You tell a joke so funny the dead wake to join the act. Rigor mortis gives way to rictus grins and mechanical humor, and the animate corpse laughs just as heartily at any commands you issue as though they were just as funny as the original joke.
The corpses are powered by Mingus' own broken dreams. Once, he was driven by the idea that he could use the art of clowning to motivate the world to be better, more caring, more generous people. Now, that desire for motivation has culminated in a twisted perversion: he can motivate people to action - any action he wants! - with his jokes, but only after they've died. This is, of course, terrifying to him - he's still too human for it not to be.
Exert your Mind and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last month. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
A purple haze pools from the corn cob as it turns to dust. The miasma pools into the target's wounds, promptly clogging them with cornstalks tipped in cobs. Vines wrap around the body, pulling it upwards like a puppet tugged by strings. It jolts and staggers as a sinister presence takes root within its hollow form. This is not life restored, the figure that rises is naught but a vessel for something new, something ancient.
Over the course of an hour, the corn protruding from the wounds goes black, slowly rotting away. In time, it'll fade completely, returning the corpse to its unanimated death.
On Casper's hand, something resembling purple burns appears. The bruise grows with subsequent castings, crawling further up his arm.
The second page of the Necornomicon tells of an old god and the false life it can bestow. Necornmancers can call upon the Great Husk and draw its attention to a corpse, allowing the entity to animate a body with a fraction of its endless mind. The power held by the Great Husk is said to be too vast for fragile mortal bodies, resulting in a rot that prevents any prolonged connections. Life is not returned here, rather death is altered.
It's good ol' fashioned Necornmancy, no strings attached... Well, none that Casper seems to care about.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend an Action. Select a Dead target within arm's reach with at least half its skeletal structure remaining. You must use up a cob of corn in order to activate this Effect.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts one hour until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
The Corpse Merchant pulls out his sewing tools as he begins to pierce and thread throughout the flesh of the cadaver, seemingly following an invisible process only he can see.
Exert your Mind and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach with at least half its skeletal structure remaining. You must actively and obviously use needle to activate this Effect.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
After you finish activating this Effect, you cannot move quicker than a walk (max 15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour. Exhaustion’s penalty and duration stacks with multiple activations.
The necromancer places his hands on the corpse, mumbles something under his breath, then a transparent figure can be seen slowly being dragged to the body of the deceased.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action to activate. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last month.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for the next day or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have all their Abilities set to 0. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see the transparent, screaming soul of the deceased entering the corpse.
This Effect ends if you are stunned, fall asleep, go unconscious, are incapacitated, die, or if your total Penalty ever exceeds 5.
Buttons reaches into her bag and fishes out one of her handy dandy clown noses. She spends a moment carefully putting it on and making sure it's secured before stepping back and watching the magic work.
Exert your Mind and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last month. You must use up Clown Nose in order to activate this Effect.
Your target rises as an Animate being. They remember their past life and retain their same personality. They can communicate as they would have been able to in life. They may roll Mind, Difficulty 8, to resist any commands you give them.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Attributes are all the same as they were in life, except Dexterity, which is fixed at 1. Raised creatures have access to any Effects they had in life.
This Effect ends if you are stunned, fall asleep, go unconscious, are incapacitated, die, or if your total Stress ever exceeds 5.
Lucian has discovered that he can potentially pass on his vampirism.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You get +2 dice to any Body resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
The Necromancer stands over a corpse and makes a series of grandiose lifting gestures. The corpse rises from the ground as though suspended by invisible strings, barks a pained groan, and lands on its feet, now a full-fledged member of the living dead.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend an Action. You must use up corpse in order to activate this Effect.
Summon up to 3 Non-Sapient, Animate zombie at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 3 minions active at a time.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
The Scepter of Ang-Kapal is a gruesome device fashioned to look like a skeletal arm clutching a glass eye. When used, blood from the person holding is drawn into the eye where it swirls with dark energy. The eye turns to a nearby corpse and shudders, reviving the creature. The creature does not retain any of its memories or personality, but it is absolutely loyal to whoever is holding the scepter.
The Scepter of Ang Kepal has the unfortunate side effect of driving its owner mad.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach with at least half its skeletal structure remaining. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
Destroying one of your zombies requires a called shot to the head or heart. All other Injuries zombies suffer result in Battle Scars only, limiting their mobility and effectiveness in other ways.
Your revived targets deal 2 Weapon Damage with their unarmed attacks.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.