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::''Returning players may want to read the page for [[Returning Players]] before continuing.''
::''You may wish to check out the [[Necromancer_new_player_guide|new player guide for this guild]].
{{Necro}}
{{Necro}}
{{guild infobox|guild=Necromancer|image=small_necromancer_300.jpg
{{guild infobox|guild=Necromancer|image=small_necromancer_300.jpg
|skill1=Survival|skill2a=Lore|skill2b=Magic|skill3a=Armor|skill3b=Weapon
|skill1=Survival|skill2a=Lore|skill2b=Magic|skill3a=Armor|skill3b=Weapon
|abilities= [[Risen]]
|abilities= [[Risen]]
|mana=Arcane}}
|mana=Necromantic}}


'''Necromancer''' refers to a diverse group of Arcane magic users that utilize a collection of sorceries -- including blood magic, alchemy and the animation of the undead -- to further their evil and selfish goals. They are universally shunned by society and by the gods, being viewed as abominations and monsters that prey on the innocent and sell their souls into damnation for power.
Roiling, tenuous shadows pour from the very depths of the eternal abyss. Their aim is to consume all life, to reduce the very earth to ash and ruin. Few are those willing to stand in the face of such evil. Fewer still are bold enough, twisted enough, and ambitious enough to dare attempting to control it.


Necromancers are broken into three ideological camps. [[Player character]] Necromancers begin by affiliating with the Philosophers of the Knife, which are unique in that they pursue "the Great Work": the use of necromancy to find eternal life. Often they hide themselves in crowds, like wolves among sheep, while others eschew society entirely and rule in the hinterlands. A group of radical holy men, the [[Hounds of Rutilor]], are dedicated to the Philosophers' annihilation, and will hunt down any Necromancer they find openly practicing within their reach.
In this time when the Holy Church is screaming murder at the faintest hint of Necromancy, will you be able to keep your own dark secrets? Will you be able to bear the danger, the scorn, in return for the power? The table is being set, and the hour that the banquet will arrive is close at hand.


Necromancers are intended by design to be an '''advanced option''' for players who are already familiar with the game and want to try a profession that includes some novel and difficult permutations on the normal play experience.
Will you be ready?


Players reading this page may also wish to note that the majority of this information is '''not''' considered commonly known in-character to non-Necromancers.
-GM Abasha (Necromancer Guild Advocate)

The '''Necromancer Guild''' is intended, by design, to be an advanced option. It is intended to be there for players who are already familiar with the game and want to try a profession that includes some novel and difficult permutations on the normal play experience.


<br />
<br />


==Official Information==
==Official Information==
[[Image:NecromancerCrest.jpg|thumb|'''Guild crest''']]
[[Image:NecromancerCrest.jpg|thumb|'''[[Guild Crests|Guild crest]]''']]
===Skillset===
===Skillsets===


* Survival Primary<br />
* Survival Primary<br />
* Magic and Lore Secondary<br />
* Magic and Lore Secondary<br />
* Armor and Weapons Tertiary<br />
* Armor and Weapons Tertiary<br />

===Guildhalls===
* The majority of guildleaders and guild locations are not common knowledge. As such, they are not included in this list unless that changes.
* Each guildhall is associated with certain ideologies. Necromancers of a rejected ideology will not be [[Entry ritual#Ideology|allowed entry]].

;[[Zoluren]]
:The Triumphant [[Zamidren|Zamidren Book]] initiates and leads nascent Philosophers of the Knife from his [[Necromancer Guildhall (Zoluren)|hidden lair]] somewhere in Zoluren.

===Necromancer Ideologies===
*[[Philosophers of the Knife|The Philosophers of the Knife]]
*[[Perverse|The Perverse]]
*[[Redeemed|The Redeemed]]


===Crafting Affiliation===
===Crafting Affiliation===
Line 30: Line 42:
See: [[Crafting]]
See: [[Crafting]]


==Guild Abilities==
===[[:Category:Necromancer_Spells|Necromancy Spells/Progression/Spell Books]]===


===[[Arcane Magic]]===
[[File:3.0Necrotree.PNG]]


Necromancers use [[necromancy]] which is a subset of [[sorcery]] also referred to as "ontologic sorcery" by Philosophers. Necromancy by definition uses some Life mana in the mix along with either Elemental and/or Lunar. Necromancers have access to the [[:Category: Animation Spellbook|Animation]], [[:Category: Blood Magic Spellbook|Blood Magic]], [[:Category:Corruption Spellbook|Corruption]], [[:Category: Synthetic Creation Spellbook|Synthetic Creation]], and [[:Category: Transcendental Necromancy Spellbook|Transcendental Necromancy]] spellbooks. [[Redeemed|Redeemed necromancers]] get access to an additional spellbook, [[:Category:Anabasis spellbook|Anabasis]].
*[http://www.play.net/dr/info/spells/spelllist.asp?guild=11 The official Play.net spell list]


To do this effectively, Necromancers utilize something colloquially known as Arcane or Necromantic mana. This is not actually a distinct mana type, but a freakishly bizarre, illusory aggregate they perceive as the result of substantial and imperfect alterations to the Necromancer's nervous system done when they attempt to attune themselves to Lunar, Elemental, and Life mana all at once.
===[[Spell slot progressions|Necromancer spell slots]]===


