To cast call forth the Dweller, the caster must inscribe forty-two mystic symbols around an open doorway, then begin the chants and supplications required for the ritual.

If the ritual succeeds, an image of the Dweller—an inky mass of tentacles and mouths—appears on the other side of the doorway. The Dweller on the Threshold truthfully answers any questions it is asked about a particular door. For example, the Dweller can provide a magical password that unlocks a door, indicate how to disarm a trap on a door, reveal the weaknesses of a door’s guardian, or describe the room that lies beyond the door. Its answers are clear and fairly specific, if somewhat terse. The caster may well appreciate such concise answers, because one of the forty-two symbols inscribed around the doorway during the casting of the ritual fades away with each word the Dweller on the Threshold speaks—and when all the symbols are gone, the Dweller disappears.

If the caster asks the Dweller on the Threshold a question that doesn’t involve doors, the Dweller responds with a cutting insult, often about something the caster thought was secret. Each word of the insult likewise makes a symbol disappear from the perimeter of the doorway.

The exact nature of the Dweller on the Threshold is shrouded in mystery. Some contend that it is somehow connected to the god of secrets, although no one has ever found conclusive evidence that the Dweller on the Threshold is evil.

Option

If the doorway used as the focus is one that the Dweller has been asked about in the past, the caster gains a +4 bonus on the Knowledge (arcana) checks during the ritual. For example, if Boredflak uses call forth the Dweller to learn about the Gateway to Despair, then when he reaches the Gateway, he can use the Gateway as the focus and gain a +4 bonus when he uses the ritual to ask about the Arches of Certain Doom.

Material Component

Forty-two mystic symbols inscribed around the perimeter of the focus doorway (requiring materials costing 500 gp). As described above, these symbols gradually disappear during the time the ritual is in effect.

Focus

An open doorway large enough to allow a Medium creature to pass through it.

Failure

If the caster fails two consecutive Knowledge (arcana) checks, the Dweller on the Threshold gleefully lies, employing falsehoods that demonstrate its inclination toward mischief and cruelty.

Backlash

After speaking with the Dweller on the Threshold, the caster is exhausted. The ritual also causes the caster to age by 9 months.

The performance that makes up the core of cast off the spirit’s chains can take many forms: an uplifting song, a soul-stirring melody, or a calmly told tale that reminds the victim of who they truly are. The three successful Perform checks necessary to complete the ritual are interspersed with two Sense Motive checks, as the performers gauge the target’s reactions, and adjust their performance accordingly. (The Sense Motive checks for this ritual should be rolled by the DM in secret; see Failure, below.)

If successful, the ritual frees the target from all enchantments, all curses or other magical effects that afflict the mind or cause personality changes, and all forms of madness that inhibits the target’s control of their own actions. All such effects that normally can be dispelled by dispel magic are removed automatically. For all other effects, the result of the last Perform check is compared to a DC of 11 + the caster level of the effect to determine whether that effect is removed successfully. In the case of effects produced by cursed items, cast off the spirit’s chains does not remove the curse from the item, but it does free the victim from the item’s effects.

Cast off the spirit’s chains does not cure physiological trauma (such as brain damage) that has behavioral effects, nor does it remove mundane mental afflictions (except those that prevent the target from being able to control their actions). The ritual also does not cure curses or other non-enchantment effects that merely addle the target’s perceptions, without interfering with their personality or their decision-making.

Option

If the primary performer correctly identifies the precise nature of all effects afflicting the target (which may require one or more Knowledge checks, as per the DM’s discretion), then the DCs of all skill checks for this ritual are reduced by 2.

Secondary Performers

At least three secondary performers (who may act as backup singers, provide musical accompaniment to a story, or participate in the performance in some other appropriate manner) are usually needed for this ritual. If fewer than three secondary performers are present, the DCs of the Perform checks are increased by 2; if no secondary performers are present, the DCs of the Perform checks are instead increased by 4.

Backlash

All performers are exhausted at the ritual’s completion.

Failure

If the ritual fails due to failing two consecutive Perform checks, then the target not only remains afflicted, but develops an irrational hatred toward the ritual’s performers (i.e., his attitude toward them becomes hostile, and is not amenable to adjustment by non-magical means). All subsequent attempts by the same performers to remove the target’s enchantments or mental afflictions (including by trying to perform cast off the spirit’s chains again) take a −2 penalty on all relevant checks.

