3rd Level Necromancer Spells
- Animate Dead, Temporary
- Duration: 1 turn per level
- Range: 60’
- This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies:
- Obedient: They obey the caster’s commands.
- Special abilities:: They are unable to use any Special abilities: (including spell casting) that they possessed in life.
- Experation: When the duration expires, the animated dead crumble into dust.
- Number: The spell animates a number of
- Hit Dice of zombies or skeletons equal to the caster’s level:
- ▶ Skeletons: Have AC 7 [12] and HD equal to those the creature had in life.
- ▶ Zombies: Have AC 8 [11] and HD one greater than the creature had in life.
- ▶ Classed characters: If a PC or NPC with levels in a class is reanimated by this spell, the levels are not counted as HD.
- For example, the reanimated corpse of a 5th level fighter would have 2 HD (1 HD as a normal human, +1 for being reanimated as a zombie).
- Bone Staff
- Duration: 1 round per level
- Range: Bone touched
- A normal bone in the caster’s hand is transformed into a magic staff that the caster or another may wield in combat.
- Length: Whatever its original size, the enchanted bone grows to 6’ in length.
- In melee: The staff is treated as a +1 weapon, granting a +1 bonus to attack rolls and inflicting 1d6+1 damage.
- Experation: When the duration ends, the staff shatters into dust.
- Carrion Stench
- Duration: 1 turn per level
- Range: The caster or a creature touched
- The subject exudes a nauseating carrion stench, detectable up to 60’ away.
- Close Range: All living creatures within 10’ of the subject (including allies, but excluding the caster) must save versus poison or suffer a –2 penalty to attack rolls due to nausea.
- Duration: Affected creatures suffer the nausea effect for 1 turn after leaving the subject’s presence.
- Crypt Sight
- Duration: 1 day
- Range: The caster or a creature touched
- The subject is able to see normally up to 30’ in utter blackness.
- Acuity: Unlike infravision, the sight granted by this spell allows the subject to perceive fine detail, including script.
- Death Ward
- Duration: 1 turn per level
- Range: 60’
- A living subject is warded such that they do not die when reduced to 0 hit points, instead being able to survive and continue to act normally until they reach –10 hit points.
- Death saves: The subject also gains a +2 bonus to saving throws versus death or poison.
- Healing: Healing magic functions normally for a character under this ward. For example, a character could be reduced to –8hp, then receive a healing spell taking them up to –2hp, then drink a potion of healing taking them up to 3hp.
- Experation: Once the spell expires, if the subject has 0 or less hit points, they die immediately.
- Drag From Death’s Door
- Duration: Instant
- Range: Creature touched
- A subject killed by damage (i.e. not by poison, disintegration, etc.) within the last 3 rounds is dragged back from the brink of death.
- Weakness: Returning from death is an ordeal. Until the subject gets two full weeks of bed rest, they have 1 hit point, move at half the normal rate, cannot carry heavy items, and cannot attack, cast spells, or use other class abilities. This period of weakness may not be shortened by any magical healing.
- Bargain: In return for cheating death, the necromancer suffers 1d6 damage and the subject suffers a permanent loss of one point from a random ability score.
- Fear
- Duration: Instant
- Range: 60’ cone, 30’ wide at end
- Conjures a cone of magical energy that terrifies those within it.
- Effect: Creatures in the cone are struck with terror and will flee from the caster at maximum speed for one round per level of the caster. (A save versus spells negates the effect).
- Dropping items: Affected creatures have a 60% chance of immediately dropping anything in their hands. The chance is decreased by 5% for each level or Hit Die above 1.
- Grave Breath
- Duration: 2 turns per level
- Range: The caster or a creature touched
- The subject can survive without air for the duration. Their natural breathing wheezes and comes to a stop.
- Immunities: The subject is immune to drowning and to poison gases.
- Choking: Damage from choking (e.g. the choke spell) is reduced by half.
- Hold Person
- Duration: 1 turn per level
- Range: 120’
- This spell causes one or more humans, demihumans, or human-like monsters (see Persons under Monsters, in Old- School Essentials) to be paralysed if they
- fail a saving throw versus spells. It may be cast in two ways:
- 1. Against an individual: The target’s saving throw is penalised by –2.
- 2. Against a group: 1d4 individuals in the group are targeted.
- Restrictions: Undead and human-like monsters of greater than 4+1 HD (see Hit point modifiers under Monsters, in Old- School Essentials) are not affected.
- Protection from Evil 10’ Radius
- Duration: 12 turns
- Range: 10’ around the caster
- This spell wards the caster and all allies within 10’ from attacks by creatures of another alignment, as follows:
- Bonuses: Those warded gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against attacks or Special abilities: of affected creatures.
- Affected creatures’ attacks: Against those warded are penalised by –1.
- Enchanted, constructed, or summoned creatures: The spell additionally prevents such creatures from making melee attacks against those warded, though they may still make ranged attacks. If any of the warded party engages such a creature in melee, this protection is broken (those warded still gain the save and attack bonuses mentioned above).
- Skull Trap
- Duration: Permanent until triggered
- Range: Skull touched
- A humanoid skull is enchanted to explode on contact.
- Contact: The explosion is triggered if the skull is touched by a living creature or is otherwise forcefully contacted. Treat as AC 7 [12] for purposes of firing missiles to hit the skull.
- Explosion: A 10’ radius blast of violet flame and necrotic energy.
- Damage: Creatures caught in the blast suffer 1d4 damage per level of the caster, with a successful save versus spells indicating half damage.
- Vampiric Touch
- Duration: 1 turn or until used
- Range: Touch
- The caster’s touch drains hit points from a living creature, healing the caster by a like amount.
- Attack roll: In combat, a melee attack roll is required. If the attack is unsuccessful, the spell is not used up.
- Damage: The victim suffers 1d6 damage per 2 levels of the caster, to a maximum of 6d6 damage.
- Healing: The caster gains hit points equal to the damage inflicted. Any excess hit points above the caster’s maximum are treated as bonus hit points.
- Bonus hit points: Damage suffered is subtracted first from any bonus hit points. Bonus hit points disappear after 1 hour.