Due to the process through which they become attuned, young Necromancers appear to be attuned to Life, Lunar, or Elemental mana until they become so corrupted (i.e. possess enough Divine Outrage) that their Arcane attunement shows through. This mana type is determined randomly and is not meant to make any particular statement about the character, but does determine which fake spell preparation they can learn from [[Markat]].
===Consent===


====Sorcery and Sorcerous Casting====
# Basically speaking, Necromancers will operate under current Consent policy.
# Necromancer [[Risen]] are fair game to attack by anyone, regardless of the status of the Necromancer.
#* If you attack a Necromancer's [[Risen]], the Necromancer has consent on you.
#* If a Necromancer kills you for attacking their [[Risen]], consent is ended between the two of you. You may not then go after the Necromancer. If you win the conflict when the Necromancer attacks you, it's also over. The Necromancer doesn't get another shot. C'est la vie.
# Some activities a Necromancer may partake in, in Town, can get them flagged Open for some period of time. These will be related to Social Outrage in some way, and smart Necromancers can avoid them. We like to punish stupid Necromancers.
#* [[Accuse|ACCUSE]] NECROMANCER will not give consent to any party, Necromancer or otherwise.
#* A successful [[Accuse|ACCUSE]] will cause the Necromancer to be forced PvP Open.
# Additionally, Necromancers may not be PvP Closed. If you are squeamish about the prospect of player combat, apply elsewhere.


Necromantic spell patterns are designed to account for deranged movements of their "fifth frequency," but the lack of true multi-attunement perception means they can suffer like other people when casting outside their normal environment.
Both points 3 and 4 go into 1. Randomly ganking Necros isn't going to be an option for anyone, unless they want to allow that (Open stance). However, Necros are going to have slightly less leniency overall, by picking the Guild we are expecting that you acknowledge the potential for PvP interaction is higher than other guilds. However, you're still just being held at Guarded responsibility.


* Lunar, Elemental, Life: Low risk, equivalent to any other guild's best combination.
===Accuse Necromancy===
* Unsullied and Redeemed necromancers can also cast Holy magic with low risk, equivalent to any other guild's best combination.
In following the social outrage that being a necromancer causes, numerous additions to the [[accuse]] system have been made to allow the populace to alert the town's authority of the presence of a necromancer. A successful [[accuse]] has various requirements on the necromancers part, and can provide certain rewards (such as in wealth or a bonus to a reputation).
* For Forsaken necromancers Holy is extremely risky to impossible, with additional negative effects.
*See [[accuse]] for more information.<br>


While [[:Category:Analogous_Patterns_Spellbook|AP spells]] are legal according to society, a Necromancer's AP spells are still considered sorcery for purposes of spells that defend against it, such as [[Protection from Evil]].
==Guild Abilities/Systems==
===[[Thanatology]]===
Necromantic rituals used on corpses.
===[[Outrage]]===
The "necro-meters."
===[[Risen]]===
Long-term minions.
<br />


====Magical Feats====
==Circle Requirements==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
Necromancers automatically learn the Alternate Preparation feat for free upon joining and gain access to a spell prep that is appropriate for the mana type they appear to have. This prep is learned and used by speaking to [[Markat]] and toggling it on.

====[[Spell_slot_progressions|Necromancer Spell Slot Progression]]====

As a magic secondary guild, Necromancers gain spell slots in the following way.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|-
|-
|'''Circle Range'''
! Circle !! Light Edge !! First Armor !! 1st-2nd Survival !! 3rd-4th Survival !! 5th-6th Survival !! 7th-8th Survival !! Skinning / Evasion !! First Aid !! 1st Lore !! 2nd Lore !! Thanatology !! 1st Magic !! 2nd Magic !! 3rd Magic !! 4th Magic !! 5th Magic
|'''Secondary'''
|-
|-
|1-20
| 1-10 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 1
|Every Circle
|-
|-
|21-100
| 11-30 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 2
|Every 2 Circles
|-
|-
|101-150
| 31-70 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 2 || 3 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 2
|Every 3 Circles
|-
|-
|151-200
| 71-100 || 2 || 2 || 5 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 5 || 4 || 4 || 3
|None
|-
| 101+ || 2 || 3 || 6 || 5 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 5 || 6 || 6 || 5 || 5 || 3
|}
|}


