Skeletons
Type: Simple Bone Construct
The Rank-and-File troop in a necromancers arsenal. Magic keeps everything in place and working, but the corpse needs to be cleaned for ease of casting. Those skilled enough could always add to this basic design, but many of them opt to get real creative instead.
Zombies
Type: Lowly Fleshgolem
Raising a true zombie is achieved by drenching his dead flesh in necromantic energies, mostly to make them work without all that pesky blood and what-not. Another reason is to skirt around the bodily damage that most of the subjects have received - willing specimen being somewhat hard to obtain in most cases. Most variations can be made into ghouls, the later sometimes falling back to this form when their magical metabolism fails.
Bone Monstrosities
Type: Advanced Bone Construct
Putting together a behemoth unseen in nature with ever differing parts, is a favourite past-time for a great deal of necromancers. While many move on to create Flesh Monstrosities as their knowledge and experience grows, these expertly crafted bone golems can easily seed fear and destruction in their wake. It is of note that Autonomous and Wight are considered redundant terms, as the time that goes into crafting these unique constructs demands strengthening them as far as possible. Coupled with the notable chances of failure, it is no wonder that most of them fill in some sort of niche that normal undead are not able to fill. As such, not all of them are walking siege or slaughter machines - with the occasional specialist fulfilling more diverse duties but really, most of them are.
Ghouls
Type: Mundane Fleshgolem
One of the somewhat advanced necromantic creatures, the common ghoul at its height is a dangerous opponent to face in melee combat. Noteworthy is that it retains the ability to feed. While the magic used in its creation will keep it undead even when starved, it will be much slower and weaker than if fed. While not above feeding on common creatures, intelligent and magical beings are much preferred.
Ghosts
Type: Archetype
Behind this common moniker for any dead soul that is unbound to a body, actually stands a plethora of entities. Even the notorious necromancer normally only deals with the more basic spectres, as the ire of an elder ghost is rather problematic. As souls of the upper planes mesh together into single entities, one should tread carefully according to the age of the ghost one is dealing with.
Revenant
Class: Natural Undead
Repossessing their own dead body, the generic revenant albeit a rather rare occurrence is the most occurring of the corporeal natural undead. Not unlike a wraith, most of them seek vengeance or retribution of some kind. They retain all of their memories prior to their demise, but their immense grudge warps their character in favour of completing their goal. Some of them may be swayed into servitude, but a necromancer is actually more likely to produce one by not taking the souls of the fallen into possession. While a newly risen revenant is not a worthy challenge for most necromancers, their souls grow stronger in undeath - one should only anger the more ancient ones at their own peril.
School of Necromancy
Branches: Mysticism, Occultism
Animate Skeleton 50 MP
Raise a temporary Skeleton to do your bidding. Lasts 1 Day, extendible by 3 MP per day.
Can be made permanent by spending additional 30 MP on it.
One of the most basic Spells of Necromancy, the caster weaves a magical net that substitutes as muscles for the raised skeleton. Unless a beginner or in a dire situation, most necromancers also include a few minor enchantments that enable the construct to gather mana on its own, making it self-sustaining instead of temporary.
Turn Lesser Undead 30 MP
Allows you to destroy, render harmless or straightly take over an undead creature.
Making another undead your own, is a tricky buisness. Much depends on the skill and care that was put into it, with advanced constructs not seldom being protected against such mischief. Undead with an enslaved soul attached, are significantly harder to turn, but could still be disabled by this spell.
Soulspeaker 20 MP
Allows you to contact the souls of the dead, and to communicate with them. Duration 1 Hour.
Conferring with restless souls is not the most common of past-times of a necromancer, more prone to just outright enslaving them instead but it is a staple spell. Also useful if you want to converse with natural or rouge undead that lack vocal chords. Which most of them do.
Enslave Lesser Souls - 25 MP
Allows the enslavement of lesser, or rather newly dead souls.
A soul may be placed into a construct, resulting in an autonomous undead.
A souls essence may be devoured, restoring half of the souls previously held maximum mana.
Devouring a Soul or failing this spell has the chance to transform the affected into a wraith, which will be hostile towards the caster.
Necromancy would be a lot less hated no, really if it were not for this factor. Binding a soul into an undead body, curses the former to strengthen the later. The result is no longer just a marionette, but an intelligent being, able to deduce and solve problems. The presence of a soul also results in strengthened physical abilities, most notably a higher agility, attributed to the presence of mind within.
The risk of creating a wraith is not to be neglected however, with many aspiring necromancers having found their untimely demise by one of their own machinations. Especially practitioners of the arcane arts and priests are known to transform into a vengeful spirit via this method.
