Necrotic Spells
Although necrotic damage sounds like it should be something encountered rarely, it is in fact used very often by PCs and enemies alike. There are many necrotic spells in 5e already, so this list aims to fill in some remaining gaps in level coverage and to provide more interesting utility.
Key concepts regarding the identity of necrotic damage in 5e:
- It is death, decay, negative energy, entropy, shadows, darkness and necromancy.
- It is better at damaging living things, rather than undead.
- It can counteract healing
Spell list by level
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| Cantrip | Nemesis Strike |
| 1 | Vital Inversion |
| 2 | Ray of Numbness |
| 3 | Soul Punch |
| 4 | Heartsight |
| 5 | Shadow Betrayal |
| 6 | Undead Form |
| 7 | Stories-Bones-Tell |
| 8 | Flay |
| 9 | Massacre |
Spell Descriptions
Nemesis Strike
Necromancy cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (5-foot radius)
- Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
- Duration: 1 round
- Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and is suffused with antagonistic energy, challenging it to strike back. If the target ends its turn without hitting you with an attack, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage and the spell ends.
At higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target on a hit, and the damage the target takes for not hitting you increases to 2d8. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level (2d8 and 3d8) and again at 17th level (3d8 and 4d8).
Vital Inversion
1st-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you gain hit points or temporary hit points
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a coin with one side painted white and one painted black)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock
You attempt to corrupt the restorative energies affecting a creature, so that they cause harm instead. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target does not gain hit points or temporary hit points in the triggering instance, and instead takes 1d10 necrotic damage.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the necrotic damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st.
Ray of Numbness
2nd-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 90 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
A grayish ray of numbing energy streaks towards a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the creature takes 4d6 necrotic damage and and its body becomes numb until the spell ends. While a target is numb in this way, it has disadvantage on all Dexterity attacks, checks and saving throws, and its speed is halved.
At the end of each of the target’s turns, it can make a Constitution saving throw against the spell. On a success, the spell ends for the target.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you may produce one additional ray for every 2 levels above 2nd level. The rays must each target different creatures within range.
Soul Punch
3rd-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 90 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a drop of distilled alcohol)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
You blast at the vital essence of a creature you can see within range, turning part of it into dangerous spiritual shrapnel. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save take 4d12 necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful one.
Then, the spiritual energy continues outwards from the creature in a 20-foot cone starting at a space of your choice occupied by the target and facing away from you. Each creature in this cone, except for the initial target, must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes necrotic damage equal to half that dealt to the primary target, or a quarter as much on a successful one.
If the initial target was killed by this spell, on a failed save the secondary targets instead take necrotic damage equal to that dealt to the primary target, or half as much on a successful one.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the necrotic damage for the primary target increases by 1d12 for each slot level above 3rd.
Heartsight
4th-level divination
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: S, M (the heart of any creature)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.
- Classes: Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock
You bestow a creature you touch with a special sense, allowing it to detect the heartbeats of creatures within 30 feet. The target learns of their presence of such creatures as well as where they are located. This does not detect creatures without a heartbeat, which includes constructs and most undead. The target can also sense if such creatures are afraid, excited, calm or unconscious, but gains no other additional insight into their emotional state.
Whenever the affected creature hits a creature whose heartbeat it can sense with a weapon attack, the attack is guided to strike at the heart. The attack deals an additional 1d6 necrotic damage and the critical range of the attack expands by 2 (So, an attack that normally crits on a natural 20 only would instead crit on a natural roll of 18-20).
The spell can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you may target an additional creature for each slot level above 4th.
Shadow Betrayal
5th-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 90 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a shroud lined with gems and precious metals, worth at least 500 gp)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour.
- Classes: Warlock, Wizard
You sever a creature's shadow from itself and animate it with malevolent intent. The shadow congeals into a creature in an unoccupied space that you can see adjacent to a creature you can see within range. This corporeal form uses the Shadow Nemesis stat block, except that some of its statistics depend on the target in question. The Shadow Nemesis is a partial shadowy copy of the targeted creature. The creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.
The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, use the higher level wherever the spell’s level appears in the stat block.
Undead Form
6th-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
- Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Until the spell ends, you take on a ghastly, corpse-like visage and give off an unnatural aura. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:
- Your creature type becomes undead.
- You gain immunity necrotic damage and to the frightened and paralyzed conditions.