====[[:Category:Necromancer_Spells|Spell Tree]]====
*NOTE: Skinning, Evasion and First Aid are included in the 8 survival skills. You do not need 11 survivals.
<imagemap>
<br />
File:NecroSpells v3.png|frameless|upright=4
rect 1152 1418 1485 1471 [[Category:Anabasis spellbook]]
rect 1152 1046 1485 1099 [[Category:Corruption_spellbook]]
rect 1152 1120 1485 1173 [[Category:Animation_spellbook]]
rect 1152 1194 1485 1248 [[Category:Transcendental_Necromancy_spellbook]]
rect 1152 1269 1485 1322 [[Category:Blood_Magic_spellbook]]
rect 1152 1343 1485 1397 [[Category:Synthetic_Creation_spellbook]]
rect 901 1638 1061 1732 [[Ebon Blood of the Scorpion]]
rect 669 1638 829 1732 [[Emuin's Candlelight]]
rect 446 1638 606 1732 [[Solace_(spell)]]
rect 669 1762 829 1856 [[Rite of Forbearance]]
rect 914 894 1074 988 [[Chirurgia]]
rect 446 1203 606 1296 [[Viscous Solution]]
rect 446 916 606 1010 [[Consume Flesh]]
rect 669 916 829 1010 [[Devour]]
rect 226 916 386 1010 [[Siphon Vitality]]
rect 446 1047 606 1141 [[Blood Burst]]
rect 446 737 606 830 [[Ivory Mask]]
rect 7 916 167 1010 [[Heighten Pain]]
rect 7 1203 167 1296 [[Acid Splash]]
rect 446 1340 606 1433 [[Vivisection]]
rect 446 1469 606 1563 [[Researcher's Insight]]
rect 669 1340 829 1433 [[Alkahest Edge]]
rect 669 1203 829 1296 [[Universal Solvent]]
rect 669 737 829 830 [[Butcher's Eye]]
rect 669 575 829 668 [[Kura-Silma]]
rect 914 575 1074 668 [[Worm's Mist]]
rect 914 737 1074 830 [[Philosopher's Preservation]]
rect 914 413 1074 506 [[Calcified Hide]]
rect 1152 576 1312 669 [[Covetous Rebirth]]
rect 1152 413 1312 506 [[Spiteful Rebirth]]
rect 1160 81 1320 174 [[Liturgy]]
rect 914 144 1074 237 [[Rite of Contrition]]
rect 914 6 1074 100 [[Rite of Grace]]
rect 669 81 829 174 [[Eyes of the Blind]]
rect 446 6 606 100 [[Visions of Darkness]]
rect 446 144 606 237 [[Petrifying Visions]]
rect 6 81 166 174 [[Obfuscation]]
rect 210 413 370 506 [[Quicken the Earth]]
rect 446 284 606 377 [[Necrotic Reconstruction]]
rect 446 413 606 506 [[Call from Beyond]]
rect 669 413 829 506 [[Reverse Putrefaction]]
</imagemap>


===[[Thanatology]]===
==Miscellaneous Information==
Thanatology represents a corrupted form of an [[Empathy|Empathic Transference]] link and is the means by which a Necromancer may perform a number of rituals and types of magic, including healing themselves and creating undead. Necromancers presently have a number of [[Thanatological Rituals|Thanatological rituals]] available to them:
===Mana Type===


{{#ask:[[guild association is::necromancer]][[Ability type is::ritual]]
*Necromancers will have a certain mana type that they perceive as (pre-outrage getting to the point of them showing up corrupted). This will be static per the necro in question, and is determined randomly by character flag, sort of like the bard voice thing. Holy will not be one of the types a necro can show up as having, but everything else is possible. This mana type will be reflected in the character's default spell prep, as well as messaging for AP spells.
| border="1" class="sortable"
|?ability effect is=Purpose
|format=table|link=all|headers=show|mainlabel=[[:Category:Thanatological rituals|Ritual]]|searchlabel=... further results|class=sortable wikitable smwtable|sep=,}}


===[[States of Being]]===
*ICly, a budding Necromancer probably wouldn't even know they can get away with pretending to be another type of caster (Lyras and company certainly don't), and certainly wouldn't make any long-term plans until after they attained attunement and figured out what was going on.
These represent deliberate and knowing changes in the path of a necromancer:
* Unsullied
* Forsaken
* [[Redeemed]]
* Lichdom
* Transcendence


===[[Outrage]]===
*Your "mana flavor" is with you and easily discernible right at 1st circle: toss an Energy Bolt at something and look at what color it is.
Two kinds of Outrage exist: Divine Outrage and Social Outrage. These meters are not linked to each other.


# '''Divine Outrage''' is a measure of how corrupted the Necromancer is and how much ire the Immortals currently feel toward them. Certain actions, such as creating undead and using Transcendental Necromancy spells, build Divine Outrage and will render the Necromancer more and more corrupt which may have deleterious effects if not managed. As you circle, there is a rising "floor" which your Divine Outrage may not drop lower than, meaning you will eventually be rendered too corrupt to gain favors, be healed by [[Empath]]s, have beneficial Holy spells used on you, and more. Forsaken Necromancers risk Divine Outrage for hanging around holy spots.
*As your Divine Outrage and the necromantic corruption of your body increases, this becomes pretty dodgy and eventually your attunement to the Arcane overwhelms any affinity you have to the conventional mana frequencies. The Perverse would argue that's the point you become a real Necromancer.
# '''Social Outrage''' is a measure of how uneasy the local towns folk and authorities are. Certain actions taken inside justice areas, such as attempting to interact with an NPC with a Transcendental Necromancy spell up, will give you Social Outrage and temporarily prevent you from using town services including banks, vaults, or shopkeepers.


