Necromancer Beta Updates - June, 2006

Each month, Sigil makes information
on certain classes and features in their closed beta available to the
public in the form of a newsletter. This information comes from the
June 2006 newsletter. Please note: this is BETA information, and is
subject to change.

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This month Necromancers have been
added to the Vanguard beta. Read more about them here.



Undead
Forms

As a necromancer you can choose to take on the form of a specific form
of undeath. You can choose the corporeal forms of Skeleton, Lich and
Demi Lich or you can choose the incorporeal forms of the Wraith, the
Specter and the Ghost. Each has advantages and disadvantages. You can
also return to normal mortal form, but the transition will weaken you
greatly for a short time.



It is our plan that you quest for these forms and that you choose a
path. We do not yet have the support for this, so for now, you get both
the form types.



At level 10 you will earn your first forms.



Abomination

Your abomination is a persistent pet. Similar to pets of tradition,
this pet will fight for you, obey your commands to retreat, etc. Your
abomination is a construct. It is more flesh golem than undead beastie.
As you progress you will be able to summon increasingly more powerful
looking abominations. Abominations are different than all other
Vanguard pets in that they can equip items, called Grafts.



You can summon your first abomination at level 10.



Grafts

Grafts are special items that a necromancer can attach to his
abomination to augment his pet, change its ability set, etc. Grafts can
add to your abomination's arsenal of abilities. Grafts come in the
following flavors:

• Claw
• Fist
• Leg
• Skin
• Brain
• Torso
• Heart
• Face
• Soul

Only one graft of a type may be added to your abomination and there are
limited slots for grafts, so you will need to choose which grafts to
use. Grafts can be swapped out just like normal items, so when you
abomination outgrows an old one, you can sell it off and equip a shiny
new one.



Grafts are attained through the use of the Harvest Corpse ability.
There are common and rare grafts as well as one-of-a-kind grafts that
drop off of named NPCs. Drops are limited now to general mobs, but
eventually specific npcs will have their own graft tables. We will be
tweaking drop rates on these as time goes on.



Necro
Corpse Magic

Many of the Necromancers can be cast on corpses. Only one spell can be
cast on a corpse. After that they corpse is considered "consumed" for
the purposes of spells. They can still be looted and harvested (both by
necros and harvesters).



Minions

Raising minions is corpse magic. Minions are short duration pets that
will take a limited amount of instruction and will fight to the death.
They are always your level when they are summoned. Minions come in 3
flavors:

1. Guardian - Most hitpoints, Least damage
2. Slayer - Med hitpoints, mid damage
3. Caster - least hipoints, most damage

The Necromancer can have a specific number of minions "alive" at any
one time. This number grows as the player levels.



Minion type also depends on the undead form that the necromancer is in.
See above.



Summoning a minion when you are at your max number will cause the
oldest to be destroyed as it makes room for the new one.



Animations

The Necromancer is also able to animate a fallen foe and coerce it to
follow him. Animations are duplicates of the living forms, excepting
that their power is much lower. Any special attacks that the animation
had before death it should have after death. Some NPCs are immune to
being raised.



Your animation lasts for several minutes and it counts against your
total minions. So if at level 25 you could have 3 minions up and you
had animated a dead Gwartak, you could only have 2 additional undead
minions.



Spells



Curses

Curses are not yet supported, but they tie to plagues and therefore
need some explanation.



Curses are quested spells that have immense power. They also need a
catalyst in order to function. If you cast Curse of Terrible Wasting on
an opponent, it would cost you lots of mana and possibly a reagent
(uncommon corpse drop)...and nothing would happen. The curse would stay
there, waiting, for a few minutes. If you cast Plague of Horrid Decay,
which is a debuffing DoT, and allow it to build up, the curse will fire.



Curses are dependant on Plagues. The reverse is not true.



Plagues

Plagues are standard debuffs and DoTs. You earn your first at level 4.
The only thing that makes these different from normal spells is the
fact that each adds a specific curse counter. Without knowledge of the
associated curse, these spells deal their damage, apply their debuff
and then fade away. When the knowledge of the associated curse is know
and used the plague and the curse make a very potent combination.



Multiple Necros casting the same plague can accelerate the curse
process.



For now, until Curses are working properly, Plagues will work as they
are supposed to w/o the fireworks added by Curses.



There is more to talk about, but these are the major points.

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• For more information on the necromancer, href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&file=index&func=display&ceid=22&meid=145">click
  here
• To volunteer as a Necromancer class specialist, href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=35">click
  here
• Talk about the Necromancer and other arcane casters href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewforum&f=20&sid=30771ec8fa7cec3d12af382ac6bf9d5f">here