This spell has some funny implications -- specifically, its third option:


Quote Originally Posted by The Forge of War
Manifest Life

Necromancy
Level: Blackguard 4, Cleric 5,
Components: V, S,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched, then living creature or undead creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous/1 minute or until discharged; see text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

To employ this spell, you must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature. If you do so, your touch deals 1d6 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 15d6). This damage represents actual life force that you take from the subject, resulting in a ball of positive energy you hold in your hand. You can use this ball of positive energy in one of three ways.

  • You can, in any following round, touch yourself or any other living creature with that positive energy, as a standard action. The living creature absorbs the energy, healing as many points of damage as you dealt to the initial subject, up to the new subject's full normal hit points.
  • You can use the ball of positive energy to make a melee touch against an undead creature, dealing the same amount of damage you initially dealt.
  • You can use it to power a turn undead attempt. The next turning attempt you make, so long as it occurs before the spell's duration expires, does not count against your daily limit.


The ball of positive energy dissipates in 1 minute if not used, and it vanishes immediately if you use your hand for some other purpose.
It is notably a Blackguard spell. Blackguards don't get the ability to turn undead -- they get command/rebuke undead at 3rd level. But command/rebuke use negative energy, thus the spell is clear that it grants only turn undead, since it is powered by positive energy.

This means not only a Blackguard, but also an evil Cleric who shouldn't be granted this power, are able to turn undead with the spell. Worse, any class than can co-opt the spell (Ur-Priest, Chameleon, Archivist...) can use it to get a turn undead attempt, again without any alignment consideration.