Necromancer

Necromancer Guild
Image copyright of Simutronics Corporation
Primary Skillset:	Survival
Secondary Skillsets:	Lore, Magic
Tertiary Skillsets:	Armor, Weapon
Special Abilities:	Risen
Mana Type:	Arcane
Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Commoner - Empath - Moon Mage Necromancer - Paladin - Ranger - Thief - Trader - Warrior Mage

The basic outline of ideologies and the overview of the Necromancy spellbooks were posted by Armifer in The Necromancer official forums on 01/02/2008.

All other information, unless otherwise noted, was taken from GM posts in the same forums.

Spellbook Overview

Magical theorists recognize two forms of necromancy: Perversion Necromancy and Corruption Necromancy. In a mechanistic approach to the discipline, this works well. Necromancy is the result of two distinct mixtures of mana, Life plus either Elemental or Lunar, which this separation embodies.

Necromancers are not mechanistic and they usually are not magical theorists either.

The tri-spellbook separation -- the ABCs of Necromancy -- was the standard among most cults, though variations existed. The Dragon Priests are notoriously bookish, classifying no less than thirty different Necromancy spellbooks across obscure cultural and magical lines. In sharp contrast, the doctrine of the Bone Elves states that any sort of classification system is the product of childish (non-Elven) minds attempting to comprehend the one, true path of power that encompasses mastery over all facets of death sculpting.

In recent years, the rogue Necromancers known as the Philosophers of the Knife codified the fourth spellbook, Transcendental Necromancy. This was not the discovery of some new source of power, but simply an organizational change reflecting their own priorities and values.

Animation

Animation is a thematic spellbook, borrowing spells that would otherwise fit into Blood Magic or Corruption if it involves meddling with the undead. Animation is used to create undead minions, manipulate the undead in various ways, and strike at the animating force behind other Necromancers' creations.

It is important to note that the undead creations of the Animation spellbook are always temporary, and often vanishingly so. Necromancers must invest the time and effort of creating a Risen -- a far more hands-on project than merely casting a spell -- if he wishes to have a long-term minion.

Blood Magic

In short, Blood Magic deals with the manipulation of blood, acid, and raw "life force" (vitality).

Blood Magic is one of the "pure" spellbooks, analogous to the Perversion Necromancy book. It deals exclusively with the results of mixing Life and Elemental mana, and is an omnibus for such spells that do not otherwise fit in the Animation or Transcendental Necromancy books.

The spellbook gets its name from the tone of its spells and the medium through which it usually works. The Life + Elemental mixture creates spells that are wild, visceral, and brutish. Blood Magic includes most of the Necromancer's arsenal of Targeted Magic spells and direct, lethal combat magic.

Appropriately enough, Blood Magic has a strong relationship to blood. Some of them work better if the Necromancer (or his victim) is bleeding freely, while others may require it to function at all.

Conjured acid falls under the domain of Blood Magic. Some Necromancers consider acid to be a physical manifestation of necromantic magic, in the same way that other disciplines have holy fire or living shadows.

Corruption

In short, Corruption deals with the conjuration of poison, disease, and more refined forms of illness.

Corruption is the second "pure" spellbook, analogous to the Corruption Necromancy book. It deals exclusively with the results of mixing Life and Lunar mana.

This mana mixture works through decay of various forms, from flesh-eating bacteria to diseases of the mind. Corruption includes many of the Necromancers' most subtle spells, some of which are "legal" by dint of the fact that no one around the Necromancer can detect anything wrong has happened.

Conjured poison and disease falls under this category, as well as obscure forces that corrupt the emotional balance and mental faculties of the target. Some of the effects of Corruption could be poetically said to cause a "soul sickness," but these spells cannot actually impact the health of the victim's spirit.

Transcendental Necromancy

In short, Transcendental Necromancy deals with spells that make the Necromancer more (or less) than Human.

