Volantis Ultima OnlineNecromancy determines spell access and casting success; Spirit Speak determines effect strength. Open a spell page to see its targets, timings and counterplay.
The lowest Necromancy spell requirement is 20.0. Below that, a Teacher can train you to 30.0 for 300 gold if your individual and total skill caps allow it.
Examine Teacher Training · Shared Necromancy casting rules
See Necromancy reagents and where to obtain them →
Creates a helper with 40 health for 20 seconds from an eligible corpse. A second activation detonates it nearby; loot stays in the original corpse.
Forms a 10-second bond with another party member; you take 10–25% of their damage after defenses.
Applies three protective layers to yourself. Each direct hit consumes a layer and absorbs 40% of its damage, capped at 4–8 health per layer.
Gives your equipped weapon one charge for 10 seconds. The first successful melee or archery hit reduces the target's healing by 10–20% for up to 6 seconds.
Marks the target for up to 5 seconds. Their first successful weapon hit or completed harmful spell damages them and consumes the seal.
In this form, entered on foot, the first successful melee hit deals normal weapon damage, pushes the target back two tiles and ends the form.
For 20 seconds, pays 10–30% of Necromancy mana costs with health. One form converts at most 30 mana points into health payments.
Locks the target's most recent successful spell from the last 10 seconds for 2–4 seconds. Other spells and items remain usable.
Removes active poison you applied and deals 50–80% of its remaining damage after defenses at once, capped at 25 health in PvP and 60 in PvE.
Places a visible seed on the target. Three seconds later, it applies ordinary poison based on Spirit Speak to the target and eligible enemies within one tile.
For up to six seconds, every two tiles voluntarily walked or run create a damage opportunity. A stationary target takes no damage.
Summons a passive Familiar with 30 health for 120 seconds. Every three souls collected from eligible corpses grant a credit covering the next Necromancy spell's mana cost.
During a 10-second form, stores 8–15% of eligible direct damage in a reservoir. The second activation converts it into healing and ends the form.
Sends a spirit with 30 health to return 15–30% of eligible direct damage the target dealt to you in the last five seconds. It strikes once on reaching the target.
Creates a 3×3-tile ground area. Enemies inside lose natural, item-based and Meditation mana regeneration for 4–8 seconds.
After three seconds of preparation, leave your body in place and control a scouting spirit for 3–6 seconds. It travels at most eight tiles and cannot cross obstacles.
Removes the most recently applied removable Necromancy curse from yourself or an eligible friendly player. Each cast removes only one effect.
Shared casting rules
Preparation, effect and cooldown
After choosing a target, stay still for the listed preparation time. Moving cancels preparation; your character is not forcibly frozen. An application delay is an extra wait after preparation. Effect duration is how long a protection, curse, form or helper remains active. A spell's cooldown starts when preparation succeeds, without waiting for the effect to end. Logging out and back in does not reset cooldowns.
Shared recovery
Spells have a shared 1-second recovery. You can move during recovery but cannot prepare another spell. After a 1.5-second preparation, for example, the earliest next preparation is at 2.5 seconds.
Requirements and success chance
Your Necromancy book must contain the spell, and you must meet its Necromancy requirement. A scroll does not bypass the minimum skill. Skill-based success is 70% at the requirement. It rises linearly to 100% at 20 skill points above the requirement, or at 100 Necromancy if that comes first. A spell requiring 70 has 70% success at 70, 85% at 80 and 100% at 90. Vampiric Embrace reaches 70% at 95 and 100% at 100.
Spirit Speak scaling
These spells have no additional Spirit Speak requirement. Power uses your 0–100 Spirit Speak value at the start of preparation and retains that value for the spell. Scaling between endpoints is linear, except for Poison Strike's poison tiers. Percentages and results requiring whole health points or tiles round down. Curse Weapon and Vampiric Embrace carry fractional amounts into later events. Spirit Speak does not change preparation time, mana cost or cooldown. Maximum durations assume 100 Spirit Speak and no duration reduction from the target's resistance.