If the ritual fails due to failing two consecutive Sense Motive checks, then the target seems to be cured, and indeed may think that he is cured, but his afflictions remain. The precise nature of this apparent recovery, and the way in which an affliction persists, may vary depending on the details of any given affliction, and should be determined by the DM. (For example, a dominated victim may pretend to have thrown off his compulsion, but bide his time and secretly scheme against his former allies; a confused victim may act in a lucid manner until he encounters a stressful situation, whereupon he relapses into madness; etc.) If the affliction in question is magical, detect magic reveals only a lingering aura, unless the Spellcraft check to identify the spell’s aura succeeds by 10 or more. (Analyze dweomer detects the latent effect automatically.)

To summon the expedient whirlwind, you must intone the words of the ritual (which are mystic invocations of the spirits of the air, spoken in Auran, the language of air elementals) while you carefully construct a strange-looking sculpture out of dust and sand, incorporating into it the ritual’s material component (powdered gemstones).

Once the sculpture is complete, and you speak the final phrases of the invocation, the sculpture bursts into a whirlwind of glittering dust, within which the faint hint of eyes and other features may be seen. The air elemental hovers before you, awaiting your carefully worded request. You must elaborately flatter the creature, extolling its magnificence and might, before it will consent to carry you.

Should the elemental accede to your request, you (and any allies you wish to bring with you, subject to the limitations imposed by the conjured elemental’s size) are swept up in the whirlwind and carried to the place you specify. The whirlwind’s flight speed is 100 ft. (perfect maneuverability), so it can move up to 200 feet per round, in any direction. (It will not enter a building or other structure, however, nor will it descend into a cavern, etc.) After arriving at your destination, the whirlwind gently deposits you on a solid surface, then dissipates. (You may also instruct the elemental to carry you to a point in mid-air, but then the responsibility for getting safely down to earth is yours.)

By default, the elemental conjured is Large, and can carry up to 10 creatures of Medium size (or correspondingly many smaller creatures) for up to 1 minute. At your option, you may instead choose to summon a Huge elemental, which can carry up to 10 creatures of Large size or up to 20 creatures of Medium size (or correspondingly many smaller creatures) for up to 1 hour. This increases the ritual’s level to 5th, increases the DCs for the ritual’s skill checks by 5, requires two Knowledge (arcana) checks and two Diplomacy/Perform checks (instead of one of each), and requires a more costly material component (see below).

Material Component

Powdered gemstones costing 50 gp. (If conjuring a Huge elemental, the cost is 500 gp.)

Time/Place

The expedient whirlwind may be summoned only outdoors, under the open sky, and only once per day.

Backlash

All characters carried by the whirlwind suffer 2d6 points of nonlethal damage per minute of travel time. Any character who takes nonlethal damage from the whirlwind is sickened; this condition lasts as long after being returned to solid ground as the trip through the air did.

Failure

If you fail either the Knowledge (arcana) or Craft (sculpture) checks, then the elemental does not appear. (The material component is wasted.) You can attempt the ritual again on the same day, if you wish.

If you fail the Diplomacy/Perform check, you offend the elemental. It vanishes (after directing various imprecations at you in its language), and you may not attempt the ritual again for a month. At the end of that period, you can try again, but the material component cost is doubled, since you must propitiate the elemental spirit before it will respond to your summons once more. (This cost increase applies only until you have again successfully performed the ritual once.)

If you fail the Diplomacy/Perform check by 10 or more, the elemental attacks you. (The consequences are otherwise as given above.)

(You take no backlash damage if the ritual fails, since you aren’t carried anywhere in that case.)

By administering special herbal preparations, poultices, unguents, and other such concoctions, you stimulate and empower the subject’s bodily processes, helping his body to expel diseases, poisons, and most other non-magical forms of bodily pollutions or afflictions. Each of the two successful Heal checks required for the ritual’s completion counts as a saving throw result against each applicable affliction that the subject is suffering from, equal to the check result. If both saving throw results are successful (i.e., if they match or exceed the DC of the affliction), then that affliction is cured.

Material Component

Herbal unguents and preparations costing 200 gp. These may either be purchased, or else acquired from the land. One watch of foraging (and a successful skill check, DC equal to 10 + the forage DC of the terrain if using the Survival skill, or 5 less than that if using the Profession (herbalist) skill), and one watch of preparation (which requires an alchemist’s lab), are required.

Secondary Performers

At least one assistant is required for this ritual.

Backlash

Both the primary performer of the ritual, and the subject, are exhausted at the ritual’s completion.

Failure

If the ritual fails, then this counts as a failed saving throw against each affliction that you were trying to cure. This generally causes the subject to immediately advance one step along that affliction’s progression.

