Cleric/Necromancer

Any necromancer, providing he or she has an Intelligence of 17 or greater, may have previously been a member of the priesthood (the minimum 16 Wis needed to be a necromancer is naturally the prime requisite of a priest). This combination would seem to be a great benefit to the character, but it raises a number of concerns (chiefly philosophical) about a fundamental difference and incompatibility between wizards and priests, especially those that worship death. Of all combinations, the cleric/necromancer is the rarest, most time-consuming to generate and the most difficult to role-play.

Unlike fighting, thieving, or wizardry, which may be chosen out of convenience, serving in the priesthood usually involves a sense of “calling” by a specific god and a profound personal piety. Priests that do not put the needs of their god or religion above their own personal desires simply do not advance far in that order. In this context, the cleric/necromancer may be considered to be an “outcast” priest who did not possess the enough faith to devote his or her entire existence to serving a particular god, regardless of the alignment involved. As a result, the character did not progress far in the priesthood, certainly not to 9th level, the stage at which clerics gain a parish. The DM can quickly determine a character’s level as a priest by rolling 1d6+1 (2nd to 7th level).

At the other extreme of the spectrum, certain religions may condone or even encourage their members to learn the wizard’s Art of necromancy. Religions devoted to gaining knowledge or spreading evil might allow their most intelligent and well-trained high-priests (9th-level minimum) to switch classes and become wizard necromancers. Of the new cleric priesthoods detailed in Chapter Five, those worshiping the deities of Pestilence and Undead would probably condone such training.

Such a change in professions would only be permitted after two specific conditions had been met. First, the chosen individual must display absolute and unswerving loyalty to his or her deity. Second, the chosen individual’s wizardry training, once complete, must be put to immediate use in serving the religion.

These “fanatical” priest/necromancers will typically only be encountered in an established temple or on a mission of importance to their god or religion. The DM is referred to the Al-Qadim® Ruined Kingdoms boxed set, which describes an fanatical cult of priest/wizards called Geomancers, who employed a variety of evil magics (including necromancy) to further their organization’s ends.

Finally, the cleric/necromancer can be unusually challenging for the DM. The priests’ proficiencies, religion, specialty powers, and spells greatly increase the character’s complexity, especially at high levels. Of course, the priest’s improved combat abilities (hit points and THAC0) will dramatically increase a wizard’s strength in direct melee. For all these reasons, the character can be difficult to role-play properly, even for experienced DMs.

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