D&D General Socially Acceptable Necromancers?

[Bitbrain]

I’ve got a level 5 necromancer Wizard PC in my Eberron campaign, and I explained at session 0 that certain nations will have big problems with undead (Thrane being the biggest), while others (like Karrnath) saw nothing wrong with it.

At this point, the player announced that his character wants to raise an undead army to bolster the defenses of New Cyre.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I explained to him that the Cyrans fought some really nasty battles against the undead of Karrnath, and aren’t big on undead.

To which he revealed his “brilliant” plan to disguise his undead as near-catatonic Warforged.

So now I’ve got a necromancer PC who walks around in his grandfather’s old military uniform, escorted by (at present) two zombies clad in super-tight plate armor designed to resemble a warforged scout’s body.

Oh, and he keeps spamming prestidigitation, to counteract the smell and not alert everyone in town.

 

[aco175]

I could see an isolated event like a town being attacked by orcs or something and the local mage raises the undead army to repel the orcs. The town may not like grandpa being raised, but should like it better than the orcs killing them. After the necromancer saves the town? Who knows how the folk will react to him.

 

[Celebrim]

You probably don't.

But if you are going to pull it off, it will be focusing entirely on destroying other necromancers and their works. You focus on spells that harm undead and counter-spelling every thing else. I just think that there really isn't enough in that concept to make it worthwhile.

 

[RSIxidor]

I could see an isolated event like a town being attacked by orcs or something and the local mage raises the undead army to repel the orcs. The town may not like grandpa being raised, but should like it better than the orcs killing them. After the necromancer saves the town? Who knows how the folk will react to him.

I wonder if a society that worships their ancestors as warriors who protect them might see necromancy as part of their culture. Perhaps even to the point where remains are seen as tools of defense and not sacred as they are in many other cultures.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

As Bitbrain mentioned, Eberron is a good resource to see ways in which necromancers can be tolerated within a society. I don't think anyone actually accepts them, but they can still be seen as a necessary evil or means to an end. Karrnath likely would have fallen in the Last War were it not for the undead created to bolster their depleted defenses. The citizens of Karrnath know this and so they accept it to a degree. They don't really want to see the undead and avoid interacting with intelligent undead. Even during the Last War undead battalions were separated from living battalions, only mixing together in battles when it was absolutely necessary. Outside Karrnath, there may be individuals that see the value a necromancer can bring through their undead creations, others that don't like them but respect them, others that are afraid or traumatized by their direct encounters with undead during the war, others that aspire to the power a necromancer can bring, and still others who are content knowing that should they fall in battle protecting the country they love, their body might be able to continue to fight on even after death.

Also in Eberron you have the elven continent of Aerenal, where the undead are not only integrated into society, but are held in a place of esteem and treated as a class of nobility. In their society, necromancers serve as the curators and custodians through which the ancestors may continue to live on, providing the means for the elders to continue to provide guidance and wisdom for far longer than their natural bodies would allow.

Within Eberron, there are many opinions about necromancers. But ultimately necromancy is a tool. A means to an end. Some see it as distasteful. Others as evil or abhorrent (such as Thrane and the followers of the Silver Flame). Others see it strictly for its utility. And still others see the act of necromancy as a sacred rite that is to be respected and protected as any other religious practice.

The difference between Eberron and other settings is that Eberron takes the time to establish a complex view of necromancer and morality in general. There are few things that are considered absolute good or evil. Thus it is up to society, culture, and taboo to determine how people may interact and perceive this practice. But Eberron is also different because the gods do not directly interact with the world. They are not concrete beings that can make statements about what absolutes may exist in the world.

So ultimately it depends on how your game world views morality in general and necromancy in particular. Are there absolute things that are clearly good or evil? Is the practice of necromancy one of them? If not, what are the cultural and societal taboos and mores that shaped your character, and how might they differ from those where the character ia traveling and adventuring?

Here's a couple articles by Keith Baker on Undead in Eberron in case it helps:

Chronicles of Eberron - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Chronicles of Eberron - Join Eberron setting creator Keith Baker for another journey across the realms of Eberron, from the trackless void of t

keith-baker.com

Q&A 5/18/18: Undead, Sarlona, and More!

May is a busy month. I’m swamped with writing and travel (I’m currently at Keycon 35 in Winnipeg), so I haven’t had time to write a proper article. However, I reached out to my Pa…

keith-baker.com

Dragonmark: The Blood of Vol

With all the things I should be working on, I shouldn’t be doing another Dragonmark so soon. But this topic came up in online discussion and it’s one of those things I can’t resis…

keith-baker.com

 

[Larrin]

1) Respect the bodies. A zombie with flesh falling off isn't going to be seemly in polite society. Polished bones with tasteful ornamentation. Zombies with cured flesh and holy symbols tattooed upon them. A mummy is only as acceptable as its wrappings are fashionable. Make them look nice, make them look respected.