This ritual requires two or more people (the secondary performers) to construct, over the course of a watch, a simple, crude shelter, out of natural materials available in the immediate environment. (This may be a simple lean-to in a forest, a crude igloo in the tundra, etc.) As they work, the primary performer entertains his laboring allies with a story (which may be told in prose, or in verse, or sung as a ballad)—specifically, one of the several tales which tell of Razoum’s powers.

Once the shelter is built and the story told, the primary performer addresses Razoum and offers a gift (the ritual’s material component). At this time (assuming that the skill checks for the ritual were successful) the simple shelter transforms into a secure and comfortable lodge, still constructed of the same materials, but resembling a well-built, cozy cottage, about 20 feet square.

The lodge’s floor is level, clean, and dry, and it has a sturdy door, two shuttered windows, and a small fireplace, where a fire burns (without needing to be supplied with fuel). The temperature inside the lodge is 70° F if the exterior temperature is between 0° and 100° F. An exterior temperature below 0° or above 100° lowers or raises the interior temperature on a 1-degree-for-1 basis. The lodge also provides protection against the elements, such as rain, dust, and sandstorms.

Regardless of material composition, the lodge is as strong as a normal stone building, and resists attacks or environmental damage as if it were stone. Normal missile weapon do not affect it (though siege weapons can). The lodge withstands winds of any strength short of a tornado (which destroys it).

The door, shutters, and even chimney are secure against intrusion, the former two being arcane locked (with a caster level equal to the primary performer’s Perform skill ranks, in whatever skill was used to make the checks) and the latter secured by an iron grate at the top and a narrow flue. The lodge contains rude furnishings—eight bunks, a trestle table, eight stools, and a writing desk.

The most important feature of the lodge, however, is Razoum himself. To all appearances, Razoum is an invisible, shapeless force, similar in many respects to an unseen servant. Unlike the construct conjured by said spell, however, Razoum is far from mindless—on the contrary, he is well-spoken (Razoum always speaks whatever language the ritual’s primary performer used to tell the tale, as well as all the elemental tongues, and possibly other languages besides), erudite, and gracious.

In addition to the powers of an unseen servant (with the exception that Razoum has an effective Strength score of 20 instead of 2), Razoum can conjure food and drink for the lodge’s occupants (as the create food and water spell, but the conjured food is quite delicious, and usually consists of items native to the region). (The conjured food quickly decays if taken out of the lodge uneaten, so it cannot be used to replenish stocks of rations.)

Razoum does not sleep, and is instantly aware of any intrusion attempts made upon the lodge, whereupon he alerts his guests at once, waking sleepers if need be (though he has no combat ability himself—or else chooses not to use it—and thus does not contribute to the lodge’s defense, beyond serving as an alarm).

Finally, Razoum has some knowledge of the region in which he is conjured, and will gladly speak of this to his guests. The spirit is not necessarily aware of specific people, places, or dangers, unless they are very prominent features of the locale, but he is well-informed about general aspects of the environment in the region, as well as local customs, if any.

The lodge remains in its enhanced form for as long as Razoum remains within, which is normally a night and a day (24 hours). (This period can be extended, however—see Option, below.) Once the duration expires, Razoum (who cannot leave the lodge while the ritual’s effect persists) vanishes—and the lodge instantly reverts to the crude shelter that it was.

Option

At the end of a full night and day’s stay in Razoum’s lodge, the occupants may beseech the spirit to remain for another 24 hours. This requires a Diplomacy check (DC 22), and another gift, equal in value and comparable in its nature to the one offered initially. If the gift is accepted, Razoum remains, and the duration of the ritual’s effect is extended (this may be done any number of times). Failing the Diplomacy check means that Razoum politely refuses to remain. (Once the spirit vanishes, the ritual cannot be performed again for a week.)

Material Component

A valuable item, worth at least 200 gp, which must be something that is foreign to the region in which the ritual is performed. This may be an art object crafted in a distant land, a gemstone that’s not found in the region, a bag of exotic spices, or any other valuable import. (Note that mere currency does not fit the bill, even if the coins were minted elsewhere.)

Secondary Performers

At least two secondary performers are required; they must construct the simple shelter, while the primary performer sings, recites, etc. One of the secondary performers makes the Survival checks for the ritual; the other assists, and may aid the first. Up to two additional characters (for a total of up to four) may participate. Each assistant may make a DC 12 Survival check of his own; if successful, the character making the actual Survival check for the ritual gains a +2 bonus on his check, but a failure on any assistant’s part imposes a −2 penalty instead. (The assistant can merely provide unskilled labor, which requires no skill checks, and adds neither bonus nor penalty to the main check.)

