Chapter 2: Dark Gifts Previous      Index      Next

I knew that we had been kissed by Fate and could perceive things invisible to others. Many times, when we were still children, I would test my brother by placing a stolen turban in his hands, asking him to describe its owner. And he often would stare at the unwrapped linen, gradually outlining the facial features and mannerisms of a strong caravan handler or some dashingly handsome scribe.
But as my brother grew older, his visions became darker and more frightening. Once, when I placed the purse of a young porter in his hands, my brother described a much older and frail man, who appeared to be a merchant of sorts. I laughed and told him his mysterious powers had failed him, but Talib kept staring at the small velvet pouch, and went on to describe how the older merchant had been surprised on the streets one night, while returning home from the evening prayer. In chilling detail, my brother recounted the merchant's murder at the hands of the young porter from whom I had obtained the purse in the bazaar. That night, the game stopped being fun. We never played it again.
Talib's unusual talents continued to mature after he started learning the Art. He recoiled from cemeteries, even by daylight, for he would drown in the latent sorrow and sometimes glimpse pale shadows fluttering amidst the sepulchers. He could feel death around him, even after he learned how to shield his mind from the visions.
One evening, after we stopped for the night at the house of our friend Salim the pearl trader, Talib woke us all at midnight with his screams. We found him mopping the azure tile floor with his linen night shirt, moaning incoherently about a river of blood and the dead woman in his bed. Of course, his bed was empty and the floor was bone dry, but our host Salim paled visibly at these word, and ushered our troubled brother into another chamber for the remainder of the evening. We learned the next morning, much to our sorrow, that Salim's wife had died in that room many years ago, bearing their first child. And for many days afterwards, the servants had labored - apparently in vain - to remove the taint of blood from the once beautiful blue tile floor.

- From Leyla's Lost Journal

Not all necromancers are created equal. Indeed, it would be dangerous for player characters to assume that a wizard's powers were limited simply to the spells at his or her disposal. Just as the necromancer's "average" abilities were detailed in the previous chapter, this section describes a necromancer's unusual, salient abilities, sometimes known as "Dark Gifts," implying some connection with the mysterious evil powers that patronize black necromancy.
The necromancer's mysterious skills include a wide assortment of powers, such as dual-class-related skills, wild talents, and strange magical powers. Not all of these abilities (except the latter) require direct intervention by an evil, extraplanar power. For instance, abilities earned as a dual-classed character or gained through mental or psionic prowess are attained chiefly through individual skill and achievement.
Regardless of their origin, however, these abilities should enable the DM to generate unique NPCs that will surprise and challenge players for countless gaming sessions. The variety of possibilities is quite broad.
Given a necromancer's potential to unbalance a campaign, the DM should use the suggestions from this chapter sparingly. Not every corrupt wizard in the campaign should be entitled to a salient ability, as the adventurers would be quickly overwhelmed by encountering such potent adversaries at every turn. Only the most ambitious and pivotal characters (such as the principal archvillain) will typically attain more than one of these highly unusual attributes at a time. Use them sparingly.

Dual-Classed Characters

Perhaps the easiest way to unbalance an NPC - without modifying any of the basic rules of the campaign and introducing the notion of lower-planar powers - is for the DM to assign dual-classed abilities to a particular character. In practice, DMs rarely adopt this approach when creating NPCs because the process can be quite time consuming. As we shall see, for the special case of necromancer wizards, the creation of a dual class can be relatively easy.
For simplicity, since the character's principal profession is assumed to be necromancy, the DM must only worry about determining the NPC's original profession. In other words, the DM can suppose that NPC advanced in a primary career up to a certain point and then abandoned that profession in favor of taking up the vocation of necromancy. The DM's first task, then, is to determine the necromancer's original profession. The obvious obstacle to this approach involves ability score restrictions. According to the PHB (page 45), the character must have an Intelligence of 17 (a necromancer's prime requisite) and a score of 15 in the prime attribute of the original profession. The easiest way to select a potential first profession, then, would be to inspect the necromancer's ability scores.

Fighter/Necromancer

This combination requires the character to have a 15 Str and 17 Int. Along with the minimum 16 Wis of the necromancer, this combination can be hard to generate using the standard character generation procedures from the PHB. Although fightcr/necromancers cannot wear armor, they retain their original fighter kit abilities, weapon proficiencies, excellent hit points, and THACO. The character retains the ability to use of all weapons and magical items (including a girdle of giant strength and so on) that he or she enjoyed as a warrior. These benefits make the character a much more difficult opponent in physical combat (quite handy for an archvillain).
Of all the dual-classed characters, this is perhaps the easiest for the DM (or another player) to effectively role-play and justify. Consider the case of Talib the Magnificent, a 5th-level warrior/16th-level necromancer. Because of his physical strength, the character embarked on a career as a warrior of the desert until he encountered a mentor in the wilderness who recognized his "true calling" as a necromancer. From then on, Talib devoted his life to the Art, forsaking his earlier profession, except when it best served his purposes to appear like a fighter. Early in his magical career, when his supply of spells was frightfully limited, Talib's specialization with the scimitar helped him in many battles.
Except in special circumstances, a dual-classed character will generally not have advanced to name (9th) level as a warrior before adapting necromancy. If the character had attained fame and notoriety as a warrior/ there would have been little reason for him or her to switch professions! For simplicity, the DM may determine the character's level of experience as a fighter by rolling 2d4 (resulting in 2nd to 8th level).

Thief/Necromancer

To be a dual-classed thief/necromancer, the character must have a minimum 15 Dex and 17 Int (including, of course, the minimum 16 Wis of the necromancer). This combination does not have many advantages, though. From the character's perspective, the combat abilities (hit points and THACO) of the rogue are only marginally better than that of the wizard. In addition, even at low levels, a wizard's spells can dramatically overshadow a thief's mundane abilities. For instance, who would not prefer a spider climb spell over the usual climb walls ability? Why pick a lock when you can knock?
The trap detection and lock picking abilities of a thief would greatly benefit a subtle necromancer who enjoyed tomb robbing, but remember that once the wizard can animate dead, the importance of such skills may be greatly reduced (as noted in the Introduction). Perhaps another exception to this rule is the Anatomist or any other necromancer who must regularly work at the heart of civilization. For the Anatomist, who needs a steady supply of stolen bodies, a rogue's skills might prove indispensable. Moving silently and hiding in shadows, for instance, are practically impossible to duplicate without spells from the Illusion school (which is forbidden to all necromancers).
From the DM's perspective, a rogue's percentage ability scores are considerably more difficult to generate than those of the warrior. As with the fighter, a dual-classed thief/necromancer character will not have advanced to name (10th) level before changing professions. The DM can quickly determine the character's level of experience as a thief by rolling ld8+1 (resulting in 2nd to 9th level).

