TURNING AND COMMANDING UNDEAD Priestly granted powers vary by deity and by priest sub-class or kit as appropriate. One of the most common granted powers is the power to turn undead or control undead. Note that a saving throw is never allowed to avoid turning effects, although certain spells and magical items can provide protection from turning and controlling by priests. TURNING: A good priest (and most neutral priests) using this power can cause several effects: Repel: This turning is the easiest to accomplish, and its effect is to hold the targeted undead at bay, preventing them from directly attacking the priest or approaching within 10' of the turning priest. However, it lasts only as long as the priest maintains his or her concentration and for one round thereafter, although the repel effect ends if any undead creature being repelled is attacked (it may respond with normal initiative). Turn: This form of turning causes the affected undead to flee in terror from the priest at their maximum rate of travel for 1d6 turns. A turned undead creature will break melee and flee immediately at double its normal movement rate, granting free attacks to those in melee with it, and it will not fight back, seeking only to escape, unless it is unable to flee, in which case it will fight, but with a -1 penalty to its THAC0 and Armor Class. Wrench: This powerful form of turning can only be used by a priest of 3rd level or higher. A successful wrench attempt can shunt a noncorporeal undead creature (e.g., shadow, spectre, ghost), normally existing in two planes simultaneously, fully into one plane or the other. By shifting the undead creature fully into the Prime Material, it becomes much more vulnerable to attack. By shunting it entirely out of the Prime Material, the creature is rendered harmless and unable to reform itself in a dangerous form for 1d6 hours. If a successful wrench attempt is made on a skeletal or corporeal undead creature, that creature will be stunned for 1d6 rounds and slowed (q.v.) for 1d6 rounds thereafter. Destroy: This most difficult form of turning may only be used by a priest of 6th level or higher. If successful, the destroy attempt totally disintegrates the targeted undead creatures. Any objects carried are not affected or harmed in any way. CONTROL: Priests with the ability to turn undead are also able to influence and/or control paladins (if of the same alignment) and extra-planar creatures of good alignment. The repel effect remains unchanged with respect to such creatures. However, the other effects can be altered as follows: Neutralize: This power causes the affected paladin(s) or good-aligned planar creatures to ignore the priest and all those who remain within a 10' radius of the priest for 1d6 turns. This effect replaces turn. Command: This effect results in the targeted creatures assuming a friendly and helpful stance toward the priest, not obeying his or her commands without question but rendering any reasonable service or assistance to the priest within its power for 1d6 hours. This effect replaces wrench. Dominate: This effect allows the priest the absolute, unquestioning obedience of the affected creatures toward the priest for a duration equivalent to that of a charm person (q.v.) spell, with intervals between new saving throws depending on the Intelligence of the creatures. This effect replaces destroy. Note that most good faiths frown upon the use of these command and control powers except in times of dire need. Control Undead: Evil priests (and a few neutral priests) are able to use their power over undead and extra-planar creatures in reverse. That is to say, they are able to repel, turn, wrench, and destroy paladins and good extra-planar creatures and are able to repel, neutralize, command, and dominate undead and evil extra-planar creatures. The priest must be able to see or otherwise detect (e.g., with a detect undead spell) the undead that he or she intends to turn. A turning attempt can potentially affect 1d4 levels of undead per level of the turning priest, with the lowest-level undead being affected first, and with those nearest the priest being affected prior to those farther away. When turning, the priest must choose which result he or she is trying to achieve. If a specific result is desired and the roll indicates an unsuccessful attempt (i.e., not affecting any undead, using a single roll for all members of a mixed group), the priest may try again for a different result; hence, if a repel attempt fails, a priest could still attempt to turn. Undead that have already been affected by a greater effect cannot be affected by a lesser type of turning (e.g., undead already wrenched cannot be turned). Certain spells and magical items can affect a priest's effective turning level, and in addition the following modifiers apply to the turning roll (note that the Charisma bonus does not apply to Paladins): Modifier No holy symbol -10 Common holy symbol -1 Fine holy symbol 0 Exquisite holy symbol +1 Charisma 3-4 -2* Charisma 5-7 -1* Charisma 8-13 0 Charisma 14-16 +1 Charisma 17-18 +2 Under a bless spell +1 Under a curse spell -1 In direct sunlight +2* In area of magical light +1* In area of magical darkness -1* * These modifiers are reversed for evil priests. The following turning tables indicate the minimum roll necessary on 1d20 in order to successfully affect undead creatures of the class in question, based on the turning priest's level and desired effect. Repel: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X 1st 10 12 14 16 18 20 - - - - 2nd 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 - - - 3rd 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 - - 4th 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 - 5th 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 6th A A A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7th A A A A 2 3 4 4 5 7 8th A A A A A 2 3 4 5 6 9th A A A A A A 2 3 4 5 10th A A A A A A A 2 3 4 11th- 15th A A A A A A A A 2 3 16th+ A A A A A A A A A A Turn: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X 1st 12 16 20 - - - - - - - 2nd 10 14 18 - - - - - - - 3rd 7 10 13 16 19 - - - - - 4th 5 8 11 14 17 20 - - - - 5th 3 6 9 12 15 18 - - - - 6th A 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 7th A A 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 8th A A A 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 9th A A A A 2 4 6 8 10 12 10th- 14th A A A A A 2 4 6 8 10 15th- 19th A A A A A A A 1 3 5 20th+ A A A A A A A A A A Wrench: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X 3rd 8 12 16 20 - - - - - - 4th 6 10 14 18 - - - - - - 5th 4 8 12 16 20 - - - - - 6th A 4 7 10 13 16 19 - - - 7th A 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 - - 8th A A 3 6 9 12 15 18 - - 9th A A A 4 7 10 13 16 19 - 10th- 14th A A A 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 15th- 19th A A A A A 3 6 9 12 15 20th+ A A A A A A A 4 7 10 Destroy: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X 6th 2 6 10 14 18 - - - - - 7th A 4 8 12 16 20 - - - - 8th A 2 6 10 14 18 - - - - 9th A A 4 8 12 16 20 - - - 10th- 14th A A 2 6 10 14 18 - - - 15th- 19th A A A A 5 9 13 17 - - 20th+ A A A A A 4 8 12 16 20