The laborers may attempt to build the shelter more quickly. By accepting a −5 penalty on the Survival checks for the ritual, they can finish the work in half the time (2 hours); by accepting a −10 penalty, they can be done in just one hour.

Note that constructing even a simple shelter may be harder or easier, depending on availability of materials in the environment. The DM may apply a modifier to the Survival checks for the ritual, depending on terrain type or other environmental factors. (For example, a typical forest grants a +2 bonus on the checks to build the shelter, while a typical desert imposes a −2 penalty.)

Backlash

All performers are fatigued at the ritual’s end. (Naturally, if the ritual succeeds, this fatigue is wiped away after a comfortable night’s rest in the conjured lodge.)

If successfully conjured, Razoum’s lodge is inescapably noticeable, and it typically attracts attention from denizens of the local environment. (The nature of this attention is determined by the DM, but curiosity is almost always a safe assumption.)

Failure

If the ritual fails due to failing two consecutive Survival checks, the simple shelter is poorly-made, and collapses, or otherwise fails to serve even a basic function. If the ritual fails due to failing two consecutive Perform checks, Razoum simply does not appear. In either case, the work is wasted (but the material component is not consumed). The failure leaves all performers shaken for the next day.

Actually, “resurrection” is not the right word, for this ritual does not reinstate the subject into the ranks of the living. Rather, the ritual of reanimation binds the subject soul into a necromantically animated corporeal vessel—in short, the subject is brought back as a free-willed, intelligent undead creature.

The ritual of reanimation is a complex process, involving a series of specific procedures, all of which have their own particular requirements, and several of which have their own perils and possibilities for unfortunate outcomes.

First, the vessel (that is, the corpse which will be animated to serve as the subject’s body) must be prepared for the reanimation, which requires a successful Heal check (the ritual’s first skill check). Depending on the specific undead form to be created (see below), this may or may not require that the corpse be well-preserved and well-maintained. (Most subject are likely to prefer that the shell which they is to inhabit be aesthetically pleasing, even if this is not a requirement of the ritual.) Special unguents are applied to the vessel, and other preparations made, so that the processes of unlife begin smoothly, once the ritual’s later steps are carried out.

At this point, under the light of the stars on a moonless, clear night, the real work begins. The vessel is placed upon a suitably prepared altar; then, as the secondary performers take their positions at the points of a pentagrammatic ritual diagram and begin their unceasing chant, the primary performer drinks a specially prepared potion (a lesser analogue of the elixir of dream travel) and enters a trance-like state, in which he “sends his soul through the invisible”, attempting to locate and contact the spirit of the departed subject. This is a divination effect, and requires two successful Knowledge (arcana) checks.

It is possible for the ritual of reanimation to fail at this step due to the subject’s soul being unwilling or unable to return. The DM should now roll the resurrection check in secret (with the primary performer’s Knowledge (arcana) ranks being used in place of the caster level for the resurrection). If a positive result is obtained, no side effects are determined or applied yet, and the ritual continues; otherwise, the primary performer learns the cause of the failure (see “Failed resurrection attempts”), and the ritual ends immediately. In the latter case, all performers are fatigued, but suffer no other backlash effects. (The accoutrements for the necromantic part of the ritual are not consumed in this case, but the rest of the material components are.)

Having established contact with the subject soul, the vessel must now be animated with necromantic magic. There are many ways in which this can be done, of which the animate dead spell is the simplest (this, of course, requires the primary performer of the ritual of reanimation to be capable of casting said spell, either due to being a spellcaster himself or via a scroll or by some other means); in that case, the reanimated subject will be a corpse creature (essentially, an intelligent fast zombie). Other methods are also possible (including the use of another ceremonial ritual), which may result in the vessel rising as a different kind of undead. In all cases, a successful Knowledge (arcana) check is required, to link the necromantic magic into the arcane structure of the ritual of reanimation. (Depending on the method of animation, other checks may be required as well, such as a Use Magic Device check to use a scroll, or other skill checks if a subsidiary ritual is used for this step.)

The penultimate step of the ritual of reanimation pulls the subject soul into the animated undead vessel. This is a conjuration (calling) effect, and requires a successful Knowledge (arcana) check. At this point, the vessel does not truly belong to the subject soul, but is only possessed by it; while the duration of the possession effect is permanent, it can be ended by magical means, such as a dismissal spell, an exorcism ritual, etc. If the method of animation allowed the primary performer of the ritual of reanimation to control the animated vessel (as is the case with, e.g., the animate dead spell), that control now lapses (as the vessel is now controlled by the subject soul).

