NECR102: Advanced Topics in Animation

Sam Bosma

 Death is characterized by the absence of the soul.

The most common and recognizable type of death (live animal → dead animal) is characterized by the departure of the four upper souls (out of seven total). The absence of four-sevenths of the soul opens up a void, commonly referred to as the “niche”, in the identity of the dead subject. A spell (Animate Dead, in this example) can then inhabit this niche in order to raise the body as undead.

This is the central mechanism that the field of Necromancy relies upon: like a hand beneath a puppet, the spell fills an existing gap in order to manipulate the remainder of the soul.

This should all be review.

Yuriy Chemezov

Things can die without ever having been “alive”, so long as they have souls. Most manufactured objects have three souls, and can therefore die up to three times.

- Loss of physical integrity brings the death of the material soul. This soul is lost in all broken and damaged things: defaced statues, burnt-out candles, broken-down wagons. There are immense graveyards at the bottom of the ocean, where sunken vessels rot unto oblivion like whale carcasses.

- Loss of function and use brings the death of the acting soul. This soul is lost in all unused and mis-purposed things: a violin sealed in a glass display case, or a suit of armor used as a tea kettle.

- Loss of purpose or significance brings the death of the iconic soul. This soul is lost in all forgotten and unknown things: a three-legged corner table with nothing on it; An oil painting abandoned in the hallway closet; a silver piece sunk into the mud. (This is the reason why necromancers are often employed to read dead languages.)

Consider then the variety of niches available in “inanimate” objects, and the variety of ways a necromancer can fill them. It should not be surprising that Animate Dead and Animate Object are such closely related spells (and, in some circumstances, can be substituted for one another).

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NEW SPELL: Ghostly Vessel
T: Sunken ship; R: A harbor; D: [dice] weeks
With an hour of work, you animate a nearby ship wreckage. It rises to the surface and sails where you command, regardless of damage to the hull, sails, or mast.
You can raise the ship instantaneously. If you do so, it arrives in [dice] combat rounds, and lasts only [dice] combat rounds.

Pascal Blanche

There are many deaths, even among the still-living. Ego death. The death of a dream. In some cases, suppression of one’s instincts can result in the death of the wild soul.

These are also viable niches, although they must be inhabited by more specific spells (the “shape” is more finicky). Applications of live-niche manipulation are what forms the basis of the necromantic school’s emotional branch. (The preference for fear-inducing spells is more historical than it is fundamental, thanks in large part to some of the edgier forebears of the field.)

More recent advances in the field focus on the targeted formation of niches in living subjects… needless to say, there are some frontiers in magic towards which we should express caution.

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NEW SPELL: Dreamdeath
T: Creature; R: 100’; D: [dice] hours (Save for [dice] rounds instead)
Target creature with [sum] or less HD loses all sense of purpose for the duration; They have disadvantage on all CHA saves + count as a corpse for spell targeting purposes.

NEW CLASS: Object-Oriented Necromancer
A: Advanced Animation, +1 MD, +1 Spell
B: Malpractice, +1 MD, +1 Spell
C: Thesis Work, +1 MD, +1 Spell

Advanced Animation: Your spells that target corpses can target objects. Your spells that target objects can target corpses.

Malpractice: Your spells that target objects or corpses can target living humans, providing they are defeated, downtrodden, or otherwise helpless. If a wizard or well-read person sees you do this, they may report you to the appropriate magical authorities; expect to meet 2d4 wizard police in a flying paddy wagon.

Thesis Work: Choose a category: spells/wild animals/precious metals/words with silent letters/anything you can justify as "missing something". Your spells that target objects or corpses can target that category. You may gain this template multiple times.

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