::* Related to Social Outrage, Forsaken Necromancers have a tolerance meter for town called '''Suspicion''' that slowly builds up in normal situations. While in a justice area, this meter builds towards an accusation. While outside of a justice area, this meter drains away. Unsullied and [[Redeemed]] Necromancers are exempt from this.
*There's four reasons why they did it this way.
*# The fiction around Arcane mana and how Necromancers are doing what they do strongly encourages it.
*# There's far less technical overhead.
*# Being able to choose "flavors" would just lead to people wanting backsies on any choice, which generally annoys me and is contrary to the fiction of how attunement works.
*# Even if you had the ability to switch "flavors," it would do nothing but hurt your chances to pass yourself off as Not a Necromancer.


Both Divine and Social Outrage may drain for up to 2.5 hours per day in Prime and Platinum, and 8 hours per day in The Fallen.
*This is not part of an elaborate Necromancer disguise system or a meaningful statement about your character's Ultimate Magical Destiny -- it's an incidental form of misdirection that's merely meant to allow you to walk around the street and get some TM ranks without screaming out you're a Necromancer (Outrage notwithstanding).


====Necromancers and Consent Policy====
===Arcane Mana===


There is no longer any conceptual difference between a Necromancer and any other guild as far as policy goes. There is no more additional grey area or burden of proof for harassment. Necromancers do not get a blank check for mayhem, and you may not harass or kill a PC without consent simply because they are a Necromancer.
Attunement to Arcane mana involves some pretty substantial changes to how a Necromancer's nervous system works (in ye olde days, the Imperial Healers' Guild hypothesized that the social deviance of sorcerers was somehow linked to these changes to the brain -- fortunately, no one knows or cares about their pesudo-magical theories anymore). The goal of the procedure is to produce a magician that can see and operate with multiple types of mana at once.


With regards to [[Risen]], they are fair game to attack by anyone regardless of the PvP status of the Necromancer. This grants the Necromancer consent for that conflict, which ends if either party dies.
It... doesn't quite work. Perhaps their method is still too crude and faulty, or perhaps the prohibition is wired even deeper into how the brain works than even they can manipulate, but the attempt always goes wrong. Even attuned to multiple mana types, in the Necromancer's perceptual sphere they superimpose upon each other into this freakish, aggregate, other kind of mana that does not really exist.


===[[Risen]]===
Necromantic spells are written to account for deranged movements of this "fifth frequency," but the lack of true multi-attunement perception means they can suffer like other people when casting outside their normal environment.


A Risen is an undead creature created by a Necromancer to do their bidding and is the primary ability of the guild. Temporary Risen for use in combat may be created with the [[Call from Beyond]] spell, while permanent Risen are slated to have other non-combat applications.
===Sorcery===


===[[Slip]]===
* Necromancy is a subset of Sorcery. Sorcery is dangerous and unstable magic that society abhors and that may or may not have some intrinsic evilness about it. [[Blackfire]] is an example of this. Necromancers are as free to dabble in Sorcery as any other guild, but they will not have any special access to the non-Necromatic parts of it.


{| class="wikitable"
* Necromancy is created by mixing Life mana with either Elemental or Lunar mana. Life mana is always used in the mix, [[Mana#Sorcery & Necromancy|by definition]].
!Level Required
!What it does
|-
|Level 30
|Ability to Slip personal objects to/from personal containers.
|-
|Level 40
|Ability to Slip worn items on and off.
|-
|Level 50
|Ability to Slip items from the ground to one's possession.
|-
|Level 60
|Ability to Slip into hiding and stalk a target at same time.
|-
|Level 70
|Ability to Slip into hiding and sneak a direction at same time.
|-
|}
Note: The intended function is to perform similarly to picking up items in invisibility, it has to be restricted to avoid abuse. Dropping your own items of course will be less restricted.


To learn {{com|SLIP}}, you must be taught by somebody who already knows {{tt|SLIP}} (<tt>SLIP TEACH <target></tt>, need 100 {{skill|teaching}}).
* While [[:Category:Analogous_Patterns_Spellbook|AP spells]] are legal according to society, a Necromancer's AP spells are still considered sorcery for purposes of spells that defend against it, such as [[Protection from Evil]].


Success at Slip involves the {{skill|stealth}}.
===Casting Backlash from scrolls===

Because Necromancers utilize a complex mixture of various mana types, they have certain reactions to scrolls that contain spells that use one particular mana.
==Circle Requirements==
*Arcane spells = Necromancers may (temporarily) learn arcane spells, and cast them with greater ease than other guilds, avoiding risk of physical harm entirely. This, however, does not include Teleological or Blackfire sorceries.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
*Lunar, Elemental, Life = Low risk, equivalent to any other guild's best combination.
! Skillset
*Holy = Considered extremely dangerous on the Necromancer's behalf.
! Skill
! style="text-align: right;" | 1-10
! style="text-align: right;" | 11-30
! style="text-align: right;" | 31-70
! style="text-align: right;" | 71-100
! style="text-align: right;" | 101-150
! style="text-align: right;" | 151-200
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | {{Skill|Thanatology|Thanatology}}
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 6
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 15
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 1st Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 6
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 15
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 2nd Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 6
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 15
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3rd Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4th Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5th Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 6th Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | survival
| style="background-color:#f2fff2;" | 7th Survival
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2fff2;" | 10
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | {{Skill|Targeted Magic|Targeted Magic}}
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | 1st Magic
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 6
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 15
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | 2nd Magic
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 6
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 15
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3rd Magic
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4th Magic
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | magic
| style="background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5th Magic
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 0
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 0
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 4
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 5
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2ff;" | 13
|-
| style="background-color:#fffff2;" | lore
| style="background-color:#fffff2;" | 1st Lore
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 8
|-
| style="background-color:#fffff2;" | lore
| style="background-color:#fffff2;" | 2nd Lore
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fffff2;" | 8
|-
| style="background-color:#fff2f2;" | weapons
| style="background-color:#fff2f2;" | {{Skill|Small Edged|Small Edged}}
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 1
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#fff2f2;" | 5
|-
| style="background-color:#f2f2ff;" | armor
| style="background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 1st Armor
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 1
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 2
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 3
| style="text-align: right; background-color:#f2f2ff;" | 8
|}
[[Thanatology]] is a hard requirement (does not count toward Nth survival requirements).<br/>
[[Targeted Magic]] is a soft requirement (can be used toward Nth magic requirements).<br/>
<br />
<br />


