Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (earth from a grave)
Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped emanation
Duration concentration, up to 1 minute/ level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You can detect the aura that surrounds undead creatures. The amount of
information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area.
1st Round: Presence or absence of undead auras.
2nd Round: Number of undead auras in the area and the strength of the
strongest undead aura present. If you are of good alignment, and the
strongest undead aura’s strength is overwhelming (see below), and the
creature has HD of at least twice your character level, you are stunned
for 1 round and the spell ends.
3rd Round: The strength and location of each undead aura. If an aura is
outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its
exact location.
Aura Strength: The strength of an undead aura is determined by the HD of
the undead creature, as given on the table below.
Lingering Aura: An undead aura lingers after its original source is
destroyed. If detect undead is cast and directed at such a location, the
spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura).
How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power,
as given on the table below.
HD Strength Lingering Aura Duration
1 or lower Faint 1d6 rounds
2-4 Moderate 1d6 minutes
5-10 Strong 1d6 x 10 minutes
11 or higher Overwhelming 1d6 days
Each round, you can turn to detect undead in a new area. The spell
can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a
thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.