[Dying Breath and Malaise came from this section. I think Corpse Colossus would have looked pretty nice in the Book of Vile Darkness...]
Evil Animations
Minor
Animation.
Animates one severed hand.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 0,
Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S,
F, DF
Casting
Time: 1 full round
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Animates one severed hand
Duration: 1
minute/level
Saving
Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
This unnerving cantrip is often the very first spell
taught to the apprentices entering the Animators guild. The spell arrived at what would be later called
Hollowfaust with Barastrondo, although he never claimed to have invented it,
but that it was old when he learnt it as a youth.
Spell Effect
The caster pushes a long bone pin through the center of
her wrist to activate this spell and then touches the temporarily lifeless
member to the skeletal remains of a severed humanoid hand. Inserting or removing this pin within the
casting of this spell causes no harm to the casters hand, although she loses
all feeling and use of that hand until the pin is withdrawn.
Once animate, the hand will remain functional as a Tiny
Skeleton (core rulebook III p, 165)
Material
Components: The severed hand of a humanoid being. This hand must be primarily stripped of
flesh, but remain intact. (Mummifying
the hand works best.)
Arcane Focus:
A long pin of thinly carved bone from a humanoid being. A divine spellcaster need not pierce her
hand, but simply casts the spell normally, with her holy symbol in hand. If she ever loses her grasp on the holy
symbol, either because she puts it down, has it disarmed or taken away, or it
is targeted and destroyed, the spell ends prematurely.
Bone
Armor.
Animates a skeleton to serve as armor for the caster.
Necromancy
Level:
Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 1 full round
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Animates a skeleton to serve the caster as armor
Duration: 13
hours
Saving Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
An apprentice necromancer named Hadat crafted this spell
as a necromantic variation on the popular armor
spell, which he could not cast. The
somatic component of the spell reflects his rather unhealthy obsession with the
dead, but in Glivid-Autel, such behaviors are considered desirable by certain
undead necromancers...
Spell Effect
With imploring gestures and caresses over an intact (non-undead) skeleton of his general size, the caster causes the skeleton to fly apart and re-assemble around his body as a protective shell. It moves as he moves, never impeding his movement and serving as +4 armor protection with no chance of spell failure, no armor check penalty and no maximum dexterity limitation. It will not take hold if the caster is already wearing any sort of armor, although it will fuse itself over normal, or even magical, clothing. The bone armor weighs 10 to 20 lbs. (depending on the skeletons freshness), but it supports its own weight, leaving the caster entirely unencumbered by its presence. Throughout the duration of the spell, the bones re-knit themselves if damaged, so long as the caster remains alive beneath them.
The bone armor confers an armor bonus, and as such does not stack with the bonuses conferred by the mage armor spell, or any form of mundane physical armor (but does stack with the armor bonus conferred by a shield).
If the caster is slain while under the protection of this
spell, the bone armor draws power from the from the casters death and rises as
a free-willed Skeleton of medium-size (or as appropriate to the casters size),
attacking any living creatures nearby indiscriminately, starting with the
closest, for 1 minute / caster level or until it is destroyed. If the caster is merely dropped to Disabled
or Dying, the armor remains functioning as armor until the moment of the
casters actual death.
Material
Components: An intact humanoid skeleton of the same size as the
caster. (Note that if the caster is not
humanoid, the skeleton must be of an appropriate racial type and size to
match.)
Bone
Servant.
Animates a single skeleton.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level:
Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Animates one medium-sized humanoid skeleton
Duration:
Permanent
Saving
Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
Whatever the necromancers of Hollowfaust would say of the
workings of Glivid-Autel, occasionally a pearl comes from the swine. This spell in particular, created by the
magus Dathon, has spread to many spell-books held by necromancers who publicly
deride the Society of Immortals and their works. Dathons‘ other works are not so well-received…
Spell Effect
With a gripping gesture and words of dark power directed
towards a specially prepared skeleton, the caster causes it to rise as his
servant. It will only follow the
casters spoken directions or emphatic gestures (go, come, halt) while within
close range. If it ever leaves close range
of the caster, it collapses into a heap and is destroyed.
The skeletal minion has the abilities of a medium-sized
skeleton, per page 164 of core rulebook III.
