Mages
Master of Arcane Magicks
Mages are wielders of forgotten arts and living vaults of hidden knowledge. Some are reclusive sages studying ancient omens. Others are brash innovators who reshape the world with raw magic. Whether drawn to the stars, the mind, or the mysteries of the dead, every mage stands at the blurred edge of wisdom, power, and occasionally disaster.
Necromancers
Necromancers are mortal mages who use dark and heretical magicks to bend Undead Spirits to their will. They are masters of death magic and bind throngs of reanimated dead to their will. They can raise the dead to serve as their minions, drain the life force from their enemies, or create powerful curses and hexes to bring ruin to their foes.
Necromancer Lore
- The first necromancer was Karklaz, the Withered King, who went on to ascend as the first Archlich
- As necromancers advance in power and skill, they attempt to bind increasingly more powerful Undead
- Some overly-ambitious necromancers are slain by their horrendous creations
- Many Necromancers seek out corpses of powerful monsters for their dark experiments
- Many necromancers' ultimate ambition is to ascend to a Lich
Necromancer Tactics
Necromancers are almost always surrounded by the undead minions. They will keep a couple minions nearby for protection and use the rest to swarm their enemies. They indiscriminately blast their own minions with spells if it means they can hit multiple party members, such as with Web. They also enjoy surrounding their enemies with undead minions and dropping a Cloudkill on top of the party, who can't easily escape the mass of Skeletons or Zombies.
Whenever a humanoid creature is killed or is reduced to 0 hit points, the necromancer will cackle gleefully as they use the Soul Harvest ability to fortify themselves.
Necromancer Statblocks
Necromancer Adept
The Necromancer Adept has just begun their studies of the necromantic arts. They are typically learning to re-animate their first Skeletons and Zombies.
Necromancer Adept
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Wizard)
AC 15 (Arcane Armor) Initiative +1 (11)
HP 71 (11d8 + 22)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Dex | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 10 | +0 | +0 |
Skills Arcana +6, Perception +3
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages Common
CR 4 (1,100 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The wizard makes two Necrotic Blast attacks.
Necrotic Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 30ft., one target. Hit 18 (4d6 + 4) necrotic damage. On a hit, the target cannot regain hitpoints until the end of its next turn.
Spellcasting. The wizard casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14):
1/day each: Blindness/Deafness, Webc, Bestow Cursec
Bonus Actions
Misty Step (1/day). The wizard teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Reactions
Soul Harvest (1/day). Whenever a humanoid creature within 60 feet dies or is reduced to 0 hitpoints, the wizard gains 30 temporary hitpoints.
Necromancer Mage
The Necromancer Mage is an accomplished practitioner of the dark arts. At this level, the necromancer has mastered many Lesser Undead and has begun drawing Spirits such as Specters and Shadows under their control.
Necromancer Mage
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Wizard)
AC 16 (Arcane Armor) Initiative +2 (12)
HP 91 (14d8 + 28)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 18 | +4 | +7 |
| Wis | 13 | +1 | +4 |
| Cha | 12 | +1 | +1 |
Skills Arcana +7, History +7, Perception +4
Senses Passive Perception 14
Languages Common
CR 6 (2,300 XP; PB +3)
Actions
Multiattack. The wizard makes three Necrotic Blast attacks. It may replace two attacks with a use of its Spellcasting.
Necrotic Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 30ft., one target. Hit 18 (4d6 + 4) necrotic damage. On a hit, the target is Frightened until the end of its next turn.
Spellcasting. The wizard casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):
2/day each: Webc, Bestow Cursec, Blindness/Deafness (3rd)
1/day each: Fearc, Cloudkillc, Circle of Death
Bonus Actions
Misty Step (2/day). The wizard teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Twin Spell (Recharge 4-6). Immediately after hitting with a spell attack, the wizard can repeat the attack against a different target in range.
Reactions
Soul Harvest (1/day). Whenever a humanoid creature within 60 feet dies or is reduced to 0 hitpoints, the wizard gains 40 temporary hitpoints.
Protective Magic (2/day). The wizard casts Shield or Counterspell in response to being attacked or being targeted by a spell.
Necromancer Archmage
The Necromancer Archmage is at the pinacle of the dark arts. These necromancers have become deeply steeped in death magic and command armies of the Lesser Undead as well as a handful of Greater Undead.
Necromancer Archmage
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Wizard)
AC 16 (Arcane Armor) Initiative +6 (16)
HP 153 (18d8 + 72)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 22 | +6 | +10 |
| Wis | 15 | +2 | +6 |
| Cha | 12 | +1 | +1 |
Skills Arcana +14, History +10, Perception +6
Senses Passive Perception 16
Languages Common
CR 12 (8,400 XP; PB +4)
Actions
Multiattack. The wizard makes four Necrotic Blast attacks. It may replace two attacks with a use of its Drain Strength, Mana Surge, or Spellcasting.
Necrotic Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +10 to hit, range 90ft., one target. Hit 23 (5d6 + 6) necrotic damage. On a hit, the target cannot regain hitpoints until the end of its next turn.