Transcendental Necromancy is a thematic spellbook, devised in the same way that Animation is. While the tradition of organizing Transcendental Necromancy as its own spellbook is less than a century old, many of the spells that populate the book are as old as necromancy itself.

This spellbook focuses strictly on enhancing the magician who casts the spell: all Transcendental Necromancy spells are self-cast only. The spells are always beneficial, bolstering the Necromancer's own latent abilities or granting him entirely new ones, though sometimes Pyrrhic in nature. These spells are often monstrous to behold, making the Necromancer obviously inhuman under their duration.

Ideologies

Ideology Overview

Why?

By more than any other quality, Necromancers define themselves on that question. While there is no such thing as a necromantic federation or "guild," cults and lone Necromancers have been known to align themselves along ideological lines. When even the gods themselves are against you, it's nice to have someone who can offer something even deeper than lore, wealth, or power: a broad understanding of you and your discipline.

With the end of the era of cults coming upon them, a number of the subtle shades of meaning and nuance that defined necromantic ideologies have been washed away. In modern times, the surviving Necromancers broadly recognize three different camps

The Perverse

Why? Why not?

When you ask a random Elanthian to picture what a Necromancer is, he envisions a member of the vast ideological camp known as the Perverse. The Perverse encompasses the "old school" of necromancy and the stereotypical image of the marauding Necromancer who rises a vast army of undead to defile all that is good and pure.

Of course, things are rarely so simple. The Perverse encompasses incredibly diverse groups and individuals, including most of the major names in necromancy. A Dragon Priest and a Bone Elf are both Perverse, yet they practice the discipline for wholly different reasons. The ideological tie that binds is rejection of any overarching moral dimension to necromancy. The Perverse are universally so broken and so distant from social norms that they cannot internalize any value difference between bringing the dead to unholy life as a mindless killer and learning to wield a sword.

While the Perverse suffer the most at the hands of society and the gods, they also retain the most temporal power. All of the major necromantic organizations, as well as every known lich, are Perverse. With the end of the cults at hand, the Perverse are gearing up to take as many Elanthians with them on the way down as they can.

The Perverse have no other binding characteristics, and rarely even consider themselves part of any ideological camp. The idea of branding all these diverse cults together due to their moral failing comes from the other two camps, it is not a product of the Perverse's own self-identity. The Perverse rarely refer to themselves as such, and only then in bitter irony.

The Perverse regard the other ideological camps as childish; weak and non-committal Necromancers playing at elaborate games because they cannot accept the brutal realities of life. The other camps, and most Elanthians in general, regard the Perverse as monsters in Human skin

The Redeemed

Necromancers do a lot of bad things. It is simply a reality that in the course of practicing the discipline, a Necromancer goes against all societal norms and even the express wishes of the gods themselves. It is impossible for anyone except the most misanthropic to do these things without some lingering regret.

All Necromancers eventually confront the bitter truth of their discipline, and in turn most Necromancers fall. They tell themselves lies, they steel their hearts, and they refine whatever drove them over the brink into a burning mania. A rare few Necromancers face the darkness in their soul and come out of it with a moral and spiritual awakening. Realizing the horrible mistakes they have made in their lives, they kneel in supplication to the gods once more. In the glory and mercy of the Immortals (some of them, anyway), they are granted redemption.

The Redeemed style themselves as "good guy Necromancers," but the reality of their existence is far from romantic. While the Redeemed have often faced the character flaws that drove them to necromancy and became better people for it, temptation and taint will follow them to their graves.

Redemption has its price. The gods expect the Redeemed to forever give up the profane arts: they may not use Animation or Transcendental Necromancy magic, nor may they ever again create a Risen. However, the gods do not do anything to prevent the Redeemed from doing these things. The gods judge the Redeemed silently, ready to strike them down once more if they slip even once. The Redeemed fear this fate more than death itself. By becoming Redeemed, a Necromancer burns all his bridges among the cults. The twice-damned has twice as far to fall, and no friends in the pit he would land in.

