Subject: Re: Necromancers, a screwed specialist?
From: [email-masked] (The Jade Piper,,,)

How about a spell that allows you to take command of a certain 
amount of controlled undead.  I don't have 2nd Ed. rules, so I don't know
if the have some cleric-like ability similar.  Or something that let's you 
talk to the deceased, or a protection from undead, or... hmmm.  How about
a spell that creates a fog which instills fear and dread in the people
engulfed by it.

	I created a spell for normal mages called The Grasping Hands of
Horror.  It caused a number of arms equal to the level of the caster to 
reach out of the ground and grab at the target.  The hands themselves did
no damage, but when they pulled you under you started to suffocate.  I think
that there was a range to the spell, say about 1"/level, and that there had
to be at least three hands to a target. (this was about a 2nd or 3rd level
spell)  They had to make a save every round they were in spell range and for
every extra hand they had a -1 on their save.  In a graveyard or similar corpse
infested area there was an additional -2.  If they failed their save, they
were dragged underground and started to suffocate.  Others could dig the 
victim out, mundanely or magicly.  He would be found simply two feet or so
under the ground, paralyzed but quite aware of what happened.  Maybe deeper.
A real high level mage could cast this spell and affect many people by giving
five arms to this target, four to that one, and so on.