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Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

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by

Dale
in

From: Necromancy 583 of the Inquest Constables Iron Ledger

Description: This spell directs a subtle conduit of necromantic power into the physical remains of a recently deceased creature or humanoid. It draws upon the latent spiritual imprint of the target to temporarily manifest a semi-translucent, shadowy phantom above the remains for up to two minutes. The summoned shade is incapable of physical harm, flight, or moving beyond ten feet from its physical form, but it possesses the ability to speak using the voice and basic languages it possessed in life. While active, the shade must answer simple, factual questions regarding the immediate circumstances of its demise, after which it dissolves back into the ether.

Roleplay: The constable places the iron-bound ledger flat upon the chest or skull of the deceased and draws the bone stylus across the open parchment. Speaking a steady, measured somatic phrase with firm judicial weight, the user calls out the subject’s known name or title. A crisp, chilling breeze sweeps across the floor as thin tendrils of violet mist rise from the corpse’s mouth and eyes, congealing into the hazy outline of the departed witness. The constable remains stoic, holding the book steady as the ghost whispers hoarsely, diligently verifying each spoken detail before allowing the apparition to fade into soft purple sparks.

Lore of Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Originating during the tumultuous era of the Wilderness Conquest across the 73 island continents of Saṃsāra, this incantation was systematized by the early Constitutional Monarchies to establish legal order over contested settlements and trade routes.
  • When sentient beings or feral beasts with evolved minds perished in remote border zones, conflicting accounts between rival factions, secretive warlords, and merchant syndicates frequently brought commerce and governance to a complete halt.
  • Guild artisans and judicial arcanists discovered that before a soul fully drifts toward the sea of purgatory or begins its prolonged cycle toward reincarnation, a delicate metaphysical imprint lingers within the physical vessel.
  • By anchoring this imprint through an attuned conduit and channeling minor planar currents, investigators could bypass mortal deception, ensuring that evidence presented to regional magistrates and royal courts was grounded in the victim’s final sensory experiences.
  • As society advanced into the Industrial Age, the spell became a standard forensic tool integrated into the equipment loadouts of city watch captains, royal inquisitors, and frontier constables tasked with maintaining the rule of law across high-density urban wards and uncharted wilds.

The Practical Use of Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Forensic Crime Scene Reconstruction: The primary utility lies in clearing the ambiguity surrounding mysterious homicides, tavern brawls, and covert assassinations by interviewing the deceased at the exact location where biological functions ceased.
  • Overcoming Deceit in Frontier Tribunals: In remote towns where local judges or corrupt mayors might exploit travelers, the testimony of a summoned shade acts as indisputable, unbiased deposition evidence that cannot be dismissed or altered by local political pressure.
  • Tracking Hostile Ambush Paths: When deployed on fallen scouts, caravan guards, or patrol escorts along country roadways, the spell reveals the composition, direction, and equipment of attacking raiders or wild monster packs before they strike secondary targets.
  • Deciphering Ancient Dungeon Traps: Casting the spell upon ancient skeletal remains found in long-forgotten ruins allows delve parties to learn the activation triggers of concealed mechanical pressure plates, wild magic hazards, or sealed vault doorways.
  • Recovering Missing Assets and Contraband: The shade can disclose the final known location of hidden lockboxes, faction insignias, stolen bank drafts, or concealed extradimensional storage pouches dropped during the casualty’s final moments.

Specific Tier-Related Stats, Skills, Cost, and Requirements

  • Spell Tier: Tier 1 (Common)
  • Frequency / Cooldown: Exactly once per in-game day (resets following a prolonged long rest)
  • Action Cost: 1 Action (Somatic casting time lasting under six seconds)
  • Duration: Up to two minutes (20 combat rounds) before the spiritual imprint naturally destabilizes and dissolves
  • Range & Boundary: Touch required to initiate; shade is tethered within a strict 10-foot radius of the physical remains
  • Tier Damage & Health Interaction: Inflicts no direct damage; if disrupted by hostile attacks, the summoned phantom possesses 1 Hit Point and instantly disperses without harm to the caster or corpse
  • Skill Requirements: Minimum trained skill level of 1 in Investigation, Legal Lore, or Necromantic Theory (temporary skill points from faction badges or worn gear may satisfy this prerequisite)
  • Conduit / Gear Requirement: Requires an attuned Tier 1 spell focus (such as an iron-bound ledger, runic bone stylus, or an inscribed necromantic medallion containing an intact Tier 1 magic crystal)
  • Monetary / Mercantile Value: Inscription into a blank grimoire or purchasing a standalone runic scroll costs between 10 to 15 gold (100 to 150 silver) at authorized guildhall outfitters, or up to 25 gold in hard coin from dockside black-market merchants
  • Target Constraint: Operates solely on physical remains that have ceased biological life within the preceding 24 hours; cannot target the same corpse more than once

