Necromancy/CorlanDashiva
Shadowlands Circle
Drain Life
Cost: 15+ motes
Upon casting this spell the caster shoots forth a ray of inky blackness at a target, which seems to suck life and energy from the target and give it to the necromancer. This spell cannot be blocked but it can be dodged.
System: The caster spends 15 motes, plus 2 motes for every die of lethal damage he/she wishes this spell to inflict. A perception + occult roll is made to hit the target, with extra successes adding to the damage roll. If the target is successfully damaged by this the caster immediately heals one health level of lethal or two health levels of bashing damage for each lethal level dealt by this spell. Aggravated wounds are also healed but each agg wound requires three levels of damage to be dealt to the target. Any additional damage gives the caster bonus –0 health levels, which are lost at a rate of one per turn. You cannot gain more than your target loses (i.e. doing 12 damage to a target with only 3 health levels remaining will act the same as doing 3 damage). This spell ignores armour soak if it hits.
Example: Bob the Necromancer spends 45 motes (for a base 15L damage) and rolls perception + occult (7 dice) to hit a target. He scores 4 successes and his target gets only 2 successes on his dodge roll, giving bob a net 2 successes. His damage roll is thus 17 dice of lethal damage. He rolls, and scores 8 successes, dealing 8L to his target, who was a particularly tough Exalt and is not killed by this. Bob has taken two levels of lethal damage, which are instantly healed, and he gains an additional 6 –0 health levels, which he will lose at a rate of one per turn.
Subverting the Master’s Will
Cost: 15, 25 or 35 motes
Note: Labyrinth and Void Circle variants exist
The Malfeans seek the freedom of death for all things, and some of the Necromantic spells can grant freedom from binding magics. This spell attempts to release a bound demon of the first (for Shadowlands), second (for Labyrinth) or third (for Void) Circle.
System: If the original summoner is not present this spell is automatically successful and the demon no longer has to follow the summoner’s orders. If the summoner is present then he and the demon must roll opposed Willpower + Essence rolls as when the demon is first summoned, save that the summoner cannot buy down the dice pool of the demon, and if the demon scores more successes than the summoner, the difficulty for the summoner to banish the demon to Malfeas is raised by 2 (to 5 for first and second circle demons, and to 7 for third circle demons).
Labyrinth Circle
Corlan's Blood Amalgam
Cost: 15+ Motes
Many expect the undead to be lumbering horrors, stumbling about flaking flesh and dissolving into putrid goo. This assumption serves most Ghost Hunters well, yet not all undead can be classified by this single stereotype. Necromancy is an advanced and complicated art, which has devised methods for creating hundreds of unusual servants, and one of the most fearsome of these is the Blood Amalgam.
The Ritual of the Blood Amalgam takes several hours, requiring a number of ingredients. Foremost amongst them is the human who will become a Blood Amalgam, who must be willing to endure the procedure after having at least a vague understanding of what it entails. Other common ritual implements are also needed, including bone dust and human (or Abyssal) blood. At the apex of the ritual, the victim is slain and the Abyssal shapes the necromantic essence gathered into an animating force, which will serve the Amalgam forevermore.
After a victim becomes a Blood Amalgam, he is undead. All powers and wards that have power over the dead affect him and he can never be returned to life. His high and low soul are trapped outside of the cycle of reincarnation. This has several negative consequences. The light of the unconquered sun will blind an Amalgam if they walk in daylight, and therefore many of these creatures are nocturnal by nature. A Blood Amalgam becomes incapable of respiration, though it may choose to continue breathing. It no longer feels sexual desire, though it may choose to continue having sex. Amalgams are entirely unable to consume traditional food and drink lest they vomit immediately after. Because an Amalgam may retain many human emotions, these peculiar traits can often cause significant mental distress.
