RIGS 5.06 – Spear of the Necromancer
“Everyone knew that the so-called Great Necros, a name of his own choosing I must say, was unconventional, even for a magic user and especially for a necromancer. How? Well for a start instead of a staff he used a spear. Ahh yes, I see from your face you know now of whom I speak. Yes, it is he, the one who brought back the dead at the siege of Gallahorn then proceeded to storm the city and destroy it. The one who threw his spear at the Giant-Queen and slew her, then animated her body to cower the rest of the 6 Tribes. And Yes, it was the very spear that slew my father and raised him back up from the clutches of death herself…”
Power Level: Greater (8)
Activation: Appropriate Action
Approximate Age: Several – 6 years
Condition: Damaged (2)
Description
The Spear of the Necromancer (SotN) is a spear made almost entirely of bone. The only part that is not bone, is the binding , which are made of muscle and sinew, and the spear head, which is made from an unusually dark shard of obsidian.
Powers
The SotN is an item that many believe will soon be considered to be an artifact if it isn’t already. It has many powers, but as yet only the Great Necros knows all of them. Each time it kills, it absorbs the soul of the being it killed, increasing its power by a small, but noticeable, fraction.
The main power, apart from the rather mundane killing aspect, is the ability to raise the dead. If it kills a sentient being by piercing it through the heart, that beings soul is consumed by the spear and it raises it as a zombie under the control of the user. The spear returns to the user’s hand after being thrown and some believe it can attack its own as well. A spn-off of this power is that if the spear is slammed into the ground, point first, in an area where there are lots of bodies, those within the area rise up under the users control for 24 hours. This does not power the spear and the full range is unknown.
A relatively minor secondary power grants the SotN the ability to appear as a normal, everyday spear, with a design of the users choosing. In effect, a low-level illusion spells .just for the spear.
Downside
The major downside to using the SotN is that the user starts to feel like they are immortal and that the dead are merely tools to be used and disposed of when no longer needed.
Destruction
Destroying the spear is, at the moment relatively easy, as magic items go. However, scholars believe that once it consumes another 20 or so souls, it will be classed as a true artifact and be a lot harder to destroy.
R.I.G.S. Results Volume 4, available here
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185394/RIGS-Result-Volume-4
