Undeath

You have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

You have advantage on death saving throws, and if you die, your corpse and remains are protected from decay as the gentle repose spell.

You don’t require air, food, drink, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce being exhausted and still benefit from finishing short and long rests.

Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease.

When you cast animate dead, you can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or ske1eton, as appropriate.

Whenever you create an undead using a spell, it has additional benefits:

• The creature’s maximum health is increased by an amount equal to your level.
• The creature adds your Aptitude Bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

You can cast speak with dead at will, without expending mana.

You have embraced dark energies to unnaturally extend your lifespan. You age at a slower rate. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged.

As an action, a column of disembodied gnashing teeth springs forth as a blade in your free hand, screaming and chanting with vigor, and lasts for the duration. You create the blade as a magical dagger, katar, sai, sickle, greatsword, kama, kukri, longsword, scimitar, or shortsword.

The spell ends if you dismiss it on your turn (no action required), if you cast it again, or if you end your turn without the blade in your hand as the blade crumbles to dust.

At higher levels

When you reach 9th level, you can make an attack with the blade as part of the same action to create it.

As an action, you afflict temporary undeath upon a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 necrotic damage and can’t regain health until the end of its next turn. If the creature is undead, it also has disadvantage on attacks made against you until the end of your next turn.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 9th level (2d6) and 17th level (3d6).

As an action, you siphon life force from a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters to heal your wounds. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw. If the creature is a construct or an undead, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 necrotic damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

You gain temporary health equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 9th level (2d6) and 17th level (3d6).

As an action, threads of dark power leap from your fingers to pierce a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small creature you can see within 5 meters. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, temporarily raising it as an undead creature. A pile of bones becomes a skeleton and a corpse becomes a zombie. The creature stands and moves toward a creature you choose within 5 meters of it and attacks it once. Make a melee spell attack against the target.

On a hit, it takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage.

On a critical hit, it takes twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, it takes half as much damage.

After attacking, the creature falls to the ground, lifeless.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 9th level (2d8) and 17th level (3d8).

As a reaction, which you use when a creature within 5 meters of you dies, you can absorb its spirit. You gain 1d10 + your spellcasting ability temporary health.

Augment

You gain 1d10 additional temporary health for each additional mana expended.

As an action, you animate a pile of bones you can see within 10 meters to become a suit of armor around a willing creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters. The armor is molded for that specific creature and it is automatically proficient with it. The target’s Defense becomes 13 + half its Aptitude Bonus (min 1) + its Dexterity (max 4).

As an action, you bind a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters with magical bandages. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it is restrained for the duration.

A creature restrained by the bandages, or one that can touch the creature, can use an action to make a Brawn or Nimbleness check (its choice) against your spell save Difficulty.

On a success, the target is freed.

Augment

• You can expend 1 or more mana so while restrained by this spell, the creature takes 2d8 bludgeoning damage at the start of each of its turns for each additional mana expended.

• You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, consumptive energy ripples out from you. Each creature other than you in a sphere centered on you must make a Reflex saving throw. If the creature is a construct or an undead, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it takes 2d8 necrotic damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

You regain health equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 1d8 for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana so the death field around you is continuous. The duration changes to 1 minute/mana, concentration and the death field remains around you in an aura shaped as a sphere. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you.

  Whenever a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make the Fortitude saving throw. The damage is reduced to 2d4 and additional augments to the damage increase the damage by 1d4 for every two additional mana expended, instead of the normal increase.

As a reaction, which you use when you take damage, you can dampen the pain. Roll 2d6 + your spellcasting ability and reduce the damage by the result.

Augment

• You can reduce the damage by an additional 3d6 for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger the spell when a creature that you can see within 10 meters is damaged.

As an action, you can sense the presence and location of corpses and undead within 20 meters of you. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 30 centimeters of stone, 2 centimeters of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 1 meter of wood or dirt.

As an action, you bolster yourself with a necromantic facsimile of life. You gain 2d6 + your spellcasting ability temporary health for the duration.

