Necromancy
“They say those who enslave spirits place their own soul in chains. But damn, if it ain’t good business.” — Don Michael Antonio Giovanni, Prince of Las Vegas
For centuries, the unwholesome practice of Necromancy has fostered legend and superstition. Experiments conducted in catacombs and graveyards, mortuaries and crypts have codified the paths of Necromancy and given vampires power over the corpses and spirits of the dead.
Vampires who study necromantic magic must utilize human corpses, hands of murderers, portions of spirit essence, and other difficult-to-obtain items for use in such depraved and morbid spells. Needless to say, such repugnant practices can have a detrimental effect on one’s Humanity.
Necromancy has certain limitations:
• Necromancy relies upon a necromancer speaking magical phrases and making specific gestures. Use of blood magic is easy to notice, and the methods used to activate such powers are rarely subtle.
• All Necromancy paths and rituals are considered Social powers and as such, cannot be used during Celerity rounds.
• Specific Necromancy powers that are resisted with your target’s Physical attribute can be repeatedly used against a target. This is an exception to the rule that prohibits a character from using a Social power on the same target immediately after failing. Powers that are resisted with the target’s Social attribute cannot be attempted repeatedly. You must wait 10 minutes before retrying such a power, as per the standard rule.
Necromancy consists of multiple paths of study and expands into several individual rituals. To purchase a path of Necromancy and Necromantic rituals, a character must possess a specific merit that allows her to do so, such as the Necromantic Training merit, or a similar clan-specific merit.
Primary Path:
The first path of Necromancy that a character masters to the 2nd dot is considered her primary path of study. To improve any other path of Necromancy, she must first improve her capabilities in her primary path. A character can never become more skilled in other paths of Necromancy than she is in her primary path of study; she cannot learn the 3rd dot of another path until after she has learned the 3rd dot of her primary path, and so forth. Characters of clans with a specific in-clan path of Necromancy may choose another path as their primary path, so long as they meet the requirements as stated above.
Necromantic Rituals:
Necromancy does not have elder powers or techniques. Instead, practitioners of this art gain access to mystical rituals. Necromancy rituals are formulaic and require a significant amount of time, as well as specialized implements and ingredients. You cannot buy a specific Necromancy ritual until you have purchased the appropriate dot of Necromancy to support that ritual. Learning a level 4 ritual requires you already possess 4 dots in your primary Necromancy path. The cost to purchase a ritual is equal to the ritual’s level times two. Therefore, a level 3 ritual costs 6 XP to purchase. A necromancer cannot learn more rituals than dots of Necromancy that she currently possesses. For example, Marianna Giovanni possesses 4 dots in the Sepulchre Path, her primary path, as well as 3 dots in the Bone Path, and 2 dots in the Ash Path. Thus, she can learn nine Necromancy rituals.
True Corpse: The term “true corpse” is used throughout the descriptions of necromantic powers. A true corpse is a creature’s physical remains: i.e. the dead body of an animal or human. This term does not refer to corpses that have been animated as zombies, nor does it include vampires, wraiths, nor other supernatural creatures.
The Shadowlands: Wraiths and spectres exist in the Shadowlands, a land of the dead that overlaps with the physical, tangible world.
Necromancy Test Pool: The Necromancy wielder uses her Social attribute + Occult versus the target’s Social attribute + Willpower.