Tags

  • Necromancy, Tier 1, Common, Forensic, Investigation, Spirit, Corpse, Inquest, Law Enforcement, Somatic, Utility, Once Per Day, Shade, Testimony, Deposition, Post-Mortem, Cold Case, Spectral Witness, Crime Scene, Forensics, Interrogation, Violet Mist, Bone Stylus, Residual Memory, Evidentiary

Roleplay and Tactics

  • Procedural and Judicial Roleplay:
    • When invoking the spell, the caster should maintain an aura of absolute professional neutrality, treating the spiritual manifestation not as an unnatural abomination, but as a formal deposition taking place in a court of law.
    • The constable recites formal identification statutes, demanding the spirit state its full name, past life recollections, and cause of death while methodically taking notes or watching the script burn into the vellum.
    • The tone of the interrogation should reflect the rigid procedural nature of Saṃsāra’s legal system, cutting through the emotional distress of the shade to demand precise, factual details before the two-minute timer lapses.
    • In instances where the deceased is a sentient beast or a being from a past-life culture, the caster must adjust their vocabulary, probing for recognizable landmarks, heraldry, or weapon types described from the victim’s unique perspective.
  • Strategic and Encounter Tactics:
    • Securing the Scene Prior to Casting: Because the spell requires an entire action and produces a noticeable violet luminescence and chilled draft, the party must eliminate nearby threats or establish a defensive barrier before the constable begins the somatic incantation.
    • Optimizing the Two-Question Limit: Questions must be planned collaboratively among party members to prevent vague answers. Instead of asking open-ended questions like “Who killed you?”, tacticians ask specific queries such as “Which specific faction insignia was worn by the person who dealt the final blow?” or “In which direction did the assailants travel after taking the lockbox?”
    • Mitigating Ambient Interference: Hostile magic users or rival investigators may attempt to disrupt the summoning via counter-magic or by physically damaging the corpse; positioning vanguard avatars between the remains and entry corridors prevents line-of-sight attacks from breaking the conduit.
    • Exploiting the Shade as a Psychological Tool: Manifesting the phantom in front of detained suspects or nervous bystanders can trigger immediate confessions or panic, as the living witness sees the departed victim pointing a spectral finger directly at them.

Visual Sense

  • What is Perceived: A sudden localized dimming of environmental ambient light followed by a sharp, cold-violet flare of runic script along the ledger’s binding and pages.
  • Description: As the conduit channels power, surrounding torchlight and natural daylight seem to recede into a muted twilight within an arm’s reach of the avatar, while intricate runes inscribed on the cold-iron plates glow with vivid ultraviolet intensity. The rising ectoplasmic mist from the corpse illuminates in stark purple hues, forming the sharp facial silhouette of the deceased witness hovering directly above the remains.
  • Positives: Grants the avatar clear, high-contrast visibility over the evidence and parchment even in pitch-black environments, ensuring text can be verified without secondary light sources.
  • Negatives: The stark luminescence completely ruins low-light visual concealment, broadcasting the avatar’s exact location to any hostile observers in the vicinity.

Auditory Sense

  • What is Perceived: An immediate muting of background ambient acoustics followed by a resonant, dual-toned vocal echo and the scraping sound of phantom writing.
  • Description: External noise—such as dripping cavern moisture, distant city crowds, and the avatar’s own steady breathing—drops into a muffled, hollow silence. When the avatar speaks the judicial phrasing, their words reverberate with a metallic, commanding cadence, answered by the dry, rasping whisper of the summoned shade and the scratching noise of script burning into parchment.
  • Positives: Filters out chaotic auditory distractions from bustling streets or skirmishes, allowing the avatar to hear every whispered detail of the testimony with absolute precision.
  • Negatives: The localized acoustic deadening impairs the avatar’s ability to detect approaching footfalls, cocked crossbows, or stealthy ambushes occurring outside the immediate casting circle.

