Necromancy

"I am become Death, shatterer of worlds."

- J. Robert Oppenheimer upon witnessing the explosion of the first atomic bomb

Necromancy Spell Notes
Many of the spells listed below can be considered to belong to traditions other than necromancy. Magical traditions are often separated only by their trappings. For example, a geomancer using Strength of the Stolen Soul would not consider his magics to be necromancy any more than a necromancer considers whether her actions are in alignment with the worldly harmonies. Thus, a wizard who summons a fire Elemental may be a summoner, an elementalist, or a fire-mage. Similarly a mage may specialize in curses without being a necromancer at all. Many of these spells are obviously necromancy (such as the ritual to create zombies), but many may not be considered such when utilized and modified by another tradition. As to whether a particular bonus or penalty against necromancy is applicable, that is often a judgement call on the part of the Game Master, based on the spell description, the tradition (if any) of the caster, the tradition of whomever the caster learned it from, the use and intent, and how badly the Game Master wants to screw over the player characters.

The Necromantic Tradition
The tradition of necromancy is noted by its trappings. Bones, the stench of decay, nighttime visits to graveyards, and even the black hooded robe are all stereotypical visual images that come to mind when one mentions the word 'necromancer', although the latter is seen increasingly often as the graduation robe of Archmage Volgor's academy. While there are no requirements for a necromancer to wield a scythe and live in a tomb—indeed advertising that one is a necromancer brings a mixed bag of reactions at best—however, there is some truth to the myths. Typical items found at the site of a necromantic ritual include: smoky fires (or only the light of the moon), bone dust, chalk, candles (black, white, red, in descending order of frequency), spilled blood, bone jewellery or tools, assorted body parts, rattles, screams of victims, chanting, moans of the newly re-risen, and skull-themed jewellery, but admittedly the latter is more often decorative than functional. Many of a necromancer's spells will be cast in accordance with the trappings and ritae of her chosen tradition. That is, a spell whose textual description does not specify necromancy—or even mentions another tradition—would still likely involve a bone altar and grey make-up. This is especially true of those rituals learned by your master, an arcane text written in Nocturne, or another necromancer. It is possible to learn a given spell from a wizard who follows another tradition. In this case, the necromancer would either have to deal with the unfamiliar trappings of that tradition, or convert the spell to the more comforting necromantic ways. For example, a particular summoning my involve wearing brightly coloured feathers and clucking like a chicken—something that does not sit well with the average necromancer—the two options are to either dance around like a giant bird, or adjust the ritual to where one must sacrifice the chicken. This alternative requires at least journeyman knowledge of the Principles of Magic.

Blood magic creeps people out. People are especially affected by the sight of their own. Many an old necromancer has a personal tale about the time that some great and fierce warrior slashed his way through the Undead minions and charged towards the mage. When the mage pricked his finger for a last-minute blood-blessing to try and defend himself, the warrior fainted dead at the sight of the single drop of blood. Ofttimes this category of magic requires that the necromancer cut himself, this need not be sufficient to cause a point of damage (the spell description should specify), but it will always hurt. It is possible to get used to it, but that moment of pain is always there.

Curses may have either a stated effect ("All your hair will fall out"), or it may be more generic ("You will have misfortune and bad luck"). Exceptions to this will be stated with the individual curse. Unless otherwise noted, a curse need be carried out to neither full effect nor duration—the caster can lift his or her curses at any time. A victim need not be aware of a curse, but cursing them directly (face-to-face) reduces their saving throw by -4; cursing them indirectly (crude picture of them with a knife stuck through it, left on their porch) is half of this, -2. Much of the power of a curse is in the victim's knowledge of it; an unaware victim receives his full saving throw. Again, exceptions listed in the individual spell description will override this.

Divination has long been the righteous path that many necromancers first walk down. In fact, quite a few necromancers do not start that way, being originally diviners and seers. However, the dark desire to learn what dead men know leads at least as many divining mages towards necromancy as forbidden knowledge leads some towards nethermancy (contacting Demons and spirits of other worlds, detailed in Conquest—The White Horse). Indeed there is some overlap between the two as nethermancers may sometimes summon the dead as well. At its heart, necromancy is summoning the dead for divining, as in the Necromancy of Intelligence ritual.

Unless otherwise noted, most necromantic spells generally require a ritual of at least one hour.

"But how many spells do I start with?" Remember that rituals and other spells in Midian are skills. They are purchased and handled in the same manner as any other skill. For those of you graduating from another game system, there is no set number of spells per day, no starting list, no point cost to cast, nothing of the kind. Spells are purchased or learned as any other skill, and may be attempted as often as desired and feasible. In fact, given the stringent nature of necromancy—especially the high overall skill point cost—it is likely that a young necromancer will have no other spells or magic abilities than the Necromancy of Intelligence at the start of his or her career.

