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5th Level Necromancer Spells

Animate Dead
Duration: Permanent
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.
Duration: They remain animated until they are destroyed or until a dispel magic spell is cast upon them.
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).
Bonewrack
Duration: 1 round per level
Range: 30’
The bones of the targeted living creature agonisingly warp and throb inside its flesh.
Saving throw: The victim may save versus spells to negate the spell.
Damage: The victim automatically suffers 1d6 damage per round.
Penalties: The victim suffers a –2 penalty to Armour Class and attack rolls. The victim’s movement rate is halved.
Cloudkill
Duration: 6 turns
Range: 30’
A poisonous fog streams from the caster’s fingertips, filling a 30’ diameter area.
Movement: The fog moves at 60’ per turn (20’ per round), driven by the wind (or away from the caster, in still conditions).
Sinking: Because the fog is heavier than air, it sinks to the lowest level of the land, even pouring down den or sink-hole openings.
Damage: All creatures in contact with the vapours suffer 1 hit point of damage per round of contact.
Creatures with less than 5 Hit Dice:
Must also save versus death (once per round of contact) or die.
Commune With Spirit
Duration: One conversation
Range: Spirit manifests in the caster’s presence
The caster calls upon the spirit of a deceased person, seeking knowledge they possessed during life.
Chance of success: The chance that the spirit will respond to the spell is mostly dependent on how long it has been deceased (see table below).
Modifiers: The time at which the spell is cast also affects success: daytime –25%, full moon +10%, festival of the dead +25%. Regardless of modifiers, the maximum chance of success is 95% and the minimum 5%.
Failure: On a roll of 96–00, malicious undead spirits (1d6 spectres) are summoned.
Success: If the spirit is successfully summoned, it rises before the caster as a shade visible to all present.
Questions: The caster may ask up to one
question per experience level about 8th.
Reaction: To determine the spirit’s attitude, the referee should roll 2d6, applying the caster’s NPC reactions modifier due to CHA (see Ability Scores in Old-School Essentials). If the spirit is a different alignment than the caster, a –2 penalty applies.
Knowledge: The spirit only possesses knowledge it had during life.
Speech: The spirit magically speaks the same language as the caster.

Commune With Spirit Base Chance
Time Since Death	Base Chance
1 week	60% + caster’s level
1 month	55% + caster’s level
1 year	50% + caster’s level
10 years	45% + caster’s level
100 years	40% + caster’s level
1,000 years	30% + caster’s level
Unlimited	10% + caster’s level

Commune With Spirit Reaction
2d6	Reaction
2 or less	Resentful. Brief, untruthful answers.
3–5	Reluctant. Brief, cryptic answers.
6–8	Amenable. Brief, truthful answers.
9–11	Eager. Detailed, truthful answers.
12 or more	Passionate. Fully elaborated, truthful answers.

Gaseous Form
Duration: Permanent until ended
Range: The caster
The caster, their clothing, and all carried items transform into a cloud of mist.
Movement: The caster moves at 60’ (20’) and is able to pass through small holes and cracks.
Actions: The caster cannot attack, speak, or cast spells.
Invulnerability: The caster can only be harmed by magical attacks.
Duration: The caster can end the spell’s effect at any time, returning to their normal physical form. If the caster is killed, they also return to their normal form.
Guardian Spirit
Duration: 1 day per level or until manifested
Range: 10’
The caster summons a lost soul from the realms of the dead and tasks it to guard the location where this spell is cast.
Warding: Once summoned, the spirit lies dormant and invisible in the locale to be protected, but will manifest when a trigger condition is satisfied.
The trigger condition: May be as broad or as specific as the caster wishes. It may include conditions on creatures entering the warded area or touching anything within. The trigger condition may only take visual appearances into account (e.g. it cannot discern the alignment, class, level, etc. of creatures who enter).
Once triggered: The guardian spirit manifests in a form selected by the caster when the spell was cast (see possible manifestations, below).
Following manifestation: The spirit is released from its task, ending the spell.
Possible manifestations:
▶ Wraith: The spirit manifests as a wraith (see Old-School Essentials) and attempts to fight off intruders for up to 6 turns.
▶ Warning: The spirit manifests at the caster’s current location, warning of the intrusion in the warded area and providing a broad description of the intruders.
▶ Chilling fog: The spirit manifests as a chilling fog, filling a 10’ cube area per level of the caster. It blocks normal vision and infravision and inflicts 1hp of cold damage to living creatures. The fog lasts for 1 turn.