Tactile Sense

  • What is Perceived: A piercing, localized drop in temperature accompanied by a prickling static electrical charge.
  • Description: The air drops rapidly toward freezing as the cold-iron plates sap warmth from the avatar’s palms, sending an intense chill up the wrists. A subtle, vibration-like static current courses through the avatar’s fingertips, raising the hair along the forearms while the bone stylus feels unnaturally warm and active in the hand.
  • Positives: Provides immediate physical confirmation that the arcane conduit has engaged and that mana is flowing steadily through the crystal battery.
  • Negatives: Prolonged physical contact can cause minor numbness and stiffness in the avatar’s fingers, temporarily reducing fine manual coordination immediately following the casting.

Olfactory Sense

  • What is Perceived: A sudden surge of sharp ozone, cold mineral slate, cured vellum, and bitter botanical extracts.
  • Description: The ambient scent of blood, decay, or swamp rot is instantly overridden by the clean, sharp smell of ionized air and powdered quartz, layered with the pungent aroma of preserved bog-tree sap and cured parchment.
  • Positives: Neutralizes foul, nauseating odors of decomposition at violent crime scenes, helping the avatar maintain focus without sensory repulsion.
  • Negatives: The distinctive, sterile ozone odor lingers in the immediate air, leaving an identifiable chemical scent trail that predatory beasts or scent-tracking trackers can follow.

Gustatory Sense

  • What is Perceived: A cold, dry, metallic copper and iron taste across the tongue.
  • Description: Speaking the somatic incantation draws a dry, crisp sensation across the palate, leaving an astringent metallic aftertaste reminiscent of licking cold steel or pure silver flux.
  • Positives: Serves as an internal biological indicator that the somatic syllables were pronounced with exact arcane resonance.
  • Negatives: Dries out the avatar’s throat and mouth, making extended verbal communication strained immediately after completing the incantation.

Extra-Sensory Perception

  • Extra-Sensory Perception: Mind’s Eye Metric Readout
    • What is Perceived: A crisp, instantaneous metaphysical overlay detailing numerical and qualitative statistics of the targeted remains.
    • Description: The avatar’s Mind’s Eye visualizes vital statistics, identifying the corpse’s original species, tier ranking, exact time elapsed since biological termination, and lingering planar anchor strength.
    • Positives: Delivers objective, unalterable data regarding the target’s physical status, preventing the avatar from being deceived by altered remains or forged evidence.
    • Negatives: A rapid influx of complex analytical data can cause momentary cognitive strain or brief sensory overload if attempted in chaotic environments.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception: Spiritual Tether Resonance
    • What is Perceived: A palpable, elastic pulling sensation anchoring the avatar’s consciousness to the departing soul fragment.
    • Description: The avatar senses an invisible thread stretching from the ledger’s crystal directly into the shade’s spiritual core, intuitively feeling the tension and stability of the connection as the two-minute duration elapses.
    • Positives: Allows the avatar to accurately gauge exactly how much time remains before the shade dissipates, enabling efficient pacing of judicial queries.
    • Negatives: Severe mental shock or violent disruption suffered by the shade produces a minor psychic shudder that reverberates back into the avatar’s mind.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception: Chrono-Spatial Jurisprudential Weight
    • What is Perceived: A dense, grounding metaphysical pressure settling into the avatar’s center of gravity.
    • Description: The avatar feels firmly anchored to the physical world, experiencing an internal sensation of unyielding institutional authority that aligns their temporal cadence with the constitutional order of the island nation.
    • Positives: Bolsters mental fortitude, rendering the avatar highly resistant to minor supernatural intimidation, panic, or disorientation during the inquest.
    • Negatives: Induces a rigid, inflexible mental state that can temporarily hinder fluid improvisation or unorthodox tactical responses outside formal procedures.