Animate Zombie 80 MP
Raise a temporary Zombie to do your bidding. Lasts 1 Day, extendible by 5 MP per day.
Can be made permanent by spending additional 40 MP on it.
Whereas a skeleton is held together by weaving mana around the bones, a zombies flesh is drenched in it, enabling it to move once more on its own. The result is that a Zombie is more enduring, but cutting its muscles makes them easy to cripple. Their strength is not that much different from a skeleton though, with some necromancers favouring to raise en mass the later instead. Necromantic works actually have often enough a whole section addressing which one would be a better investment, but with no real conclusion it may just be matter of taste.
Telepathic Link 10 MP, Duration 1 Day
Allows for affected and caster to communicate thoughts, even over large distances
To activate the spell at range, the affected needs to be previously marked for 30 MP
The perfect spell for all those who want to leave the care of their troops to their inferior creations, it eases logistic problems that often enough arise when one has risen just too many of the undead. Obviously it can also be used for more refined plans, and should not miss in any aspiring necromancers tome. There is only one limitation, as the affected needs to be intelligent enough to form thoughts, which in turn translates into a soul natural or acquired making no difference in the matter.
School of Transmutation
Branches: Enchanting, Alteration
Drain Energy 20MP +50% of the drained Energy must be paid in MP
Allows you to drain a prone or enslaved creature of its mana or vitality.
This spell is one of the main reasons why the rising number of undead under a necromancers command is sometimes a boon, instead of an encumberment. Vampires actually do something that is quite the same, albeit it comes naturally to them, and they are far more proficient at it.
Change Object 30 MP, Duration 1 Hour
Allows you to temporary change the properties or shape of an object.
While very useful to strengthen armour, blunting swords and lightening maces, one should be wary of the duration and intended effect. Actually also the all-time-favourite of drunkard mages, as transforming water into booze allows the inebriation to begone in the moment at which the effect of the spell wears off...
Store Mana 25MP + Desired Amount
Allows you to store mana into gemstones.
Perfect for sticky situations, or spells that go way above ones reserves. The used gemstone can only hold so much, and it is common for those of lesser quality to break upon draining. Even so, this spell has saved lives and undoubtedly also taken quite a number of them as well.
Healing Gambit 2 MP converts to 3 HP, Duration 5 Hours
Can temporarily close mortal wounds and even re-attach lost limbs, safe beheading
Quite the universal healing spell, it makes no difference if the target is living, dead or even artificial. As long as it is corporeal, the wound is closed with pseudo-flesh that will hold up as long as the spell does. A real life-safer, which is quite often used in battle when a real healing spell would be too complicated and cost intensive. As the documented case of a specific gnome acolyte shows, life can be extended for at least one month if this method is used. Though really unless one is unable to cast true healing like in the mentioned case, it is not a very wise nor productive thing to do.
School of Divination
Branches: Kabalism, Mysticism
Improved Sight 10 MP, Duration 1 Hour
Your natural vision is improved threefold.
The first spell that most elfs ever learn, improved sight supplements the vision of the affected by making the eyes a conductor for scrying. To the relief of many a generation of female acolytes, and the dismay of many a generation of male acolytes, even the easiest of wards is able to impede the sensory improvement at the destination itself. Much coveted by archers, scouts, spies and similar, one should be wary of nausea, especially the first few times the spell is woven.
Gauge Nature 20 MP
Allows you to gain a limited understanding of the targeted object, spell or creature
One of the more basic divinations, the spell still has ample uses, and has exposed its share of frauds and deception. The main limitation lies however with the user, as he will need to make sense of what he is seeing. As example, a fresh acolyte who has only mastered this spell, will be able to see wards and enchantments without problem but might be unable to realize what exactly he is seeing.
Wounds and repairing the Undead
While often unfaltered by even the worst of wounds, the one drawback of the undead is their lack of natural regeneration with some variants of natural undead and fleshgolems being the exception. For a skeletal construct, weaving any broken or missing parts back on is quite possible. If such a practice has any merit, is for the necromancer himself to decide.
Joining the bone back together would require "Necromantic Healing", which also would work on most damages any corporal undead would have sustained.
Magical wounds that have been inflicted on a ghost may or may not heal on their own, but the needed timespan can stretch decades. For such cases, consuming a souls essence via "Enslave Soul" should normally help the individual in question. Should the target be unable to do so on its own, a variant of "Empower Ghost" ought to give the same results.
As always, specific magical conditions can hinder, negate or even worsen attempts at healing. Consult the chapters "Blessings & other Curses", "Divining Magical Afflictions" and "Personal Wards" for a more in-depth treatise if this should be the case.
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Topic: [ISG] Ghoulish (Read 78784 times)