Shadow Queen
Mongoose
how do you deal with a PC wizard who wants to become a Necromancer?
GM question
- Thread starter Shadow Queen
- Start date
Shadow Queen
Mongoose
so he'd have an aura of darkness or something like that?
Wolverine
Mongoose
They don't necessarily have to be open about what they are. They don't all have to dress in black robes, wear skull emblems, or plot for world domination. Some can be very subtle. I have a Necromancer in the city-based campaign that I'm running. His cover is he's an undertaker. True that the other player characters are aware of his occupation, but they too are not exactly outstanding pillars of the community. He's just very careful when practicing his Necromancy, and doesn't make a habit of displaying his hidden talents.
You could do that, or a stench of death seems to hang around the character. But again this would all depend on your game, do Necromancers in your game necessarily bad people? How do you feel about having one in your game world, how do you as the world creator think it should be handled?
Shadow Queen
Mongoose
thanks guys, So far I have 1 spy, 1 wizard and 4 barbarians
your input has helped alot,
I hope I can call on your insite next time
your input has helped alot,
I hope I can call on your insite next time
CthulhuFnord
Mongoose
I'd have to go with..... Encourage them. :twisted:
Utgardloki
Mongoose
Shadow Queen said:
What's the problem?
I played a necromancer once. Her background story was that her family was killed by an evil necromancer, and when she studied sorcery to exact her revenge, she found that some of her spells were tainted.
Utgardloki
Mongoose
As far as I know, a necromancer is just someone who favors the Death rune.
As far as I know, there are no mechanics for favoring a rune, except for a PC putting most of his effort into one rune. In my proposed Iron Kingdoms/Atomic Kingdoms campaigns anybody born with the Gift has one favored rune, which is a rune that the character instinctively understands and which spells the character can cast without having to have the rune available. But that is an Utgardloki add-on.
As far as I know, there are no mechanics for favoring a rune, except for a PC putting most of his effort into one rune. In my proposed Iron Kingdoms/Atomic Kingdoms campaigns anybody born with the Gift has one favored rune, which is a rune that the character instinctively understands and which spells the character can cast without having to have the rune available. But that is an Utgardloki add-on.
Depends on your setting, but if i were a wizard trying to become a necromancer, I would keep it secret from the group, and be very subtle. They might complain about you threading don that path depending on the world or the pc's values, but if you you became a powerful bnecromancer and they were in a jam, well, they wouldn't say 'no' to help, now would they?
A necromancer deals with the dead rather than the death rune.
So, he or she might have spells to raise the dead, create undead, speak to the dead, cause death, cause fear and so on.
Someone associated with the death rune might be a warrior or a butcher, or something undead, not necessarily a necromancer.
It might be interesting to ask your player how he wants to develop the necromancer, what he sees a necromancer as being, what cults, if any, he worships, how others see him and so on.
So, he or she might have spells to raise the dead, create undead, speak to the dead, cause death, cause fear and so on.
Someone associated with the death rune might be a warrior or a butcher, or something undead, not necessarily a necromancer.
It might be interesting to ask your player how he wants to develop the necromancer, what he sees a necromancer as being, what cults, if any, he worships, how others see him and so on.
Mongoose Gar
Mongoose
Necromantic Arts (currently in playtest) should help immensely. It's got forms of necromancy for Rune Magic, Divine Magic and Sorcery and lots of necromantic...stuff. NPCs, cults, items, new monsters and so forth.
Hmm... since you've got four barbarians, would it make sense to tie Necromancy into their culture? Maybe they live in such a dangerous place that they use necromancy to bolster their forces against the monsters and other tribes. - if Granddad dies in battle, then you drag his corpse back to the village Necromancer, and he's brought back as a Zombie. Barbarian ancestor-cults might consider necromancy the correct thing to do - you honour the dead by bringing them back and putting them work.
The more civilised cultures consider necromancy a crime, and that's why they look down on barbarians ('those filthy woodfolk don't let their dead rest peacefully! No, their villages are like open graves, with the corpses of their kin stumbling around''), while the barbarians consider it practical or even honourable ('why wall up your kin in marble tombs, when they can still work in the fields or fight? Do you also lock your elders away if they fall ill? What's the difference between a weak man and a dead man?)
