Pizentios kept me and the rest of my crew locked in his
cellar for days, at the bottom of a deep, dark pit that was
sealed by a single trap door. One morning. Apprentice
Sarzec opened the. trap door and used a rope to lower some
noxious stew - perhaps intending to drug us again and
feed another sailor to his master's familiar. We had no
intention of sampling his fare once again. By then, of
course, we had established a plan of escape.
Although stripped of all our possessions and holy symbols, Tala, a priestess with our crew, prayed for a command
spell. When the apprentice opened the trap door above us, the
cleric suggested that Sarzec jump. Just like that, without
hesitation, the dumb sot leaped into the pit with us, breaking
both legs when he hit the floor and knocking him out cold.
Tala bound Sarzec's wounds, but I refused to let her set his
mangled legs. At least the villain wouldn't bleed to death.
Six of my sailors made a human pyramid, lifting up the first
mate until he reached the open trap door. He then secured the
rope Sarzec used to lower our food, and we all climbed out,
leaving the unconscious apprentice in the pit.
After we escaped from Pizentios's prison, we began to
raid his home. Fortunately the necromancer and his familiar were still occupied elsewhere on the island, so we
sacked the metal tower, hurling his most useful tomes, talismans, potions, and scrolls into a number of sacks. We
also discovered artifacts of the necromancer's hideous
practices, embalmed in jars of amber oil. We destroyed
these and many other abominations that decorated the
shelves of his study.
The greatest treasure we discovered beneath his bed in
his private chamber, locked in an ebony box. It was a scimitar in a black leather sheath, superbly balanced and traced
with the most deadly wordings of black necromancy, or so
Tala warned me. I strapped it on anyway. In a corner of
the room, on an iron stand, we found Pizentios's grimoire.
Fearing it was trapped, I used the sheathed scimitar to flip
it into a sack. There was no time to inspect any of these
treasures in detail, since we were terrified that the necromancer might return at any moment and slay us all. But
Fate smiled upon us, and we made it back to our ship with
all of Pizentios's most valuable treasures.
In the night, Pizentios returned to his devastated tower.
By then, our ship stood off from shore, far beyond the
range of his lethal spells. Bereft of his grimoire, the necromancer sent his familiar after us instead. The winged fiend
descended on us like a nightmare and began ravaging the
crew. Then I unsheathed the scimitar I had stolen from
Pizentios' tower, and the fiend, beholding its naked blade
writhing with fell runes, fled abruptly into the night. Our
escape from the Isle of Sahu was complete.
—From Captain Omar's "Tale of Sahu"
Necromancers and death priests are renowned for
their exotic magical creations. Over the centuries,
these spellcasters have developed an expansive foundation of necromantic lore which is only now being
rediscovered. Much of this ancient knowledge is not
being employed in the most ethical manner. For example, based on the principles found in magical texts
such as the Book of Shadows, the Scabrous Society has
recreated a few long-forgotten poisons and necromantic devices to help expand their evil organization.
This chapter details a few of the magical venoms
and necromantic items that have only recently come
into more frequent use by several powerful groups of
necromancers and various cults of death priests.
Sometimes, adventurers such as Captain Omar have
managed to discover new sources of necromantic lore
in their travels. As more archaic tomes begin to appear
in the campaign, the magical devices outlined in this
chapter will become more than just rare curiosities.
This chapter enables the DM to augment the arsenals
of necromancers and priests in the campaign.
Poisons and Potions
Practitioners of the Art employ a variety of magical venoms and potions to achieve their ends. From
the DMG, dust of sneezing and choking, elixirs of health
and madness, potions of extra-healing, healing, longevity,
poison, undead control, and vitality are most likely to
be included in the recipe book of the necromancer or
death priest, either for personal use or for use on
others (in the case of harmful items). From the TOM,
these spellcasters will sometimes also employ air
spores, curdled death and powder of the black veil as poisons in combat. The list of venoms found on page 73
of the DMG provides a general background of non-
magical poisons for the campaign. Certain necromancers, such as the Archetype or Witch, may also
be experts at harvesting natural poisons from animals and monsters such as snakes, spiders, scorpions, wyverns, and the like.
Many of the necromantic secret societies employ
magical venoms and unique potions that are created
and distributed only to members of their organizations. The Scabrous Society and the Cult of Pain, in
particular, relish the use of enchanted poisons like
deathdust. Even the righteous Death Lords have
developed an enchanted venom, called soultravel. Of
all the death priests, only Stranglers disavow all use
of poison in their holy slayings.
Many necromancers, working independently, have
also developed several insidious poisons of varying
efficacy and magical potency. Undead Masters use a
variety of deadly potions (like ju-ju wine) that transform the unfortunate drinker into an undead. Other
ointments, such as ghast salve, provide protection or
even power over special types of undead.
