Table of Contents
Content Writers: Ekorren (original homebrew framework and an assortment of shaping rituals and spells). Leetsepeak
Necromancy 3 Ambition 25
Spells and Necromantic Workings 3
The Three Circles 3
Becoming a Necromancer 3
Shadowlands Circle Necromancy 3
Necrosis and the Shape Necromancy Action 4
Additional Spellcasting Rules 4
Banishing Ghosts 4
Fighting Styles of the Underworld
Countermagic 5 New Keywords 27
Shaping Rituals 5
Anointed by Crimson 5
Madness of the Labyrinth 5
From the Rectory of the Maw 6
Schooling of the Maze (Sijanese Initiation) 6
Taint of the Everliving 8
The Black Feast 8
The Imbuement of Ancestors 9
Shadowlands Circle Spells 11
Armor of Blood and Bone 11
New Keywords 11
Assassin’s Fatal Touch 11
Black Candle Visage 12
Black Candle Visage and Necromantic Workings 12
Blade of Blood and Bone 12
Bless the Rapine Soul 12
Blessed Dead Fools 13
Blood Lash 13
Blood Mirror Speech 14
Bone Puppet Dance 14
Bonfire Visions 15
Call Ghost 15
Corrupted Words 15
Death Flies Two Sails 17
Death Inversion Loop 17
Death Mask 17
Door of the Dead 18
Drawing Blind Edge 18
Dusk Eyes 18
Easing the Forsaken Memory 19
Haunts 19
Emperor’s Chains 19
Faces of the Dead 20
Field of Fell Dreams 20
Five Gifts 21
Flesh and Bone Winds 22
Shattering Void Mirror 23
Silent Master’s Pollen 23
Necromantic Workings 25
1 2
Credits
(expanded upon the framework and did a lot to write additional content).
Shadowlands Circle Workings 25
Labyrinth Circle Workings 25 Art & Layout: Ekorren. Adobe Stock standard license.
Void Circle Workings 26
Finesse and Means 26 Playtesters: Ekorren. Wuddataicho
Special Thanks: Those who have provided feedback throughout the process, Onyx Path Publishing and the Exalted devel-
27 opers for giving us an amazing game. Special thanks to Siegemonkeys for coming up with the original idea for the Anointed
by Crimson shaping ritual, and to Sleeping Darkness for coming up with the original idea for the Black Feast shaping ritual.
Dark Messiah Style 27
Ravaging Blow 27
Inescapable Iron Grip 27
Dead Man’s Grasp 27
Foe-Blinding Jab 27
The Razor Harness 28
Dark Messiah Form 28
Bone-Shattering Blow 28
Grievous Agony Attack 28
Illustrative Overkill Technique 28
Lashing Tempest Palm 29
Void Avatar Prana 29
Hungry Ghost Style 29
Blood-Scenting Hunger 29
Leaping Horror Approach 30
Lunging Phantom Method 30
Shrouded Claw Attack 30
Hungry Ghost Form 30
Consuming Entropy Strike 32
Blood-Freezing Technique 32
Power-Reaping Prana 32
Spell-Smothering Technique 32
Unnatural Shambling Deftness 32
Scuttling Apparition Defense 32
Labyrinth-Walking Prana 33
Soul-Flaying Strike 33
Soul-Consuming Transcendence 33
Laughing Wounds Style 33
Sensuous Torment 34
Kiss of the Whip 34
Rapture in Chains 34
Laughing Wounds Form 34
Instructive Punishment Method 34
Brand of Obedience 34
Groveling Penitence Prana 35
This document contains fan-made content for Exalted Third Edition. Exalted is © White Wolf Publishing - A Paradox Interactive AB company. All con-
Insatiable Slave Stamina 35
tent in this document has been created non-commercially by fans of Exalted Third Edition and no profit has been made. The document refers to game
Ecstatic Tenacity 35
mechanics found in the Exalted Third Edition corebook. Charms and spells that refer to Charms and spells that exist in prior editions of Exalted have
Ravishing the Unworthy Heart 35
been converted to Third Edition in this document. Though some paragraphs of text may be reproduced in order to cover the original fantasy behind the
Charm or spell, the system mechanics behind the Charm or spell have been altered through the conversion; this document can in no way be used in a way
that negates the need for official White Wolf content. No official Exalted Third Edition content has been published as of the writing of this that cover the
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Necromancy
Few dare whisper of the sorcery of the dead in Creation, for
this ancient and incredible art is feared by all. Tapping into
the wonders and mysteries of the dead, its practitioners are
said to have great power over the ghosts and souls of men,
and that they can render a corpse into a horrifying instru-
ment of their will.
The magic of necromancy is different from the Charms of
the Exalted and even from the art of sorcery which it oth-
erwise bears resemblance to. A Solar Charm is an expres-
sion of the Solar’s own Essence through supreme mastery
of skill. While necromancy involves scavenging the world’s
Essence for its entropic cousin, the necrotic motes of things
dead and power past, shaping this necrosis into expressions
of power which call upon the nature of the Underworld and
shape it to the necromancer’s will.
To work necromancy is to empower oneself with the still
half of all things, to animate the dead Essence of the world
into motion and actions, to thin the barrier between the liv-
ing and the stranger dead, and to fashion impossible, grisly
wonders from the meat and bones of the Underworld.
There are few things more terrifying and dangerous than a
necromancer, who taps into the Essence of life and death
in order to bridge the realm of the living with the realm of
the dead. Though necromancers aren’t inherently evil, their
violent and hated power is known to bring misfortune, and
those who practice these dark arts often have to give up parts
of themselves as they delve deeper into these mysteries.
Spells and Necromantic Workings
Similar to sorcery, the powers of necromancy are divided
into spells and workings. Necromantic workings are often
great necrotic constructs such as siege weapons made of
bones and sinew as well as great patchwork monstrosities.
The Three Circles
Necromancy is divided into three circles of understanding
and power. In the Underworld, ghostly scholars tell of the
Shadowlands Circle, the Labyrinth Circle, and the Void Cir-
cle—for only the greatest and darkest of creatures, born of
the Void may hope to learn those secrets. Realm-trained
sorcerers have puzzled together an account of necromancy
with the aid of the Sijanese, and identify them as the Iron,
Onyx, and Void Circles, though the last only theorized be-
fore the Deathlords made their debut.
A necromancer must begin by mastering the Shadowlands
Circle, then progress into higher circles of understanding.
The Celestial Exalted and some of the greater dead may
master the Labyrinth Circle, but the dread secrets of the
Void Circle elude anyone but the feared Abyssal Exalted.
Becoming a Necromancer
Necromancy is a descent into a kind of enlightenment which
is often alien to the mortal mind. Most necromancers have
an instructor of some kind, whether that is an ancient and
powerful ghost, one of the dread Deathknights or perhaps
even the mad whispers of the Neverborn themselves.
Some small number of necromancers have stumbled upon
the secrets on their own. Perhaps they have followed rituals
that brought them close to death and in doing so gave them
insight into the entropy of the universe. Some may have
mastered ancient relics or awoken forgotten powers since
long sealed away. A rarer few may have sought ancient books
bound in mouldering flesh which scream the secrets of the
art to a worthy mind. All of these experiences are transform-
ative, and with them comes a new perspective on death and
its inhabitants. They see the spirits of ancestors passed and
the faded sun of the Shadowlands with a new sight, glimps-
ing truths hidden inbetween the passage of time.
For the Solar Exalted, this is expressed by learning the Shad-
owlands Circle Necromancy Charm. Other Exalted have
their own equivalents.
Shadowlands Circle Necromancy
Cost: —; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Just as sorcery lets the Exalted shape Creation’s Essence,
necromancy allows them to wield the Essence of the Un-
derworld and death with similar power. Known also as
the Iron Circle, Shadowlands Circle Necromancy requires
a similar unshakable will and untainted perceptions.
Upon learning this Charm, the Exalt gains the ability to
learn and cast spells from the Shadowlands Circle of nec-
romancy. In addition, the Exalt learns one shaping ritual
and one Shadowlands spell for free. The spell selected
becomes the necromancer’s “control spell,” and may fea-
ture in the anima iconography and be referenced in the
mechanics of certain Charms.
3 4
Necrosis and the Shape Necromancy Action
When a necromancer calls up the shades of the dead, an-
imates a monstrosity amalgamated from the flesh of the
dead, or opens a tear in the world to let the dead through,
she is not drawing upon her own Essence. Necromancy ma-
nipulates the very vitality of the world around the necro-
mancer, capturing the energy of entropy and converting the
life of living things into necromantic energy, twisting and
commanding it into patterns that achieve her ends. When
a necromancer casts a spell, the motes that power it are not
drawn from her own Essence pools. Instead, she must take
shape necromancy actions to manipulate the flow of necro-
mantic Essence around her and channel necromantic motes
into the casting of the spell.
Taking a shape necromancy action works identical to tak-
ing a shape sorcery action (see Exalted Third Edition, p.
465). Each success contributes one necromantic mote (one
necrosis) to the casting of the spell. This necrosis is built up
within the necromancer and it is visible upon her body and
within her anima. The more necrosis the necromancer chan-
nels throughout the scene, the stronger these traits become.
• 0 to 10 necrosis have no obvious physical manifes-
tation other than that the necromancer’s skin be-
comes cold to the touch and her breath is visible as
if the temperature has dropped.
• 11 to 20 necrosis seemingly drains the life from the
necromancer, pailing her skin and making her eyes
either dusky and dead, or coruscating in colors asso-
ciated with death. Even her anima pales and shows
ghostly, horrifying manifestations. Her shadow may
act as if alive.
• 21 to 30 necrosis makes the air around the necro-
mancer chilling and those within short range of her
may think they feel death’s embrace. Torches and
candles lose their light. Her deathly traits become
stronger and her ghostly manifestations become
more horrific.
Because of the vast amount of necrosis gathered during a
spell with the “Ritual” cost, they are known as horrific events
that may cause necrosis to seep into the surroundings them-
selves and then linger there as a haunting shadow. It is com-
mon to feel at unease or to experience horrific nightmares
if one has been to an area where a necromantic ritual has
taken place. The more recent the ritual, the more potent the
unease.
• Commitment: Like with sorcerous motes, necrosis is
Additional Spellcasting Rules
• Willpower: The Willpower cost for necromancy spells
work identical to sorcery. However, if the spell has the
Blood Magic keyword associated with it, then the nec-
romancer may forego the Willpower cost and instead in-
Banishing Ghosts
Banishing lesser ghosts is something every necroman-
cer can do. A necromancer of the First Circle can only
banish Essence 1 ghosts, a necromancer of the Second
Circle can banish ghosts up to Essence 3 in strength and
a necromancer of the Third Circle can banish ghosts up
to Essence 5 in strength. No necromancer can banish
Deathlords, unless the Storyteller decides that it’s pos-
sible (such a feat should at least require some extensive
preparation and assisting tools or powers).
To banish a ghost is much like distorting a spell, with
the terminus being equal to the ghost’s (Essence + Tem-
porary Willpower), though with a difficulty equal to the
ghost’s Resolve. The ghost may contest the effect by roll-
ing its own (Essence + Temporary Willpower) against
the necromancer’s Resolve, with each threshold suc-
cess subtracting successes which the necromancer has
gained towards his goal. If the ghost being banished is
also a necromancer, it may choose to substitute its (Es-
sence + Temporary Willpower) roll for an (Intelligence
+ Occult) roll if it is higher in an attempt to use necro-
mancy to root itself to existence.
Should the necromancer win the contest and banish the
ghost, he may inflict one of the following penalties:
• Banish the ghost from Creation to the analo-
gous point in the Underworld. The ghost may
not return to Creation for three days.
• Banish the ghost to her tomb, corpse or place
of death for three days. She may not leave the
confines of her tomb or stray farther than five
yards from her body or place of death.
• Banish the ghost from the character’s presence
for three days. If the necromancer sees the ghost
before the effect ends, the ghost is compelled to
escape the necromancer’s gaze.
vest a level of lethal damage. However, this lethal dam-
age isn’t healed at the spell’s succession. The blood mage
cannot use blood from another to forego this Willpower
cost.
never committed. However, necrosis that aren’t used
successfully linger on the necromancer throughout
the scene. If you cannot concentrate your necrosis into
the release of the spell, it will linger within you for the
scene. This will retain the necrosis effects even though
the actual necromantic motes are unable to be accessed
by the necromancer. Additionally, for every 10 necrosis
that go lost, the necromancer suffers an unsoakable lev-
 el of bashing damage. Necromancy comes at great phys-
ical costs at times. For spells with the Ritual cost, the
necrosis is channeled in ways that usually don’t harm
the necromancer unless specifically stated otherwise in
the spell’s description.
• Control Spells: Just like for sorcerers, all necroman-
cers have at least one control spell. However, unlike for
sorcery, it is often believed that sometimes the spell is
what is controlling the necromancer. While most con-
trol spells give clear benefits, many of them often eat
away at the necromancer’s humanity or soul. A control
spell should in no way impede on the fun of playing a
necromancer. If there’s anything you don’t like, feel free
to change it to better fit your game.
Countermagic
A necromancer can counter the spell of a sorcerer and vice
versa, but in order to attempt such a thing the necroman-
cer or sorcerer needs to be initiated into a circle higher than
the opponent’s respective practice. For example, in order for
a necromancer to counter a sorcerer’s spell, a necromancer
needs to be initiated into the Second Circle of necroman-
cy. The same applies to when the sorcerer tries to counter a
necromantic spell. The only exception to this rule are spells
carrying the Blood Magic keyword. Since those spells bridge
the gap between sorcery and necromancy, a First Circle nec-
romancer can counter the blood magic of a First Circle sor-
cerer and vice versa.
Additionally, a sorcerer countering the spell of a necroman-
cer doesn’t remove the physical effects of the necromancer’s
necrosis. What it does is preventing the necrosis from be-
ing able to manifest a spell. When in reverse, a necromancer
countering the spell of a sorcerer actually imbues necrosis
into the opponent. For every sorcerous mote drained from
the opponent, a necrosis builds up within the sorcerer’s
body, corrupting their Essence and form for a brief moment.
This corruption is simply for show and has no basis in the
game’s mechanics. Forego that detail if you don’t think it fits
with your own game.
Shaping Rituals
As the necromancer gains more knowledge, she begins to
see the truth of necrosis in all things, and her mastery over
the forces of vitality allow her to perceive and draw from new
sources of necromantic Essence to fuel her magic. These are
shaping rituals, a catch-all term for alternate ways in which
a necromancer may gain necrosis. Shaping rituals can be
used to represent a necromancer’s unique path to power—a
bargain with a ghost, a legendary relic, a taboo that must be
kept regarding the grave.