2) Have documentation for the bodies. Get written consent in life (I cure your daughters plague, maybe sign over the body of whoever in your family dies first?) , or perhaps approach a town magistrate for the corpses of executed criminals, purchase them with the intent to have them perform deathless restitution for their crimes and get a receipt.

3) Avoid evil colors. Black cloaks and glowing red eyes are signs you're up to no good to the common folk. You should be wearing white, or grey at worst. Make sure if their eye's glow its a friendly white light, maybe a gentle robin's egg blue.

4) Be a good person. help others, have your minions help others. If people remember how your skeletons walked into the flooding river and fixed the broken levy they're going be a little more forgiving of your sins against the finality of death.

 

[gyor]

I had an idea for a rich Necromancer who made deals with peasants, he'd buy their future corpse in advance, with enough gold to lift them out of poverty, then when they died turn it into a Skeleton labour who could say till a farm night and day or work in a mine.

Honestly why have slavery when you can get a Skeleton to do the work.

This was inspired by the Orzhov Guild,but with more of a social consciousness.

 

[Lanefan]

Same way you have socially acceptable Assassins: they're a known, if unpleasant, fact of life.

But IMO if they're to be playable as PCs then you have to allow evil PCs, as in my view Necromancers can't really be anything but Evil (to a greater or lesser degree).

 

[TheSword]

You play this guy... Dr Byron Orpheus

Attorney: Dr. Orpheus, could you tell the court what it is that you do? You're a type of magician?

Dr. Orpheus: Well, if you must call me that, yes. But if you are after mere parlor tricks you will be sorely disappointed, for if I reach behind your ear, it will not be a nickel I pull out, BUT YOUR VERY SOUL!

“Dr. Orpheus is an expert necromancer... He is headstrong, tends to be unaware of the perils of most situations, and is quite melodramatic even in everyday situations. He has quite a large, extensive vocabulary he freely uses, though his theatrics tend to spill over into his more everyday activities, such as offering a snack of pizza rolls with an unnecessarily dramatic flourish, or warning people away from the bathroom because he had Taco Bell for lunch. Orpheus' actions and speech are usually accompanied within the show by overly suspenseful string music which adds to his campy, over-the-top presentation. Unlike some more conventional characters, Dr. Orpheus sometimes uses his great powers in very mundane ways; he can be seen using telekinesis to help prepare dinner in the episode Ghosts of the Sargasso. He seems to be somewhat self-conscious of the fact that despite his abilities, he leads a rather ordinary life. Perhaps this is best illustrated by his proclamation that although he only holds a Bachelor's Degree in communications from a community college (with a minor in women's studies), he has been granted a Doctorate from "a higher power than a mere college professor" - his master admits Orpheus is his "greatest student". Dr. Orpheus mentions in that he teaches "conjuring" at The New School.

Despite his initially imposing necromancer persona, Orpheus is actually one of the more benevolent and morally balanced characters in the series, as contrasted with the cynical and amoral Dr. Venture. He is helpful, pleasant, and genuinely cares about people. He also acknowledges his job is to help preserve the fabric of reality from supernatural forces, suggesting that he has given up a normal life (which he seems to desire) in order to serve others.

 

[Ashrym]

• step 1 -- Stop introducing yourself as a necromancer with any related title along the lines of "master of death" or "lord of damned souls".
• step 2 -- Stop using that skull associated anything as a spell focus.
• step 3 -- Purchase spell books that are made of paper instead of human skin.
• step 4 -- Refer to step 3 and apply that to clothing and any other personal items.

It's a bit tongue-in-cheek but how the character is portrayed affects how the character is perceived. A lawful good necromancer wearing white robes and casting gentle repose rituals instead animating the dead loved ones of the village is going to be perceived differently, especially if introduced as a mage or wizard instead of specifically pointing out being a necromancer. It's not like the people can tell by looking. ;-)

I used to play a white robed necromancer in second edition. I took spells like empathic transfer and Sybul's synostodweomer. He was a wizard healer. Portrayal is important.

Command undead can be used like turn undead, and inured to undeath can be used to combat undead. Spells like life transference, gentle repose, or astral projection don't exactly scream evil. Others like cause fear, bestow curse, blindness/deafness, eyebite, or false life don't necessarily seem evil either unless portrayed that way.

A person doesn't need to animate dead or create undead at all to be a necromancer. This is where one of the 5e mechanics can interfere with the concept because undead thralls becomes useless if the character doesn't animate dead. Change the name of the spell to "lasting punishment" and tell people you don't like doing it but it's required to complete sentencing on long term criminals until they pay their debt to society. Then only use it as punishment for those who really deserve it.

And if you don't want to deal with all that, just take the charlatan background for the false identity. ;-)