Necromancy Spell Groupings
It is common for a necromancer to select spells from one grouping primarily. This allows a for certain image, or 'feel'. Thus one necromancer may style herself as a mistress of curses, while another may dedicate himself to his reanimated minions. The spell groupings are: blood, bone, grave, murder, reanimation, and restless spirits. There is some cross-over between groups, for example Slaying Skull is both murder and bone magic. These are not restrictive lists, that is you do not need to know all of one list before learning another, nor do you need to learn them sequentially—they are listed alphabetically—but rather simply descriptive groupings. Any requirements to learn a particular spell—such as knowledge of another ritual, or a group of such from one category—will be listed with each spell description. Spells marked with an asterisk (*) count as two skills at character creation—or more, in the case of the Necropolitan Skill Suite.

Blood

 * Blood-bonding Ritual (detailed in the Midian Codex)
 * Blood Blessing (detailed in the Midian Codex)
 * Blood Mark Curse
 * Bloodsoak
 * Blood Spike*
 * Bloodstained Hands
 * Cleanse the Scabrous Wound
 * Cry of the Blood: requires Blood-bonding Ritual
 * Essence of Purity
 * Expurge the Blood
 * Familiar Combat Enhancement: requires Familiar
 * Identify Blood: requires Chemistry III
 * Life Drain: requires any two other blood spells
 * Pierce the Masque: requires Odour of the Grave
 * Restful Draught: requires Alchemy
 * Thinner than Water: requires Bloodsoak
 * Undead Seeker

Bone

 * Blunted Fang: requires Restore Bone
 * Bone Bond: requires Alchemy or two bone spells
 * Bone Danse: requires Helping Hands
 * Bone Fragments*
 * Bone Thorns*
 * Divination—Rolling Bones
 * Grasping Hands
 * Mimir Skull
 * Petrify Bones
 * Rattlin' Bones
 * Reassembly
 * Reinforce Skeletal Construct: requires Restore Bone
 * Restore Bone
 * Skull Spy: requires Scrying
 * Slaying Skull*
 * Weaken Bone

Curse

 * Anchor: requires Effigy
 * Angkou: requires Consecrate Cemetery and at least 3 spells from the Crossing Over subset of Restless Spirits
 * Atemi: Dim Mak*: requires Meditation
 * Blood Mark Curse
 * Circle of Fear
 * Degenerative Spiral: requires Balancing and Never the Strong
 * Effigy*
 * Gangrene: requires Preservation
 * Geas*
 * Last Rites*: requires: Unique curse, Magic Lore, spell to be linked
 * Life Drain: requires any two other blood spells
 * Never the Strong
 * Odour of the Grave: requires Grave Sense
 * Pariah Curse: requires appropriate Cultural knowledge
 * Pulling for Death's Embrace
 * Strike Barren
 * Sympathy for the Enemy
 * Temporis Augmentum*
 * Thinner than Water: requires Bloodsoak
 * Unique Curse: requires at least ten other curse spells
 * Weaken Bone

Divination

 * Apparition Flare
 * Bloodstained Hands
 * Consume the Dead
 * Divination—Aruspicy
 * Divination—Rolling Bones
 * Envision Spirits
 * Essence of Purity
 * Eyes of the Corinthian
 * Find Remains
 * George's Tongue
 * Grave Sense
 * Identify Blood: requires Chemistry III
 * Milky Eye
 * Mimir Skull
 * Necromancy of Intelligence (detailed in the Midian Codex)
 * Necropsy: requires Forensics III
 * Odour of the Grave: requires Grave Sense
 * Pierce the Masque: requires Odour of the Grave
 * Skull Spy: requires Scrying
 * Spiritual Review: requires Necromancy of Intelligence (from the Midian Codex)
 * Thanatoptics
 * Undead Seeker
 * Whispers from Beyond the Grave

Grave

 * Anchor: requires Effigy
 * Angkou: requires Consecrate Cemetery and at least three spells from the Crossing Over subset of Restless Spirits
 * Bloated Corpse
 * Consecrate Cemetery
 * Consume the Dead
 * Displace the Restless Spirit: requires Digging and Funerary Rites
 * Familiar Face: requires the ability to rework Undead
 * Find Remains
 * Formication
 * Gangrene: requires Preservation
 * Grasping Hands
 * Grave Sense
 * Little Death*: requires Preservation and four additional spells from Grave, Murder, &/or Reanimation
 * Milky Eye
 * Necropsy: requires Forensics III
 * Odour of the Grave: requires Grave Sense
 * Preservation
 * Silence of the Grave: requires Cries in the Night and Sneaking
 * Steal the Life's Warmth
 * Suspend Decay: requires either Embalm or Preservation
 * Treasure Guardian
 * Whispers from Beyond the Grave

