Dual Casting, Animate dead control limit doubled?

[NEXxREX]

so i was redoing my necromancer build to add some clerical lvs and i re-read animate dead...now this spell is both a divine-clerical spell and an arcane-sorcerer/wizard spell. the spell reads as follows:

"This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow your spoken commands. The undead can follow you, or they can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed. (A destroyed skeleton or zombie can’t be animated again.) Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can’t create more HD of undead than twice your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. (The desecrate spell doubles this limit; see page 218.) The undead you create remain under your control indefinitely. No matter how many times you use this spell, however, you can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled. (You choose which creatures are released.) If you are a cleric, any undead you might command by virtue of your power to command or rebuke undead do not count toward the limit."

now i highlighted the part describing the limit on how many HD worth of undead you can control. this limit is based on caster level not your own HD or class level. so if your able to cast this from 2 seperate spell lists (ie. dread necromancer spell list and as a cleric) couldnt the argument be had that you would be able to use the combined caster levels when determining the undead you have to control ​

now if the above is valid then wouldnt classes like mystic theurge and true necromancer allow you to get way to many undead rather quickly.....i know that as a balance factor any reasonable DM would say "NO, your highest caster level is what you can have" but just looking at it from unbiased point. could this be done. on another note, the dread necromancers ability to add his CHA mod to the amount of undead could count for the divine factor as well meaning an insane amount of undead in minimal levels.​

undead mastery = maxed out CHA for 4+4 Hd of undead a lv
arcane caster levels = DN 8/mystic theurge 9 = 17 caster lvs.
divine caster levels = Cleric 3/ Mystic theurge 9 = 12 caster levels
29 x 8 = 232
at lv 20 a Dread necro 8/ Cleric 3/ Mystic theurge 9 = 232 HD worth of undead...​

i know this is stupid to consider but i though it ws an interesting little note that i hadnt realized befor and wanted to see what people said about that...​

ps. i appoligize for my munchkiny post but im just curious as a necromancer whos trying to make it in a good filled world​

-thx in advance NEX​

 

[Sekhmet]

As a lover of Necromancy in all it's shapes and sizes, and casting in general, I'd love to say yes. An Arcane spell, even one with the same name, is not the same as a Divine spell.

As a DM, I'd have to consider the ramifications before ruling if it was okay in my world.

Side note, Sekhmet started out as an Archetypal Necromancer in 2e.

 

[anest1s]

now i highlighted the part describing the limit on how many HD worth of undead you can control. this limit is based on caster level not your own HD or class level. so if your able to cast this from 2 seperate spell lists (ie. dread necromancer spell list and as a cleric) couldnt the argument be had that you would be able to use the combined caster levels when determining the undead you have to control ​

I would say the highest. Or I would houserule-allow it in a way that your maximum caster level couldn't be over your HD. (Or find a way to use it against you and then allow it)

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

No, it's still the same spell. In fact, whole other spells reference the "animate dead limit," it's one singular "pool" of HD you can control.

If you were a dual caster, you would use whichever class had the higher CL to determine max HD you can control.


That said, there's a horrifically overpowered feat in dragon mag for a specialist wizard multiclassed with another caster. It's called Theurgic Specialist or something. Basically, you ADD both class's caster levels together for spells from your specialty school.

It's an abominably broken feat that I would never ever allow, but internet consensus seems to be "poor theurges are weak and need help" so maybe your DM would allow it.

 

[Zomg Zombies]

Don't know what the fact that each class casts a spell with the same name has to do with it; bards and clerics both have cure light wounds if you're a 1bard/15cleric, and you cast cure light as a bard you use your bard casting level, not your clerical; people like Stream forget this fact when they cast Animate Dead, cast as a wizard spell, use your wizard caster levels, cast as a cleric, use your clerical caster levels. If you have it as both wizard and cleric, you can cast it as both, giving TWO pools of max dead-things. It's why True Necromancer is so powerful, they theurgicly increase both caster levels, and thusly their dead-pool max.

Oh, and the feat Steam mentioned is Thurgic Specialist, you need to be 3rd level specialist and at least one other spellcasting class, spells that are in your specialist school and also in another class's spell lists add the caster levels for all classes together for just those spells. Also there's Aligned theurgy, requiring 3rd level cleric and other spellcasting classes, just the same except that caster levels are added to shared spells with a specific alignment descriptor