The Necromancer's Blades

A magus who wishes to use charged items to create a living corpse still needs to cast spells to start and complete the creation. Charged items can only perform half of the necessary spells, the ghost-binding spell and the corpse-animating spell. The benefits of using a charged item are two: a magus' Lab Total only has to be greater than the calculated total spell-like effect level, not twice that amount, and a charged item does not require vis to instill the spell-like effect. Like lesser enchantments, charged items must be created in a single season.

The following charged items are a pair of daggers made by a necromancer who desires a large following of weak living corpses. Having first summoned a ghost, the necromancer points the Blade of Lead at the ghost and imprisons it in a small clay pot that he has conveniently brought with him. He then opens the corpse's torso and encloses the clay pot within the cadaver's chest cavity. Finally, he animates the corpse with the Blade of Amber and at the same time casts Passing the Reins of Corpus to the

ghost. Because these charged items are ultimately disposable, the necromancer purposefully uses ghosts with a Magic Might of 10. For this example, the necromancer's Passing the Reins of Corpus spell has a Duration Moon. Since the living corpse ends when this spell expires, there is no point in having either charged item's spell-like effect last longer than a month.

The Blade of Lead

ReMe 36

Pen: 12

R: Voice, D: Moon, T: Ind

This lead dagger is instilled with the spell Imprison a Ghost in a Vessel, which forces a ghost inside a container selected by the wielder at the time of activation. Lead grants a +3 Lab Total bonus for binding ghosts.

(Base 5, +2 Voice, +3 Moon; +6 penetration.)

Required Lab Total: 1 season (36, plus 1 charge for every 5 points above 36)

The Blade of Amber

ReCo(Me) 40

Pen: 0

R: Voice, D: Moon, T: Ind

This dagger made of amber is instilled with the spell Animate the Slumbering Corpse. Because the corpse does not have Magic Resistance, the spell-like effect does not need Penetration.

(Base 10, +2 Voice, +3 Moon, +1 Mentem requisite)

Required Lab Total: 1 season (40, plus 1 charge for every 5 points above 40)