However, a Blood Amalgam also enjoys several advantages, which offset the horror of the condition. Every Blood Amalgam has the charm 'Essence Engorgement Technique' as if they had taken it once, even if they do not have prerequisite Survival skill. Furthermore, in a fashion similar to the Celestial spell Imbue Amalgam, a Blood Amalgam may also purchase power in the form of increased attributes and abilities dependent on the amount of Essence the Necromancer devotes to the spell. The costs and mechanics used are identical to those of the Imbue Amalgam sorcery, except that Blood Amalgams may not learn charms. See book of Three Circles and the updated Bo3C Errata.
Unlike the Celestial spell Imbue Amalgam, the essence a Blood Amalgam has is /always/ treated as Blood Feast essence. It is not regained through respiration, hearthstones or stunting. Only drinking blood will replenish this pool.
Furthermore, an Amalgam must spend 1 mote per day to animate itself. If it cannot afford this cost, the Amalgam will be so fatigued it will sleep nine out of every ten hours and while awake suffer -4 die penalties. This fatigue vanishes upon spending a mote of essence as described. Blood Amalgams do not generate anima banners.
Blood Amalgams are immortal, and they no longer age. Furthermore, they do not need food, though all report a ravenous hunger for blood that is exceedingly difficult to resist (Temperance roll at difficulty 1 whenever Blood Feast falls below 3 and the opportunity to feed presents itself). Blood Amalgams may sprout fangs as Abyssal Exalted do, and doing so does not cost them essence, although it takes a round. They may likewise feast upon mortals in a fashion similar to Abyssal Exalted, though they may not consume flesh (only drink blood). Blood Amalgams do not heal naturally. However, they may spend 1 essence per wound to heal lethal damage or bashing damage. This requires a turn of unbroken concentration. Aggravated damage requires a full eight hours of rest and a willpower point as well as 5 essence to heal.
Blood Amalgams are completely aware and intelligent, and many believe they are the same being they once were in life. However, the Amalgam exists in an unnatural state even by the liberal standards of the undead. Amalgams can become dangerously unstable. Each time an Amalgam severely compromises a virtue they hold dear, it must roll the virtue it has offended at a difficulty determined by the Storyteller (Generally 1-3). If this roll botches, the Amalgam permanently lowers that virtue by one point.
As virtues become lower, it becomes more difficult to offend them. A virtue with a rating of 1 cannot be compromised except by the most cowardly, selfish and senseless of acts. Amalgams who reach a rating of 0 in a virtue are known to become irrevocably mad, like feral zombies drunk with the joy of killing. No Amalgam has ever recovered from this condition.
Amalgam may spawn. In order to accomplish this, an Amalgam must find a human mortal on the verge of death. This victim need not be willing or even aware of the fate in store for him. If the Amalgam allows the dying mortal to drink 1L health level's worth of her blood, that human will rise as an Amalgam upon the moment of death. This Amalgam is created in the exact same fashion as the original, except that it is created as though it had 10 fewer motes devoted to the casting. If this means that the base cost of Blood Amalgam cannot be paid, the corpse will not rise. Blood Amalgam created through this method may only learn charms possessed by its creator, and the creator chooses what powers and charms the newly created being enjoys. This 'second generation' Amalgam is also capable of spawning, though of course the resulting child will be even weaker.
Amalgam may not purchase Charms with XP, though they may raise essence as a Ghost does with similar cost. If the Necromancer wishes to change the powers and attributes of an Amalgam, he may, but the spell must be cast again to reforge the old creation. In this way, loyal servants may be rewarded with more power while troublemakers are stripped of rank and privilege. Some theorize that an Amalgam might be able to develop supernatural charms that are unique to them, but these would undoubtedly be substantially weaker than the Abyssal charms imbued in them upon creation. Few Amalgams have enjoyed enough freedom to investigate rumours of such of such peculiar disciplines.
Original by Maddy
Edited by CorlanDashiva : changed from original in that Blood Amalgams may not learn any other charms. They get a single Essence Engorgement Technique and that is it, although they can develop their own powers at ST's discretion.
