The Necromo







This is a small, plain book, bound in dull brown leather. Its age is apparent in the stiffness of its covering and the yellow-brown hue of its few pages, yet somehow the text within is as clear and sharp as if it were penned just last week.

The Necromo contains only half-a-dozen pages; a title page (with a footnote which states that this version is but a copy of a copy of the original, ancient text), four spells, and a brief synopsis of what appears to be an old legend on the back page. Torn fragments of paper, which pad the binding between the existing pages, indicate that the Necromo may have held additional lore at some time in the past.

Sages and historians have placed the origins of the Necromo - or this copy, at least - as some time after Taymor’s height. The original no doubt had its beginnings far earlier than that, but its true origin may never be known. It is reported that the Djinn Fahvarim might have further knowledge, since he had apparently taught a version of Living Whip (see below) to at least one former master (those seeking the spell which is hinted at on the last page of the Necromo - see below - could do worse than to approach the Djinn for help, if they can find him).

As its name suggests, the Necromo is a Necromantic tome; its spells, while not Evil in nature, do require sacrifices of life-energy to fuel their effects. In some lands Necromancy is a "forbidden" art, and its practitioners are shunned, so PC Magi who get hold of a copy of the Necromo should be very careful about openly displaying these spells.

The spells currently written in the Necromo are Living Whip, Heart’s-Blood, Art is Life and Sacrifice the Future. Details of each spell is given below:



Living Whip


Level: 3

Range: 5’-20’ (see below)

Duration: 1 Turn or less (see below)

Effect: creates an energy-whip


A useful combat spell, Living Whip is infamous (amongst those who know of it) for both its damaging potential and its occasional habit of slaying unwary casters.

To function, the spell requires an investment of life-force from the caster; between one and four HD-worth (1-4 to 4-16 hp, respectively, for a Mage; 1-6 to 4-24, for an Elf), chosen during casting. Upon completion of the spell, the caster makes a cut in the palm of his dominant hand with a knife or dagger; a bright, roiling whipcord of magical energy then extends from that hand, reaching 5’ for every HD invested.

The Living Whip is classed as a +2 weapon in terms of "to hit" rolls and whom it can hit; however, it causes only 1 hp of damage per HD invested, per successful strike. While this might not seem much, the caster may also roll 1d6 each time it hits - on a roll of 5-6, the Whip drains one level or HD from the target, healing the caster of one full HD-worth of hit points (for example, 4 hp if the caster is a Mage).

If the caster happens to have Weapon Mastery levels in whip-fighting, those may be applied to a Living Whip, although the damage-restriction remains. While a Living Whip is in use, the caster cannot cast additional spells unless these can be invoked one-handed. At the end of the spell’s duration - or sooner, if the caster chooses - the Whip retracts into the caster’s hand, healing 1 hp per HD used in its creation in the process. The cut palm is healed instantly when the spell is ended.



Heart’s-Blood


Level: 4

Range: special

Duration: see below

Effect: transfers hit points


Throughout Mystara’s history, tales of horror and adventure have included many common features. One of those which shows up fairly often is the Wizard, be he good or evil, who cannot be slain unless some other creature or object is destroyed first. This spell, whose variants were common in ancient Taymor, is one method by which that effect could be achieved.

Heart’s-Blood allows the caster to permanently transfer part of his, or another’s, life-force into a living vessel; so long as that creature lives, the subject of the spell cannot be permanently slain. The spell requires that the caster create a potion (containing certain rare herbs, a tincture of mercury, and several drops of the subject’s blood) as a focus; the spell removes 1-4 hps from the subject’s total when the blood is taken. This potion must be consumed by the chosen vessel - usually an animal of some kind, although just about any living creature will do - which gives the donated hps to the vessel. A Save vs. Spells must be made by the caster; if it fails, the potion is ruined, and the donated hps are lost forever.

