Necromancy and the PC
In general, the material presented in this tome is for the Dungeon Master’s
eyes only. The necromancer put forward herein is a maverick—he or she operates by
a set of nasty rules that are completely beyond the realm of most “normal”
player characters. These rules must be kept strictly hidden from the players, even
if they are adamant about portraying a necromancer.
The most obvious hindrance for a PC necromancer is alignment. While some
practitioners of the Art have a scrupulous code of ethics, the number of benevolent
necromancers is deplorably rare. At the very least, the majority of
necromancers should be considered rigidly neutral. The large remainder of necromantic
practitioners are profoundly evil.
Necromancer PCs will face moral challenges from the onset of their career,
starting probably with their mentor. Consider Talib, an example of a good and
heroic necromancer (highlighted in a number of the chapter introductions and
presented in detail in Chapter Nine). Before poor Talib the Apprentice was permitted
to advance to 1st level, his Master forced him through a brutal initiation by
drugging his food, tying him down to a cold stone altar, and sacrificing him to
the Goddess of Murder. Using a ring of spell storing from an allied death priest, the Master then raised Talib back from the dead (no hard feelings!) to see if his potential pupil
had the requisite strength of body and mind to practice necromancy. Since he
survived the ordeal, Talib only lost a point of Constitution, the first small price
for the privilege of practicing the Art.
Obviously, the young Talib fled his Master at the earliest opportunity.
However, whenever he needed to train after gaining levels or to learn new spells, the
necromancers he sought out were sometimes more black-hearted than his original
Master, and they always demanded a terrible price (moral, physical, or
financial) for his continuing education. Since Talib retained his initially lofty
ideals, he was usually forced to train himself, requiring much greater expense and
time than his other adventuring compatriots. As the DM, you should make certain
that a necromancer PC will confront as many difficult obstacles as possible
during his or her own career.
A necromancer PC that reaches 9th level becomes a potential threat to game
balance once he or she gains the ability to cast animate dead. Scary enough in the hands of NPCs, this spell can be a monumental
inconvenience to the DM in the hands of a crafty player character. On the way out to a
dungeon outside a village, for instance, a necromancer PC might raid the local
cemetery for a few nights, raising a few “kamikaze” hirelings. The other PCs in
the group, if they are smart, will wait patiently while the necromancer
completes these preparations.
Afterward, half of the adventure will be reduced to the necromancer sending
minions into the dungeon. “Zombie, open that door! Zombie, open that chest!
Zombie, walk into that room! Zombie, walk across that checkered and suspicious
floor!” Though this scenario can be somewhat morbidly amusing for an evening or two,
over an entire series of adventures, it can completely ruin a campaign’s
carefully cultivated atmosphere of danger, mystery, and suspense. The animated
zombies can also put the party thief out of business because of their unfailing
ability to detect and harmlessly disarm traps. So what if a zombie takes a ballista
bolt in its chest while opening a treasure-filled coffer? The industrious
necromancer PC will have plenty of zombies on hand to thwart the array of traps in
a dungeon.
Necromancer PCs are already powerful enough (especially at high level) given
the basics from the Player’s Handbook. They have no need of the additional powers and abilities described in this
book. Since a properly played necromancer PC can significantly unbalance a
campaign, only experienced DMs should consider allowing them the abilities outlined
in Chapter Two. At the same time, necromancer PCs are completely subject to the
dangers of the Art. Feel free to impose any of the penalties in Chapter Three
to keep a necromancer PC from monopolizing every gaming session.
Keep in mind that you—as DM—must choose an appropriate power and penalties for
the character, taking into account game balance and role-playing potential
before making a final decision. In general, the DM should try to keep as much of
this information from the players as possible (especially necromancers’
players). If anything, the general aura of mystery, the anticipation of future power,
and the dread of the next personal price of increased ability will add a more
exciting ambiance to the campaign.
Provided necromancer PCs can be kept in check by an alert DM, they
unquestionably add an interesting element of moral tension to the role-playing. Because of
their troubling background, questionable practices, and ofttimes dubious
sanity, necromancer PCs can be considered to be the roguish equivalent of the common
wizard. Since his or her Art will be considered either repugnant (at the very
least) or criminal (more likely) by the general populace, the necromancer has
the “black sheep” appeal of the outcast or outlaw. Despite this quasi-romantic
allure, however, the necromancer deals in cold death, pure and simple. The DM
should delight in reminding the player of this rather unglamorous fact whenever
necessary.
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