Aspect Codex

Necromancy

Necromancy is an imported aspect from the Jericha Aspect Data sheet. Its full lore and named powers can be expanded here as the canon text is added.

NecromancySpellcastingChargesMedicine

What This Aspect Does

Necromancy defines a character's supernatural focus, training profile, resource model, and power family. This page is structured so each separate power can become its own linked entry instead of being buried inside a character sheet.

Power Links

42 separate powersReusable by characters, items, curses, and locations
Tier 0ActionAt-Will

Chill Touch

Channel grave-cold at one creature within range. Make a ranged power attack. On a hit, the target takes 5 (1d10) necrotic damage and cannot regain hit points until the end of your next turn. Undead hit by this power also have disadvantage on the next attack roll they make before then.

Tier 0ActionAt-Will

Deathwatch

For the duration, you sense corpses, dying creatures, undead, grave sites, and lingering death-echoes in the emanation that are not behind total cover. You know whether a body is living, dying, dead, undead, or soulless.

Tier 1ActionAt-Will

Toll the Dead

Point at one creature you can see within range. The target must make a WIS save, taking 9 (2d8) necrotic damage on a failed save. If the target is missing any hit points, it instead takes 13 (2d12) necrotic damage.

Tier 1ActionAt-Will

Funerary Preparation

Touch one corpse or set of remains. Until the effect ends, the remains do not decay, cannot become undead except by your Necromancy powers, and count as prepared for the next Necromancy power you use on them.

Tier 1ActionAt-Will

False Life

Bolster yourself with a thin shell of grave-force. Gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your WIS modifier. While you have these temporary hit points, you have advantage on death saving throws.

Tier 1ActionAt-Will

Grave Whisper

Touch a corpse that died within the last day. You hear one brief death-echo: the corpse’s final emotion, final image, final spoken thought, or final injury, chosen by the GM.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Gentle Repose

Touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay, cannot become undead except by your Necromancy powers, and days spent under this effect do not count against time limits for returning the target to life.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Inflict Wounds

Make a melee power attack against one creature within reach. On a hit, the target takes 16 (3d10) necrotic damage. If the target is dying, undead, or under a death curse, add your WIS modifier to the damage.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Death Armor

Touch one willing creature. For the duration, an inky aura surrounds it. The target has advantage on death saving throws, and once per turn when a creature within 5 ft. hits it with a melee attack, the attacker takes 2d4 necrotic damage.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Grasping Ghost

Spectral hands grasp one target you can see within range. The target must make a STR save, taking 13 (3d8) necrotic damage and being grappled until the start of your next turn on a failed save, or half damage only on a success. A grappled target can be moved up to 20 ft. horizontally.

Tier 31 MinuteAt-Will

Animate Dead

Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within range. It becomes an undead creature: a Skeleton if bones, or a Zombie if a corpse. As a bonus action, command any undead created by this power within 60 ft. To maintain control for another 24 hours, use this power on the creature again before the duration ends.

Tier 3ActionAt-Will

Speak with Dead

Grant a corpse the semblance of life, allowing it to answer up to five questions. The corpse must have a mouth, must not have been undead when it died, and must not have been targeted by this power within the past 10 days. Answers are brief and limited by what it knew in life.

Tier 3Bonus ActionAt-Will

Culling Sickle

Create a ghostly sickle that hovers near you. When you use this power and as a bonus action on later turns, make a ranged power attack against one creature within 30 ft. On a hit, the target takes 9 (2d8) necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

Tier 3ActionAt-Will

Corpse Stitching

Touch one corpse or one undead creature you control. A corpse is repaired enough to count as intact for questioning, preservation, animation, or transformation. An undead target you control regains 3d8 hit points and gains advantage on saves against being moved, knocked prone, or turned until the start of your next turn.

Tier 4ReactionAt-Will

Corpse Explosion

When a creature dies or an undead you control is reduced to 0 hit points within range, cause the body to erupt. Creatures of your choice within 10 ft. of the corpse must make a DEX save, taking 18 (4d8) necrotic damage and 18 (4d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half on a success.

