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Divayth Fyr
2010-05-20, 01:45 PM
I was wondering if anyone could point me to some sources (fiction, RPG books etc) which describe necromancers (both individual and groups of them) that are neutral/good. I know that Hollowfaust describes a whole town ruled by more benevolent necromancers and was wondering whether there are some more - as what I found were mostly evil/very evil/vile necros.

Thanks in advance,
Karpik777

hamishspence
2010-05-20, 01:50 PM
The Anita Blake books (at least the first few) have an OK-ish portrayal of a nonevil necromancer.

I think there are other modern fantasy books that have similar necromancers.

It's probably rarer in low tech fantasy- with a more medieval level of technology.

Ravens_cry
2010-05-20, 01:54 PM
Well, one I wanted to play I called The Corpse-smith. Completely bald,no eyebrows, nothing, dressed in a dirt stained workmans clothes, with strong scent of myrrh and wet earth about him, carrying a long handled shovel. Friendly, humble, rather blasé about his job, re-animating the dead to walk treadmills for factories and public works. Liked to use skeletons because, "They're faster, and no one wants to see old papa walking the mill. Bits tend to fall off and get caught in the gears, mind.'

Yora
2010-05-20, 01:57 PM
Or an undead hunter. The best way to fight necromancer, is to get another necromancer. All the really good spells to destroy or disable undead are necromancy spells. Also necromancy would be a way to gat access to non-divine healing spells, though the core rules and official splatbooks rarely include any of those.

Optimystik
2010-05-20, 02:07 PM
In M:TG's Ravnica setting, all the guilds started out with noble intentions. The Golgari's job was to use necromancy both as a form of waste management, and to provide low-cost food to the poor.

Libris Mortis also provides ideas for alternate campaign settings, in which undead are more commonplace and necromancy is not inherently evil. You can read these ideas and more in the "Undead-Themed Campaigns" section.

AirTony7
2010-05-20, 02:12 PM
Although this is played more for comedic purposes, Dr. Byron Orpheus from the Venture Bros. is a good necromancer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Byron_Orpheus

Pelfaid
2010-05-20, 02:12 PM
IIRC, The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix might be able to provide some inspiration. Its been a while since I have read them though.

Reynard
2010-05-20, 02:14 PM
Well, you could go the Diablo II necromancer route, and only use the corpses of those who have already been killed, and not going out of your way to make more just to have a bigger army.

Drakevarg
2010-05-20, 02:20 PM
IIRC, The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix might be able to provide some inspiration. Its been a while since I have read them though.

Damn, beat me to it.

But yeah, if you want a good-aligned necromancer, Abhorsen's the way to go. Admittedly they don't raise the dead, they put them to rest, but in-universe it's considered a branch of necromancy.

PId6
2010-05-20, 02:22 PM
Well, you could go the Diablo II necromancer route, and only use the corpses of those who have already been killed, and not going out of your way to make more just to have a bigger army.
Wait, you don't kill things just to animate them when you're playing necro in D2? :smallconfused:

Divayth Fyr
2010-05-20, 02:22 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions!


Well, you could go the Diablo II necromancer route, and only use the corpses of those who have already been killed, and not going out of your way to make more just to have a bigger army.

Of course I could (though as PId6 pointed it wasn't exactly the case) - if I'd need it for roleplaying just a single character. However, since I need to create a whole group of them... Though I almost forgot about the Rathma priests, and their philosophy and actions fit what I need more or less...