Arcane Background: Necromancy

Arcane Background (Necromancy)

Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Necromancy (arcane skill) d8, Spirit d8+

Arcane Skill: Necromancy (Spirit)

Power Points: 10

Starting Powers: 3 (Protection, plus two of player’s choice)

Available Powers: Armor, bind entity (undead only), blind, boost/lower Trait, confusion, contact spirit world, corpse senses, curse, dark sight, deflection, detect/conceal arcana, dispel, drain power points (range touch only), drain years, enhance undead, fear, grave shroud, grave speak, quickness, slow, smite, speed, spirit shield, strength of the dead, stun, summon spirit, warrior’s gift, zombie

Special Rules

• Crisis of Faith: When a necromancer rolls a 1 on her Necromancy die (regardless of the Wild Die), her Necromancy is reduced by a die type until she spends an hour in restful meditation, contemplation, or prayer. A necromancer’s Necromancy can never be reduced below d4 by a Crisis of Faith.

• Miracles: The necromancer may use Edges that require Arcane Background (Miracles).

Necromancers are steeped in the lore and rituals of death. They are particularly adept at raising the dead and forcing them to serve their foul requests. While most heroes should avoid such vile sorcery, few can deny its efficiency. The benefits of the Necromancer Edge are two-fold. First, the Necromancer may cast the

zombie power at Novice level (rather than its normal Veteran Rank requirement). Second, when casting zombie, the Necromancer reduces the Power Point cost to

2/corpse. Additionally, he may double the cost per corpse to increase the Duration to 2d6 hours with a success, 2d6 days with a raise, or permanent with two raises. A Necromancer may never have more than twice his Spirit die in permanent undead servants.

Necromancer Edges

Master Necromancer

Requirements: Veteran, Necromancer

Zombies raised by the Necromancer now have an extra die in Strength and one skill of his choice (usually Fighting). Additionally, the necromancer now only pays 2 pp/ zombie for a duration of 2d6 days, and with a raise they are permanent.

Talisman Craftsman

Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Spirit d8+, Arcane Background (Necromancy), Knowledge (Occult) d8+, arcane skill d8+

This is a magical version of the Gadgeteer Edge. Once per game session, a character with the Talisman Edge can create a magic device and imbue it with arcane energy. The device uses any power available to a magician or miracle worker in that setting (though this is still subject to Rank restrictions). It has half the creator’s Power Points. Once these are used up, they do not recharge. The ritual to imbue the object takes d20 minutes. Activating the device requires a Smarts (magic) or

Spirit (miracles) roll.

Unholy Host

Requirements: Legendary, Necromancer

This Edge is the Harrowed’s equivalent of the blessed’s Flock—a group of five allied Extras that travel with the hero and aid him when he needs it. But in this case, the allies are all dead...well, undead to be exact. To use the Edge, the necromancer must have five or more corpses in the immediate vicinity, in reasonably complete shape. With a successful Spirit test (–2) the deader raises five Walkin’ Dead (see the Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook) to act as servants, bodyguards, or what-have-you. It takes about five minutes to get the corpses up and moving. These walkin’ dead are ruthless and unwavering allies. The hero doesn’t have a mental link with his Unholy Host, but when he gives them orders, they are bound to follow them. But they’re also evil incarnate, and clever in their interpretations. Give them an inch, and they’ll leave a slew of bloody corpses for a mile. Think of them as devious children interpreting their orders in the most literal and harmful way possible. Other than that, they’re completely loyal, and they won’t let their champion die if they can help it. They might let him suffer and may get a good laugh out of it, but if the hero ever dies, they die too—again. Only when all five members of an Unholy Host are destroyed can the Harrowed use this Edge to raise five more allies.

Adept

Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Necromancy), Martial Artist, Faith d8+, Fighting d8+

Adepts are holy warriors who have trained themselves to be living weapons. Some do so to be ultimate warriors; others do it in the service of a cause or deity. As a free action, an adept can spend 1 Power Point to gain AP 2 with all of his unarmed attacks until his next action. In addition, upon taking this Edge and at each new Rank, they may choose to change the trappings of one of the following powers to work only on themselves but be activated as a free action: boost/lower trait, deflection, smite, or speed. The Adept must have the power to begin with, and this does not allow him to activate more than one power in a round.

Champion

Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+, Strength d6+, Vigor d8+, Faith d6+, Fighting d8+

Champions are holy (or unholy) men and women chosen to fight for a particular deity or religion. Most are pious souls ready and willing to lay down their lives for a greater cause, but some may have been born into the role and follow their path with some reluctance. Champions fight the forces of darkness (or good). They add +2 damage when attacking supernaturally evil (or good) creatures, and have +2 Toughness when suffering damage from supernaturally evil (or good) sources, including arcane powers and the weapons, claws, teeth, etc., of such creatures.

