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Necromancy

Summon Skeleton Champion

Necromancy, also known as the Lore of Vampires, is the forbidden practice of creating and commanding the Undead.

Overview

Throughout the Old World, there are those whose lust for power leads them to explore the basest of arcane lore. These are the Necromancers, and they are universally hated and feared, for they have chosen to delve into the secrets of death itself, corrupting the natural process of creation and destruction in order to stay Morr's scythe and control the unliving. They are doubly despised by all sane individuals, for not only do they rebel against nature by manipulating the evil power of Dhar, but they blaspheme against Morr by disturbing the eternal rest of the dead and commanding ghosts to do their bidding.

It is interesting that only humans seem to follow the path of necromancy. Keenly aware of their own short lifespan, a few depraved people seek immortality through the study of this forbidden lore. Driven by terror of death itself, they seek out proscribed tomes, such as the Liber Mortis or one of the Nine Books of Nagash, spending years perfecting their morbid art through obsessive study and experimentation. [3a]

Some seek out fellow Necromancers as mentors, not an easy task when these disgusting sorcerers are forced to hide in the shadows for fear of discovery and destruction. Many Necromancers dwell in forgotten places in the wilderness, where their vile experiments will not be disturbed, though some live secretly in cities, emerging at night to rifle the graveyards for corpses; the Priests of Morr are kept busy protecting the sleep of the dead from such degenerates. Many would-be Necromancers, in their desperation for illicit knowledge, seek out Vampires to teach them the ways of undeath, perhaps travelling to the forsaken province of Sylvania where these dread lords of the night hold sway. But they must trade their freedom for the knowledge they seek, becoming little more than thralls of their blood-sucking masters.

Necromancers are attracted to places where Dark Magic pools, for they can tap into this congealed essence to raise the dead to life and halt their own gradual decay, though it is ironic that in doing so they begin to resemble the very corpses that fascinate them: their pale skin clings to their bones, and their faces become gaunt, with hollow eyes and rictus grins. The stench of the grave follows in their wake.

Casters

Dark Magic

Dark Magic is attracted to places where the basest of emotions have been scorched into the fabric of reality by terrible suffering: on battlefields ancient hatreds are remembered; in plague pits, horror and fear cloak the ground; in abandoned graveyards, the mourning of forgotten spirits is borne by chill winds.

Those with magical sight can perceive the choking shadows that cling and feed upon the negative energy of these places. It elicits sickening terror in the hearts of the sane, but brings joy to the withered soul of the Necromancer, who can mould this black mass of magical power, and channel it into spells to raise rotting corpses, shambling skeletons, and worse.

The Priests of Morr range across the Old World, their blessings cleansing such areas and dispersing the Dark Magic gathered there, but theirs is a losing battle, for mayhem, disease, and grief despoil the lands with every passing month.

Where the eight Winds of Magic blow free in the air, Dark Magic is heavy, and sinks to the ground, and after many centuries can congeal into a solid malignant mass, which corrupts all it touches like a tumour. This black substance, streaked with lurid green, glows with unearthly energy. It mutates the living and can cause the dead to walk. Known as warpstone, it is a substance much sought after by Necromancers for their experiments. Chunks of warpstone have sometimes been known to fall from the sky – indeed the city of Mordheim, in Ostermark, was destroyed by such a meteor in 1999 IC.

Many Necromancers are content to hide within their secret libraries and laboratories, quietly pursuing their obsession with unlife. Yet a few are possessed with megalomaniac madness, and raise great armies of corpses to destroy the living, hoping to rule the world as eternal masters of death. Throughout the Empire’s history, such maniacs have posed a great threat to civilisation, and it is for this reason that the Witch Hunters and the battle wizards of the Colleges of Magic combine their might to eradicate necromancy wherever it lurks.

The Lore of Nagash

The black art of necromancy has a long history that may be traced ultimately to the Elves of Ulthuan. Though the Elves knew of the power of Dhar, undiluted Dark Magic, for years they turned their backs on it and instead studied the safer Winds. Those who finally gave in to temptation were the first of the Druchii, the Dark Elves.

When Nagash ruled Khemri, three of the Druchii were brought before him as slaves. Through years of torture he slowly teased the secrets of magic out of them and began his experimentation with what was to become necromancy.