Further, while the gods have forgiven the Redeemed, society has not. The governments of the Provinces do not care about a Necromancer's fanciful tales of revelation and redemption, seeing it little more as a disgusting ploy for leniency. The Redeemed are hunted just as surely as any other Necromancer by the followers of the gods that have forgiven them.

The Redeemed regard the other ideological camps as monsters who have fallen to moral and spiritual decay. The other camps regard the Redeemed as sycophants who cling desperately to the tyrannical gods that disowned them to begin with.

The Philosophers of the Knife

The third ideological camp is young, the result of some obscure movement in the drama of the necromantic subculture. They do not often talk about the origins of their philosophy, and in turn few outside their peers know the story. What is known is that there is an approach to necromancy called the Philosophy of the Knife, whose adherents face off in equal measure against both monsters and gods.

The Philosophers refer to their approach to necromancy as the Great Work, and if you were speaking to one you could hear the capital letters. They pursue necromancy not for temporal power, but because they believe that through necromancy they will find the road to transcendence. While it is certainly a fact that powerful Necromancers can become immortal liches, the Philosophers seem to want something more and their passion for this state drives them to accept atrocity in its name.

Unlike the Perverse, the Philosophers are keenly aware of how perilous their journey into the darkness is. The Philosophy of the Knife is a system of moral principles and assumptions whose best known axiom is, "Between a Necromancer and a monster is the width of a knife."

In their grim pursuit of fleshly alchemy and transcendence, the Philosophers reject both the excesses of the Perverse and the moral authority of the gods. This has given them the fairly unique position of being hated by everybody. Despite this, the Philosophy of the Knife continues to grow and spread through the necromantic cults, often spurring individual Necromancers to abandon their fellows in exchange for solitary advancement of the Great Work.

The Philosophers regard the other ideological camps as naive; the Perverse are child-like and the Redeemed are moral and intellectual midgets. The other camps regard the Philosophers as dangerous mavericks that follow an absurd and contrived philosophy.

A Way Out

>>On the other hand, the second approach scoffs at the simple idea of immortality, viewing the pathway of the Necromancer to allow for the total reshaping of reality. This fits in with the description of the Philosophers.

A good thought, though perhaps a little loftier than the Philosophers themselves would think about it.

A lot of talk goes into the Necromancers vs. the Gods. But, you see, the gods aren't the immediate problem. They are the mad architects of man's misery, but they are not the instrument by which humanity suffers. Humanity is locked in a struggle against its environment which begins with the pain of birth and inevitably ends with the bleak hell to which all souls are consigned when they die a final time.

This word bears repeating: inevitably. No matter how good you are, no matter how perfect you lived your life, no matter what the balance of your sins and virtues are, you die. You might die very quickly, or you might go on for a thousand years on a wing, a prayer, and a little necromantic magic, but your final reward for enduring the sick game the gods have laid out before you is death. Every natural mechanism, no matter how benevolent seeming, exists for the express purpose of leading man down a set path to his obliteration. It doesn't matter if you are a saint or a sinner, the end game is exactly the same.

Nature is the enemy of the Philosophers, because they see it for what it is: the charnel house of the gods.

With far more desperation than zeal, the Philosophers want a way out. They want to end their participation in the gods' soul-crushing machine; they want an end to pain, disease, hunger, and death. They desperately hope that somewhere in the most terrible corners of the human experience, hidden in the dark, they will find the endless dawn that is the birth-right of every man who stares at his world and sees how truly wrong it is.

After all, it's not like they have much to lose. What are the gods going to do, damn them? Kill them? As if that wasn't in the cards already.

-Armifer (01/18/2008)

Changing Ideologies

>>This raises a question for me though, will the various 'groups' of Necros have different mechanics placed on them, and will one be able to swap between groups?

