Amulets, Phylacteries, and Tefillin

Personally worn items are ideal for creating a living corpse because they can operate at Range Touch. This keeps the level of the effect manageable, and circumvents the problems involved with higher-magnitude ranges. Voice and Sight, for example, are difficult to use when the enchanted item has neither a mouth to speak, nor eyes to see. These difficulties can be overcome, but doing so adds magnitudes to the spell-like final effect of each enchantment. Managing the final level of effect reduces the cost of the vis necessary for each instilled power, maximizes the magus' Lab Total to allow him to instill additional level of Penetration, and decreases the time required for enchanting each effect.

While rings, necklaces, earrings, and other personal items will suffice, there are certain worn items that are more appropriately thematic for necromantic purposes. These have a long history of use in pre-Hermetic magic traditions and have remained popular among magi with necromantic persuasions. An amulet is an engraved gem, coin, figurine, or pendant, popular since the time of Pliny's Natural History. A hamsa, or "hand of Fatima," is a popular palm-shaped amulet used in Arabic lands. A phylactery is a small container or box worn strapped to the arm, used in various Greek traditions of magic. A tefillah (plural: tefillin) is a small leather cube tied to the arm or forehead, used by Jewish holy men and magicians.

Pertinent Material and Size Tables

Derived from the regular Material & Size Tables chart (ArM5, page 97), the following table lists the final number of points for specific items useful for necromancers. This number is both the pawns of vis needed to open the item for enchantment, and the maximum number of pawns of vis that can be instilled in the device to empower spell-like effects. The material is the determining factor rather than the actual item; for example, an amulet made out of bone has the same points as a figurine made from bone.

Points
3
15
12
10
6
3
5
2
2

is activating the lesser enchantment at the same time that he is casting the Muto Vim spell, the player must make an Intelligence + Concentration roll (see insert). Because the necromancer is not holding the lesser enchantment, the Range of the Passing the Reins of Corpus spell must be Voice. Against its will, the ghost is bound to the silver coin and given the ability to command the animated corpse. The ghost is not immediately forced to follow the necromancer's commands. A few hectic seconds may ensue before the necromancer can command the ghost, using Coerce the Spirits of the Night. Note that while the spell-like effects of the Denarius and the Greave can last indefinitely, due to the Constant Effect duration, the spell Passing the Reins of Corpus has a much shorter lifespan, depending on the Duration chosen when the necromancer invented the spell.

The Denarius to Hold the Recalled Centurion assumes that the ghost is weaker than Magic Might 20. A more powerful ghost would require that the device have a higher Penetration. The Greave of Reveille does not need Penetration because the corpse it targets does not have Magic Resistance. The coin and leg armor are merely examples of items that could hold these instilled powers, ones that a magus with antiquarian Roman affectations might use.

A Denarius to Hold the Recalled Centurion

ReMe 44

Pen: 20, Constant Effect

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Room

An antique Roman silver coin, a denarius, is instilled with the spell Imprison a Ghost in a Vessel, which forces a ghost inside the silver coin. The silver coin is place on the floor of the room in which the ghost is present, and once the command word is spoken, the magic targets the room and the enclosed ghost.

(Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Room; +1 frequency, +3 environmental trigger, +10 penetration.)

Required Lab Total: 1 season (88), 2 seasons (66), 3 seasons (59), 4 seasons (55)

This effect costs 5 pawns of vis.

The Greave of Reveille

ReCo(Me) 34

Pen: 0, Constant Effect

R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind

This iron leg armor is instilled with the spell Animate the Slumbering Corpse, which will animate the non-magical corpse wearing it. The command, "Stand at attention," is issued as soon as the magic activates.

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 Mentem requisite; +1 frequency, +3 environmental trigger)

Required Lab Total: 1 season (68), 2 seasons (51), 3 seasons (46), 4 seasons (43) This effect costs 4 pawns of vis.