Necromancy and the PC (CBN)

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In general, the material presented in this tome is for the Dungeon Master's eyes only. The necromancer put forward herein is a maverick—he or she operates by a set of nasty rules that are completely beyond the realm of most “normal” player characters. These rules must be kept strictly hidden from the players, even if they are adamant about portraying a necromancer.
The most obvious hindrance for a PC necromancer is alignment. While some practitioners of the Art have a scrupulous code of ethics, the number of benevolent necromancers is deplorably rare. At the very least, the majority of necromancers should be considered rigidly neutral. The large remainder of necromantic practitioners are profoundly evil.
Necromancer PCs will face moral challenges from the onset of their career, starting probably with their mentor. Consider Talib, an example of a good and heroic necromancer (highlighted in a number of the chapter introductions and presented in detail in Chapter Nine). Before poor Talib the Apprentice was permitted to advance to 1st level, his Master forced him through a brutal initiation by drugging his food, tying him down to a cold stone altar, and sacrificing him to the Goddess of Murder. Using a ring of spell storing from an allied death priest, the Master then raised Talib back from the dead (no hard feelings!) to see if his potential pupil had the requisite strength of body and mind to practice necromancy. Since he survived the ordeal, Talib only lost a point of Constitution, the first small price for the privilege of practicing the Art.
Obviously, the young Talib fled his Master at the earliest opportunity. However, whenever he needed to train after gaining levels or to learn new spells, the necromancers he sought out were sometimes more black-hearted than his original Master, and they always demanded a terrible price (moral, physical, or financial) for his continuing education. Since Talib retained his initially lofty ideals, he was usually forced to train himself, requiring much greater expense and time than his other adventuring compatriots. As the DM, you should make certain that a necromancer PC will confront as many difficult obstacles as possible during his or her own career.
A necromancer PC that reaches 9th level becomes a potential threat to game balance once he or she gains the ability to cast animate dead. Scary enough in the hands of NPCs, this spell can be a monumental inconvenience to the DM in the hands of a crafty player character. On the way out to a dungeon outside a village, for instance, a necromancer PC might raid the local cemetery for a few nights, raising a few “kamikaze” hirelings. The other PCs in the group, if they are smart, will wait patiently while the necromancer completes these preparations.
Afterward, half of the adventure will be reduced to the necromancer sending minions into the dungeon. “Zombie, open that door! Zombie, open that chest! Zombie, walk into that room! Zombie, walk across that checkered and suspicious floor!” Though this scenario can be somewhat morbidly amusing for an evening or two, over an entire series of adventures, it can completely ruin a campaign's carefully cultivated atmosphere of danger, mystery, and suspense. The animated zombies can also put the party thief out of business because of their unfailing ability to detect and harmlessly disarm traps. So what if a zombie takes a ballista bolt in its chest while opening a treasure-filled coffer? The industrious necromancer PC will have plenty of zombies on hand to thwart the array of traps in a dungeon.
Necromancer PCs are already powerful enough (especially at high level) given the basics from the Player's Handbook. They have no need of the additional powers and abilities described in this book. Since a properly played necromancer PC can significantly unbalance a campaign, only experienced DMs should consider allowing them the abilities outlined in Chapter Two. At the same time, necromancer PCs are completely subject to the dangers of the Art. Feel free to impose any of the penalties in Chapter Three to keep a necromancer PC from monopolizing every gaming session.
Keep in mind that you—as DM—must choose an appropriate power and penalties for the character, taking into account game balance and role-playing potential before making a final decision. In general, the DM should try to keep as much of this information from the players as possible (especially necromancers' players). If anything, the general aura of mystery, the anticipation of future power, and the dread of the next personal price of increased ability will add a more exciting ambiance to the campaign.
Provided necromancer PCs can be kept in check by an alert DM, they unquestionably add an interesting element of moral tension to the role-playing. Because of their troubling background, questionable practices, and ofttimes dubious sanity, necromancer PCs can be considered to be the roguish equivalent of the common wizard. Since his or her Art will be considered either repugnant (at the very least) or criminal (more likely) by the general populace, the necromancer has the “black sheep” appeal of the outcast or outlaw. Despite this quasi-romantic allure, however, the necromancer deals in cold death, pure and simple. The DM should delight in reminding the player of this rather unglamorous fact whenever necessary.