To secure the reanimated subject’s existence as a true undead creature, vessel and soul must be bound firmly together, turning a permanent effect into an instantaneous one. This is a necromancy effect, and requires the ritual’s final successful Knowledge (arcana) check. (This is also the point at which the DM should determine side effects of resurrection, if any, according to the previously rolled result of the resurrection check. See Tampering With Mortality for details on resurrection side effects.)

Effects

If the ritual of reanimation succeeds, the subject is now an undead creature of the sort created by the animation method (most commonly—if the animate dead spell, or a similar method, is used—a corpse creature). In terms of the subject’s statistics, special abilities, etc., this is much like being reincarnated as an undead creature of the given type; see the reincarnate spell for details. (Note that special rules apply if the vessel used is the subject’s own corpse; see Options, below.)

Dietary needs

Besides the obvious, being reanimated as an undead creature has certain side effects (in addition to the side effects of having one’s soul returned from the afterlife, if any). The most important of these is the need to sustain one’s unlife. Food and drink that nourish the living are useless for the undead, who must feed in other ways in order to survive. For corpse creatures and similar undead forms, living flesh is the sustenance of choice; for others, blood, life force, mental energy, or more exotic sources of nourishment are needed.

An undead creature that denies its needs does not starve to death as a living creature does; instead, it first begins to lose its rationality as cravings take over its mind. (This manifests as Wisdom damage, but without the “comatose” or “dead” states; instead, the end state of the progression is that the creature becomes a nearly mindless, feral monster, and single-mindedly seeks out whatever it needs to sustain itself, even at obvious peril of destruction, making no distinction between friend and foe, and otherwise behaving without any regard to its normal outlook or personality. The lost Wisdom returns as soon as the creature is able to sate its hunger, but cannot otherwise be cured by restoration spells or by any other method short of a limited wish, miracle, or wish spell.) If the creature cannot feed, then it soon enters a quiescent state, in which it can typically exist indefinitely; if provided with sustenance, the creature regains normal functioning immediately.

In addition to these consequences, an undead creature that does not feed regularly will decay (in much the same way that malnutrition detrimentally affects a living creature’s health even without causing outright starvation); an undead character who cares about his appearance should therefore take care to secure a source of regular nourishment. (But see Options, below, for another alternative.)

Integration

Undead are immune to fatigue, so being reanimated by this ritual cannot cause exhaustion, as “genuine” resurrection methods can. But coming back to unlife nevertheless requires adjusting to one’s new form; this is referred to as the integration process, and takes the form of impaired muscle control, stiff joints, and general sluggishness, which manifests as Dexterity damage, and fades over the course of about three weeks. (This is not real ability damage, and cannot be cured by restoration spells or similar remedies.) Initially, the reanimated character is staggered; each week sees one step’s improvement on the ability damage track. (Unlike recovery from post-resurrection exhaustion, the integration process cannot be shortened by means of the Heal skill.)

If the subject soul’s own corpse is used as the vessel (see Options, below), integration is considerably easier; each step’s improvement along the Dexterity damage track comes over the course of a day, instead of a week.

Should a character be so unfortunate as to need reanimation more than once, integration turns out to be easier with every subsequent return to unlife—the character starts with one less step of Dexterity damage for each previous time he has been reanimated.

Corruption

Reanimation increases the subject’s corruption score by 1. (This increase only happens once; multiple reanimations do not add more corruption.)

Doing evil deeds (e.g., committing murder) in order to feed, or, conversely, losing one’s sanity due to hunger (see “Dietary needs”, above), also increases the subject’s corruption score.

Subsequent resurrections

Although willingly submitting to reanimation is not nearly so traumatic to the soul as the more common ways of being turned into an undead creature, it nevertheless leaves a mark. Any character who has been reanimated, then destroyed, and subsequently is attempted to be returned to life via raise dead or a similar means, suffers a −4 “state of soul” penalty on resurrection checks (rather than the usual −10 for having been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed).

Note on hit point loss

Unlike living creatures, undead are usually destroyed upon dropping down to 0 hit points. This weakness may be mitigated in any of several ways:

The Necrotic Reserve feat allows an undead creature to gain a buffer of life force from feeding on the vitality of the living.

Certain magical effects (which may be created by spells, rituals, or items) can use negative energy to reactively heal an undead creature when it would drop to 0 hit points.

More speculatively, rumors exist of magic items that can capture the soul of a creature (undead or otherwise) at the moment of death, allowing it to be returned to life more easily.

Options

There are several options, variations, and alternative choices available when performing the ritual of reanimation, which affect the outcome in different ways.