Anointed by Crimson
You have bathed in the Sanguinary Pits of Yelud, where
the spectral hordes rampage down the rivers of the Under-
world to earn the privilege of tasting crimson. Here among
the dead, blood is power, and your blood was purified into
a greater substance. To wield the power in your blood is to
practice a sanguinary art that takes from the living and gives
to the dead, for blood that flows by your command is blood
that you rule.
Shaping Rituals
The Anointed is a blood mage just as much as a necroman-
cer, and the ability to draw power from blood is something
that has tainted the necromancer. For each level of lethal
damage available to any one character within medium range
that is able to bleed (including the necromancer herself),
one additional necrosis is added to the shape necromancy
action. The necromancer cannot gain more than (Essence x
3) necrosis per action through this ritual.
The blood mage dreams of the pits and often tries to relive
the experience. Should the necromancer bathe in the blood
of the living, she will acquire a pool of (Willpower + Essence
+ Size) necrosis, with the minimum number of drained
living being Size 1 and the maximum being Size 5. Should
these living be humans, the blood mage counts her Will-
power twice when creating the pool. This necrosis persists
for (Size) weeks or until used. The blood mage may reflex-
ively draw necrosis from this pool without it adding to her
necrotic traits.
There are no blood mages like those Anointed by Crim-
son, who wields their blood with such poetic precision that
the blood within themselves and others urge to come out.
Whenever the necromancer stunts using a spell carrying the
Blood Magic keyword, he gains a number of necrosis equal
to the stunt rating. Though there is no cap to how much ne-
crosis he can store or how long these may persist, all necrosis
stored using this shaping ritual is reset at the casting of his
next Blood Magic spell.
Other Benefits
Potent Blood (Merit •): While all blood brings a rush of
pleasure to the dead, the necromancer’s is particularly in-
toxicating; a sweet, thick smell that envelops the diseased in
euphoria. As a result, the necromancer is treated as having
a positive Minor Tie to all undead. While this may be useful
in certain negotiations with the undead, it can also serve as
its own drawback. Any time this Merit causes trouble for the
necromancer, such as being singled out by hostile undead,
treat this as a Flaw for the purposes of distributing Solar XP.
Madness of the Labyrinth
The enemies of the gods lie forever dying in the Underworld,
and their prophets hear their whispers. Delving deep into
the bodies of the slain ancients at the heart of the Under-
world, you have been broken by what lay within, and that
madness has exposed you to the secrets of the whispers. You
5 6
have emerged from the cracks of the Underworld’s depths,
wielding the terrible power of Oblivion.
Shaping Rituals
The necromancer’s madness is not a pox upon her mind, but
a blessing, a terrible clarity of the futility of all things, which
gives her strength to execute the will of Oblivion. She may
draw power from her madness once per scene, reflexively
rolling her current Willpower and losing a point for each die
that does not come up a success in order to gain (Willpower
lost x 3) necrosis that last for the duration of the scene or
until spent, whichever comes first.
The whispers of the Labyrinth reveal the truth, that all things
must die, and only once they are given to Oblivion will the
world be wonderful again. With each life extinguished, the
wonder of Oblivion comes closer to fruition. Whenever the
necromancer kills a living creature, she gains necrosis equal
to her (Essence). She may gain one necrosis for every point
of Magnitude damage done to a living battlegroup, repre-
senting individual lives extinguished to harvest their death-
ly Essence. The necromancer may claim this necrosis if un-
dead serving her carry out the act, since her undead servants
are seen as an extension of her own will.
The mind adapts to the madness of the Labyrinth, adopt-
ing esoteric taboo and behaviors which empower the necro-
mancer. She has a Defining Derangement which cannot be
removed or altered. If she works her particular behavior or
madness into the description of a stunt, she gains necrosis
equal to the stunt’s rating. If she is stunting the casting of
her control spell, add two to the bonus. This necrosis lasts
until the next time she sleeps, and can be spent towards
any spell she casts. If the Derangement causes in-character
hardship that would be sufficient to gain Solar XP from the
Flaw, she gains (Essence + Occult) necrosis, which last for
the duration of the story or until spent. After the first time
this bonus is awarded in a story, subsequent awards are low-
ered to the necromancer’s (Essence).
Other benefits
Void-Eaten Soul (Merit ••••): If the necromancer suffers
from a derangement as a result of her exposure to the Laby-
rinth, it is because her soul has been consumed by the Void,
filling her with the emptiness of Oblivion. This steels her
against the things that would dissuade her from her mad-
ness. Any social influence which opposes your derangement
may be treated as unacceptable, and Psyche effects which do
similar may be resisted by expending 1 Willpower.
Mastery of the Dead Universe (Merit •••••): In learning
the secrets of the Labyrinth, the necromancer has learned
how to bend the very stuff of the Underworld to her will.
She doubles 8s on any shape necromancy rolls made in the
Underworld, and can perform necromantic workings with-
out needing to pay experience costs. However, such miracles
crumble to dust at the touch of the sun’s light. If she used a
free working to give herself wings of bone, they would crum-
ble away as soon as she entered Creation, only to reappear
when she returns to the Underworld. A soulsteel palace en-
chanted to fly through the sky on the backs of wailing phan-
toms could do so freely through the lightless skies of the
Underworld, but would fall subject to gravity in Creation.
The Storyteller may retroactively charge the player experi-
ence points for any working that circumvents or cheats this
limitation in play.
From the Rectory of the Maw
To you, necromancy is not merely a power to be wielded, but
an act of devotion. The practice of the black arts is a hymn
to Oblivion, poetics on the beauty of the Void. Those things
that dwell within the Labyrinth are not to be abhorred, but
to be celebrated. The rectors have taught you their hymns
and you have practiced their liturgy. These books of prayer
and devotions to the Neverborn lay out a path of esoteric
power, of self-flagellation, of sacrifice to the end that comes
for all. In giving your fears and weakness to Oblivion, you
have attained enlightened power over the dead. You under-
stand that the only thing in life with any certainty is Obliv-
ion, and you will spread that message, one ritual at a time.
Shaping Rituals
The necromancer creates an ecstatic bond between her
prayers to Oblivion and her necromantic spells, gaining
(Performance) necrosis towards a spell once per scene after
using prayer or another grand performance to inspire an au-
dience with feelings of nihilism or devotion to the Never-
born.
The adoration of the Neverborn among the flock gives
strength to its shepherds. Whenever the necromancer takes
a shape necromancy action within medium range of a char-
acter with a Tie of devotion to the Neverborn, she may reap
additional necrosis equal to that Intimacy’s value (1 for Mi-
nor, 2 for Major and 3 for Defining). Intimacies can only be
tapped in this fashion once per day. Normally she may only
drain one Intimacy to fuel the casting of a spell, but she may
draw power from any available Intimacies when casting her
control spell. She cannot draw more than ten necrosis per
scene with this ritual.
When the necromancer’s followers give themselves to Obliv-
ion, there is a sublime power in their passing, a final exha-
lation of power that can be seized. When the necromancer
offers a mortal up to the Neverborn in sacrifice and kills him,
the necromancer may choose to catch his spirit as it flees his
body, and offer it up in effigy to the Neverborn. She may do
so as a miscellaneous action once per scene, rolling (Essence
+ Willpower) and gaining that much necrosis. She retains
this necrosis until the end of the scene, and may spend it
towards any spells she casts. Additionally, a captured soul
may be reflexively expended in place of a point of Willpower
when paying the cost of the necromancer’s control spell. She
cannot have more than (Essence + Occult) souls bound to
her at one time.
Other Benefits
Procession of Oblivion (Merit ••••): The presence of a cult
to the Neverborn invigorates the act of casting like few other
things. The presence of at least a Size 1 group of worshippers
of the Neverborn invigorates the act of casting, granting one
automatic non-Charm success to spell effects such as the at-
tack roll for Shattering Void Mirror.
Schooling of the Maze (Sijanese Initiation)
As in life, so in death. The secrets of necromancy must be
unraveled by the work of a dedicated and brilliant mind.
You have studied black texts, uncovered strange objects and
spoken with ancient ghosts. Through careful analysis, you
have learned to discern the dead Essence of the world, and
through determination, you have learned to move it at your
command. Some say that a mind cannot survive contact with
the power of Oblivion. You understand that this is only part
of the truth. A necromancer’s mind survives, albeit changed.
All of your training helps to remind you when those whis-
pers touch your dreams that it is you who control this power;
it does not control you. That is what you tell yourself.
Shaping Rituals
7 8
The necromancer has engaged in a long study of the art of
necromancy to attain her power, and she may draw strength
from researching the many texts she gained along the way.
Once per story, she may perform necromantic research and
then roll (Intelligence + Lore), gaining necrosis equal to the
successes that last for that story’s duration or until used. Ac-
cess to a library or a mentor adds one to two bonus dice to
this roll. This effect is reset should the necromancer uncover
some kind of new necromantic lore that changes the way she
views her art, such as discovering a forgotten spell or uncov-
ering a necromantic working.
The necromancer may prepare a corpse, dead or undead to
swell with necromantic Essence, acting as a battery of sorts.
The necromancer must prepare the corpse with careful ritu-
al and supplies. Preparing the corpse is a difficulty 2 (Intel-
ligence + Medicine) roll that takes a few hours. Difficulty
may be increased by lacking the infrastructure or resourc-
es to prepare it properly. Preparing multiple corpses in this
fashion may increase the difficulty by an additional 2, but
she can prepare many corpses or even a battlegroup with
the necromantic energy she needs. The necromancer may
reflexively draw the necromantic energy from a single corpse
at a time and gains her (Essence + 1) in necrosis from a sin-
gle corpse. She may tap every prepared corpse for necrosis
once in a scene. For a group of corpses she may tap their
Essence a number of times equal to Size, but gains (Essence
+ 3) necrosis each time. These motes last for the duration of
the scene, and can be spent towards any spell she casts. As
she is the one who prepared the corpses, only she is attuned
to their necromantic Essence, and only she may draw power
from them. The corpses maintain their necrosis-collecting
capacity for about a week. The necromancer may prepare
particular corpses that permanently retain their efficacy, but
provide necrosis that can only be spent casting her control
spell, and can only be tapped a number of times equal to her
(Medicine) in a scene.
If the necromancer is in the process of creating a necro-
mantic working, each time she rolls towards the working’s
completion, she acquires necrosis equal to the threshold
successes over the difficulty of those rolls. This necrosis may
be reflexively drawn when needed. Should the necromancer
complete the working with necrosis from its creation still
built up and left unused, she may use that necrosis to draw
upon a spell with a necrosis cost equal to or lower than the
current built up necrosis. This spell should be one the nec-
romancer doesn’t already know but that associate in some
way with the created working. The spell may be learned re-
flexively and without training time should the necromancer
want to pay the required experience cost for it. Should the
necromancer not want to pay this experience cost, she may
use the spell for free for the remainder of the current story,
and afterwards it will go forgotten.
Other Benefits
Empathy for the Grieving (Merit •••): The necromancer
has studied those grieving at their loved ones’ graves. He has
learned what makes them hopeful and what is needed for
them to rest. Similarly, he has learned how to ease the suffer-
ing of the roaming souls. This Merit gives the necromancer
one additional non-Charm die on rolls to comfort the griev-
ing, or to soothe a fearful ghost.
Taint of the Everliving
The Prophet Everliving was a sage driven to necromancy
through his obsession to bring his dead daughter back to
life. He brought back something very different to his daugh-
ter—a creature that could never truly die. Feeling bonded
to this creature, the necromancer traveled the world to seek
out the path towards his own immortality. He found his
fountain of youth in a pact with the Ebon Dragon, an enemy
of the gods, who separated his soul from his body and bound
him to a box and a scepter from the darkest obsidian mined
from the depths of Hell. You have been tainted by the Proph-
et Everliving, perhaps as a wielder of his scepter or perhaps
as a victim to one of his perverse rituals. This dark taint has
lingered within you and awakened the power to tame death.
Perhaps it could even lead you to an everlasting existence as
a new Prophet Everliving.
Shaping Rituals
Just as the Prophet Everliving was given his powers by the
Shadow of All Things, the necromancer draws power from
shadows. Whenever she begins a scene in darkness or shad-
ow heavy enough to qualify as concealment for attempting
stealth, she immediately gains five necrosis, which lasts un-
til the end of the scene and can be spent towards any spells
she casts. However, when under direct sunlight, she won’t
benefit from double 10s on her shape necromancy action.
The necromancer communes with forces long forgotten, al-
lowing their voices to enter his dreams. Instead of getting a
full night’s rest, he may choose to ignore rest for a night and
instead embrace the nightmares from that night. Once that
following day, he may channel this embraced nightmare into
her necrosis, rolling (Essence + Temporary Willpower) with
double 8s and gain that much necrosis.
The necromancer uses, abuses and corrupts those around
him, and he brings misfortune with him wherever he goes.
Whenever the necromancer erodes a positive Intimacy, he
acquires a number of necrosis determined by the intensity
of the Intimacy prior to its erosion: (Essence + 5) for De-
fining, (Essence + 3) for Major and (Essence + 1) for Minor.
If this necrosis is used to successfully manifest a spell that
scene, the necromancer replenishes (Intensity) Willpower,
but the eroded Intimacy cannot be restored for the remain-
der of the story.
Other benefits
The Eye of Darkness: The taint of the Prophet Everliving
has branded the necromancer by infesting one of his eyes.
As the necromancer initiates into the Second Circle, the oth-
er eye is branded. Should he initiate into the Third Circle,
a third eye will appear on his forehead. These eyes have no
immediate effect other than acting as additional necrosis
brands while the necromancer shapes his spells—at least so
is believed. The truth is that the Shadow of All Things watch
through the Eye of Darkness, peering more clearly into Cre-
ation with each awakened eye. Should the necromancer be
Exalted, he may purchase the Eye of Darkness as an Artifact
Merit. This will give the necromancer free control over the
Eye of Darkness, allowing him to access it without necrosis,
and also letting him unlock Evocations from the eye. These
Evocations may help him to manipulate shadows and night-
mares, or master over blood and ghosts. The Eye of Darkness
has no connection to a magical material and its resonance is
determined through the necromancer’s initiation. At Shad-
owlands Circle, the necromancer suffers the Dissonant Key-
word. At Labyrinth Circle, he bears no limitation. Finally at
Void Circle, he may draw forth Resonant Evocations.
