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Necromancy

Anyone pursuing an active interest in necromancy must do so in secret. If the caster is an arcane caster, he will have to find a fellow necromancer from which to learn spells or experiment in secret on his own. This experimentation is risky, costly and time consuming. Tracking down an experienced necromancer is also a risky proposition as many of them do not wish to be found or bothered and will treat a newcomer as a hostile party until proven otherwise.

Commoners, city folk, peasants, merchants, craftsmen and other people that are not used to the horrors of adventuring will shy away from any form of necromancy and the more repulsive necromantic arts inspire immediate fear and loathing. Many commoners, when exposed to undead or active necromancy, must make a Will save (DC 15) to avoid fleeing in terror. Even if they make this saving throw, they usually leave the vicinity with haste just out of common sense.

Here is list of necromantic spells:

  • Animate Dead 1 4
  • Astral Projection 2 3
  • Cause Fear 2
  • Chill Touch 4
  • Circle of Death 1 4
  • Circle of Doom 1 4
  • Clone
  • Contagion 1 2
  • Control Undead 4
  • Create Greater Undead 1 4
  • Create Undead 1 4
  • Death Knell 1 4
  • Death Ward 2 3
  • Deathwatch 2
  • Destruction 1 4
  • Disrupt Undead 3
  • Energy Drain 1 4
  • Enervation 1 4
  • Fear 2
  • Finger of Death 2 4
  • Gentle Repose 3
  • Ghoul Touch 1 4
  • Greater Restoration 3
  • Halt Undead 3
  • Harm 4
  • Horrid Wilting 2
  • Inflict Critical Wounds 4
  • Inflict Light Wounds 4
  • Inflict Minor Wounds 4
  • Inflict Moderate Wounds 4
  • Inflict Serious Wounds 4
  • Magic Jar 1 2 4
  • Poison 2
  • Ray of Enfeeblement 2
  • Scare 2
  • Slay Living 2 4
  • Soul Bind 1 4
  • Speak with Dead 3
  • Spectral Hand
  • Vampiric Touch 2
  • Wail of the Banshee 1 4

Notes:
1) These spells are especially repulsive to people. Commoners that witness these spells in action must make a will save (DC 20) or flee the area. Even if the will save is made, they will be driven back in disgust.
2) These spells have no visual clues to indicate that they are necromantic spells. Anyone watching the casting of the spell or observing the effects of the spell must make a spellcraft roll to recognize the spell for what it is. If this spellcraft roll is failed, then the observer is oblivious to the fact that the spell is a necromantic one.
3) These spells are the "acceptable" necromantic spells. These spells will not drive people away or cause fear, but casting them will still cast a shadow of suspicion over the character unless the character is known to be of pure mind and heart. Even though Gentle Repose is a socially acceptable spell, if someone is found to be using this spell to preserve mass amounts of corpses for later, diabolical uses, then the act of preserving the corpses become repulsive. The same thing applies to Speak with Dead. If the caster is attempting to gain information that can help the greater good or solve a crime (such as the act that turned the person into the corpse that they now are,) then the spell is acceptable. If the spell is used as a posthumous form of interrogation or torture, then the spell become repulsive to the witnesses of the conversation.
4) Necromantic power check required by the caster immediately upon completion of the spell. (See below for details.) I chose these spells because they did one of the following:

  • Drew upon or directly controlled negative energy.
  • Derived thier results via manipulation, disruption or destruction of life-force, life energy or souls.
  • Were part of the Evil or Death spheres.

    Whenever a necromantic power check is required, the caster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 10 plus double the level of the spell. If Sarkin (a level 13 cleric) casts slay living (a 5th level spell), he must roll 1d20 and add 13 and get higher than the DC of 20 (10 + (2 * 5)) in order to avoid the debilitating effects of harnessing negative energy. The roll of a 1 always fails and the roll of a 20 always succeeds.

    If the check is made, then nothing out of the ordinary happens. If the PC rolls a 20 to avoid gaining a Dark Curse, then they may roll a second caster level check against the original DC of the power check (just like converting a threat to a critical hit in combat.) If the second roll is successful, then the caster gains a Dark Gift. Upon gaining a Dark Gift, the player rolls on the Dark Gift chart to see how he has been blessed by the evil that he is harnessing. Not all Dark Gifts are pleasant and desireable, however. Once the player rolls a Dark Gift, he must take it and can never be rid of it short of a miracle or wish. There is no refund counter in the plane of negative energy.

    If the necromantic power check is failed, then the caster must roll 1d4 to determine the type of Dark Curse he will receive. Once the type is determiend, the player must roll on the appropriate chart to determine the type of curse the dark powers are bestowing upon him. Once a Dark Curse is gained, it may be removed (via remove curse) by someone (other than the caster) that is at least 5 levels higher than the caster at the time that he gained the curse. If the Dark Curse remains in place for more than a month (40 days), then it may only be removed via a miracle or wish.

    ... CHARTS TO BE MADE SOON ...