Vessel type

As noted above, the most common type of undead form used for the ritual of reanimation is a corpse creature—a intelligent version of a fast zombie, the result of using the animate dead spell on an intact, well-preserved corpse. Other possibilities include ghouls, ghasts, wights, or even more exotic forms of undead, created by the create (greater) undead spells, or by specialized necromantic rituals. Different undead vessels come with their own advantages and drawbacks, such as special powers and vulnerabilities, and different “dietary” requirements (a typical wight feeds on life force rather than flesh, for instance).

Identity of corpse

While it’s not necessary to use the subject’s own corpse as the vessel for reanimation (it is perfectly possible to use this ritual to incarnate the subject soul into a vessel animated from any suitable corpse), there are advantages to doing so.

First, the subject more quickly acclimatizes to his undead body (see “Integration”, above). Second, any racial traits of a physical nature that are compatible with the vessel type (and with undeath in general) are retained. (For example, a tiefling with the prehensile tail racial trait would retain it, but a half-orc with the orc ferocity racial trait would lose it.)

Note that using the subject’s own corpse as the vessel for the ritual of reanimation causes the corpse to become unusable for the purpose of the raise dead or resurrection spells. Only true resurrection, reincarnate, or the ritual of reanimation will now suffice to bring back the subject soul.

Desecration of ritual site

As an additional preparatory step, the ritual site where the reanimation is to take place may be desecrated. By dedicating the site to a suitable dark power (which may be an evil deity, such as the orcish god Shargaas, or a powerful fiend, such as Orcus), by means of the desecrate spell or via a ritual of similar purpose, the area centered upon the altar is imbued with negative energy.

If this is done, the necromantic magic that animates the vessel is thereby enhanced, and the reanimated character gains an additional 2 hit points per hit die. However, he retains the influence of the power to which the ritual site was dedicated. Against clerics of that power, the character takes a −2 penalty on saving throws against being commanded (via the Command Undead feat, or similar abilities).

Being reanimated within a desecrated ritual site increases the character’s corruption score by 1 (which stacks with the normal corruption increase caused by reanimation, and likewise only happens once).

Sacrifice

There is one final optional component of the ritual of reanimation, which is balked at by most of even the sorts of people who are willing to undertake an act like this: the sacrifice of a living, intelligent creature, whose death at the hands of the ritual’s primary performer empowers the reanimated character.

The sacrifice must be performed immediately after the undead vessel is animated (that is, after the fourth successful skill check of the ritual of reanimation), and requires a successful Knowledge (religion) check with a DC of 25 + 1 per 5 HD of the subject soul. (See Sacrificial rituals for details on this check.)

If the sacrifice is made properly (that is, if the Knowledge (religion) check is successful), and if the reanimation then proceeds successfully as well, then the reanimated character has no dietary needs—he is freed from the need to consume living flesh, life force, etc. (He can still do so, as per the abilities of the undead vessel, and may choose to feed in order to gain power, or for combat reasons, etc.) He experiences no cravings, does not weaken if unable to gain sustenance, etc.

Some sources of necromantic lore claim that these benefits of the sacrifice are not permanent, but last for only as much time as that which would have been left in the natural life-span of the sacrificed victim. It is not known if this claim has ever been tested; nor whether additional sacrifices might extend the duration of unlife without the need for sustenance (or whether this time can be extended in some other way).

Performing a ritual sacrifice invariably increases the primary performer’s corruption score, by an amount appropriate to the specifics of the sacrifice (the nature of the sacrificial victim, etc.).

Material Component

To prepare the vessel for successful animation and inhabitation by the subject soul, rare oils and unguents are needed, worth 1,000 gp.

The primary performer must drink a potion that allows him to enter the ritual trance and send his soul to make contact with that of the subject; this potion can be purchased for 800 gp, or else crafted via the Alchemy skill, if the recipe is known.

The method of animation may have material component requirements of its own (for example, the animate dead spell requires black onyx gems worth at least 25 gp per Hit Die of the subject).

Time/Place

The ritual of reanimation must be performed outdoors, on a clear, moonless night, with the stars visible in the sky. An altar (typically, a flat-topped slab of stone) must be prepared, and a pentagrammatic ritual diagram drawn upon the ground around it.

Secondary Performers

Five secondary performers are required for this ritual; they stand at the points of the ritual diagram, continually chanting mystic phrases, while the primary performer works.

Backlash

If the ritual of reanimation fails prior to the vessel’s animation, all performers are fatigued, but no other backlash effects are suffered.

Otherwise, at the conclusion of the ritual (whether successful or not), all performers are exhausted and reduced to −1 hp (but stable). The primary performer also ages by 1 year due to the strain of wielding such potent necromantic forces.