Identity Theft
Cost: 40+ motes
This is possibly the most precise of necromantic procedures. It involves an elaborate ritual that must be carried out in the underworld and takes at least three hours. The usual trappings of such rituals are also required (blood, ritual sacrifice, etc.) but every necromancer who is well prepared should have all of these on hand.
The spell allows the Necromancer to forcibly remove the upper soul of the target and replace it with a new, blank upper soul. The removed soul goes on to become a ghost, but is not under the command of the necromancer and will often seek to flee the area while the necromancer recovers from casting this spell.
The upper soul contains the memories and skills of the target, and this spell is often used to wipe the memories of a potentially useful ally and thus make them more tractable.
System: The target of this spell must either be willing or immobilised. If the target is willing the ritual takes three hours, if unwilling the ritual takes three hours to start, then the caster and the target must roll opposed willpower rolls, with each success reducing the targets temporary willpower by one. The caster must reduce the target to zero willpower and still have the two willpower necessary to cast this spell. Each roll takes an additional hour and an additional 5 motes.
When the casting is complete the upper soul of the target is removed and replaced, with the effect of a complete loss of memories of the target. The target may then be created as a new character using the character generation rules in the rulebook. This spell works on mortals, but not on any type of Exalt and spirits, ghosts and fey are also immune.
There are also two Void versions of this spell which costs 60+ motes to cast. The first allows you to replace the soul with a ghost of your choosing, and the second works on Abyssal Exalts (but only allows a blank soul to be put in).
Void Circle
The Mote in the Eye of the Gods
Cost: 60 motes (10 committed)
This is another rather unforeseen application of necromancy. By infusing a little of the power and essence of the Void into a target’s lower soul the caster is able to make them “immune” to Exaltation. Effectively, this spell masks the target so that a “homeless” Exalt shard will be unable to attach to the target.
It is occasionally used by Deathlords to mark a particularly promising mortal so that they cannot become a Celestial Exalt and can become Abyssal Exalts upon death.
System: The spell costs 60 motes to cast but requires no elaborate rituals. 10 of the motes remain committed to this spell and cannot be regained until the target dies, making this an expensive spell to use on a regular basis.
Anyone under the effect of this spell cannot be targeted for Celestial Exaltation (Lunar, Sidereal or Solar). Terrestrial Exaltation is not affected as it is carried in the blood, and Abyssal Exaltation is not affected as it occurs at the point of death, when this spell ends.
Muted Glow
Cost: 50 motes
Area of Effect: 10 yard radius per point of essence
This is one of the spells developed by the Twilight caste Solar who first discovered and later (after making the Crown of Shadows) used Void Circle Necromancy. His name was stricken from all records after he became devoted to Necromancy and turned to worshiping the Malfeans.
The Malfeans slumber. As they slumber, they dream, and their dreams are reflected in the minds of their servants – and to a lesser extent in all of Creation. The caster of this spell seeks to call upon the essence of the Malfeans – and by proxy, the Void – and lessen the effect of essence within the area of effect of the spell.
It is said that the traitor Solar betrayed his fellows and worked with the DBs and Sidereals to overthrow the Solar deliberative. The majority of the Solars were gathered in one place for a great feast. The food was poisoned and when the first Solars jumped up protesting about this, this spell was cast. Many of the Solars were left unable to use charms and were easy picking for the heavily armed DBs that stormed in immediately.
The traitor Solar was congratulated by the DBs for his good work but slain by a Sidereal assassin, fearful of his intentions, and fearful of the awakening of the Malfeans.
System: The caster rolls his essence. If he scores no successes the spell fails and if he botches he is unable to use charms or expend essence for one day. If he succeeds then all individuals within the area of effect must reflexively roll their essence. If the target scores more successes than the caster there is no effect. If the target scores the same number of successes then the cost of all charms is doubled for a number of hours equal to the casters essence. If the target scores less successes than the caster then the target is unable to use charms or spend essence for one hour if the caster has essence 5, and an additional hour per point of essence beyond five (e.g. caster has essence 7 means duration 3 hours).