==Necromancer Guild Lore==
==Necromancer Guild Lore==


===[[Necromancer_official_lore_posts|Necromancer Official Lore Posts]]===
===Why PC Necromancers are always Philosophers===
Many of these posts have been excellent and have delved into the question in a very specific manner. So in my response I'll take the opportunity to dwell on the issue in a broader fashion. I'll bring up four points, starting with the most glib one and working backward toward seriousness.

1:
It takes a serious dedication to postmodernism to invoke The Death of the Author in a conversation with the author.

2:
There is, in fact, a certain level of arbitrariness inherent in the role of worldbuilding. Why is a mountain here but not there? Why is Kssarh angry and not nice? Why not space vampires from Neptune? While one of those might be an intuitive 'no,' consider that all three questions differ in scale rather than kind.

3:
There is a stark difference between Necromancers and PC Necromancers. Necromancers in the broadest term can do any sort of random act of evil that the plot demands; Necromancers summon wailing spirits, create poisons that permanently kill the innocent and sometimes even fight the avatar of Meraud Himself and come out on top.

PCs cannot - must not - do any of these things. As a basic explanation to why PC Necromancers are so limited while NPC Necromancers can still murder you with enchanted textiles, we fall back to a simple but effective DR trope that the guild structure prevents you from learning it. You are specifically a Necromancer from the tradition of the Philosophers, whether your character sticks with them or not, and the Philosophers' bag of tricks was specifically designed to be PC compatible.

4:
Necromancers in the broad term occupy a different ecological niche than the PC Necromancers. "Necromancer" is a code word for Bad Guy in the most fundamental sense. Necromancers in the past have done wildly misanthropic stuff simply because They're Evil. Nobody cares about the feasibility of Sidhlot's portrayal of evil. That's not the point. He's older than dragons and so metal he poops viking helmets.

But the Necromancer's Guild is by necessity a look at the bad guys' side, and Sauron only works as villain as an archetypal role rather than a meaningful character. A Pure Evil character ran by a PC for entertainment would either be a masterful RP experiment or uncomfortably suggestive of the psychological issues being worked out. For this to work, there had to be sympathy for the devil, so my very first problem to solve was 'How do I make Necromancers sympathetic enough that we could imagine a real, live individual doing this?'

The Philosophers were my answer. The Philosophy promises you reprieve from death (note that I started inserting more real-life features of death into DR at this time), freedom from the contingencies of the world, the ability to be your own man. I designed the spiel appeal to most of our basic anxieties about life and touch on the dream of posthumanism and the glorification of mankind through his skill and technology. In not always subtle ways, the Philosophers came to embody 20th century philosophy and scientism. The Philosophers are doing, in a fantasy parody, what Western society enshrines as good and proper goals.

So the stage was set. All that stands between you and glorifying mankind is the evil you will do in its name.

This is, once again, a remarkably different role than what Sidhlot or Velmix brought to the table. The Old Man doesn't talk to Sidhlot, nor did the Hounds of Rutilor burn entire villages to root out a single Bone Elf. In a direct sense because the Bone Elves are not connected with the Great Work, but also because their portrayal of evil is outside the portrayal of evil we're using. The drama of the PC Necromancer -- the pogroms, the murmurs of conspiring otherworldly forces, the entwining moral evils from both sides, and the hints of transcendental glory -- is set in the foundation that the Philosophers bring to the setting.

So it is a requirement that, while your PC can love them or hate them, stay or leave, be a blubbering sycophant to Book or try to manipulate him for your own ends, you cannot be disconnected from them.

-Armifer

===[[Necromancer official lore posts]]===


===[[Necromancer Guild Visions]]===
===[[Necromancer Guild Visions]]===
===[[Necromancer History|Necromancer Historical Timeline]]===
===[[Necromancer History|Necromancer Historical Timeline]]===

===Necromancer Ideologies===
*[[Perverse (Ideology)|The Perverse]]
*[[Redeemed (Ideology)|The Redeemed]]
*[[Philosophers of the Knife|The Philosophers of the Knife]]


===[[Post:Death_and_the_Soul_-_5/11/2009_-_1:39:41|Death and the Soul]]===
===[[Post:Death_and_the_Soul_-_5/11/2009_-_1:39:41|Death and the Soul]]===
Line 171: Line 387:
===[[A treatise on Extraplanar Life]]===
===[[A treatise on Extraplanar Life]]===


===Brief Sketch of the History of the Philosophers===

To perhaps help, let's go over a Brief Sketch of the History of the Philosophers.

