks requiring constant concentration.
The string connecting you and the zombie is nearly invisible. A DC 30 Perception check is required to detect it. It has hardness 0 and 1 hp. The length of string you can create is 100 feet + 10 feet per caster level you have. The string snaps if you and the zombie move farther apart than this length, though the zombie won’t move out of range unless forced to do so or unless you command it to do so. If the string to the zombie is severed, the spell immediately ends. The ephemeral string can pass through physical barriers, but not barriers of magical force, and it can be damaged as though it were a physical object.
When this spell ends, the zombie immediately reverts back to a normal corpse. The spell ends automatically if you cast flesh puppet or flesh puppet horde on a new corpse.
Variants
- Flesh Puppet