Necromancy
Necromancy
Necromancy is the dark-magic skill of cursing foes, animating the dead, and transforming the caster into wicked creatures: Wraith, Lich, vampire, or beast. Introduced with the Age of Shadows expansion in 2003, it sits alongside Magery as the second great spellcasting school of the realm — narrower in scope but considerably stranger in flavour. Necromancy's seventeen spells favour debuffs, life-leech, and self-transformation over raw burst damage, and its synergy with Spirit Speak makes it the natural companion skill for any necromancer build.
Casting Mechanics
Necromancy spells are cast from a Necromancer Spellbook — a separate book from the standard Magery spellbook. Casting requires the appropriate spell in the book, sufficient skill, the required reagents, and the mana cost. The Necromancer Spellbook can be obtained either by purchasing scrolls from a Necromancy shop (such as the one in Umbra) and inscribing them, or by completing the Necromancy quest in New Haven, which awards a starter book at fifty Necromancy skill.
Necromancy Reagents
Necromancy uses its own five reagents, distinct from the eight reagents of Magery:
- Bat Wing
- Daemon Blood
- Grave Dust
- Nox Crystal
- Pig Iron
These can be purchased from NPC Necromancers in Umbra and other dark-themed shops; they also drop from undead and demonic creatures. Lower Reagent Cost reduces consumption identically to Magery — at 100% LRC, no reagents are consumed.
Mana, Skill, and Casting Time
Like Magery, each Necromancy spell carries a fixed mana cost and a minimum skill requirement; success rates climb with skill. Casting time scales similarly. Many Necromancy spells layer effects rather than dealing direct damage — Corpse Skin and Evil Omen, for example, make the next attack stronger; Strangle deals damage over time and scales with the target's stamina loss.
Spirit Speak — The Companion Skill
Several Necromancy spells either require Spirit Speak or have their effectiveness scaled by it. Spirit Speak is the necromancer's force-multiplier: a grandmaster necromancer with grandmaster Spirit Speak deals significantly more damage and animates significantly stronger undead than one without. The two are inseparable on a serious build. In the spell tables below, an asterisk () marks spells that require Spirit Speak; a dagger (†) marks spells whose effectiveness scales with* Spirit Speak.
The Spells of Necromancy
Seventeen standard spells plus two skill-mastery spells (with the passive Enchanted Summoning mastery effect). Sorted by minimum skill.
| Spell | Mana | Min Skill | Words of Power | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curse Weapon | 7 | 0 | An Sanct Gra Char | Briefly enchants the caster's weapon to return 50% of damage dealt as hit points to the wielder. |
| Blood Oath † | 13 | 20 | In Jux Mani Xen | Creates a pact between caster and target; damage dealt to the caster by the target is reflected back. |
| Corpse Skin † | 11 | 20 | In Aglo Corp Ylem | Target's flesh rots, lowering Fire and Poison resistances. |
| Evil Omen | 11 | 20 | Pas Tym An Sanct | The target's next damaging hit is amplified by 25% (or one poison level higher if poisoned). |
| Pain Spike † | 5 | 20 | In Sar | Deals temporary direct damage that fades over time. |
| Wraith Form † | 17 | 20 | Rel Xen Um | Transforms the caster into a Wraith — gains mana leech on hit and a Physical Resist boost; loses some elemental resists. |
| Mind Rot † | 17 | 30 | Wis An Ben | Cursed target spends additional mana on every cast. |
| Summon Familiar *† | 17 | 30 | Kal Xen Bal | Summons one of several familiars (Horde Minion, Shadow Wisp, Death Adder, Vampire Bat, Dark Wolf), each with its own abilities. |
| Animate Dead | 23 | 40 | Uus Corp | Brings a dead creature back as an undead pet; form depends on the original's fame and body and the caster's Necromancy + Spirit Speak. |
| Horrific Beast | 11 | 40 | Rel Xen Vas Bal | Transforms the caster into a great beast — bonus Hit Point Regeneration, melee damage, and Physical Resist; reduced casting effectiveness. |
| Poison Strike | 17 | 50 | In Vas Nox | Conjures a poison cloud striking the target and adjacent enemies. |
| Wither | 23 | 60 | Kal Vas An Flam | Withering frost damages all valid enemies near the caster, dealing extra damage to high-karma targets. |
| Strangle † | 29 | 65 | In Bal Nox | Chokes the target with poisonous fumes; damage scales upward as the target's stamina drops. |
| Lich Form | 23 | 70 | Rel Xen Corp Ort | Transforms the caster into a Lich — major Mana Regeneration boost, increased resists, but lowered Fire Resist and slowly drained hit points. |
| Exorcism * | 40 | 80 | Ort Corp Grav | Sends ghosts in Champion Spawn regions to a shrine on that facet; useful for clearing zerg-style spawns. |
| Vengeful Spirit *† | 41 | 80 | Kal Xen Bal Beh | Summons a Revenant to single-mindedly pursue and destroy a chosen target. |
| Vampiric Embrace | 23 | 99 | Rel Xen An Sanct | Transforms the caster into a Vampire — 20% life leech on every hit, immunity to poison levels 1–4, and bonus combat statistics. |
Mastery Spells
Available to characters who designate Necromancy as a mastery school, gated behind mastery primer + level requirements.
| Spell | Mana | Min Skill | Words of Power | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Command Undead | 40 | 90 | In Corp Xen Por | The necromancer attempts to command an undead creature to fight on their behalf; success scales with Necromancy, Spirit Speak, mastery level, and the target's intrinsic difficulty. |
| Conduit | 40 | 90 | Uus Corp Grav | Creates a conduit field at a target location; subsequent targeted Necromancy spells affect every valid target inside the field. |
The passive Enchanted Summoning mastery boosts the strength of summoned and animated creatures — strictly a quality-of-life buff for necromancer-summoners.