About a hundred-odd years ago, some idiot (name unknown) wrote Investigations Toward an Alchemy of Flesh, and then was killed by a bunch of other idiots (random Zoluren adventurers). The Alchemy of Flesh wound up in the hands of some idiot Cleric (named Kigot), with the idiotic idea that he'd known what to do with it.

Kigot had this idiotic notion that by exposing Necromancy to the light of day the good people of Elanthia would be better able to fight against it, so he made copies and sent it to some other idiots he knew (random Zoluren and Therengian scholars). They, being idiots, also made copies and began distributing them. Cue sudden increase in Necromancers.

The Temple at some point realized what was going on and started yelling profanity through the corridors. Cue lots and lots and lots of murder.

This is what Markat calls the first generation of Philosophers -- scholars who had direct access to the Alchemy of Flesh and began to pursue necro-alchemy. Most of them are at this point very dead.

Kigot gets very upset about the Temple trying to murder him and had a moral break. He devoted the rest of his short life to crafting an ethical system to support Necromancy, which he called the Philosophy of the Knife. Then he got murdered.

This is where the second generation comes in -- Necromancers who "converted" the Philosophy and the promise of necro-alchemy, or their direct apprentices. There are a few dozen of these people walking around today.

Among the many, many, many pages that Kigot wrote (really, you could use his collective works as a weapon in a pinch), he had the rather arrogant assumption that there'd be no greater breakthrough in the field until a group of necro-alchemists could put aside their differences and work together. He was smart enough to understand this could only be achieved in terms of dominance and submission, so referred to this theoretical leader among Philosophers as the Triumphant; the guy who beat or conned everyone else into submission.

Enter Zamidren Book, who used Lyras's self-destructive crusade and the reactionary anti-Necro sentiment as an excuse to murder some of his rivals and browbeat a significant fraction of the Philosophers into doing things his way.

He was successful and has cultivated a relatively impressive powerbase, but spends most of his time at the moment split between trying very, very hard to keep the Temple and the Hounds from murdering everybody and playing politics among his knife-wielding degenerate peers.

-Armifer

===Demonic Necromancy===
To clear things up -- According to the Philosophy of the Knife, demonic necromancy is something to be avoided as much as dealing with the gods. That's the realm of perversion, the backwards and ignorant ways practiced by necromancers of old, and inevitably leads to a situation such as what happened with Lyras.

Science and the careful study of death, not contracts with nether entities, is the forte and the key to the Great Work. Now, if a Necromancer wants to go and learn such practices from an entity outside the philosophers, it may be a possibility, but the official guild won't support it and you could get in really big trouble with them for going that route.

All this will be somewhat clearer when we manage to get the library finished.

-GM Abasha

===Necromancer Sanity===
Let's step OOC for a moment, and discuss this in terms no character should ever use (though inevitably will, since I now just said it).

The attunement process for Arcane mana involves substantial changes to your character's neurobiology in a setting so far removed from modern science and medicine that this is completely not understood or remotely accounted for. You are seeing what Man Mustn't See not because of occult hoodoo but because your character's brain is no longer firing like it used to.

The madness of the Necromancer is, first and foremost, neurological. Schizophrenia, affect disorders, clinical depression, etc. Cthulhu-analog certainly plays a part in how deeply boned Necromancers are, but at the front lines of the Necromancer's soul, his major demons are all personal.

In practice, these are not going to be balls-to-the-walls-mad people. The Philosophers aim at creating functional sociopaths (though they'd never think of themselves in those terms), and anyone who exhibits outrageously broken cognition after the attunement will be used for parts as a failed attunement. The intention is a creeping fear that the Necromancer's ego (you, basically) isn't in full control of the vehicle.

And if Lyras is any indication, sometimes he isn't.

Moving toward the supernatural, we arrive at a point where I want to keep a certain level of mystery in the story. Hallucinations certainly fit (bearing in mind that someone who's constantly seeing purple skyway Nevada is going to find his spleen appropriated), but there is the Hunger sitting somewhere within the Necromancer's frame of reference.

Sometimes a Necromancer might catch a glimpse of... something, just as in real life sometimes our pattern recognition will turn the shadows in the corner of our eyes into something else. It's probably "innocent" madness. Sometimes, though, that seems very unlikely.

-Armifer

Ultimately, one of the intentions is that Necromancers and their PCs have no particularly reliable frame of reference to know at any given time whether whatever is screwing with them is spiritual/magical, psychological, or physical.

For example, take paranoia. A Necromancer may at any time be actually hunted and persecuted, attacked by gods and demons, or due to his Attunement fall to disorders that feature it floridly. Or this may be happening all at the same time.

The Old Man, likewise, is intentionally written in a way that makes it kind of hard to figure out where the line is getting drawn.


-Armifer


{{RefAl|a=y}}
{{RefAl|a=y}}

Latest revision as of 20:02, 5 July 2024

Returning players may want to read the page for Returning Players before continuing.
You may wish to check out the new player guide for this guild.
Please read the Secrets and Spoiler Policy before editing this page.



