A lot of people seem to be mising the point of acquiring corpses without doing anything evil. Things like starting an epidemic, unleashing an undead serial killer, yeeting people off a mountain, and tricking people into death games are probably not the answer they're looking for (as fun and creative as these answers are).
A lot of people seem to be mising the point of acquiring corpses without doing anything evil. Things like starting an epidemic, unleashing an undead serial killer, yeeting people off a mountain, and tricking people into death games are probably not the answer they're looking for (as fun and creative as these answers are).
Arguably, any good necromancer isn't completely good, as they use dark magic to animate dead, which is pretty taboo in most cultures. My way, yeeting people off mountains as you described it, is only to be used against people that absolutely deserve it. This isn't evil, or good, it is justice, and helps you in the future. As a good necromancer I would definitely play my character as a bit dark and not in touch with society, because anyone that is okay with taking your best friend's corpse and turning it into an evil power of death that does whatever you say is bordering the line of good/evil.
This character could almost be like an antihero, you do good to help yourself, and do evil arts to help you, but only occasionally.
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How about like the faceless men in GoT. People come in seeking assisted suicide, you help them, keep the body. You just use the whole body instead of the just the face.
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
I mean, people agree to engage in high-contact, high-impact sports - both as audience and as participants - with a significant chance of brain damage to the contestants all the time. Is it evil that those venues and contests exist?
Polymorph spells, except for True Polymorph, can only turn things into Beasts - you cannot use them to create undead.
I said in the OP that my variation of those spells only turned myself or others into undead, not beasts, and has other restrictions on top of the base spells to make it balanced. I'm reskinning a lot of spells to make them more necromancery, like turning Dragon's Breath into Breath of Decay (I submitted it before I realized that made it uneditable so there's some typos, like there shouldn't be a range next to Touch).
Thanks for all the ideas! I really like the notion that there isn't one morally right way to view and treat corpses. Also giving financing in exchange for legal rights to corpses after death would make me some kinda Necromantic Templar! Love that.
Thanks for all the ideas! I really like the notion that there isn't one morally right way to view and treat corpses. Also giving financing in exchange for legal rights to corpses after death would make me some kinda Necromantic Templar! Love that.
I've gotta say, that's been my favorite suggestion so far as well. It'd be cool to play a game where there's an established church and/or guild in the world that provides financial support in exchange for post-death service.
Do you need to store a body? Has someone you know or someone you killed died the wrong way, and you need to store their body somewhere? I will do that for the measly price of 1 gold piece per day! If you need a body stored, I can safely store it for as long as you like, keep it safe, and out of harms way and police hands! After you deliver the body to a designated location, I will transport it anywhere you like! (Disclaimer: If arrested, I will testify against you. No guarantee of the freshness/completeness of the body after one day of delivery. The bodies will be used, but returned when and where you need it at any time, but no promises that the body will still be a body when returned)
Just an idea, hope you like it!
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Just have them enter into contracts for their bodies after death. It worked for the devils for several million years.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
Everybody “automatically knows how to read common”
hyperbole of being born able to read joke aside. Where would farmers learn? Coal miners? Slaves? Etc.
think of Middle Ages/Egypt/Babylon/etc.
not everyone knew how to read at all. Reading was either a wealthy thing, a merchant thing, or a rare thing.
adventurers need to read to read quests. People that give quests, *might* not be able to write out requests themselves, and that’s why they go to a quest giver or clan hall or wherever to give their Quest for them. Lack of literacy.
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
Everybody “automatically knows how to read common”
hyperbole of being born able to read joke aside. Where would farmers learn? Coal miners? Slaves? Etc.
think of Middle Ages/Egypt/Babylon/etc.
not everyone knew how to read at all. Reading was either a wealthy thing, a merchant thing, or a rare thing.
adventurers need to read to read quests. People that give quests, *might* not be able to write out requests themselves, and that’s why they go to a quest giver or clan hall or wherever to give their Quest for them. Lack of literacy.
There is no rule that says everyone knows common. The stat block for a Commoner has Languages: Common, but that just means they can speak it. There is nothing that says they immediately know how to read and write it. That is up to the DM to decide per common NPC. There's also nothing saying they have to stick to that. There are many humanoid listings who don't have Common as a language.
Adventurers know to read and write for the sake of simplicity but, again, nothing says you must stick to that. You and the DM can decide if you can read and write or just speak common. For example in Critical Role the character Grog had a low intelligence score so it was decided between the player and DM that due to this and his background (outlander) he could speak basic common but could not read or write.
Literacy is not automatic for everything unless the DM wants that.
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Most of the population of my world are illiterate, shops still use picture for signs. Most commoners in my world are of the opinion that: “If a shoppe is so frufru that they drew the words on the sign instead of the meanin’ then its too frufru for me.”
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
Everybody “automatically knows how to read common”
hyperbole of being born able to read joke aside. Where would farmers learn? Coal miners? Slaves? Etc.
think of Middle Ages/Egypt/Babylon/etc.
not everyone knew how to read at all. Reading was either a wealthy thing, a merchant thing, or a rare thing.
adventurers need to read to read quests. People that give quests, *might* not be able to write out requests themselves, and that’s why they go to a quest giver or clan hall or wherever to give their Quest for them. Lack of literacy.
