School of Grey Necromancy

Decipher and learn the craft of the old magics of necromancy. The base of the school sits in the gathering of knowledge from the departed, in that those that learn may influence the living with the mistakes of the dead.

Necromancy Savant

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a necromancy spell into your spellbook is halved.

Scribe of Death

Beginning at 2nd level, your study into the details of death can grant you insight into the corpses you come across. When you spend 10 minutes studying a corpse you learn aspects of its form, these include its skill proficiencies, saving throw proficiencies and any damage resistances or immunities it has, if it has any. 

Once complete, you may choose one aspect (skill, saving throw or resistance) which you then scribe into your spell book. This Scribed Aspect lasts until you use this feature again and choose a new Aspect (replacing the old one). You may only have one Scribed Aspect at any time. This benefit is removed if you die or your spell book is destroyed. You cannot gain an Aspect with which you already hold proficiency in, nor can you gain resistance to a damage type another feature or spell grants you resistance to. 

The number of Scribed Aspects you can gain increases as you take levels in this subclass, 2 aspects at 6th level and 3 aspects at 10th level. If you attempt to gain a Scribed Aspect when you are at the total number of Aspects that you can hold, choose one and replace it with the new Aspect you are trying to learn.

Commune with Death

At 6th level you learn the spell Speak with Dead. This spell is always prepared and does not count against your prepared number of spells. When you cast this spell you gain additional benefits;

• The corpse can regard you (your choice) as an unknown shadowy robed figure.
• You can ask one additional question per casting of the spell.
• The spell can target undead (though may incur challenge at the DM's discretion).
• The spell does not fail if you cast this spell on the same target within 10 days. However multiple attempts at casting on the same target will cause a cumulative 20% chance that the spell will fail and will then incur an increased 15 day wait period. 

Additionally the number of Scribed Aspects you can gain increases to a total of 2.

Inured to Death

Beginning at 10th level, You have spent so much time in the study of death, you have resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum can’t be reduced.

Additionally the number of Scribed Aspects you can gain increases to a total number of 3. Although you may not have more than 2 Aspects from any one source. (Skill, Saving Throw, Resistance)

Cloak of Death

Starting at 14th level, you can impart your Scribed Aspects on creatures around you. As an action you choose up to 9 creatures within 30ft of you, those creatures can gain a single Scribed Aspect (your choice) from those which you currently have active. (Skill, Saving Throw or Resistance).

This benefit can be used once per day and lasts for 1 hour. You regain the use of this feature at the end of a long rest or if you spend a spell slot of a level equal to the number of creatures you are affecting (e.g. 6 creatures - 6th level spell slot).