Along with these specialized necromantic elixirs,
evil wizards also tend to use exotic but otherwise normal poisons to an alarming extent. Even a mundane
zombie can become a major threat to a party of adventurers when it wields a dreambliss-envenomed sword
given to it by its master. As recounted in the Captain
Omar's introductory tale in Chapter Seven, a powerful
necromancer like Pizentios can (and will) effectively
use poison to sedate a large group of opponents.
Natural poisons - such as dreambliss and mind-shadow - that induce slumber or disorientation in
opponents are especially valuable to necromancers,
who cannot bring about such effects with their spells.
These poisons are sometimes used for medicinal purposes by the Anatomist, but there are many times
when a villain wants to render victims helpless or
unconscious. Without access to spells from the schools
of Illusion or Enchantment/Charm, necromancers
must resort to poisons to achieve similar ends.
Keep in mind, while perusing the following list of
new potions and venoms, that the final decision
about whether necromancers and their secret societies actually do employ certain poisons (or any at
all) with any sort of regularity is left to the DM.
Prices for normal venoms, which might also be made
available to PCs (at the DM's discretion), are listed
when appropriate.
Ju-ju Wine: This fragrant liquid appears to be a
dark red wine. In fact, it is an insidious potion of poison.
If even a sip is tasted by a human, demihuman, or
humanoid, the wine brings instant death unless the
victim makes a saving throw vs. death magic. If failed,
the victim is permanently transformed into a ju-ju
zombic who automatically obeys the commands of
the first person who speaks to him or her. The zombie
can be turned or affected by magical items that influence undead, but the victim cannot be restored except
with a wish, raise dead, or similar necromancy.
A second, less toxic vintage of ju-ju wine is also
known to exist. This milder, white-wine variety turns
the victim into a "living" ju-ju zombie for 2-5 days,
who (as with the more potent variety) mindlessly
obeys the first person who speaks to him or her.
However, since the victim is not truly dead, he or she
cannot be turned or commanded by a priest. Until the effects of the lesser potion expire, the victim temporarily loses all racial, class-related, and professional abilities. (150 XP.)
Dreambliss: This powerful (non-magical) narcotic
is derived from the sticky white sap of a thick-leafed
jungle or desert plant. Dreambliss quickly sedates
even the largest opponents. Victims struck by a
coated weapon must save vs. poison to resist its
potent effect.
If the victim fails the save, he or she falls into a
deep, euphoric "Sleep of Bliss" lasting 2-8 hours.
The onset time depends on the victim's size: S (1
round), M (1-2 rounds), L-G (2-5 rounds). Upon
waking from the poison-induced slumber, most victims
remember happy, dreamlike visions that they long to
experience someday again.
Dreambliss is sometimes used as a recreational
drug in rich circles, but the addictive poison quickly
drains its victims of all Wisdom (permanent loss of 1
point per month of repeated use) and wealth before
long. The poison's effectiveness against even large-sized monsters makes it popular among both adventurers and criminals. A single dose costs from
200-1,200 gp.
Deathdust: This deadly magical powder can be
used as either contact or insinuative poison. An
arrowhead need only be sprinkled with a pinch of
the powder and touch the skin to be effective. Clearly,
the powder must be handled extremely carefully by
trained individuals.
Deathdust acts almost instantly, with an onset time
of 1-3 rounds, during which time it causes an irritating burning sensation and may be reversed with a
dispel magic (successful against 12th-level magic).
Otherwise, the necromantic powder causes the victim
to literally fester, decay, and desiccate into a pile of dry
dust within a single round if a saving throw vs. death
magic is not made. Deathdust is sometimes applied to
an enemy's doorknob or sprinkled into a pouch of
gold given as a gift. It is said to smell like myrrh.
Ghast Salve: Only a few powerful necromancers
know the secret of creating this sickly green ointment. The cream's powers activate one round after
being spread upon the recipient's body. The recipient
gains immunity to paralysis and to the stench of
ghasts. The user of ghast salve also exudes the same
stench of ghasts and can paralyze others if the victims fail a saving throw vs. paralysis. Finally, regular
ghouls and ghasts will regard the recipient in an
extremely favorable light (as if he or she had an 18
Charisma). The subject gains a +7 reaction adjustment with these forms of undead.
Ghast salve reacts strongly with holy water. If
struck by such liquid, the recipient suffers damage as
though he or she were truly undead (ld6+l points of
damage for a direct hit, 2 hp for a splash). Typically,
ld3 jars, each containing up to three applications,
will be found. A single application lasts for an hour.
