Necromancy

Necromancy is the magic of life's edge: spells that handle vitality, death and what lingers between. It can drain strength, wither flesh, burden spirits, curse places, and bind lingering energy into unnatural persistence. It can also preserve, restore or guide life in grim, clinical ways, but it always feels like borrowing from a boundary that deserves respect. Warmth leaches away, shadows deepen, and the world turns briefly colder.

Necromancy Spells at a Glance

Spells

Chill Touch

Cantrip · Strain 0 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration 1 round · Save: Fortitude
Chill, Debuff

Numbing grave-cold takes hold of one target. It makes a Fortitude save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure it is Slowed 10 until the end of its next turn, or Slowed 20 on a critical failure.

Delivery restriction: one creature, no area deliveries.

Push: take 1 Strain to cast for 1 AP instead of 2.

Critical Success: The target also takes 1d6 necrotic damage, plus 1d6 for every 3 Mysticism ranks.

Optional Modifiers

• Lingering Chill (+1): The duration becomes 2 rounds.
• Deep Chill (+1): Increase the Slowed value by 10.
• Bonechill (+2): A target that fails can't regain HP until the start of your next turn.
• Numbing Strike (+1): A target that fails also suffers 1 level of Disadvantage on its next Reflex save before the end of its next turn.

Grave Dart

Cantrip · Strain 0 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Instant · Save: Fortitude
Damage, Necrotic

You hurl a dart of withering power at one target. It makes a Fortitude save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure it takes 1d6 necrotic damage, plus 1d6 for every 3 Mysticism ranks. On a critical failure it also gains Frightened 1.

Delivery restriction: one creature, no area deliveries.

Push: take 1 Strain to cast for 1 AP instead of 2.

Critical Success: You gain temporary HP equal to half the damage dealt.

Optional Modifiers

• Hungering Dart (+1): If the target fails, you gain temporary HP equal to half your Mysticism ranks (minimum 1).
• Withering Dart (+1): If the target fails, it can't regain HP until the start of your next turn.
• Dread Dart (+1): If the target fails, it suffers 1 level of Disadvantage on its next Charisma save before the end of its next turn.
• Ravaging Dart (+2): +1d6 damage.
• Executioner's Dart (+2): +1d6 damage if the target is Bloodied and fails its save.
• ★ Soul Leech (+3): If the target fails, choose Might, Fortitude, Intellect, Perception or Charisma: it takes −1 to that ability until the end of its next turn and you gain +1 to it for the same time. [School Mastery, 6+ ranks]

Life Stitch

Cantrip · Strain 0 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Instant
Healing, Stitch

You stitch flesh by pouring your own life into the target. Roll 1d4, plus 1d4 for every 3 Mysticism ranks: you take that much necrotic damage, and the target regains HP equal to the necrotic damage you actually took. Soak doesn't reduce it; Resistance, Vulnerability and immunity apply normally, and any change to the damage you take changes the healing the same way. If the damage would drop you below 1 HP, reduce it (and the healing) so you stay at 1 HP.

Delivery restriction: Touch only unless modified.

Push: take 1 Strain to cast for 1 AP instead of 2.

Critical Success: The target regains 1d6 more HP; you don't take extra damage.

Optional Modifiers

• Measured Transfer (+1): You can choose to take less damage than you rolled (minimum 1); the target heals what you actually took.
• Bloodied Stitch (+1): If the target is Bloodied, add 1d4 to the roll.
• Suture Surge (+2): Add 1d4 to the roll.
• ★ Necrotic Conduit (+2): You can use Remote delivery. If you do, divide the healing among the targets as you like; each additional target costs +2 Strain instead of +1. [School Mastery, 6+ ranks]

Blind

Complexity 1 · Strain 2 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Until shaken off · Save: Fortitude
Debuff

Grave-cold necromancy clouds the eyes and deadens the nerves behind them. Each creature in your delivery makes a Fortitude save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure it becomes Dazzled 1. A creature that critically fails becomes Dazzled 2, and if you also critically succeeded it is Blinded instead, until healing or an effect that removes negative conditions ends it. A creature already Dazzled keeps only the higher value.

Critical Success: Creatures that fail become Dazzled 2 instead.

Optional Modifiers

• Strong (+1): Creatures make the save with 1 level of Disadvantage.
• ★ Deep Blindness (+3): On a failed save the creature is Blinded instead of Dazzled, until removed by healing or an effect that removes negative conditions. [School Mastery, 7+ ranks]

Fear

Complexity 1 · Strain 2 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Instant · Save: Charisma
Control, Debuff, Fear

Each creature in your delivery makes a Charisma save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure it gains Frightened 1. A creature that critically fails gains Frightened 2, or Frightened 3 if you also critically succeeded.

