Obviously, for the vast majority of Cleric's Animate Undead is completely useless. The vast majority of faiths view undeath as evil, which considering you get an evil point for casting it, I would assume that they are correct in that assumption. However, due to NWN being... NWN... all Cleric's get the spell.

It seems rather silly that a Cleric of Kelemvor, for example, would get this spell from Kelemvor considering his stance on Undead.

However, my point of question here is about Priests of Kossuth. I am unsure of Kossuth's views on Undeath, and all things considered, he probably doesn't really care one way or another, but his faithful are another matter...

I was wondering, since it requires a DM for Animate Undead to even work, that instead of Animating Undead you'd just Animate a Fire Elemental instead?

Let me explain: I want to issue some divine punishment. As Kossuth charges his faithful with forging all life into its essential form, when dealing with obvious evil heathens who find themselves worthy of death - they'd be killed by being burned alive, naturally. Of course, afterward I'd like to cast "Animate Undead" on their remains - but not to create Undead, but rather a Fire Elemental. Or as my PC would explain it, "The purified form of the heathen."

I am pretty sure that doing this would not be a good aligned act as the soul of the individual is likely consumed by Kossuth and literally reformed to make fire (hence the fire elemental).

Dead people can be raised as undead things, not necessarily into planar entities!

Of course, I understand that.

But, like - let me give an example of something that happened on EfU.

One of my former PC's, also being a Cleric of Kossuth, was kidnapped by a group of individuals that worshiped another Fire God. Just as my PC refused to convert, and was slain, the counter fire cult was attacked by a few other PC's. The DM's on the scene then had my PC appear as a Fire Elemental to help defend them.

So I know canonically on EfU, it's possible for a fire god to transform a dead person into a Fire Elemental because it's happened before. :P

Whether or not it's an evil act likely depends on the situation, as well as the manor in which they are killed.

What I am asking is: Can my PC cast Animate Undead to simulate the above? It makes more sense for my PC to be able to do this than to have a bunch of stinking, rotting corpses following her around, and it seems more appropriate use of the gods powers, with more or less the same result as the spell intends. (Dead thing is transformed into something else.)

It is something more in line with Kossuth's dogma as well: "Fire and purity are the same.", "...so that he may reforge all life into its essential form.", "Kossuth sends his pure fire to cleanse us all and temper our souls so that we can achieve a pure state."

It seems like Kossuth would view this most favorably, and thus grant his clergy the ability to do this, though we are restricted with NWN to simulate this as a spell. Animate Undead has more or less the same intention behind it and requires a DM, which is why I am speaking of it.

Plus, let's face it - burning heretics and having their souls transformed into Fire Elementals is awesome. There is huge potential there for the server and plots surrounding this. >_>

Animate Dead can not be used as a substitute for other abilities, other abilities such as turning your enemies into fire-beasts is a process best learned IG.