Necromancer Guild
Necromancer

Image copyright of Simutronics Corporation

Primary Skillset: Survival
Secondary Skillsets: Lore, Magic
Tertiary Skillsets: Armor, Weapon
Special Abilities: Risen
Mana Type: Necromantic
Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Commoner - Empath - Moon Mage

Necromancer - Paladin - Ranger - Thief - Trader - Warrior Mage

Necromancer refers to a diverse group of Arcane magic users that utilize a collection of sorceries -- including blood magic, alchemy and the animation of the undead -- to further their evil and selfish goals. They are universally shunned by society and by the gods, being viewed as abominations and monsters that prey on the innocent and sell their souls into damnation for power.

Necromancers are broken into three ideological camps. Player character Necromancers begin by affiliating with the Philosophers of the Knife, which are unique in that they pursue "the Great Work": the use of necromancy to find eternal life. Often they hide themselves in crowds, like wolves among sheep, while others eschew society entirely and rule in the hinterlands. A group of radical holy men, the Hounds of Rutilor, are dedicated to the Philosophers' annihilation, and will hunt down any Necromancer they find openly practicing within their reach.

Necromancers are intended by design to be an advanced option for players who are already familiar with the game and want to try a profession that includes some novel and difficult permutations on the normal play experience.

Players reading this page may also wish to note that the majority of this information is not considered commonly known in-character to non-Necromancers.


Official Information

Guild crest

Skillsets

  • Survival Primary
  • Magic and Lore Secondary
  • Armor and Weapons Tertiary

Guildhalls

  • The majority of guildleaders and guild locations are not common knowledge. As such, they are not included in this list unless that changes.
  • Each guildhall is associated with certain ideologies. Necromancers of a rejected ideology will not be allowed entry.
Zoluren
The Triumphant Zamidren Book initiates and leads nascent Philosophers of the Knife from his hidden lair somewhere in Zoluren.

Necromancer Ideologies

Crafting Affiliation

Guilded necromancers receive two free technique slots in the Poison discipline of the Alchemy skill and one free technique slot in the Carving discipline of the Engineering skill.

See: Crafting

Guild Abilities

Arcane Magic

Necromancers use necromancy which is a subset of sorcery also referred to as "ontologic sorcery" by Philosophers. Necromancy by definition uses some Life mana in the mix along with either Elemental and/or Lunar. Necromancers have access to the Animation, Blood Magic, Corruption, Synthetic Creation, and Transcendental Necromancy spellbooks. Redeemed necromancers get access to an additional spellbook, Anabasis.

To do this effectively, Necromancers utilize something colloquially known as Arcane or Necromantic mana. This is not actually a distinct mana type, but a freakishly bizarre, illusory aggregate they perceive as the result of substantial and imperfect alterations to the Necromancer's nervous system done when they attempt to attune themselves to Lunar, Elemental, and Life mana all at once.

Due to the process through which they become attuned, young Necromancers appear to be attuned to Life, Lunar, or Elemental mana until they become so corrupted (i.e. possess enough Divine Outrage) that their Arcane attunement shows through. This mana type is determined randomly and is not meant to make any particular statement about the character, but does determine which fake spell preparation they can learn from Markat.

Sorcery and Sorcerous Casting

Necromantic spell patterns are designed to account for deranged movements of their "fifth frequency," but the lack of true multi-attunement perception means they can suffer like other people when casting outside their normal environment.

  • Lunar, Elemental, Life: Low risk, equivalent to any other guild's best combination.
  • Unsullied and Redeemed necromancers can also cast Holy magic with low risk, equivalent to any other guild's best combination.
  • For Forsaken necromancers Holy is extremely risky to impossible, with additional negative effects.

While AP spells are legal according to society, a Necromancer's AP spells are still considered sorcery for purposes of spells that defend against it, such as Protection from Evil.

Magical Feats

Necromancers automatically learn the Alternate Preparation feat for free upon joining and gain access to a spell prep that is appropriate for the mana type they appear to have. This prep is learned and used by speaking to Markat and toggling it on.

Necromancer Spell Slot Progression

As a magic secondary guild, Necromancers gain spell slots in the following way.

Circle Range Secondary
1-20 Every Circle
21-100 Every 2 Circles
101-150 Every 3 Circles
151-200 None

Spell Tree

Category:Anabasis spellbookCategory:Corruption spellbookCategory:Animation spellbookCategory:Transcendental Necromancy spellbookCategory:Blood Magic spellbookCategory:Synthetic Creation spellbookEbon Blood of the ScorpionEmuin's CandlelightSolace (spell)Rite of ForbearanceChirurgiaViscous SolutionConsume FleshDevourSiphon VitalityBlood BurstIvory MaskHeighten PainAcid SplashVivisectionResearcher's InsightAlkahest EdgeUniversal SolventButcher's EyeKura-SilmaWorm's MistPhilosopher's PreservationCalcified HideCovetous RebirthSpiteful RebirthLiturgyRite of ContritionRite of GraceEyes of the BlindVisions of DarknessPetrifying VisionsObfuscationQuicken the EarthNecrotic ReconstructionCall from BeyondReverse PutrefactionNecroSpells v3.png
About this image