Today’s practitioners of the black art use a form of necromancy that has been shaped by other students over the centuries; the work of Vanhel and Kadon, amongst others, supplements the fragmentary translations of Nagash’s work that survive. The works of these necromancers may be flawed, be missing passages, or contain traps set by their creators to ensnare the unwary.

It is said the complete copy of Vanhel’s Liber Mortis held under lock and key by the Sigmarites is capable of devouring the souls of any who read it and once summoned a Daemon made entirely of fingers. Nagash’s original form of necromancy still survives, however. It has been maintained by the Vampires, particularly those of the Necrarch line, passed down from master to apprentice over the centuries along with the history of their kind.

Spells

 
Annihilate Undead
  • Annihilate Undead: Any and all Undead within 24 yards of the Necromancer are destroyed if they do not resist the spell.[10b]
  • Banish Undead: A magical vortex sucks energy from the undead. [4a]
  • Call of Vanel: Nearby undead are energised. [4a]
  • Corpse Flesh: The skin of the Necromancer becomes tougher. [4a]
  • Curse of Years: Enemies find that their hair turns grey and their limbs grow heavy before they collapse. [1a] [2a] [3b][9b]
  • Control Undead: A Banshee, Ghost or Wraith is bent to the Necromancers will for 24 hours. [4a]
  • Create Memorizing Head: A intelligent victim is sacrificed and its spirit bound into the skull which can be used to store information. [6a]
  • Curse of Undead: A target that does not resist the spell becomes Undead. [10c]
  • Dark Mist. [3b]
  • Deathly Cabal: Spirits are called upon to gather around the Necromancer and protect them. [9b]
  • Destroy Undead:A group of Ethereal Undead, Skeletons or Zombies which do not resist the spell crumble to dust or vanish. [10a]
  • Drain Life. [3b][7a]
  • Extend Control: Allows the Necromancer to extend the range of their control over their undead minions. [10b]
  • Face of Death: The casters face becomes a leering skull. [4a]
  • Gaze of Nagash: Bolts of magic shoot out from the eyes of the spellcaster, blackening the skin of the enemy, then sloughing it away to expose the bone beneath. [1a][2a]
  • Hand of Death: The caster can injure a target by simply touching them. [10a]
 
Hand of Dust
  • Hand of Dust: Anything that the caster grips is aged centuries in mere second,a spell that can be used even in combat. [1a][3b][4a][10b]
  • Hellish Vigour: The undead under the casters control are blessed with increased speed and ferocity. [1a][2a]
  • Invocation of Nehek: The Necromancer can awaken the ancient dead or restore those already enthralled to him. In addition, more powerful undead can be healed of their wounds with this spell. [1a]
  • Invigorating Vitae: The blood of a cropse is enchanted to heal the Necromancers wounds. [4a]
  • Life in Death: Once cast for several hours if the Necromancer is killed, their spirit will attempt to take over the body of another living creature within a brief period. [10b]
  • Loyal Wight: The Necromancers forces a Wight or Wights to guard them rather than a location. [7a]
 
Raise Dead
  • Raise the Dead/Raise Dead: The Necromancer raises a large group of Undead. [3b][4a][10c]
  • Re-Animate: Skeletons or Zombies arise to serve the caster. [4a]
  • Shape Servant of Bone: The necromancer creates a familiar from the bones of a dead creature. [7a]
  • Spectral Steed: A ghostly steed manifests from the night air. [9b]
  • Spell of Awakening: Wights are raised. [4a]
  • Spirit Leech: A chill wind saps the will of enemies and fills them with dread.[9b]
  • Spiritual Vortex: A vortex opens a rift into the realm of Morr. [9b]
  • Stop Instability: Can prevent instability in a group of Undead. [10b]
  • Summon Guardian Spirit Summons and compels a term of service from a spirit, even a known person. [5a][7a]
  • Summon Shade: The caster summons a recently dead spirit to answer questions. [7a]
  • Summon Skeleton Champion: A Champion is raised near the Necromancer. [10a]
  • Summon Skeleton Major Hero: A Hero is raised near the Necromancer. [10c]
  • Summon Skeleton Minor Hero: A Hero is raised near the Necromancer. [10b]
  • Summon Skeletons: A group of skeletons are raised to serve the summoner until dawn the next day. [3b][10a]
  • Summon Storm Riders. The Necromancer summons and binds the Storm Riders to their service for a short duration. [8a]
  • Summon Undead Horde. [3b]
  • The Dwellers Below: Spectral hands reach out to grasp and pull the casters enemy into the underworld.
  • Total Control: The Necromancer can control their undead minions across an area with a radius of 2400 yards. [10c]
  • Transformation of the Liche: If the caster dies before the next sunrise after casting this spell, the will rise as a Liche. [7a]
  • Unquiet Spirits: Spirits gather around the Necromancers enemy, their uncanny talons tearing them apart. [9b]
  • Vanhel's Dance Macabre: The dead are infused with energy so they move faster than most mortals can match. [1a][2a][7a]
  • Wind of Death: A spectral wind is summoned that tears souls from their bodies. [2a][3b][3b][10c]
  • Zone of Life: A magical field is created around 12 yards in diameter that prevents all Undead from entering, lasting an hour or more. [10a]