The Black Feast
Once, it is said, the nature of death was not so mysterious,
and there lived those who walked black gardens and slept
beneath pools of blood to learn its secrets. But death hides
itself within the shadow of life, and life is bound inextricably
into the bone and blood and breath of things, impossible to
study in the necessary manner. So the ancients devised cer-
tain rites to access this knowledge directly: by devouring it.
It is an unwholesome and unsettling path, but partakers of
the Black Feast inevitably find that the first secret they learn
awakens a strange appetite for more that is both hunger and
thirst, and by giving themselves to the grip of this unnatural
urge they may escape the limits of their own reservations.
Shaping Rituals
The necromancer may reflect intensely on his newfound
appetite, turning it inward, gnawing a pathway in his soul
through which the black strength of necromancy is easily
drawn. This gnawing inflicts a point of aggravated damage
that cannot be mitigated or ameliorated by any magical
means, representing a deliberate consumption of the Self.
The necromancer thenceforth has access to a pool of (Will-
power + Essence) necrosis, from which up to (Essence + 2)
necrosis can be drawn each turn as a reflexive action; these
points of necrosis are counted double when casting the nec-
romancer’s control spell. The pool is replenished each night
at midnight, but dissipates instantly if the damage is down-
graded or healed.
The necromancer finds meaning in the hearts of others. By
eating a part of a human, such as an organ or a pound of
flesh, he devours part of the human’s soul. He gains an In-
timacy the human had in life, but at one level of intensity
lower than its original intensity. Whenever the necromancer
takes an action that correlates to that Intimacy in a way ei-
ther positively or negatively, he gains (Essence + Intensity)
necrosis. He can consume from up to (Essence) humans a
day and he may only tap into those Intimacies once a scene.
The Intimacies will drift away into memories as he rests, and
be completely eroded the next day.
The necromancer has an insatiable hunger that drives his
actions and erodes at his soul. In order to learn this shaping
ritual, the necromancer must have a Major or Defining Tie
of obsession towards something. It could be an addiction, a
vice, a loved one or a hated enemy. After each day the nec-
romancer has spent driven by his obsession, his player rolls
(Temporary Willpower) and gains as many necrosis—this
necrosis immediately manifests upon the necromancer. The
necromancer is capable of keeping up to (Essence + Will-
power + Integrity) necrosis at the time. This pool resets
after the necromancer has spent (Integrity) days without
reinforcing his obsession. When it resets that way, the nec-
romancer takes a number of bashing damage equal to the
unspent necrosis.
Other benefits
Vicious Hungry Soul (Merit ••••): Within every human is
a soul waiting to die. The soul of the necromancer is con-
9 10
stantly at rest. Once per day, the necromancer may provide sents a strong emotional tie or belief pertaining to the An- Haunted Heirloom (Artifact Merit •••): The necromancer
a feast for himself in order to satisfy the cravings of his soul. cestors, she may instead claim 5 necrosis. These motes last bears an heirloom passed down from his own ancestors. This
Doing so brings pleasure, and pleasure brings rejuvenation. until the next sunrise, and can be spent towards any spell small object bears with it the will of his ancestors, their ag-
The necromancer regains one additional Willpower from she casts. Additionally, she may shed a level of intensity from gravations, and the state of their rest. The heirloom works
rest that night. However, should the necromancer fail to sat- such an Intimacy to burn it as an offering to the Ancestors, as an altar guiding the necromancer’s prayers to the ears of
isfy the cravings of his soul, the soul becomes angry and his putting it towards a spell she is shaping and adding necrosis his ancestors. Any prayer rolls directed at his ancestors ben-
ghost becomes hungry. He spends a Willpower that night equal to the (original) intensity of the Intimacy. She cannot efit from double 8s. In addition, the necromancer feels that
instead of regaining one. Should this bring him down to tap an Intimacy more than once per day this way. Such Inti- his ancestors are always with him. Once per day, he can feel
zero Willpower, his desperate soul will leave his body for the macies are often restored with many nights of contemplative their approval or their disapproval based on an action he has
night to feed on the flesh of a living. First when it is well-fed prayer—or sometimes not at all. taken that day. This information is given to the player by the
can it return, and then the necromancer will wake up re- Storyteller. If he has his ancestors’ approval, the necroman-
freshed, with all of his Willpower replenished. Other Benefits cer replenishes another point of Willpower for that night’s
rest. If he has their disapproval, he regains no Willpower at
The Imbuement of Ancestors all that night.
You have learned 10,000 efficacious ways to make offerings
and prayers to those ancient ghosts, the Ancestors. They
are the ones who watch over families and old shrines, the
ones who repay respect with good fortune and guidance. Or
at the very least, you have learned to pretend such respect.
Through dedication and interaction, the ancestors have
taught you secrets that reside in their very spectral Essence,
to reach out and touch the dead, to lead them with power
that few among them command. Empowered between life
and death, your power can be a mediator, bringing balance
among them, or a ferryman, speeding others on the path to
glorious ancestry.
Shaping Rituals
The necromancer knows the holiest of rituals to offer goods
to the ancestors, burning grave offerings so that they may
enjoy the plenty of the living in the land of the dead. The
necromancer may make a prayer roll (Charisma + Perfor-
mance, difficulty 5 minus the Resources value of any sacri-
fices offered along with the prayer) seeking power from the
ancestors. Success pleases the ancestors, and they grant her
necrosis equal to (her Essence + extra successes on the roll).
This necrosis lasts for the duration of the story, and can be
spent towards any spell she casts. She cannot pray for power
more than once a night, and receiving new motes replaces
any granted by past prayers.
The night is a time for contemplation and communion with
the Ancestors; it brings peace and shadows. The necro-
mancer may draw power from the night, weaving it into her
spells—at night, or in a shrine of devotion to the Ancestors,
she gains three necrosis which last until the end of the scene
and can be spent towards any spells she casts. Additionally,
whenever she takes a shape necromancy action to shape a
spell while in or near a shrine at up to short range, she gains
an additional necrosis as long as an Ancestor watches over
the scene.
It is the power of emotions which helps bind us to our An-
cestors, and the necromancer knows how to call upon those
bonds to grant her strength. Whenever she would gain a
point of Willpower from upholding an Intimacy that repre-
Shadowlands Circle Spells
Armor of Blood and Bone
Cost: 1n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
The Harvesters of Haz Al’hin are one of the First and Forsak-
en Lion’s most feared vanguards. It is said among the nomad
warriors of the Bloodsand Sultanate that a warrior fighting
the dead should bring a vial of liquid fire—to be able to dis-
pose of your own body when faced against the Harvesters
of Haz Al’hin. The reason for that rumor is their ability to
harvest strength from the corpses of the slain.
The Armor of Blood and Bone is a necrotic armor favored by
necromancers who often deal with corpses, either through
undertaking or through murder. In order to activate this
spell, the necromancer must be within short range from a
corpse. It doesn’t need to be a human corpse, but it cannot
be smaller than the size of a toddler. Neither can it be too
decayed. As the spell is being shaped, blood, bone and sin-
ew are ripped from the corpse and forms an armor around
the necromancer’s body. The armor can emulate any type of
light or medium artifact armor.
If the necromancer has Armor of Blood and Bone as his con-
trol spell, he can also emulate heavy armor (but the corpse
must be at least the size of an adult human for there to be
enough material for a heavy armor). If he is capable of using
Essence, he may learn Evocations for it. If the necromancer
has Blade of Blood and Bone as his control spell, then this
one also becomes his control spell.
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting the Armor of
Blood and Bone makes the bone weak and the sinew loose.
The armor’s soak is reduced by the enemy necromancer’s
Essence and its mobility penalty is increased by half that,
rounded up. The penalties last for the remainder of the
scene or until the necromancer takes an action to stabilize
the armor by drawing at least one necrosis.
Assassin’s Fatal Touch
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: Blood Magic, Decisive-only, Perilous
Duration: One year or until released
The blood mage renders her touch deadly to one selected
victim. To cast this spell, the blood mage must first make
skin contact with either her intended victim or some small
object the victim touched at some point within a year, such
as an article of clothing or jewelry. Shaping the spell requires
an hour-long ritual that involves drinking either blood or
poison and focusing the spell’s Essence through this blood
or poison.
11
New Keywords
Blood Magic: Spells carrying this keyword overlaps
sorcery and necromancy. Sorcerers can learn the
spell and activate it with sorcerous motes instead of
necrosis. Blood Magic spells aren’t necessarily blood-
themed, though that is common. If spells are close
enough to sorcery to be able to be bridged, they carry
the Blood Magic keyword even if blood isn’t part of
the theme of the spell. The Willpower cost for activat-
ing spells with this keyword may be substituted for
levels of lethal damage.
The blood mage thereafter must touch her victim within a
year’s time. If rolled into combat, this spell is released in
supplement to a decisive attack against the intended vic-
tim, treating Initiative as 5 higher for the purpose of the at-
tack. This Initiative is a false Initiative and cannot be used to
help the blood mage out of Initiative Crash. The attack itself
will dose the victim with a poison that causes the victim’s
chakras to give out, eventually stopping their heart. The ven-
om has the following traits: 3i/round (L in Crash), 5 rounds,
-2. This is a necrotic venom, and effects that resist venoms
must explicitly resist supernatural venoms as well in order to
defend against this spell.
If this spell is used outside of combat, the Storyteller may
ask the blood mage for a Medicine or a Larceny roll to apply
the venom to the target. Diagnosing a victim of Assassin’s
Fatal Touch calls for a (Perception + Medicine) roll, but with
an added difficulty of the blood mage’s Essence.
A blood mage who knows Assassin’s Fatal Touch as her
control spell does not need to prepare her spell by having
prior contact with the intended victim. She may prepare
the spell without an intended victim and release it when-
ever she wishes to. However, the assassin’s blood becomes
forever poisonous. Should anyone come into direct contact
with the assassin’s blood, they will suffer the effects of the
necrotic venom. The blood mage herself is immune to her
own venom, but she may be targeted by other blood mages
who know this spell.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): It’s very rare for a blood
mage using this spell to experience having it distorted. It’s
not a spell that’s easily identified since you cannot see upon
the blood mage when it is lingering within her chakras.
Should a contesting necromancer or sorcerer know that As-
sassin’s Fatal Touch is in use, he may attempt to distort it
before it’s being released into the victim. Distorting the spell
causes the sorcerer to be affected by the venom as if she has
been hit by a single dose. The immunity gained from having
this spell as a control spell bears no extra tolerance against
the distortion effect.
Black Candle Visage
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One project
The necromancer spills drops of blood from both hands, and
her Essence spins it into a cat’s cradle of crimson strands.
Pulling and tugging at any ghost in line of sight, the charac-
ter shapes her target’s corpus like an artist shapes wax. Al-
terations require a (Dexterity + Relevant Craft) roll. Fitting
Craft Abilities are Moliation, Chandlery or Pottery and the
task is a project that awards crafting points as any other craft.
The character can only target ghosts with Essence 1 if she
only knows the First Circle of necromancy. If she knows the
Second Circle, she may target ghosts up to Essence 3. If she
knows the Third Circle, she may target ghosts up to Essence
5. She cannot use this spell to alter Deathlords. A necroman-
cer can target stronger ghosts than she’s otherwise capable
of molding only if they are willing to be altered.
Using this spell on a ghost allows the necromancer to make
alterations to the ghost as Simple Projects up to Merit rating
1, as Major Projects up to Merit Rating 2 to 3, or as Superior
Projects up to Merit Rating 4 to 5. Apart from the ghost it-
self, the materials required depend on the trait being mod-
ified. For example, crafting a spine tail onto a ghost servant
is a simple project, while making it prehensile would take
much more effort and resources.
This spell can be used together with Craft Charms to en-
hance the action.
Blade of Blood and Bone
Cost: 1n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
The Harvesters of Haz Al’hin are one of the First and Forsak-
en Lion’s most feared vanguards. It is said among the nomad
warriors of the Bloodsand Sultanate that a warrior fighting
the dead should bring a vial of liquid fire—to be able to dis-
pose of your own body when faced against the Harvesters
of Haz Al’hin. The reason for that rumor is their ability to
harvest strength from the corpses of the slain.
The Blade of Blood and Bone is a lethal weapon favored by
necromancers whom often deal with corpses, either through
undertaking or through murder. In order to activate this
12
spell, the necromancer must be within short range from a
corpse. It doesn’t need to be a human corpse, but it cannot
be smaller than the size of a toddler. Neither can it be too
decayed. As the spell is being shaped, blood, bone and sin-
ew are ripped from the corpse and forms a weapon in the
necromancer’s hand. The weapon can emulate any type of
light or medium Melee or Martial Arts weapon. It counts as
an artifact weapon.
If the necromancer has Blade of Blood and Bone as his con-
trol spell, he can also emulate heavy weapons. If he is capa-
ble of using Essence, he may learn Evocations for the weap-
on. If the necromancer has Armor of Blood and Bone as his
control spell, then this one also becomes his control spell.
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting the Blade of
Blood and Bone makes the bone weak and the sinew loose.
Attacks with the weapon suffer a penalty equal to the Es-
sence of the enemy necromancer for the remainder of the
scene or until the character takes an action to stabilize the
weapon by drawing at least one necrosis.
Black CandleVisageand Necromantic Workings
Black Candle Visage is a spell that lets the necroman-
cer mold ghosts as if they were wax. Though necro-
mancers have some powers over ghosts, ghosts are in
general the everyday citizens of the Underworld. Just
like how you cannot simply “mold” an individual from
Creation, it’s not possible to alter ghosts in this fash-
ion through any mundane means.
A necromantic working will let you take a ghost and
forever bind it or convert it to some esoteric effect. A
powerful one could have mutative effects on ghosts
within the effects of the working. Though there are
many things a necromantic working can do with a
ghost, the actions supplemented by the Black Candle
Visage ritual are mundane craft actions allowing the
necromancer to physically mold his ghost subjects.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, this spell can be used
to supplement necromantic workings as well in order
to modify more extreme beings than the spell would
otherwise allow.
Bless the Rapine Soul
Cost: 15n, 2wp
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant

Ghosts who enjoy possessing the bodies of the living love
necromancers with this spell. Some even offer favors or
long-term service in exchange for a single casting. Bless the
Rapine Soul scourges a living target’s soul, making the victim
more likely to submit to another will driving his body. The
necromancer makes a Persuade action against the target to
let someone into his soul (the necromancer must be truth-
ful in her persuasion, but she can attempt to mislead the
target by omitting important information—only the main
question must be truthful: “Do you welcome someone into
your soul?”). Should the roll for the social influence exceed
the target’s Resolve, the spell takes root even if the target
shakes off the influence through Decision Point. The idea is
lingering even in the unwilling, and when night comes, their
souls call out for a ghost.
