The Necromancer

(White Dwarf #35 republished in Flipping and Turning #4)

Lew Pulsipher’s Necromancer is a standout class article, alongside his iconic My Life as a Werebear. While not inherently party-friendly, it could work in a group of neutral characters... sort of ... maybe...? Themes of degeneration, isolation and paranoia are woven throughout.

What does a Necromancer get?

• Control Undead. Communicate with all undead and turn them as an evil priest. A "D" result means permanent control. Friendly undead can also be permanently controlled with a turn check, but rolling a 1 causes them to attack the necromancer. Control HD = 10 × level.
• Undead Immunity. Immune to special powers of undead with fewer HD than the necromancer.
• Infravision at level 2.
• Fast leveling. Uses the cleric XP chart and hp.
• Necromantic Abilities. Instead of spells, you gain thematic abilities usable at will. These include Animate Dead and Speak with Dead at lower levels, escalating to draining hp and adding to your own with every hit and summoning spectres by level 10. Additional abilities are detailed in White Dwarf #36.

The Downside

• Universal Hatred. Lose 1 CHA point per level starting at level 2. At 0 CHA, your presence unnerves people so deeply you’re barred from towns.
• No Healing. Healing requires sacrificing humans or demi-humans, restoring half the victim's hp to the necromancer. This is where the party stops playing with you.
• Regular Sacrifices. Devotion to the god of death demands escalating sacrifices. By level 9, you must sacrifice a pregnant woman annually. Yeah... about that....

Why add the class? 

As an NPC, perfect. As a player character it starts manageable but degenerates into an evil that I struggle with, even keeping the worst stuff 'off screen'. Still I admire what Lew has done here. It's the perfectly crafted vile necromancer and it's making the ‘best of’ list.