Grasping Dead, Skull Bomb, and Gaze of the Dead: Three New Necromancy Spells

Just in time for Halloween, here are three new necromancy spells.  The first, grasping dead, is the necromantic equivalent of entangle.  It causes corpses in an area to become uncomfortably handsy, grappling any nearby creatures.  The second spell, skull bomb, charges a skull with volatile amounts of negative energy, turning it into a dangerous bomb, trap, or thrown weapon.  The third, gaze of the dead, turns the eyes of basilisks, medusas, and other gaze-happy creatures into floating, necromantic weapons.

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The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL.  Open Game Content is ©2015 Jonah Bomgaars and d20 Despot.

Grasping Dead

School Necromancy [evil]; Level antipaladin 1, cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 1

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, M (the severed hand of a zombie or skeleton)

Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)

Area corpses in a 50 ft. cube

Duration 1 min./level

Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance no

This spell causes corpses to partially animate and grab at nearby creatures.  A square that contains any amount of non-animate corpses (fleshy or skeletal) is considered an affected square.  The corpses within an affected square remain inanimate until a living creature other than the caster enters their square or an adjacent square, at which point the limbs of the corpses animate and attempt to grapple said living creature.  An affected square has a CMB equal to the spell level plus the caster’s prime casting stat, and a CMD equal to 10 plus the spell level plus the caster’s prime casting stat.  In initiative, an affected square makes its grapple checks immediately before the target creature acts.  If the target creature is already grappled, the affected square attempts to pin it.  An affected square can simultaneously target a number of creatures equal to the number of corpses in the affected square.  New corpses added to the area of effect after the spell is cast are not affected by the spell. 

   Corpses contained behind weak barriers (such as a rotting wooden coffin or less than a foot of earth) burst out of them, but corpses contained behind stronger barriers (such as a stone sarcophagus or more than a foot of earth) can only bang and scratch futilely within the confines of their resting places. 

   Corpses affected by this spell do not count as undead creatures.  Use of the channel positive energy, turn undead, or command undead class features cause any affected squares to cease grappling for one round. 

Skull Bomb

School necromancy; Level antipaladin 2, cleric 3, sorcerer/wizard 3

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range touch

Target One humanoid skull

Duration 5 rounds or less; see text

Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes

With a touch, you charge a single, unattended skull with volatile amounts of negative energy.  At the time of casting, you choose how many rounds (up to 5) it will be until the skull explodes; if you choose 0 rounds, it explodes immediately.  When the skull explodes, it deals 1d6 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 10d6) to all within 10 feet (Reflex for half).  Half of the damage is piercing, and the other half is negative energy. 

   If the skull is broken before time is up, the skull explodes prematurely.  The skull can be thrown with a range increment of 10 ft., targeted at a creature, a square, or a grid intersection.  If it successfully hits the target creature’s touch AC, that creature gets no save against the damage, but all other creatures within 10 ft. still get a save. 

   If the skull is handled or jostled within 1 round of its detonation, it has a 25% chance that it explodes prematurely. 

Gaze of the dead

School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 7, sorcerer/wizard 7, witch 7

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S, M (the eye of a creature with a gaze attack, preserved in magical unguents worth 1,000gp per HD of the monster it was harvested from)

Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels); see text

Area 30 ft. radius spread, 30 ft. semicircle, 30 ft. cone, or 30 ft. line; see text.

Duration 1 round/2 levels

Saving Throw Fort negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell requires an eye harvested from a creature that had a gaze attack.  When the words of the spell are spoken, the eye is granted un-life.  It flies into the air and hovers several feet above the head of the caster, spinning wildly and casting its gaze in all directions.  All creatures within 30 ft. of the eye who can see it are subject to its gaze attack.  The effect of the eye’s gaze attack is the same as it was in life, but it uses the caster’s spell save DC in place of the original creature’s DC.  

   As a free action, the caster can change the eye’s arc of vision to affect a 30 ft. radius circle, a 30 ft. radius semicircle, a 30 ft. cone, or a 30 ft. line.  As a move action, the caster can move the eye up to 30 ft. through the air in any direction.  The eye can move no further than 25 ft. plus 5 ft. per 2 caster levels away from the caster.  Note: the caster is not immune to the eye’s gaze, and should probably change the eye’s arc of vision before sending it forward. 

   The eye has an AC of 18, 2 hp per caster level, a Reflex save equal to the caster’s, and Improved Evasion.  The eye takes damage from positive energy and is healed by negative energy, like an undead creature.  If the eye is reduced to 0 hp, it is destroyed and the spell ends. 

   When the spell’s duration expires, the eye crumbles to dust.  

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Grasping dead is a spell that is designed with terrain in mind.  When the party is fighting in the catacombs or on the site of a battlefield, it turns corpses from set-decoration to threat.  Imagine a combat with a necromancer and his skeletal minions.  One of the party members strays to close to the wall, and a bunch of bony arms burst out of their burial alcoves and grab him, pinning him to the wall while the skeleton warriors advance to finish off the grappled hero.

Skull bomb is based on a similar spell from 2nd Edition that I really liked.  It gives necromancers an area-of-effect damage spell that still feels very necromantic.  It doesn't do as much damage as fireball (necromancy is not evocation, after all), but it has a lot of versatility.  The caster can leave a skull bomb behind him as he flees, chuck it at enemies, put it above a door so that opening the door causes it to fall and break, or any number of other things.

Gaze of the dead weaponizes the eyeballs of dead monsters, allowing the caster to reproduce their effects for a limited time to harm his enemies.  Provided the caster has access to the right eyes, this can be a very powerful spell, hence the high level required to cast it and the cost of preserving the eye.  Honestly, I am worried that this spell might be overpowered, so the fact that it should be difficult to get the materials needed to even cast the spell will hopefully keep it balanced.

GMs, have fun using these against your players to spice up an encounter with a necromancer!  Players, try not to make your GM cry by abusing these spells!  Happy Halloween week!

-your necromantic d20 despot.