Yeah, I was lampshading how ridiculous it is that most DMs I've played with assume that all adventurers just know how to read and write in Common when there's nothing in-world (like free public schooling) that would justify that in most campaign settings.
research ancient burial grounds if you're happy to raise skeletons. Actually, any burial over a year or so old is probably enough. Fill in the hole and done.
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A lot of people seem to be mising the point of acquiring corpses without doing anything evil. Things like starting an epidemic, unleashing an undead serial killer, yeeting people off a mountain, and tricking people into death games are probably not the answer they're looking for (as fun and creative as these answers are).
That’s why I went with the L/G religion
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Arguably, any good necromancer isn't completely good, as they use dark magic to animate dead, which is pretty taboo in most cultures. My way, yeeting people off mountains as you described it, is only to be used against people that absolutely deserve it. This isn't evil, or good, it is justice, and helps you in the future. As a good necromancer I would definitely play my character as a bit dark and not in touch with society, because anyone that is okay with taking your best friend's corpse and turning it into an evil power of death that does whatever you say is bordering the line of good/evil.
This character could almost be like an antihero, you do good to help yourself, and do evil arts to help you, but only occasionally.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
How about like the faceless men in GoT. People come in seeking assisted suicide, you help them, keep the body. You just use the whole body instead of the just the face.
It's not tricking people if they've read and signed a disclaimer. If this is D&D lore-a-verse, everybody automatically knows how to read Common, right?
Sounds a little “Faustian” if you ask me....
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I mean, people agree to engage in high-contact, high-impact sports - both as audience and as participants - with a significant chance of brain damage to the contestants all the time. Is it evil that those venues and contests exist?
I said in the OP that my variation of those spells only turned myself or others into undead, not beasts, and has other restrictions on top of the base spells to make it balanced. I'm reskinning a lot of spells to make them more necromancery, like turning Dragon's Breath into Breath of Decay (I submitted it before I realized that made it uneditable so there's some typos, like there shouldn't be a range next to Touch).
Thanks for your suggestions!
Thanks for all the ideas! I really like the notion that there isn't one morally right way to view and treat corpses. Also giving financing in exchange for legal rights to corpses after death would make me some kinda Necromantic Templar! Love that.
I've gotta say, that's been my favorite suggestion so far as well. It'd be cool to play a game where there's an established church and/or guild in the world that provides financial support in exchange for post-death service.
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Here's an idea, start:
The Bank of Death!
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Do you need to store a body? Has someone you know or someone you killed died the wrong way, and you need to store their body somewhere? I will do that for the measly price of 1 gold piece per day! If you need a body stored, I can safely store it for as long as you like, keep it safe, and out of harms way and police hands! After you deliver the body to a designated location, I will transport it anywhere you like! (Disclaimer: If arrested, I will testify against you. No guarantee of the freshness/completeness of the body after one day of delivery. The bodies will be used, but returned when and where you need it at any time, but no promises that the body will still be a body when returned)
Just an idea, hope you like it!
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Just have them enter into contracts for their bodies after death. It worked for the devils for several million years.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
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Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Isn't it Fa Ro Dah?
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
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Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
If you mean 4 days ago, then no.
Everybody “automatically knows how to read common”
hyperbole of being born able to read joke aside. Where would farmers learn? Coal miners? Slaves? Etc.
think of Middle Ages/Egypt/Babylon/etc.
not everyone knew how to read at all. Reading was either a wealthy thing, a merchant thing, or a rare thing.
adventurers need to read to read quests. People that give quests, *might* not be able to write out requests themselves, and that’s why they go to a quest giver or clan hall or wherever to give their Quest for them. Lack of literacy.
There is no rule that says everyone knows common. The stat block for a Commoner has Languages: Common, but that just means they can speak it. There is nothing that says they immediately know how to read and write it. That is up to the DM to decide per common NPC. There's also nothing saying they have to stick to that. There are many humanoid listings who don't have Common as a language.
Adventurers know to read and write for the sake of simplicity but, again, nothing says you must stick to that. You and the DM can decide if you can read and write or just speak common. For example in Critical Role the character Grog had a low intelligence score so it was decided between the player and DM that due to this and his background (outlander) he could speak basic common but could not read or write.
Literacy is not automatic for everything unless the DM wants that.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Most of the population of my world are illiterate, shops still use picture for signs. Most commoners in my world are of the opinion that: “If a shoppe is so frufru that they drew the words on the sign instead of the meanin’ then its too frufru for me.”
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Yeah, I was lampshading how ridiculous it is that most DMs I've played with assume that all adventurers just know how to read and write in Common when there's nothing in-world (like free public schooling) that would justify that in most campaign settings.
In regards to undead pigeons & squirrels, Animate Dead only works on Humanoid corpses or bonepiles.
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research ancient burial grounds if you're happy to raise skeletons. Actually, any burial over a year or so old is probably enough. Fill in the hole and done.