Augment

You gain 2d6 additional temporary health for each additional mana expended.

As an action, you siphon life force from a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters to heal your wounds. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw. If the creature is a construct or an undead, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it takes 3d8 necrotic damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

You regain health equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d8 for each additional mana expended.

As an action, you sacrifice some of your health to mend another creature’s injuries. You take 5d4 + your spellcasting ability necrotic damage, which can’t be reduced in any way, and a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters regains an amount of health equal to twice the necrotic damage you take.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 7d4 for each additional mana expended.

As an action, make a weapon attack.

On a hit, add 3d4 + your spellcasting ability necrotic damage to the attack’s damage roll.

On a critical hit, it takes twice as much damage

On a miss by 4 or less, add half as much damage.

You siphon the creature’s life force to heal your wounds as you regain health equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 5d4 for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, threads of dark power leap from your fingers to pierce a pile of bones or a corpse of two Medium or Small creatures you can see within 10 meters. Your spell imbues the targets with a foul mimicry of life, raising them as undead creatures. Choose one or more of the following options:

Skeleton. A pile of bones can become a skeleton.

Zombie. A corpse can become a zombie. It gains +1 damage on its slam attack.

Gnoll Witherling. A corpse of a gnoll can become a gnoll witherling.

Ghoul. If you cast this spell at night, a corpse becomes a ghoul.

Ghast. If you cast this spell at night, you can only target one corpse which becomes a ghast.

The creature has no mana or stamina dice, but you can infuse it with mana, ki, or stamina dice by expending mana up to your mana limit or ki up to double your mana limit. For each mana or 2 ki you expend, the elemental gains 1 mana or 2 stamina dice.

When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can mentally command any creature you raised with this spell if the creature is within 50 meters meters of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what actions the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you’ve given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control on the creature you have animated with this spell, rather than animating new ones.

Augment

• You animate or reassert control over an additional skeleton or zombie for each additional mana expended. You animate or reassert control over one additional gnoll witherling, ghoul, or ghast for every two additional mana expended.

• Minotaur Skeleton. You can expend 1 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a minotaur skeleton from a pile of bones of a minotaur or existing minotaur skeleton. You animate or reassert control over one additional minotaur skeleton for every two additional mana expended.

• Ogre Zombie. You can expend 1 additional mana to animate or reassert control over an ogre zombie from a corpse of an ogre or existing ogre zombie. You animate or reassert control over one additional ogre zombie for every two additional mana expended.

• Wight or Deathlock Wight. You can cast this spell at night and expend 2 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a wight or deathlock wight from a corpse or existing wight or deathlock wight. You animate or reassert control over one additional wight or deathlock wight for every two additional mana expended.

• Deathlock. You can cast this spell at night and expend 2 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a deathlock from a corpse or existing deathlock. You animate or reassert control over one additional deathlock for every two additional mana expended.

• Mummy. You can cast this spell at night and expend 2 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a mummy from a corpse or existing mummy. You animate or reassert control over one additional wight for every two additional mana expended.

• Flameskull. You can expend 2 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a flameskull from a humanoid skull or existing flameskull. You animate or reassert control over one additional flameskull for every two additional mana expended.

• Bone Naga. You can expend 3 additional mana to animate or reassert control over a bone naga from a pile of bones of a naga or existing bone naga. You animate or reassert control over one additional bone naga for every two additional mana expended.

As two actions, a shimmering barrier extends out from you in a sphere and moves with you, remaining centered on you and hedging out creatures other than undead and constructs. The barrier lasts for the duration. Any creature within the barrier when you cast the spell is pushed outside the barrier.

The barrier prevents an affected creature from passing or reaching through. An affected creature can cast spells or make attacks with ranged or reach weapons through the barrier.

If you move so that an affected creature passes through the barrier, the spell ends.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana to cast the spell centered on a point within 20 meters.

As two actions, you take control of an undead creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Will saving throw, which it does with advantage if the creature’s Intelligence is −2 or higher. If the creature is undead, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it you gain control for the duration.