Flock

Prerequisites: Seasoned, Arcane Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+, Faith d8+

The greatest prophets and preachers are attended by followers. These men and women have found salvation in one sort or another in the blessed and devoted their lives to his cause. Flock gives your padre 5 followers who serve at his side in whatever capacity you choose. They have the stats of Townsfolk (see page 235), though they can gain skills just like any other Allies. They come with nothing but the clothes on their back and a few dollars, but can be armed and outfi tted however the blessed sees fit. Members of the Flock who perish are slowly replaced over time (usually by giving a “revival”). The Edge may not be taken more than once until the blessed is Legendary. At that point he may take it as many times as he’d like (as well as the Followers Edge, if he so chooses).

Holy/Unholy Warrior

Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+, Faith d6+

Acolytes, clerics, paladins, holy slayers, and other avatars of the gods are frequently tasked with battling the forces of evil in the mortal world. This Edge gives them a slight advantage against such foes. As an action, a priest or other holy person may call upon his chosen deity to repulse supernaturally evil creatures, such as the undead, demons, and the like. It also works on evil characters with the Arcane Background (Miracles) Edge. Repulsing evil costs 1 Power Point and has a range of the character's Spirit. Targeted creatures within that range must make a Spirit roll. Failure means the creature is Shaken; a 1 means it is destroyed. Wild Cards suffer an automatic Wound instead. A character may also be an Unholy Warrior working for the forces of evil. In this case, he repulses good creatures, such as angels, paladins, or good characters with Arcane Background (Miracles).

Patron Spirit

Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+

A Patron Spirit might be a guardian angel, a patron saint, a helpful loa, or some other entity that fits the blessed’s beliefs. By spending a Fate chip, the blessed with a Patron Spirit may call upon it at any time to aid her in maintaining miracles. A white chip extends the duration by the base amount (i.e., a power normally active for 3 rounds lasts 3 more rounds). A red chip extends the duration by twice the base amount, and a blue chip extends the duration by three times the base amount. A Legend chip extends the duration of a power by five times the base amount. A character may never have more than one patron spirit at a time; if a hero has both Knack (Spirit Touched) and Patron Spirit, both Edges

apply to the same spirit.

Necromancer Spells

Corpse Senses

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: 2

Range: Smarts x 100 yards

Duration: One hour (1/hour)

Trappings: Chanting, staring into a mirror

Necromancers often guard their tombs with undead, and this spell allows them to use their minions as a set of roving senses. The power only works on corpses the caster has animated himself. If he has multiple undead under his control, he may switch between them as a free action, but only once per round. For the duration of the spell, the caster uses the senses of the target as if they were his own. He sees what the undead sees, hears what it hears, and so on. The power provides no control over the corpse, nor does it let the caster speak through it. Should the target wander out of range, the connection is instantly severed.

Drain Years

Rank: Heroic

Power Points: 20

Range: Smarts

Duration: Permanent

Trappings: Chanting, spoken curse

This vile spell causes one target to wither and age many years in an instant. The caster makes an arcane skill roll opposed by the victim’s Vigor. On a success, the victim ages rapidly and loses a permanent die of Strength and Vigor, or two die steps on a raise (both to a minimum of a d4). If cast on an Elderly character, the victim dies of old age if he fails his Vigor roll.

Enhance Undead

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: 3/undead

Range: Smarts

Duration: Special

Trappings: Runes engraved on undead, chanting

This unusual spell allows a necromancer to enhance the abilities of an undead of any sort (undead casters can augment themselves). Each casting allows the necromancer to give an undead an Advance as if it were a character. Targets might gain increased attributes or extra skills, or even gain a new Edge (without regard to requirements!). The caster can affect more than one undead at a time by spending the proper number of Power Points, but all targets must receive the same enhancement. With a success, the dead remain enhanced for 1 hour. With a raise, they remain enhanced for 1d6 hours.

Grave Shroud

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: 2

Range: Touch

Duration: 1 minute (1/minute)

Trappings: Victim gains the appearance of an undead

Grave shroud transforms the target’s appearance to that of a zombie. Unwilling victims receive a Spirit roll to resist, opposed by the caster’s arcane skill. The target does not gain any Special Abilities (including Undead), as the spell is illusory, and he keeps his own traits. However, he looks and smells like a walking corpse. Near-mindless undead (such as zombies and skeletons) treat the target as one of their own and do not attack him, and intelligent undead (such as vampires) are likely to think of the character as just a mindless minion, and typically ignore them. If the character attacks an undead, it will defend itself, however. ny intelligent undead closely examining the character may make a Notice roll at –2 to spot the deception, or –4 if the caster scored a raise. A character subjected to this spell who sees his own reflection must make a Fear test.