Hold Undead
Duration: 6 turns +1 per level
Range: 120’
This spell causes one or more undead monsters 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.
Incorporeal undead: (e.g. spectres, wraiths) can be affected, but gain a +2 bonus to the saving throw.
Magic Jar
Duration: Special
Range: The caster
The caster’s body enters a comatose trance as their life-force is transferred into a receptacle (any inanimate object within 30’), known as a magic jar. From there, the caster may attempt to possess the bodies of other creatures.
When the caster’s life-force is in the magic jar:
▶ Possession: The caster may attempt to possess the body of another creature within 120’. The victim may save versus spells to resist possession. If the save is successful, the caster may not make another attempt to possess that victim for one turn. If the save fails, the caster’s lifeforce leaves the magic jar and enters the victim, possessing it.
▶ Returning: The caster may choose to return to their own body at any time, ending the spell.
▶ If the magic jar is destroyed: The caster dies.
▶ If the caster’s own body is destroyed: Their life-force is stranded in the magic jar.
When the caster’s life-force is possessing a victim:
▶ Control: The caster gains full control over the victim’s body, but is not able to make the victim cast spells.
▶ If the magic jar is destroyed: The spell ends and the caster’s life-force is trapped in the possessed body.
▶ If the possessed victim is killed: The caster’s life-force returns to the magic jar.
▶ Dispelling: Dispel evil forces the caster’s life-force back into the magic jar.
▶ If the caster’s own body is destroyed:
Their life-force is stranded in the body of the creature being possessed.
Spirit Vision
Duration: 1 round per level
Range: The caster
The caster briefly enters a trance, their spirit drifting to observe a distant place or object brought to mind.
The clarity of the vision: Depends on the caster’s familiarity with the subject.
Detecting the caster: Any persons present at the site being viewed experience a brief chill as the caster’s spirit arrives.
Those who can see invisible detect the caster’s spirit as a faint shimmering outline.
Attacking the caster: The caster’s spirit has AC 5 [14] and can only be harmed by magic. If it is struck, the caster suffers damage and the spell ends.
Turning the caster: The caster’s spirit can be turned as a 4 HD undead monster, ending the spell if successful.
Obstructions: A thin layer of lead blocks this spell.
Awakening: If the caster is awoken from the trance, the spell is cut short.
Summon Undead
Duration: Permanent (until dismissed or slain)
Range: 240’
The caster invokes Orcus, lord of the undead, who sends a number of his undead servitors to the caster’s aid.
Monsters summoned: Roll 1d6 on the table below to determine which monsters appear. For monster stats see Old-School Essentials.
Concentration: Is required to command summoned undead.
Dismissing: While control over the undead is maintained, the caster may dismiss them at any time, sending them back to their master, Orcus.
Disruption: If the caster moves at more than half speed or their concentration is disturbed, the command over the undead ends. The monsters are, henceforth, freewilled entities and will immediately try to kill the caster and any who get in their way.
Dispelling: Summoned undead may be dispelled by dispel magic or dispel evil.
Restrictions: The caster may cast this spell at most once per day.

Summon Undead Results
1d6	Monsters Summoned
1	16 skeletons
2	8 zombies
3	8 ghouls
4	5 wights
5	4 wraiths
6	3 mummies

Veil of Life
Duration: 1 turn per level
Range: 30’
This spell cloaks undead monsters with an illusion making them appear alive.
Subjects: 1 undead monster per level of the caster.
Appearance: Each subject appears as it did in life. The illusion veils all the signs of death, including deathly odours.
Behaviour: Subjects’ behaviour and intelligence are not altered. For example, while a skeleton can be veiled to appear as a living person, it remains mindless and unable to speak.
Detecting: Only magic (e.g. detect undead, detect illusion) can reveal the veil.
Undead status: In all other respects, the subjects are still treated as undead. For example, they can be turned and are affected by spells such as command undead.
Wall of Gloom
Duration: Concentration + 6 turns
Range: 120’
A sinister barrier of pure darkness manifests at a location of the caster’s choosing.
Size: 5’ thick, 20’ high, and up to 20’ long per caster level.
Darkness: The wall blocks both normal and infravision.
Touching: Anyone touching the wall must save versus spells or flee in terror for 1d6 rounds.
Passing through: Anyone not afflicted by terror upon touching the wall may attempt to pass through, incurring a second save versus spells. If this save fails, the creature is paralysed and remains stuck in the darkness of the wall until its duration ends.
Exceptions: The caster, undead creatures, and creatures with an affinity for darkness or shadow are unhindered by the wall.
Concentration: The spell lasts as long as the caster concentrates and performs no other actions. Once concentration ends, the wall persists for 6 turns.