A caster can have no more than one bone servant active at
a time for each odd caster level, and each requires its own animation
ceremony. Each bone servant counts as 1
Hit Dice of undead controlled, as for the description under the animate dead spell (core rulebook I, p.
174).
Material
Components: An ointment fashioned from mandrake, monks hood and
aconite, mixed with at least 10 gp. worth of powdered black onyx. The mixture is then massaged into the bones
to be affected, leaving no spot uncovered, and a few drops of blood must be
dripped onto the prepared skeletons skull from a fresh cut on the casters hand
to bind the animation to the casters life.
Last
Word.
Allows the casters soul a final revenge.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level:
Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 1 hour
Range:
Personal
Target,
Effect or Area: Transforms the caster into an undead at the
moment of death
Duration: 1
month, or until discharged (then 1 round/level)
Saving
Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
In Glivid-Autel, death is but the beginning of ones
despair, and even if you slay an enemy, you cannot be sure that she will not
rise to take her revenge, as the necromancer Kirith rose to avenge her death at
the hands of her brother Hadat.
Spell Effect
At the end of this grueling ritual, the casters spirit is
infused with an evil spirit of vengeance.
If she dies at any time in the next month’s time, her final act of
hatred rips from her corpse as an incorporeal undead to attack her slayer(s).
In the case of a 5th level caster, this spirit takes the
form of a Shadow (core rulebook III, p. 161), for a 7th level caster,
it manifests as a Wraith (core rulebook III, p. 185-186) and finally at 9th
or higher level it rises as a Spectre (core rulebook III, p. 169-170). This undead remains for 1 round / caster level, at which time it
vanishes and the casters soul travels to its final reward (or punishment). The creature will initially target the casters
slayer(s), but if it succeeds in killing them (or they escape beyond its reach),
it will use any remaining duration to attack any other living prey within
the area, even former friends or allies of the caster.
Material
Components: The sacrifice of a sentient creature of Hit Dice or level
equal to the arcanists’ caster level.
As the caster must perish (fall to –10 hit points) to activate this
spell, the caster herself is something of an expendable material component as
well...
Bone
Juggernaut.
Animates many man-sized skeletons into one larger one.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level:
Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 8 hours
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Fuses 16 intact medium-sized skeletons into one
gargantuan one.
Duration:
Permanent
Saving
Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
Created in a collaborative effort by many necromancers of
the Animator’s Guild of Hollowfaust, this spell was crafted to combat the
severe shortage of gargantuan and larger skeletons for animation. The leader of the project, an unhealthy
fellow known as Kadeth, proposed carrying the experiment to its logical
conclusion by attempting to craft gargantuan zombies. His fellow Animators voted against that idea, and he quietly
vanished one night, along with his personal libraries and servants.
Spell Effect
After a full night incanting over sixteen pristine
humanoid skeletons of medium size, the bones slither and fuse together into a
towering colossus of bone under the casters direct command. This macabre creation is treated in all
respects as a gargantuan skeleton (core rulebook III, p. 165) and counts as 16
hit dice against the total amount of undead the caster can have controlled by
such animation magic at one time (per the description under the animate dead spell in core rulebook I,
p. 174).
The creation remains active until destroyed, and can be
commanded by spoken commands from its creator or certain emphatic gestures (go,
come, halt).
At 16th level, the caster may choose to
perform this rite over 32 such skeletons (with the commensurate increase in
blood sacrifice) to create a colossal skeleton. Such a creation will count as a 32 hit die undead for the
purposes of control.
Material
Components: In addition to sixteen intact humanoid skeletons, sixteen
living creatures must be slain during the ritual and their blood made into a
bath in which the bones to be animated must steep during the casting. These creatures must be of medium size, but
need not be humanoid (and in fact must not be intelligent). Dogs, associated with mindless obedience by
many, are generally preferred for this unhappy role.
Corpse
Colossus.