Murder

 * Angkou: requires Consecrate Cemetery and at least three spells from the Crossing Over subset of Restless Spirits
 * Black Thumb
 * Blood Spike*
 * Bloodstained Hands
 * Divination—Aruspicy
 * Extermination: requires Black Thumb and Steal the Life's Warmth
 * Familiar Face: requires the ability to rework Undead
 * Grim Visage*
 * Hands of Death
 * Hands of the Sith: requires Telekinesis
 * Last Rites*: requires: Unique Curse, Magic Lore, spell to be linked
 * Little Death*: requires Preservation and four additional spells from Grave, Murder, &/or Reanimation
 * Milky Eye
 * Only Mostly Dead
 * Poisonous Presence
 * Slaying Skull*
 * Thanatoptics
 * Thinner than Water: requires Bloodsoak
 * Transfusion of Life

Reanimation

 * Angkou: requires Consecrate Cemetery and at least three spells from the Crossing Over subset of Restless Spirits
 * Bone Danse: requires Helping Hands
 * Bringing Out the Dead: requires Summoning Circle
 * Deadman's Tale
 * Familiar Face: requires the ability to rework Undead
 * Fastburn Corpse: requires Zombie
 * George's Tongue
 * Grasping Hands
 * Helping Hands
 * Little Death*: requires Preservation and four additional spells from Grave, Murder, &/or Reanimation
 * Mimir Skull
 * Mockery of Life: requires either Consecrate Cemetery or Summoning Circle
 * Mourning Bell
 * Only Mostly Dead
 * Odour of the Grave: requires Grave Sense
 * Pierce the Masque: requires Odour of the Grave
 * Reassembly
 * Reinforce Skeletal Construct: requires Restore Bone
 * Semetary: requires Zombie
 * Suspend Decay: requires either Embalm or Preservation
 * Todesracher: requires Zombie
 * Transfusion of Life
 * Treasure Guardian
 * Undead Seeker
 * Zombie: requires Lesser Protection Circle

Restless Spirits

 * Angkou: requires Consecrate Cemetery and at least three spells from the Crossing Over subset of Restless Spirits
 * Apparition Flare
 * Blade Spirit: requires knowledge on how to trap a soul
 * Circle of Protection: Spectres: requires Lesser Protection Circle
 * Circle of Protection: Undead: requires Circle of Protection: Spectres
 * Displace the Restless Spirit: requires Digging and Funerary Rites
 * Envision Spirits
 * Eyes of the Corinthian
 * Mockery of Life: requires either Consecrate Cemetery or Summoning Circle
 * Necromancy of Intelligence (detailed in the Midian Codex)
 * Pulling for Death's Embrace
 * Repel Spirit: requires Circle of Protection: Spectres
 * Spirit Beacon: requires Summoning Circle
 * Spiritual Review: requires Necromancy of Intelligence (from the Midian Codex)
 * Strength of the Stolen Soul: requires knowledge on how to trap a soul
 * Whispers from Beyond the Grave
 * Crossing Over (subset)
 * Ectoplasmic Raiment
 * Ghost Form*: requires Meditation
 * Insubstance: requires Spectral Movement
 * Manifestation of Thin Flesh: requires Spectral Movement or Transparency
 * Spectral Movement: requires Ghost Form
 * Transparency: requires Ghost Form

Additional spells and skills
That are useful tothe necromancer that are covered in this book:
 * Augury: requires Scrying
 * Bonecraft
 * Cries in the Night
 * Digging
 * Dispel Magic: requires at least one accompanying ability
 * Embalm
 * Funerary Rites
 * Fungal Lore
 * Hollow Voice: requires Acting, Public Speaking, or Vocal Impressions
 * Ineffectualize
 * Necropolitan Skill Suite
 * Shrink Heads
 * Talisman Memory Mark: requires Arcane Symbols and Glyph Writing
 * Use Circles: requires Arcane Symbols

Spell Chains
Some spells have requirements that in turn have their own requirements. Rather than make you search all over to find all of these chained requirements, we have detailed them below. Read the chart across to find the full chain of requirements for each spell:

Other spells have class bonuses as prerequisites, detailed below:

Blade Spirit: requires knowledge on how to trap a soul—Alchemist XI, Death Knight XII†, Necromancer XIV

Familiar Combat Enhancement: requires Familiar—Necromancer III, Elementalist V

Familiar Face: requires the ability to rework Undead—Necromancer IV

Strength of the Stolen Soul: requires knowledge on how to trap a soul—Alchemist VIII, Death Knight XII†, Necromancer XVI

† Note that death knights don't actually learn how to trap souls, but can make use of those entrapped by others.

"'Chapter Fifteen, Elementary Necromancy,' she read out loud. 'Lesson One: Correct Use of Shovel…'"

- Terry Pratchett