Tier 4Bonus ActionAt-Will

Undead Bulwark

Choose up to three undead creatures you control within range. Each target gains 10 temporary hit points and has advantage on saving throws against being turned, frightened, charmed, knocked prone, or controlled by creatures other than you.

Tier 4ActionAt-Will

Bind Restless Spirit

Call and bind the lingering spirit of a dead creature whose corpse or remains are within range. The spirit must answer up to three questions truthfully, though briefly. You may also command it to haunt one creature within 60 ft. of the remains, forcing a WIS save or subtracting 1d4 from the target’s next attack roll or saving throw before the effect ends.

Tier 4ActionAt-Will

Gravebound Servitor

Choose one prepared corpse or pile of bones within range. It rises as a temporary undead servant bound to a simple task such as guard, carry, dig, retrieve, or follow. It uses the Zombie or Skeleton stat block. It cannot attack unless directly attacked first. When the effect ends, it collapses.

Tier 51 Hour1/Long Rest

Raise Dead

Revive a dead creature if it has been dead no longer than 10 days and was not undead when it died. The creature returns to life with 1 hit point. This closes mortal wounds and neutralizes poisons present at death, but does not restore missing body parts. The target suffers a -4 penalty to d20 tests, reduced by 1 after each long rest.

Tier 5ActionAt-Will

Danse Macabre

Animate up to five Small or Medium corpses you can see within range as Skeletons or Zombies. Each gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to your WIS modifier. As a bonus action, command all creatures created by this power within 60 ft. If you issue no command, they defend themselves.

Tier 5ActionAt-Will

Negative Energy Flood

Send negative energy at one creature within range. Unless the target is undead, it must make a CON save, taking 27 (5d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half on a success. A humanoid killed by this damage rises as a Zombie at the start of your next turn. If the target is undead, it gains temporary hit points equal to 5d10 instead.

Tier 5ReactionAt-Will

Soul Cage

When a humanoid dies within range, trap a soul-fragment. You can exploit the soul up to six times before release: regain 2d8 hit points, ask a brief question and receive a truthful telepathic answer, gain advantage on your next d20 test, or perceive through an invisible sensor in a place the creature saw in life for up to 10 minutes.

Tier 6ActionAt-Will

Circle of Death

Negative energy ripples from a point within range in a 30-ft. radius sphere. Creatures of your choice in the area must make a CON save, taking 44 (8d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half on a success. Undead you control in the area instead gain temporary hit points equal to your WIS modifier.

Tier 61 MinuteAt-Will

Create Undead

Choose up to three Medium or Small humanoid corpses within range. Each becomes a Ghoul under your control. As a bonus action, command any number of undead created by this power within 120 ft. If you give no command, they Dodge and avoid harm. Reuse this power before the duration ends to maintain control.

Tier 6ActionAt-Will

Ghastly Charge

Spirits of dead riders charge from you in a 90-ft. line that is 20 ft. wide. Creatures of your choice in the line must make a WIS save, taking 33 (6d10) necrotic damage and becoming frightened until the start of your next turn on a failed save, or half damage only on a success.

Tier 6PassiveAt-Will

Necromantic Dominion

Your Necromancy powers ignore necrotic resistance from undead and dying creatures. Undead you control add your WIS modifier to saves against being turned, frightened, charmed, or controlled by creatures other than you.

Tier 7ActionAt-Will

Finger of Death

Unleash killing negative energy at one creature within range. The target must make a CON save, taking 65 (7d8 + 30) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half on a success. A humanoid killed by this power rises at the start of your next turn as a Zombie that follows your verbal commands.

Tier 7ActionAt-Will

Grave Thrall

Choose one prepared corpse or pile of bones within range. It rises as an elite undead servant, such as a Wight, Ghast, or other comparable undead chosen by the GM. It obeys your verbal or mental commands. You can have only one Grave Thrall at a time.