Cleric/Necromancer

Any necromancer, providing he or she has an Intelligence of 17 or greater, may have previously been a member of the priesthood (the minimum 16 Wis needed to be a necromancer is naturally the prime requisite of a priest). This combination would seem to be a great benefit to the character, but it raises a number of concerns (chiefly philosophical) about a fundamental difference and incompatibility between wizards and priests, especially those that worship death. Of all combinations, the cleric/necromancer is the rarest, most time-consuming to generate and the most difficult to role-play.
Unlike fighting, thieving, or wizardry, which may be chosen out of convenience, serving in the priesthood usually involves a sense of "calling" by a specific god and a profound personal piety. Priests that do not put the needs of their god or religion above their own personal desires simply do not advance far in that order. In this context, the cleric/necromancer may be considered to be an "outcast" priest who did not possess the enough faith to devote his or her entire existence to serving a particular god, regardless of the alignment involved. As a result, the character did not progress far in the priesthood, certainly not to 9th level, the stage at which clerics gain a parish. The DM can quickly determine a character's level as a priest by rolling ld6+l (2nd to 7th level).
At the other extreme of the spectrum, certain religions may condone or even encourage their members to learn the wizard's Art of necromancy. Religions devoted to gaining knowledge or spreading evil might allow their most intelligent and well- trained high-priests (9th-level minimum) to switch classes and become wizard necromancers. Of the new cleric priesthoods detailed in Chapter Five, those worshiping the deities of Pestilence and Undead would probably condone such training.
Such a change in professions would only be permitted after two specific conditions had been met. First, the chosen individual must display absolute and unswerving loyalty to his or her deity. Second, the chosen individual's wizardry training, once complete, must be put to immediate use in serving the religion.
These "fanatical" priest/necromancers will typically only be encountered in an established temple or on a mission of importance to their god or religion. The DM is referred to the AL-QADIM Ruined Kingdoms boxed set, which describes an fanatical cult of priest/wizards called Geomancers, who employed a variety of evil magics (including necromancy) to further their organization's ends.
Finally, the cleric/necromancer can be unusually challenging for the DM. The priests' proficiencies, religion, specialty powers, and spells greatly increase the character's complexity, especially at high levels. Of course, the priest's improved combat abilities (hit points and THACO) will dramatically increase a wizard's strength in direct melee. For all these reasons, the character can be difficult to role-play properly, even for experienced DMs.

Psionicist/Necromancer

This combination has interesting possibilities. Many psionic disciplines (particularly psychometabolism) include abilities which affect the processes of healing, disease, and death - perfect powers for the necromancer. For instance, Tanith Lee's novel Kill the Dead explores the theme of a psychic ghost hunter whose mental powers enable him to sense and manipulate spiritual forces. Indeed, it is easy to imagine how dabbling with such psychic skills could lead to a wizard's career in the Art.
If the DM is interested in further exploring the theme of the necromantic psionicist, refer to DRAGON® #200, where "The Even More Complete Psionicist" details the Spiritualist Kit: a psionicist who specializes in communicating with the spirits of the dead. The Spiritualist could play a similar in role in a campaign to the Witch necromancer who serves primarily as a diviner. For more psionicist kits and further ideas to flesh out a dual-classed necromancer/psionicist, see also "Open Your Mind" in DRAGON #191.
Along with the requisite 17 Int, this dual-classed character would require a 15 Con (in addition to the usual 16 Wis). An NPC's level of experience as a psionicist may be quickly determined by rolling 2d4 (resulting in 2nd to 8th level). While the character would undoubtedly benefit from a psionicist's wide range of mental abilities (as detailed in the Complete Psionics Handbook), the added complexity could render the NPC difficult to role-play effectively. Those DM's wishing to integrate psionics with the necromancer in a more limited and manageable fashion may care to employ wild talents rather than full-fledged psionicists.

Wild Talents

Because of their association with forbidden and mysterious powers, it is not surprising that some necromancers might develop unusual mental abilities. After all, most necromancers, by right of their unusual mental faculties - high Intelligence and Wisdom - already have a natural aptitude for psychic disciplines. In the campaign, these skills may greatly increase a NPC's mystique and perceived level of ability. For instance, players may take alarmed note of a necromancer's Ist-level apprentice who can apparently sense their thoughts without visibly casting a single spell. With a single wild talent, an otherwise minor necromancer can appear to have strange and exotic powers without resorting to dangerous pacts with evil, lower-planar entities and the terrible consequences of such bargains.
As discussed in the Complete Psionics Handbook (CPH), the base chance for gaining a wild talent is 1%, subject to these modifiers:

Each Int, Wis, or Con score of 18    +3%   
Each Int, Wis, or Con score of 17 +2%
Each Int, Wis, or Con score of 16 +1%
Character is 5th-8th level +1%
Character is 9th level or higher +2%
Character is a wizard or priest x l.5

Thus a 10th-level necromancer, with a 17 Int and a 16 Wis has a (1% (base) + 2% (Int) + 1% (Wis) + 2% (>9th level) = 6%) x 1.5 (wizard) = 9% total chance.
In campaigns which heavily involve psionics, the DM may allow entitle certain necromancers (such as the Philosopher) to make a wild talent check each time they advance a level of experience. In this way, a necromancer could have a wider range of wild talents, which would add further to the character's mystique and reputation. These few additional abilities are much easier to manage than those of a dual- classed necromancer/psionicist.
Ordinarily, tampering with the forces of the mind involves grave risks. Each time the necromancer attempts to unlock his or her psychic potential, there is a flat 3% chance that something will go terribly wrong in the process, irreparably damaging the character's body or mind. The CPH (page 20) proposes a number of penalties for failing a wild talent check. The DM may care to impose a different penalty for a failed check: a necromancer may simply fall into madness (see Chapter Three). Despite these dangers, the risk of suffering some permanent disability is remarkably small, especially when compared with the certain sacrifices that result when dealing with lower-planar powers.

