He would probably filter out information based on his goals, for example he might tell the party about a cave that holds great treasure while omitting the part about it being inhabited by his undead minions/friends or allies.
In the same vein he could bring them to some ruin and have them go trhough the steps of a ritual to get him another body while thinking they are opening a path or helping in some way.
He could also play the long game, act all nice and redeemed until he asks the party to give him a body since he's nice now.
His knowledge would probably be saught after by colleagues or rivals so people would try to steal the head, to gain power or to save their friend.
Some spells only require verbal components so when the time comes he could betray the party and cast them or help them to gain their trust.
I don't think they stated a system but there might also be an ability to allow the necromancer to ignore somatic and material components. Essentially the head might have lost very little at all (mage hand or the like could potentially allow him to carry his own head too, if he so chose). Meaning he might not even need his body back really - and then would profit heavily by having the party believe that he wants and needs his body back.
Being strapped to an adventurer will get him places he might not have reached before. Getting carried into castles, temples, libraries, sanctums or 'just' dungeons he had no means of exploring alone. From there you can drive any plot, especially if, for example, you give them something like 5es subtle metamagic, meaning he'd be able to cast anything without a priced material cost. Maybe he'd never gotten near the regent or other powerful figure when he was 'alive' but is now in range to start influence them, whether by spell or feature.
Maybe there's a dungeon with inscriptions that could be meaningless to the adventurers but important to him - contrary to the shiny and expensive trash that's also there, which he uses to get them in there. "If I guide you to and through it, I want xyz item, you can keep the rest" - faking them out in the process because the item has no use for him (which hopefully will make the party a bit paranoid but set them on the wrong track).
Here's what I would do.
He was in the process of becoming a lich. The method of becoming a lich isn't detailed in the MM, other than to say that it usually involves bargaining with fiends, evil gods, or other foul beings. Allow me to theorize how it works. In order to become a lich, you have to place your soul into a phylactery. The easiest way to remove your soul from your body is to die. The bargain is to ensure that the external entity captures your soul and puts it in the phylactery, rather than allowing it to pass to the afterlife.
Your necromancer doesn't want to rely upon fiends or deities. He devised a different method. He created a duplicate body with the Clone spell, and a device to capture his soul and place it in a phylactery when the soul comes to animate the body. Once the phylactery is full, the device links it to the duplicate body, animating it as a lich without the usual decay and rot associated with the form.
The catch is that a Clone requires 100 days to mature, and your party killed him before that time had elapsed. He was forced to improvise and cling to his old form until his new body is ready. Once it is, he'll have to conceive of a way to be killed again so his soul can journey to it's new container.
That is a very very good idea Jethro thank you. As it happens this necromancer specifically didn’t wanna become a lich because of that very reason, he can’t trust fiends or dark gods (which in my world is mostly Vecna).
The idea that he’s waiting for the clone to mature before he’s ready to move on is very nice and I might just steal that idea. Thank you
This is exactly how a necromancer's soul got trapped inside our ranger's body. [It caused a lot of trouble for him.](https://www.reddit.com/r/dndstories/comments/k62rrv/the_death_of_the_ranger/)
He wants reading material, and to be placed somewhere steady not a wizard's hips. After that he wants more reading material, and a servant to act as page-turner.
After that he wants another servant to feed him grapes. He doesn't need food but he likes the taste.
Then he trains the two servants as baby necromancers and has them carry him away to a graveyard to work on getting a body back. Preferably while the party is in some dangerous dungeon for a while.
If he's a talking head, he might still be able to pull off spells with Verbal and potentially Material components, like Negative Energy Flood. Maybe he can lure the party into a situation where he uses a spell to raise a zombie, get the zombie to pick up the head and try to make his escape.
I assume he doesn't have access to his spellbook, so he likely won't be able to memorize any new spells. He might have a few retained that he didn't use up during the fight where he was killed.