Thanatology

Thanatology represents a corrupted form of an Empathic Transference link and is the means by which a Necromancer may perform a number of rituals and types of magic, including healing themselves and creating undead. Necromancers presently have a number of Thanatological rituals available to them:

RitualPurpose
Arise ritualPrepares a corpse to become a CFB zombie.
Awaken ritualSummons a previously created Risen.
Butchery ritualGets body parts for Risen.
Consume ritualPrepares a corpse to be used as fuel for necromantic healing.
Creation ritualFinal step to create a Risen.
Cut ritualPrerequisite for some Blood Magic and Animation spells.
Dissection ritualTeaches Thanatology and First Aid.
Entry ritualGain entry into a Necromancer guildhall.
Fetish ritualTurns harvested material into a (control) fetish for a new Risen.
Harvest ritualGathers "material" to be used later. Teaches Thanatology and Skinning.
Preserve ritualExtends time before a corpse decays. Teaches Thanatology and First Aid.

States of Being

These represent deliberate and knowing changes in the path of a necromancer:

  • Unsullied
  • Forsaken
  • Redeemed
  • Lichdom
  • Transcendence

Outrage

Two kinds of Outrage exist: Divine Outrage and Social Outrage. These meters are not linked to each other.

  1. Divine Outrage is a measure of how corrupted the Necromancer is and how much ire the Immortals currently feel toward them. Certain actions, such as creating undead and using Transcendental Necromancy spells, build Divine Outrage and will render the Necromancer more and more corrupt which may have deleterious effects if not managed. As you circle, there is a rising "floor" which your Divine Outrage may not drop lower than, meaning you will eventually be rendered too corrupt to gain favors, be healed by Empaths, have beneficial Holy spells used on you, and more. Forsaken Necromancers risk Divine Outrage for hanging around holy spots.
  2. Social Outrage is a measure of how uneasy the local towns folk and authorities are. Certain actions taken inside justice areas, such as attempting to interact with an NPC with a Transcendental Necromancy spell up, will give you Social Outrage and temporarily prevent you from using town services including banks, vaults, or shopkeepers.
  • Related to Social Outrage, Forsaken Necromancers have a tolerance meter for town called Suspicion that slowly builds up in normal situations. While in a justice area, this meter builds towards an accusation. While outside of a justice area, this meter drains away. Unsullied and Redeemed Necromancers are exempt from this.

Both Divine and Social Outrage may drain for up to 2.5 hours per day in Prime and Platinum, and 8 hours per day in The Fallen.

Necromancers and Consent Policy

There is no longer any conceptual difference between a Necromancer and any other guild as far as policy goes. There is no more additional grey area or burden of proof for harassment. Necromancers do not get a blank check for mayhem, and you may not harass or kill a PC without consent simply because they are a Necromancer.

With regards to Risen, they are fair game to attack by anyone regardless of the PvP status of the Necromancer. This grants the Necromancer consent for that conflict, which ends if either party dies.

Risen

A Risen is an undead creature created by a Necromancer to do their bidding and is the primary ability of the guild. Temporary Risen for use in combat may be created with the Call from Beyond spell, while permanent Risen are slated to have other non-combat applications.

Slip

Level Required What it does
Level 30 Ability to Slip personal objects to/from personal containers.
Level 40 Ability to Slip worn items on and off.
Level 50 Ability to Slip items from the ground to one's possession.
Level 60 Ability to Slip into hiding and stalk a target at same time.
Level 70 Ability to Slip into hiding and sneak a direction at same time.

Note: The intended function is to perform similarly to picking up items in invisibility, it has to be restricted to avoid abuse. Dropping your own items of course will be less restricted.

To learn SLIP, you must be taught by somebody who already knows SLIP (SLIP TEACH <target>, need 100 teaching skill).

Success at Slip involves the stealth skill.

Circle Requirements

Skillset Skill 1-10 11-30 31-70 71-100 101-150 151-200
survival Thanatology 3 4 4 5 6 15
survival 1st Survival 4 4 5 5 6 15
survival 2nd Survival 4 4 5 5 6 15
survival 3rd Survival 3 4 4 5 5 13
survival 4th Survival 3 4 4 5 5 13
survival 5th Survival 3 4 4 5 5 13
survival 6th Survival 3 3 4 4 5 13
survival 7th Survival 2 3 3 4 4 10
magic Targeted Magic 2 2 3 4 5 13
magic 1st Magic 3 4 4 5 6 15
magic 2nd Magic 3 3 4 5 6 15
magic 3rd Magic 2 3 3 4 5 13
magic 4th Magic 2 3 3 4 5 13
magic 5th Magic 0 0 3 4 5 13
lore 1st Lore 2 2 3 3 3 8
lore 2nd Lore 2 2 2 3 3 8
weapons Small Edged 1 2 2 2 2 5
armor 1st Armor 1 2 2 2 3 8

Thanatology is a hard requirement (does not count toward Nth survival requirements).
Targeted Magic is a soft requirement (can be used toward Nth magic requirements).

Necromancer Guild Lore

Necromancer Official Lore Posts

Necromancer Guild Visions

Necromancer Historical Timeline

Death and the Soul

A treatise on Extraplanar Life

Related Forum Posts

Click here to search for related posts.

Additional Information

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