Table 3: Wild Devotions for Necromancers.

 Table 4: Wild Sciences for Necromancers.
Roll Devotion Discipline
01-03 Absorb Disease (Psychometabolism)
04 Adrenaline Control (Psychometabolism)
05-06 Aging (Psychometabolism)
07 All-Around Vision (Clairsentience)
08 Animate Object (Psychokinetics)
09-12 Astral Protection (Psychoportation)
13 Awe (Telepathy)
14-15 Ballistic Attack (Psychokinetics)
16-18 Body Control (Psychometabolism)
19 Body Equilibrium (Psychometabolism)
20-22 Cause Decay (Psychometabolism)
23-26 Cell Adjustment (Psychometabolism)
27-28 Combat Mind (Clairsentience)
29-31 Conceal Thoughts (Telepathy)
32-33 Control Body (Psychokinetics)
34 Danger Sense (Clairsentience)
35 Dimension Door (Psychoportation)
36 Double Pain (Psychometabolism)
37-38 Ectoplasmic Form (Psychometabolism)
39 Empathy (Telepathy)
40 Enhanced Strength (Psychometabolism)
41-44 ESP (Telepathy)
45-47 Heightened Senses (Psychometabolism)
48-50 Inflict Pain (Telepathy)
51 Invincible Foes (Telepathy)
52 Know Direction (Clairsentience)
53 Know Location (Clairsentience)
54-57 Life Detection (Telepathy)
58-60 Mind Bar (Telepathy)
61-62 Mind Over Body (Psychometabolism)
63-66 Poison Sense (Clairsentience)
67 Repugnance (Telepathy)
68-69 Send Thoughts (Telepathy)
70 Sight Link (Telepathy)
71 Sound Link (Telepathy)
72-76 Spirit Sense (Clairsentience)
77 Taste Link (Telepathy)
78-79 Telempathic Projection    (Telepathy)
80 Truthhear (Telepathy)
81-90 Choose any Devotion Above
91-95 Choose any Devotion and Roll Again
96-00  Choose any Devotion and Roll on Table 4
Roll Science Discipline
01-04 Aura Sight {Clairsentience)
05-09 Banishment (Psychoportation)
10-13 Clairaudience (Clairsentience)
14-18 Clairvoyance (Clairsentience)
19-23 Complete Healing (Psychometabolism)
24-28 Death Field (Psychometabolism)
29-32 Detonate (Psychokinesis)
33-36 Disintegrate (Psychokinesis)
37-40 Domination (Telepathy)
41-44 Energy Containment (Psychometabolism)
45-49 Life Draining (Psychometabolism)
50-52 Mindlink (Telepathy)
53-55 Mindwipe (Telepathy)
56-58 Object Reading (Clairsentience)
59-62 Probability Travel (Psychoportation)
63-65 Project Force (Psychokinesis)
66-68 Shadow-form (Psychometabolism)   
69-73 Summon Planar Creature    (Psychoportation)
74-75 Switch Personality (Telepathy)
76-77 (Telekinesis) (Psychokinesis)
78-80 Teleport (Psychoportation)
81-90 Choose any science or devotion
91-94 Choose any science and two devotions
95-98 Choose any science and three devotions
99-100    Choose two sciences and four devotions

Table 5: Special Powers for Necromancers.

ld20  Special Power ld20  Special Power
1 Animal Form 11 Magic Resistance
2 Animate Dead by Touch 12 Regeneration
3 Augmented Hit Points 13 Scabrous Touch
4 Augmented Spellcasting 14 Shadow Form
5 Bestow Dying Curse 15 Skull Scry
6 Chilling Touch 16 Somnolent Gaze
7 Command Undead 17 Spell Immunities
8 Enhanced Vision 18 Unholy Blessing
9 Fear Aura 19 Unnatural Ability Scores
10 Food Corruption 20 Weapon Immunities

Vile Pacts and Dark Gifts

Sooner or later, wizards who employ black necromancy with some regularity are noticed by the dark and mysterious deities that patronize such evil sorceries. In some locales, such as Ravenloft, the fabled Realm of Terror, any wizard who employs the Art - whether for good or ill purpose - runs the risk of attracting the sinister attention of malign entities known only as the Dark Powers. Like all patrons of forbidden and evil magic, these fiendish gods seek to subvert mortal spellcasters, turning them into often unwitting instruments of the gods' will. To further corrupt and entice mortals into their service, the Dark Powers often grant strange and fabulous abilities to living wizards, thereby encouraging their continued practice of black necromancy.
Awesome supernatural powers are rarely gained without some terrible, personal cost to the individual involved. As we shall see in the following chapter, each beneficial Dark Gift (and even the practice of the Black Arts by itself) exacts a baneful and unavoidable price on the necromancer. Indeed, the price often outweighs the merit of the Dark Gift itself. But to the wicked and the ambitious, the price is of little consequence. Such characters are concerned only with attaining power and dominion over others, regardless of the actual cast.
The RAVENLOFT rules system (see Chapter Four in the Realm of Terror booklet in the new RAVENLOFT boxed set) already includes detailed provisions for gaining salient abilities which are expressly granted by the Dark Powers that rule the demi-plane. In that campaign setting, each time a character employs a necromantic spell (whether a wizard or priest), there is a flat 1% chance that this act will be noticed by the demi-plane's fiendish rulers. The RAVENLOFT rules system does not distinguish between white or black necromancy - any spells which draw upon a being's life force may attract their attention, regardless of the caster's intent. However, there is enough latitude in the "powers check" that the DM can increase the chance of attracting unwanted divine attention, from 1-10%, depending upon the specific nature of an evil act. Outside of the RAVENLOFT campaign setting, the DM may wish to retain the concept of the powers check, though it may apply only when a character willingly practices the Black Arts or employs gray necromancy for an evil purpose.
Keep in mind that the concept of a powers check only applies to player characters dabbling in evil affairs beyond their puny mortal understanding. Such restrictions need not apply to NPCs generated by the DM. Certainly the villainous and wicked archnemesis of the campaign will have no compunction about willingly allying him- or herself with the dark and terrible powers from the Lower Planes. Even if the NPC does not explicitly enter into a specific contract with such evil powers, however, the necromancer may unknowingly serve their will in the mortal world, simply by employing the darker aspects of necromancy.
Salient abilities represent a third way in which the DM can bolster an evil NPC's repertoire of powers. To preserve game balance, these Dark Gifts should only be bestowed on rare wizard NPCs who play a pivotal role in the campaign. In general, the DM should rarely assign more than a few (1-3) special powers to a single NPC (a good rule of thumb is one salient ability for every four experience levels of the character). Each special power also incurs a baneful punishment. Thus a wizard with three salient abilities has three special punishments (see Chapter Three for details). In most cases, only one or two special powers should be sufficient to create a unique and memorable NPC villain for the campaign. Keep in mind that these salient abilities are intended to provide an increased challenge (or a nasty surprise) for an experienced party of adventurers. They are definitely not intended for player characters.
Not just necromancers can benefit from the salient abilities outlined in this chapter. Death priests (introduced in Chapter Five) arc also candidates for such powers and, because of their allied affiliation, they are unlikely to suffer from as many punishments as a wizard. This is especially true when the fact that the powers of a wizard often intrude upon those bestowed upon a priest by his or her deity is considered.
Because of their strong alliance with the gods that grant such powers, evil death priests, once they reach at least 9th level in experience, are much more likely candidates for salient abilities than wizards. For simplicity, in the power descriptions that follow, references to necromancers should be taken to mean "necromancers and death priests," except when stated specifically otherwise.
When creating an NPC with salient abilities, the DM may choose from the following list or determine the (1-3) powers randomly by rolling ld20 and consulting Table 5. Unless stated otherwise, the following abilities can be invoked at will by the necromancer. While some powers are similar to spells, none of the powers require any verbal or somatic components. The DM is encouraged to tailor the following powers to suit the flavor of the campaign.