Critical Success: Creatures that fail gain Frightened 2 instead.

Optional Modifiers

• Strong Fear (+1): Creatures make the save with 1 level of Disadvantage.
• Dread Wave (+1): With an area delivery, creatures that fail are also Off-Guard until the end of their next turn.
• ★ Greater Fear (+2): Increase every Frightened value this spell inflicts by 1. [School Mastery, 5+ ranks]

Lower

Complexity 1 · Strain 2 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Until shaken off · Save: Fortitude
Debuff

Choose one ability. Each creature in your delivery makes a Fortitude save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure it gains the matching condition at value 1: Might, Enfeebled; Reflex, Clumsy; Fortitude, Drained; Intellect, Stupefied; Perception, Oblivious; Charisma, Unnerved. A creature that critically fails gains it at value 2, or value 3 if you also critically succeeded.

Delivery restriction: no area deliveries unless modified.

Critical Success: Creatures that fail gain the condition at value 2 instead.

Optional Modifiers

• Additional Recipient (+1): Affect one more creature (each saves separately).
• Strong (+1): Creatures make the save with 1 level of Disadvantage.
• ★ Greater Lower (+2): Increase the condition value by 1. [School Mastery, 5+ ranks]
• ★ Area Casting (+1): You can use area deliveries, at double the delivery's Strain cost. [School Mastery, 6+ ranks]

Curse

Complexity 3 · Strain 5 · Ritual (10 minutes) · Duration Permanent · Save: Charisma
Debuff

Touch only. The target makes a Charisma save opposed by your Channeling result. On a failure it gains 1 level of Exhausted at once and another at every sunset after. More Curses on the same target add nothing; only the worst applies.

Breaking the curse: you can end it at will, and it ends if you are slain. Dispel can remove it, but the attempt has 1 level of Disadvantage and each person may try only once; if they fail, it's beyond them.

Optional Modifiers

• ★ Swift Malediction (+2): Cast it as an Invocation for 2 AP. [School Mastery, 11+ ranks]
• Turn to Stone (+5): The target gains a level of Exhausted every round instead of every day. At 4 levels it turns to stone and is treated as an object.

Sloth

Complexity 4 · Strain 2 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Until shaken off · Save: Fortitude
Debuff

Each creature in your delivery makes a Fortitude save opposed by your Channeling result; on a failure its Speed is halved (round up). At the end of each of its turns it makes a Fortitude save against the same result, and on a success the spell ends for it. While a creature that critically failed is affected, actions with the Move trait cost it +1 AP.

Critical Success: Affected creatures roll their end-of-turn save twice and take the worse.

Optional Modifiers

• Strong (+1): End-of-turn saves to shake it off have 1 level of Disadvantage.
• ★ Area Casting (+1): You can use area deliveries, at double the delivery's Strain cost. [School Mastery, 6+ ranks]

Drain Power

Complexity 5 · Strain 2 · Invocation, 2 AP · Duration Instant · Save: Charisma
Debuff, Modify

The target makes a Charisma save opposed by your Channeling result. On a failure it gains 1d6 Strain, and you reduce your current Strain by the same amount (minimum 0). A target that doesn't use Strain (most adversaries) suffers Power Drain instead: the next time it rolls a recharge die, it rolls twice and keeps the lower.

Critical failure: its maximum Strain also drops by 1d6 (minimum 0) until it finishes a long rest or receives curative magic; if that leaves its current Strain above the new maximum, current Strain drops to match. For a creature without Strain, the Power Drain lasts until a long rest or curative magic instead.

Critical Success: Increase the Strain inflicted by 1d6 (and reduce yours by the same). Against Power Drain, it affects the next two recharge rolls.

Optional Modifiers

• ★ Power (+2): The Strain inflicted becomes 2d6 (you reduce yours by the same). Against a creature without Strain, Power Drain affects the next two recharge rolls. [School Mastery, 7+ ranks]

Necromancy Wild Surges

Roll on Wild Surge — Necromancy: 1d30 on a failed Channeling check; 2d8 on a critical failure (negative entry 2 × roll − 3) or critical success (positive entry 2 × roll − 2). Use the severity for the triggering spell's Total Strain: Minor 0–4, Moderate 5–9, Major 10+.

− negative (odd), + positive (even).