Should the spell have taken root but the target remains un-
willing, the ghost must wait for the victim to sleep before
it can attempt to possess him. The ghost’s player then rolls
(Charisma + Integrity) against the sleeping victim’s Resolve,
adding a number of automatic successes equal to the nec-
romancer’s Essence. This roll is made even against targets
being willingly possessed, but against Resolve 0, in order to
determine the duration of the possession. Should the ghost
fail to overcome the victim’s Resolve, it may try again the fol-
lowing night. Only after having failed to possess the victim
for a full month does the spell’s effects fade.
Should the ghost successfully possess the victim, it may lin-
ger within that body for (threshold successes) days, or at least
one night. If the ghost remains dormant during the days and
then only controls its victim when he sleeps, the duration
it may possess the victim is doubled. A spirit controlling
someone uses its host’s physical traits but its own mental
and social traits (with the exception of Appearance-based
social actions).
Though necromancers most of the time use this spell with
ghosts in mind, it may also be used together with gods or
demons. Though gods are often less prone to use the help of
a necromancer to take possession of a human, demons are
more often than not intrigued by the idea.
If the necromancer has Bless the Rapine Soul as her control
spell, she may spend one hour with the possessed victim in
order to forge a stronger bond between the victim and his
host. After this bond has been forged, the ghost gains the
benefits of Bless the Rapine Soul automatically any time it
would want to revisit the victim in the future to attempt to
possess him another time. The necromancer has the power
to, at any time, break this bond between the ghost and the
victim. Should the necromancer die, the bond will break au-
tomatically. Necromancers capable of forging this bond calls
the act of doing so “Consorting with Devils.” Additionally,
whenever a victim dies while being possessed by a ghost, the
victim’s shade haunts the necromancer for a night, render-
13
ing her incapable of benefiting from rest for that night.
Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting Bless the Rapine
Soul does not evict the possessing ghost, but it gives control
back to the host for a number of minutes equal to the con-
testing necromancer’s Essence. Though distorting the spell
doesn’t break it, it forces the ghost’s hand and reduces a day
from the duration of the possession. The necromancer can
only attempt to distort this spell once a day during the time
the ghost is in control.
Blessed Dead Fools
Cost: Ritual, 2wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One Performance
Just as twilight becomes night, the necromancer spends up
to an hour singing a small pavilion and flag of pale blue flame
into existence around her. Whether the ritual takes place in
Creation or the Underworld, any ghost in either realm with-
in leagues of the ritual is aware of its presence and many are
drawn to it as moths to flame.
Any ghost who steps into the tent’s location, whether in Cre-
ation or in the Underworld, appears before the necromancer
and understands the bargain: The spell increases a willing
ghost’s Performance by an amount equal to the necroman-
cer’s Essence, up to a maximum of 5. As payment for this
blessing, the ghost must appear and perform at a certain
place and time. Ghosts who accept are bound not to speak
of the event they partake in or anything they learn there.
When the sixth ghost agrees to the deal, the event begins, or
night becomes dawn, whichever comes first, the blue-flame
pavilion gutters out.
Even with the bindings, the ghost gets a bargain. Master
necromancers’ parties are grandiose affairs, and a ghost can
meet prominent mask makers and dreamstone merchants.
Additionally, the music a ghost plays at the party is as real
and vivid as anything the ghost heard while alive—the dead
could even find such a rare sensation addictive.
A necromancer with Blessed Dead Fools as his control spell
is granted an automatic non-Charm success if he himself
performs on an event hosting his ghostly fools. He may also
apply a simplified version of this ritual as a spell costing 10
necrosis where he’s making the bargain with a single ghost
as a social influence action. However, once a season under
a blood moon, the necromancer becomes the blessed fool,
being unable to gain rest for a night as he must dance uncon-
trollably from dusk till dawn. Most necromancers feel this
night coming and prepare a location of solitude for it, so that
their performance can be left undisturbed.
Blood Lash
Cost: 5n, 1wp
Keywords: Blood Magic
Duration: One scene
Most blood mages consider the Blood Lash a weapon of
last resort, for the spell can be cast only if the mage bears a
bleeding wound—at least one unbound, unhealed level of
lethal damage. The character may wound himself if he must.
Blood from the mage’s wounds surges outward, forming a
lash of blood. The whip counts as a medium artifact weapon
with the following tags: Bashing, Martial Arts, Disarming,
Flexible, Grappling and Reaching.
In addition, characters with an Essence pool gain access to
the following powers while this spell is active:
Hateful Torture (5m; Reflexive; Instant, Decisive-only):
When the blood mage makes a decisive attack against an
enemy, the lash creates tiny claws that rend flesh from the
victim, adding one automatic success to the damage roll and
treats the target’s wound penalties as one higher than they
are until the wound is treated. Multiple uses of this power
may stack the wound penalty increase to become a maxi-
mum of the mage’s Essence.
Bleeding Artery Transformation (3m; Reflexive; Instant):
Warping and twisting the lash, the blood mage may grant it
the tag of his choice for the rest of the scene. Only one tag
can be granted by this power at the time.
If the blood mage has Blood Lash as his control spell, he may
use the wounds of a bleeding foe or ally within close range as
reagents for his spell. If he is an Essence-wielder, he may also
learn Evocations for his Blood Lash.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting the Blood Lash
makes the blood mage lose control as blood sprays out of his
wounds. This forces a level of lethal damage from the mage.
The contesting blood mage may control the lash for one ac-
tion before control returns to the original wielder. He may
not use that action to end the spell.
Blood Mirror Speech
Cost: 5n, 2wp
Keywords: Blood Magic
Duration: Instant
Mirrors carry a great deal of metaphor that the Exalted can
use in their powerful magic. The necromancer cuts his hand
and flings his blood (or plasm) at the mirror with a short
message in mind. Someone else’s blood works just as well.
His efflux and Essence spell out the message for a moment
before the mirror absorbs it.
The next time the spell’s target glances in a mirror, the mes-
sage forms there to be read. Once understood, the liquid
words loose cohesion and flow down the mirror’s surface. If
the target desires, she may cut herself and use her own vital
substance to write a response, which the caster will see when
14
he next visits a mirror. Sadly, targets without some manner
of inner vital fluid cannot take advantage of this aspect of
the spell.
A necromancer who knows Blood Mirror Speech as his con-
trol spell may pay an additional point of Willpower to project
his senses through the mirror while delivering the missive.
He may also project Linguistics Charms as long as they can
be used on messages no longer than a sentence. The necro-
mancer must still wait until the target glances in a mirror
before this interaction takes effect, but it does not inhibit
his awareness or actions in his own place of existence. When
projecting his senses through the mirror, a target needs not
bleed upon the mirror to answer him. Simply talking into
the mirror will be enough for the necromancer to hear the
reply, though the response can be no longer than five min-
utes in length. The necromancer cannot have a conversation
through the mirror. He can only see through it as he’s receiv-
ing his response.
Having this spell as his control will also cause mirrors to
bleed sporadically in the necromancer’s presence whenever
he is feeling strong negative emotions. Others in the pres-
ence of the necromancer may see blood dripping from the
edges when they see the necromancer’s reflection in that
mirror (the necromancer doesn’t need to feel strong nega-
tive emotions for this effect to take place). This blood is an
illusion and cannot be used as the blood required for the
spell itself.
Bone Puppet Dance
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
The necromancer targets an enemy up to medium range
and rolls (Charisma + Occult), but against the target’s Re-
solve and not Defense. If successful, the skeleton attempts
to move as the caster wills for a number of rounds equal to
(3 + the threshold successes on the roll). The skeleton acts
with either its normal dice pools or those of its normal fleshy
owner should it successfully perform an action without its
host resisting it.
This animated skeleton shares the Initiative of its host as
long as it remains within her body. On each of the target’s
actions, the necromancer determines an action for the skel-
eton. If this action goes against the action of the host, the
host must roll (Strength or Stamina + Athletics or Resist-
ance) against difficulty 3, or suffer three dice of Initiative
damage. A successful roll means that the host overcomes
the skeleton for a round, being able to take an action like
normal. A failed roll means that the host may still perform
her action, but at a -3 penalty. A botched roll means that the
host cannot resist at all, and the skeleton performs its action.
Should the target be in Initiative Crash, the damage for fail-
ing the roll becomes lethal.

Skeletons that kill their contravening hosts claw their way
free of the body and become permanent walking dead under
the caster’s control. Similary, casting this spell on an existing
skeleton raises it as a permanent zombie. Targeting a skel-
eton that is already an active walking dead rips its control
from its current master.
A character who knows Bone Puppet Dance as his control
spell may increase the penalty induced by the skeleton to
four, as well as the damage to four dice. In addition, when-
ever the necromancer experiences strong, uncontrollable
emotions, such as anger or sadness, parts of his own skeleton
may uncontrollably distort his limbs into twisted positions
reminiscent of a marionette doll. This lets the necromancer
experience the penalty to physical actions for one dramatic
moment, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Distortion (Goal Number: 8): Distorting Bone Puppet
Dance allows a contesting necromancer to take control of
a skeleton affected by this spell (or give control back to the
skeleton’s owner).
Bonfire Visions
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Three hours
Bones of creatures that once lived are rare finds in the Un-
derworld, but this spell requires one. The necromancer
draws up a spiral on the ground and casts the bone in the
spiral’s center. A large, blue bonfire that burns for three
hours appears from the spiral, and the fire burns brightly for
a thing of the dreary Underworld. It is visible for miles, and
its vibrant glow attracts ghosts. Ghosts who peer into the fire
can see their Fetters with perfect clarity. Ghosts are often
willing to pay a necromancer for such a chance to check on
the status of their Fetters.
Should this ritual be done in Creation, those who still mourn
their deceased loved ones may peer into this blue flame and
see the shade of the ones they’ve lost. The sad blue flames
show them the ghost of their loved one as he is right that
very moment, or as the necromancer wants him to appear to
be. Sometimes deceit is necessary to soothe the mourning
heart.
Necromancers who know or have studied this spell have
names for what the bonfire reveals: blood visions show the
watchers what they expect to see, silver visions show them
what they want to see, and ivory visions show the truth. The
necromancer must decide in advance which vision to reveal
through the bonfire and use the associated reagent together
with the bone.
A necromancer with Bonfire Visions as his control spell may
initiate an interaction between the ghost and the living. He
15
may also use this ritual for his own sake, to communicate
with positive Ties of Major or stronger intensity on the other
side. He may use the reagents to fool his own senses if he
dares not see the truth.
Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting Bonfire Visions
removes all deceit hidden in the flames. For ten minutes,
those who peer into the flames sees the truth for what it ac-
tually is and not for what it appears to be. The bonfire can
only show the ivory vision throughout the distortion. If it’s
already showing the ivory vision—or if the contesting necro-
mancer distorts it again during the ten minutes that it does
after his initial distortion—the connection will break for ten
minutes, or until the necromancer takes a miscellaneous ac-
tion to throw new reagents into the flame.
Call Ghost
Cost: Ritual, 2wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Late at night, the necromancer traces a circle upon the
ground. After a three hour long ritual in which she pours
blood upon black earth and whispers the hidden names
of the Neverborn, masters of the Labyrinth, she may bring
forth a lesser dead ghost of up to Essence 3 from the Under-
world. The ghost arrives through a portal of yawning red-
black shadow and smoke, which smells faintly of a river and
smells faintly of death.
Ghosts summoned by this spell must be bound with an (In-
telligence + Occult) roll against their Resolve. The necro-
mancer may choose to make the ghost as her personal slave
for a year and a day, giving it a Defining Tie of loyalty to her
that cannot be weakened or altered by any means and setting
its Resolve to 0 against any influence rolls she makes. Alter-
natively, she may assign it to complete a specific task. Task-
bound ghosts form a Defining Principle of “I must complete
my task,” which is similarly impervious to tampering.
On a failed binding roll, the necromancer is unable to bind
the ghost, and must make a (Wits + Occult) roll against a
difficulty of the ghost’s current Willpower to banish it back
to the Underworld. If she fails, then the ghost is unleashed,
unbound, into Creation, free from the Underworld and free
from her summoner’s will. This spell may only be cast once
per night.
Corrupted Words
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: Blood Magic, Psyche
Duration: Indefinite
The necromancer speaks words that bind the tongue—she
evokes a seething, bilious mass of green Essence between
her hands and casts it down the throat of a victim at short
range, where it dissolves into a ward that censors that charac-
ter’s mind. As she does, she forbids the victim
from speaking of a single subject, which may
be as specific as “The letters I secretly send to
the All-Seeing Eye at the end of every month”
or as broad as “The existence of Sidereal Ex-
alted.” It is impossible to defend against this
curse barring magic that can perfectly dodge
or parry uncountable damage such as Heav-
enly Guardian Defense, but the necromancer
must roll (Intelligence + Occult) against the
victim’s Resolve to successfully bind his will.
A cursed character feels waves of nausea if he
even thinks of trying to communicate any-
thing about the topic. If he tries to do so de-
spite this warning, he becomes overwhelmed
with wracking pain and begins vomiting up
dozens of fat, white maggots, rendering that
action or any other impossible for at least a
turn. This applies to all forms of communi-
cation—speaking, writing, telepathy, or any
desperate signals the victim tries to use to
circumvent the restriction of this curse—and
persists until the cursed character ceases try-
ing to violate the ban. This spell may be ended
by the necromancer’s death or may be will-
ingly released, as the necromancer reaches a
hand down the victim’s mouth and recites the
last word of this spell backwards to extract a
slimy egg-sac full of squirming larvae that is
the physical embodiment of this curse.
A necromancer who knows Corrupted Words
as her control spell may cast it with no obvi-
ous display of magical intervention other than
a faint flash of green in her eyes, leaving her
victim uncertain as to the affliction’s source.
Additionally, as the necromancer controls this
spell, this spell also controls the necromancer.
The necromancer’s player should together
with the Storyteller pick a subject that the
necromancer himself is incapable of talking
about. However, unlike the necromancer’s
victims, his own tongue will never be released
from the grasp of this spell.
Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting
this curse makes it possible for the victim to
speak around the forbidden subject matter
for five minutes. He must speak using cir-
cumlocutions, flowery metaphors, or cryptic
symbolism to communicate the broad gist
of the topic, and cannot go into any level of
detail beyond the most superficial. This does
not avert the inevitable tide of maggots, but
gives the victim enough time to speak before
he must disgorge them.