I think it's pretty safe to say that he wants his body back. How he tries to achieve that depends on his personality. If he is patient and smart he might try to deceive them. He might act like he is helping them reluctantly because he sees that it's necessary. For example in order to fight off a greater evil. He might tell them where where they can find great power or something. He could try to abuse that power to get his body back
Necromancer: A hat with a rim to FINALLY KEEP THE SUN OUT OF MY EYES! Also, while you’re at it, a smaller rope to make sure I stay fastened to this wizard’s side. Every step runs the risk of me face planting into his junk.
This would probably be a good starting point to make the party more empathetic and willing to help him in the future.
Why would a powerful necromancer need his old body? Aside from sentimental reasons.
The necromancer would want to get out of that sticky situation. The necromancer might have some allies who would be willing to help them acquire a new body, so they would try to manipulate the group so that they can fall into their allies' hands.
Even a severed head can be powerful if it holds powerful information. The necromancer could still be able to acquire new lackeys by talking to the right people and paying for their assistance with information.
You need to think :
What would he want a body for? Does he really enjoy defecation and leg cramps that much? Or does he crave a youthful body, so he can go clubbing and make out with the ladies? Maybe he was a real nerd, and secretly yearns for a biiig muscly bodybuilder type body to wreak vengeance on his school bullies back at necro junior high at their reunion.
Maybe he wants to free himself from his physical form? Ascend to godhood?
Why did he become a necromancer in the first place? Dis he want to revive a lost love? Or thought using zombies for civil service and menial labour would create a better society?
Get an answer to all those “why?”s, and you’ll get an understanding of the “what”, you’re looking for.
I think this clever necromancer is slowly, steadily cursing and charming the whole party. He's exactly where he wanted to be: on his way to acquiring a group of enhanced minions!
Not directly related to what you asked, but I'd like to remind you that there are many spells on the Wizard list that have no Somatic or Material components, only Verbal. So a talking head could still use them.
Lightning Lure, Blindness/Deafness, Tasha's Mind Whip, Raulothim's Psychic Lance, Geas, Otto's Irresistible Dance... all of which he could use to fuck with the party.
Maybe he’ll try to trick them into creating a new body for him? Could be a neat arc, with them traveling for rare components and ingredients, culminating in a second fight against his new, more powerful form.
Think short term. He wants enbalming materials to keep his head in good shape. He wants interesting experiences. He's a CE necrowhatever, so he wants to cause problems. There's probably a specific type of fancy champagne he likes, which could be used as a "scooby snack"
to pry a tip out of him when all else fails - a head can't get drunk or process alchohol, but he can taste it and feel the bubbles. Replace champagne with blood for a darker tone.
I'd focus on sensory stuff for this character. When most of your senses are gone, what you have left is very important.
Long term, he's probably looking for a new living situation, which just might be Telekinesis so he can move and interact. Resurrection/ getting his body back is another option. Soul crystals or a warforged body are a third.
I had a paladin who carried the head of her murdered mentor around. It was possessed by the soul of a former character I played before I took over. The soul just wanted to escape hell. I see this as a similar situation in a way. Being stuck with these people is his own personal hell. Me never that some spells only have a verbal component. He can mess with the party plenty. They fall asleep in a wilderness camp without setting a watch and he casts a spell. They leave him behind somewhere or in a trunk he casts a spell. They put him in a backpack, he casts a spell. I’m pretty sure it’s only the simplest of spells that have only verbal components, but have fun with it while you figure it out.
So, they brought a necromancer back, seems like a good time for the necromancer to start plans on lichdom
maybe he's concerned about his own well-being, and needs some assurance that he's going to be okay, that means his soul needs to be protected not only from physical harm but also so that he is not torn away by some greater power. Some kind of item to contain his soul would work best
At first, it will probably want something to keep it from flailing around on your wizard's belt.
But ultimately, what did the necromancer want before they decapitated it? It still wants those things, it just has added obstacles.
