Necromancy possibilities.

[ravin]

I’m not sure if this is even Cannon or if any of this is possible. But I was looking through a wiki and came across these spells for lower level Necromancers and thought ( as I am playing one now ) how underdeveloped they are as a class. These seemed like interesting spells. I am sure the over-powered ones can be nerfed to satisfy standards but for purposes of RP some of these would be interesting. I would like feedback on this if possible as I don’t know if these are in the game, have plans on being in the game or can’t be put in because of game mechanics.

Congealing Consumption
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Medium
Area: 10 foot radius burst.
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/level (see below)
Saving Throw: Willpower Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.
As the necromancer finishes the final incantations, a dark cloud arises and envelopes the souls of those within.
Any creature within the area when the spell is cast must make a Willpower save or be nauseated for one round per level of the caster.


Curse of Crumbling Conviction
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium
Target: One Creature.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Willpower Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.
The avenging angel glared down with menace at the necromancer. She raised her flaming sword even as he completed his spell. He met her smoldering gaze levelly. "Why?" he asked. It was a question she could not answer…
If the target fails their save they no longer feel strongly about people, ideals, or things. The target's alignment becomes neutral if it wasn't already, and the creature becomes indifferent to everyone, including the caster. This effect is an instantaneous shift, and in no way prevents a creature from responding to subsequent diplomacy or threats. This lack of purpose is an oppressive feeling for intelligent creatures, who will gladly adopt the alignment of whatever creature next persuades them to being helpful. Creatures with an alignment subtype will gradually find their purpose again – regaining the alignment of their subtype in a d4 days unless they already have a new one.


Dark Symmetry
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Close (25ft + 10ft/2 levels)
Target: One Creature.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1d4 rounds + caster level (max of 10 rounds)
Saving Throw: Willpower Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.
Her hands slow down from the frenzied pace and the necromancer's shadow extends into the target's. The warrior's sword arm slows and holds fast. A smile flashes across her face, and she takes a step forward. The warrior unsteadily takes a step backwards, a look of panic crossing his face.
If the victim Succeeds at their saving throw, they are helpless and unable to voluntarily move until the spell is terminated. If they fail then the following happens in addition to the above: if the caster moves while concentrating upon the spell, the victim simultaneously moves an equal distance in the same direction. If the victim is moved into an occupied space, he falls prone. If the victim is moved in a manner that deals damage, the caster takes an equal amount of damage. The victim will not move in a manner that will bring certain or what it thinks is certain death, any attempt to do so will end the spell.
The victim gets a new saving throw every 2 rounds if it failed the first.


Form of Death
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: One Living Creature.
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Fortitude Negates (Harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harmless).
The final incantations completed, the necromancer's skin turned gray, his lips became cold and dry.
A creature affected by Form of Death becomes very much like an undead creature. The target gains [Undead] as a subtype and is affected by any spell or effect that targets Undead specifically. The target is also cured by negative energy and damaged by positive energy. The target is immune to negative energy levels, ability damage, and ability drain. The character will be treated as an undead by those around him, which is both a boon and a bane – while mindless undead won't attack the target unless specifically ordered to and the character gains a +4 profane bonus on all charisma related checks when used on undead creatures, the target also suffers a -4 penalty on Charisma related checks for dealing with living creatures.


Puppet Dance
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Close
Target: One Corporeal Creature
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: Reflex Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.
The necromancer holds her hands up with fingers apart, shadowy tendrils hang down from each finger, tapering into nonexistence before reaching her waist. As the spell reaches completion, larger tendrils appear above the target and hang down to anchor themselves in the victim's flesh. If the victim fails their saving throw, they are helpless and unable to move voluntarily until the spell is terminated. This spell only affects creatures with a physical body. When the caster spends a standard action to concentrate on the spell, she may opt to have the victim move and perform a physical standard action. The caster cannot force the victim to use their spell knowledge (if any), and any attacks made by the victim use the caster's Base attack Bonus rather than their own.


Sobering Skeletal Stillness
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium
Target: One Creature with Bones.
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: Fortitude Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.

Chortling like a man possessed, the necromancer contorts his hands into unnatural positions, emitting dreadful crackling sounds of bones grinding against one another. A black aura surrounds his victim, and the sounds of crepitace now come from two…
If the victim fails their saving throw, they are helpless and unable to move until the spell is terminated. This spell only affects creatures that have a skeletal structure, although an exoskeleton does count. Creatures normally immune to paralysis, necromantic effects, or effects requiring a fortitude save that do not affect objects are still effected by this spell if they have a skeleton (so a zombie ogre is affected, but an iron golem is not).


Tasha's Tomb Tainting
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Area: 40-ft. radius emanating from the touched point
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No.