Broken Breath and Cold Witness 419

Upon the elder moon of Gaialilith, when the great fire star Helios did make wide turns and the water of the wide ocean did run heavy from the east to the west, there was the high town of seven thousand huts upon the island of stone. In this place, the law of the queen mother was held by an iron watcher named Justin. His body was that of a two-legged man, but inside his head did sleep the ancient memories of an old life from a world of strange thunder-sticks and wheels of iron.

It came to be that a high collector of grain taxes, who carried the gold tokens for the central city, was found with his throat made open inside a cellar of dark earth. The grain tokens were gone, taken into the void, and the local mayor did make great shout with his teeth, saying, “The wild four-legged beasts of the high woods have crawled through the ditch and eaten the life of our tax-keeper! We must take our fire-sticks and burn the green trees to the ash!”

Justin did look upon the cold flesh of the tax-keeper with his inner Mind’s Eye. He saw that the cut upon the throat was not made by the curved tooth of a forest bear, but by the flat iron edge of a smith’s blade. Yet the living mouth of the keeper was shut with the eternal silence of zero health points, and the hours were running swift toward the dimming week when the giant ball of VaporSphere would swallow the warm light of the sky.

Justin did sit upon the cold stones and take forth his conduit of power—a small, square binding of heavy cold metal holding twenty and four leaves of dried bog-plants. Upon the spine of the book was a single small crystal of the first tier, shining with the purple seed of the moon goddess. With a stylus made of clean beast-bone, Justin did begin the four-hundred-and-nineteenth pattern of the ancient necromancy chant, speaking the somatic words with small noise for less than six beats of the heart.

A great shivering did fall upon the dark cellar. The smell of rotten meat did vanish into the sharp wind of winter ice and the air that smells like struck rocks. From the dead mouth of the tax-keeper came a smoke of deep violet, turning round and round until it stood three feet high above the broken chest. The smoke did take the nose, the eyes, and the beard of the slain man, shaking like a leaf upon the water.

Justin spoke with the weight of the court: “O breath that has left the meat, the ledger of the queen is open! Speak your two truths into the iron binding before your soul is carried to the sea of many sleepers!”

The smoky mouth did weep with a sound like dry grass in the autumn wind. “The beast of the woods did not touch my skin! It was the nephew of the mayor, who wears the electrum ring of the weaver guild upon his thumb! He struck my neck from the dark corner because he did owe twenty platinum coins to the high world bank, and he did hide my grain sack beneath the floorboards of the wine press!”

As the shade did speak, the purple fire of the crystal did burn the letters directly into the vellum pages, leaving black cuts of ink that no water could ever wash away. The two minutes of the spirit tether did come to their end, and the violet ghost did burst into a shower of quiet sparks, leaving only the cold corpse upon the floor.

Justin closed the heavy iron ledger with a loud ring of metal and walked into the high hall where the mayor and his kin were drinking warm beer. The nephew of the mayor did laugh with broad lips, swearing to the townsfolk that he had seen a great lion with wings leap from the cellar window.

Justin spoke no angry words. He laid the cold ledger upon the wood board and touched the electrum latch shaped like the wide eye. The book did spring open, and from the leaves rose the cold, echoing voice of the dead tax-collector, shouting the true name of the nephew and pointing to the wine press where the stolen gold did lie.

The nephew did fall upon his knees, his face turning the color of wet lime, while the city guards did run to the wine press and pull forth the heavy sacks of royal coin. The wicked kinsman was cast into the deep pit of stone, and the gold was sent by heavy wagon to the central throne of the queen.

Moral of the Story: The living tongue may hire a hundred false witnesses to blame the innocent beasts of the wild, but when the four-hundred-and-nineteenth call is chanted, the dead man’s breath cuts through every lie to write the truth in iron.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Cost: 1D3 Sanity points, 2 Magic Points
  • Casting Time: 1 combat round (approx. 6 seconds)
  • Components: Touch, specialized focus (inscribed cold-iron ledger, bone stylus, or grimoire)
  • Range: Touch (shade manifests within 3 yards of the corpse)
  • Duration: 2 minutes
  • Game Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The caster touches an intact corpse that has ceased biological life within the last 24 hours and makes an Occult or POW roll.
    • On a Regular success, the lingering spiritual echo of the deceased rises as a translucent, misty phantom and must truthfully answer up to two direct questions regarding the immediate circumstances of its death or the identity of its killer.
    • On a Hard or Extreme success, the shade’s answers are also transcribed as indelible script onto any prepared grimoire or vellum held by the caster.
    • If the corpse suffered severe cranial destruction or belonged to a non-sentient organism, the roll difficulty is increased by one step (Hard success required).
    • The phantom cannot move more than 3 yards from its remains, cannot touch physical objects, and dissipates instantly into faint sparks when the duration expires or if it is targeted by an aggressive magical attack.