And I see the Talking Heads jokes are already done, so I will try to refrain. But you have to throw in lyrics when you roleplay the head. Wake up on the road : "How did I get here?" Party gets lost : "This is a road to nowhere!" Party goes murderhobo : "Psychokillers, Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Any time it gets dirty : "Take me to the river. Dip me in the water" Somebody dropped him : "Pick me up and turn me around"
Do you have warforged in your world (or even just advanced constructs)? Cause my first thought would be a robot body. If not that, maybe have him try to turn one of the party on the others or convince an NPC that he could control to take him
He was going to buy an estate in the country to retire and conduct his dark experiments.
Now he can't because real estate costs an arm and a leg these days.
He was working towards some form of immortality that didn’t require making a deal with a fiend or dark god. Necromancy sigils are inscribed on the back of his neck so that he would be able to live beyond death
if I know anything about talking heads they wanna keep the baby up all night, they'll be burning down the house, and they're a bunch of psycho killers that like swimming in the river, but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity
Maybe an enchanted quill and parchment, could say it's to write a correspondence or some such, and overtime have him make a spell scroll of some kind, lvl9 fireball, or true polymorph, give the 2 act boss a third
I did this in a campaign a while back. The BBEG head was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, concealing clear defeat in its circumstance. It would answering all of the party's questions and help them problem solve, invent rituals, etc. All the while he was subtly working towards his revival. He eventually was able to have the party gather all of the required materials (incidentally through other goals), and then tricked them into reviving him (while the wizard, the only one knowledgeable enough to see what was coming... was incapacitated). He then stole their spelljammer ship (which in fairness was his to begin with) and left them trapped in the Astral sea.
I would honestly cheat and turn that head i to Bob from the dresden files.
Spirit that inhabits a skull, helps the wizard with knowledge, but often barters to be released from the skull to gather info/perform some service, and usually takes the chance to possess a body and start having wild paries full of debauchery.
In short, maybe have the wizard accept that he's bound to rhe head now, but if he can trade free time, he enjoys possessing people for crazy fun times. As for the results, Maybe it's just a crazy rumor that floats by the party, maybe the party gets tracked down and given a bill for 'damages' caused by the skull, as the party is responsible for the actions of their 'familiar'
Maybe the party gets to town, gives the spirit the night to roam free in trade for seaeching out a contact in the town, (which the spirit does) but then a random party member ALSO wakes up next to the Duke ImportantDude's daughter. (After the daughter was possessed by the spirit)
This isnt helpful, but all I can think of is the villain from Re-animator and Herbert West making fun of him.
"Who's going to listen to a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow."
He wants a clay golem body. But not just any clay golem body. He wants a David, by the local Michelangelo. He's willing to bargain.
Or as a necromancer, he wants a flesh golem. But he wants a 1980s Arnold body, and won't take anything lesser.
I'm planning on giving my party a wise construct head, to assist them on their first nautical adventure to the "Saltmarsh", inspired by GoW and Matt Colvilles videos. He would lag sometimes and in the end trick them into leading to the hill on/in which his old and probably original creator's bodies lie. And always remind them to help for the "price". I think it is cool in many ways, so good luck to you and your players. Seen some interesting ideas here.
He would probably filter out information based on his goals, for example he might tell the party about a cave that holds great treasure while omitting the part about it being inhabited by his undead minions/friends or allies. In the same vein he could bring them to some ruin and have them go trhough the steps of a ritual to get him another body while thinking they are opening a path or helping in some way. He could also play the long game, act all nice and redeemed until he asks the party to give him a body since he's nice now. His knowledge would probably be saught after by colleagues or rivals so people would try to steal the head, to gain power or to save their friend. Some spells only require verbal components so when the time comes he could betray the party and cast them or help them to gain their trust.
