This spell summons a ghoul to act as the necromancer's aide and familiar. The caster can converse easily with the ghoul and shares an empathic link with the monster. He can issue it mental commands at a range of up to 1 mile, the necromancer fail to meet these conditions, the ghoul wanders off and resumes its normal activities. There is a 5% chance to attract a ghast, which will attack unless the caster is 6th level or higher, but which will otherwise serve as a ghoul.
The summoned ghoul is an exceptionally intelligent and strong specimen, with at least 10 hit points and average Intelligence instead of low. A necromancer can have no more than one ghoul servant bound to him at any one time by this spell, and it will tend to not get along with any other familiar the necromancer might have. Any ghouls created by the necromancer's servant are not under the necromancer's control and might attack him unless he is with his servant ghoul.
If the ghoul remains more than 1 mile distant from the necromancer for a full week, the empathic link is broken and the ghoul is no longer bound to serve (although it may be favorably disposed towards its former master if treated well). If the ghoul is destroyed, the necromancer is immediately aware of the creature's demise and must make a system shock check: failure means incapacitation for 1d6 hours.
The spell requires a sensor full of myrrh and bitter herbs worth at least 500 gp. It may or may not succeed in attracting a ghoul, depending on whether or not one is in range; the chance of success is 10%, plus 5% per level. The attract ghoul spell is an unusually taxing and powerful enchantment, and can be cast only once per year.
Notes: Restricted to necromancers; uncommon. (Updated from Dragon Magazine.)