Animal Form

This magical ability enables the necromancer to adopt a chosen animal form as if transformed by the wizard spell polymorph self. The chosen animal, bird, or fish must either be a natural predator or otherwise associated with death. Examples include the cheetah, bat, panther, wolf, vulture, tiger, bear, rat, shark, barracuda, killer whale, raven, or falcon. For every six levels of experience, the wizard can adopt one chosen animal form into which he or she can polymorph up to three times per day. The transformation occurs in a single round and includes all of the wizard's carried or worn possessions.

Animate Dead by Touch

Three times per day, the necromancer can cause skeletons and zombies of humans, demihumans, or humanoids to arise with but a mere touch. These mindless undead can serve the necromancer during the same round in which they were animated. Two skeletons or one zombie can be animated per level of the wizard. The remains of larger creatures can be animated, though they only fight as if they possessed 2 hit dice. In most other respects, this power functions similar to the 5th-level spell animate dead.

Augmented Hit Points

The necromancer can withstand greater amounts of physical damage than a regular, mortal wizard. The wizard gains +1 hp per level of experience (in addition to any bonuses due to high constitution). Furthermore, the character does not lose consciousness or perish when reduced to zero hit points. The necromancer can remain conscious and functional (even in combat) until reduced to -10 hp, similar to the 3rd-level spell delay death (WH).

Augmented Spellcasting

The necromancer is able to memorize double the amount of normally available, low-level spells. For every six levels of experience, the necromancer gains augmented abilities for a new spell level (starting with 1st-level spells). Thus a 6th-level necromancer can memorize twice as many 1st-level spells. At 12th level, the wizard gains double 1st and 2nd-level spells. At 18th level, double 1st to 3rd-level spells, and so on. These extra spells must be chosen from the school of Necromancy.

Bestow Dying Curse

In order for this unusual ability to function, the necromancer must have suffered direct physical harm as a result of another creature's willing actions. Once wounded for 1 hp of damage or more, the necromancer can pronounce a dying curse on up to one creature per level of experience, providing the victims are within 200 yards of the wizard. The curse only takes effect once the necromancer dies, and it can be used as an "insurance policy" to ensure the wizard's survival. Declaration of a dying curse is always made in a grand, theatrical gesture (it has little effect as a deterrent if the victims are unaware of its power).
Normally, there is no saving throw to avoid this sort of curse's effect, as the victims willingly accept the curse when they destroy the necromancer (it's the price that they pay). If the wizard does not pronounce the curse before his or her death, then the victims may be entitled to a save vs. spells {-4 penalty). The curse is permanent unless reversed by a wizard or priest of greater level than the necromancer that bestowed it.
The new RAVENLOFT boxed set contains a whole chapter on the subject of inventing creative curses for the campaign (Realm of Terror booklet, pages 54-65). At the very least, a dying curse may be similar to the afflictions outlined in Chapter Three or like the spells bestow curse or plague curse. The dying curse should be tailored by the DM to suit the mood and personality of the necromancer. Note that a dying curse, when fatal, does not necessarily slay the victim quickly or painlessly. It can be a slow, excruciating process, similar to the effects of a cause disease spell or mummy rot.

Chilling Touch

The necromancer can cause his or her hands to glow with a blue, flickering aura. This frigid radiance can both drain and paralyze the wizard's victims. First, any living creature touched by the icy hands suffers the effect of a modified chill touch spell. If the victim fails his or her saving throw, the touch causes 2d4 points of damage and (temporarily) drains 1 point of both Strength and Constitution. If the saving throw is successful, though, the victim only loses ld4 points of damage and just 1 point of Strength. Second, if the necromancer is at least 16th level, the victim must make a second save or be paralyzed for 3-12 rounds.
The necromancer can activate or deactivate this power at will. It never interferes with spellcasting. Also, the cold blue aura provides light like a dim torch (certainly enough light to walk or read by).

Command Undead

This power enables the necromancer to command undead like an evil priest with half as many levels of experience. Thus an I8th-level necromancer controls undead as a 9th-level priest. Certain necromancer kits and some necromantic priesthoods already have authority over undead (the DM should choose another salient ability for such characters).

Enhanced Vision

The necromancer gains the ability to perceive radiations and auras beyond normal human vision. At low levels (up to 5th level), the wizard can see normally under the night sky. While indoors (in conditions of total darkness), the wizard can still perceive objects normally, up to a range of 30 feet. This does not hinder the wizard's eyesight at all.
For every six levels of experience, the wizard gains another divinatory power based on the wizard spell of the same name (the DM may roll a d8 or choose): 1) detect magic: 2) detect invisibility; 3) detect good/evil; 4) know alignment; 5) wizard sight (TOM); 6) infravision; 7) clairvoyance; 8) detect life (WH).
Except for night vision, these powers do not operate continuously. The necromancer must visually concentrate on the subject (or area) for them to work. While the enhanced vision is active, the wizard's eyes light up with a malevolent, reddish glow. Normally, it takes one full round to scan an object, person, or area with the magical, enhanced vision.