16

Death Flies Two Sails
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Until dawn
Sailing on the Sea of Shadows, the Underworld equivalent
to the Inland Sea, is a dangerous prospect. Spectres sail the
black waves on ectoplasmic flotsam, the sea’s black waters
seep in with their nightmares and poisons, and hekatonkh-
ire rise from the depths for food. As the waters of the Under-
world lap at her feet, the caster sings a lullaby to the dead.
Activating this spell requires seven minutes of song and a
successful (Charisma + Performance) action. A sailing ship
rises to the water’s surface, and it comfortably fits a num-
ber of passengers equal to the successes on the Performance
action (maximum five). The ship’s figurehead is a spectre,
bound there to sing for the ship’s protection. A failed roll
drains the Willpower, but otherwise allows for a new at-
tempt at song. A botched roll prevents the spell from being
cast that night.
Should more people than what the ship can fit try to climb
aboard, it will refuse to sail until only the allowed number
of passengers remain. It will also refuse to sail if the necro-
mancer tries to cheat more passengers, such as having them
outside the ship but pulled by it. Characters sailing on this
ship have less chance of dangerous encounters on any sea it
travels upon. The hekathonkires of the Sea of Shadows will
not attack the ship unless provoked.
The ship allows only for short voyages, as the light of dawn
burns its sails. Even if the ship has been summoned in the
Underworld, or in another realm without sunlight, the sails
will burn whenever dawn reaches Creation. This will not
sink the ship, but it will be rendered immobile until the ritu-
al is repeated at twilight.
The ship shares stats with a Fast Courier (see Exalted Third
Edition, p. 246).
A necromancer who knows Death Flies Two Sails as her con-
trol spell cannot fail at the song. Whenever she rolls (Cha-
risma + Performance) for the lullaby, she adds one automatic
success. She also adds +1 to the ship’s Maneuverability. Ad-
ditionally, should the necromancer be on another ship at
night, she must succeed on singing for that ship as well, or
its spirit will want to cast her off into the sea. Failed songs
for ships at night will make the necromancer suffer a -1 pen-
alty to all physical actions on that ship until next twilight.
Successful songs add +1 to the ship’s Manueverability if the
necromancer is its captain.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting Death Flies Two
Sails confuses the specter that sings for the ship’s protection.
The sea extracts vengeance upon the ship, reducing Maneu-
17
verability by 2 until the necromancer succeeds at soothing
the specter by taking an action to sing.
Death Inversion Loop
Cost: 5n, 1wp
Keywords: Withering-only
Duration: Instant
A ghost’s death was usually horrible—otherwise, the ghost
would not have passions left unfulfilled or Fetters binding
her to her unlife. Catching the gaze of a ghost no further
away than medium range, the caster can force her to experi-
ence that moment of death once more.
The necromancer rolls (Appearance + Occult) with (Es-
sence) extra dice against the ghost’s Resolve. If the caster
wins the contest, the ghost relives its death. The ghost los-
es a number of Initiative equal to the threshold successes
on the roll (minimum 1), and that Initiative is gained by the
necromancer. The ghost also loses a point of Willpower and
will be prone on its next action.
If the ghost’s player resists the attempt, the effect is forced
back on the caster. The necromancer loses the Willpower
spent activating the spell, one point of Initiative, and is con-
sidered prone on his next action as vague and disturbing vi-
sions of his own death beset him. Whether these visions are
truly prophetic is subject to some debate.
A necromancer who knows Death Inversion Loop as his con-
trol spell adds (Essence) successes instead of the (Essence)
extra dice. If his Resolve is equal to or higher than the ghost’s
Appearance, he can ignore the negative effects of a failed at-
tack. Additionally, the necromancer often has nightmares
of his own death. If the necromancer has used this spell at
some point in the day, he cannot regain Willpower from rest
that following night.
Death Mask
Cost: 5n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
To cast this spell, the necromancer must first witness the
painful death of a living human within short range. As life
flees the body, the caster invokes Death Mask to capture her
victim’s higher soul and wash away its sentience, leaving an
empty shell of soul-stuff. The victim will not rise as a normal
ghost, but his lower soul could become a hungry one. The
spell’s necrosis lingers on the necromancer as long as the
mask is in her possession.
Later, the caster can invoke the spell again to form the mask
upon her face from the lingering necrosis. At the donning of
the mask, a soul cloak wraps around her, making her appear
to all eyes like a normal ghost. A successful (Perception +
[Awareness or Occult]) roll at a difficulty equal to the cast-
er’s (Essence or 3), whichever is higher, allows an onlooker to
recognize an impostor spirit.
Any lethal or aggravated damage the caster suffers while
wearing the cloak also affects the disguise. Once the nec-
romancer has suffered damage to her -2 wound penalty, the
cloak falls off in tatters and reveals her. In order to use the
spell again, the necromancer must steal another soul. If the
cloak is touched by sunlight, the necromancer must get out
of the sun on her next action or the mask will break.
A necromancer who knows Death Mask as her control spell
becomes effectively half-ghost when this spell is being used.
If the necromancer is an Essence user, she will be able to use
a single Arcanoi, selected at Storyteller discretion as she first
learns this spell. She may also further enhance the disguise
when invoking the soul cloak, rolling (Manipulation + Lar-
ceny) and supplementing the difficulty for seeing through
the disguise with the outcome of that roll, should it be high-
er than (Essence or 3). Additionally, this spell taints the nec-
romancer in the eyes of the Most High. As long as this spell
is active, she is considered a creature of death.
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting Death Mask dis-
turbs the soul cloak for the scene, allowing anyone present
to see the necromancer for what she really is. The spell is still
in effect, but no roll is required to see that something is off
with the necromancer. The necromancer may take an action
to correct his soul cloak by channeling five necrosis to it.
Door of the Dead
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Reflections look alive but are not alive, and this property
gives the surfaces that create them an affinity with the Un-
derworld. The necromancer caresses a reflective surface as
he casts this spell, opening a quicksilver doorway between
Creation and the nearest reflective surface in the Under-
world—or vice versa. Travel between the two is instantane-
ous, and the passage remains open for three rounds in com-
bat, or for one minute outside of combat. Things can come
through the other way, too. Once the connection fades, the
road closes viciously. Mirrors crack, water boils, and silver
tarnishes.
A necromancer with Door of the Dead as his control spell
may select a reflective surface he is aware of within (Essence
x 100) yards of his analogous point in the other realm. It is a
common occurance for this necromancer’s reflection to act
unlike his own self.
Drawing Blind Edge
Cost: 5n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
18
The necromancer bites her lip and blows a frigid mist onto
her hand. She needs to touch a ghost with her frost-covered
hand at some point in the scene, then pull a transparent
blade dancing with pale blue flame from the ghost’s corpus.
For every round following the activation of this spell with-
out Blind Edge having been drawn, the necromancer suffers
one die of Initiative damage that becomes bashing when in
Initiative Crash.
Drawing Blind Edge drains (Essence or 3) motes from the
targeted ghost’s mote pool, as well as (Essence or 3) of the
target’s Initiative. The sword is a reaver daiklave with a single
Evocation identical to one of the targeted ghost’s Arcanoi.
The necromancer becomes instinctively aware of this Evoca-
tion once the sword is drawn. Should the necromancer not
have a mote pool and not normally be capable of using Evo-
cations, she may use the Evocation once in the scene, which
results in the sword dissolving after its use.
A necromancer with Drawing Blind Edge as his control
spell traps the ghost’s Arcanos in the sword’s Evocation as
long as the spell is active. This prevents the ghost from us-
ing that particular Arcanos as long as the sword is drawn.
If the necromancer is an Exalt, he may pay the experience
cost required to keep the Evocation after the scene. This lets
him tap into that same Evocation the next time he draws the
sword, even if he draws the sword from a different ghost.
Blind Edge can hold a maximum of (Essence + 1) Evocations.
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting Drawing Blind
Edge can be done both before and after it has been drawn.
If distorted before it’s being drawn, the frost deals two dice
of Initiative damage every round instead of one. If distorted
after it has been drawn, the necromancer must spend 1 Will-
power in order to use the sword’s Evocation.
Dusk Eyes
Cost: 1n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One hour or until released
The necromancer anoints his eyes with blood from a pricked
finger, then meditates upon the other side. When next he
opens his eyes, he can see around the borders between life
and death. While this spell is active, the necromancer may
see from the Underworld into the analogous part of Crea-
tion, or vice versa. He can see only one world at a time, how-
ever. If he peers into one world while doing something in
the other that requires attention, such as combat, he suffers
from the typical penalties of blindness.
Wards and spells against scrying can defeat this spell. It lasts
for an hour, during which time the necromancer may walk
through a shadowland’s border into either Creation or the
Underworld, at the player’s choice, despite the time of day
and at no cost. This spell has no real effect in shadowlands,
where the two worlds are one.
A necromancer with Dusk Eyes as his control spell can gaze
upon both worlds at once. Because of sensory overload of
seeing two worlds inhabit the same space, the necromancer
is still penalized by the spell, but the penalty is only at -1 out
of combat and -2 in combat. The ethereal veil between real-
ities never really goes away for the necromancer, even when
the spell is not active. At times during distress, the necro-
mancer can perceive unnerving shadows from the other side
as ghosts that his gaze cannot fully catch.
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting Dusk Eyes does
not disrupt the necromancer’s vision into the other side, but
it affects the targets of the necromancer’s gaze with an un-
easy sensation of being watched. This does not reveal to the
targets where their watcher is located, or that he is a necro-
mancer with a spell in use. They only experience the unease
and become more wary of their surroundings.
Easing the Forsaken Memory
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
When coming across a haunt, a fastidious necromancer
might not want the echoing cries of a pitiful spirit’s death
to contaminate her décor or motifs. The necromancer per-
forms an hour-long ritual at the center of the haunt and
rolls (Intelligence + Occult) at a difficulty determined by
the haunt’s magnitude (1 for lesser, 3 for standard, and 5 for
greater). Successfully casting this spell erases a single haunt
or relocates it to any place within (Essence x 5) miles.
If she wishes, a necromancer can also use this spell to turn a
cooperating ghost’s memory into a haunt or create one from
her own imagination. Creating a haunt lets the necromancer
substitute Intelligence for Manipulation and Occult for Per-
formance if those traits are higher.
A haunt created in Creation lasts for a duration determined
by its magnitude (one month for lesser, three for standard,
and five for greater). In order to prolong the haunt, the nec-
romancer must return to reestablish the ritual. In the Un-
derworld, haunts become permanent.
A necromancer with Easing the Forsaken Memory as his
control spell has greater manipulation over haunts. He adds
(Essence) in automatic successes to the roll and doubles the
durations for all haunts created in Creation. However, the
necromancer is forever tormented by a haunt of his own that
he is incapable of erasing. Should the character manage to
erase that haunt at some point during play, then he loses the
control aspect of this spell.
Emperor’s Chains
Cost: 15n, 1wp
19
Haunts
Violent and emotional deaths can leave haunts, loca-
tions where the event’s imagery replays itself over and
over again, often timed to a phase of the moon or oth-
er celestial event. In Creation, haunts fade over time
or wise men can exorcise them. In the Underworld,
haunts are nigh permanent and difficult to remove.
When encountering a haunt, the Storyteller must
first determine its magnitude—a lesser haunt can be
the wailing of a mother at the place her children were
murdered, a standard haunt can be the memory of a
massacre replaying itself at every turning of the sea-
son, and a greater haunt can be the scene of a battle
locked in time. Tales tell of legendary haunts as well,
but they are caused by such rare atrocities that entire
nations have been affected.
In order to exorcise a haunt, one must first determine
its cause and then perform a ritual with a difficulty
determined by the Storyteller based on the haunt’s
magnitude. Without the spell Easing the Forsaken
Memory, exorcising a haunt should be a task in itself.
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
The necromancer claps his hands, and his Essence rings like
a dull but very loud gong. When the sound strikes a ghost,
it becomes sluggish and has difficulty moving. All ghosts
within long range of the caster suffers a penalty to all com-
bat movement actions, such as Rush and Disengage, by the
necromancer’s Essence or 3, whichever is higher. Ghosts also
need to pay a surcharge equal to the necromancer’s Essence
to all movement-related Arcanoi.
By focusing the sound to a specific target in range, only that
ghost is affected by the spell but it becomes unable to use
combat movement actions at all unless it first spends a point
of Willpower. After the Willpower has been spent, it can per-
form the combat movement action, but at the penalty deter-
mined above.
A necromancer with Emperor’s Chains as his control spell
asserts such force upon the affected ghosts that they expe-
rience one level of bashing damage that ignores hardness
whenever they move from one range band to another. How-
ever, the necromancer often dreams that he is chained to a
greater emperor. The next time he rests after having used
this spell, he’s experiencing nightmares of not being able to
escape a great, invisible threat. He becomes unable to re-
plenish Willpower from that rest.
Distortion (Goal Number: 5): Distorting the Emperor’s
Chains gives full mobile control back to all or any ghosts
from the moment of distortion to the opposing necroman-
cer’s next action. If the opposing necromancer herself is a
ghost affected by the spell, she may increase the goal num-
ber for the distortion to 10 in order to free herself for (her
Essence or 3) actions following the successful distortion.
Faces of the Dead
Cost: 5n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Pulling his fingers as if drawing thread, the necromancer
spins a shimmering silver line of Essence. It thickens into
wire, then rotates into the third dimension to become a sil-
ver mace with a perfect 12-faced head. The weapon is treated
as a mundane mace (see Exalted Third Edition, page 583),
but its effects are far from mundane.
The mace deals aggravated damage to ghosts and other
spirits of the dead. If it’s used with a withering attack that
crashes a ghost, then the necromancer gains three necrosis
that is maintained until used for a spell of his choice or for
as long as the mace is summoned. Should this mace be used
for a decisive attack that incapacitates a ghost, then it cap-
tures the ghost in one of its faces with a steely blue flash. The
ghost then looks out from the face that captured it. Up to
(Essence + Occult) ghosts may be captured in a scene. If the
mace is used to reduce the size of a battlegroup of ghosts,
the mace may absorb a ghost for each invoked level of dam-
age at the Storyteller’s discretion.
At the scene’s end, the mace withers away, but every ghost
trapped within appears as a rock crystal no larger than a
marble. This crystal is near-unbreakable, but the soul with-
in can be released using the Zenith Caste’s anima power or
similar effects. The necromancer can also choose to willingly
free the souls. They will then reappear as ghosts, but with
their motes and Willpower completely drained.