Animates several humanoid corpses into one giant zombie.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level:
Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 8 hours
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Animates a giant zombie from a dozen man-sized
corpses
Duration:
Permanent
Saving
Throw: None
Spell
Resistance: No
Description
A necromancer from Hollowfaust named Kadeth fled to
Glivid-Autel so that he could continue his studies among ‘less squeamish’ peers. In return for his knowledge, he was allowed
to partake of the Societies research into immortality, to attempt to stave on
his own deteriorating health. His
research has reached its inevitable conclusion, and he now seeks out twenty-three
appropriate bodies, which he means to awaken into unlife as a rotting colossus
with himself as the guiding intellect…
Spell Effect
After gathering eleven suitable humanoid corpses, none dead
more than three days, the caster draws out a suitable chopping tool and many
yards of sturdy cat-gut. After eight
hours of butchery and crude stitching, and one dark sacrifice, the caster
has assembled a fearsome creation in the form of a gargantuan humanoid from
the many smaller components.
This creation draws a spark of unlife from these dark deeds,
being treated in all respects as a gargantuan zombie (core rulebook, pages
191-192) of particularly gruesome aspect, and counting as 24 hit dice against
the total amount of undead the caster can have under his control at any one
time (per the description under animate
dead, core rulebook I, p. 174).
The creation remains active until destroyed, although it
can only be directed by the spoken command of its creator, or certain emphatic
gestures (go, come, halt).
While this spell could theoretically be increased, using
24 bodies to craft a 48 HD colossal zombie, no arcanist has yet been able to do
create and control such a monstrosity.
Some propose that the caster would have to be the equivalent of a 24th
level spellcaster to initiate the ritual, others suggest the catalyzing death
has to be more powerful (or more numerous?), perhaps of a larger creature, a
magical beast or even a spellcaster.
Experimentation, with all the horror that implies, continues…
Material
Components: Eleven intact and fresh humanoid corpses, many yards of
catgut, a strong needle of bone and a sharp cutting tool are required for the
initial assembly process. To awaken the
beast into unlife, a twelfth living humanoid must be sewn into the very center
of the assembled construct, making up the ‘heart’ of the finished zombie. The bone needle used for assembly, still
attached to the single long strand of catgut that holds the mass together, is
pushed through this living victims heart and the spell traps the force of his
death and channels it out through the needle and catgut into the creature,
shocking it into an unholy semblance of life.
It should go without saying that the casting of this spell is an evil act
that goes beyond the pale of most ‘Evil’ spells.
Life-draining
effects
Steal
Life’s Fire.
Touch drains life-energy to heal the caster.
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 2,
Drd 2, Blk 2
Components: V, S,
M/DF
Casting
Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target,
Effect or Area: Creature or creatures touched (up to one / level)
Duration: Until
fully discharged (1 minute / level maximum)
Saving
Throw: Fortitude half
Spell
Resistance: Yes
Description
A half-elven druid who called himself Ullkon Palraujak
was recently encountered in the Albadian highlands, within an eerily beautiful
home of sculpted ice surrounded by a wall built of the interlocking frozen
corpses of all who had ‘trespassed’ before on ‘his mountain.’ While he escaped the vengeful barbarian
war-party that came to retrieve and properly burn their missing dead, the few
still-living prisoners related what they knew of this spell, having intimately
experienced its touch.
Spell Effect
Upon casting this spell, the casters hand becomes the
nesting place for foul energies from the negative planes that hunger for the
warmth of the living. With an act of
will, the casters touch inflicts 1d6 points of negative energy damage,
inflicting frozen burns and feeling like thousands of icy insect bites drawing
the blood and warmth from the target.
Any hit points inflicted as damage immediately become usable by the
caster as healing energies, and if the caster already has maximum health,
excess energy temporarily increases his hit points to their absolute potential
maximum, based on die type. Stolen life
energy over ones natural hit points lasts one hour before dissipating (unless
lost as damage earlier, these bonus hit points cannot be ‘healed’ back, but are
a one-time bonus). As with most
touch-discharged magical effects, this is an act of will on the part of the
caster and will not ‘go off’ on anyone who happens to brush his hand. The caster seems to draw not just life, but
also warmth from the target creature(s), so that a caster who is flush with
excess life-energy will seem ruddy and agitated, throwing off warmth like a
small furnace, while his victims will seem pale and feel chilled to the touch.
