Philosopher
The Philosopher studies necromancy out of an overpowering desire to master the forbidden and secret arts shunned by the rest of world. Indeed, if necromancy were not publicly reviled or a topic of social taboo, the Philosopher would not give this school of magic more than a cursory thought. The Philosopher is curious about the forbidden, fascinated by the obscure. The Black Arts are especially tempting to this wizard, who craves to unravel all the dark, hidden mysteries of the universe.
The Philosopher is a theoretician, not an experimenter like the Anatomist. Instead, this wizard gains almost all knowledge from the ancient (often banned) books, scrolls, and magical spells at his or her disposal. When trying to resolve a particularly knotty problem, the wizard may correspond with other Philosophers or summon an agent from the lower planes for interrogation. Knowledge and understanding are always the foremost goals of this kit.
Numerous examples of this kit can be found in the short stories of H. P. Lovecraft and his literary successors, for whom this character became something of a stereotype. Lovecraft was noted for creating the fictional Necronomicon, a book of black necromancy and baneful summonings supposedly written by the Mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred, an insane wizard who delved too deeply into his forbidden researches. Many horror writers have expanded on Lovecraft’s notion of the demented scholar or sage (see “Return of the Sorcerer” and “Ubbo-Sathla” by Clark Ashton Smith, “The Dweller in Darkness” and “Beyond the Threshold” by August Derlith, “Shambler from the Stars” and “The Shadow from the Steeple” by Robert Bloch, “The Terror from the Depths” by Fritz Leiber, and “Rising with Surtsey” by Brian Lumley). The DM should have little difficulty locating source material for this type of necromancer.
Requirements: Because of their fascination with the darker side of necromancy, Philosophers may only be of any neutral, non-good alignment (only N, CN, LN, or NE). A Philosopher must have a minimum 14 Int, besides the usual minimum 16 Wis.
Spell Preferences: This wizard favors spells from the spheres of necromancy (all categories), conjuration/summoning, and divination. During their research, they have little use for alteration or invocation spells.
Role: The Philosopher is a demented and outcast scholar, forced to pursue his or her dangerous studies on the fringes of civilization. This wizard lives like a recluse, always residing in the outskirts of town or in the wilderness. The Philosopher’s sinister habits and fiendish summonings would repulse the uninitiated, inflame neighbors, and quickly bring an eviction by the local authorities. It is far easier to live alone, attended by a few trusted henchmen or familiars who respect and occasionally assist in the work.
This wizard is not prone to adventuring and rarely leaves the library, except when lured by the prospect of gaining ancient books, necromantic scrolls, or magical items for study. Except for seeking out these new arcane materials, the Philosopher remains almost always at home. The most fanatical scholars set up a bed in a corner of their library so they may work on their research during all waking hours.
The most probable role of this character in the campaign will be that of an NPC sage or scholar who must be contacted by the party during the course of a quest or adventure. Kazerabet, for instance, is a reclusive Philosopher with a passion for ancient history. Her NPC sheet appears in Chapter Nine. The famous author of the Art of Necromancy, her work has been quoted in the Introduction and the final chapter of this book. In the campaign of the Isle of the Necromancer Kings (see Chapter Nine), she serves as a neutral source of antique lore for the adventurers, providing them with background information for the adventure. Locating the Philosopher, intruding on her realm, and obtaining the desired knowledge should prove to be an opportunity for lively role-playing, given the eccentricities of the kit.
Weapon Proficiencies: A Philosopher like Kazerabet has little experience or need for weapons, relying almost exclusively on her wits or spells during an encounter. The wizard may only choose small weapons that can easily be learned indoors (the dagger, dart, or knife).
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: netherworld knowledge, reading/writing. Recommended: (General) artistic ability, etiquette, heraldry, languages (modern); (Priest) local history; (Wizard) ancient history, astrology, herbalism, languages (ancient), necrology, religion, spellcraft, spirit lore. Forbidden: all Rogue and Warrior.
Equipment: This wizard has little or no concern for physical appearance or personal possessions (unless magical, of course). As a result, the Philosopher will typically be poorly equipped, wearing unkempt and unfashionable clothing, and carrying little besides spell components and a small weapon. Of course, Kazerabet is an exception to this generality because of her past history as a former queen.
Special Benefits: The Philosopher has the knowledge of a sage regarding spells in the school of Necromancy, necromantic magical items, and the netherworld (particularly the Lower Planes). When questioned on this topic, the wizard has a base 5% chance per level of immediately knowing the answer, as if he or she had cast legend lore. As with the 6th-level spell, the DM must decide on the specific nature of any details learned by this ability. Since most of the Philosopher’s knowledge will be based on the partly coherent ramblings of partially demented necromancers (like him- or herself), there is little to assure that the answer to any specific question will be meaningful or even comprehensible. If the wizard does not directly know the answer to a typical question, the Philosopher is constrained by the typical rules for the sage, outlined on pages 106–108 in the DMG.
If the DM allows psionics in the campaign, the Philosopher may possess one or more wild talents (see Chapter Two for more on this). These unusual psychic abilities result from the wizard’s peripheral researches on the hidden powers of the human mind, an interesting subtopic of necromancy (see the 4th-level spell brainkill in Chapter Four). The Philosopher’s unique mental powers will certainly complement his or her demented or slightly insane nature (see below).
Along with the usual benefits of the specialist, the Philosopher gains a +30% chance (total) when learning spells from the school of Necromancy. Unlike most other necromantic kits, this wizard devotes considerable time to magical research and thus is likely to have a very large repertoire of (mostly necromantic) spells at his or her disposal.
Special Hindrances: Perhaps the greatest hindrance of this character is a tenuous grasp on reality. Normally, scholars attempt to retain an objective or unbiased view of their research. With black necromancy, however, such an emotionless and impartial perspective is extremely difficult to maintain. Because of the internal contradictions involved, spurred by tamperings with extraplanar forces beyond mortal reckoning, a Philosopher like Kazerabet sometimes loses a sane perspective on the normal world around her. Her attitude about life is somewhat distorted by the terrible secrets she has learned, and the cumulative burden of these inexplicable mysteries can be unbearable.
Not surprisingly, Philosophers may become insane (see Chapter Three), though rarely in a manner that impedes their scholarly research. Even the mighty Kazerabet is not without her paranoia and her irrational need for privacy (although these are possibly not bad traits for a necromancer).
Finally, because of the wizard’s extensive research in necromancy, spells from other schools are much more difficult to learn for the Philosopher, resulting in a –30% penalty. Otherwise, the Philosopher has the usual restrictions regarding forbidden schools and magical items.