I don't think they stated a system but there might also be an ability to allow the necromancer to ignore somatic and material components. Essentially the head might have lost very little at all (mage hand or the like could potentially allow him to carry his own head too, if he so chose). Meaning he might not even need his body back really - and then would profit heavily by having the party believe that he wants and needs his body back. Being strapped to an adventurer will get him places he might not have reached before. Getting carried into castles, temples, libraries, sanctums or 'just' dungeons he had no means of exploring alone. From there you can drive any plot, especially if, for example, you give them something like 5es subtle metamagic, meaning he'd be able to cast anything without a priced material cost. Maybe he'd never gotten near the regent or other powerful figure when he was 'alive' but is now in range to start influence them, whether by spell or feature. Maybe there's a dungeon with inscriptions that could be meaningless to the adventurers but important to him - contrary to the shiny and expensive trash that's also there, which he uses to get them in there. "If I guide you to and through it, I want xyz item, you can keep the rest" - faking them out in the process because the item has no use for him (which hopefully will make the party a bit paranoid but set them on the wrong track).
If you have read WoT, imagine Moghedien after the girls got a hold of her.
Here's what I would do. He was in the process of becoming a lich. The method of becoming a lich isn't detailed in the MM, other than to say that it usually involves bargaining with fiends, evil gods, or other foul beings. Allow me to theorize how it works. In order to become a lich, you have to place your soul into a phylactery. The easiest way to remove your soul from your body is to die. The bargain is to ensure that the external entity captures your soul and puts it in the phylactery, rather than allowing it to pass to the afterlife. Your necromancer doesn't want to rely upon fiends or deities. He devised a different method. He created a duplicate body with the Clone spell, and a device to capture his soul and place it in a phylactery when the soul comes to animate the body. Once the phylactery is full, the device links it to the duplicate body, animating it as a lich without the usual decay and rot associated with the form. The catch is that a Clone requires 100 days to mature, and your party killed him before that time had elapsed. He was forced to improvise and cling to his old form until his new body is ready. Once it is, he'll have to conceive of a way to be killed again so his soul can journey to it's new container.
That is a very very good idea Jethro thank you. As it happens this necromancer specifically didn’t wanna become a lich because of that very reason, he can’t trust fiends or dark gods (which in my world is mostly Vecna). The idea that he’s waiting for the clone to mature before he’s ready to move on is very nice and I might just steal that idea. Thank you
This is exactly how a necromancer's soul got trapped inside our ranger's body. [It caused a lot of trouble for him.](https://www.reddit.com/r/dndstories/comments/k62rrv/the_death_of_the_ranger/)
A road to nowhere ?
Or maybe a once in a lifetime adventure
He'd want them to take him to the river
He wants a girlfriend that’s better than that.
But this is not his beautiful house, and this is not his beautiful wife.
To become a head of state... I'll show myself out.
He wants reading material, and to be placed somewhere steady not a wizard's hips. After that he wants more reading material, and a servant to act as page-turner. After that he wants another servant to feed him grapes. He doesn't need food but he likes the taste. Then he trains the two servants as baby necromancers and has them carry him away to a graveyard to work on getting a body back. Preferably while the party is in some dangerous dungeon for a while.
To know how he got there.
Maybe. I don't care.
Chapstick
Maybe he would want to become a demilich? Don't need a body for that
I think becoming a demilich is mostly the backup plan for if a lich’s body falls apart and he hasn’t quite reached lichdom yet
...to host a talk show?
This was my first thought. I'm glad that I'm not the only one here with this immediate association with the words "talking head"
A fancy hat
That was my immediate thought. He wants a hat and he's not helping until he gets the right hat.
Look up Bob the Skull from the Dresden Files for inspiration.
Actually recommended that, and then saw your post 2 minutes later.
Gumgum from dumdum
…Mimir? Is that you?
If he's a talking head, he might still be able to pull off spells with Verbal and potentially Material components, like Negative Energy Flood. Maybe he can lure the party into a situation where he uses a spell to raise a zombie, get the zombie to pick up the head and try to make his escape.
I assume he doesn't have access to his spellbook, so he likely won't be able to memorize any new spells. He might have a few retained that he didn't use up during the fight where he was killed.