The Redeemed have a mechanical definition. Your character needs to actively seek out the state, and then be mindful that they do not let it slip (ever; a Necromancer can only enter the state of redemption once).

The Perverse is a bit more fuzzy. You never officially "join the club" or anything, but if your Outrage meters pass a certain point, various NPCs will consider you one of the Perverse for better or worse -- usually worse.

The Philosophers are a little different, and we'll discuss them in more detail as we get closer to the release of the guild.

-Armifer (01/09/2008)

Outrage

>>Is this a theoretical discussion or is there a necro-meter in place based on actions they take, spells they cast etc?

In the same way that Thieves have confidence, Paladins have soul state, and so on, Necromancers will have "necro-meters." The tentative title for this is Outrage.

Necromancers are measured both on divine outrage (how much they're been annoying the gods lately) and social outrage (how badly society wants them dead right now).

-Armifer (01/07/2008)

>>Will the Outrage scale also be used to determine a necromancers relative position to Perversion?

Yup. Its intended to be as fuzzy as possible, but as you accumulate more Outrage you accrue more of the supernatural and social qualities of being one of the Perverse, such as the ability of Clerics to easily sniff you out.

-Armifer (01/07/2008)

>>It seemed to me like it was more of everyone else's outrage at you, rather than your outrage at the world.

Correct. Divine Outrage would be a measure of how upset you've made the gods. Social Outrage would be a measure of how upset you've made society.

Since your character is a unique snowflake, I will not attempt to create a measure for his own, personal angst.

-Armifer (01/07/2008)

>>You make it sound as though any 'Necro' action will build outrage; I can see this as a rather crippling hinderance, if they can't perform any action without making people want to kill them.

Depends on the situation.

Divine Outrage is not necessarily bad, depending on how you wish to play your character. He acquires a certain set of supernatural weaknesses as he falls, but at the same time his ability to employ some of his spells and Scarification is amplified. If you think you can mitigate the negative sides of Divine Outrage, it is entirely possibly that flipping the bird to the gods is the right thing to do. If you prefer your play experience to be a little more predictable and unburdened, it is in your interest to keep your character's blasphemy to a low simmer.

Social Outrage is, indeed, entirely a negative experience. It never benefits the Necromancer to be caught in the act, unless he enjoys being persecuted.

-Armifer (01/08/2008)

>>would divine outrage just apply to necros?

Yup, divine outrage is specific to a Necromancer's relationship with the gods.

>>I can think of many times, many people have flipped the gods the bird..

In general, the gods are a pretty mellow bunch. They're usually content to ignore casual blasphemy, probably because they figure the person that yells "Screw Kertigen!" on the gweths is a moron that can't actually do anything to injure them or disrupt their religion.

For whatever reason, necromancy is different. There is some quality to necromancy that causes the gods to react and react hard. And when you put it in perspective, it's just a little weird. The Immortals are perfectly fine with Warrior Mages creating pyroclastic clouds of death; Moon Mages get a pass even when they're bringing extraplanar monstrosities into reality through a field of broken spatial planes; Barbarians never have a problem, even if they raze entire villages and slaughter nations of innocent life. Yet if you raise one little corpse as an undead minion, you're public enemy #1.

The Perverse and Redeemed take it for granted that the gods are jerks/infinitely wise, but the Philosophers in particular are interested in a treacherous question, "Why us?" We'll explore this a little more in the future.

-Armifer (01/08/2008)

>>Are there any plans to really explain why the gods hate Necromancy?

Yup.

>>But Divine outrage seems a bit unexplained, and arbitrary, in a 'it's bad don't do it GRRR' sense.

It does, doesn't it? At this point, the Immortals have not gone to great length to explain themselves.

-Armifer (01/10/2008)

Religion

>>Will Necros have a patron diety or pantheon all thier own?

Necromancy does not come with its own religion. Most Necromancers, like most adventurers, work within the theological framework of the Thirteen Immortals. They just happen to be on the wrong side of it.