Gallery

Notes

  • Control Undead in WFRP 1st edition effects Skeletons and Zombies only. [10a]

Sources

The Vampire Counts
Units Abyssal Terror - Banshee - Bat Swarm - Black Coach - Black Knight - Blood Knight - Cairn Wraith - Charnel Guard - Corpse Cart - Coven Throne - Crypt Horror - Dire Wolves - Fell Bat - Ghost - Ghoul - Gloom‎ - Grave Guard - Hexwraith - Mortis Engine - Necromancer - Master Necromancer - Necromancer Lord - Shadow Druid - Simulacra - Skeleton - Spirit Host - Strigoi Ghoul King - Storm Riders - Strigany - Swain - Sylvanian Levy - Terrorgheist - Tomb Stalker - Vargheist - Varghulf - Vampire Thrall - Vampire Count - Vampire Lord - Wight King - Winged Nightmare - Zombie - Zombie Dragon - Zombie Pirate
Characters Abhorash - Aucassin - Adolphus Krieger - Alicia von Untervald - Andraste - Ankhat - Anmar bin Muntasir - Asteron - Brachnar - Caleb - Chandagnac - Chown - Constant Drachenfels - Crovan - Dieter Helsnicht - Druthor - Emmanuelle von Templehof - Estaban Valadische - Evegena Boradin - Faethor - Famke Leibrandt‎ - Frederick van Hal - Gabriella von Nachthafen - Galiana - Gashnag - Genevieve Dieudonné - Gorgivich Krakvald - Gothard - Gugula Skell - Gunther Spengler - Harakhte - Hathurk - Heinrich Kemmler - Helena von Culper - Helman Ghorst - Heloise Kalfon - Hermione von Auerbach - Imentet - Isodora - Jacques de Noirot - Johann Haifisch - Kadon - Kalledria - Kattarin - Khaled al Muntasir - Khemalla - Krell - Laskar Noircouer - Layla - Leanora Navrre - Louis Cypher - Lothar von Diehl - Lupa Stregga - Luthor Harkon - Mallobaude - Malvous - Mangari - Mara - Margritte von Wittgenstein - Mariato - Mathilda‎‎ - Melidere Valadische - Melissa d'Acques - Merovech - Morath‎‎ - Mordac - Morgul - Moriva Darkstalker - Mundvard - Naaima - Nathmar - Neferata - Nicodemus - Nitocris - Nourgul - Obadiah Glothman - Palatine Drego - Petra Hirkeit - Pitre Fonce - Raiza - Rametep - Rasha bin Wasim - Red Duke - Renar - Rolinda - Rudolph Brecht - Sanzak - Sofia - Sorn Ghoulskin - Sycamo - Talia - Theodora Margrave - Thrashlaar - Tiberius Kael - Ulrika Magdova - Ushoran - Urzen - Verek - Anark von Carstein - Antoine von Carstein - Ariette von Carstein - Emmanuelle von Carstein - Isabella von Carstein - Konrad von Carstein - Lydia von Carstein - Malachias von Carstein‎‎ - Mannfred von Carstein - Nyklaus von Carstein - Pieter von Carstein - Vlad von Carstein - Vorag Bloodytooth - Katherina von Dernsbach - Frich Von Haas - Rabe von Stahl - Rodrik von Waldendorf‎‎ - Rametep - Rudek - Ulffik - Ullo - Valnimir Valadische - Vangheist - Varis - Vorag Bloodytooth - Walach Harkon - W'soran - Yamina - Zacharias - Zoar
Organisations Dreadfleet - Lahmian Sisterhood - Necrarch Brotherhood - Order of the Blood Dragon - Vampire Coast - Von Carstein Dynasty
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