Vampire Sword

School necromancy; Level: sorcerer/wizard 4

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Components: V, S, M (ground undead dust)

Range: 0 ft.

Effect: Sword

Duration: 1 round/level (D) (see text)

Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: yes

A 3-foot-long, serrated black sword with a howling vampire face on the hilt appears in your hand. You wield this as if it were a longsword and are considered proficient with it. Attacks with the vampire sword are melee touch attacks. The blade deals 1d8 points of slashing damage + 1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. In addition, you gain temporary hit points equal to the damage you deal. You can’t gain more than the subject’s current hit points + the subject’s Constitution score (which is enough to kill the subject). Regardless of how many creatures you attack, the maximum amount of temporary hit points that can be gained is equal to your normal maximum hit points. For example, a caster with a normal maximum of 32 hit points could never gain more than 32 additional temporary hit points from this spell. All temporary hit points gained from this spell disappear 30 minutes later.

There is a 50% chance that humanoids slain by this spell temporarily rise as zombies. However, the sword wielder cannot control these zombies unless he has some ability that allows him to control undead. The maximum number of hit dice worth of zombies that can be created in a single day is equal to your caster level. All zombies created by the sword crumble to dust one day later.