Fear Aura

The necromancer can surround him- or herself with an aura of fear similar to (though less powerful than) that of a lich. Any creature with fewer than 3 HD (or levels of experience) who views this palpable, black aura must make a saving throw vs. spells or flee in terror for 2-12 rounds. Creatures with more than 4 HD are entitled to a +4 bonus and only flee for 1-6 rounds if they fail the save. Beings of equal or greater hit dice than the necromancer are unaffected. Unlike the regular fear spell, this necromantic aura has a more gradual and numbing effect. Affected creatures are thus unlikely to drop carried items.

Food Corruption

Three times per day, a necromancer can exude a mystical, poisonous radiance that taints nearby food or drink. Two types of food corruption are possible: one that induces a comatose slumber (available to wizards of any level), or another that brings a slow and excruciating death (granted to necromancers of 13th level or higher). In both cases, the food corruption requires a physical act of will on the part of the necromancer; it is not a continuously operating aura. The victims of both types of corruption are allowed a saving throw vs. poison.
The first, sleep-inducing type of corruption is difficult to detect in food or drink and has an onset time of only one round. This form of corruption can be created in food simply by the necromancer being within 30 feet of the food. The sleep lasts for up to one turn per level, but is automatically broken by any attempt to physically harm the slumbering individual.
The latter, deadly type of corruption results in a faint physical discoloring or putrefaction of the food. There is a 5% chance per level of the victim that the food's taint will be noticed before it has been consumed. Once tasted, however, the symptoms become quickly apparent. Severe stomach cramps begin in a few minutes, and an agonizing death results in another 2-12 rounds. This corruption can only be created in openly displayed food (such as a buffet table, an uncovered plate or a stand in a market) within 1-3 feet of the necromancer.
Food corrupted in this manner radiates a faint necromantic aura. The symptoms in a victim can be arrested or completely reversed by slow poison, neutralize poison, heal, or possibly by a character proficient in the healing nonweapon proficiency. Food can be cleansed of the corruption either by casting purify food and drink or dispel magic.

Magic Resistance

The necromancer gains a slight resistance to all forms of magic. The wizard's base magic resistance is 10%, plus an additional 2% per level. Thus, a 20th- level necromancer with this ability would have a 50% magic resistance.
Note that this magic resistance operates continuously and cannot be consciously controlled by the wizard. It does not, however, adversely affect the necromancer's ability to cast spells or employ magical items of any kind.

Regeneration

The necromancer is able to regenerate two hit points per round. This ability continues to operate regardless of circumstances. Severed limbs continue to twitch and move under the wizard's direction, and they immediately reattach if brought into contact with the body (similar to a troll's powers). The wizard's body continues to regenerate after death, even if the remains were destroyed and reduced by fire or add. If the body is dismembered and the parts buried separately, it will take the necromancer one month to regenerate completely for every 100 feet distance of separation between the various parts. Alternatively, if the body is burned or dissolved in acid, the remains may be scattered over a wide area, delaying the regeneration time by one month for every 10-foot-square region of disposal area.
Necromancers with such regenerative powers can be terribly difficult to kill permanently. The DM may care to devise a special ritual (or a minor adventure) which must be completed in order for the wizard's death to be final. For instance, a certain necromancer's remains might need to be dissolved in aqua regia and then cast into the Lake of Winter Spirits during an annual solstice. Another wizard might keep his life force safe in a receptacle or phylactery which must be destroyed before the necromancer can be killed. Certainly the rite of final destruction will vary from necromancer to necromancer and must be adjudicated by the DM.

Scabrous Touch

With the touch of a bare hand, the necromancer can infect a victim with a deadly disease (see Chapter Three for notes on the plague and leprosy, or the description for cure disease in the PHB). Alternatively, the necromancer's touch may inflict mummy rot or a permanent version of contagion. The DM must decide on the single effect of a scabrous touch.
This power operates continuously and cannot be controlled (ordinarily, the wizard will wear a glove over the deadly hand to protect those nearby). The first symptoms of the disease appear 1-10 rounds after physical contact occurs with the wizard's deadly hand, though it may take weeks (or, in the case of leprosy, much longer) for the disease to run its full course. This magical disease may only be cured by a wizard, priest, or paladin of higher level than the necromancer.

Shadow Form

This ability enables the necromancer to shift his or her form into the plane of shadow, becoming a two- dimensional, subslanceless form, capable of slipping under doors and through tiny cracks. While in this shadowy state, the wizard cannot cast spells or otherwise physically attack other creatures, and is limited to his or her normal movement (possibly augmented by magical items or any spells which were cast prior to entering the shadowy state). Refer to the wizard spell shadowform (WH) for this form's limitations.
The wizard can maintain this shadowy state almost indefinitely, provided that he or she stays fully alert and conscious and remains exclusively in an area of shadows. The wizard can be forced out of this shadowy state by exposure to bright light or complete darkness. This power may be used up to three times per day.

Skull Scry

This ability enables the necromancer to see or hear activity through any skull or cadaveric head. The skull or head must not be attached to a spine, nor can it be animated. The necromancer can scry through any disembodied skull or head (at a known location) that is up to one mile away per point of the wizard's Intelligence. In some cases, other types of sensory links may be used with the skull scry ability. The DM should refer to the spells spectral voice and corpse link in Chapter Four for further inspiration.

Somnolent Gaze

With this ability, a necromancer can immediately stupefy and cloud the mind any single living creature under his or her regard. If the subject fails a saving throw vs. spells (at a -4 penalty), he or she feels a profound form of lethargy and disorientation, similar in effect to a slow spell, except that the condition lasts for up to one turn per level of the wizard. The necromancer may call upon this power once per round, at will, and can also break its effect at any time (it can also be terminated prematurely by a successful dispel magic).

Spell Immunities

A necromancer with this ability is completely immune to all spells from the Enchantment/Charm school of magic. In addition, the wizard gains an immunity to enfeeblement, polymorphing, cold, electricity, and death spells. These immunities are typical for undead and would be most appropriate for a necromancer seeking to achieve lichdom.

Unholy Blessing

The necromancer benefits from an unholy blessing that helps protect him or her from danger. The wizard gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws and a -2 bonus to AC. This simple ability functions continuously, like the special benefits of a paladin.