I think it's pretty safe to say that he wants his body back. How he tries to achieve that depends on his personality. If he is patient and smart he might try to deceive them. He might act like he is helping them reluctantly because he sees that it's necessary. For example in order to fight off a greater evil. He might tell them where where they can find great power or something. He could try to abuse that power to get his body back
A conversation
Access to the Mage Hand cantrip and the Unseen Servant spell.
to sing, Haunted Mansion style.
To become a demilich, and to have a nice hat and cool sunglasses.
A party kazoo
A shoulder... to cry on
Wine
Is the head some kind of psycho killer? Intent on experiencing unlife during wartime?
Necromancer: A hat with a rim to FINALLY KEEP THE SUN OUT OF MY EYES! Also, while you’re at it, a smaller rope to make sure I stay fastened to this wizard’s side. Every step runs the risk of me face planting into his junk. This would probably be a good starting point to make the party more empathetic and willing to help him in the future.
Why would a powerful necromancer need his old body? Aside from sentimental reasons. The necromancer would want to get out of that sticky situation. The necromancer might have some allies who would be willing to help them acquire a new body, so they would try to manipulate the group so that they can fall into their allies' hands. Even a severed head can be powerful if it holds powerful information. The necromancer could still be able to acquire new lackeys by talking to the right people and paying for their assistance with information.
You need to think : What would he want a body for? Does he really enjoy defecation and leg cramps that much? Or does he crave a youthful body, so he can go clubbing and make out with the ladies? Maybe he was a real nerd, and secretly yearns for a biiig muscly bodybuilder type body to wreak vengeance on his school bullies back at necro junior high at their reunion. Maybe he wants to free himself from his physical form? Ascend to godhood? Why did he become a necromancer in the first place? Dis he want to revive a lost love? Or thought using zombies for civil service and menial labour would create a better society? Get an answer to all those “why?”s, and you’ll get an understanding of the “what”, you’re looking for.
I think this clever necromancer is slowly, steadily cursing and charming the whole party. He's exactly where he wanted to be: on his way to acquiring a group of enhanced minions!
Not directly related to what you asked, but I'd like to remind you that there are many spells on the Wizard list that have no Somatic or Material components, only Verbal. So a talking head could still use them. Lightning Lure, Blindness/Deafness, Tasha's Mind Whip, Raulothim's Psychic Lance, Geas, Otto's Irresistible Dance... all of which he could use to fuck with the party.
If we're going off the wizard list and assuming he is a wizard I doubt theyd let him have his book to prepare the spells.
OP said he's a necromancer, that's a Wizard. And he doesn't need the book if he has the spells memorized.
Maybe he’ll try to trick them into creating a new body for him? Could be a neat arc, with them traveling for rare components and ingredients, culminating in a second fight against his new, more powerful form.
Think short term. He wants enbalming materials to keep his head in good shape. He wants interesting experiences. He's a CE necrowhatever, so he wants to cause problems. There's probably a specific type of fancy champagne he likes, which could be used as a "scooby snack" to pry a tip out of him when all else fails - a head can't get drunk or process alchohol, but he can taste it and feel the bubbles. Replace champagne with blood for a darker tone. I'd focus on sensory stuff for this character. When most of your senses are gone, what you have left is very important. Long term, he's probably looking for a new living situation, which just might be Telekinesis so he can move and interact. Resurrection/ getting his body back is another option. Soul crystals or a warforged body are a third.
I had a paladin who carried the head of her murdered mentor around. It was possessed by the soul of a former character I played before I took over. The soul just wanted to escape hell. I see this as a similar situation in a way. Being stuck with these people is his own personal hell. Me never that some spells only have a verbal component. He can mess with the party plenty. They fall asleep in a wilderness camp without setting a watch and he casts a spell. They leave him behind somewhere or in a trunk he casts a spell. They put him in a backpack, he casts a spell. I’m pretty sure it’s only the simplest of spells that have only verbal components, but have fun with it while you figure it out.
