Consume Memories
We've discussed the value we place in spells like Deep Sleep that offer intriguing scenarios along with the heavy mechanical lifting behind them. The 6th level necromancy spell consume memories offers something similar, though not so much that we would consider it a DM spell. That being said, it did create an interesting scenario for us at our brewing table; what school does this spell belong to!? Some of you may see 'psychic damage' and 'learn information' in the spell description and question why this isn't a divination spell. Let's take a look at what this spell does, and then explain why the end product landed itself within the school of necromancy.
The spell takes an action to cast, allowing the target to try and eat the memories of a target creature within 60 feet of the caster. The target takes 4d6 necrotic damage right off the bat for watching you bite into a rotten piece of fruit, and you regain temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt. Guaranteed damage is pretty par for the course when trading off one of your valuable 6+ level spell slots, and the temporary hit points make this spell a flavorful and versatile option in dangerous situations. But we aren't at the meat of this spell yet; after this initial effect, the target makes an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, they take 6d10 psychic damage and become stunned for a minute or until they can succeed a subsequent saving throw. Then comes the fun part; the DM gets to choose a core memory that you eat. You learn this memory, and they forget it until it's restored by higher-level magic.
So why is this nefarious little spell in the school of necromancy instead of divination? Well, we actually aren't totally unanimous on this one! The rules for what a spell needs to be in the school of necromancy aren't clearly defined, which is where the problem ultimately lies. Many necromancy spells deal with manipulating life force; animate dead, revivify, spirit shroud, etc. You also have a lot of spells dealing with draining and stealing; vampiric touch and blight are good examples. But then there are a good number of spells that don't really fit these criteria either; spells that are just kind of mean, like bestow curse, contagion, eyebite, the list goes on. So, what's the one universal rule? If a spell is icky enough and generally fits into these themes, it deserves to be called a necromancy spell. Not everyone liked this decision, but we ultimately voted to keep the spell as necromancy, seeing it as a spell with cruel and twisted flavor that played well into the necrotic theme of stealing the essence of others. And with the essence being memories, we felt this was more interesting as a necromancy spell than a divination spell. We hope you've enjoyed this discussion as to what a necromancy spell even is, and we'll see you next time!
To see all of our more recent, premium content, join our Patreon, where all our spiciest new brews are at your disposal. We’re slowly remastering the highlights of our backlog, and if you’re a patron, you can vote on what gets updated next! And, if you want to ask us about our homebrew, new or old, our Discord is public and full of all kinds of brewers and internet goblins. If you’re either of those, we’d love to hear from you!
Consume Memories
6th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: S, M (a freshly rotten piece of fruit, which is bitten into upon casting)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Warlock, wizard
You attempt to breach the mind of a creature within range and feast upon its psychic energy. The target takes 4d6 necrotic damage, and you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt as you breach its psychic lifeforce. The target then must make an Intelligence saving throw, taking 6d10 psychic damage and becoming stunned for 1 minute on a failed save, as you enter deeper into its mind and consume its deepest thoughts. On a successful save, the target takes half of as much psychic damage but suffers no other effects. A stunned target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
When you successfully consume a creature’s memories, you learn information about that creature as determined by the GM. The creature forgets the same information you learn until a greater restoration spell or similar magic restores the information. Information learned can include:
A secret that the creature desperately conceals.
An impactful memory with a strong emotion attached to it, such as joy or despair.
The name or location of a person or item that is important to the creature