Grave Speak

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: 4

Range: Touch

Duration: 3 (1/round)

Trappings: Runes carved on bodily remains, black candles, “leather” books, Ouija boards.

It is said the dead know many secrets, and through the black arts a mage can reach beyond death to contact departed souls. Though not evil, many good spellcasters avoid using this power for they feel it disturbs those who have earned their rest In order for this spell to work, it must be directed toward a particular soul. The caster must either know the name of the deceased or possess a personal item, which includes their corpse, or any part of it at least, as well as a treasured item. If the spell succeeds, a ghostly voice makes itself known and may be questioned. One question may be asked for each round the spell is active. The spirit contacted is not necessarily friendly and can lie, but it may not refuse to answer or make guesses. The Game Master must decide what information the entity knows—the spirit is not omnipotent and typically knows only what it knew in life up to the moment of its death. A roll of a 1 on the caster’s arcane skill, regardless of Wild Die, may summon up a demon or other hostile entity. While these spirits cannot usually affect the caster when contacted in this way (they’re not summoned), it may try to convince him it is the person he sought, then feed him inaccurate or dangerous information to lead the character to his death.

Spirit Shield

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: 3

Range: Smarts

Duration: 3 (1/round)

Trappings: Ring of holy water or salt, wall of energy, sigils inscribed in the air

This spell creates a barrier that can keep out ghosts, poltergeists, and other ethereal entities—it has no affect against demons or undead in physical form. The caster makes his arcane skill roll and then places a Medium Burst Template centered on himself. Entities wishing to enter the Template must make an opposed Spirit check against the caster’s arcane skill. If they fail, they cannot pass the barrier while the spell remains active. Spirit shield stops the entity from passing through, but does not prevent it from “normal” actions such as intimidation or throwing physical objects. The spell is negatedif any living creature of rat-size or larger that started inside the circle crosses to the outside.

Strength of the Dead

Rank: Veteran

Power Points: 6

Range: Touch

Duration: 3 (1/round)

Trappings: Pallid skin, claws, fangs

This unusual power allows the caster to mimic a Trait or Special Ability of an undead he is touching when he invokes the spell. The recipient gains one Trait or Special Ability possessed by the undead for the duration of the power. In the case of Traits, the mimicked Trait replaces the target’s. The undead does not lose the affected trait or ability.

Summon Spirit

Rank: Seasoned

Power Points: The spirit’s Spirit die type x2

Range: Smarts x 2

Duration: Smarts

Trappings: Ouija boards, personal items, seances

Whereas demons are typically summoned to complete some task, spirits are more likely summoned for information—or perhaps to materialize in physical form so as to then bind or destroy them. Spirits such as ghosts, haunts, poltergeists, and the like have a very limited view of the physical world, and an even lesser understanding of the ethereal realm. They spend most of their time in the latter, drifting in a state of semi-consciousness and glimpsing visions of the real world. “Good” spirits find this peaceful and only interact with the mortal realm if forcibly called to it. Restless entities have a very different take. These visions—or memories of their terrible lives—drive them to terrible violence. They actively attempt to reenter the physical domain and take their vengeance on the living beings they find there. Summoning a spirit requires a ritual of some sort—typically a seance and/or important artifact of the person in life (if it had one prior to its ethereal existence). The summoner then spends the Power Points and makes an opposed arcane skill roll versus the entity’s Spirit.

• Failure: The entity breaks through with great violence! Everyone directly involved with the casting must make a Spirit roll at –4 or be Fatigued for the next 24 hours. The spirit then wreaks whatever havoc it can based on its particular powers and abilities. Most ghosts and the like can manifest for a few minutes before returning to the netherworld.

• Success: The entity is summoned long enough to answer one question. It is subdued and cannot attack or use its powers and abilities during this time. After the question is answered, the thing issues a horrible screech or ectoplasmic detonation that leaves everyone directly involved Fatigued for the next 24 hours.

• Raise: The spirit will answer three questions before fading back into the netherworld. Tasks: As an alternative to asking a spirit for information, the entity can be tasked instead. The duration is one night with a success and three with a raise. Use the summon demon success, failure, and raise results to determine how the thing behaves. What do Spirits Know: This depends largely on the entity itself. Spirits essentially have “tunnel vision” to the rest of the world, so their knowledge is generally confined to their local area and things relating to their particular nature. The ghost of a murdered lover likely focuses entirely on the event of her death, how she gave her heart to her beloved, and how the diamond he gave her sparkled. The same spirit might then quickly turn violent, focusing entirely on how her lover’s hands then tightened on her throat after she found him in bed with some hated rival—and choking the life of those involved in summoning her. A nature spirit has an entirely different perspective. A water nymph knows who walked in her stream, where the pollution is coming from, or how little it’s rained in the last years. A native American buffalo spirit might know about the health of the herds, the taste of the grass this year, or how cold the winter was.