>>Will they have heroes, idols, etc?

They're just as likely to indulge in hero worship as the next person.

-Armifer (01/10/2008)

Favors

There are currently no plans to give Necromancers an auto-resurrection spell or ability.

Before a certain point and while Redeemed the Necromancer is treated as a normal character for all death and favor issues.

After a certain point, the Necromancer will...have difficulties. They will still be able to acquire favors, but it will be in a roundabout fashion. Clerical assistance will become increasingly more unlikely to work.

-Armifer (01/04/2008)

>>If a necromancer-to-be were to acquire, say, 99 favors while still a commoner, would there be a time when they would have to sacrifice those favors, or would they be able to keep them until such time as they do the "lich" quest, whatever that ends up being?

There will be no real value in stocking up favors; if you've gotten to the point where the gods don't want to give you favors anymore, they're libal to start taking them away too.

Again, Necromancers will face difficulties in this regard. Other than assuring you that Necromancers will have a playable way to get "extra lives" like everyone else, the exact mechanism behind Necromancer favors is going to remain unexplained for now.

-Armifer (01/04/2008)

>>Would not the deity of death be able to give necro's favors?

The gods are pretty uniform on this whole Anti-Necromancer Pro-Necromancer-Burning issue. It's one of the few things the pantheon seems to agree on.

-Armifer (01/09/2008)

Miscellaneous Notes

Joining/Playability

Let's discuss the realities of our situation for a moment.

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.

This is not the same thing as an ultra-exclusive treehouse that only the most dedicated 1% of scripters can enter. The Necromancer Guild may be difficult to enter and advance in, but it will not be exceptionally so. If a player wishes to create a Necromancer PC after the guild is released, he will be able to do so with only a minor time investment. The sadism inherent in the design of this guild is meant to be playful, not an actual hindrance to your enjoyment of the game.

-Armifer (01/17/2008)

>>Losing your character forever? Not the guild for me, that's for sure.

Keep in mind we're discussing the inevitability of death as it applies across the entire planet. Your Bard is going to die; your Moon Mage is going to die; everyone and everything you know will eventually cease to be because the gods get some sick jollies out of it.

While we ignore the issues of mortality for playability reasons, these are still valid concepts in the fiction and lore of the game. There will, ICly, come a day when your character's natural lifespan is up and your character faces an end no Get Out Of Death Free card will prevent. Immortality is pretty rare on Elanthia, and most acquire it through undeath.

-Armifer (01/19/2008)

Skills

>>The art of scarification somehow qualifies as a survival skill instead of a lore skill, yes.

Since there may be some confusion here:

Survival Primary
Magic and Lore secondary
Armor and Weapons tertiary

Scarification is a guild-specific Magic skill, which they will learn at a secondary rate.

-Armifer (01/15/2008)

>>Its like a signature skill...Thieves with backstab, rangers with scouting, traders and trading, etc...

And Moon Mages and Astrology?

It's going to be learned at a secondary rate. We will not be doing any more silly exceptions to the skillset layout.

-Armifer (01/15/2008)

Part of it is consistency. Even though Astrology is important to the identity of a Moon Mage, they are magicians first and foremost. The bread and butter of the Moon Mage lifestyle is being a magic user, everything else takes a back seat to that.

Scarification is important to the identity of Necromancers, but in modern times their first and foremost concern is to survive. The Great Work / your own private undead army / redemption isn't going to matter much if they strip your soul naked and hang you first.

Part of it is lore-based. Astrology and Scarification both represent manipulation of forces that even their practitioners do not fully understand. If there is such thing as a Astrology Prime Moon Mage, he is a seer without modern peer, perhaps like Jares Braun and Master G'nar Peth of old. If there is a Scarification Prime Necromancer, the dread lich is well and truly buried in history.

Part of it is random acts of cruelty. We enjoy making Moon Mages and Necromancers suffer.

