#draxie

Two different concepts for Tinzel, a Draxie Sprite Sorcerer for my next Pathfinder 2e campaign!

(art by IrenHorrors on DeviantArt)

Necromancy as a whole sits in a different spot in Second Edition than it did in First Edition. As the magic of manipulating the energies of life and death, it can be a source of healing, but also some frankly disturbing harmful spells. It is also where many undead arise from, brought back by the efforts of necromancers into deathless forms that they normally would not have arisen as.

Where things differ is that now any would-be necromancer, be it a cleric of a dark god, a wizard, (or perhaps even the upcoming “true” necromancer class that is currently stuck in development hell) can cast a different sort of animation spell that summons facsimiles of undead creatures in the same manner as other summons without the pesky details like finding a dead body or unquiet soul. Still grisly, still mucking with forces in a way they were never meant to be used, but at least nobody’s soul is getting violated.

That is of course until they start learning various create undead rituals and start making more permanent minions. Those definitely are a violation of someone’s spiritual dignity.

However, unless the necromancer is especially wealthy or happens upon a pre-existing horde, they are unlikely to be ready to field mass armies of the dead at a moment’s notice… unless they are a necrologist.

Like the name suggests, necrologists study the dead, more specifically the deaths of many. From the lists of the fallen from battlefields to church records of the births and deaths of the town’s residents and so on, seeking to glean patterns of an occult nature from mass death, and in turn, give them power over hordes.

The result is a sort of necromancer whose entire gimmick is conjuring up a temporary horde of undead from the deaths they have studied. Interestingly though, this archetype is set up in a way where the morality of this can vary a lot. More heroic necrologists might see themselves as giving the fallen a chance to avenge themselves en masse against their killers, and almost certainly involve calling up spiritual echoes rather than the actual souls of the slain (probably), and meanwhile, more malicious necrologists might be holding multiple souls in their power, using them as weapons to manifest deathly bodies when needed.

The base dedication of this archetype requires the aspirant to be able to cast animate dead/summon undead from spell slots, meaning it is open to all casters except those with the primal spell list, which makes sense. For taking it, however, the necrologist gains the ability to summon up a horde of undead, which can take the form of zombies or skeletons when summoned. While massive and resistant to all but area damage, it is also directly tied to the caster’s life force, meaning that harm to the horde causes feedback to the caster. Thankfully it can also be banished with relative ease in those moments when it is more cumbersome than useful. While it is out though, it can move and attack, though having such a horde does normally preclude you from having companions, familiars, or other followers.

Keeping oneself and the horde going is quite a process, and so many of these mystics learn to harvest the spent life energy of those brought low by the horde in order to buffer their own vitality.

Many hordes have quite strong grips, and while they might not necessarily get a firm grip on foes, it can still snatch and pull at them to open their defenses.

Normally the horde is rather slow, but with master the necrologist can speed them up a bit.

A face in the crowd is often a turn of phrase for people hiding in living groups, but some mystics and their allies are permitted to wade into the sea of death they have created, using the bodies around them as cover.

Powerful necrologists can call upon a ghostly horde instead of a corporeal one, granting new resistances and attacks that sap the living of their strength, but of course no substance or ability to fight fellow undead.

Being both masters of their horde and of other summoning magic, many learn to split their focus, allowing them to maintain both their horde and undead they conjure.

Like a great tide, the dead can seize foes as they engulf them, dragging them along, though they can’t keep them stuck inside the mass for long.

Adapting to the situation is important, and with a gesture, these necromancers can switch the type of horde they are using from among those they have available.

With a command, these mystics might command the horde to unleash a horrifying streak that saps the will to live and the courage from those that hear it.

When it comes time to dismiss the horde, it often does not go quietly, clawing at the very essence of nearby creatures, weakening them.

Finally, powerful necrologists are able to strengthen the horde enough that it can maintain a grip on prey, arresting their movement and leaving bleeding claw wounds in their flesh.

This archetype can be difficult to use, since it shares the hp of your character, so I suggest investing in plenty of ways to buff your AC to prevent that from being a problem. A base class with a divine or occult spellcasting is probably preferable due to the ability to heal oneself, but don’t dismiss the punishing power of an arcane caster either. Regardless of your choice, the horde covers a very wide area despite not having reach, meaning that foes will be forced to work around it’s dimensions, in addition to all the problems it can cause them directly.

Necromancers that control hordes of zombies and the like are hardly new, but there is an opportunity for roleplay here that you don’t see with other undead-controlling characters. In the case of more benevolent necrologists, they might understand and identify the individual spiritual echoes within their horde, making the effort to learn about their hopes and dreams before the soul that left that imprint met an untimely demise. Extrapolate that to the whole horde and that could be a very different relationship than just master and mindless slaves.

Wars between wizards are almost universally pointless affairs that waste many lives in the service of petty feuds between the so-called wise ones. Such is the case in the new war between the Master of Dweomers and the Necromancer-King. However, most undead lack the perceptions to see through the traps and illusions of the Master’s trickery, so the Necromancer King has been forced to train and deploy special troops of his own, mortals with magic and cunning that can summon and desummon armies of spirits on the fly, and have the wit to understand a trap when they see it.

The nation of Norrist may have won the war against their enemy, but it has become a haunted land. Countless spirits wander lost, yearning for the homes they left behind when they marched for war. It therefore becomes necessary for scholars of the dead to round these spirits up, help them remember their names, and guide them back home.

Image © Paizo Publishing, accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[The last of the variant sprite lineages from PF 2e's Bestiary 3, and I think the cutest. A little redundant, with faerie dragons (or fey dragonets, I guess) already existing, but when has redundancy ever gotten in the way of monster designers?]

Draxie CR 3 CG Fey This little humanoid is barely a foot tall, with a scaly hide, a long tail and membranous wings. They have small sharp teeth and horns and frills of skin instead of hair.

Draxies, or dragon sprites, are playful, flighty and keen pranksters. They often engage in escalating prank wars with pixies and fairie dragons, both of whom they get along well with. Draxies can be patient when planning some manner of joke or trick, and may spend months or even years for the payoff for a perfect joke. Draxies claim to have their origins in the powerful faerie dragon Elucredrassa, who upon her death reincarnated into a hundred draxies, who spread throughout the First World and then to the Material Plane. Draxies still honor her with the elucera, a soul-bond a draxie might make with a creature or creatures they are particularly fond of. Entering an elucera with a draxie makes one that draxie’s family as much as any blood relative; draxies take their obligations to elucera-mates more seriously than anything else.

Draxies rarely start fights, but are happy to finish them. A draxie is much more skilled at annoying an enemy into fleeing or parleying then they are with direct violence; their first order of business when attacked is usually to breathe draxie dust on an opponent. Unlike the breath of a faerie dragon, which induces a sort of stoned euphoria, draxie breath can cause this along with several other mind-influencing abilities. Even a draxie doesn’t know what its breath will do at any given moment, and they have great fun adapting to the situation as it elapses. If a draxie wants to do permanent harm, it usually relies on its mind thrust spell-like ability.

Draxies come in a wide variety of colors, and most of them have multicolored fringes running along their heads in place of hair, along their backs and on the tips of their tails. Their nails are usually worn long but are too fragile to be used as claws. Their jaws, however, are remarkably powerful for their size. Draxies are omnivorous with a taste for fruit and insects.