Mana and reagent costs
After skill, target, range and reagent checks pass, the cost is paid once at the start of preparation. Each listed reagent costs one unit. Mana and reagents are not refunded when movement, a hit or a skill failure interrupts the spell. A failed attempt does not start the spell's long cooldown; only the 1-second shared recovery applies.
Interruptions and equipment
Actual health loss from a single attack interrupts preparation. Periodic damage such as poison or bleeding does not interrupt preparation by itself. You cannot make normal weapon attacks while preparing a spell. Holding a weapon or shield does not by itself prevent Necromancy casting. Item bonuses to casting speed and mana reduction are not included in these spells.
Resisting Spells
The target's base Resisting Spells skill from 0 to 100 reduces applicable effects linearly by 0–25%; this is not a separate random resistance roll. It shortens the Curse Weapon wound, Evil Omen seal, Mind Rot lock and Strangle curse. Curse Weapon's waiting weapon charge is not shortened. It also reduces Animate Dead explosion, Evil Omen, Strangle and Vengeful Spirit damage. These special damage effects apply this resistance calculation once instead of armor. Resistance uses the target's current value when the effect or damage occurs. Normal weapon hits keep normal weapon and armor calculations. Pain Spike converts poison damage already calculated after defenses and receives no second reduction. Normal poison uses existing poison defenses. Poison Strike's 3-second seed warning is not shortened. Leaving Wither's area ends its effect. For example, a 4-second Mind Rot lasts 3 seconds against 100 Resisting Spells.
Forms
Only one of Horrific Beast, Lich Form, Vampiric Embrace and Wraith Form can be active at a time. End the current form before entering another. Enter all four forms on foot, and do not mount while transformed. You can cast in Lich Form and Vampiric Embrace, but cannot cast in Horrific Beast or during Wraith scouting. No unlisted classic resistance, immunity or automatic regeneration bonuses are added.
Protection, damage and shared limits
Damage passes through normal defenses, then Corpse Skin, then Blood Oath sharing; the remainder is actual health loss. Transferred, reflected, periodic and summoned-creature damage cannot create repeated gains from the same event. If you have a free Necromancy cast, the mana cost is set to zero first; Lich Form takes no health for that free spell. The same curse does not stack or refresh its active duration even when applied by different casters. Mind Rot and Strangle protection belongs to the target and applies against all casters. Death and disconnection clear helpers, scouting and temporary states.
Targets and protected areas
At the start and end of preparation, the target must be on the same map, in range and in line of sight; spells requiring a living target also require it to be alive. Party, ownership, duel and protected-area rules still apply. Hostile spells do not grant unrestricted attacks on yourself, party members, your own pets or protected targets. Animate Dead, Poison Strike, Summon Familiar, Vengeful Spirit, Wither and Wraith Form cannot be used in GZ or safe areas, or targeted into them from outside.
Using corpses
Animate Dead and Summon Familiar use only eligible corpses from naturally spawned hostile creatures. You must have contributed to the kill or hold kill rights, and using the corpse must not be criminal. Players, pets or bonded animals, summoned creatures, sleeping creatures and farm animals are ineligible. A corpse can be used only once between these two spells. Its loot is not deleted.
Second activations
The second activation of Animate Dead, Vampiric Embrace and Wraith Form costs no mana, reagents or health and does not consume a Familiar free-mana credit. It does not wait for the main spell's cooldown, restart it or extend it. Second activation triggers 1 second of shared recovery. Wraith Form returns you to your body immediately without waiting for an existing shared recovery.
Starting Necromancy
Below 20.0 Necromancy, none of the spells in this book can start. A Teacher can raise Necromancy to 30.0 for 300 gold if your individual and total skill caps allow it. You must be alive, within 3 tiles and line of sight of the Teacher, with the gold in your backpack. Then continue normal skill advancement using spells whose requirements you meet. Valid use and genuine skill failures may advance the skill; attempts cancelled by movement or damage do not.