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A long time ago, the cure spells were necromancy spells. Although now I don’t particularly mind the cure spells being positive energy conjuration spells.
I have a couple of ideas for some “white necromancy” spells
For lack of a better word
Manipulate life energy
Level 3
Casting time: 1 minute
Components: V S M
Range: touch
This spell heals wounds by drawing on the life energy of the person to be healed.
This spell heals I die per level of the caster. The caster can heal less if desired.
For a Barbarian the spell heals 6 points per level of the caster
For a Fighter ranger paladin etc, with d10 hit dice, the spell heals 5 points per level of the caster.
For those characters with d8 hit dice, it heals 4 points per level of the caster.
And for those characters with D4 hit points it heals 2 points per level of the caster
The constitution modifier of the recipient modifies the number of hit points healed. For example a fighter with a 15 constitution would get +2 hit points per level of the caster
If the recipient is in negative hit points, this spell will prevent them from bleeding out during the casting time. They are stabilized at what ever hit points they are at, and then the amount healed is added.
There is a price for this healing. For every “die” healed the recipient gains a temporary negative level. (Excluding hit points) So for example if a 5 level caster on a fighter with a 15 constitution cast the spell, the fighter would be healed 35 points.
He would then gain 5 temporary negative levels.
These negative levels wear off at a rate of 1 per hour.
The spell cannot heal beyond maximum hit points,
This is a rough draft, what do you think?
I am working on a
“Transfer’ spell for Disease, Poison, and ability damage, ability drain, and level drain.
My idea is basically this, the disease, or what ever malady, isn’t cured by these spells, it is simply transferred to another living being, leaving the recipient of the spell cured, and someone else taking the burden of the disease on.
These are just ideas, what do you think? I have not worked all the details out.
If you're trying to make a "white necromancy" school, I'd probably shuffle the healing spells back first. IT does little to unbalance the schools at the very least.
Though outwith that, I'd probably focus on alot of undead-hunting spells (it is the school of controlling living and dead after all). Or some variant compulsion spells that work by forcing the physical body to move rather than commanding the mind.
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There is a 2e Necromancer's Handbook that contains some interesting white necromancy ideas that you might consider lifting the fluff from, if you can get your hands on it.
FYI - this spell will instantly kill the recipient most of the time. When negative levels equal or exceed character level, the character dies. If, in your example, a 5th level caster casts this spell on a fighter (who may very well be 5th level as well, if we're talking about PCs), the fighter is dead. You might need to scale down the penalties associated with the spell.
You could always do what I did:
1) All cure spells changed to necromancy.
2) Changed the way school specialization works
SCHOOL SPECIALIZATION
School of Magic, Cross Schools
Divination – Abjuration
Evocation – Enchantment
Transmutation – Necromancy
Conjuration – Illusion
A school is one of eight groupings of spells, each defined by a common theme. If desired, a wizard may specialize in one school of magic (see below). Specialization allows a wizard to cast extra spells from her chosen school, but she then has difficulty casting spells from other schools.
A specialist wizard gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school.
The wizard must choose whether to specialize and, if she does so, choose her specialty at 1st level. At this time, she gains access to all spells (divine and arcane) of their chosen school. Their opposing school of magic receives an effective spell level increase of 2. The other six remaining schools of magic receive an effective spell level increase of 1.
An effective spell level increase is for the purposes of spell memorization and casting only, not any other factor (such as DC calculation).
Spells of the prohibited school or cross school are not available to the wizard, and she can’t even cast such spells from scrolls or fire them from wands. She may not change either her specialization or her prohibited schools later.
The eight schools of arcane magic are abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.
Spells that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal spells.
Abjuration: Spells that protect, block, or banish. An abjuration specialist is called an abjurer.
Conjuration: Spells that bring creatures or materials to the caster. A conjuration specialist is called a conjurer.
Divination: Spells that reveal information. A divination specialist is called a diviner. Unlike the other specialists, a diviner must give up only one other school.
Enchantment: Spells that imbue the recipient with some property or grant the caster power over another being. An enchantment specialist is called an enchanter.
Evocation: Spells that manipulate energy or create something from nothing. An evocation specialist is called an evoker.
Illusion: Spells that alter perception or create false images. An illusion specialist is called an illusionist.
Necromancy: Spells that manipulate, create, or destroy life or life force. A necromancy specialist is called a necromancer.
Transmutation: Spells that transform the recipient physically or change its properties in a more subtle way. A transmutation specialist is called a transmuter.
Universal: Not a school, but a category for spells that all wizards can learn. A wizard cannot select universal as a specialty school or as a prohibited school. Only a limited number of spells fall into this category.
what if the caster could use XP to heal - say 10xp per HP? So. it's like using the casters life force to heal the casualty.
Director of Brand Strategy
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I don't have much to offer on the school in general, but on the spell you include here, I am confused how it would be handled for a multiclass character. Would you have to figure out how many of each Hit Die they have and then do the math? That could potentially take a long time for a really cheesed out character. The nice thing about hp and existing heal spells is that they're easily calculated totals. Once you've added a Hit Die to an hp total, it's there and you never have to really think about that HD again as its own unit. With a healing spell, you get healed x regardless of how many HD you have, how many total hp you have or what classes you are. If it were me, I'd do something like 1d4 per character level of the person being healed + 1/CL of the caster. This way actual healing spells from clerics don't have their thunder stolen but for a minimum level caster for the lvl3 spell you're getting 5d4+5 healed for an equal level target. That'll average to 17 per casting and will scale fairly evenly as both you and the target level without ever being better than the equivalent cure spell.