Blades in the Dark

Summon Fallen Witness 419

  • Spell Type & Action: Arcane Ritual / Spell (Cast via the Attune action)
  • Stress Cost: 1 Stress
  • Cast Time: A few moments (Standard Action)
  • Range & Tether: Touch to activate; spectral manifestation remains tethered within Close range of the body.
  • Duration: A few moments (Scene or until two questions are answered).
  • Game Mechanics & Syntax:
    • When you lay hands on a fresh corpse (slain within the past day) using an inscribed relic or arcane ledger, make an Attune roll to draw forth its lingering ghost.
    • On a 1–3, the ritual falters; you suffer 1 Level 1 Harm (Psychic Chill/Strain) or cause unwanted spiritual ripples that alert the Spirit Wardens.
    • On a 4/5, the shade manifests with Standard Effect and answers up to two direct queries regarding its demise, but you suffer a complication (e.g., lingering spectral dissonance, an eerie manifestation visible to bystanders, or reduced effect on the second query).
    • On a 6, the ghost manifests with Great Effect, answering two questions clearly, and its testimony is indelibly recorded onto your arcane ledger without drawing external attention.
    • Critical: The spirit provides full forensic details and an additional vital clue or true name without expending extra stress.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Level: 1st-level Necromancy
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (an inscribed bone stylus and a cold-iron item worth at least 10 gp)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 2 minutes
  • Game Mechanics & Syntax:
    • You touch the remains of a creature that has died within the past 24 hours. The target’s lingering spiritual imprint rises as a semi-translucent, shadowy phantom floating directly above the corpse.
    • The shade is tethered to its physical form and cannot move more than 10 feet away from it, cannot take actions, cannot deal damage, and has 1 hit point with immunity to non-magical physical damage.
    • You can ask the phantom up to two questions. The shade speaks in the languages it knew in life and must answer the questions truthfully to the best of its knowledge, though it knows only what it knew before death.
    • The spell fails if the corpse was already the target of this spell within the past 10 days or if the creature was an un-evolved, non-sentient beast.
    • When the spell ends or concentration is broken, the phantom dissolves into a burst of harmless purple sparks.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Spell Level & Slots: 1st-tier Spell (Requires 1 Item Slot for the spell book/relic)
  • Casting Time: 1 Action (Less than 6 seconds)
  • Range: Touch (Manifestation bound within 10 feet of corpse)
  • Duration: 10 Rounds (2 minutes)
  • Game Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The caster touches an open iron-bound book or bone focus to a corpse slain within the last 24 hours and makes an Intelligence check against the target’s original Defense or standard task difficulty.
    • On a success, a violet, shadowy phantom rises from the remains. The caster may ask the apparition two simple, direct questions regarding who killed it, what weapons were used, or where its immediate belongings were dropped.
    • The apparition answers truthfully in a dry, rasping whisper, after which the words etch themselves indelibly across the caster’s parchment.
    • If the caster takes damage or suffers a critical fumble while the spell is active, the manifestation breaks and the spirit dissolves into the ether.
    • A single corpse can only be affected by this spell once; subsequent castings on the same body fail automatically.

Fate Core System

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Type: Magic Stunt / Ritual Action
  • Cost: 1 Fate Point (or free once per session if tied to a dedicated Arcane Investigator Aspect)
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • When you touch an intact corpse that died within the last 24 hours while holding an iron-bound ledger or bone focus, roll Investigate or Lore against a Mediocre (+0) opposition (or Fair (+2) if the remains are heavily degraded).
    • On a success, a semi-translucent, shadowy phantom manifests within your zone for up to two minutes and creates the situation aspect Post-Mortem Deposition with one free invocation (or two free invocations on a style success).
    • You may invoke this aspect to ask the shade up to two direct questions regarding its death, the identity of its killer, or the location of missing items; the shade must answer truthfully to the best of its recollection.
    • The shade cannot move beyond your immediate zone, cannot physically interact with objects, and dissipates into purple sparks when the scene ends or if directly attacked.