Tier 7ActionAt-Will

Soul Anchor

Bind a lingering soul fragment to one corpse, object, or undead creature you touch. While within 120 ft. of the anchor, when a creature you can see drops to 0 hit points, draw a death-echo into the anchor. Before the end of your next turn, you may consume that echo to add 4d8 to a Necromancy damage, healing, or temporary hit point roll.

Tier 71 HourAt-Will

Master Embalming

Perform an advanced mortuary rite on one corpse, set of remains, or undead creature you control. A corpse does not decay, cannot be animated or transformed except by your Necromancy powers, and counts as prepared. An undead target you control gains 30 temporary hit points, resistance to necrotic damage, and advantage on saves against being turned or controlled by others.

Tier 8ActionAt-Will

Field of the Unquiet Dead

Create a 40-ft. radius field of restless spirits centered on a point within range. The area is difficult terrain for enemies. When an enemy enters for the first time on a turn or starts there, it must make a WIS save, taking 33 (6d10) necrotic damage and becoming frightened until the start of its next turn on a failed save, or half damage only on a success. Undead you control ignore the terrain.

Tier 81 MinuteAt-Will

Greater Create Undead

Choose up to three Medium or Small humanoid corpses within range. Each becomes a Ghast, Wight, or comparable undead chosen by the GM. They are under your control for the duration. As a bonus action, command any number within 120 ft. Reuse this power before the duration ends to maintain control.

Tier 810 MinutesAt-Will

Ossuary Engine

Transform a prepared corpse, pile of bones, or mass grave into a stationary necromantic engine occupying a 10-ft. cube. It preserves corpses within 30 ft. and grants undead you control that start within 30 ft. temporary hit points equal to your WIS modifier. As an action while within 120 ft., lash one creature within 30 ft. of it; the target makes a CON save, taking 33 (6d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half on a success. Only one Ossuary Engine can be active.

Tier 8ActionAt-Will

Soulstorm

Summon screaming souls in a 30-ft. radius sphere centered on a point within range. Creatures of your choice in the area must make a CHA save, taking 45 (10d8) psychic damage on a failed save, or half on a success. Once per turn when a creature dies in the storm, one creature you choose in the storm regains 18 (4d8) hit points or gains advantage on its next d20 test before the end of its next turn.

Tier 9ActionAt-Will

Legion of the Grave

Choose up to twelve corpses or piles of bones within range. Each rises as a Zombie, Skeleton, Ghoul, or other lesser undead chosen by the GM. They are friendly to you and obey your verbal or mental commands. As a bonus action, issue the same command to any number within 120 ft. When the effect ends, they collapse.

Tier 9ActionAt-Will

Soul Dominion

Choose up to six creatures within range. Each target must make a CHA save. On a failed save, its soul is partially bound. While bound, it cannot regain hit points, has disadvantage on death saving throws, and the first time it drops to 0 hit points during the duration, you may trap its soul as with Soul Cage or cause it to rise at the start of your next turn as an undead servant for 1 hour.

Tier 91 HourAt-Will

Perfected Corpse Rite

Perform a supreme mortuary rite on one corpse or set of remains. Choose one: restore it to perfect condition for questioning, animation, or later resurrection; make it an ideal vessel so the next Necromancy power used to animate it creates undead with maximum hit points; or preserve it indefinitely so it cannot decay, be animated, transformed, or destroyed by powers of Tier 8 or lower unless you allow it.

Tier 9PassiveAt-Will

Grave Sovereign

Undead you control gain resistance to necrotic damage and add your WIS modifier to initiative rolls. Your Necromancy powers treat necrotic immunity of undead and dying creatures as resistance unless the creature is Artifact-grade, divine, or story-protected.

Tier 10Action1/Long Rest

Army of the Dead

Call an army of the dead to rise around you. Choose up to fifty corpses, piles of bones, or grave-spaces within range. Each rises as a Zombie or Skeleton, organized into groups or swarms as the GM determines. They obey your verbal or mental commands. When the effect ends, they collapse.

