By now, the young necromancer has likely grown weary of the comfortable environs near home. It is time to explore, extending the shadow of death into neighboring lands.

It is also time to begin the long process of acquiring allies and forging a reputation. While our power is great enough to stand alone against our enemies, the time spent gaining friendships and learning the subtleties of group interaction is well-rewarded. There are times when the living are useful.

Level 8 Spells

This circle of spells expands the necromancer's use of life-draining and introduces ways to reverse the flow. This will seem unnatural, but such necromantic healing can play in important part in extending the life of those who serve us – both our undead minions and our living compatriots.

One of our greatest abilities is also first seen here: our ability to slowly drain away our own life and convert it directly to mana. In time, this ability will become shockingly powerful; now, it is a great convenience. Lifetaps now gain their true importance.

This spell circle also brings the necromancer into the shadow world of invisibility. Much greater travel is now possible in relative safety.

There is only one improvement in your ability to damage your enemies, and it only affects the undead. Wise use of the skeletal pet becomes even more important now. Joining up with hunting parties will greatly assist in getting through levels 10 and 11.

The School of the spell reflects which magical skill is called upon. Mana is drained from your mana pool immediately upon casting the spell. Cast Time is in seconds. Reagents must be in your inventory to complete the spellcasting.

Tactics

With necromantic healing and a larger pool of mana, more tactics become available to the necromancer.

The Pet That Would Not Die

Instead of casting baneful magics on your enemy, simply use Mend Bones and Dark Empathy to keep your minion in the fight. Lifetap to recover the health you lose.

The advantage here is that your pet typically does at least as much damage as your spells, so all you really need to do is keep ol' Boner intact. This is also useful on those few creatures that seem to resist your magics to a great degree.

The disadvantages are tricky. If you're fighting a hard-hitting foe, you might not be able to heal your pet fast enough to keep up with the damage it's taking. A few bad hits in a row can make a difference too, since there's a significant casting time and delay on our healing. Also, you need to do at least a little damage to the enemy – a single lifetap will suffice – or you will gain very little of the experience you would have otherwise gotten.

Reanimator

Don't bother with offensive spells or healing your pet. When your pet is about to die, call up another one. It takes some practice to get the timing down, since our summoning spells have long casting times. When you're casting the spell, just before the spell completes, give the "get lost" pet command to destroy your old minion so the new one can be summoned.

This is primarily a magician tactic, with few advantages for the solo necromancer. The lengthy spellcasting makes the timing difficult to gauge, and the high mana cost is somewhat prohibitive. Still, if you can't get any other spells to land, or if you've just got too many bone chips, it is an option. Again, be sure to do at least some damage yourself, or it's not worth the trouble.

Army of Darkness

Form a hunting party with five other necromancers. Every necromancer plays Reanimator, the minions of death battering down the victims and being replaced as they fall.

Advantages? Well, in the right areas, six necromantic pets are nearly unstoppable. One necromancer will probably be using Darkness to stop runners, but other than that, mana cost is minimal (until it's time to get a new pet).

The main disadvantage is the difficulty in getting six necromancers grouped together.

Hunting Grounds

The best hunting is now found farther away from home, but not too far. Alternatively, careful planning and Gather Shadows can take you to a very different part of the world and a variety of unsuspecting victims.

Gnomes are undoubtedly tired of Steamfont by now. Head for the Butcherblock Mountains for better hunting, but take care to avoid the guards. It's also a good time to make your way to Freeport. Have someone cast Bind Affinity on you when you arrive, and then begin hunting in the Northern Desert of Ro and the East Commonlands. Particularly adventurous gnomes can make their way to distant Qeynos for good hunting in the Qeynos Hills, Blackburrow, and the Western Plains of Karana.

Morty's Bloody Trail

My true explorations began around this time, relying heavily on Gather Shadows to get me through dangerous areas.

Level 8

Freedom! With Gather Shadows, I was now able to elude the elven and dwarven guards with ease. I took the cruise to Freeport and discovered that, while I wasn't precisely loved in that city, I certainly wasn't hated. The merchants were tolerable, and the local necromancers were competent, even though they do not have the wisdom to follow Bertoxxulous and so must eventually be slain and used to populate the undead armies that will sweep across the world and... well, that's later. Based in Freeport, I hunted the East Commonlands and the Northern Desert of Ro.

Level 9

Hunting was still good in the East Commonlands and Northern Ro, but I had heard stories about a Shrine of Bertoxxulous in the west, and so I started my pilgrimage. The trip was long and perilous. Things were particularly bad in Highpass Hold, where I discovered yet another set of guards to avoid, but I eventually found my way to Qeynos. The Shrine of Bertoxxulous is a grand and wondrous place, and in a way I truly pity all of those unbelievers who will only view its grandeur after they have been slaughtered and transformed into faithful servants. My pilgrimage fulfilled, I went on a killing spree in the Qeynos Hills and the Western Plains of Karana, wandering occasionally through the Qeynos Sewers for the sake of amusement. In the process, I made very careful notes regarding how painfully Holly Windstalker will die when I come into greater power.

Level 10

I continued hunting in West Karana, and took an exploratory trip to Erudin where I was resoundly ignored. I then headed back to the East Commonlands and Northern Ro. I also did some freelancing in the Nektulos Forest, where I discovered that the roaming halflings were about as friendly to me as the elves and the dwarves. This time, however, I was in no way surprised, nor was I alone. Halflings make good snacks.

Level 11

I continued my necromantic rampage in the East and West Commonlands, with the occasional trek into Northern Ro. It was fast and furious.