Hmm... since you've got four barbarians, would it make sense to tie Necromancy into their culture? Maybe they live in such a dangerous place that they use necromancy to bolster their forces against the monsters and other tribes. - if Granddad dies in battle, then you drag his corpse back to the village Necromancer, and he's brought back as a Zombie. Barbarian ancestor-cults might consider necromancy the correct thing to do - you honour the dead by bringing them back and putting them work.
The more civilised cultures consider necromancy a crime, and that's why they look down on barbarians ('those filthy woodfolk don't let their dead rest peacefully! No, their villages are like open graves, with the corpses of their kin stumbling around''), while the barbarians consider it practical or even honourable ('why wall up your kin in marble tombs, when they can still work in the fields or fight? Do you also lock your elders away if they fall ill? What's the difference between a weak man and a dead man?)
Loz
Mongoose
The Gwenthian nation of Parkhesh has an active necromantic tradition with zombie armies and navies. The Parkheshi view post-death service as something of an honour (not a view shared by many others in Gwenthia), and the Embalmer's Art is considered a superior trade and social service.
Even death is no barrier to serving your community!
Even death is no barrier to serving your community!
CthulhuFnord
Mongoose
A little while back I came up with an "Create Zombie" sorcery spell. Let me know what you think of it. I used bits from the shapechange spell as bit of a guide. The magnitude aspect of the spell may be a little too limiting, but I like the idea of lesser necromancers enchanting swarms of zombie hands.
Create Zombie
casting time 3, touch
The spell animates a corpse as a Zombie subject to the commands of the caster. The magnitude of the spell must be equal or greater than the siz of the corpse. Hence apprentic necromancers often animate severed hands or small animals, where more powerfull mages animate men or monsters.
If the caster spends a number of magic points equal to the spells magnitude at the time of casting, the spell gains the permanent trait.
Create Zombie
casting time 3, touch
The spell animates a corpse as a Zombie subject to the commands of the caster. The magnitude of the spell must be equal or greater than the siz of the corpse. Hence apprentic necromancers often animate severed hands or small animals, where more powerfull mages animate men or monsters.
If the caster spends a number of magic points equal to the spells magnitude at the time of casting, the spell gains the permanent trait.
The only problem I see with your sorcery version is that a sorcerer would need a skill of 121% in both Magnitude and the spell to animate an average SIZ 13 person. Maybe 2 points of SIZ can be animated per Magnitude instead.
Also the MP per Magnitude to make it permenant seems kinda cheap to me. Maybe that cost could be to make the Duration to be in Hours or even Days instead of Minutes. I would think a point of POW seems about right for a permenant Zombie.
All just my opinion of course - it all really depends on how easy (or hard) you want Necromancy to be in your game.
Also the MP per Magnitude to make it permenant seems kinda cheap to me. Maybe that cost could be to make the Duration to be in Hours or even Days instead of Minutes. I would think a point of POW seems about right for a permenant Zombie.
All just my opinion of course - it all really depends on how easy (or hard) you want Necromancy to be in your game.
CthulhuFnord
Mongoose
I've never been a fan of Zombie spells tat require permant pow from the caster. Most Zombies are used by npcs for the most part, often in great numbers; I don't like the idea of my games necromancer overlord running around with a pow of 3.
Just how combat effective are Zombies to begin with? Sure they do end up stronger, but they don't take to blows as well as a normal fella. Looking through their entry they do seem a bit too combat worthy, maybe the Sorcery Version creates one with a lower strength and combat skill.
Just how combat effective are Zombies to begin with? Sure they do end up stronger, but they don't take to blows as well as a normal fella. Looking through their entry they do seem a bit too combat worthy, maybe the Sorcery Version creates one with a lower strength and combat skill.
I always had problem with create zombie/skeleton spells. Make it cost power and your necromancer runs around with a power of 3. Make it so it dont cost power and your necro runs around with a horde larger the one Xerxes invade Greece with .
One thing I been toying with is to allow certain evil types to use power of people they sacrifice for certain enchantments. Perhaps if the sacrifice is worthy they get 1% of the victims power to store in a pool for enchantments or make zombies/skeletons
One thing I been toying with is to allow certain evil types to use power of people they sacrifice for certain enchantments. Perhaps if the sacrifice is worthy they get 1% of the victims power to store in a pool for enchantments or make zombies/skeletons