Drain Strength. The wizard attempts to magically drain the strength from a creature it can see within 5 feet. The creature must make a DC 16 Constitution save. On a failure, the creature takes 35 (10d6) necrotic damage and is Weakened (save ends at end of turn) for 1 minute (save ends at end of turn). On a success, the creature takes half damage instead. A weakened creature deals half damage with its spells and attacks and has disadvantage on Strength ability checks and saving throws.
Mana Surge. The wizard infuses the next spell it casts next turn with additional power, increasing the spell save DC by 2.
Spellcasting. The wizard casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18):
3/day each: Webc, Bestow Curse (5th), Blindness/Deafness (5th)
2/day each: Fearc, Cloudkillc, Circle of Death
1/day each: Eyebitec, Finger of Death
Bonus Actions
Misty Step (2/day). The wizard teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Reactions
Soul Harvest (1/day). Whenever a humanoid creature within 60 feet dies or is reduced to 0 hitpoints, the wizard gains 60 temporary hitpoints.
Protective Magic (2/day). The wizard casts Shield or Counterspell in response to being attacked or being targeted by a spell.
Necromancer Primagus
The Necromancer Primagus has mastered the dark arts to the maximum extend that the limits of mortal flesh allows. These powerful mages are legendary figures who often wish to mimic the example set by Karklaz, the Withered King and ascend to become a dreaded Lich.
Necromancer Primagus
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Humanoid (Wizard)
AC 18 (Arcane Armor) Initiative +12 (22)
HP 241 (23d8 + 138)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 22 | +6 | +11 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 23 | +6 | +11 |
| Wis | 16 | +3 | +8 |
| Cha | 12 | +1 | +1 |
Skills Arcana +16, History +11, Perception +8
Senses Passive Perception 18
Languages Common
CR 16 (15,000 XP; PB +5)
Traits
Legendary Prowess (3/day). The wizard can choose to succeed on a saving throw or ability check instead of failing. When it does so, it takes 10 force damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The wizard makes three Necrotic Blast attacks. It may replace two attacks with a use of its Mana Surge or Spellcasting.
Necrotic Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +11 to hit, range 90ft., one target. Hit 27 (6d6 + 6) necrotic damage. On a hit, the target is Frightened until the end of its next turn.
Mana Surge. The wizard infuses the next spell it casts next turn with additional power, increasing the spell save DC by 2.
Spellcasting. The wizard casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
3/day each: Webc, Bestow Curse (5th), Blindness/Deafness (5th)
2/day each: Fearc, Cloudkillc, Circle of Death
1/day each: Eyebitec, Finger of Death
Bonus Actions
Misty Step (3/day). The wizard teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Reactions
Soul Chill. Whenever a creature within 60 feet that the wizard can see fails a saving throw, the wizard can attempt to leech away a portion of its spirit. The creature must succeed on a DC 19 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it gains one level of Exhaustion.
Soul Harvest (1/day). Whenever a humanoid creature within 60 feet dies or is reduced to 0 hitpoints, the wizard gains 100 temporary hitpoints.
Protective Magic (3/day). The wizard casts Shield or Counterspell in response to being attacked or being targeted by a spell.
Legendary Actions (3)
Attack. The wizard makes a Necrotic Blast attack.
Spellcasting. The wizard uses Spellcasting. It can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Teleport. The wizard teleports up to 60 feet to a location it can see.
Necromancer Encounter Ideas
Looking for necromancer encounter ideas to drop into your next TTRPG session? These open-ended scenarios feature Necromancer Adepts, Mages, and Archmages caught in the middle of dark deeds, offering flavorful, flexible moments that GMs can unleash at any level of play.
- A Necromancer Adept imperiously watches her 2 (1d4 + 1) Zombies minions as they sluggishly dig up a grave. She impatiently complains that the zombies are too slow.
- A Necromancer Mage is performing a blasphemous ritual deep within an ancient forest. Twisted trees ooze black sap, and skeletal beasts stalk the undergrowth as guardians
- A Necromancer Mage travels under the guise of a merchant, hauling a heavily tarped wagon filled with reanimated corpses stitched together as "merchandise"
- A Necromancer Archmage or Necromancer Primagus uses Teleport to appear next to the corpse of a powerful monster, NPC, or villain the party has just killed. The necromancer thanks the PCs for "harvesting" it for them and prepares to teleport away with the corpse.
Necromancer Adventure Ideas
These necromancer adventure ideas provide rich, open-ended seeds for multi-session campaigns. Whether facing a fledgling apprentice or an archmage death cult, these scenarios challenge your players with dark mysteries, desperate bargains, and the looming threat of undeath.
- Every full moon, a villager is mysteriously found dead, their blood drained. The mayor of the town begs the PCs to investigate. A fledgling Necromancer Adept hides amongst the villagers and is honing their craft
- A Priest, desperate to save their flock from a wasting disease, turns to necromantic lore for answers. Rumors say a Necromancer Mage knows the cure, but at a terrible cost
- A secret cabal of Necromancer Archmages have formed a death cult in a major city suffering economic hardship. They seek to ascend as Liches by mimicing Karklaz and sacrificing the entire city's populace
- A family of Revenants seek out the party, asking them to help take out a vile Necromancer Primagus who slew them all viciously as part of a dark ritual