Vengeance of the Ancestors

5th-level necromancy

Classes cleric

Casting Time 8 hours

Range touch

Components V, S, M (a bejeweled silver holy symbol worth at least 500 gp, consumed in the casting)

Duration until dispelled

Range 1 crypt or tomb

The caster lays an enchantment on a crypt or tomb up to a defined area of 1,000 square feet. The spell exhorts the souls of interred warriors to animate and protect their tomb from grave-robbers. Up to 3d6 skeletal remains rise and attack if any area of the tomb is disturbed, fighting as skeletons for up to 4d6 rounds before returning to their inanimate forms, or until the intruders are driven away, whichever is sooner. The animated skeletons add the caster’s level to attack rolls, saving throws, and also add 2 hit points for each level of the caster to each skeleton. If the interred corpses in the tomb, an additional 1d6 skeletal remains rise and attack if the tomb is disturbed. Note that animated corpses from this spell are considered constructs, not undead. They will also not attack dwarves unless they are attacked by a dwarf, or a dwarf attempts to plunder their tomb. Ancestor souls cannot leave their crypt unless commanded by an Old One or High Old One.

When the remains of any animated skeletal ancestors have been destroyed, they cannot rise again (although other corpses in the tomb can). After the spell effect duration ends, the spell will become dormant until the next day when new skeletal ancestors may be animated.

In some rare instances a high level dwarven cleric may have carved a wardstone to temporarily allow the living to pass through a crypt protected by Vengeance of the Ancestors, or to transport remains to a new location, although this is a very rare occurrence. The priest who carves the wardstone (1 month to create, 1,000 gp in materials) must be of higher caster level than the original caster. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, add 1d6 animated ancestors for each slot level above 5th.