Should the donor-subject be slain, he can be revived (with no System Shock roll or loss of Constitution, if playing by AD&D rules) by killing his vessel with a blade through the heart and dripping several drops of blood on the donor’s chest. This restores the "stored" hps to the donor, bringing him back to life. It is advisable to have Healing Potions or friendly Clerics on hand at this point, as it would not take much to kill the donor again. This procedure is the reason why normal, domestic animals are commonly used as vessels - placing the hps in a Huge Red Dragon would make it rather difficult to recover them when the time came.

The donor should take especial care that no harm comes to his vessel before he needs it. Should the creature be killed while he still lives, the "borrowed" hit points are lost forever. Alternatively, if the beast dies of natural causes (including old age or non-magical disease), the spell is broken, returning the donor’s hp-total to its former level (although rest is required to actually recover the hps). A single person may have as many vessels as he wishes, but each one costs him 1d4 hp from his total.



Art is Life


Level: 4

Range: 0’ (caster only)

Duration: 1 Turn

Effect: fuels spellcasting


An extremely powerful spell for its level, this dweomer allows the caster to greatly increase her casting capabilities - at a cost to her health.

Art is Life requires the caster herself to be the focus; upon casting the spell, her blood begins to simmer gently within her. For the duration of the spell, she may choose to fuel the casting of any spell held in memory through the medium of the Art is Life enchantment, by sacrificing hit points instead - which allows her to retain the memorised spell for future use. Each spell so cast causes the burning sensation to swell up into a burst of intense pain for a brief moment, as the caster’s hit points are consumed.

Each spell cast via Art is Life consumes 1d4 hp per level of the spell - so a Fireball cast in this way causes the caster 4-12 hp damage. Only spells currently memorised are useable in this fashion - a previously-cast dweomer cannot be recalled by this spell - but the caster can recast the same spell again and again without losing it, if she has hit points to spare. Spells may be cast in the normal way, if desired, during Art is Life's duration.

Because of the pain aspect of casting spells in this manner, the Mage must make a Save vs. Spells after each casting. If it fails, the pain is so severe that she must take time to recover - which means that the Mage cannot perform any actions in the round following the casting.

The caster of Art is Life must take care not to overextend herself; it is very easy for the casting Mage to drain herself to 0 hp this way, dropping dead on the spot. Hit points lost to Art is Life cannot be recovered by healing or regenerative magics, only by natural rest - although vampiric spells such as Living Whip might work, at the DM’s discretion.



Sacrifice the Future


Level: 5

Range: 0’ (caster only)

Duration: see below

Effect: high-level memorisation


Akin to Art is Life - and derived from the same source - this spell lets the caster command far greater magics than normal, at a heavy cost to his life-force.

Sacrifice the Future is best cast shortly after waking, the time when Magi traditionally memorise their spells. Before casting, the Mage must create an infusion by steeping belladonna berries in hot water for one hour; this is drunk at the conclusion of the verbal part of the casting. The Mage must make a Save vs. Poison; if it fails, he takes 1d6 hp damage, and the spell is ruined.

If the save is successful, the poison and the enchantment combine to "free up" a portion of the mental and magical potential which the Mage cannot yet access normally. This enables him to memorise up to three spells of the level above his normal maximum (i.e. a 9th-level Mage can access spells of 1st-5th level; using this spell, he may access 6th-level spells), but at a price; for each high-level spell he memorises, he loses one year from his lifespan. Note that this does not age the caster; instead, it reduces their normal span by that much, so a human Mage with a life-expectancy of 70 years who used Sacrifice the Future to memorise three spells would instead die of old age at 67.

The additional spells remain in memory until cast; once gone, they cannot be replaced unless Sacrifice the Future is cast again. All such spells are cast at their lowest casting-level - either at the true level of the caster, or the minimum level normally needed to cast them. Of course, this assumes the caster has access to spells of the correct level for memorisation - otherwise casting the spell is pointless. Similarly, Wizards who are already capable of casting 9th-level spells will gain no benefit from this spell, since there is no higher spell-level for them to access.

