Necromancy is both a Discipline and a school of blood magic devoted to the command of the souls of the dead. It’s similar to Thaumaturgy in that it has several “paths” and accompanying “rituals” rather than a strict linear progression of powers. The study of Necromancy is not widespread among the Kindred, and its practitioners — primarily the Giovanni — are shunned and despised for their foul practices (until those practices become useful, of course).

Over the centuries, the various schools of vampiric Necromancy have evolved and diversified from an earlier form of death magic, leaving several distinct paths of necromantic magic available to Cainites. Nearly all modern necromancers learn the Sepulchre Path first before extending their studies to other paths. The primary Necromancy path increases automatically as the character increases her overall Necromancy rating. Other paths must be bought separately, using the experience costs for secondary paths.

Like Thaumaturgy, Necromancy has also spawned a series of rituals. While not nearly so immediate in effect as the basic powers of Necromancy, Necromantic rituals can have impressive long-term effects. Unsurprisingly, the elements of Necromantic ritual are things like long-buried corpses and hands from the cadavers of hanged men, so obtaining suitable materials can be quite difficult.

A Cainite necromancer must learn at least three levels in his primary path before learning his first level in a secondary Necromancy path. He must then master the primary path (all five levels) before acquiring any knowledge of any additional paths.

As with Thaumaturgy, advancement in the primary path costs the normal experience amount, while study of additional Necromantic paths incurs an additional experience-point cost (see p. 124). Because Necromancy is not quite so rigid a study as Thaumaturgy is, the rolls required to use Necromantic powers can vary from path to path and even within individual paths. The commonly-learned Sepulchre Path is presented first, with the remaining paths presented in alphabetical order.

Statistics for ghosts may be found in Chapter Nine, p. 385.

Below are the standard necromancy paths that necromancers have access to.

• The Sepulchre Path — Allows the necromancer to command, interact with and combat ghosts.
  
• The Ash Path — Allows the necromancer to pierce the Shroud and enter the Shadowlands that the various ghosts and wraiths dwell in.
  
• The Bone Path — Allows the necromancer to animate and control the dead corpses of animals and people, letting them create zombies of a sort.
  
• The Cenotaph Path — A rare path mainly practiced by the African Ghiberti family of the Giovanni which allows the necromancer control and even reassign a wraith’s fetter.

Below are the mortis necromancy paths that only Cappadocians and Harbingers of Skulls have access to.

• The Corpse in the Monster — The necromantic understanding of the unliving form and allows the user to fully experience the corpse as a gateway between life and death.
  
• The Grave’s Decay — Under this path, a practitioner of Necromancy channels the working of time on all things mortal.

Other Necromancy Paths include...

• Vitreous Path — Allows a necromancer to control and influence the energies pertaining to death. Available to Nagaraja only.