Numenera & Cypher System

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Level: 2 Esotery / Ability
  • Cost: 2 Intellect Points
  • Action: Action to initiate
  • Range: Touch (manifestation remains within immediate distance of the corpse)
  • Duration: 2 minutes (approx. 20 rounds)
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • You channel synthetic necro-energy or arcane resonance into the remains of a creature that has ceased biological function within the past 24 hours.
    • You make an Intellect roll against a Level 2 difficulty task (Level 3 if the target was a non-humanoid evolved beast). On a success, a shadowy holographic-spiritual echo rises above the remains.
    • The phantom answers two simple, factual queries regarding the immediate circumstances of its termination and the visual identification of its assailant.
    • The information automatically burns into your vellum ledger or displays as digital data logs on an active slate.
    • The manifestation has 1 Health, cannot move more than 10 feet (immediate distance) from the remains, and dissolves immediately if targeted by any physical or energy attack.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419 (Spell 1)

  • Traits: Uncommon, Necromancy, Occult
  • Cast: [Two-Actions] Somatic, Verbal (requires an attuned cold-iron ledger or bone stylus)
  • Range: Touch; Targets: 1 corpse of a creature that died within the past 24 hours
  • Duration: Sustained up to 2 minutes
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • You draw upon the latent spiritual residue within the target’s physical vessel, causing a semi-translucent, shadowy phantom to rise directly above the remains.
    • The phantom is tethered within a 10-foot emanation of its physical remains, possesses 1 Hit Point, is immune to non-magical physical strikes, and cannot take hostile actions.
    • While the spell is sustained, you can ask the phantom up to two factual questions regarding the identity of its killer, the manner of its death, or the location of belongings dropped at the time of demise; the spirit answers truthfully using the languages it spoke in life.
    • Unwilling or hostile spirits must attempt a Will saving throw against your Occult spell DC.
      • Success: The spirit resists the summons; the spell ends immediately and the corpse cannot be targeted again for 24 hours.
      • Failure: The spirit manifests and answers up to two questions truthfully.
      • Critical Failure: The spirit manifests, answers two questions truthfully, and the transcription burns into your ledger as permanent, indelible text.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Power Level: Novice
  • Power Points: 2
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: 2 minutes (12 rounds)
  • Trappings: Cold violet mist, whispering shade, cold-iron ledger, bone stylus.
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The caster touches the remains of a creature dead for no more than 24 hours and makes an Arcane Skill roll.
    • On a standard success, a ghostly, shadowy bust manifests above the remains. The caster can ask the entity up to two simple questions regarding its death, the assailant, or items on its person; the shade must answer truthfully to the extent of its living knowledge.
    • With a raise on the casting roll, the shade provides an additional clarifying detail or names a specific faction/true name, and the entire deposition is recorded automatically in un-erasable ink upon the caster’s vellum pages.
    • The phantom has a Pace of 0 (cannot leave a 2-yard radius around the corpse), cannot attack, and disperses instantly into sparks if it takes any physical or magical damage.

Shadowrun (Sixth World Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Spell Type & Category: Mana Spell, Detection / Necromancy
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: Sustained (Up to 2 minutes / 40 Combat Rounds)
  • Drain Value: 3S
  • Components / Focus: Inscribed cold-iron ledger, bone stylus, or Force 1+ Necromancy Spell Focus
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The awakened spellcaster touches an intact biological corpse that has perished within the preceding 24 hours and performs a Major Action to make a Sorcery + Magic vs. Target’s remaining Astral Threshold (or Willpower in life) test.
    • With at least 1 net hit, a faint, semi-translucent astral and physical shade manifests within 3 meters of the physical remains.
    • The shade cannot take offensive physical actions, cannot move beyond its 3-meter tether, and possesses 1 box of Physical/Stun condition monitor track, instantly dissipating into violet astral sparks if struck by physical or mana attacks.
    • The caster may ask the manifested spirit up to two direct, factual questions regarding the cause of death, the identity or description of the assailant, or the location of items carried at the time of death. The shade responds verbally in the primary language it possessed in life.
    • Net hits on the casting test determine the clarity and depth of the shade’s verbal responses, with 3+ net hits causing the statements to burn directly onto any attuned alchemical slate or vellum carried by the caster.

