Descripción
The Academy Necromica was founded nearly one hundred and fifty years ago by the necromancer Xilian, who sought to establish a place where like-minded individuals could come together and share the secrets of the dark arts. Over the next two decades, Master Xilian slowly built up the organization, hand-picking members from those who respected (or worshiped) the power of death and undeath. Soon she had a cadre of necromancers, evil priests, and professional killers.
But the Academy was infiltrated by a paladin named Rion, who used his knowledge of the group's inner workings to organize an assault by those who opposed them. Most of the Necromicans (as the Academy's members call themselves) were destroyed, and Xilian herself was on death's door when loyal minions spirited her away.
From the ashes of the Academy's worst failure came its first great success. Unable to repair Master Xilian's horribly broken body, the necromancers instead performed an unspeakable process upon her, turning her into a lich. With a newfound lease on unlife, Xilian swore vengeance upon her enemies. She knew that patience was her ally, and over the next century, quietly built up a secret but powerful organization dedicated to death and evil. Now, the time to strike approaches near, yet she hesitates, fearing the possibility of another setback.
Today, the Academy Necromica prides itself on its strict dedication to evil above petty politics, and thus remains basically neutral evil. Individual members may vary from this ideal, but the Academy itself rarely strays into either lawful or chaotic methods. Symbolic of this ideal is Xilian, the Master of the Academy and a powerful necromancer in her own right. As the organization's founder and most powerful member, Xilian is possessed of a patience born of more than a century of unlife. She does not take unnecessary risks, though she also knows the value of personal involvement in times of crisis. She spends most of her time teaching the students of the Academy, as well as crafting long-range plans for the organization's future.
As one might expect, the Academy welcomes both the living and the dead, and it numbers a few undead (vampires, specters, and the like) among its membership. To join, one must only demonstrate an appreciation for the arts of death, whether that appreciation is scholarly or more... hands-on.
In Your Campaign
Unless you run an evil-oriented campaign, the Academy Necromica probably works best as an adversary for your party. The characters might come across rumors of a ring of graverobbers or bodysnatchers, which in turn could lead them to discover the Academy's more vile activities. Alternatively, the Academy might target one of the party members as a likely candidate for vampirism or similar undead transformation, hoping that experiencing death will make the character friendlier to their aims. Or maybe one or more characters are aligned with the forces that brought Xilian and her Academy down the first time. If you have a non-good necromancer in the party, the Academy might even attempt recruitment, but only after confirming the character's disposition towards undeath.
It's probably best not to pit the character directly against the Academy at lower levels. The higher-ranking members (such as Xilian or Uther Kyush, described below) could certainly defeat a low-level party of adventurers singlehandedly, and neither would hesitate to eliminate a serious threat to the organization.
Necromantic Boons
Members of the Academy Necromica learn various methods and techniques that allow them to enhance their magic and their ability to deal necrotic damage.
Grave Magic
When the cultist casts a spell that deals damage, it can change the spell's damage type to necrotic.
Potent Necromancy
Whenever the cultist deals necrotic damage, it can reroll the damage dice and use either total.
Sample Member
After Master Xilian, the most respected member of the Academy is Uther Kyush, who oversees all targeted slayings, illicit information gathering, and other criminal activities of the Academy. Most Necromicans value Kyush's personal involvement in the day-to-day workings of the Academy, seeing him as much more in touch with the rank-and-file membership than Xilian. Kyush employs two squads of spies and cutthroats, each comprised of two spy and five thugs that are led by one veteran. Kyush is rarely separated from his bodyguard/lover Ronica, a LE female human necromancer.