-Armifer (01/15/2008)

Spells

>>How many spells are we looking at before Necros get released?

Probably none. A few may be released on scrolls prior to the release of the guild, but it is likely that the vast majority will be released concurrently instead.

>>Are you able to tell us how many of the "Planned" spells are actually completed now (or just ballpark it, like 50% of planned Necro launch spells are already coded and QCed).

Nope.

-Armifer (01/10/2008)

>>Have any of the Necromancy spells we know about changed significantly from their teaser descriptions (or been thrown out the window completely)?

Yup.

-Armifer (01/11/2008)

Sorcery Subset

>>Moonmages and warrior mages have been toying around with some of the other things for some time. EM for one and some of the others that are on scroll. I do believe Blackfire is available on scroll and have seen it for sale in numerous places. If it's so offensive why has there never been a mechanic in place to trash a player casting it. IC of course like a favor loss or something of the sort.

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.

Necromancy is a subset of sorcery. It is dangerous and unstable magic that society abhors and that most definitely has some intrinsic evilness about it.

-Armifer (01/09/2008)

>>So are the old descriptions of Evocation and Domination Sorcery as Necromancer spellbooks being thrown out?

Yup.

-Armifer (01/10/2008)

>>Does this eliminate them as spellbooks entirely, or just eliminate them as Necromancer spellbooks?

The Sorcery spellbooks still exist, they are just not a part of the Necromancer selection of spells.

-Armifer (01/10/2008)

Combat

>>Also I didn't see a reply on what exactly would be the hunting capacity of a necro?

Nothing particularly noteworthy. They may get spells that are exceptionally potent versus corporeal undead, but nothing special against the non-corporeal. No reason they wouldn't be able to use a blessed weapon if a Cleric wants to give them one handle-first.

-Armifer (01/08/2008)

Becoming Cursed Beings

>>I have not seen an official GM post on this; will cleric spells, HE, HoT, FF, bless, EB, STRA, give the standard holy mana bonus vs. necros?

Depends on how far the Necromancer has fallen.

At the furthest reaches of perversion, the Necromancer has essentially become a cursed being and all disadvantages of that type apply. If the Necromancer keeps his soul vaguely intact, Holy spells will treat him as a normal Human(-equivalent).

Important to remember at this point that Holy magic does not usually invoke the direct attention or intervention of the gods. It is the science of using Holy mana to achieve spell effects. Unless the gods are so outraged that they specifically mark the Necromancer so, there's no reason Holy spells will treat them any differently.

-Armifer (01/20/2008)

>>What about when under the effects of Transcendental Necromancy spells?

No change from what I just wrote. Blasting Necromancers with Harm Evil is not going to be possible unless the Necromancer is doing a lot of things wrong.

-Armifer (01/20/2008)

>>Does that mean it is finally going to be possible to use such spells on GMPCs? Plague of Scavengers on Xerasyth, etcetera?

That's the plan.

-Armifer (01/20/2008)

Detection

>>Will clerics be able to tell a Necromancer by perceiving them?

Depending on the state of the Necromancer, Clerics and Moon Mages may be able to detect them via the PERCEIVE ability.

The Perverse are a dead giveaway, while the Redeemed cannot be detected at all in this manner. The Philosophers are iffy, based largely on how close to being Perverse they happen to be at the moment.

-Armifer (01/07/2008)

Racial Issues

>>Will there still be racial weaknesses/strengths against Necros?

No. I would argue that a Rakash or Prydaen that cares at all about his culture becoming a Necromancer is terrible roleplaying, but there's likely to be members of those species who are so dead inside that they feel nothing for the plight of their fathers. You can do it if you want.

>>I recall hearing something about how Prydaens would be more vulnerable to Necromancy magic or something. Is this true?

There was a single spell planned wherein one of the quirks of the spell was that Rakash and Prydaen were more vulnerable to it. That spell is no longer planned for release.

-Armifer (01/08/2008)