The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw succeeds, the spell ends.

Intelligent undead are harder to control in this way. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 1 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every hour until it succeeds and breaks free.

While you have control, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as “Attack that creature,” “Run over there,” or “Fetch that object.” If the creature completes the order and doesn’t receive further direction from you, it defends and preserves itself to the best of its ability.

You can use two actions to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn’t do anything that you don’t allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

As two actions, you touch a creature and grant it a measure of protection from death.

The first time the target would drop to 0 health as a result of taking damage, the target instead drops to 1 health, and the spell ends.

If the spell is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the spell ends.

Augment

• You can expend 1 additional mana so the target gains 3d10 temporary health when it drops to 1 health.

• You can expend 1 additional mana so you can cast this spell as a reaction, which you use when a creature within 2 meters of you takes damage.

As a reaction, which you use when you are reduced to 0 health, you instead enter a state of suspended animation. While fatality is deferred, you do not age, breathe, grow hungry, sleep, or regain catalysts, mana, ki, or stamina dice. You do not roll death saving throws, are incapacitated, and unaware of your surroundings. Outside forces can damage your body, but you remain in a state of deferred fatality as long as your head remains attached to your torso and your brain remains intact until you have 1 or more health. When so cured, you become conscious with 1 health and 1 mana.

As two actions, you touch a willing creature and put it into a cataleptic state that is indistinguishable from death.

For the spell’s duration, or until you use an action to touch the target and dismiss the spell, the target appears dead to all outward inspection and to spells used to determine the target’s status. The target is blinded, incapacitated, and immobilized. The target has resistance to all damage except psychic damage. If the target is diseased or poisoned when you cast the spell, or becomes diseased or poisoned while under the spell’s effect, the disease and poison have no effect until the spell ends.

Augment

Suspend Life. You can expend 1 additional mana and concentrate on this spell for the full duration so the effect lasts until dismissed or dispelled.

As two actions, you send negative energy coursing through a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The creature must make a Fortitude saving throw. If the creature is a construct or an undead, the spell has no effect on it.

On a failure, it takes 6d10 necrotic damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

A creature killed by this spell rises as a zombie at the start of your next turn as it would via the animate dead spell.

If you target an undead creature with this spell, it doesn’t make a saving throw. Instead, roll 6d10. The creature regains health equal to the total.

Augment

You can increase the damage or the healing by 3d10 for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, you touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can’t become undead.

The spell also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this spell don’t count against the time limit of spells such as resurrection.

As two actions, you throw a severed hand as it transforms into a Large crawling claw, in an unoccupied space that you can see within 5 meters. The claw lasts for the duration, and it moves at your command, mimicking the movements of your own hand.

When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can move the claw up to 5 meters and then cause one of the following effects with it.

Slashing Claw. The claw slashes a creature or object within 1 meter of it. Make a melee spell attack against the target.

On a hit, it takes 4d8 slashing damage and its speed is reduced by 3 meters until the end of its next turn.

On a critical hit, it takes twice as much damage and its speed is reduced by 6 meters until the end of its next turn.

On a miss by 4 or less, it takes half as much damage.

Forceful Claw. The claw attempts to push a creature within 1 meter of it in a direction you choose. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 3 meters away from the claw. The claw moves with the creature to remain within 1 meter of it if it is Medium or smaller.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage and is pushed 6 meters away from the claw. The claw moves with the creature to remain within 1 meter of it if it is Medium or smaller.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Grasping Claw. The claw attempts to grapple a creature within 1 meter of it. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d8 bludgeoning damage and is grappled by the claw if it is Medium or smaller.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Interposing Claw. The claw interposes itself between you and a creature. The claw moves to stay between you and the creature, providing you with half cover against the creature. The creature can’t move through the claw’s space unless it succeeds on a Brawn check to overrun it or a Nimbleness check to tumble past it.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 2d8, reduce the creature’s speed by an additional meter for the slashing claw option, push the creature an additional meter for the forceful claw option, and affect a creature of a larger size for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, you grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse of your choice within 5 meters, allowing it to answer the questions you pose. The corpse must still have a mouth and can’t be undead. The spell fails if the corpse was the target of this spell within the last 10 days.