Unnatural Ability Scores

The necromancer has engaged in research to augment his or her physical and mental attributes, raising them above their normal scores (by means of discovered wishes, magical tomes, enchanted pools, and so on). This research results in a total of 1-3 additional point, which may be distributed by the DM among the necromancer's ability scores. Alternatively, the DM may distribute each additional ability point by randomly rolling a dl2: 1) Strength; 2-5) Intelligence; 6-7) Wisdom; 8-9) Dexterity; 10-11) Constitution; 12) Charisma.

Weapon Immunities

Because of their affiliation with dark and terrible powers, certain necromancers lose their ability to be harmed by mundane weapons. Such wizards, when less than 12th level of experience, can only be harmed by magical weapons or slashing or thrusting weapons of cold iron or silver. Necromancers of 13th level or greater with this ability can only be harmed by magical weapons of +1 or greater enchantment.

Nonhuman Necromancers

Long ago, when my beloved Gerard was still alive, we used to ride into the most distant hills of our estate during the cool weeks after Greengrass, accompanied only by our most trusted retainers. One day, when we camped near a rustic town called Soulbar, the burgers told us of a wyrm that had been ravaging caravans up and down the Trade Way for the past several months.
This dragon, which the villagers had named Shadowspawn, only attacked after nightfall and left behind not a trace of its victims - nor their goods, for that matter. It was as if the unfortunates had been snatched up or swallowed by the very night, or so the villagers claimed. Weeks after the attacks began, some of the dragon's victims were spotted by woodcutters in the Forest of Wyrms, but these were only animated shells, mere zombies of the victims which had been raised up by the dragon for her perverse pleasure and then cast loose into the forest once they ceased to amuse her. This much the town had learned when Soulbar's clerics called back the victims' spirits from the zombie remains, asking them about their murderer.
Thus warned, my husband I returned home, for we were ill-equipped to deal with a draconic necromancer. I later learned that several adventuring companies had gone up against the beast (and been added to the undead wandering the forest) before a victorious band of hunters put an end to that loathsome abomination. Those few who survived claimed that the dragon employed many spells of criminal necromancy against them.
With suitable monetary encouragement, I was ultimately able to purchase the dragon's spellbook from the triumphant Blades. The grimoire was an enormous, iron- bound book inscribed with notes that revealed a frightening understanding of the Art, surpassing in many ways my own knowledge! How that creature accomplished such mastery in relative isolation is beyond my comprehension. Perhaps a human wizard passed along his secrets to the wyrm or it discovered the key in some erudite tome of necromantic lore. My heart trembles at the thought of other creatures like Shadowspawn, with but a fraction of its talent for necromancy!

—From the diary of Doctor Ellandra Tolbert

Although human wizards constitute the overwhelming majority of necromancers, exceptions do occur and can make for a nasty surprise for adventurers. Certainly members of other races can learn necromantic spells - but in general, only humans can specialize in the Art. However, as an added twist for an adventure or campaign, the nasty DM may decide to create unique NPC necromancers of the select few, evil monster races that employ magic.
Certain humanoids (specifically orcs), drow, dragons, and githyanki all have the potential to specialize in necromancy. In orcish witch doctors, this inherent potential is only realized by a scant few members of their race, constituting a tiny minority. Among the warlike drow and the githyanki - two races with a powerful talent for magic - necromancers tend to be as common as among humans. Finally, a few varieties of magic-using dragons - especially the shadow dragon - possess both the talent and interest to specialize in the Art.
All of these monsters are suitable for powerful NPC nemeses, providing suitable challenges for an experienced party of adventurers. Dragons make an excellent example of standard monsters that can be given a new twist by allowing them to focus their inherent magical talents in necromancy. The DM may extend the practice of necromancy to other magic-using creatures (like the shade) or possibly even create new monsters that exclusively practice the Art.

Humanoid Necromancers

Humanoid cultures, such as the orcs, bugbears, gnolls, hobgoblins, and goblins, embrace violence and death, surpassing even humans in this respect. Their societies arc usually organized along tribal lines, with the clan chief ruling as the undisputed leader in temporal affairs. The clan priest or shaman takes care of the tribe's spiritual matters.
Finally, the tribal wizard (a member of the Savage Wizard kit from the WH) oversees the purely magical rituals and protections for the tribe. In most cases, the role of the shaman conflicts with that of the witch doctor, since at low levels the powers of a wizard can hardly compare with those of a priest. Indeed, few humanoid races have much talent for wizardry, making the witch doctor's role almost superfluous unless the shaman is absent.
Many of the humanoid races are widely known to have witch doctors as permanent members of a tribal community. Witch doctors almost never rise above the 4th level of experience, but rare individuals capable of casting 3rd-level spells have been reported in the more heavily populated humanoid areas, like the Sword Coast in the Realms.
As noted earlier, the odds of randomly generating a human necromancer with the requisite ability scores are at least 2%. Among ores, this probability would be even lower. According to the Monstrous Manual, the odds of encountering an orcish witch doctor (let alone a necromancer witch doctor) are 5 in 1000! Except in a major orcish city, the likelihood of encountering an orcish necromancer is small indeed.

Drow Necromancers

The elegantly evil race of dark elves make perfect candidates for necromancers. Unlike their surface- dwelling cousins, the drow embrace death and necromancy to the very core of their mainstream society, enshrined in the worship of their sinister mother-goddess Lolth. Wizardry is one of the few avenues for male advancement and prestige in the matriarchal theocracy of the dark elves. Necromancy is a popular school of magic among drow specialists (others favorites include invocation and alteration). Drow necromancers adopt either the Archetype, Philosopher, or Undead Master kits.
The dark elves arc unquestionably a magically talented race. Even the most mundane citizen has innate magic resistance and some sort of minimal talent with wizardry, so it perhaps not surprising that they can advance as far as humans in this regard. Certainly, every drow city can boast of at least one archmage capable of casting the most powerful spells.
All drow wizards (necromancers included) either operate strictly within the matriarchal confines of their society or live completely outside them. Those drow who remain in their own communities emerge into outer layers of the Underdark (or more rarely, to the surface) only for training or war parties. Wizards chosen for these missions are thus rarely more powerful than 9th to 11th level of experience (and usually far weaker).
The most powerful drow necromancers place themselves above such petty tasks, residing exclusively in subterranean cities where they serve the constantly broiling, internecine quarrels relished by the various noble houses. The most powerful wizards, who choose to remain above the political maneuvering, still must serve the community by teaching in the colleges of sorcery. These institutions play a fundamental role in the training of young drow warriors and priests.
To question their role in the female hierarchy spells certain disaster for male drow wizards. The priesthood ruthlessly twists any progressive free thinkers into hideous driders. These half-arachnid, half-drew monstrosities retain their former command of necromancy and are usually between the 6th and 8th level in experience.
Those lucky enough to escape such punishment flee deep into the bowels of the Underdark, forsaking all protection by their house and society. Life as a rogue mage is far from easy. The priesthood sends relentless war parries to eliminate such mavericks lest their example be emulated by others, and the horrific denizens of the Underdark can be much less than hospitable to a single, traveling drow. Rogue necromancers among the drow must therefore be extremely powerful and resourceful in order to survive alone for long in the harsh environment (at least 12th level).