The Forms
Four spells transform the caster, and each represents a fundamentally different combat profile:
- Wraith Form — the entry-level form. Mana leech on hit and physical-resist tilt. Often the necromancer's default everyday form.
- Horrific Beast — the melee form. Heavy hit-point regeneration and physical-damage boost. Trades casting effectiveness for survivability.
- Lich Form — the caster's caster form. Massive Mana Regeneration boost makes it ideal for sustained Magery or Necromancy training; the slow hit-point drain forces engaged play rather than AFK macros.
- Vampiric Embrace — the endgame combat form. 20% life drain on every melee hit, poison immunity through level 4, and substantial offensive bonuses make this the favourite form for endgame PvP and PvM dexer-mages alike.
Only one form may be active at a time, and reverting to natural form requires recasting the spell or letting the form expire.
Training
A clean training progression with a high-LRC suit (ideally 100% LRC, 40% LMC, 2 FC, 6 FCR, plus Mana Regeneration):
- 0 – 40: train at the NPC Necromancer in New Haven.
- 40 – 50: cast Pain Spike on yourself.
- 50 – 70: cast Horrific Beast repeatedly (a self-target, no enemies needed).
- 70 – 90: cast Wither in an open space.
- 90 – 100: cast Lich Form.
- 100 – 120: cast Vampiric Embrace repeatedly.
Most of the late-game spells are self-targeted forms, so training is easy to automate and requires little reagent expenditure with full LRC.
Scrolls and Spellbook Sources
Necromancy scrolls cannot be purchased from NPCs — they are either crafted by Inscribers (with Necromancy reagents and the appropriate skill) or looted from monsters and treasure containers. Common sources by spell:
| Spell | Common drop sources |
|---|---|
| Animate Dead | Ratman Mages |
| Blood Oath | Ratman Mages, Evil Mages, Imps, Nightmares |
| Corpse Skin | Unicorns, Ratman Mages, Imps, Orc Mages |
| Curse Weapon | Ratman Mages, Evil Mages, Imps |
| Evil Omen | Ratman Mages, Imps |
| Horrific Beast | Ratman Mages, Imps, Nightmares |
| Lich Form | Messages in Bottles, Level 3 Treasure Maps, Daemons, Liches, Evil Mage Lords, Imps |
| Mind Rot | Ratman Mages, Imps |
| Pain Spike | Ratman Mages, Gargoyles, Imps, Ophidian Apprentice Mages, Air Elementals |
| Poison Strike | Messages in Bottles, Daemons, Liches, Ratman Mages, Imps, Air Elementals |
| Strangle | Messages in Bottles, Daemons, Liches, Evil Mages, Imps, Nightmares, Air Elementals, Meer Mages |
| Summon Familiar | Imps |
| Vampiric Embrace | Meer Eternals, Tentacles of the Harrower, Dark Father, The True Harrower |
| Vengeful Spirit | Messages in Bottles, Daemons, Liches, Air Elementals, Nightmares |
| Wither | Messages in Bottles, Daemons, Liches, Imps, Meer Mages |
| Wraith Form | Ratman Mages, Imps |
The fastest route to a complete book without farming is the Necromancy quest in New Haven — completing it at fifty Necromancy skill awards a fully populated starter spellbook.
Useful Equipment
The same equipment caps that benefit Magery benefit Necromancy, with two notes:
- Lower Reagent Cost (LRC) — at 100%, no Necromancy reagents are consumed. Critical for training.
- Lower Mana Cost (LMC) — at the 40% cap, all spells cost 40% less mana.
- Faster Casting (FC) and Faster Cast Recovery (FCR) caps work identically.
- Mana Regeneration matters more for necromancers because Lich Form is itself an active mana-regen multiplier.
- Spell Damage Increase (SDI) affects Necromancy direct-damage spells (Pain Spike, Poison Strike, Wither, Strangle).
Related Skills
- Spirit Speak — required for Vengeful Spirit, Exorcism, and Summon Familiar; scales the effect of Blood Oath, Corpse Skin, Pain Spike, Wraith Form, Mind Rot, Horrific Beast (indirectly), Strangle, and Vengeful Spirit.
- Inscription — crafts Necromancy scrolls.
- Magery — many necromancers train both schools, particularly to access Magery's transportation and utility spells alongside Necromancy's combat tools.
- Chivalry — the philosophical opposite, granting holy magic to warriors. A character may train both for utility flexibility, though the schools are thematically opposed.
Lore
Necromancy was added with the Age of Shadows expansion in 2003, alongside the introduction of the Necromancer profession and the city of Umbra in Malas. The Mastery system added Command Undead and Conduit in the High Seas era, broadening the school's late-game depth. The skill is associated in lore with the Order of the Cup and the Necromancers of Umbra, who hold their craft to be a discipline of natural philosophy — knowledge of the cycle of death rather than a moral darkness.
Bedlam, the necromancer's prison-stronghold dungeon, and Ilhenir the Stained, one of its peerless bosses, are the canonical late-game challenges for a necromantic build.