Until the spell ends, you can ask the corpse up to five questions. The corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn’t return the creature’s soul to its body, only its animating spirit. Thus, the corpse can’t learn new information, doesn’t comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can’t speculate about future events.

As two actions, you create a wall of animated, jagged, and twisted bones at a point within 20 meters for the duration. The wall can’t occupy the same space as a creature or object and doesn’t need to be vertical, though it needs a firm foundation.

If a creature would be surrounded on all sides by the wall (or the wall and another solid surface), that creature can make a Reflex saving throw.

On a success, it can use its reaction to move up to its speed so that it is no longer enclosed by the wall.

The wall is an object made of bones that blocks line of sight. A creature can move through the wall, albeit slowly and painfully. A creature must spend 3 meters of movement for every meter it moves through the wall. The wall can be damaged and thus breached. Each panel has 12 Defense, 2 Soak, and 1.5 Health per centimeter of thickness. Reducing a panel to 0 health destroys it and might cause connected panels to collapse at the GM’s discretion.

You can choose to cast this spell so the bones aren’t animated to bridge a chasm or create a ramp. If you create a span greater than 4 meters in length, you must halve the size of each panel to create supports. You can crudely shape the wall with or without animation to create crenellations, battlements, and so on.

A creature that enters the wall’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 2d8 slashing damage and is grappled for the duration.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

To break out, the grappled target can use an action to make a Brawn or Nimbleness check (its choice) against your spell save Difficulty.

On a success, the target escapes and is no longer grappled by the bones.

If you maintain your concentration on this spell for its whole duration, the wall becomes permanent and can’t be dispelled. Otherwise, the wall disappears when the spell ends.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 1d8 for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, grasping hands rise from the ground in a sphere on the ground that you can see within 20 meters. For the duration, these hands turn the ground in the area into difficult terrain.

A creature that enters the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must make a Reflex saving throw. A creature that starts its turn in the area and is already restrained by the hands takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage.

On a failure, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and is restrained for the duration.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

At the start of each of your turns if the hands are within 20 meters of you, you can cause them to move up to 2 meters in a direction that you choose. If you spend an action, you can move them up to 10 meters.

A creature restrained by the hands, or one that can touch the creature, can use an action to make a Brawn or Nimbleness check (its choice) against your spell save Difficulty.

On a success, the target is freed.

When the spell ends, the hands sink in to the ground.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 1d6 for each additional mana expended.

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you can stitch together body parts within 20 meters to form a flesh golem. The flesh golem has no stamina dice, but you can infuse it with stamina dice by expending mana up to your mana limit or ki up to double your mana limit. For each mana or 2 ki you expend, the flesh golem gains 2 stamina dice. The flesh golem is friendly to you and your companions and deanimates when it drops to 0 health or when the spell ends.

Any creature you animated with this spell acts after your turn. You can mentally command the creature if it is within 20 meters of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). The creature(s) will generally follow any specific verbal commands that you issue to them if the likely outcome is in accordance with its desires (no action required by you). For example you may command it to guard a particular chamber or corridor, explore the room ahead, or to attack a specific creature. If you don't issue any commands, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

As you spend 1 hour to cast this spell, you grow an inert duplicate of a living creature as a safeguard against death. This clone forms inside a sealed vessel that is large enough to hold a Medium creature, such as a huge urn, coffin, mud-filled cyst in the ground, or crystal container filled with salt water. The clone grows to full size and maturity after 120 days; you can also choose to have the clone be a younger version of the same creature. It remains inert and endures indefinitely, as long as its vessel remains undisturbed.

At any time after the clone matures, if the original creature dies, its soul transfers to the clone, provided that the soul is free and willing to return. The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original’s equipment. The original creature’s physical remains, if they still exist, become inert and can’t thereafter be restored to life, since the creature’s soul is elsewhere.