Draconic Necromancers

The dragon symbolizes power, magic, and destruction, so it should not difficult to imagine them gaining mastery over necromancy, given their eonic life spans. Draconic culture and religion is highly advanced, focusing primarily on greed and acquisitiveness. Dragons also embrace many of the same concepts as human society, including a fascination with death.
Certain dragons worship a unique death god called Null the Reaver, also known as the Deathwyrm or Guardian of the Lost. This deity embraces not only the destructive and evil aspect of taking life, but also the protective function of shepherding draconic spirits to their final destination in the afterlife. Thus, it might be possible for dragons to be either necromancer wizards or death priests.
Restricting our discussion to wizardry, not all dragons possess the intellect, magical ability, and self-discipline necessary to specialize in the Art. Silver and gold dragons have quite developed magical abilities, but their good nature makes them unlikely candidates for necromancy (except as Deathslayers). Blue, brown, deep, green, red, and yellow dragons possess the necessary wit and brutal nature to learn black necromancy, usually adopting the Archetype kit. Amethyst, myst, and steel dragons make excellent Philosophers. Finally, shadow dragons have the greatest inherent mastery of the Art, favoring the Undead Master kit. All of the remaining draconic races have neither the intelligence nor the slightest care to specialize in necromancy.
Dragons specializing in necromancy are entitled to the usual saving throw bonuses, additional spell per spell level, special abilities, and hindrances (including Dark Gifts and prices) of their regular human counterparts. The main difference is that the dragon's spells are learned as inate abilities and are not memorized, like a human wizard's or cleric's. In addition, dragons cast their spells completely differently from humans. Draconic spells can be triggered solely by an act of will. Humans need complex and lengthy verbal, somatic, and material components.
The biggest disadvantage to specializing in necromancy (from the dragon's perspective) involves restricted spell access. Draconic necromancers, like their human counterparts, are restricted to certain permissible schools of magic (as dictated by their specific kit). More importantly, however, these dragons lose all ability to cast priest spells. Instead, this spell potential is transferred over to additional wizard spells of the same number and level. For example, Shadowspawn - the shadow dragon mentioned earlier in Dr. Tolbert's diary - can normally learn (Wiz 2 2 2 2 2 / Pr 2); if it specializes, the dragon could only learn (Wiz 5 3 3 3 3), taking into account the bonus spell per spell level and the shift of the 1st- level priest spells to wizardry.

Githyanki Necromancers

The Githyanki are a militant and xenophobic race, descended from humans, that dwell on the Astral Plane and pay eternal homage to an undying necromancer queen. In their strictly regimented society, organized into martial hierarchies of command, specialized wizards - including necromancers - play an important role. Every githyanki command structure, from the smallest platoon to the mightiest citadel, contains at least one necromancer capable of devastating opponents on the field or manipulating the dead to fight for the living.
Unlike the wizards in drow society, githyanki necromancers have a respected rank and high status in their civilization. Githyanki wizards tend to be female in honor of their lich-queen. Although of slightly inferior rank to an acting captain, they are independent of the military chain of command and lend their support in a battle where it is needed.
On the Prime Material Plane, githyanki necromancers are always encountered supporting a larger war party consisting of at least 2-7 other individuals. The party might be hunting for sport, engaging in a serious training mission (human blasting), performing reconnaissance for an upcoming outpost or stronghold, or seeking to recover a lost necromantic artifact (probably a silver sword capable of severing a mortal's silver cord in the Astral Plane). Like other members of their race, actively serving githyanki necromancers vary in power from the 4th to 11th levels of experience. However, once they reach the 12th level, githyanki are brought before their paranoid and pitiless queen, who greedily devours their life force in a solemn ritual known as "retirement."
In addition to their magical and racial powers, all githyanki possess powerful psionic abilities which vary according to class and level of ability. Table 6 presents a suggested regimen of psionic abilities for githyanki wizards. The mental strength of such mages increases with level, starting with a base 150 Psionic Strength Points (PSPs) and increasing by 10 PSPs per level (maximum of 250 PSPs at llth level).
Githyanki necromancers can make devastating opponents, especially when supporting a contingent of comrades. Individually, they prepare for battle by initiating flesh armor, adrenaline control (to boost constitution), and displacement (wizards of 6th level and above can do this in a single round using splice). Along with the knights (see MM), githyanki wizards of 8th level or higher have the responsibility of seeking out psionic threats in combat (with psionic sense) and eliminating them.
Wizards initiate psychic contests in combat. Once contact has been established with an opponent's mind, wizards will use id insinuation to quickly stun their adversary, employing spells on subsequent rounds to finish off their helpless opponent. An organized band of githyanki fortified by a necromancer in their midst can decimate even a powerful, well- balanced party of adventurers.

Table 6: Psionic Progression for Githyanki Necromancers.