The graveyard has a serene feeling; the dead have lain here undisturbed for generations. Above the gate a sign in ancient Dwarven earnestly proclaims that the heroes interred within shall lie in peace forever. The necromancer puzzles through the faint and archaic runes and chuckles to himself. "Not hardly…" he mutters, and begins fishing through his spell component pouch for a black pearl…
Upon spell completion, the area is free of any consecration, desecration, Forsaken Graveyard, hallow, Tomb, or unhallow effects. If the caster chooses, the area can be considered desecrated for the next 24 hours (the effects are increased as if there had been a permanent altar to an evil god or pantheon in the area).
Material Component: One Black Pearl, worth at least 500 gp.


Tasha's Tomb Transport
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: See Text
Target: You and objects and willing creatures.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No.

The caster finishes the droning incantations and places her hand on the ground, where dark red runes appear in a circle around it. Eerily dark tendrils rise from the shadows and consume everyone and everything within the area. Far away, a black portal opens on the ground and the travelers rise from it covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat.
This spell can only be cast in a Tomb, and it transports the targets to another Tomb of the caster's choice. The caster has no ability to determine where in the Tomb she will end up, but all targets appear together. The target Tomb need not be on the same plane of existence, but the caster must know where the target Tomb is to within one mile. The spell fails if either Tomb is cut off from the Negative Energy Plane (including effects like dimensional interdiction). Total transported creatures and objects cannot exceed 500 pounds per caster level in weight.


Tomb Tile Tessellation
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Area: One ten-foot cube
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No.
Spell Resistance: No.

Who knew how long the dead had lain in repose, unmolested and forgotten? Judging by the state of the remains, it was long enough – so the necromancer brought out the charts and began planning out how to make sure it stayed that way.
This spell can only be cast in a place where the dead have lain for at least 50 years without being returned as undead. Each casting makes one ten foot cube eligible to become a Tomb. Once the entire area is eligible to become a Tomb, the entire area becomes a Tomb.
Material Component: One vial of Holy Water or one vial of Unholy Water.

[Brokenbone]

Core stuff lots of people get enthusiastic about, splatbooks, less people get excited... and homebrew (since the playtesting on it will have been minimal), even less.

Just at a glance (googled), this is smelling homebrew... and some stuff is stepping on toes of other schools (like the "crumbling conviction" stuff, why wouldn't that be ench/charm?)

Several specialty schools though do have some pretty thin lists, wonder if the vault has any decent new spells from known sources... ? Never been an interest of mine, so can't say.

[hollyfant]

Whether any of these could be implemented is not something I could say, but I would point out a few other things:

Congealing Consumption
Saving Throw: Willpower Negates
Any creature within the area when the spell is cast must make a Willpower save or be nauseated for one round per level of the caster.

This looks like a "Stinking Cloud" or "Ghoul Touch", but with a will save instead of a fortitude one. Casters shouldn't get to chose which save to target.

Curse of Crumbling Conviction
If the target fails their save they no longer feel strongly about people, ideals, or things. The target's alignment becomes neutral if it wasn't already, and the creature becomes indifferent to everyone, including the caster.

Insta-fall spell for Paladins, (most) Clerics and Blackguards?

Dark Symmetry
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Duration: Concentration, up to 1d4 rounds + caster level (max of 10 rounds)
If the victim Succeeds at their saving throw, they are helpless and unable to voluntarily move until the spell is terminated.

A second level spell that is guaranteed, even on a save, to immobilise any creature for a minimum of 4 rounds?

Form of Death
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Duration: 24 hours
A creature affected by Form of Death becomes very much like an undead creature. The target gains [Undead] as a subtype

A d12 for hitdice, darkvision, immune to everything that requires a fortitude save, immune to critical hits, immune to fatigue, poison, suffocation, all mind-affecting spells, paralysis, diseases... Where do I sign up?

Puppet Dance
Saving Throw: Reflex Negates

Again a spell similar to existing ones (albeit not in NWN2) but with a different save to target.

Sobering Skeletal Stillness
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Duration: Concentration
If the victim fails their saving throw, they are helpless and unable to move until the spell is terminated.

First level? A first level spell that allows you to take practically any enemy out of the fight? Sleep at least has a hit-die cap.

I think I'll stop here. I love the flavour of the spells, and it's hard to play a proper, creepy necromancer with the spells we got. But these are simply poorly designed. Overpowered and horribly abusable, it would be very, very bad for ALFA if any of these spells were implemented as is.

[ravin]

thanks guys!. seeing as this is my first caster ever and i'm not what one might call "informed" about spell mechanic i appreciate the breakdown.

one of the reasons i threw this out here was to get opnions and info on the possibilities. so far i really appreciate the response. I knew they seemed over-powered for the level, i just didn't know if it would be worth looking at ...tailoring them. but i have no idea how that might work.


in any case... thanks guys!!

[Ithildur]

Interestingly enough DandD wiki lists those spells; seems like they're originally from a source called the Necronomicon... which I believe is a completely homebrewed fictional tome, not a published splatbook.

The DandD wiki page with those spells listed has this little caveat:

This page is of questionable balance. Reason: Many of these spells are beyond overpowered. Please see the discussion.

DandD wiki has a lot of homebrew stuff that needs to be taken with a grain of salt; to see those guys put up the above caveat, well... if I were a DM I'd be doubly vigilant.