[RPG] Can the players’ plan to raise the Tarrasque with animate dead work

monstersnecromancypathfinder-1espellsundead

This is the first game I have GMed and this game has been going on for some time (with house rules to allow progression past lv20). The players have now figured out that they will eventually face the mighty Tarrasque. One of the players (a necromancer) has let slip an ingenious plan to defeat the beast and I am unsure how to deal with that when it comes up.

The wizard in question plans to use a 750gp onyx and the animate dead spell to raise and control the 30HD Tarrasque. This is supposed to be an unstoppable beast but as far as I can tell all they need to do is smack it hard enough and then they control a Zombie Tarrasque. At 4HD per CL the Necromance is more than able to control a 30HD beast.

But, how does that play out against the regenerate ability?

Regeneration (Ex) No form of attack can suppress the tarrasque's regeneration—it regenerates even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If the tarrasque fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is inflicted upon its remains. It can be banished or otherwise transported as a means to save a region, but the method to truly kill it has yet to be discovered.

As far as I can tell I only have a few options as GM:

  1. Congratulations, you now own a Zombie Tarrasque, for home work you can stat that thing up.
  2. The zombie drops HP at the rate of 40 a round, until you run out of repair undead, it dies, and then the tarrasque comes back.
  3. Not bring the beast into play at all (not a great option).

Help.

Best Answer

As GM, you always have more options than you think, and you should always try to choose the one that's the most fun. My vote would be for the following:

4. This infuses the tarrasque with negative energy, creating an eldritch horror that threatens all of existence.

The rules don't say exactly where the tarrasque came from or how it works, but it's safe to assume that the creature is powered by some unlimited source of magic energy deep within its hulking form. The animate dead spell will corrupt this power source with negative energy, creating a threat to existence itself.

The most immediate effect will be the creation of an undead creature much more powerful than the original tarrasque, and certainly not under the control of the PC necromancer. The power of this creature will only grow over time as its power source becomes more corrupt. The creature will emit a negative energy aura that extends for miles, granting many permanent negative levels to creatures who fail their save and transforming most living creatures in the area to undead. As the creature's power grows, nightshades will begin to come forth from the negative energy plane to join with it, and it will begin to emit waves of negative energy of increasing radius. All natural healing of living creatures will cease, the dead will begin to rise from their graves, and material plane will begin to merge with the plane of negative energy.

It's up to the PCs to find out where the original tarrasque came from and how they can undo the damage that they have done. They might also have to deal with powerful planar beings who would use the abomination for their own ends, or who hope to defend the multiverse from the threat now posed by the material plane.