Question about Create Zombie Spell

[darthauthor]

The Create Zombie spell:

Does it have to be cast on a humanoid or can it be cast on a horse?

The spell describes the ritual requiring a few things to be perfromed:

To create a zombie, the sorcerer must find a recently deceased "BODY",

The "BODY" can be no more than 6 hours dead.

The "BODY" must have a forehead for 1 candle, a mouth for the 2nd candle and a chest with a heart in it for the 3rd candle.

The spell never specifies the type of "BODY"

As a GM I would forbid the body from being a supernatural being or creature of magic. No matter what the zombie with have no magic, psionic, mutant, or supernatural powers. I would also impose a size or weight limitation for a spell caster could not make a zombie T-Rex (even thought that would be cool).

Not Sure if there is a list of beings who cannot me made zombies.

Atlanteans?

Lumerian?

Dog Boys?

If so can they have some travel ability. For example, if a zombie Dog Boy could be made would they be able to dig faster.
Or the Lumerian, swim faster?

I feel the general rule is all zombies are supposed to fit the mold. Their outward shape and surface appearance can be different but they probably should be be superior to each to each other.

Appearance only matters if the caster wants them to look like someone in particular, blend in with the masses, fit in a vehicle or is dressable in armor.

There attributes, abilities, and vulnerabilities are all the same.

A zombie horse has only the advantage of having a horse shape. So it can be disguised as a horse. Also, it could carry people like a horse. A humanoid zombie could carry a person (piggy back ride) but it would look foolish to others and be an awkward ride for the rider. But a zombie could pull a cart or wagon fine strength wise. It would just look unusual to others.

I just think it would look cool if a Necromancer rode around on a zombie horse/steed.

[Kraynic]

Going back to the original fantasy version of the spell, it mentioned a deceased "person" instead of just a body. The exact wording has probably changed over time or at least changed in different settings. Personally, I wouldn't have an issue with someone deciding to raise a recently deceased mount.

[darthauthor]

Thanks Kraynic,

I guess/hope it comes down to the spirit intent of the spell instead of just the literal letter.

[Killer Cyborg]

I'd allow a zombie horse.
It'd have standard zombie stats, though, so probably wouldn't be very fast.
Tireless, but not fast.

[darthauthor]

Good point Killer Cyborg.

GOOD to write it down in case we get the wrong idea.

Speed 10 so about 7 mile per hour.

But as you write, tireless, and with Supernatural strength so it can carry 1,000 pounds

Average horse weighs around 900 pounds or so. Can comfortably carry 20% of their body weight. So a 1,000 lbs is like 5 times the strength pulling power of an average horse. And the zombie is tireless, needs no rest, water, grass, does not suffer from the heat or cold or rain and can't catch a disease or get sick; fearless too.

Zombies make incredible horses; except for the running speed.

[Grazzik]

I like the idea of a zombie horse or any other SDC animal (zombie monkey?), but I'd propose that the spell was probably written with the idea of a human zombie in mind. That is why the SPD is 10, which is average for ordinary NPC humans. So, I'd suggest that the SPD of a zombie horse should reflect the SPD of an ordinary average horse.

I wouldn't give it supernatural strength, as regular zombies from the spell do not get that in either RUE or BoM, since they inflict SDC damage with punches. I realize it is given SN PS in PFRPG and I'd give it SN PS in a PF setting, but it might be a bit munchkin in Rifts since it already is almost indestructible from most attacks. Instead, I would simply double the average horse PS for the zombie horse, as the normal zombie PS 20 is double the ordinary average human PS 10.

[Killer Cyborg]

Good point Killer Cyborg.

GOOD to write it down in case we get the wrong idea.

Speed 10 so about 7 mile per hour.

But as you write, tireless, and with Supernatural strength so it can carry 1,000 pounds

Average horse weighs around 900 pounds or so. Can comfortably carry 20% of their body weight. So a 1,000 lbs is like 5 times the strength pulling power of an average horse. And the zombie is tireless, needs no rest, water, grass, does not suffer from the heat or cold or rain and can't catch a disease or get sick; fearless too.

Zombies make incredible horses; except for the running speed.

I’d take a team on the Oregon Trail,

[Grazzik]

Looking at NB WB 3, pg 59-60, the Create Zombie ritual has different rules (like having to recast every day to keep the zombie going) and zombies have different stats. However, it is applicable to anything up to 600lbs, including nightbane, hunters, horses and cattle... which makes no sense since those are animals that weight much more than 600lbs. But at least it shows that a ritual of this nature could be applied to horses, though I suggest you go with the standard ritual from other settings.

[ShadowLogan]

While I agree the Zombie Ritual (not spell technically) does not place qualifiers on the body, unlike the Mummy, I do think the intent is for it to be humanoid like the Golem and Mummy (both call this out).

I would not rule out variants of the Rituals (Golem, Mummy, Zombie) that can work with non-humanoids. Humans have mummified animals in the past (ancient Egypt did cats, along with other animals though AFAIK no horses), so there would be some precedent for animal mummy variants to be created (and in Palladium Rituals, the Zombie is the "deluxe model" to the Mummy's "economy model" of animated undead).

There is also some precedent for non-huamnd nundead in the megaverse from the Palladium Fantasy setting:
-Land of the Damned #2 (Sladka, pg138-40) in an undead horse
-Yema (EotD#2 pg114-5, CB1r pg190 I'd look at CB1r) are also undead flying reptiles and specifically called out being created, though I don't know if this requires a new invocation to create or falls under the heading of an existing version (being classified as extinct in Palladium world makes me think you'd need a new version given the time requirement for recently dead with Zombie).
-LotD#2 also has a cursed Dragon (locked into dragon shape, but skeletal), I would not consider this one precedent per say, but it exists

There could be other examples of undead animals, these are just the ones I know of off-hand.