Level    Discipline Science Devotion
1st Metabolism Energy Containment    Body Weaponry
Flesh Armor
Mind Over Body
2nd     Craft Weapon
Displacement
3rd Telepathy Life Draining Contact
ESP
4th   Double Pain Adrenaline Control   
5lh   Death Field Cell Adjustment
6th Metapsionics   Splice
7th   Metamorphosis Convergence
8th     Psionic Sense
9th     Stasis Field
10th Psychoportation    Teleport Dimension Door
11th   Empower Time Shift

Sorcerers Immortal

I shall laugh as I place my head on the block, laugh at them all as the raven jeers at the gallows or the worm mocks the grave. It took the Prince's most powerful knights to bring me - shackled in cold iron - before my earthly liege, but not before I had slain a hundred of his retainers, twisted the insides of his beloved wife, cursed their only son with ravening madness eternal.
I have lain among the rat-gnawed bones of the oubliette and accepted the iron maiden's cruel embrace, but 1 am not alone, and I feel no pain. The slaadi still comfort me with their infernal melodies, and my invisible familiars still inform me, bringing news in the clammy darkness from my lord Thasmudyan. I shall have eternal life for my devoted service; the baatezu lord has promised me this final boon.
I will survive, of that I am certain, but my next evolution may not remember all of my secrets, all the cryptic mysteries of the Art. I shall bid the shadows to write them down, inscribe them in a book so that I may remember all that I knew before I died: And then I shall depart this earthly realm and walk on farther shores, undreaming and unbidden, until I stand once again in the ivory court of Thasmudyan.

- From Nebt Bhakau's Book of Shadows

The human mind and personality yearns to persist after death. Most turn to religion for the promise of eternal life, but other individuals - less trusting in divine providence or perhaps fearing their spirit's ultimate destiny in the afterlife - take it upon themselves to secure their own immortality in the physical world. Most necromancers eventually master the secret talents necessary to achieve this goal. Indeed, some embrace the Art solely for this purpose.
Aging is a natural process for all, but to the necromancer, both powerful magic and the curse of the Black Arts can quickly strip the wizard of fleeting youth. Although age initially matures a wizard's mental faculties, senility and decrepitude eventually corrupt both mind and body. A wizard can allay or avoid these disabilities through potions, wishes, or necromancy.
Potions of longevity and elixirs of youth are perhaps the most common method for extending life, though their rare material components make mass production highly infeasible. In addition to their easily mundane components, the formulae for these potions is rumored to include either the dust of a lich, a dragon's breath, an angel's whisper, or the blood of an elf, freely given. Not surprisingly, few wizards can obtain or create more than a few of these potions, usually extending their normal life span by several decades. However, even if an unlimited supply of such potions were available, the increasing chance of completely reversing their effects (1% cumulative per potion) drastically limits their ultimate usefulness. At best, a wizard might hope to extend his or her lifetime by three to four centuries with such potions.
Powerful spells, such as limited wish or wish, can also prolong life. Although each DM must adjudicate the specific powers of a wish for the campaign, it is not unreasonable to assume such magic could slow aging by a factor of 10. A wish irreversibly ages the caster by five years, and it cannot be used to negate its own life-draining effects. A 40-year old wizard who wishes for an extended life span still ages to 45 years before the wish takes hold. Still, with intelligent use of a few wishes, an archmage might prolong his or her life beyond a millennium.
There are other ways to extend human life, known only to the powerful necromancer. The new spells life force transfer and life force exchange enable the wizard to permanently transfer his or her own life force into the body of another (presumably much younger) individual. Magic jar works along the same premise, though the effects are only temporary. In all of these cases, the necromancer achieves youth only at the expense of another individual. With life force transfer, the victim dies when the spirit is literally forced out of the body to make room for the caster's life force; with life force exchange, the spirits of the caster and victim swap bodies; with magic jar, the wizard and victim share the same body (albeit temporarily). While each of these spells carries its own dangers (see the spell descriptions in this book and the PHB), they can also provide an unusual form of human immortality for the necromancer. Unlike other methods, which only ensure prolonged life, these spells enable an evil wizard to also enjoy all the pleasures and benefits of eternal youth.
A necromancer can thus effectively extend his or her mortal lifetime almost indefinitely - certainly far beyond the range of normal humans - through potions, the intelligent casting of wishes, or by the unscrupulous use of the Art. However, a wizard can also resort to a permanent undying transition in order to achieve some measure of immortality.

Undead Necromancers and Death Priests

Most wizards and priests embrace undeath only as a last resort, after all of the less drastic means of life extension have been exhausted. Nevertheless, some necromancers and priests voluntarily surrender their mortal lives early, trading all their human weaknesses for the dark powers of the deadalive. The undead never need eat, sleep, or face any of the other mortal failings that continually distract from their dastardly pursuits. They can devote centuries to increasing their power or spreading their religion.
Certain individuals may suffer undeath as a form of divine curse or punishment for terrible crimes or the use of black necromancy. But the majority of undead necromancers and priests have chosen their fate and accepted the ultimate Dark Gift. The vampire and lich are the most likely (and deadly) forms of undead necromancers that a party will encounter in a campaign. A undead priest may be encountered in either of these forms or that of a greater mummy. Most undead continue to develop their powers in undeath, making them increasingly powerful adversaries with time.
Vampiric necromancers arc similar in most respects to their human counterparts in terms of their wizard abilities. Their abilities to charm others and command lesser animals make them natural candidates for the Undead Master kit. Vampire death priests will usually worship the Lord of Undead. In addition to their spellcasting powers and vampiric abilities, the vampire suffers from a number of serious weaknesses (holy symbols, sunlight, garlic, and so on). However, as noted in Van Richten's Guide to the Vampire, these weaknesses decrease with age, even as the vampire's special powers continue to mature and develop.
The lich, on the other hand, is a consummate immortal spellcaster, the ultimate goal of any necromancer or death priest. Unlike mortal specialists, the wizard lich can learn spells from any school of magic, and it still enjoys all of the regular benefits of the Archetype (it still gains all of the additional spells and saving throw bonuses of the kit). The lich also retains any special powers it enjoyed while alive and may gain additional salient abilities as its skills continue to grow. The DM should see the NPC sheet of Vermissa for an example of a priestly lich. Van Richten's Guide to the Lich contains an exhaustive description of this variety of undead.
The greater mummy, presented in the MONSTROUS MANUAL, is enchanted by a necromantic priesthood to retain its clerical powers in undeath. Since this creature is sometimes created by more powerful priests (or the gods) to safeguard a particular tomb or temple, its mobility and usefulness as a villain are greatly impaired. In Chapter Nine, we explore the network created by an undead priest (the lich Vermissa in this case) who has been forced to remain in a particular location for centuries.
Along with those from the various monster races, undead necromancers and priests should be reserved for special, nasty encounters. They can also serve as memorable villains in a campaign. When used sparingly, these inhuman necromancers should provide many surprising challenges for a high-level party of adventurers.

Previous      Up      Next