A necromancer with Faces of the Dead as his control spell
may use the traits for a goremaul (see Exalted Third Edi-
tion, page 595). If he is capable of wielding Essence, he may
also learn Evocations for the weapon. A Shadowlands Circle
necromancer is dissonant, a Labyrinth Circle necromancer
is not limited to the weapon, and a Void Circle necromancer
is resonant to it. A necromancer with this as his control spell
feels the fear and hatred of his enslaved souls. While some
necromancers feel no empathy towards the ghosts, they still
feel their hatred. Should a ghost previously trapped by the
necromancer be freed and kill him, then the necromancer’s
soul will itself be trapped in a rock crystal in that ghost’s
possession.
20
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting Faces of the
Dead creates a moment when all of the souls trapped with-
in can fight for their freedom. The ghosts begin a contest
of will with the necromancer in possession of them, rolling
(Willpower + Integrity) against his (Willpower + Occult).
Any ghost that gains more successes than the necromancer
in that contest of will is immediately freed.
Field of Fell Dreams
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Laying his palm on the ground at the spell’s climax, the cast-
er scorches the earth with a black brand in the shape of his
hand. Immediately afterward, hundreds of skeletal hands
burst upward through the earth, stone or flooring to grab
anyone present (except the caster), holding them with the
strength of the dead.
The necromancer rolls (Intelligence + Occult) against the
Defense of every character standing on the ground within
short range—friend or foe, material or immaterial. Those
who fail at defending against the necromancer’s roll are im-
mediately subjected to a grapple gambit (see Exalted Third
Edition, page 200) as hands grab them from below. This
costs no Initiative to attempt.
If at least one character fails to defend against the attack and
becomes grappled, then the necromancer rolls (Willpower
+ Occult) with Essence automatic successes as a control
roll against the targets’ (Strength + [Brawl or Martial Arts])
to determine how long these affected victim’s will be held.
The necromancer suffers no penalty to his Defense and can
perform flurries like normal since it is the spell and not the
necromancer that is holding his victims.
Each turn in which the grapple is maintained, the necro-
mancer can choose between a savage, restrain and release
action. His choice of action is applied to all affected targets.
Any withering damage caused by a savage action is not
gained by the necromancer, but he may gain one Initiative
Crash bonus this way per round should at least one of his
victims crash. A decisive savage action uses the necroman-
cer’s (Essence + Occult + remaining rounds of control) in
damage dice. Performing a decisive savage action ends the
spell’s effects even if it deals no damage.
This spell can only be cast once per scene unless the ground
is fed with fresh corpses. At least five characters must die or
a battlegroup must be reduced in Size for the spell’s reset
condition to be met.
A necromancer with Field of Fell Dreams as his control spell
may keep the spell from targeting allies in range. Addition-
ally, he may single out targets for his savage, restrain or re-
lease actions instead of being forced to pick one action for
all targets. As a drawback, sometimes not even the necro-
mancer can escape his spell’s clutches. Undead hands often
hold him as he sleeps. Should he make a botch in combat,
hands appearing from the ground may render him prone or
grappled at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Distortion (Goal Number: 5): Each successful distortion
of the Field of Fell Dreams reduces the duration of the con-
trol for one round for every targeted character. The opposing
necromancer may also focus the distortion towards one of
the spell’s victims, releasing him from its grasp. Being re-
leased this way does not in any way cancel the spell, though,
and it may try to grab him again next round, using half of
the necromancer’s original dice pool in its attempt. Should
it grab him again, subtract one success for each round that
target was previously held from the new control roll.
21
Five Gifts
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: One day
Strong passions and Fetters enable the dead to resist the
sweet call of Lethe, but the Underworld is a dull place. Its
winds and parties are tepid, food tastes like dust, and hab-
its are carved into stone. By making a prayer and anointing
a willing ghost with one level of lethal damage’s worth of
blood, the necromancer lets a ghost experience the world as
she did while alive. This is an illusion tricking the ghost that
the world around it is more to the senses than it actually is.
The necromancer rolls (Manipulation + Performance) and
gives the ghost a number of Willpower equal to the success-
es rolled. This can increase the ghost’s Willpower above its
normal cap, but it cannot be higher than double its standard
amount.
The experience lasts for a full day unless willingly ended by
the ghost or the necromancer. Once it’s over, the ghost ac-
quires a Defining Intimacy for the experience which can be
used in future bargains with that ghost. A necromancer who
is also a ghost is immune to being affected by this spell. One
of the terms for learning this spell is to never get to experi-
ence it oneself.
A necromancer with Five Gifts as her control spell can ex-
tend the effects to a full week. Letting a ghost experience the
full week will not only grant the ghost a Defining Intimacy
22
for the experience, but it will also grant the ghost a Major
or Defining Intimacy for the necromancer herself at the
Storyteller’s discretion. Every time she blesses a ghost with
an experience longer than a day, she loses some of her own
passions in life. Once per story after having used this spell,
the character must completely erode an Intimacy of Major
or greater intensity.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting Five Gifts tem-
porarily breaks the illusion for up to five minutes. This is
often met by hostility from the targeted ghost depending on
the intensity of his experience at the moment it was broken.
Flesh and Bone Winds
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Making six swift and pointlessly hollow oblations to the
nameless warring dead, the sorcerer draws on their sin-
gle-minded loyalty to killing without tainting its purity
through meaning or compassion. Casting out intention into
the world, the air shivers open with half a thousand wounds,
through which slip slender knives of shattered bone tied
with ribbons of red, wet flesh.
These are the Flesh and Bone Winds, which immediately be-
gin to whirl around the caster. The winds provide everyone
within short range with light cover, and threaten everyone
but the necromancer with an environmental hazard that
has a damage of 2L, an interval of one round, and a diffi-
culty of the necromancer’s Occult (maximum 5) to weather.
Each round where the winds inflict at least one level of lethal
damage upon a significant target, the damage is increased
by 1L on the following round, to a maximum increase of the
necromancer’s (Essence). The winds flense spirit as easily
as flesh, and can damage immaterial opponents. They last
for the remainder of the scene unless dismissed early with a
miscellaneous action.
A necromancer who knows Flesh and Bone Winds as her
control spell finds the winds recognize friend from foe: they
offer no harm to allies, and no cover to enemies. However,
should the necromancer call the winds and fail to feed them
at least as many fresh-made corpses as her (Essence), they
depart hungry and frustrated, carving off a lethal health
level as their due. Spectral suggestions of the flesh-ribbon
knives will sometimes visit the necromancer after dark,
drifting and darting like strange fish, and they are particu-
larly fond of keening softly to her as she sleeps.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting the Flesh and
Bone Winds renders them confused and uncertain; they pro-
vide no light cover to anyone, and lower their damage by the
contesting necromancer’s (Essence) to a minimum of 1L/
round. Characters normally safe from the winds, including
their mistress, are additionally exposed to their hazard in
any round they take a reflexive move action unless the orig-
inating necromancer has first spent a miscellaneous action
to assert her control more fully for the round.
Shattering Void Mirror
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
Duration: Instant
The necromancer throws her arms out at her opponent,
and speaks his name in the glossolalia of the Void. She rolls
(Perception + Occult) as a decisive attack against an enemy
at up to medium range as the proclamation streaks across
the space between them, baneful words carried on black
Essence fringed in purple. As it strikes her enemy, all color
drains from them and they feel their life force slough from
23
their body, causing veins to bulge and skin to blacken with of 5 to break a supernatural binding, scouring it from the
necrotic energy from a momentary juxtaposition with the ghost. If this binding is what prevented them from going
Essence of the Void. The will of the necromancer tries to into reincarnation, they might immediately do so if they are
unite their enemy with Oblivion, with a base lethal damage willing. This effect cannot break the bindings on ghosts who
equal to (her Initiative + current temporary Willpower) and have been bound using Labyrinth or Void Circle necroman-
resets her to base Initiative on a successful attack. cy unless the necromancer using this spell also is initiated
into those arts.
Not only is precious life lost to this mirror of the Void, but
precious potential as well. The enemy loses motes equal to Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting Silent Master’s
the damage rolled from his Peripheral mote pool (default to Pollen before the ghost may accept it or after it has been crip-
personal if their Peripheral Essence is depleted.) If this spell pled prevents them from using it to pass into Lethe. In the
kills its target, the inverted-color image that shares their case of a ghost crippled by the power, it also removes the
space for a moment shatters into a thousand slivers and flies doubled wound penalties.
away on the winds of the Underworld. The victim falls to the
ground, drained of all color.
If the necromancer possesses Shattering Void Mirror as a
control spell, then the shattered slivers of the Void fly out-
ward up to short range from the target, inflicting a one-time
environmental hazard with a difficulty of 5 that inflicts 4
dice of lethal damage to everyone nearby as the shards shred
those living things caught within their radius.
Silent Master’s Pollen
Cost: 15n, 1wp
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
The necromancer creates a pinprick-small hole in the world,
peering into a luminous space that tickles a faint memory
of renewal. As the shining point of gray-white light hovers
before her eyes, she may offer it to a willing target convinced
to accept it, or throw it at an enemy out to short range.
When offered to a willing target, this energy promises an
end and a beginning. Accepting it, they fade into a white
light, presumably entering into the mythical state of Lethe
in the cycle of reincarnation. Against an unwilling target, the
necromancer may initiate a gambit using her (Intelligence +
Occult) as the attack pool. The gambit has a difficulty equal
to the Essence of the ghost in question, and on a success,
exposes them directly to a force which urges them to let go.
This functions as a special kind of crippling injury, forcing
the ghost to either let go and enter into Lethe or lose a por-
tion of themselves to it. They automatically suffer 2 lethal
health levels of damage and double their wound penalties
for the rest of the scene as per a usual crippling injury. If the
ghost is incapacitated while under the effects of this spell,
they either pass on into the necromancer’s energy or are lost
to the Void.
A necromancer who knows Silent Master’s Pollen as her
control spell may also use it to break supernatural bindings
on a ghost. If another supernatural binding effect has been
placed on the ghost by another being, the necromancer may
attempt to break it. After succeeding on the gambit, the nec-
romancer may roll (Intelligence + Occult) against a difficulty
24
Necromantic Workings
Similar to how the sorcerers of Creation can permanently re-
shape the world through their occult skill, the necromancers
of the Underworld can reshape theirs. Necromantic work-
ings can be used for blessings and curses and for raising cit-
ies just like sorcery can, but necromancy can never create
true life and it always comes at a cost.
The necromantic forest of bone and sinew does not grow be-
cause it is life, but because it taps into the bone and sinew of
those living who enter it. The wax construct does not serve
you because it has been granted life, but because of the tor-
tured soul trapped within it. Necromantic wonders can be
used to reanimate the dead, but this is not life. This is hate
and hunger and Essence and intention compressed into the
whisper allowing a corpse to smile and sing.
Workings can be used to erode and pervert life, but it can-
not be used to create it. Often the cost for a miracle is life,
and multitudes of sacrifices can be used to create wonders
so powerful that they cause cities to balance on the clouds.
Getting around these sacrifices can be done, but it makes
the working more difficult and more demanding, and per-
haps even more hungry for what humanity its creator still
holds on to.
Necromantic workings use the rules for sorcerous workings
(Exalted Third Edition, p. 483) with some variations.
Ambition
The three scales of Ambition are unchanged from sorcerous
workings, but the nature of each scale has thematic differ-
ences.
Shadowlands Circle Workings
Workings of the Shadowlands Circle are generally root-
ed in transforming, enhancing, or weakening pre-existing
elements of the Underworld, such as the elements of pyre
flame, bone, blood, ash and void. It can be used to manip-
ulate the form and function of the dead, and reanimate the
fallen or patchwork monstrosities. Much of the necrotic
siege weaponry used by the Deathlords such as the Mask of
Winters have been created as Shadowlands Circle Workings.
These workings can also curse a field to grow maggot-ridden
crops, or to not grow crops at all. It can hide traps of oil and
pyre flame within the ink of a sealed scroll. The most pow-
erful workings of this circle are confined to a single chamber
within a larger structure or to the reanimation of monsters
no larger than elephants. As a general rule, any necromantic
feat the Storyteller should be routine for a ghost or mortal
necromancer should fall under this circle.
Ambition 1 (Goal Number 5): Reanimate a corpse into
a permanent zombie in service of the necromancer. Bind
25
noi into a reanimated corpse-construct. struct the size of a mountain. Cause a city-sized region to
rise from the ground and float across the world on rivers of
lesser ghosts capable of performing mundane, household Ambition 3 (Goal Number 35): Reanimate a corpse-con- wheeping souls. Lay a curse upon an entire people that may
chores, but not much else, in service to a person, organi- struct the size of a yeddim. Create a loyal necrotic servant only be broken when specific circumstances are met. Turn
zation, or structure. Curse a path to distract travelers from as powerful as an elder nephwrack. Enchant a fortress to an elemental or a Dragon-Blood from its own aspect to an
their true location. Make permanent but small-scale geo- have its walls devour humans within and add their bones aspect associated with the Underworld, such as a Water As-
graphical alterations, such as drawing up a well of blood or to its architecture. Open a permanent portal between the pect to a Blood Aspect. Turn a ghost into a Deathlord or be-
tainting a field’s soil. Mark a town or neighborhood-sized Underworld and Creation, or create a Shadowland the size come a Deathlord oneself.
region as a lucrative target for mundane nuisances, such as of a town.
forest fires, crop-eating pests, or rabid animals. Ambition 3 (Goal Number 50): Reanimate a corpse-con-
Void Circle Workings struct of unimaginable size. Make alterations to the meta-
Ambition 2 (Goal Number 10): Reanimate a corpse-con- Workings of the Void Circle are the height of what can be physics of the entire cosmos.
struct consisting of parts from at least one dead body. Grant accomplished by necromancy. They can rewrite the laws of
necrotic mutations to willing subjects, such as pus-filled reality, or write new ones into being. Their scale can encom-
boils and contagious warts. Bind a lesser ghost to an inan- pass cities, nations or the entire world. It can create enor- Finesse and Means
imate object, or turn one into a poltergeist tied to a specific mous hekathonkires such as the corpse-mountain Jugger-
person, organization, or structure. Ward a chamber against naut. As long as the Storyteller feels that something should Finesse and Means are practically identical to sorcerous
scrying, teleportation, or intrusion by a particular type of be possible through a sorcerous working, it can be attained workings. When creating a necromantic working meant to
spirit. through workings of the Void Circle. reconstruct and reanimate corpses, Medicine and Craft can
be used as complementary Abilities to give Means to the ac-
Ambition 3 (Goal Number 20): Reanimate a corpse-con- Ambition 1 (Goal Number 40): Reanimate a corpse-con- tion. The spell Black Candle Visage is a good example of a
struct the size of a bear. Place a curse on a small region in a struct the size of a town. Completely transform the terrain complementary spell that can be used for a working making
way that diminishes, warps or blights its mundane aspects of a region, such as changing an entire forest to have barks changes to ghosts. One of the most common Means, but still
such as flora, fauna or natural resources. Create a rift be- of bone and leaves of human skin, growing fruits of human a very powerful one, is the use of blood sacrifices. How many
tween Creation and the Underworld that allows communi- organs. Enchant an entire town to emulate the properties sacrifices and how much they benefit depend on the work-
cation, possession, or similar forms of limited interaction, of the Underworld, or an entire town in the Underworld to ing in question and Storyteller discretion. It’s likely that a
but no actual transportation. emulate the properties of the Abyss. Shadowlands Circle working of low Ambition would benefit
well from a single sacrifice, while a Void Circle working of
Labyrinth Circle Workings Ambition 2 (Goal Number 45): Reanimate a corpse-con- high Ambition would ask for something akin to a genocide.