Starfinder (Second Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419 (Spell 1)

  • Traits: Uncommon, Concentrate, Manipulate, Necromancy, Tech, Occult
  • Cast: [Two-Actions] Somatic, Verbal (requires an attuned cold-iron data-tome, bone stylus, or necro-technological focus)
  • Range: Touch; Targets: 1 corpse of a creature or biological sentient that died within the last 24 hours
  • Duration: Sustained up to 2 minutes
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • You channel necro-arcane energy and hard-light projection codes into the target’s physical vessel, causing a semi-translucent, holographic-spectral phantom to manifest directly above the remains.
    • The phantom is tethered within a 10-foot emanation of its biological remains, possesses 1 Hit Point, is immune to non-magical kinetic strikes, and cannot perform physical attacks.
    • While the spell is sustained, you can ask the manifestation up to two direct questions regarding the identity of its killer, the manner of its death, or the whereabouts of missing cargo or credentials dropped at the time of demise. The spirit answers truthfully to the best of its knowledge prior to death.
    • Unwilling spirits must attempt a Will saving throw against your spell DC.
      • Success: The spirit resists the summons; the spell terminates immediately, and the remains cannot be targeted again for 24 hours.
      • Failure: The spirit manifests and answers up to two questions truthfully.
      • Critical Failure: The spirit manifests, answers two questions truthfully, and the transcription writes itself into your data-tome as permanent, encrypted log files.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Necromantic Summons 419 (Psionic / Forensic Program)

  • Talent / Category: Telepathy / Psionic Reconstruction (Tech Level 15 / Ancient Psionic Relic)
  • Psi Cost: 2 Psi Points
  • Skill Check: Telepathy (Psi) check (Difficulty: Average 8+)
  • Range: Touch (Projection confined within 3 meters of the decedent)
  • Duration: Up to 2 minutes (approx. 20 combat rounds)
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The psionic operator places an attuned psionic ledger, bio-resonance sensor, or bone stylus onto a deceased biological organism whose life signs ceased within the last 24 hours.
    • Upon a successful check (Effect 0+), a low-frequency, semi-translucent psionic echo manifests above the body.
    • The operator may ask the projection up to two clear, factual questions regarding the visual identity of its killer or the specific weapon and circumstances that caused biological termination.
    • If the check achieves an Effect of 3+, the decedent’s answers are simultaneously translated into topographic script and etched onto chemical-treated vellum leaves or digital memory slates without error.
    • The manifestation has no physical mass, cannot perform kinetic tasks, and terminates immediately if disrupted by physical or energy weapons.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Necromantic Summons of the Fallen 419

  • Lore / School: Lore of Amethyst (Shyish) / Necromancy
  • Casting Number (CN): 4
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 1 Corpse (deceased for no longer than 24 hours)
  • Duration: Willpower Bonus in minutes (Maximum 2 minutes)
  • Ingredients: An iron-bound inquest book, an electrum open-eye latch, and a carved animal bone stylus (+1 CN bonus).
  • Mechanics & Syntax:
    • The caster channels the purple Wind of Shyish into the physical remains of a slain creature or humanoid, rolling a Language (Magick) test.
    • On a successful cast with a positive Success Level (SL), a pale, semi-translucent phantom rises from the corpse and hovers within 2 yards of the remains.
    • The shade possesses 1 Wound, cannot deal damage, cannot move beyond its 2-yard radius, and is instantly dispelled if struck by any physical or magical attack.
    • The caster may ask the spirit up to two direct questions regarding its death, the identity of its murderer, or the location of items on its person. The shade must answer truthfully using the speech it knew in life.
    • If the casting achieves +3 SL or more, the ghostly testimony automatically burns into the vellum pages of the caster’s grimoire in permanent, un-erasable black ink.