Example; Rhy, an
apprentice to Ullkon, is a 6th level druid and uses this touch with
vigor on a half dozen captured Albadians.
As a druid, he gets d8’s for hit dice and could theoretically have 48 hit
points, in addition to 12 more hit points for his 14 Constitution. He normally has only 40 hit points, so he
can absorb 20 more hit points of life energy from the captives before reaching
his absolute limit of 60 hit points.
If this effect is ever triggered on an undead creature,
wittingly or not, the reverse occurs and the caster loses 1d6 hit points,
granting it as healing (or bonus hit points) to the undead creature
affected. The caster does not gain a
saving throw to resist this effect if he deliberately attempts to trigger this
effect on a creature that he belatedly discovers to have been undead.
Material
Components: A druid requires a handful of snow or small fragment of
ice to enact this spell.
Strength
of Shadow.
Steals strength from another.
Necromancy
Level:
Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S,
M
Casting
Time: 1 action
Range: Close
(25 ft. + 5ft./2 levels)
Target,
Effect or Area: Ray
Duration: 1
minute/level
Saving
Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell
Resistance: Yes
Description
Most members of the Society of Immortals seek to find a
way to steal the life of another to prolong their own lives. Not every bit of their research is into that
lofty goal however, and many baser magics to steal the life, strength or will
of another have been crafted by apprentices seeking to build upon current
theories and advance the great work.
More than one member of the ‘court’ at Glivid-Autel turned to necromancy
in their later years, as their other abilities began to fail them, and the
warrior-turned-necromancer who is known only as the Carrion Knight is said to
have crafted this spell to allow him to recapture the strength of his youth at
the expense of his foes.
Spell Effect
If the caster succeeds at a ranged touch attack, a pale
spotlight seems to fall upon the target creature, revealing him suddenly as
pale and drawn, as if artificially advanced to great age. If he fails his saving throw, the target
loses strength as from a ray of
enfeeblement spell (–1 / 2 caster levels plus –1d6, to a maximum of –1d6+5,
with no target able to go below Strength 1 from such magics). Additionally, a reddish-black pulse travels
up the pale beam to strike the caster, delivering that stolen strength to him
for the duration as a temporary enhancement bonus to his own Strength
score. After the spells duration
expires the caster and victims strengths restore to normal.
Material
Components: Ash from the remains of a once strong man who died of
old age.
Ill Wind.
Wind fatigues all in its area of effect.
Necromancy
Level:
Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting
Time: 1 action
Range: Close
(25 ft. + 5ft./2 levels)
Target,
Effect or Area: Cone
Duration:
Special (see text)
Saving
Throw: Fortitude Partial
Spell
Resistance: Yes
Description
Malhadra Demos crafted this spell to assist his dead
minions in battles against the living.
The looks of helpless terror in the eyes of once-strong men, now reduced
to crawling shivering wretches with barely the strength to lift their swords in
their own defense warms his heart as no fire ever could.
Spell Effect
The last moaning sound of this spell never dies away,
growing in strength and rising through the octaves to become a shrieking wail
of icy spectral wind that can only be felt by the living, as it blasts their
life-energies away into the hungry void.
This life-draining effect tears through all present in the area of
effect, reducing them immediately to the Exhausted condition (half move, -6 to
Strength and Dexterity, only reduced to Fatigued after an hour complete
rest). Those that make their Fortitude
save are only affected to a lesser degree, but still being Fatigued by the
soul-chilling breath (can’t run or charge, -2 to Strength and Dexterity, only
recovers after eight hours of complete rest).
This spell has no effect on non-living subjects, whether Undead or
Construct.
Someone who is already naturally Fatigued when this
effect passes through them is reduced to Exhausted immediately, and if they
fail a Fortitude saving throw are instead reduced to 0 hit points and are
effectively Disabled. Those who are
naturally Exhausted when this wind strikes are automatically Disabled, and if
they fail a saving throw are reduced to Dying (-1 hit points).
This spell does not ‘stack’ with itself or with any other
supernatural means of inflicting the Fatigued or Exhausted conditions. Its potentially life-threatening
applications only apply to those who are naturally fatigued or exhausted from
exposure, exertion or privation.