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The necromancer is now coming of age. A surname can be acquired, the skeletal minion is
strong, and spellcasting is much more reliable. The power of darkness is mighty.
While magical research is still an undeveloped skill, the spells
that it makes available are useful indeed.
Level 20 Spells
A few new abilities turn up in these spells, along with the always-welcome improvements
to some older spells.
The most dramatic new spell is Dominate Undead, which allows the necromancer to temporarily
control an undead minion just as if it were personally summoned. This is a powerful
spell which can change the nature of an undead encounter. It can also get the necromancer killed
in a shockingly short amount of time – that's the dark side for you.
Also worth noting is the research spell Harmshield, which (like
Feign Death) can save your skin more times than you can count.
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.
| Dark Ritual |
School |
Mana |
Cast Time |
Reagents |
| Allure of Death |
Alteration |
5 |
3.0 |
None |
|
Drains the necromancer's health over time and converts
it to mana, at a ratio of 8 health to 4 mana every 6 seconds. |
|
This is the upgrade to Dark Pact. It maintains the
same health-to-mana ratio but works twice as fast, making it quite powerful when
used properly. Don't forget to heal yourself, hmmm?
|
| Animate Dead |
Conjuration |
200 |
10.0 |
2 Bone Chips |
|
Summons a skeletal
warrior to do the necromancer's bidding. |
|
The newest summoning is a fine replacement for Convoke
Shadow. You can either research this spell or find it at a local shadow knight
guild. You've probably noticed by now that with each new summoning spell, your pet
is a bit larger...
|
| Dominate Undead |
Alteration |
100 |
5.0 |
None |
|
Commands an undead target to do the necromancer's
bidding for a time. |
|
The joys of commanding the wandering undead are many,
for they are powerful and often have abilities that your summoned minions cannot
duplicate. Unfortunately, there are some limitations: the necromancer can only
command one minion at a time, so you cannot have a summoned skeleton at your side;
the spell will not command undead above a certain level; the length of the domination
is unpredictable; and finally, when the domination breaks, your former minion will
attempt to eat your brain. Aside from all that, though, the practice can be quite
rewarding, and in certain places where the undead are plentiful it is yet another
powerful tool in the necromancer's arsenal.
|
| Expulse Undead |
Evocation |
60 |
2.75 |
None |
|
Strikes the undead target for up to 88-94 magic
damage. |
|
This long overdue upgrade to Ward Undead comes just
when you gain the ability to dominate roaming undead. This is not coincidence.
Your Evocation is probably still too low for this to be used reliably unless
you've been practicing.
|
| Harmshield |
Abjuration |
85 |
1.0 |
None |
|
Makes the necromancer practically invulnerable for
18 seconds. |
|
You'll need to research the
spell, but the effort is well rewarded. Once you've cast Harmshield, you have 18
seconds of nearly complete safety. While this does have some odd
uses of its own, there are a couple of things that it won't protect you from.
If you're using a health-to-mana spell such as Dark Pact (or the much later Lich),
the health drain continues during the 18 seconds; if you've waited until near death to
cast Harmshield, your own evil spell can be your undoing. In addition, Harmshield
won't protect you from a god's Death Touch. While you are invulnerable, you cannot
launch any physical attacks or cast any spells – a small price to pay for such
a powerful defense.
|
| Identify |
Divination |
50 |
5.0 |
None |
|
Reveals any lore of an item in hand. |
|
This is one of those spells that you won't use for
months at a time, but when you actually need it nothing else will do. Most items
don't have any lore information, and even the ones that do don't typically have
much – but sometimes, you just need to know. Identify will also reveal what
language any document is written in, which is occasionally handy. Note that the
spell works on the item you have in your hand, as if you were about to drop it
on the ground.
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| Shackle of Bone |
Alteration |
80 |
2.5 |
None |
|
Slows the attack speed of the target undead by 25-35
percent. |
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If you find yourself fighting rebellious undead, focus
your necromantic might with this spell to slow the rate of their attacks. This
ability should not be overlooked, it can dramatically reduce the damage taken by
yourself, your minion, and your friends. You'll need to visit Luclin to pick this
up – do it now.
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[Translator's Note: The bottom half of this page is missing, having apparently
been ripped away. This is unusual, given the relatively Intact nature of the rest of the
book. – B]
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