Arcane Tradition: School of Necromancy

by Okra the Bugbear

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School of Necromancy

The School of Necromancy explores the cosmic forces of life, death, and undeath. As you focus your studies in this tradition, You'll learn to manipulate the dead, fester wounds with necrotizing magic, or control life-sustaining energies.

Most people see necromancers as menacing or even villainous due to the close association with death. Not all necromancers are evil, but the forces they manipulate are considered taboo by many societies.

Necromancy Savant

2nd-level School of Necromancy feature

The gold and time you must spend to copy a necromancy spell into your spellbook is halved.


This Arcane Tradition: School of Necromancy revision was designed by Okra the Bugbear

Special thanks to the amazing folks over in the MCDM and DoMT discord servers who discussed my designs and gave me great feedback!


























Art by Nerva1

Grim Cycle

2nd-level School of Necromancy feature

You understand the basics of the cycle of life and death. You gain proficiency in the Medicine skill if you don't have it already.

Choose between the study of Life, Death, and Undeath and gain its feature.

Death. You have advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks made to determine the cause of a creature's death and to identify diseases afflicting the corpse prior to death.

Additionally, you add the inflict wounds spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast inflict wounds, you can target a creature you can see within 15 feet instead of touching it.

Life. You have advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabilize a creature.

Additionally, you can use your magic to hasten a creature's recovery. As an action, you touch a willing creature. This creature can immediately expend up to two its remaining Hit Dice to regain missing hit points.

Undeath. You have advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks when gathering information about a dead creature by examining its corpse. Some examples are its biological sex, how long it has been decomposing, or its race of origin.

Additionally, you add the find familiar spell to your spellbook, if it doesn't already contain it. This spell is a necromancy spell for you.When you cast the find familiar spell, instead of its usual material components you can instead use the remains of a Tiny beast with a CR of 1/4 or less. If you used remains as part of the spell, the familiar inhabits the remains and uses its statistics, except its creature type is Undead. Remains used in this way are destroyed if the familiar is reduced to 0 HP.

Necromancer Adept

6th-level School of Necromancy feature

Your continued studies have allowed you to manipulate the forces of your research with greater understanding. You can choose the same study you selected at 2nd level or a different one.

Death. Whenever you deal necrotic damage with a spell of 1st level or higher to a creature, you can afflict it with lingering effects. If you affect multiple creatures with a single spell, choose one. Until the end of the creature's next turn, it suffers from one of the following effects. Spells and effects that cure diseases ends the lingering effect early.

  • The creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.
  • Choose Strength, Dexterity or Constitution. The target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with the chosen ability.
  • The creature takes 1d6 necrotic damage if it takes an action or a reaction. A creature can take this damage more than once.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.

     Life. Whenever you deal damage using a necromancy spell of 1st level or higher that targets a single creature, you or a creature within 15 feet of you that you can see regains a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt (rounded down). Any excess hit points are converted into temporary hit points.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.

Undeath. You add the animate dead spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast animate dead, you can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or skeleton, as appropriate.

Whenever you create an undead using a necromancy spell, it has additional benefits:

  • The creature’s hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your wizard level.
  • The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

Defiled Soul

10th-level School of Necromancy feature

By manipulating the forces behind life and death, you've left a magical scar on your soul. This scarring augments your body and magic. You gain resistance to necrotic damage and one other benefit determined by your studies. You can choose the same study you selected previously or a different one.

Death. Your spells ignore resistance to necrotic damage.

Life. Your hit point maximum can't be reduced.

Undeath. Undead with an intelligence of 7 or lower, ignore you unless you take hostile action against them or the creature controlling them orders them otherwise.

Profane Mastery

14th-level School of Necromancy feature

You have gain a limited mastery over the forces of your research. You can choose the same study you selected previously or a different one.

Death. Your magic is powerful necrosis eating away at the living. Creatures immune to necrotic damage take half damage instead when calculating necrotic damage dealt by your spells.

In addition, creatures who take necrotic damage from your spells cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Spells and effects that cure diseases end this effect early.

Life. Your magic prevents your body from aging magically or naturally unless you allow it. You can still die of old age, however.

In addition, when you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to drop them to 1 hit point instead. This creature then gains two levels of exhaustion. Creatures immune to exhaustion can't benefit from this feature.

     Undeath. You can use magic to bring undead under your control, even those created by other wizards. As an action, you can choose one undead that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your wizard spell save DC. If it succeeds, you can’t use this feature on it again. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your commands until you use this feature again.

Intelligent undead are harder to control in this way. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 12 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every hour until it succeeds and breaks free.

Spells

Blood Mist

2nd-level necromancy

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Warlock, Wizard

Blood is siphoned from nearby creatures and drawn towards you in the form of a crimson mist. Each creature within a 15-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. Creatures missing any hit points make this save at disadvantage. On a failed save, the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. Constructs or undead that lack blood are immune to these effects.

In addition, the caster gains a number of temporary hit points equal to half of the total damage dealt to each creature.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd.

Shadow Strike

1st-level necromancy

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 ft.
  • Components: S
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Warlock, Wizard, Sorcerer

While you're within an area of bright or dim light, choose a creature you can see within range. Your shadow crawls out from whatever surface it is currently cast upon (such as a wall, pillar, or floor) and glides towards the target.

The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 slashing damage plus 1d8 necrotic damage. The target makes its save at disadvantage if it's within an area of dim light or darkness. Immediately after making its attack, the shadow returns to the caster and reverts to a regular shadow.

Create Undead Soldier

2nd-level necromancy

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 ft.
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 10 minutes
  • Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard

This spell creates an skeleton warrior. Choose a point within range with at least one corpse within 5 feet of this point. Any corpses within 5 feet of this point are disintegrated by the spell, creating a skeletal creature equipped with dilapidated equipment (found in stat block) in its place. This creature uses the Skeleton Soldier stat block found in this spell. If the creature uses a weapon not mentioned in its stat block, it is considered proficient with it. The creature and any equipment created by this spell turns to ash when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, use the higher level wherever the spell’s level appears in the stat block.

Skeleton Soldier

Small or Medium undead

  • Armor Class 13 (damaged shield)
  • Hit Points 10 + 10 for each spell level above 2nd
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 5 (-3)
  • Damage Vulnerabilities Bludgeoning
  • Damage Immunities Necrotic, poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
  • Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
  • Languages understands the languages you speak
  • Challenge —                         Proficiency Bonus +2

Actions

Multiattack. The Creature makes a number of attacks equal to half this spell’s level (rounded down).

Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.