Archetypal Necromancer

Archetypal necromancers employ the Art only for their own twisted and evil ends. They revel in animating the dead and forcing the corrupted remains to serve their perverse appetites. Because of the Archetype’s vile excesses, necromancers as a profession are universally reviled in most civilized societies.

The Archetypal necromancer was perhaps best captured in the short stories of Clark Ashton Smith. The decadent Mmatmuor and Sodosma from “The Empire of the Necromancers,” powerful Vacharn, and his treacherous sons Vokal and Uldulla from “Necromancy in Naat,” the vengeful Nathaire from “the Colossus of Ylourgne,” and finally the perverted Abnon-Tha with his timid assistants, Narghai and Vemba-Tsith, from “The Charnel God.” All these vile and repugnant personalities serve to clearly illustrate the Archetype at its lowest form.

In more recent fantasy literature, Sauron (Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings), Roxanne (the Thieves’ World anthologies), and the Forsaken (Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series) are good examples of this kit.

Requirements: The Archetype is the classic malevolent wizard (any evil alignment will do). Black clothes are a must (or at the very least, some somber attire).

Role: Stereotypical necromancers are consummate villains, foul-hearted wizards of the basest sort. As a result of their violently unrelenting and unrepentant evil, these wizards are either promptly stamped out of existence by the righteous arm of society, or they are eventually driven out of civilization into the wilderness. Most tend to be short-sighted, petty scoundrels with few ambitions save to capture unwary travelers, kill them in gruesome tortures, and later animate them as a form of sick amusement. Others plot in seclusion to gain the coveted boon of lichdom so they can prolong their depravity beyond the grave. The most dangerous ones harbor secret, long-range plans to subvert or destroy the society that exiled them.

The Archetype is an unsympathetic villain, and Master Pizentios (the cryptic Master P. in Sarzec’s letter at the beginning of this chapter) provides the DM with an example of such a dastardly character. This wizard is featured in the introductions of Chapters Seven and Eight, and his NPC sheet appears in Chapter Nine. As we shall see in the sample campaign of the Isle of the Necromancer Kings (Chapter Nine), Pizentios makes a dangerous nemesis for even an experienced party of adventurers.

Preferred Spells: An Archetype like Pizentios embraces the Black Arts, though much of the wizard’s notoriety arises from the perverted abuse of gray necromancy (which includes animating the dead—see Chapter Four). Otherwise, an Archetype is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to necromancy, adopting any (offensive) spells which further his or her plans.

Weapon Proficiencies: The Archetype is generally limited much like a standard wizard and can normally choose from among the dagger, dart, staff, knife, or sling. However, at the discretion of the DM, these villainous wizards may learn a single special weapon outside their restricted selection, at the expense of two slots. The necromancers of Clark Ashton Smith, for instance, rarely traveled far without strapping on their scimitars. The Archetype can learn only one special weapon, chosen from among the following: battle axe, bow (any), crossbow (any), javelin, spear, sword (any), and warhammer. While these are not normally allowed to wizard characters, they tend to be common among Archetypes (especially at low levels).

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: none. Recommended: (General) any; (Warrior, these take 3 slots): endurance, survival; (Rogue) any; (Wizard) anatomy, languages (ancient), ancient history, necrology, netherworld lore, reading/writing, venom handling. Forbidden: all Priest.

Equipment: Archetypes may own any equipment, including a dagger, knife, dart, staff, sling, or their chosen special weapon. Like all wizards, they cannot wear armor when casting spells.

Special Benefits: Due to his or her devotion to black necromancy, the Archetype typically gains 1–3 special abilities as outlined in Chapter Two (DM’s discretion). These supernatural powers invariably result from the wizard’s heinous practices, which usually include foul and unspeakable pacts with evil gods.

Special Hindrances: Most Archetypal necromancers pay a terrible personal price for their evil powers. By embracing the Black Arts, they subject themselves to countless dangerous side effects, the least of which include curses, disease, physical deformity, and madness (the DM should refer to Chapter Three for details).

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