Dungeons and Dragons can easily be described as a game of heroes and villains, with almost every quest ending in a confrontation with some sort of monster or nefarious schemer. You always want these fights and surrounding plots to be engaging for your players, but it takes a great villain to begin with.
Perhaps no type of villain is more synonymous with high fantasy than the evil necromancer, a sorcerer with the power and desire to raise the dead to do his bidding. The trope is best known as a cliché, making it hard to avoid making your necromancer feel like a parody. We're here to help, with some top tips to make sure your Necromancer hits the mark.
8 Make them a person
Not just villains
If all you make is an evil necromancer, you'll get it. A two-dimensional and forgettable villain your players won't engage with beyond fighting against them. If you take the time to make them a complete person, however, you'll end up with something much more satisfying.
Think about who they are and what brought them to this path. Give them some character traits and consider whether they are cold or uncomfortably friendly, arrogant or cowardly. The more you invest in making them people and not just villains, the more your players will be interested in them and their story.
7 Think about motivation
Necromancy is not for everyone
Any villain who became an evil necromancer for the sake of being an evil necromancer is in the cartoon. Instead think about why your necromancer went down this dark path, their motivations will inform their character and help your players know how they will react when something inevitably happens unexpectedly.
Perhaps they fear their own death and are looking for a way to prevent it, or are devastated by the loss of a loved one and hope to find the strength to bring them back. Their reasons may not even be related to necromancy, it may simply be a tool to achieve an unrelated goal.
6 Set the tone
Make sure your players are happy
It's easy to get excited about your latest idea for a villain, but make sure you don't get carried away. Always make sure to match the tone of the game your players are looking for. A session zero is suitable for establishing this.
Just as not everyone wants their villains to be morally complex, not everyone enjoys the gruesome details of the undead. Some players want to fight bad guys and get some laughs, while others want a layered villain and a narrative that leans toward horror. Be sure to complete the experience to match your player's preferences.
5 Minions are everything
monster mash
Usually a necromancer will not be caught dead, or dead, without their minions doing their bidding. D&D has a wealth of incredible undead monsters for you to use, so take some time to choose the ones that make the most sense for your necromancer.
Zombies and skeletons never go out of style, but if your necromancer Dr. If you're the Frankenstein type, don't ignore the flesh golems. Materializing ghosts is a great option if they need to summon the undead somewhere without a body. You are only limited by your Necromancer's imagination.
4 Use them again
Never say die
Just because your Necromancer is defeated by your players doesn't mean they have to be gone forever. After all, the power over death is their specialty, so they can easily cause emergencies if they are killed by a group of meddling workers.
Killing them may only be temporary, life returning to their bodies after the party is gone. Or they may rise as undead themselves, brought back by their own dark magic. A recurring villain is a great way to surprise your players, they usually wouldn't expect it.
Especially experienced players may have a feeling of destroying your necromancer's body, especially if it seems like it won't stick when killing them. If they do this and you want to keep using your Necromancer, ghost them, influencing events indirectly.
3 Give them a master
Everyone has a boss
Your Necromancer may be the ultimate villain of your campaign, but if they aren't it's worth considering if you have someone more powerful than them who can serve as your next villain. It provides a clear progression from one part of your campaign to another.
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Perhaps they serve a vampire and hope to become one themselves, or are apprenticed to an ancient lich. They may be in the service of Vecna, or Orcus, the demon lord of Undeath. Whoever you decide, think about how they might react to word of your necromancer's defeat.
Necromancy is not all there is
It's natural to want to lean heavily on your villain theme, but remember that your necromancer doesn't have to use necromancy as the only solution to every problem. They will know other types of magic and have other resources available to them.
If you want to keep the theme strong, you can flavor it to be more thematic. A fireball spell can be made from sickly green flames, an assassin's corpse can be a pale color, and a corrupt city guardsman can be able to talk to his departed love instead of being paid in coins.
1 Tempt your players and their characters
Everyone wants something
Combat in Dungeons & Dragons is one of its strong points, but don't immediately default to it being fun. When faced with a threat to your player characters, consider ways your necromancer villain might try to lure them to the dark side.
They can offer powerful magical items of a dark nature, eternal life, or the opportunity to reunite with a beloved NPC who has passed on. Regardless of whether they can follow through on these promises, what matters is letting your players fall for the temptation.
