As an enemy unit or one of your allies, necromancers are unsettlingly extraordinary. You don’t have to enjoy raising the dead to admit that it takes skill (and usually a commitment to an aesthetic) to be a fan of these forbidding dark magic users. Necromancy takes a lot of forms and studying it could suggest a troubled past or simply a unique cultural perception of death.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Play A Necromancer
For those who appreciate the skeleton-summoning talent of certain characters or class types, or if you’re looking for inspiration with your own necromancer RPG character, it’s time to meet some sinister mages across various video games.
Warning: Spoilers for Darkest Dungeon and Fire Emblem: Three Houses DLC
8Kherriun - Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
There’s a stereotype you probably have in mind for a necromancer. Smelling like decay, for one, and presumably having no respect for the natural order of things. Kherriun is something of a surprise in that second part because her alignment is lawful evil, compared to most necromancy users in theBaldur’s Gateseries, who are chaotic evil. It’s kind of refreshing to see a necromancer who doesn’t oppose having structure in her wicked lifestyle.
And while she doesn’t successfully subdue Halatathlaer the ghost dragon completely, the fact that she thought to do so and went forward with that unhinged plan against her unwilling minion took some intense determination. We don’t approve, but we are impressed.
7Necromancer Dwarves - Dwarf Fortress
While known for the simulator mode, the originalDwarf Fortressalso offers a robust RPG system, one with just as much chance of encountering a dreaded necromancer. Be honest, when was the last time you saw a dwarf necromancer? They’re usually tall and willowy for maximum eerie impact. While these dwarven magic users have the usual traits you expect of someone practicing necromancy—including an unfortunate tendency to want to rule the world—it’s intriguing to encounter a different species than you would usually see with these dark mages.
Their physical needs are limited, however. Food and water aren’t important to a Dwarf Fortress necromancer. The last trace of their mortality is needing to breathe, so their towers can be sealed off by flowing water to protect the rest of your fortress.
6Ancestor - Darkest Dungeon
Aptly described as terrible, the Necromancer Lord had his part to play in the state of the hamlet in this gothic roguelike. The Ancestor inDarkest Dungeonhad a host of people allied with his mysterious cause that’s hinted at throughout the game. One was this necromancer boss, who originally came from overseas with other professionals in the deadly craft to offer his insights.
Related:Darkest Dungeon: How To Beat The Necromancer
He was repaid when the Ancestor killed him in his sleep and revived this practitioner of necromancy with most of his intelligence still at his command. According to the Ancestor himself, this was quite the accomplishment for even skilled magic users, and it gave him an infinite supply of undead combatants.
5Aelfric - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
You will never make a mistake worse than Aelfric, the misguided cardinal in charge of anunderground city called Abyss. His affections weren’t returned by Sitri, the protagonist’s mother, and then she passed by bringing her child into the world. He almost coped after founding the Ashen Wolves house in Abyss. But once he discovers Sitri’s magically suspended body years later, Aelfric decides to resurrect her with whatever it takes.
If only he’d known that it would mean fusing with her body instead of reviving his unrequited love in the Rite of Rising, although he does technically reanimate her as the combined Umbral Beast. Accidentally becoming a necromancer is somehow more remarkable than meaning to.
4Octavian - Crypt of the NecroDancer
Better known as the titular NecroDancer, Octavian sought fame and instead found the golden lute that granted him immortality as he played it. Oh, and it gradually robbed him of his humanity while letting him affect living and deceased creatures with his music. That’s correct. He’s a necromancer bard, and not even the shopkeeper is safe.
Neither are you. While in the dungeon, your heartbeat has to follow the rhythm of his song. That means you can only fight and use items in sync with the beat. In lighter news, this indie rhythm game isgreat for beginnersif you want to get your start in the genre and meet this musical necromancer.
3Jevyan - The Battle for Wesnoth: Rise of Wesnoth
Studying necromancy goes hand in hand with overrunning the world of the living. It’s the whole goal of games likeIratus: Lord of the Dead, where you’re summoning an undead army to help Iratus exact revenge on those pesky mortals. Facing down that massive horde of skeletons and such is another story.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Necromancy Spells
Lich-Lord Jevyan isn’t the main character in The Battle for Wesnoth, and he clearly doesn’t need to be. He led orc forces against his fellow citizens, slaughtered the Crown Prince of Southbay as vengeance for the Wesfolk War, and resurrected his corpse. He did all that before he took over the Green Isle kingdom by kingdom. Jevyan simply doesn’t need your help to conquer the realms.
2Xardas - Gothic Series
People delving into necromancy are often pure evil as one of the long-standing tropes in fantasy. One of the older exceptions, Xardas has been in every game inthe Gothic seriesthat launched in 2001. What sets him apart as a necromancer is his moral ambiguity. He definitely has the forbidding aesthetic you anticipate from this kind of dark mage, although his behavior isn’t entirely wicked.
Xardas is your mentor and sincerely cares about you. Yet his steadfast belief that a good enough cause is worth committing atrocities proves he’ll do anything for his hidden goals. He wants generally good things for humanity, but no life matters more than that to him.
1Dorian Pavus - Dragon Age: Inquisition
The nicest necromancer you’ll ever meet, Dorian Pavus still has enough charming sarcasm to carry the party inDragon Age: Inquisition. It’s worth noting that he comes from a society reliant on slavery and will outright state the worst take that enslavement isn’t necessarily bad.
But he leaves his country of Tevinter behind to join the Inquisition because he knows his home nation has a case of power-hungry oppression that isn’t getting better. Dorian is a rare necromancer with good intentionsandmethods. All he wants is to give Tevinter the chance to show its better nature to the world of Thedas, and becoming his friend lets you see his personal growth too.