Since Sacrifice the Future has no immediate physical effects, some Magi are seduced by its short-term benefits into casting it again and again; during the latter days of Taymor, it was not unusual for a Necromancer who abused the spell to die in his mid-twenties - effectively of old age. A Mage who dies as a result of overusing the spell is beyond the help of Raise Dead and Resurrection spells - he is simply too old for them to function - although Reincarnation might still work. Potions of Longevity do not negate the effects of the spell, although they do reduce the imbiber’s age by 10 years, effectively extending his life by that much.

Note: This spell - or one very much like it - has been known to certain individuals within the Elven communities for centuries, enabling non-Treekeeper Elves to circumvent the 5th-level spell-restriction and command unusually potent magics. While far from commonly-known, it is most prevalent amongst the Verdier Elves of Minrothad (who lack Trees of Life) and the Vyalia Elves of Thyatis. The Immortal Ilsundal dislikes this spell, as it damages the longevity of his slow-breeding followers, and has forbidden it to his worshippers; to further discourage those tempted by its promise of power, he altered the spell’s effects when cast by an Elf (or any Elf-descended race, such as Aquarendi, Eusdrian Half-Elves, Pegataurs, Ee’aar, N’Djatwa, etc - but not including the Fairy races, who cannot cast the spell). Those of Elven descent who cast any version of Sacrifice the Future lose five years from their lifespan, not one; and those who cast it more than once per month run the risk of losing a level of experience (Save vs. Spells at -1 for each additional casting within thirty days of the last). Despite these heavy restrictions, there are still a distressingly high number of Elves willing to use the spell; only its relative rarity prevents its use from spreading wider.



The last page of the Necromo does not contain a spell. Instead, it bears a short story, describing a mighty conflict in which the hero, facing overwhelming odds, calls upon the Immortals to grant him a fragment of their power. Thus empowered, he obliterates his foes in short order.

Below this obviously-imaginary story is a cryptic poem. If deciphered (a feat which requires 18+ Intelligence, 17+ Wisdom, and about a month’s intensive study), it provides clues to the location of a spell which, if the message is to be believed, actually provides some of the powers described in the tale...

[DMs note: The poem is left for individual DMs to create - tailor it to your individual campaign. If you decide to allow the PCs to go hunting for this legendary spell, the clues should lead them through several adventures - perhaps a mini-campaign could be formed around this quest. The final prize - the sought-for spell - is outlined below.]



The Last Battle

Level: 9

Range: touch

Duration: 1 hour

Effect: boosts target’s power


This nearly-mythical spell is the subject of much misinformation and exaggeration concerning its properties. Some tales describe its users as taking on Immortal characteristics, and being carried off to dwell forever in Pandius when their task is done. While this is patently untrue, the spell does grant incredible power - for a correspondingly steep price.

The Last Battle (also known as Immortal Fury and Ascendancy, in some quarters) may be cast upon either a volunteer, or upon the caster herself. Unusually for such a high-level spell, it requires little in the way of preparation, and takes a short time - less than ten minutes - to cast. It is best employed just before a known battle. The spell is written and spoken in a guttural, almost bestial tongue, far removed from the normal, fluid magical language; on top of the normal Read Magic requirement, an intelligence of 18+ and a Read Languages spell is necessary to comprehend the written text.

The caster - whether knowingly or not - invokes Entropic powers when casting this spell; Good-aligned casters will feel a slimy, bone-deep coldness invade their souls while casting, as if they were bathing in the foulest ichor. As a consequence, Good casters must save vs. Spells at -3 to cast the spell correctly, Neutrals at -1, and Evil characters with no penalty. A failure causes a loss of two experience levels and - if the spell is to be cast on another - causes the effect to centre on the caster herself. Even if the save is made, casting this spell costs the mage one experience level and causes her to suffer 2d6 hp damage - the latter may be recovered by rest, not magic, and the former only by building up experience as normal. The spell effect itself occurs, whether the save is successful or not.

If cast successfully, the recipient gains the following benefits: