Spell Selection for the Wizard (CBN)

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Since the necromancer might be playing an important, long-term role in a campaign, it is paramount that the DM determine not only what spells the wizard might have memorized for a specific encounter, but also define a comprehensive list that includes all spells to which the caster has access. The Undead Master on holiday at the cemetery will undoubtedly have a different set of spells at his or her disposal than the reclusive Philosopher, lounging in a study.
Choosing spells for any spell caster—especially a powerful one—can be an challenging and time-consuming task for DM and player alike. An 18th-level sorceress, for instance, has over 40 spells at her disposal! Are all her 3rd-level spells going to be vampiric touch? Unlikely! She will choose a wide variety of spells that are appropriate to her kit and alignment. As detailed in Chapter One, each kit is specialized in a different aspect of necromantic spellcraft.
A wizard's alignment generally has the biggest effect on his or her spell selection. While not all necromancy is inherently evil, it carries a strong social stigma because of its great potential for inflicting pain, suffering, and harm on both the living and the dead (or even the undead). A wicked NPC will probably have no compunction about employing “criminal” or “black” necromancy. However, once the heroic characters in your campaign have defeated this nemesis, they will undoubtedly uncover his grimoire and gain access to the villain's repertoire of spells.
Even good-hearted PCs may be tempted to use the forbidden lore, considering that many necromantic spells can be quite powerful, especially at high levels. Is a spell inherently evil, or is it simply that it can be put to evil use? This is a question many heroes will have to struggle with. This ambivalence and uncertainty should be encouraged, since temptation and moral quandaries make for excellent role-playing. However, as explained in Chapter Three, the use of criminal necromancy carries grave dangers for the caster, whether villain or player character. While the consequences for employing black necromancy must always be kept vague and nebulous for the players, the DM needs to have a clear definition and justification of the term.
==Criminal or Black Necromancy==
The Player's Handbook and other sources of necromantic spells tend to be vague or (worse yet) contradictory about what constitutes an evil spell. For instance, the classic spell of the necromancer, animate dead, contains a clear admonition against its use by good characters.
However, certain other necromantic spells (in the Player's Handbook, particularly) have been written in a way that conceals, or at least understates, their baneful nature. The description of summon shadows mentions nothing about the moral implications of summoning several chaotic evil beings from the Negative Material Plane to serve the caster (usually by draining the life forces of the wizard's enemies). Hence, there is obviously a need for some clearer definitions.
Criminal necromancy includes all spells which are cast for the sole purpose of inflicting permanent physical harm on other individuals, or (worse yet) draining their immortal life force. Consider the death spell (another classic from the PHB), which supposedly “snuffs out the life forces of creatures . . . instantly and irrevocably.”
In context with other punishing spells like chain lightning and disintegrate, death spell might not appear terribly horrible or evil. Take another look at the second line in the description which nonchalantly states that “[victims] cannot be raised or resurrected”! In other words, the spell utterly annihilates the victim's life force, past all hope of restoration, save by the omnipotent wish.
Black necromancy usually brings death, physical injury, or spiritual annihilation in an excruciating and terrifying manner. In order to make the evil nature of a spell painfully clear, the DM should feel free to improvise, exaggerate, or embellish a particularly dry description. Consider the account of death spell given in the chapter introduction. This spell and the others on Table 10 fall under the classification of black necromancy and, as such, are most appropriate for evil villains.
 Table 10: Forbidden Spells of Black Necromancy
Level	Spells
1st 	chill touch, corpse visage (WH), exterminate
2nd 	choke (WH), ghoul touch (WH), rain of blood (SH)
3rd 	bone club (WH), mummy touch (FOR), pain touch (WH), vampiric touch, rain of blood (SH), skull trap
4th 	Beltyn's burning blood (FOR), brainkill, contagion, enervation
5th 	bone blight, mummy rot (WH), summon shadow, throbbing bones (WH)
6th 	blackmantle (WH), dead man's eyes (WH), death spell, flames of justice (AA), ghoul gauntlet, Grimwald's gray mantle (FOR), lich touch (FOR)
7th 	finger of death, suffocate (TOM)
8th 	Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting (TOM), death link (FOR), deathshroud, defoliate (WH), shadow form (WH)
9th 	conflagration (AA), death ward, energy drain, wail of the banshee (TOM)
In game terms, therefore, every time a wizard (NPC or PC) uses a spell of black necromancy, the DM should secretly roll a powers check. By their very nature, these spells attract the attention of evil deities who will seek to reward, punish, and ultimately subvert the wizard involved. Criminal necromancy embraces all spells which inflict bodily or spiritual damage, spread disease, bring untimely death, or cause pain. The DM is encouraged to devise similarly nasty descriptions for all of the spells listed in Table 10. Don't sermonize to your players about the evils of criminal necromancy—have their characters experience the horrors themselves. If, despite your warnings, players willingly and consistently employ evil spells, feel free to impose any of the afflictions outlined in Chapter Three.
==Gray or Neutral Necromancy==
The DM should refer to Appendix Two for a complete listing of spells in the necromantic school. Except for the few listed in Table 10, the majority of necromantic spells fall into a gray category of moral uncertainty. These spells are not intrinsically evil per se, but they certainly can be put to inherently wicked uses.
Take animate dead, for instance. Raising up a zombie to carry one's luggage is not considered an evil act, but animating the dead for the purpose of attacking a merchant caravan is another matter entirely. While appropriate for neutral wizards, animation of the dead should be distasteful and perhaps even forbidden to chaotic good and lawful good wizards. Spells of gray necromancy rarely advance the cause of good.
While casting spells of black necromancy always requires the wizard to make a powers check, neutral or gray necromancy only requires a powers check when it employed for an evil purpose. Gray necromancy thus carries an element of risk and uncertainty: depending upon the caster's intent, the spell may or may not have a chance of attracting the attention of an evil god. It is left for the DM to decide which spells belong to the category of neutral necromancy. It is suggested that all divination/disguise magics (see Appendix One) and certain special use spells (such as animate dead animals, undead mount (FOR), bone dance, skull watch (FOR), and so on) fall into this largest grouping of necromancy. Of course, the DM may decide that certain spells (such as animate dead and magic jar) have too much potential for evil. The DM should feel free to augment Table 10 as necessary for the campaign.
==Benign or White Necromancy==
A third and final category of necromancy embraces magic of a benign or beneficial nature. White necromancy includes spells which restore and fortify the living body or life force (such as delay death (WH), empathic wound transfer, bone growth, Spendelard's chaser (FOR), Nulathoe's ninemen (FOR), and reincarnation) or derive their power from the caster's own life force (such as spirit armor (TOM) or homunculus shield (TOM)) or can be used only to disable undead (such as hold undead and bind undead). Note, however, that spells that control undead are not considered white necromancy!
Although white magic can be used to heal wounds and bone fractures, it is no substitute for clerical healing. White necromancy derives its healing power from a volunteer's source of life energy (often the caster's), as in empathic wound transfer. Clerical magic, in contrast, bestows healing through a combination of faith and divine authority. Short of a wish (or for a brief duration, a limited wish), wizard spells cannot “create” new hit points—the Art usually shuttles life force from a donor to recipient.
In contrast with black and gray necromancy, white magic has absolutely no chance of attracting the attention of an evil god. No powers check is ever required for casting a spell of white necromancy (except, perhaps, in Ravenloft).
Wizards of good alignment will thus employ white necromancy over those spells with questionable moral implications. Of course, nothing prevents evil mages from employing these spells as well, provided that doing so suits their own dark purposes. During an emergency, when a wizard needs to heal allies (or him- or herself) and no cleric is available, even the most dark-hearted necromancer will resort to white magic.