Review: Old School Class: The Necromancer.

The Old School Class: The Necromancer is written by Chuck Rice and published by Apocalyptic Games, it presents a very well-done version of a Necromancer for OSRIC.

For the record, I was presented a PDF copy of the class for review purposes. There are also affiliate links so I can continue to buy stuff I like from DriveThruRPG.

I've never been very happy with how Necromancers work in most editions of Dungeons and Dragons and it's many Retroclones. You can multiclass as a Magic-User/Cleric, but it not very satisfying in my opinion. I'm glad to say that I really like the Class presented in this supplement and I'm anxious to give it a spin.

The PDF is 24 pages including the cover and Open Gaming License.

It opens with a fiction piece that sets the mood.

The Necromancer itself is cleanly presented and easy to follow. At 1st level Necromancers have a bonus on their roll to learn Necromancy spells. At 5th level, they learn embalming secrets that preserve a corpse for later reanimation. Finally, at 10th level, a Necromancer has complete protection form lower level undead, while higher level undead must make a Saving Throw in order to attack them.

The Class table is very cleanly laid out and can rise to 24th level.

The Necromancer's spell list comes next and features at least 7 spells per level from 1st to 7th level. Additionally, 37 new spells are presented here for the Necromancer to learn. I was very glad to see Turn Undead and Cause Wounds (that cannot be reversed) on the Necromancer's spell list. The Necromancer presented here has the proper spells to really shine as a single class and has been what I've been looking to play for years.

The spells presented really capture the feel of the class and include Boil Blood, Arsenal of the Dead, and Empty Hell.

I've been a fan of Chuck's RPG products for years and I cannot wait to make a Necromancer based on this excellent product. Even though it's designed for OSRIC, it would be extremely easy to convert to your favorite Retroclone or any edition of DnD prior to 3rd Edition.

I really cannot recommend Old School Class: The Necromancer enough. For DM's it adds some nasty features and spells to add to your villains repertoire.

It is, in my opinion, a Must-Buy!