Workings of the Labyrinth Circle are miracles of terrible
power, either rewriting the laws of the natural world on a
relatively large scale or instilling supernatural power into
the mundane world. Their curses have sufficient scope to
target a small town. Their perversions of the natural world
can cause blood to rain or swarms of mosquitoes to drain
children that dare to leave their homes at night. They can
reanimate corpse-monsters as large as yeddim. As a general
rule, this is the circle of workings that the Storyteller deems
appropriate for nephwracks and young Deathknights.
Ambition 1 (Goal Number 25): Reanimate a corpse-con-
struct the seize of an elephant. Create a necrotic bond
between a ghost and a living relative that allows them to
communicate through whispering in a pitch-black shadow
despite being part of different worlds. Create horrific illu-
sions that haunt a structure or town-sized region. Trans-
form a chamber in Creation so that its interior emulates the
properties of the Underworld. Ward a chamber or structure
against all intruders with necrotic traps and barriers.
Ambition 2 (Goal Number 30): Reanimate a corpse-con-
struct the size of a siege lizard. Alter the weather of a town-
sized region over a long duration, such as causing rain of
blood for an entire year. Grant a supernatural power to one’s
self or to a willing subject, such as corrosive blood or skin
that decays anything it touches. Make alterations to the na-
ture of a willing supernatural being, such as branding Arca-
26
Fighting Styles of the Underworld
In the final centuries of the Solar Deliberative, some Exalted
explored the Underworld more than was prudent. While the
Black Nadir Concordat tapped into the erosive energies of
the Underworld in order to fight fire with fire, others studied
the apparitions of that world themselves in order to better
understand what made them tick. This gave birth to obscure
and terrible new fighting styles and combat tactics.
New Keywords
Necrosis: Charms carrying this keyword can be ac-
tivated as the result of a shape necromancy action if
they are Simple, costing necrosis instead of motes.
Charms that are Supplemental or Reflexive can sub-
stitute motes for necrosis, but the character needs to
already possess the necrosis spent on the Charm.
Dark Messiah Style
There is nothing “natural” about the pain inflicted to and in-
flicted by the denizens of the Underworld. Rather, the natu-
ral arts of the specters of since long dead martial artists find
that cruelty and overkill become part of their everyday states
of existence. Pain can always be inflicted, and true power in
the Underworld is the ability to terrify foes. The Dark Messi-
ah Style makes trails of the corpses of the living, and tortures
the souls of the dead.
An ideal style for the Abyssal Exalted or the necromancer
who wants to assert dominance in the Underworld.
Dark Messiah Weapons: This style can be used with the
cestus, fighting gauntlets, khatars, tiger claws and razor har-
nesses.
Armor: Dark Messiah Style can be practiced with medium
armor.
Ravaging Blow
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The martial artist strikes where it hurts most. This Charm
enhances a decisive attack that is aimed to kill, adding up to
(Martial Arts) threshold successes as dice to the raw damage
27
of the attack. This Charm cannoy enhance gambits, or the
savage action during a grapple.
Inescapable Iron Grip
Cost: 4m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ravaging Blow
The martial artist can hold his victims in death’s own grip.
This Charm supplements a grapple gambit. Should the
martial artist successfully grapple his opponent, he may
add (Strength or 3), whichever is highest, to the number
of rounds of control. This can explicitly be comboed with
Charms such as Increasing Strength Exercise for additional
control.
Dead Man’s Grasp
Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Dual, Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Inescapable Iron Grip
The martial artist crushes his foe with the unnatural strength
of the risen dead. This Charm can be used to supplement
the savage action during a grapple. A withering damage roll
benefits from double 9s, and a decisive damage roll benefits
from double 10s.
Mastery: If this Charm is used on a decisive attack that kills
the target, half of the remaining rounds of control, rounded
up, are added to the martial artist’s Initiative after it’s reset.
If it’s used on a withering attack that crashes the target, the
same amount is given to the martial artist as an addition to
the Initiative Crash bonus. Once per scene.
Foe-Blinding Jab
Cost: 7m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ravaging Blow
The martial artist jabs his fingers or a form weapon at his
opponent’s eyes. This Charm enhances a decisive attack
aimed to cripple or kill, but can be activated after damage
has been rolled. Should the attack deal a number of dam-
age levels equal to the target’s Stamina, the target becomes
blinded (a -3 martial penalty, or -5 in an environment full of
noise).
The Razor Harness
The razor harness is a common weapon among necro-
mancers and the dead. Many necrosurgeons hammer
sharp spikes into their reanimated dead to make them
extra dangerous when clawing at their foes. For nec-
romancers who wish to do the same, donning a razor
harness or modifying a current armor with one is a
way to go.
This is not a weapon by any normal means, since it
leaves the hands free and cannot be used for stand-
ard withering or decisive attacks. Instead, whenever
an opponent attempts an unarmed attack against the
wielder of the razor harness, the wielder’s player rolls
one die of Initiative damage against the attacker. This
damage is lethal against crashed enemies.
Grappling an enemy while wearing a razor harness
adds one automatic success to all savage actions.
Additionally, one die of lethal damage that ignores
hardness is rolled every round as long as the enemy
is grappled.
A martial art style must allow razor harnesses as style
weapons for Charms to be applied to grapple actions
enhanced by this weapon.
Exalted and other resilient beings naturally heal this blind-
ness with a day’s rest, restoring partial sight after the scene’s
end (this cuts the penalty in half, rounded down). Seeking
medical attention may restore eyesight earlier at the Story-
teller’s discretion. Mortals become permanently crippled.
Dark Messiah Form
Cost: 6m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Dead Man’s Grasp, Foe-Blinding Jab
While the martial artist performs the kata to assume Dark
Messiah Form, she concentrates on every pain the world ever
inflicted on her. She throws away her ethics for bloody, bru-
tal payback.
The martial artist’s attacks gain the Piercing tag if they
didn’t have it already. She can deal lethal damage unarmed,
and she can flurry an attack action with a movement action
at no dice penalty. Additionally, whenever the martial artist
28
restrains a victim in a grapple, she drains one Initiative from
her target each turn.
As a drawback, this form renders the martial artist blind to
the suffering of her allies. Her Resolve cannot be affected
by witnessing her friends and loved ones suffer, despite the
intensity of her Intimacy for them.
Special activation rules: If the martial artist inflicts a
withering attack that takes an opponent from having more
Initiative than the martial artist to having less, she may re-
flexively activate Dark Messiah Form.
Bone-Shattering Blow
Cost: 5m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Messiah Form
This Charm imbues the martial artist’s attack with horrible,
crushing force, enabling her to break bones, dislocate joints
and pulp organs with casual savagery. Whenever the mar-
tial artist makes a decisive attack that inflicts damage, this
Charm substitutes every two levels of inflicted damage for
a scene-long -1 crippling penalty to all physical actions. A
victim cannot acquire more penalties than -3 from the use
of this Charm. Mortals affected by this Charm retains the
penalties until their injuries are treated.
Grievous Agony Attack
Cost: 4m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Messiah Form
The martial artist strikes hard with a knee to the groin, or
some equally “dirty” tactic, and inflicts debilitating pain. If
the attack deals at least one level of decisive damage, or if
a withering attack crashes the opponent, the target drops
prone.
Illustrative Overkill Technique
Cost: —
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Grievous Agony Attack
Just killing an enemy is boring. Killing an enemy so brutally
that every witness finds her heart and limbs numbed with
terror ... now that’s satisfying. This Charm enhances Dark
Messiah Form, allowing the martial artist to pay 1 Willpower
whenever he has murdered a victim while in that form. This
allows for an automatic intimidate action against all wit-
nesses, using the outcome of the damage roll as the success-
es on the social influence. If the player describes a gruesome
stunt and at least one spectator fails to resist the influence,
the martial artist regains his point of Willpower.
A spectator becomes immune to this effect after resisting it
once, unless a new victim is someone to whom the spectator
has a positive Intimacy towards.
Lashing Tempest Palm
Cost: 3m
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Dual, Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dark Messiah Form
The martial artist releases an opponent from a clinch by
striking her with a brutal open-handed blow, hurling her
away with the force of a maelstrom.
This Charm enhances a throw/slam action (see Exalted
Third Edition, page 201). The attack’s damage dice pool is
boosted by 3 dice per turn instead of 2 if withering, and 2
dice per turn instead of 1 if decisive. The martial artist and
his target is separated by a range band after the clinch’s end.
Mastery: The martial artist can benefit from up to (Essence
+ Strength) turns of control.
Void Avatar Prana
Cost: +1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Bone-Shattering Blow, Illustrative
Overkill Technique, Lashing Tempest Palm
A master of the Dark Messiah Style attunes her body, mind
and Essence so perfectly to Oblivion that she becomes a con-
duit for its dread power to strike down any who lay hands
upon her. This Charm enhances Dark Messiah Form and ac-
tivates together with that Charm, adding 1 Willpower to the
cost.
While Void Avatar Prana is active, the martial artist can re-
flexively spend one mote in response to any attack in order
to ignore onslaught penalties to his Defense. For a moment,
her anima surrounds her in dark necrotic fire while her body
becomes a black silhouette.
In addition, if an enemy makes skin-to-skin contact with her
while this effect is active (for example, while being in a grap-
ple with her or finding purchase with an unarmed attack),
29
the enemy suffers one Initiative damage that becomes lethal
while in Initiative Crash. This Initiative is gained by the mar-
tial artist.
Hungry Ghost Style
It is not entirely known who created this martial art, but
given its associations it is likely one of the Deathlords. It is
a style that embodies the innate cruelty and malice of the
deathknights, who at present are the only ones apart from
the Deathlords who know this style. At least, no one else
admits to it.
In order to learn this style, the martial artist must have a
basic understanding of the way necrotic Essence flows. He
must be initiated to Shadowlands Circle Necromancy.
Hungry Ghost Weapons: This style can be used with tiger
claws, fighting chains and razor harnesses. Any unarmed
attack enhanced by a Hungry Ghost Charm can always be
stunted to deal lethal damage.
Armor: Hungry Ghost Style is compatible with light armor.
Blood-Scenting Hunger
Cost: 3m
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mastery, Necrosis, Terrestrial
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
The martial artist opens his mind and probes the air with
his tongue, tasting the air for blood as he awakens his pri-
mal hunger for flesh and Essence. This primal hunger erodes
his positive ties to the living for the scene by one degree of
intensity. The only exception to this is the one Defining Tie
that is the most important to the martial artist. That Inti-
macy is considered the Hungry Ghost stylist’s Fetter and re-
mains at its original intensity. If the martial artist already is a
ghost with a Fetter, that Intimacy remains unchanged.
As long as this Charm is active, the martial artist can see de-
materialized entities within medium range. This effect does
not, in itself, enable him to attack such entities. He also per-
ceives which entities within range are living and which are
dead (and which of the living possess blood).
The martial artist can size up one chosen target within range
as a simple action using either sight or scent. This reveals
the target’s current wound penalty, her remaining Will-
power, and any necrosis that character has gathered if it’s a
necromancer. Any changes to that target’s wound penalties,
Willpower or necrosis is revealed to the martial artist for the
remainder of the scene unless he sizes up another target.
This Charm can be learned by any Shadowlands Circle Nec-
romancer, even those who aren’t Exalted. A human necro-
mancer learning this Charm has the Terrestrial keyword.
Terrestrial: The effects are decreased to short range.
Mastery: The effects are increased to long range. The char-
acter can reflexively size up a target, but only once per round.
Leaping Horror Approach
Cost: 3m, 1bhl
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blood-Scenting Hunger
Implacable fury infuses the martial artist’s muscles with su-
perhuman speed and strength, sending him to his quarry in
a blur of carnage. There is nothing remotely natural about
the ways his joints contort and muscles flex in the course of
his leap.
This Charm lets the martial artist attack a target at short
range by leaping to it. The attack itself ignores any wound
penalties the martial artist may be suffering, but his leap
takes its toll on his muscles, inflicting one level of bashing
damage on the martial artist that ignores hardness.
If the martial artist has Blood-Scenting Hunger active, he
may leap out to any target within the range of the prerequi-
site, but the Charm costs another 3m and 1bhl for each range
band beyond short.
Lunging Phantom Method
Cost: +3m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Leaping Horror Approach
The martial artist twists toward and around her foe, elusive
as a ghost, positioning herself to strike from behind before
her enemy realized where she’s gone.
This Charm can be used to enhance the effects of Leaping
Horror Approach by making the martial artist’s landing near
his victim a quick and horrifying event. The attack becomes
unexpected, unless a reflexive (Wits + Awareness) roll for
the target scores at least as many successes as the martial
artist’s attack roll.
Mastery: By adding 1 Willpower to the Charm cost, the mar-
tial artist may do a reflexive intimidate action using the suc-
cesses from his attack roll.
30
Shrouded Claw Attack
Cost: 3m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Terrestrial, Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blood-Scenting Hunger
The martial artist flickers in and out of the veil of reality,
appearing as a phantom image before his own self. The
soul-chilling touch of this projection freezes the enemy’s
joints and inflicts a penalty to the victim’s Defense equal
to the martial artist’s Essence or 3 against a single attack.
Should the attack be successful and deal at least one level of
damage, the martial artist gains one necrosis. If the target
dies or is crashed, the martial artist gains five necrosis.
Terrestrial: Killing or crashing a target rewards three necro-
sis instead of five.