(500XP/jar.)
Mindshadow: This non-magical poison is brewed
from a variety of arboreal fungus and is available in
most temperate climes for between 300-1,800 gp per
dose. When introduced into a human's bloodstream,
mindshadow causes extreme disorientation and both
visual and auditory hallucinations in the victim, who
must make a saving throw vs. poison to resist the
effect (onset time is only 1-3 rounds).
Victims failing their save become confused (as per
the wizard spell) for 5-20 turns. During that time, the
victim is highly susceptible to suggestion (-6 penalty
to the saving throw to refuse a specific request) by
anyone conversing with or questioning the victim.
Mindshadow can be used in combat to disorient
opponents, but it is much more often employed by
necromancers during the interrogation of prisoners.
Since it leaves the victim almost totally at the mercy
of frightening hallucinations and suggestions, mindshadow is rarely used as a recreational drug.
Mindshadow only works effectively with humans.
Other races and monsters gain a +1 to +4 bonus to
their save (onset time 2-12 rounds, depending on their
physical size and the amount of poison employed). If
they fail, they arc only slowed (as the wizard spell) for
2-12 turns (with no susceptibility to suggestion, as in
humans). Dwarves are immune to the poison's effects.
Soultravel: This magical poison, which can be
absorbed directly via the skin, is used by the priests
of the Dead and certain Philosophers to loosen the
bond between a person's body and spirit. Victims are
entitled to a saving throw vs. spells to resist the effect
if unwilling.
If the save is failed, soultravel forces the victim's
spirit to surrender his or her physical body and enter
the Ethereal Plane, much like an undead ghost. However, unless she or he has had extensive experience
with soultravel, the ethereal victim will be completely
helpless and disoriented on the Ethereal Plane.
Meanwhile, his or her physical body remains in a
deathlike coma. The victim cannot physically attack
those in the physical world, although he or she can
still cast spells and use psionic abilities.
Soultravel is not for the casual user. Strong doses of the venom will sever the bond between the body and
spirit irrevocably, effectively killing the victim. The
victim can also be slain by casting spirit release, dispel
magic, or dispel evil/good while his or her ethereal
form is further than 30' from the physical body.
However, if the ethereal form is close enough to the
body when any of these spells are cast, the spirit and
body are reunited.
Unless prematurely ended by magical spells, as
outlined above, the effects of soultravel usually last
for 4-16 turns. Upon awakening, the subject loses
2-8 points of Constitution, which are regained at a
rate of 1 point per day of rest. (400 XP.)
Magical Items
Necromancers and death priests have an awesome arsenal of magical items at their disposal. In
the DMG, all varieties of enchanted daggers (particularly the dagger of venom), darts of homing, swords of
wounding, life stealing, and the planes would be ideal
weapons for such characters; the axe of hurling is a
favorite among high priests of the Murder Goddess.
Necromancers would also collect or manufacture
scrolls of protection from poison, possession, and undead,
rings of wizardry, staves of the magi or power, wands of
illumination, conjuration or paralyzation, amulets of life
protection or versus undead, and mirrors of life trapping.
Death priests seek similar items (providing they are
usable by clerics), including rods of resurrection, staves
of curing, the serpent, swarming insects, and withering,
and the phylactery of long years.
The Tome of Magic also contains a number of magical items that are particularly appropriate to necromancers or death priests: powder of coagulation, the
ring of necromantic resistance, bag of bones, claw of magic
stealing, jar of preserving, school caps of necromancy, and
the tapestry of disease warding.
Undead Masters, Philosophers, and other necromancers who favor conjuration and summonings
may own or create rings of djinni summoning, efreeti
bottles, and other elemental-summoning devices
(bowls, censers, stones, and so on). Many of these
items can be modified to work on the evil denizens
of the Lower Planes as well, containing one or more
imprisoned fiends who are bound to serve the owner
of the device. Other items that merely summon a
fiend from the nether regions may require some form
of sacrifice in order to appease the creature and
secure its willing service for some period of time.
Note that elemental or fiendish prisons will usually
be enchanted with protections for the user; summoning devices, on the other hand, may not be fitted
with such amenities and (at the very least) will
require the wise user to be warded in a circle of protection from evil.
Many necromantic items are strongly tied to the
practice of the Black Arts and, as such, are only
appropriate for evil characters. These items may still
function if wielded by good PCs, but they usually
bring some form of curse on the user (see Chapter
Three). A dagger of venom, for instance, may slip in
battle and strike an ally (or even the user). All of the
dangers associated with criminal necromancy apply
to magical items as well as spells. Items created for
use by members of a specific religious cult may simply fail to operate when used by a member of a different faith.
