Zombie is a necromantic spell that animates a (relatively complete) dead body, creating a servant for the caster. M153 has Mass Zombie for animating more than one at a time.
An Echo Of The Original[]
Zombies created with this spell will retain physical attributes, physical advantages and most DX-based skills, but anything resembling a personality is gone. Zombies are hidebound, incurious, and unempathetic.[1] They tend to do exactly what they're told as best they can (IQ-2 of their original host, usually) and can even make limited tactical decisions, but the precise amount of cleverness knocking around in their bony heads is a mystery only the GM knows.
Point Totals[]
GURPS Zombies p. 133 gives erroneous totals for Magic's Zombies [-143] and Skeletons[-139]; their actual totals are [-168] and [-162] . It is not stated where the additional 25 points are coming from.
Interactions[]
- Control Zombie can reassign control and usually requires knowing how to make a zombie first to cast it, although it is possible by some means to ignore spell prerequisites. This spell is useless for zombies created by means other then the Zombie spell
- Recommendation: Any setting that has Control Zombie should probably have it affect zombies to some degree.
- Turn Zombie can repel the creations while Zombie Summoning can attract them.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
DF9 under the Spirits and Servitors section Material Undead Servants clarifies these spells do not add point value to the caster:
- The zombie and skeleton templates in GURPS Magic (p. 152) define what a wizard or necromancer gets when he casts a Zombie spell on a random ordinary corpse. The sort of mindless undead that such people keep around for the longer term as servants – and have to buy with points as Allies – tend to be more impressive. (They have positive point values, for a start.)
Social Engineering gives one approach to minimizing cost: An Ally with a point total of 5% or less (of the caster's total) is only 0.2 points, so even with the best Frequency of Appearance modifier (x4 for constantly) the base cost is 0.8, which rounds up to a perk.
Minion is +0% for those with Slave Mentality which all Zombies have for merit of being Automaton. No discount is possible for Unwilling.
The downside of slave mentality in a minion (being influenced by foreign masters) is avoided by Indomitable: it is Reprogrammable which initially designates who the slave's master is.
The largest consideration for Allies (much like Signature Gear) is how it is value which comes back to the character if lost under certain circumstances. This does not appear to be the case for a Zombie: if it's killed you don't get a new zombie or ally.
Quotes[]
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=2392358&postcount=8 13 august 2021 by corwyn:
- "Kromm has on occasion mentioned his 3e necromancer, Dr Kromm, who had Zombie 50, good enough to cast instantly (when that was a thing) and for free (it cost 8 in 3e). Mind you, in 3e the cap was 2/level for a Hard (mental) skill, so it was a lot easier. "