Hungry Ghost Form
Cost: 8m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form, Necrosis
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Lunging Phantom Method, Shroud-
ed Claw Attack
The martial artist roars or howls in a scream of incalculable
malice, allowing his worst impulses to possess him with their
terrible power. Faintly glowing eyes betray those consumed
by this martial arts form, illuminating features twisted into
a rictus of taut tendons and clenched muscles.
While this Charm is active, the character is considered a
creature of darkness (assuming he wasn’t already). All of his
positive Ties with the exception of his Fetter are completely
eroded for the remainder of the scene or until he snaps out
of the form. Any necrosis gathered while in this form can be
retained by performing offensive actions in place of shape
necromancy actions. Any offensive action must be made
with the intent to kill his target. If he doesn’t do an offensive
action within three rounds of another offensive action, he
loses all necrosis and automatically ends the form.
If any of his allies try to impede this murdering spree, they
are reclassified as enemies and the martial artist gains a neg-
ative Intimacy for them that starts as a Minor Tie and in-
creases by one degree of intensity for every continued action
that Intimacy is attempting to stop the martial artist.
In exchange for these disadvantages, the martial artist in-
flicts lethal damage with all unarmed attacks without the
need for a stunt. For every three Initiative gained and for
every lethal damage inflicted, he also gains one necrosis. He
can choose to spend necrosis as if they were motes to charge
 Hungry Ghost Style Charms as well as any potential Excel-
lency required to boost them.
If Blood-Scenting Hunger is active, he can attack any de-
materialized entity that the Charm allows him to detect.
Blood-Scenting Hunger can be activated reflexively if this
form is active, or together with this form when this is first
activated.
Acting in Hungry Ghost Form is an exhausting and trau-
matizing experience for the martial artist and everyone in-
volved. After the scene is over, the martial artist immediately
loses a number of Willpower determined by the intensity of
any positive Intimacy he caused physical or emotional harm
during the scene (1 for Minor, 3 for Major, and 5 for Defin-
ing).
Special activation rules: If the martial artist has
Blood-Scenting Hunger active and manages to draw blood
from a victim, he may activate Hungry Ghost Form reflex-
ively.
Consuming Entropy Strike
Cost: 4m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mastery, Withering-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Hungry Ghost Form
A martial artist with this Charm may conduct a withering
torrent of entropic Essence through an exchange of blows,
cursing an enemy with physical decrepitude and ill luck.
The martial artist makes a withering attack. If the attack is
successful, the target’s armor soak is decreased by (Martial
Arts) against the attack boosted by this Charm as well as for
the remainder of the scene.
Mastery: This effect is stackable. At 0 soak, mundane armor
breaks, armor created by Charms or spells dissolve, and arti-
fact armor loses its attunement.
Blood-Freezing Technique
Cost: 3m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Consuming Entropy Strike
Phantom Method, it costs 2 Willpower to avoid being prone.
Power-Reaping Prana
Cost: —
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hungry Ghost Form
This Charm enhances Blood-Scenting Hunger, allowing the
martial artist to greedily siphon vitality from his enemies
for his own sinister purposes. Whenever a living character,
friend or foe, within the range of his Blood-Scenting Hunger
suffers a lethal wound, the hungry ghost siphons the Essence
from that wound and turns it into a point of necrosis. He can
siphon up to (Essence or 3) necrosis each round this way.
Spell-Smothering Technique
Cost: 3i, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Power-Reaping Prana
When the martial artist has sized up a foe using Blood-Scent-
ing Hunger and recognizes that she is drawing necrosis or
sorcerous motes for the purpose of a spell, he may activate
this Charm as a reflexive jab in the direction of his foe.
The martial artist makes a reflexive attempt at countermagic
against the foe’s spell. Half of the nullified sorcerous motes
or necrosis is siphoned by the martial artist as necrosis of his
own. Once per sized up foe per scene.
Unnatural Shambling Deftness
Cost: 4m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Hungry Ghost Form
The martial artist lurches across the battlefield, flickering
between bursts of speed and total stillness like a marionette
gait of the hungry dead. This Charm is activated after a suc-
cessful attack, allowing the martial artist to immediately
make another attack. Once per scene, unless reset by crash-
ing or killing an enemy.

The martial artist wounds an enemy’s chakras with bru- Scuttling Apparition Defense
tal precision, and his target feels the chill of the grave race Cost: 4m, 2i
through his veins. If the martial artist’s decisive attack deals Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
at least one level of damage, the target’s onslaught penal- Type: Reflexive
ties are carried over to the next round and she must spend 1 Keywords: Mastery
Willpower or be rendered prone. If combined with Lunging Duration: Instant

31 32
Prerequisite Charms: Unnatural Shambling Deftness
This Charm can be used only after successfully dodging an
attack using Evasion. The martial artist selects a location
in short range that is within reasonable cover for stealth.
He may perform a reflexive disengage attempt substituting
Dodge for Stealth. If the disengage succeeds, the number of
successes on the martial artist’s roll can be used as successes
attempting to establish stealth.
Mastery: Add (Essence or 3) in automatic successes to the
disengage attempt.
Labyrinth-Walking Prana
Cost: +1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Mastery
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Hungry Ghost Form
This Charm enhances Hungry Ghost Form. By attuning his
anima to the twisting Labyrinth and the potential for Obliv-
ion in all things, the martial artist becomes a shadow flick-
ering about the battlefields. As long as Hungry Ghost Form
is active, the martial artist adds half his Martial Arts rating,
rounded up, in dice to all Rush actions as well as to all ac-
tions where he tries to oppose someone’s attempt at a Disen-
gage action. In addition, Leaping Horror Approach, Lunging
Phantom Method and Scuttling Apparition Defense cost one
mote less.
Mastery: The martial artist adds half his Martial Arts rating,
rounded up, in successes instead of dice.
Soul-Flaying Strike
Cost: Varies, 1wp, 1ahl
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only, Necrosis
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blood-Freezing Technique, Laby-
rinth-Walking Prana, Spell-Smothering Technique, Scut-
tling Apparition Defense
Arcs of deathly white Essence swirl around the martial art-
ist’s hands, wailing like lost souls and burning him with the
power of Oblivion. This burning erosion is then transfered
to his victim through his rending strike.
This Charm can be used to enhance a decisive attack, and
it can specifically be declared after the attack and the dam-
age have both been rolled. The martial artist may pay one
mote or one necrosis in order to convert one level of inflict-
ed lethal damage into aggravated damage. He may convert
a maximum of five health levels for each activation of this
Charm.
33
Living people slain by this attack—including Exalts—rise
as hungry ghosts on the next night. They obey their killer
for the next month as best they can comprehend his com-
mands. Spirits slain by this Charm evaporate on the spot,
utterly destroyed. The victim’s last health level must be con-
verted to aggravated for this true soul-flaying to take effect.
Soul-Consuming Transcendence
Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1ahl
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mastery, Necrosis, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Flaying Strike
Few know that Hungry Ghost Style has this secret final tech-
nique. This Charm can be used in response to permanently
killing a ghost with Soul-Flaying Strike, but only when Hun-
gry Ghost Form is active.
The destroyed ghost is absorbed by the martial artist, searing
itself into his flesh and branding its Essence in his chakras.
The martial artist gains up to (Essence) of the ghost’s Ar-
canoi. These Arcanoi can be deployed by the martial artist
with either motes or necrosis as long as he remains in Hun-
gry Ghost Form.
In addition, once per scene, the remaining motes in the
murdered ghost’s pool are given to the martial artist as im-
mediate necrosis which he can use for the purpose of necro-
mancy or Hungry Ghost Style Charms.
Mastery: The martial artist gains up to (Essence + Martial
Arts) Arcanoi.
Terrestrial: The martial artist gains only a single Arcanos.
Laughing Wounds Style
This style was developed in the Thousand Struggles Era by
Haunted by Silver, the very first blood mage. The practi-
tioners of this style are known to be fearless in combat as if
the pain excites them. It is a style for devout flagellants and
blood mages, often used by the latter to bring forth their
own blood to the surface and draw strength from that pain.
Today in the Second Age, it is taught by the Deathlord
known as the Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears to her
deathknight servants. There is a dojo practicing this style in
Gloom, and it is mastered also by the Deathlord known as
He Who Thirsts for the Blood of the Many.
Laughing Wounds Weapons: This style can be used un-
armed, but most prefer to wield whips or fighting chains.
Blood mages often fight with lashes drawn from their own
blood.
Even as blood runs down his skin, the martial artist laughs
Armor: Laughing Wounds Style is incompatible with armor. savagely, whirling undaunted through the battle like a scar-
let-streaked demon. When he is injured, his wound penalty
Sensuous Torment is reversed and added as dice to the accuracy of his Laughing
Cost: 3m Wounds Style attacks. He may reflexively pay a single mote
Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1 to ignore his wound penalty to combat movement for an ac-
Type: Reflexive tion, but not to Defense.
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery
Duration: Instant In addition, whenever he resets to base Initiative, he adds
Prerequisite Charms: None half his current wound penalty as additional Initiative.
The martial artist thrills to the torment that her pitiful ene- Special activation rules: When the martial artist suffers a
mies fear. This Charm can be used in response to a successful level of lethal damage directly caused by an enemy, he may
decisive attack, granting the martial artist one Initiative for reflexively activate Laughing Wounds Form.
every damage level gained, up to a maximum of (Stamina)
Initiative. Instructive Punishment Method
Cost: 4m, 1wp
Mastery: The character can gain up to (Stamina + Resist- Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
ance) Initiative from a single attack. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Psyche, Withering-only
Kiss of the Whip Duration: Instant
Cost: 4m Prerequisite Charms: Laughing Wounds Form
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental The proper application of pain swiftly teaches weaklings
Keywords: Decisive-only how to serve. The martial artist makes a withering attack
Duration: Instant against a foe, stripping away cloth and skin and Initiative
Prerequisite Charms: Sensuous Torment as well as his morale. Should the attack strip away more
Initiative than the target has Resolve, then the target must
With a predatory smile, the martial artist lashes her foe with spend 1 Willpower or become mentally prone (the target is
vicious exactitude, making him cry out in shocked agony. functionally prone, but the knockdown is psychic instead of
On a successful decisive attack that inflicts at least one level physical, meaning that rising from prone is represented as
of damage, the victim’s wound penalty is increased by 1 until self-encouragement rather than as a physical action). If the
that wound is healed. attack crashes the target, he cannot resist with Willpower.
Rapture in Chains Brand of Obedience
Cost: 2m, 1i Cost: 5m
Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche Keywords: Terrestrial
Duration: One turn Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Sensuous Torment Prerequisite Charms: Instructive Punishment Method
People restrained by the martial artist find themselves un- The martial artist truly owns his disciples and can mark
willing to break free. This Charm may be used to enhance them as his if he deems them worthy. This Charm can only
a restrain action while controlling a clinch. The target must be used against targets who have a positive Intimacy for the
pay 1 Willpower in order to attempt to contest the martial martial artist. It can never be used against his enemies. The
artist’s grapple, such as by attacking him or trying to break targeted disciple has his or her skin branded by the martial
free. artist’s hand or whip, suffering one level of aggravated dam-
age that ignores hardness and that cannot be healed as long
Laughing Wounds Form as motes are committed to this Charm.
Cost: 8m
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1 Now the disciple becomes an extension of the martial artist
Type: Simple and they share each other’s pain. Whenever they are fighting
Keywords: Form together on the battlefield and the disciple suffers damage,
Duration: One scene the martial artist may treat that as damage suffered by him-
Prerequisite Charms: Kiss of the Whip, Rapture in Chains self for the purpose of effects such as the Initiative gained
34
from Sensuous Torment or the attack bonus gained from
Laughing Wounds Form.
The character may brand a number of disciples equal to
his Essence, but he can only benefit from one of them each
round.
Terrestrial: The martial artist can only brand a single disci-
ple regardless of Essence level.
Groveling Penitence Prana
Cost: +3m
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Instructive Punishment Method
Daring to oppose a master of the Laughing Wounds Style is
like begging for humiliation. This Charm can be used to en-
hance the prerequisite, rendering the target both physically
and mentally prone at once.
Insatiable Slave Stamina
Cost: +1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Terrestrial
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Laughing Wounds Form
Grinning as black bruises darken her skin, the martial artist
has a greater appetite for pain than she expects even from
her slaves. By adding 1 Willpower to the cost of Laughing
Wounds Form, the martial artist cannot be brought to In-
capacitated with bashing damage as long the form is active.
Bashing damage sustained after she takes her -4 health level
does not roll over into lethal.
Terrestrial: The martial artist’s tolerance to bashing dam-
age is not perfect. If a single attack deals more levels of bash-
ing damage than the character has dots in Resistance, the
last health level will carry over.
Ecstatic Tenacity
Cost: +4m
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Insatiable Slave Stamina
The most terrible wounds mean less than nothing to the
martial artist. He only laughs when blood is ripped from
his flesh and comes forward hungrily for more. This Charm
enhances Laughing Wounds Form by adding four motes to
its activation cost. As long as the form is active, the martial
35
artist’s Resolve is unaffected by his wound penalty. In fact,
the pain brings pleasure to him, replenishing 1 Willpower
whenever he is successfully struck by a decisive attack.
Ravishing the Unworthy Heart
Cost: 10m, 1wp
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Brand of Obedience, Groveling Pen-
itence Prana, Ecstatic Tenacity
Shaping her lips into a kiss, the martial artist leans forward
and strokes her foe’s chest. Then, with a grinning snarl, she
plunges her hand through his ribs and rips out his heart.
This is a decisive attack that can only be used on a crashed
opponent. If the attack succeeds and deals enough damage
to kill the opponent, the martial artist substitutes killing
him for taking his life in her own hands.
She may choose to torment him further and then kill him by
crushing his heart, or she may offer his heart back to him,
instantly closing the wound behind it and sparing him from
that last level of damage. She may keep the heart as long
as she wishes and then letting the victim continue his life
without his heart. The longer he spends without his heart,
the more his life loses meaning. Tastes become blander and
colors pale around him. Intimacies erode and what used to
be passions slowly fade away. After a year and a day without
his heart, he becomes a creature of darkness, forever in a
state between life and death.
Only the martial artist’s mercy can grant him peace. Until
then, he is at the sufferance of her cruelty.
If a player character becomes subjected to Ravishing the
Unworthy Heart, much of what happens is up to Storyteller
discretion. It could become a story for the player character
to steal back his heart from the martial artist who defeated
him, or to find some healing magic to cure him from his ill
fate.
36