The DM is the final arbiter in terms of what items
are appropriate for PCs in a particular campaign. He
or she must ultimately decide what baneful side-effects and curses (if any) will befall adventurers
who rely upon necromantic devices far beyond their
understanding and formal magical training. For the
remainder of this section, we present a number of
new magical items that are appropriate for necromancers, death priests, and other practitioners of
ancient and forbidden magic (although they may
occasionally be used by any unscrupulous sort of character).
Amulet of Health: These talismans have been
enchanted and used since ancient times. Originally,
they were carved in the shape of some strong animal, like a lion or elephant, and worn about the
neck. More recent amulets, created by the Brotherhood of Sorrow, have been fashioned in the
shape of two bound hands, tied at the wrist, and may be worn
or carried anywhere on the body in order to benefit from its protection.
These amulets confer complete immunity to disease and
madness (see Chapter Three). They protect against curses,
magical items, monsters, and spells that inflict plague and insanity. They even ward against
lycanthropy, mummy rot, and other magical diseases. Note
that these amulets do not automatically cure any previous afflictions; they only
prevent the owner from contracting such disease or madness in the future. A few of these amulets
(5%) also provide protection against poison. (1,000 XP.)
Amulet of Terror: These devices were first forged
in the distant past by the Necromancer Kings of Nog
and Kadar, and their secrets have only recently been
brought to light by Kazerabet's Art of Necromancy.
When activated, this talisman cloaks the wielder in a
purple aura of malevolence, terrible to behold. Kazerabet has compared the amulet's necromantic radiance to the chilling aura of a lich, though it has a
decidedly different effect. Everyone within 30' of the
wielder must make a saving throw vs. spells with a
-2 penalty or stand rooted to the spot, frozen in terror, for 2-5 rounds. These devices have 20-50
charges when discovered. (3,000 XP.)
Arrow of Harm: Similar in appearance to the
dreaded arrow of slaying, this black-shafted war
arrow is inscribed with fell runes by the powerful
priests of Murder and Pestilence. It confers a +3
bonus to hit when shot by any variety of long bow.
Any living creature stuck by this necromantic bolt
suffers the effect of a harm spell and is automatically
reduced to ld4+l hit points.
For so long as the bolt remains in the victim's
flesh, the unfortunate is immune to the effects of
magical or natural healing. Removing the embedded
arrow from a victim's flesh inflicts an additional
ld8+3 points of damage, which usually results in
unconsciousness (or in some campaigns, the victim's
death once he or she reaches 0 hp). Attempts to magically heal a victim with an embedded arrow of harm
will only succeed if dispel magic is cast on the bolt
during the same round as a cure light wounds (or similar magic) is employed on the victim.
Its rumored that the Cult of Pain has devised an
even nastier version, similar to the regular arrow,
except that the victim is additionally forced to make
a saving throw vs. death magic or be paralyzed with
pain for so long as the bolt remains embedded in the
flesh (with the same penalties for extraction as the
normal bolt).
From 1-4 of these baneful sheaf arrows will be
found at once, and they lose their magical abilities
after they have been used successfully against a victim (arrows which have missed their target have a 2
in 6 chance of breaking; if not, they can be collected
for use again). (600 XP each.)
Bone Ring: This plain finger ring is always carved
from human bone. Nebt Bhakau's Book of Shadows
hints at a secret method for enchanting these rings,
but only the clerical tome On Coming Forth by Day
contains the full details of their construction. A bone
ring wards the wearer from all energy- or Strength-draining attacks from all sources (such as undead
and hostile spells). Each ring has 1-100 charges. Each
attempted drain that the ring absorbs will drain one
charge until it finally disintegrates into fine, dry
powder. Unless magical divination (such as identify)
is employed, the wearer will not be aware of how
many charges are remaining.
A few, special bone rings (5%) are rumored to protect
the wearer by absorbing wizard spells of black necromancy (see Chapter Four), in addition to warding
against spells and undead attacks that drain Strength
or life energy. Both versions cannot be recharged.
(3,500 XP for lesser; 5,000 XP for greater ring.)
Gloom Candle: These ebon tapers are a boon to
evil death priests and necromancers alike and can be
enchanted by one of either profession once they
reach 12th level, according to the recipe set forth in
the Book of Shadows (wizard version) or On Coming
Forth by Day (priest version). A gloom candle burns for
an hour, although it can be normally extinguished
prior to that duration.
While it burns, a gloom candle fills a 100' radius
with a deep shadow, negating any light or darkness
in the area of effect. A necromancer (or a type of
death priest normally unable to command undead,
such as a cleric of Suffering) using the candle gains
the ability to control undead as a 6th-level priest.
