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The prime ability of the necromancer is the manipulation of mystical energies through
the means of spells. Mastering these skills is essential.
Spellcasting Skills
The dark path begins with the basic ability to channel power and cast spells
in any of the five schools of magic. Other skills require preparation and previous
experience, and the necromancer is encouraged to seek out the nearest guildmaster
to begin that training as soon as possible.
| Skill |
Level Acquired |
Level Cap |
Maximum |
| Abjuration |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
235 |
|
Spells of abjuration are protective in nature, typically
through enhancing armor or boosting resistance. The necromancer has relatively
few spells of this type, but they're used on a regular basis.
|
| Alteration |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
235 |
|
Many of our spells are alterations of one form or another,
including our various soul-drainings. These spells get used very frequently,
making Alteration the easiest of the spellcasting skills to maximize.
|
| Conjuration |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
235 |
|
The spells that summon the dead are all conjurations, as are
the combat spells involving disease, poison, and darkness. Although conjurations are
commonly used, they tend to last a good long while. Keeping this skill up to par
may take a small bit of effort.
|
| Divination |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
235 |
|
There are only a few spells of necromantic divination,
and they won't be used very often. However, when the time comes to pull one out,
nothing else will do – these spells include Locate Corpse and Gather Shadows.
Divination goes up quickly through casting, but you'll probably have to set aside
some time for repeated castings of a simple spell (such as Sense the Dead) to keep
your skill level at its peak.
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| Evocation |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
235 |
|
The necromancer has very few spells of evocation.
All of them strike an enemy directly for damage, but most of them are only effective
on the undead. They cast slowly, and there is a long wait between castings. Obviously,
this isn't what we're good at. Since these spells are useful in particular situations,
though, it's worthwhile to make an effort to raise the skill level, either through
repeated castings (which means spending a lot of time blasting skeletons and such)
or by training with the guildmaster of your choice.
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| Channeling |
Level 1 |
5 x (level + 1) |
220 |
|
Channeling is the ability to manipulate mana, and it
is the core of spellcasting. Primarily it determines the chance of successfully
recovering from an interruption. This skill will rise quickly, which is good – having
a high channeling skill will save your life someday.
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| Meditation |
Level 4 |
5 x (level + 1) |
252 |
|
Meditation improves the rate at which a necromancer can
recover mana, memorize spells, and scribe spells into the spellbook. Beginning
meditation is achieved by concentrating on the spellbook instead of the local
scenery. By level 35, though, meditation has become a way of life and simply
sitting down is enough for a good meditative bout. Once acquired from the
guildmaster, this skill will go up quickly.
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Necromantic Research
As the necromancer grows in power and begins wielding more difficult magics, it is
inevitable that certain spells will be unavailable from the
local guild merchants. A bit of probing in the guilds of clerics and shadow knights will
turn up a few missing scrolls, but the rest of the spells need to be recreated using the
words of power that have been scattered across the world.
| Skill |
Level Acquired |
Level Cap |
Maximum |
| Research |
Level 16 |
5 x (level – 15) |
200 |
|
The necromancer's Research ability determines the
likelihood of successfully combining words into spells. Thus, this skill is either
terribly important (if you're creating your own spells) or not worth any effort at
all (if you have another necromancer researching for you).
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[Translator's Note: Rumors tell of necromantic research being applied
by certain Tailors in the creation of magical vestments. As unlikely as this may
seem, reports of great veracity Confirm that such is the case. – B]
Specializations
Specialization is a refinement of the spellcasting techniques used in the five schools
of magic. Advancement in a school's specialization gives various benefits when casting
spells of that school, including reduced mana usage, a lower chance of fizzling the casting,
and a greater chance of avoiding interruptions. As such, the value of specialization becomes
quite apparent in the heat of battle when a fizzled or interrupted spell can lead to an
unplanned death.
At higher levels of specialization, however, the techniques of each school become somewhat
exclusive. As a result, only one school specialization may increase beyond a skill level
of 50 – the first to reach 51 becomes the necromancer's prime specialization, limiting
the other schools to the maximum of 50.
Specializations advance quickly through use, and should not require any guild training
beyond the single session spent to acquire the skills.
| Skill |
Level Acquired |
Level Cap |
Maximum |
Specialize:
Abjuration |
Level 20 |
5 x (level + 1) |
200 |
|
For the most part, the necromancer's spells of abjuration
are cast prior to any combat and do not require a great deal of mana. There
is little to recommend this as a necromancer's primary specialization.
|
Specialize:
Alteration |
Level 20 |
5 x (level + 1) |
200 |
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Alteration spells form the majority of the necromancer's
combat arsenal. While these spells do not tend to use an extreme amount of mana,
anything that makes them cheaper and less likely to fail is a great boon. This is
the obvious choice for the primary specialization.
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Specialize:
Conjuration |
Level 20 |
5 x (level + 1) |
200 |
|
Conjurations form the second largest class of spells for the
necromancer. Approximately half of the conjurations are the spells used to summon
our undead pets, which are very expensive in terms of mana. Most of the rest are
combat spells, where spell failure can be fatal. With that in mind, this would also
be a reasonable choice as the primary specialization.
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Specialize:
Divination |
Level 20 |
5 x (level + 1) |
200 |
|
With only a dozen or so divination spells for the
necromancer, all of them cheap and not likely to be cast during combat, there is
no reason at all to make this a primarily specialization.
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Specialize:
Evocation |
Level 20 |
5 x (level + 1) |
200 |
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All of the necromancer's spells of evocation are
death-dealing combat spells, and all of them are mana-hungry. Given that, it is
somewhat conceivable that this could be a necromancer's primary specialization.
Unfortunately, with only a handful of spells in this school, most of which useful
only on the undead, evocation would be a very narrow specialization indeed.
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Choosing the proper specialization is worthy of some consideration. Alteration is easily
the most popular choice, followed by Conjuration as a distant second.
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