Performing this ritual also has a chance of attracting the attention of dark powers, who take note of one who dares, without the support of a divine patron, to reach across the barriers of reality and retrieve a soul from the afterlife. Whether this attention is ultimately boon or bane depends greatly on the choices of the characters involved.

Failure

If the ritual of reanimation fails at the first step (preparing the vessel), then the corpse quickly rots, decaying into a shapeless mound of organic detritus; it cannot thereafter be used either for this ritual or for the raise dead spell (though it can be used for resurrection, reincarnate, or true resurrection.

If the ritual fails on the second or third skill checks (rather than failing because the subject soul cannot return, which carries no special failure consequences), then the primary performer must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be feebleminded for 1d6 days.

If the ritual fails on the fifth skill check, then the strain on the subject soul imposes a −1 penalty on the subject’s resurrection check for any subsequent resurrection attempts (whether by means of this ritual, or by any other method). (The ritual’s performers do not suffer any ill effects in this case.)

If the ritual fails on the fourth or sixth skill checks, then all secondary performers gain one negative level, and the primary performer gains 1d6 negative levels. (Any living creature that gains as many negative levels as it has hit dice dies immediately, and soon rises as a wight.) The Fortitude save DC to remove these negative levels is 15.

(Note that if the ritual fails on the fourth or fifth skill check, the animated vessel remains a normal undead creature of its kind, and is under the primary performer’s control.)

Finally, if the ritual of reanimation fails on the sixth and last skill check, then (as noted previously) the subject soul has been called back to inhabit the vessel, but vessel and soul are not truly joined. In addition to the effects mentioned above, this often causes severe mental dissociation on the character’s part, and in some cases can lead to outright madness.

The purpose of the ritual is to conjure an extraplanar entity, which will then administer a test of the applicant’s intelligence; should he pass muster, the being (referred to as the instructor) will (over the course of some weeks or months) teach him the rudiments of magic (allowing him to begin gaining levels in the wizard or magus classes). The consequences of failure are usually unfortunate, however (see Failure, below).

The Knowledge (arcana) checks needed for this ritual may be made untrained (as they often are, since the applicant—i.e., the character performing the ritual—is usually someone who has had no formal instruction in arcane lore), but in that case, it is necessary to have on hand a suitable text on the subject of calling rituals, or else detailed notes that describe the principles and pitfalls of such conjurations. Such a reference work allows the applicant to make the Knowledge (arcana) checks as if he had 1 rank in the skill.

There are, potentially, many variants of this ritual, aimed at conjuring various sorts of beings to act as instructors. The variant described here (by far the most common form of the ritual, and unquestionably the easiest to perform) conjures a fiendish creature—typically, an imp.

Material Component

Mystic incenses and other accoutrements, costing 100 gp.

Time/Place

This ritual must be performed after sundown, and must be completed before dawn; if the sun rises before the ritual is done, it fails automatically, as if two consecutive Knowledge (arcana) checks had been failed. A desecrated (or otherwise tainted with evil) location is also required.

Corruption

Successfully performing this ritual increases the applicant’s corruption score by 2. Even if the ritual fails (and the applicant survives), his corruption score increases by 1. (This can happen multiple times, but the total increase to a character’s corruption score due to this ritual can never exceed 2.)

Additionally, if the applicant dies at any time before the instructor has finished teaching him, his soul is forfeit. (This may be an extended period of time, of months or even years, as many applicants cannot resist the temptation to continue to avail themselves of their instructor’s arcane knowledge even after they’ve learned enough to continue their studies on their own, it being much simpler to learn spells from the already-available instructor than to seek out spell knowledge elsewhere.) Once the instruction ends, and the applicant “graduates”, he is no longer in “soul debt”… but by then, most applicants have committed more than enough evil deeds to ensure their damnation in any case.

Sacrifice

The most important component of the practitioner’s first examination is the sacrifice.

Unlike with a sacrificial ritual, this need not necessarily involve killing someone (indeed, a simple murder will not suffice, not even if torture or other “embellishments” are involved). Rather, the applicant must, through cleverness and guile, destroy a life.

This requirement may be satisfied, for instance, by engineering a political or romantic rival’s downfall—perhaps through blackmail, or slanderous accusations, or uncovering real wrongdoing. (Merely enacting justice does not suffice, however; the punishment must be disproportionate to the crime—in other words, the victim must be made to suffer, beyond the bounds defined by an impartial judgment.) Alternatively, the applicant might labor to discover the one thing that a victim holds most dear, then subtly cause that thing’s destruction, and thereby drive the victim to despair and suicide.

