Abhorsen

If the Caliber Institute itself doesn’t police the raising of the dead, then what does? Surely there must be those who make sure there aren’t Necromancers running all over the place, or we’d be up to our eyeballs in eyeballs, on account of all the zombies.

It can’t just be one person, because it’s a big Earth, this one. So there must be some sort of code or order, right?

I’m putting the Abhorsen, from Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom books, into Caliber as an NPC class. I’m planning on having control of the undead work similarly to in the Dresden Files, with the Necromancer providing a beat to substitute for the thrall’s heartbeat. And the sounds of the bells and such work quite well with that. Is an Abhorsen just a Bard subclass?

Maybe one day I’ll turn it into a proper playable class, with progression and all that. I’ll give Garth a ring and see if he wants to work on it with me. ‘How did you get this number?’ he’ll say. He’s such a card, is Garth.

Bells

An Abhorsen’s bells affect any creature that hears them. Their effects cannot be resisted if heard, and as such a creature must fail a perception check to resist.

This check is usually DC10. The wielder can ring the bell quietly to increase the DC to 20 for any creature further than 10 feet away. Or they can be rung with force, for a DC of 5. Creatures that take action in advance to impair their hearing have disadvantage on their checks, obviously.

(These rules are by no means set in stone, by the way. Just putting my thoughts down. And presumably, non-Abhorsens could get hold of the bells too.)

The seven bells, in order of their size and power are (lifted from the Old Kingdom website):

Ranna, the first, the smallest bell. Ranna the sleepbringer, the sweet, low sound that brings silence in its wake. (Puts listeners to sleep, as with the Sleep spell, only without the Hit Point limit)

Mosrael, the second, a harsh, rowdy bell, the waker. The bell whose sound is a seesaw, throwing the ringer further into Death, as it brings the listener into Life. (Functions as any resurrection spell short of True Resurrection – so Animate Dead, Revivify, Summon Undead, Danse Macabre, Raise Dead, Create Undead, or Resurrection. It’s a bit more straight forward here than in the books, as I don’t want to use the precincts of Death unless absolutely necessary)

Kibeth, the walker, a bell of several sounds, a difficult and contrary bell. It can give freedom of movement to one of the Dead, or walk them through the next gate. (A forced movement effect; the listener will move its speed in a direction of the ringer’s choice. Even towards a big pit or whatever!)

Dyrim, a musical bell, of clear and pretty tone. Dyrim can return the voice that the Dead have so often lost, but Dyrim can also still a tongue that moves too freely. (Can cast Speak with Dead or Silence)

Belgaer, another tricksome bell that seeks to ring of its own accord. The thinking bell, the bell most necromancers scorn to use. It can restore independent thought, memory and all the patterns of a living person, or slipping in a careless hand, erase them. (Does what it says on the tin. It basically grants full sentience to an undead thrall. And I guess it would turn the living into shambling zombies)

Saraneth, the deepest, lowest bell. The sound of strength, the binder, the bell that shackles the Dead to the wielder’s will. (Casts Dominate Monster. Does it work on the living too?)

Astarael, the Sorrowful. The banisher, the final bell. Properly rung, it casts everyone who hears it far into Death. Everyone, including the ringer. (Power Word: Kill without the Hit Point requirement. Powerful immortals – the Queens of Fae for example – would be unaffected.)

Anyway, read Sabriel if you like fantasy books. More info here.