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Thank you gentlemen, you all bring up excellent points. Celestial Healer, thanks for reminding me about the complete necromancer’s handbook. The Anatomist certainly has the vibe I am thinking of. It would make for an excellent character concept. Tronos, the xp Idea is also a good one, I had not considered that. And Yoda8myhead, you bring up a good point, as a first draft the spell is confusing to say the least. I think someone mentioned, that it could easily kill as well.
I suppose one of the ideas I am looking for is some arcane healing, without stepping on the toes of the cleric. Clerics have “no cost” healing. I think if arcane healing had some sort of a cost to it, it would be used much more sparingly and perhaps have a sinister edge to it. Hence the idea of arcane healing falling under the preview of necromancy. It was there once before.
Perhaps something else might work
Lets see we already have Vampiric touch, where hit points are drained off an enemy in combat. We also have healing touch, where the caster gives his own hit points to heal someone else.
How about this,
Healing Transfusion
Necromancy
Level 3
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: touch
Targets: two living subjects, one the Donor, and the other the recipient, which must be touched
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
The spell caster acts as a conduit for life energy. This enables a “donor” to donate some of his life energy or “hit points” to another recipient subject. Both the donor and the recipient must be touched. If used in combat, a Melee touch attack must be made for both the donor and the recipient. The amount of hit points transferred is equal to 1d6 per two levels of the caster. This is the damage taken by the “Donor” and the amount healed by the “recipient”
We could do a “transfer” spell for disease, poison, ability damage, and level drain, using the original spells as a template
A re-write of the “ manipulate life energy”
Necromancy Wizard/ sorcerer
Level 3
Materiel components VSM
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: touch
Target: one living creature touch
Save: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
This spell allows the caster to draw upon the patients life energy to help it heal it self. In other words, by drawing down the strength of a person, in one area, you shore up a weakness in the other. The caster is able to heal 1 hit point Per 10 Experience points sacrificed. So if he wanted to heal 10 hit points it would cost 100 experience points of the target being healed. If the target is at negative hit points and is dying, this spell automatically stabilized the target while the healing is being done.
Another possibility might be to convert Damage to non-lethal damage.
Just another idea
What do you all think?
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Regarding Healing Transfusion, I would recommend adding a clause that the caster can determine how many d6's to transfer, up to the maximum, so they have the option of healing less if they want. That way they can draw life from an ally that perhaps has lower HP without worrying about doing too much damage to them.
As an aside, I always thought healing should have stayed in Necromancy, but that's an argument for another thread for sure.
Is it like white slavery?
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The spell could cure the recipient normally, but the caster (or another willing donor who is also touched during the casting) must make a Fortitude save or take equal damage to that healed. If they made the Fort save, they still take the damage, but it's only nonlethal damage.
Other 'cost' options could include Fatiguing the recipient (or, if they fail a Fort save, Exhausting them), as their life-energy is drawn upon to heal the injuries or purge the venom/disease or whatever.
Converting lethal damage to nonlethal damage also works.
Another necromantic 'healing' option would be to have the necromancy 'age' the injured body to provide a day's rest worth of 'natural healing,' at the cost of requiring the recipient to consume a days worth of rations (food and drink) to fuel the effect and sustain his body. The spell might take a minute, or even 10 minutes, to cast, but allow a character to recover their HD in hit points, as if they'd rested for a day. (Perhaps a 1 minute casting for the 8 hours rest version of HD hit points, and a 10 minute casting for the 24 hours bedrest version of 2xHD hit points?) Due to the supernatural speed of this healing, the care of a trained healer will not in any way speed up or enhance this sort of accelerated 'natural' healing. This sort of thing would be a fine 1st or 2nd level spell, IMO.
A few spell ideas for necromancy if you're interested
This one might not be "White Necromancy" since it doesn't relay too much on positive energy, but it's still a non-lethal and non-evil spell.
DROP IT
Necromancy
Level: 2 (Maybe 3, not sure yet)
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25ft + 5ft per two caster levels)
Targets: One living creature + One additional creature per two caster levels
Saving Throw: Fortitute
Spell resistance: Yes
You channel energy into the foes fingers, bending them, if only for a moment, to you command. Targets if this spell must make a succesful fortitude save or be forced to drop any objects in their hands. The caster may choose to only force one hand or both hands of the intended targerts, and may choose which hand if only one is to be affected.
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Gentlemen, and ladies if there are any out there, thank you for your thoughts. Celestial Healer your point about adding a clause where the caster can determine how many d6s are transferred is an excellent one I will add it. Set I am not sure why you have again caused a memories to shake loose. Your suggestion of necromantic healing involving “necromatically aging” an individual reminded me of an image of a woman with a black braid a bow, and her hair was streaked with grey. Curious where this memory bubbled up from I began digging through my library. Eventually I found Dungeon issue #34, March of 1992. In that issue is an adventure called “The lady Rose”. On P41 there is a description of a Sergeant Fletch. “ The warriors black braided hair has only recently begun to show grey highlights brought on by her willingness to be frequently hastened “
Which reminded me of the good old 2nd edition version of the haste spell where you aged a year upon the end of the spell.
I like your idea of a necromantic spell speeding up the body’s metabolism so it heals in a day or week, but food must be provided. Hmm this has interesting possibilities.
This kind of healing could cause a party to eat all of their iron rations, of course that is if they have written their rations down on their character sheets.
Mr Nero thank you for the suggestion of the spell as well.
Hmmm possibilities, possibilities. Thank you