The applicant’s motives do not concern the instructor, so it matters not whether the applicant sadistically enjoys the suffering of his chosen victim, or whether he acts dispassionately, viewing the effort as only a means to an end. Only the consequences matter. (However, having to look at the world of mortals with the goal of inflicting life-destroying suffering, and then committing the deeds necessary to accomplish that goal, all but ensures that the applicant will be incapable of true goodness.) Indeed, the deed need not have been committed for the express purpose of this ritual—even if done years prior, the requirement is satisfied (so long as the applicant has not repented of his actions in the meantime).

That the applicant’s involvement in the victim’s fate remain unknown is not, strictly speaking, a requirement of the ritual. But it is prudent.

Backlash

Performing this ritual leaves the applicant exhausted. The applicant also ages by 2 years if the ritual succeeds. If the ritual fails (and the applicant survives), he ages by 3 months.

Failure

If the ritual fails because of two consecutive failed Knowledge (arcana) checks, or due to the coming of dawn, then there are no special consequences to failure beyond those mentioned above (see the Corruption and Backlash sections).

If the ritual fails because of two failed Intelligence checks (that is, if the applicant successfully conjures the instructor, but then does not pass the test of his intelligence), then the instructor immediately attacks the applicant. Surviving the attack leaves the applicant free to attempt the ritual again. If the applicant is killed, however, the instructor takes his soul.

There are many variants of the ward against evil, which differ mostly in superficial ways, according to the religious or cultural practices with which they are associated. As described here, this ritual may be performed by a pious Pelorite, who directs her prayers to the patron saint of her village; or by a man of one of the southern tribes, who invokes his family’s venerated ancestors; or even by a hermit living deep in the woods of Donaille, who makes offerings to the spirits of the land and forest in exchange for guarding his cabin against intrusion. The form of the ritual may vary, but the essence is the same in each case.

If successful, the ritual protects the dwelling where it is performed for a day and a night (i.e., 24 hours) with an effect similar to magic circle against evil (but without the bonuses to AC and saving throws). Unlike the spell, however, the ward against evil works not only against summoned creatures, but against malevolent entities of all sorts: undead (including incorporeal undead), fiends, evil fey creatures, and so on—in short, any sort of supernatural creature which means harm against the dwelling’s residents is hedged out (and may not even touch the warded structure). Neither can such creatures affect those within the warded structure with enchantments or mind-affecting powers of any sort. (Excluded creatures are free to make ranged attacks, however, or to cast damaging spells, either at the dwelling itself or at those within.)

Spell resistance applies to the hedging-out effect, but no save is allowed unless the affected creature has at least 11 Hit Dice. A creature that makes its save (but not one whose spell resistance defeats the ritual’s effect) nevertheless takes a −2 penalty to all attacks, saves, and checks while it is within the warded structure.

Material Component

In the course of performing the ritual, materials must be expended costing at least 50 gp, or else 10% of the residents’ daily earnings, whichever is less. (This typically takes the form of burnt sacrificial offerings, or special candles, or any of a variety of other things, depending on the precise form of the ritual.)

(If performed in a larger residence, the material component cost increases; see Secondary Performers, below.)

Time/Place

The ward against evil must be cast in a permanent dwelling—typically, a house. The dwelling must have a well-maintained shrine appropriate to the form of the ritual, appropriate ritual objects, etc., and the house must have been blessed by a priest or other servant of the faith.

Secondary Performers (optional)

This ritual normally affects a structure large enough to house one family. If performed in a larger residence (such as a dormitory, or an orphanage, or a large manor house, etc.), the ritual requires secondary performers, in number proportionate to the size of the structure to be warded, all of whom must meet the devotion requirement (see below). The material component for the ritual must also be multiplied accordingly.

Devotion

All those attempting to cast the ward against evil must possess true faith in the tradition with which the ritual is associated. They must also have committed no serious sins or transgressions (or, if they have, must have confessed, atoned, and otherwise unburdened and purified themselves) within the past month, and must have obeyed all relevant taboos and restrictions (e.g. dietary rules) for a similar period.

Failure

If two consecutive checks are failed, the ritual has no protective effect (but the performers of the ritual have no way of knowing this, until it is too late). Failing at least one of the two consecutive checks by 5 or more also brings bad luck for the next day. Failing by 10 or more means that the gods (or spirits, ancestors, etc.) are angered, and may visit misfortune upon the house. (The nature of such a disaster depends on many factors, from the whim of the entities who were entreated for protection to the personality of the person performing the ritual.)