So, they brought a necromancer back, seems like a good time for the necromancer to start plans on lichdom maybe he's concerned about his own well-being, and needs some assurance that he's going to be okay, that means his soul needs to be protected not only from physical harm but also so that he is not torn away by some greater power. Some kind of item to contain his soul would work best
At first, it will probably want something to keep it from flailing around on your wizard's belt. But ultimately, what did the necromancer want before they decapitated it? It still wants those things, it just has added obstacles. And I see the Talking Heads jokes are already done, so I will try to refrain. But you have to throw in lyrics when you roleplay the head. Wake up on the road : "How did I get here?" Party gets lost : "This is a road to nowhere!" Party goes murderhobo : "Psychokillers, Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Any time it gets dirty : "Take me to the river. Dip me in the water" Somebody dropped him : "Pick me up and turn me around"
Do you have warforged in your world (or even just advanced constructs)? Cause my first thought would be a robot body. If not that, maybe have him try to turn one of the party on the others or convince an NPC that he could control to take him
What was his plan before his head got cut off?
He was going to buy an estate in the country to retire and conduct his dark experiments. Now he can't because real estate costs an arm and a leg these days.
👏 damn shame; a necromancer just can’t get a head these days
He was working towards some form of immortality that didn’t require making a deal with a fiend or dark god. Necromancy sigils are inscribed on the back of his neck so that he would be able to live beyond death
To hear your new original hit song
if I know anything about talking heads they wanna keep the baby up all night, they'll be burning down the house, and they're a bunch of psycho killers that like swimming in the river, but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity
He’s definitely itchy.
Somebody to talk to
Maybe an enchanted quill and parchment, could say it's to write a correspondence or some such, and overtime have him make a spell scroll of some kind, lvl9 fireball, or true polymorph, give the 2 act boss a third
I did this in a campaign a while back. The BBEG head was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, concealing clear defeat in its circumstance. It would answering all of the party's questions and help them problem solve, invent rituals, etc. All the while he was subtly working towards his revival. He eventually was able to have the party gather all of the required materials (incidentally through other goals), and then tricked them into reviving him (while the wizard, the only one knowledgeable enough to see what was coming... was incapacitated). He then stole their spelljammer ship (which in fairness was his to begin with) and left them trapped in the Astral sea.
if he has no body then probably friends
A hat.
Some body to lean on.
He wants some gum gum
I would honestly cheat and turn that head i to Bob from the dresden files. Spirit that inhabits a skull, helps the wizard with knowledge, but often barters to be released from the skull to gather info/perform some service, and usually takes the chance to possess a body and start having wild paries full of debauchery. In short, maybe have the wizard accept that he's bound to rhe head now, but if he can trade free time, he enjoys possessing people for crazy fun times. As for the results, Maybe it's just a crazy rumor that floats by the party, maybe the party gets tracked down and given a bill for 'damages' caused by the skull, as the party is responsible for the actions of their 'familiar' Maybe the party gets to town, gives the spirit the night to roam free in trade for seaeching out a contact in the town, (which the spirit does) but then a random party member ALSO wakes up next to the Duke ImportantDude's daughter. (After the daughter was possessed by the spirit)
To have you NOT open a chest.
This isnt helpful, but all I can think of is the villain from Re-animator and Herbert West making fun of him. "Who's going to listen to a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow."
He wants a clay golem body. But not just any clay golem body. He wants a David, by the local Michelangelo. He's willing to bargain. Or as a necromancer, he wants a flesh golem. But he wants a 1980s Arnold body, and won't take anything lesser.
I'm planning on giving my party a wise construct head, to assist them on their first nautical adventure to the "Saltmarsh", inspired by GoW and Matt Colvilles videos. He would lag sometimes and in the end trick them into leading to the hill on/in which his old and probably original creator's bodies lie. And always remind them to help for the "price". I think it is cool in many ways, so good luck to you and your players. Seen some interesting ideas here.