Thanatology skill
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Thanatology (from the Greek thanatos, meaning death) is the central skill for Necromancers. It replaced the originally proposed Scarification skill. It is a guild-specific Lore skill, which they learn at a primary rate.
Rituals
See Necromantic Rituals for details.
Training
My training method for thanatology is fairly simple, and so far has kept my skill in thanatology a few circles ahead of the rest of my skills. If a creature can't be skinned, I use harvest. If a creature is skinnable, I use preserve and arrange fully if I have the skill. The most beneficial ritual in my oppinion is preserve. Using preserve you train thanatology, skinning, and first aid... so it would behoove you to find a creature that is skinnable. The benefit of harvest is that you can learn skinning on a creature that would otherwise be impossible to learn it from. Some people might find it tedious to type out the entire command to perform a ritual over and over again. I would suggest setting up a macro for the creature you are currently hunting.
Another good way of boosting thanatology training is summoning a construct and creating a zombie. You will learn thanatology, as well as targeted magic when they fight and kill critters on your behalf. This can be especially effective if you are backtraining just below your current level, as they will quickly tear through their opponents. - Zarrurvok Irenicus
Aligning
When a Moon Mage ALIGNs to the Thanatology skill, they receive the following vision:
- Pain! A concept erupts from the back of your mind, cold and crushing. For a few, sharp moments you experience The End -- the death of stars and the deconstruction of fate as a metaphysical force.
- The death of the universe orbits... something. Some force or some entity. Something you cannot see; that you have an unconscious need not to.
- It sees you.
This also taints the Moon Mage with Necromantic taint, similar to what a Necromancer experiences during the middle stages of Divine Outrage.