Elemental Necromancies
“Take a swim with me, dearie. Oh, please. The swamp water’s murky, but it’s harmless…”
- Mother Hestel the Green Hag
PDF Link | D&D Beyond: Befoul Water, Grave Soil
Art Credit: https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=386627
If you’ve perused The Elements and Beyond (246 pages, just released and entirely free), you might have already noticed that there are a handful of new spells that are referenced in spell lists for spellcaster specialization feats yet aren’t found in the compendium. These spells, despite their elemental associations, are too vile to be included anywhere but the forbidden tome of knowledge called The Impermissicon. Some use the elements to enact horrid effects upon the spellcaster’s targets, while others — such as today’s previewed spells — warp and corrupt the elements with necrotic energy, toxifying both earth and water.
The new hydromancy, befoul water, can transform a pristine lakeside, river, wetland, or ocean cove into murky, diseased water. This long-term spell is perfect for hags, witches, or cult leaders looking to leave their mark upon their lair and the surrounding wilderness. Like other long-term spells such as hallow or guards and wards, this spell can be used by DMs to explain the origin and effects of feature in their world — in this case, explaining how the toxic swamp became so toxic, how difficult it is to dispel (5th-level at least), and what exactly that means if you go for a swim. But it can also be used by player characters to set up long-term defenses in an area with a great deal of water. Be wary, as the foul water will be just as dangerous to the caster and their allies as to anyone else. The main limitation, outside of the long casting time, is the reliance on bodies of water. Without any, the spell is practically useless. Yet it can also be stymied by creatures that can’t be poisoned or diseased, such as most kinds of elementals, constructs, and undead.
The other new spell, the geomancy grave soil, requires significantly less planning ahead to cast. Grave soil is a 5th-level spell with an ongoing, area damaging effect, making it similar to other spells at that level such as dawn or maelstrom. While it deals less damage than both of those spells, and it can’t be moved like dawn can, it offers even more controlling power than maelstrom thanks to its restraining effect. And though it can’t affect creatures that aren’t touching the ground (or undead/constructs), it is especially effective against burrowing creatures and it gains bonus damage against prone creatures, meaning it synergizes well with other geomancy spells that bury creatures or knock them prone. It even comes with bonus utility in the form of a chilling touch effect that prevents healing, making it a useful counter to creatures with regeneration, such as trolls. Grave soil makes a useful variation in the repertoire of not just geomancers, but regular necromancers as well!
Each of the four main elemental specializations have one or two new spells waiting in The Impermissicon, and now they’ve all been previewed. There’s also one or two new spell variants for each element, which have nearly all been revealed. The new aeromancies are strangulate and veiled blade, and the new pyromancy is blood to flame, with variants of blood to flame for each of the other three elements as well. One of the new pyromancy spell variants has also been previewed already, a fiery variant of carnage blast called living bomb. The other is pyroclasm, a variant of a new 9th-level spell called desolation that has yet to be previewed. Finally, the elemancy specialization has a spell variant in The Impermissicon called infernal step, a variant of the new star step spell from The Elements and Beyond. All of these spells can already be found on the specialization spell lists in The Elements and Beyond, because they were designed together long before the compendium or the previews.
Be sure to check out the recently released compendium: The Elements and Beyond! It’s entirely free and available right now! This 246 page compendium contains 23 subclasses, 8 spellcasting feats, 134 spells, 213 spell variants, 85 monsters, 30 magic items, 4 races plus 12 new subraces each with racial feats, and even more goodies for players and DMs!
PDF Link | D&D Beyond: Befoul Water, Grave Soil