- Creatures of your choice that start their turn within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against fear or become frightened of you until the start of their next turn. Undead are immune to this effect.
- You can use your action to drain the life of creatures in a 10-foot cube centered on a point you can see within 60 feet of you. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Then, if you dealt damage to at least 1 creature, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt to one of them.
Shadow Nemesis
Same size as the target, undead
- Armor Class 12 + the level of the spell (natural armor)
- Hit Points 50 + 10 for each spell level above 5th
- Speed 25 ft., fly 25 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 19 (+4)
- Skills Stealth (+6)
- Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant
- Damage Resistances Same as the target, except for radiant.
- Damage Immunities Same as the target, except for radiant.
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60ft, passive perception 10
- Languages understands the languages you speak and that the target speaks.
Nemesis. The Shadow Nemesis has advantage on attacks against the creature that it is a copy of.
Actions
Multiattack. The Shadow Nemesis makes a number of attacks equal to half this spell’s level (rounded down).
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 1d10 + 4 + the spell's level necrotic damage.
Bonus Actions
Tailing Shadow. The Shadow Nemesis teleports to the closest unoccupied space adjacent to the creature that it is a copy of.
Shadow Wrap. This action can be used only against an adjacent creature that was hit successfully by this creature at least twice this turn. That creature becomes grappled by the Shadow Nemesis.
Stories-Bones-Tell
7th-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (a drop of embalming fluid)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
You gain the ability to speak to the echoes present in bone, flesh and sinew, whether dead or undead.
First, this causes some undead to see you as one of their own: for the duration, mindless undead do not automatically attack you, except in self defense, and you have advantage on Charisma checks against all undead. However, this does not stop a creature controlling the undead from commanding them to attack you. Mindless undead are typically those with an Intelligence of 7 or less, as opposed to intelligent undead. This distinction is ultimately at the discretion of the DM, however, as some undead function differently.
Second, until the spell ends, you can converse with corpses and mindless undead, including asking them questions. A corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn’t return the creature’s soul to its body. Thus, a corpse can’t learn new information, doesn’t comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can’t speculate about future events.
On the other hand, when conversing with a mindless undead creature, it also remembers events that happened while it was reanimated. You can convince such undead to do things, including moving or taking actions, as if they were thinking creatures through conversation and/or skill checks. However, they cannot go against any commands that they normally would have to follow, and cannot be convinced at all if they received such a command from another creature within the last minute, such as through the animate dead spell.
Flay
8th-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 90 feet
- Components: V, S, M (an onion and a platinum paring knife worth at least 500 gp)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
You project entropic energies to scour at a creature that you can see within range, peeling away their defenses. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is affected by one of the following effect, and then takes 6d10 necrotic damage. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage, but is not otherwise affected. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to target a creature again.
Peel Armor. The target loses any benefit from armor to its AC, including natural armor, for the duration of the spell Any nonmagical non-natural armor it is wearing is destroyed. For reference, the AC for most creatures without armor is 10 + their dexterity modifier.
Scour Magic. The target loses any temporary hit points it has, and you may end any spells of 5th level or lower on it.
Expose. You may only choose this option against a target that has already failed a save against this casting of this spell. The target loses any resistances it has to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing and necrotic damage until the spell ends. For each of these types, if the target was not resistant to it, it instead becomes vulnerable to it until the spell ends.
If a creature dies while under the effects of this spell, you may have its skin become flayed from its body in a single piece.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level, the necrotic damage increases by 2d10.
Massacre
9th-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 1 mile
- Components: V, S, M (a domino tile made from the bones of a sapient creature)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
A wave of killing energy strikes at creatures in a 50-foot cube within range. When casting, you must also choose a side of the cube to be the direction the wave travels in. Each creature within the cube must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 22d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
The deaths of creatures within the cube fuel the wave to propagate further. If at least one small or larger living creature was killed in this cube, then the wave continues to propagate, instantly affecting another 50-foot cube adjacent to the previous one in the direction you chose. A creature in the area of more than one cube is affected only once.
This can continue an indefinite amount of times, each time in the same direction, but the number of small or larger living creatures that need to die to fuel the spell increases by one each time (Thus, the second cube requires two deaths inside it to create a third area, the third requires three, and so on).
Elemental Expansions
Art Credit (In order): Wizards of the Coast (Jaime Jones, Alessandra Pisano, Chris Cold, Steve Argyle, Ian Miller). Homebrew by gameboy350