Tier 101 Hour1/Long Rest

Untrue Resurrection

Touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 200 years and did not die of old age. If the soul is free and willing, it returns to life with all hit points, but its creature type becomes undead and it is bound to you by grave-oath. While bound, it is charmed by you and can communicate telepathically with you while on the same plane. It may repeat a WIS save once every 30 days, ending the charm on a success, though it remains undead unless restored by a Tier 10 restoration or story effect.

Tier 10PassiveAt-Will

Unimmortal

Your soul no longer releases cleanly into death. When you die, your soul clings to a prepared corpse, phylactery, grave-site, or undead servant you designated during a long rest. If that vessel is on the same plane and remains intact, your body reforms there after 1d10 days with all hit points and no equipment. If the vessel is destroyed before you reform, you die normally. You can have only one vessel prepared at a time.

Tier 10Action1/Ever

Harbinger of the Grave

Declare a legendary necromantic dominion over a graveyard, battlefield, tomb-city, mass grave, or death-haunted region. Corpses do not decay unless you allow it, undead you create there remain loyal unless released, and the dead may whisper truths to you. The dominion can be ended only by Tier 10 sanctification, divine intervention, or a story condition set when used.

Characters With This Aspect

Bones

Brunk Charleston

Brunk Charleston, known as Bones, is an undead gravekeeper and necromancer bound to the Queefdom Cemetery near Gravenhurst. Once a mortal scholar tied to Von Queef University and the Phlakin Library, he preserved his soul inside his own decaying body and has guarded the dead for centuries. His gravespeaking allows him to commune with those interred beneath his care and command cemetery-bound undead when graves are disturbed. Bones is not a conqueror of death, but its custodian.

UndeadUndead (Zombie)Necromancy (Gravespeaking)

Mortis

Mortellus Vayne

Mortellus Vayne, known as Mortis, was a Velvet Cross arch-necromancer who treated death not as tragedy, but as a system waiting to be mastered. His gravespeaking shaped resurrection theory, soul-binding vessels, grief constructs, and the infamous Scroll of Mass Resurrection, earning him awe in fringe circles and fear from regulated arcanists. Yet his deepest failure was personal: when Aria’s mother left by choice, no spell could undo it. Mortis turned legacy into obsession, even bargaining with Gertie the Collector for forbidden knowledge at the cost of Aria’s future child. Now presumed dead, his relics, writings, and possibly his soul remain dangerously unaccounted for.

DeceasedHumanNecromancy (Gravespeaking)

Ouija

Kuovena Bravespeaker

Kuovena Bravespeaker, known as Ouija, is a minotaur warlock of Von Queef University and one of the First Five, carrying the dead with them in more ways than one. Raised in the Bravespeaker tradition after the fall of the Wingkin Mountains, they inherited a spiritual lineage shaped by pact obligations, ancestral voices, and survival under pressure. Their gravespeaking lets them commune with spirits, channel the dead, and bind echoes through ritual, but Kuovena seeks more than obedience to old bargains. Chaotic Good and determined to redefine their people’s path, Ouija treats death not as an ending, but as counsel from those still waiting to be heard.

AliveMinotaurNecromancy (Gravespeaking)

Paranorm

Norman Shankswell

Imported character from the Character Data sheet.

AliveHumanNecromancy (Gravespeaking)

X

Yebbediah Grymmeye X

Yebbediah Grymmeye X, known simply as X, is a void-touched elven necromancer and diminished lich whose name remains one of Von Queef University’s darkest academic stains. Born into the Grymmeye line, he pursued resurrection theory past every ethical boundary, aided by allies and family legacy until the death of Annie Rein marked his work as atrocity rather than scholarship. His necromantic gravespeaking, soul-binding expertise, and lich durability made him feared long before the Phoenix Process partially undid his undeath. Now tied to CentrumNow, X remains cold, brilliant, and dangerous: proof that some minds survive judgment by becoming harder to kill.

UndeadElfNecromancy (Gravespeaking)