This only affects any undead within the candle's radius and for the duration of the candle's power. Evil
priests gain a +2 ability to control undead. Non-evil
priests and paladins suffer a -4 penalty on then
attempts to control or turn undead. Finally, undead
within the area of effect regenerate 1 hp per round
while the candle burns, although they do not regenerate if reduced to 0 hit points. From 1-4 gloom candles
will be discovered. (100 XP each.)
Hades Hand: Also called Bane's fist (or often by its
more generic title, the dagger of slaying), this wickedly
curved dagger +1 is enchanted as a receptacle for 2-5
powerful necromantic spells that normally require
physical contact to transmit. Instead, these spells are
stored in the dagger blade and are triggered and
delivered to the victim by subsequent, successful
attacks with the weapon.
The release of these stored spells cannot be controlled
by the wielder. They are automatically bestowed on all
subsequent victims of the blade (until all of the stored
spells have been exhausted). The Scabrous Society usually imbues such daggers with cause (fatal) disease, cause
blindness, or slay living. It is said that the wizard version
of the dagger, employed most often by necromancers,
can store an even greater number of deadly spells (2-8),
such as vampiric touch, lich touch, and so on.
Those slain by a Hades hand are forever dead.
Regardless of whether or not the death resulted
from a stored spell or physical dagger damage, the
victim of such assault can never be brought back to
life by raise dead, reincarnation, or resurrection. Only a
full wish can restore a character who has been slain
by a Hades hand. Members of any character class
(evil alignment only) may employ one of these
weapons. Like a ring of spell storing, a Hades hand can
be "recharged" with any harmful spell of black necromancy by a death priest or necromancer. (3,500 XP.)
Handglyphs of Power: These ancient weapons,
fashioned by the Necromancer Kings, typically took
the form of small circular medallions, perhaps three
to four inches in diameter. Each medallion would be
inscribed with battle glyphs on the front side, the
wheel-shaped symbol of the Nog and Kadar adorning the back surface. A small chain was sometimes
attached to handglyphs, so they could be worn as a
necklace, or wrapped around the wrist in combat.
The battle runes on the front side were displayed to
any enemy in combat as a command word or phrase
was spoken to trigger its power.
Handglyphs were the primary weapons of the
Necromancer Kings, enchanted with one type of
offensive magic cast at 12th level of ability, usually
fireball, lightning bolt, enervation, cone of cold, disintegrate, or death spell. When discovered in ruins, they will usually contain 1-4 remaining charges. Typically
short-range weapons, they have a range of at most 30 yards.
Kazerabet reveals the secret to recharging these
deadly devices in her Art of Necromancy. She also
hints at more powerful handglyphs, known as stun-, blind-, or deathglyphs. These presumably contained
power words of stunning, blinding, and killing, respectively, but their existence is mere conjecture, and certainly Kazerabet offers no suggestions to recharging
the more powerful variety, even if they do exist.
(1,800 XP)
Horn of the Exalted Dead: This horn is a necromantic version of the horn of Valhalla, except that it
raises up the spirits of dead warriors (rather than
summoning berserkers from Valhalla) to fight for the
owner. According to Kazerabet's Art of Necromancy,
the horn may be enchanted by a necromancer or
death priest to bind the spirits of dead warriors into
service. The instrument is typically inscribed with
the names of 2-7 individuals whom the owner must
call before blowing the horn.
Each of these spirits can be summoned from the
netherworld once per week to serve the owner.
Regardless of their level of experience in life, the
spirit warriors now serve in combat as 5th-level
fighters, having AC 4 and 30 hp each (THACO 16).
Each is armed with a sword and spear. As spirits,
they are immune to all weapons of less than +1
enchantment and unaffected by cold, poison, paralyzation, sleep, hold, and charm spells. They can be turned
as wraiths.
After they have been summoned, the spirit warriors remain for up to an hour or until they have
been forced to return to the netherworld by being
reduced to 0 hp or being subjected to spirit release or
dispel evil. In any event, these spirits are not destroyed
and can still be called by the hom after another week
has passed.
The horn of the exalted dead can be used by either
necromancers, death priests, or common warriors,
though only members of the former two professions
may use the necromantic item with impunity. If the
owner is a warrior, upon sounding the horn for the
first time, his or her name will be magically appended
to the list on the instrument. After the warrior dies, his
spirit will be bound to the hom, and subsequent owners will be able to summon that warrior from the
netherworld, too. Nothing short of a wish (or the destruction of the hom) can erase the fighter's name
from the ranks of the undying on the hom. (4,000 XP).
Nether Scarab: This ancient talisman, whose secret
of manufacture has been thankfully lost to modem
priests and necromancers, is a dark and twisted version of the more beneficial scarab of protection. It has
the same ability to absorb life draining attacks of certain undead (and spells), but it does not confer a saving throw bonus, nor does it allow a saving throw
against spells that do not normally permit one.
Instead, a nether scarab's most feared power is the
ability to store the level-draining attacks it absorbs.
The scarab's owner may then redirect these charges
later as an attack. The scarab's owner need only touch
a victim, and if the victim fails a saving throw vs. death
magic, the scarab drains a level (or hit die) and bestows
any drained hit points on the owner (these may
increase the owner's hit points beyond the normal
maximum, but these disappear after an hour as per
vampiric touch). Only one level may be drained per
round. According to Kazerabet's scholarship in the Art
of Necromancy, these ancient devices usually have 10
charges, but a rare few (5%) have 20 charges. A nether
scarab can never be recharged. (5,000 XP.)
Plague Bolts: These light crossbow bolts (or flight
arrows) are enchanted by the Plague Priests to
spread plague and misery in their wake. The +2 missiles inflict either ld4+3 points of damage if a bolt, or
ld6+2 if an arrow, but whoever is struck must also
make a saving throw vs. petrification. A failed save
indicates that the victim has contracted a fatal disease and will die in ld20 days unless treated by a
cure disease spell cast by a priest of 7th or higher level.
Any person exposed to the infected victim must also
make a saving throw vs. petrification each day or
also become infected.
Plague bolts do not lose their potency after being
fired, and may be collected for reuse (unless they have
been broken in flight, 2 in 6 chance). These dangerous
arrows may not be handled with impunity unless the
character has learned the venom handling nonweapon
proficiency (see Chapter One for more on this). All
others must make a save vs. petrification each time
they use a plague bolt, or become infected themselves.
From 1-6 flight arrows (50%) or bolts (50%) will typically be discovered at once. (150 XP each.)
Robes of the Shadow: A favorite magical item
among the followers of the Murder Goddess, these
brocaded robes are equivalent to a cloak of protection,
varying from +1 to +3 in enchantment. The robe's
primary power, however, enables its wearer to assume shadow form for up to one turn per level of
experience, once per day. This power is usually activated by a short prayer to our Lady of Despair (this
command phrase is usually sewn somewhere into
the garment). These robes are considered to be semi-
divine artifacts in the cult of the Death Mother, and
her Stranglers will seek to regain a lost set of robes
regardless of the cost. (1,000 XP per plus.)
Scepter of the Netherworld: This plain ivory
baton, enchanted by priests of the Dead, operates
exactly like the most powerful amulet versus undead.
Its primary function, which may be used by any
character class, enables the owner to turn undead
like a 9th-level priest (this power, available once per
round, draws one charge whether successful or not).
If the owner is a priest with at least minor access to
the necromantic sphere, or a necromancer, the scepter
also enables him or her to call upon the spirits with
speak with dead (once per week, two charges) and summon spirits (once per month, two charges). Refer to the listed spells for details about these powers (the owner
is treated as a 9th-level wizard or priest).
When discovered, the scepter usually contains
from 20-50 charges. It may be recharged by any
priest of 9th level or higher with major access to the
necromantic sphere. (3,000 XP.)
Scroll of Protection from Fiends: These are popular among Philosophers and Undead Masters, who
must regularly traffic with extraplanar creatures.
Like all of the other protection scrolls, they can be
used by any character class.
The scroll requires 1 full round to read if it is to protect against all evil denizens of the Lower Planes, 7 segments if it will ward against greater fiends, and only 3
segments if defending against lesser fiends. The circle of
protection created by the scroll extends in a 10' radius
from the reader. No fiend can penetrate the circle physically or magically in any way, but the person(s) located within the protection may launch attacks from inside. 1 he protection moves with the reader of the scroll. Its
effect lasts for 5-20 (5d4) rounds.
As with other protection scrolls, the warding circle
cannot be used to force a fiend into a place from
where further retreat is impossible (such as a comer).
There is no way in which the scroll can be used as an
offensive weapon. (2,500 XP.)
Shadowblade:This weapon is a prison or receptacle for an undead shadow, and it derives certain
powers from its unholy occupant. It functions as a
blade +1 (either a dagger or a type of sword), and in
addition to inflicting normal weapon damage, it also drains ld4 points of Strength from a victim with each
successful hit.
Anyone drained of all Strength by the weapon
becomes a shadow under the command of the wielder.
A shadowblade cannot be "turned" or controlled by a
priest, though any shadows created by the weapon
have no such immunity.
A shadowblade distinctly radiates evil and necromancy, both of which can be detected with elementary divinations. Only evil characters may employ this weapon. Good or neutral characters wielding the blade may be drained of 1-4 Strength points by its shadowy inhabitant unless they make a saving throw vs. death magic for each round they use the weapon. (XP 2,000.)
Staff of Skulls: This staff, usable by all classes,
animates skeletal or cadaveric remains with the command word "Arise!" (1 charge). Animated skeletons
or zombies are under the command of the staff
wielder (see animate dead). If the staff should change
hands, control of the undead goes with it. Skeletons
or corpses need not be complete, but those lacking
parts will, of course, have their actions and mobility
impaired. Such animation is permanent, lasting until
the undead have been destroyed.
Twenty-five percent of these staves have secondary
functions which can be triggered by all generalist
mages and most specialists, except Enchanters, Illusionists, or Transmuters. These greater staves can
mend broken bones (see bone growth) or reattach severed limbs (see graft flesh) to a wounded and living
subject. They can also be used offensively to attack the
bones of the victim (see bone blight or throbbing bones
(WH)). Each of these four secondary functions draws
one charge and requires a successful attack roll in
combat if the subject is unwilling.
These staves are sometimes topped by a small
ivory skull or hewn from the thighbone of a giant
creature. Both versions of these staves can be readily
enchanted (or recharged) by a necromancer of 12th
level or higher. (900 XP for lesser; 3,500 XP for
greater staff.)
Talisman of Divining: These are some of the only
non-deadly and useful handglyphs created by the
ancient Necromancer Kings. They are similar in
appearance and operation to the handglyphs of power,
detailed previously. The talismans were created for a
variety of divination purposes (choose a power or
roll a d6): 1) detect good/evil, 2) detect life; 3) locate
remains; 4) detect undead; 5) detect poison/disease; 6)
detect magic.
These divinations have a range of a 30' radius
around the talisman and are unaffected by the presence of earth, stone, metal, or wood, though they are
completely blocked by any quantity of salt water,
alcohol, iodine, or quicksilver. These rechargeable
devices usually contain 1-100 charges when discovered. (5,000 XP.)
Necromantic Lore
Tomes of power, forbidden books, and ancient,
long-dead sages can help bring an atmosphere of
necromantic tradition to the campaign, a historical
perspective that adds another dimension of realism
for your players. Among the early writers of the
Cthulhu cycle, it was almost mandatory to create a
book of necromantic secrets.
H. P. Lovecraft had such success with his fictional
Necronomicon, from which he "quoted" so accurately,
that many of his readers believed that the book
existed, convinced by Lovecraft's stories that it had
been penned by the Arab Alhazred before he was
driven mad with his own revelations, dark Ashton
Smith retorted by creating the Book of Eibon, and
Robert Bloch invented Mysteries of the Worm, giving it
a Latin title (De Vermis Mysteriis) to further bolster its
authenticity. All of these authors heightened the realism of their tales by discussing their tomes in a historical context of known treatises on necromancy, such as the Book of Secrets by Albertus Magnus, or the
Egyptian Book of the Dead.
These same techniques work surprisingly well in an
AD&D® campaign. How often does a party of adventurers stumble across the private study of an evil
necromancer and scan the shelves for an interesting
title? In my experience, this has happened many times,
and the most successful DMs have had a few clever
descriptions prepared to intrigue their players. Obviously, we are not suggesting that the DM invent a
whole library of necromantic titles and their contents.
It is sufficient to make up a few books and refer to
these frequently so that the players quickly come to
recognize them as symbols of necromantic lore.
Here, then, is a small sample of what a group of
adventurers might find on the bookshelves of a powerful necromancer. These books can be used as an
item of treasure for a successful raiding party, or the
object of a quest by the adventurers, who may seek
to recover some of the ancient lore contained therein.
Note that many of these books contain knowledge
about evil, extraplanar creatures or black necromancy. Although many of the evil-aligned magical
tomes in the DMG carry powerful wardings to prevent their use by good characters, there is no such
magical protection for the books mentioned here,
unless a trap has been set by the book's current
owner as a deterrent to theft. Instead, feel free to use
the system of punishments outlined in Chapter Three
whenever a good character willingly uses an evil
tome mentioned in this section. Of course, all of these
books (whether good or evil) will be widely sought
after by necromancers, and if one of the tomes happens to be in the party's possession at the time, they
could be in store for a nasty encounter or perhaps
even a new adventure.
The Art of Necromancy. This heavy tome was
penned by Kazerabet, the former queen of an entire
undead principality and a renowned scholar of the
ancient Necromancer Kings of the Ruined Kingdoms.
This book contains many useful necromantic spells
(gray and white necromancy mostly) and also descriptions on how to create and recharge various necromantic magical items (as alluded to previously in this
chapter). The book includes an encyclopedic description of undead, along with a discussion of their special
powers and weaknesses. Finally, the book ends with a
translation dictionary for Kadari, the ancient language
of the Necromancer Kings. Wizards who read the Art
of Necromancy can learn necrology and ancient languages (Kadari) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies
(see Chapter One) at a rate of one proficiency for every
1-4 months of the character's studying.
The Book of Shadows. It is said that Nebt Bhakau
dictated this account of black necromancy to his
summoned shadow familiars while he lay in an
oubliette before his execution. After his death, copies
of this book started to appear in nearby cities, and
although all available copies were promptly burned
and the book was banned by the local authorities, it
is a widely known fact that some copies escaped the
interdiction. The book is a thorough treatise on the
Black Arts, and includes all of the baneful spells
listed on Table 7 on page 46.
Of more interest, perhaps, to the Undead Master
especially, the book also contains many of the secret
rites necessary to raise up crawling claws, enslave
evil genies, summon fiendish familiars from the
Outer Planes, and subjugate skeleton warriors. Wizards who read this book carefully gain a +1 bonus on
their netherworld knowledge nonweapon proficiency check.
On Coming Forth By Day. This clerical tome has
been compiled over countless generations by the
priests of the Dead, and contains a description (but
not the actual secrets) of all clerical spells from the
necromantic sphere. It also contains the procedure
for fashioning scarabs of protection by a priest of at
least 9th level.
Any priest who reads this magical tome and ponders its contents for over a month gains minor access
to the necromantic sphere (if she or he had none
before) or major access to the necromantic sphere (if
he or she had only minor access before). A priest
who already has major access to the sphere achieves
an improved understanding of necromantic spells,
gaining a permanent +1 bonus on his or her saving
throws against these spells (whether cast by a wizard
or priest).
The Necrophidicon. This thin, magical volume is
a specialized manual of golems that can be used to create a necrophidius (a type of golem described in full
in the MONSTROUS MANUAL). Normally, the process
requires a wizard of at least 14th level (or a priest of
at least 9th level), approximately 10 days of labor,
and at least 8,000 gp in materials.
If the wizard or priest is not sufficiently powerful,
he or she may invoke the necessary incantations from
the book, although this destroys the Necrophidicon in
the process (the manufacture of the golem still takes
the same amount of time and cost in materials). Many
of these tomes were also used as notebooks by skilled
necromancers and death priests and may contain the
secrets of creating other kinds of necromantic golems.
The Nycoptic Manuscripts. These twin papyrus
scrolls arc inscribed with ancient tales and cryptic
prophesies by an anonymous author who was probably (at least partially) insane. Despite their dubious
accuracy, the manuscripts contain many useful
descriptions of necromantic spells (both priest and
wizard) and magical items, particularly those incantations and devices that affect a person's life force.
The details of such spells and items are not present,
but the manuscripts can be used to cut the time and
expense for researching these topics in half. The
Manuscripts are thus an invaluable tool of necromantic research and, as such, are highly prized by both
necromancers and death priests. Some spellcasters -
once their sanity has faded from reading the Manuscripts too many times - are said to at last understand
the author's doomsday prophesies. Finally, the Manuscripts supposedly contain the full rite of creating
an undead plague (a quest spell outlined in TOM).
This powerful incantation can only be comprehended and invoked by a priest (or necromancer)
who has already failed at least one madness check
(see Chapter Three). The spell disappears from the
Manuscripts after it has been read, only to reappear
when the work passes on to a new owner.
The Fabric of the Human Body. This oversized
book is a comprehensive monograph about the structure and function of the human body. It is recognized
as one of the most thorough and accurate texts on
human anatomy and contains dozens of drawings
depicting dissected cadavers. This work will be found
on the shelf of almost any respected Anatomist. Provided a wizard or priest already has a basic proficiency in healing, he or she would be able to leam the
Anatomy nonweapon proficiency after three months
of study (and at least one dissection of a human
cadaver).
The Eleven Baneful Gates. This ancient scroll is
thought to contain the secret of immortality, symbolized by eleven tests or riddles. The work was bestowed
by a prophet of the gods on a wizard-king (perhaps one
of the Necromancer Kings). According to legend, this
king sundered his realm after becoming immortal,
leaving nothing in his wake but sand and dust.
Copies of the original are known to exist, and
these rare books cover in full detail the various rites
involved in becoming a lich. The process requires a
powerful necromantic potion and a wizard of at least
18th level (in order to survive the transformation at
least). This work is one of the books most coveted by
necromancers and would-be liches alike.