Most useful creatures to cast animate dead on?

[Pugwampy]

My favorite DM thought a mega raptor would make an extremely useful skeleton .

.........not sure why .

[Talothorn]

statue was never a creature. So its body doesn't suit.

But Stone to Flesh doesn't turn a statue into a chunk of statue shaped meat. it turns it into a *corpse*.

"The spell also can convert a mass of stone into a fleshy substance. Such flesh is inert and lacking a vital life force unless a life force or magical energy is available. (For example, this spell would turn a stone golem into a flesh golem, but an ordinary statue would become a corpse.).

Targets: One or more corpses touched

Doesn't work on stone golems, as they specifically become flesh golems. Would work on a statue.

[Quertus]

No, you just need a statue of whatever kind of dragon you want and a Stone to Flesh scroll.

statue was never a creature. So its body doesn't suit.

To expand on this idea, could one create a new species by sculpting a statute of the creature, then casting Stone to Flesh, then resurrecting it?

[Mr Adventurer]

Well, depends whether the rules treat "a corpse" the same as "a dead creature". Perhaps they don't.

[ayvango]

Targets: One or more corpses touched

That is indeed the target. But spell descriptions establishes additional conditions. I believe if you had several conditions, then you should fulfil them all. And being body of dead creature are required in addition to being corpse. To make sure, that there is no cheating.

To expand on this idea, could one create a new species by sculpting a statute of the creature, then casting Stone to Flesh, then resurrecting it?

Nope. D&D setting is platonic. It establishes all available lifeforms. And some of them are just temporary unknown to character. So he could only implement these ideas and nothing out them. All nature's diversity is pre-arranged. Just like there are only five platonic solids. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Quertus]

Nope. D&D setting is platonic. It establishes all available lifeforms. And some of them are just temporary unknown to character. So he could only implement these ideas and nothing out them. All nature's diversity is pre-arranged. Just like there are only five platonic solids. Nothing more, nothing less.

Eh, no. 2e D&D Necromancy explicitly had spells to modify creatures and create new species. Genesis Origin of Species: Achaierai is a 3e spell which shows that at least epic magic can create new species whole cloth.

So, no, D&D has never been nor is platonic.

[unseenmage]

That is indeed the target. But spell descriptions establishes additional conditions. I believe if you had several conditions, then you should fulfil them all. And being body of dead creature are required in addition to being corpse. To make sure, that there is no cheating.


Nope. D&D setting is platonic. It establishes all available lifeforms. And some of them are just temporary unknown to character. So he could only implement these ideas and nothing out them. All nature's diversity is pre-arranged. Just like there are only five platonic solids. Nothing more, nothing less.

Templates and the stacking thereof make this a no.
There's also likely a bunch of text in the DMG and similar advising GMs to make creatures up on the fly.

Heck, just Animate Objects lets you create new versions of that construct almost innumerably just bt rearranging the materials.

Combined with Incarnate Construct and viola, new skin colors of giants and humanoids all over the place. New "races" even if skin color is one of your determining criteria for race.

[Sinewmire]

Well, in our level 3 campaign, my undeath cleric ally has just raised as a zombie the Forest Drake we killed. Quite a step up from his skeletal horse!