::FEATURES::

I've always been that guy who plays mage characters in RPGs. Necromancers have always been my favorite class to play for the added difficulty and strategy involved with optimizing undead, the preparation required beforehand and the sheer satisfaction when you were repaid for all of the time and effort that went into them. I will never forget all of the fun that I've had with reanimation in Oblivion and Skyrim, but I've always wanted some more complexity in the Necromancy experience and variety in the necromancer builds that can be possible, so I created this mod to hopefully help with that.



This mod DOES a few things:

• It creates its own Necromancy skill which is separate from the Conjuration skill, levels up the more its practiced and influences a few of the new spells and perks.
• It introduces a few new mechanics to the Necromancy experience while keeping as close to the lore as possible.
• It gives you an immersive way to gradually improve and expand their Necromancy knowledge via a unique grimoire.
• It prevents reanimated thralls from turning to ash when they die, which allows them to be reanimated again. Please note that enemy Necromancers will also benefit from this feature as well so it will make fighting them more challenging.
• It provides the means to toggle off the default zombie voices for reanimated thralls.
• It adds a few new reanimation spells that eliminate the level cap and opens up the ability to reanimate a larger range of different corpses than before.
• it grants you the opportunity to customize the weapons, armor and default outfits of reanimated thralls.
• It gives you the ability to summon reanimated thralls.
• It offers you the ability to increase the reanimation limit in an immersive manner.
• Reanimated thralls raised with the new reanimation spells will not trigger the annoying "That spell looks dangerous" comment from NPCs.
• It grants you the ability to dissect corpses and harvest organs and ingredients that are typically difficult to find in the vanilla game.
• It gives you a way to view stats for reanimated thralls so that you can easily compare them and be well informed when trying to optimize them.
• It adds an alternate means outside of the permanent corpse exploit to safely and permanently keep corpses.
• It grants you the ability to create a wide variety of undead that can be reanimated.
• It adds the ability to memorize a large number of humanoids and creatures to create clones.
• It includes fixes for a few of the vanilla necromancy bugs, namely the "moonwalking" bug.
• It opens up more uses for Black Soul Gems beyond enchantments.
• It introduces a new recipe for the Atronach Forge that unlocks the ability to craft Black Soul Gems as well as other immersive ways to acquire them.
• It offers an immersive way to resurrect dead NPCs without the need of console commands.
• It gives you the ability to craft unenchanted replicas of a few Necromancer gear like the Necromancer's Amulet and the Necromancer's Robes set.
• It grants you the ability to craft embalming tools which can be used to perform dissections.
• It gives you the ability to craft unenchanted "cloth" versions of the daedric gauntlets for the folks out there like me who only plays in first person and loves the look of those gauntlets when casting spells but don't want to forfeit the armor bonus from the Mage Armor perk. #FashionScrolls
  

This mod DOES NOT:

• Require SKSE 64.
• Come with an MCM menu.
• Require a new game or save.
• Edit any of the vanilla perks or perk trees.
• Edit any of the vanilla spells.
• Add any custom alchemical ingredients.
• Add a lot of custom miscellaneous items.
• Criminalize Necromancy; you won't gain a bounty for practicing it.
• Localize Necromancy; you can perform it from anywhere without being bound to specific locations.
  

::DE VERMIS MYSTERIIS::

De Vermis Mysteriis, also known as "Mysteries of the Worm," is a dark grimoire which serves as teacher and mentor to new necromancers. The grimoire has a life of its own and is said to appear to new necromancers after they reanimate a corpse. It tempts Necromancers with the promise of power at the cost of souls. It occupies the shield slot when equipped, can be favorited and can be held by you. Despite being flagged as a shield, it does not provide any armor and will not conflict with the vanilla Mage Armor perk from Alteration. Once equipped, it can be read and you can begin your journey to become a powerful Necromancer.







::NECROMANCY SKILL SYSTEM::

This mod isolates Necromancy into its own skill which can be leveled up. It can be leveled up by soul trapping, performing rituals, creating the undead, reanimating the dead, fighting enemies with promoted undead, summoning the undead, dissecting corpses, harvesting ingredients, studying corpses and binding souls. It is uncapped, meaning that it's possible to push your Necromancy skill beyond level 100 and the mod is designed in such a way that players will still benefit from pushing Necromancy past 100. You will receive the grimoire soon after you reanimate your very first corpse with the mod enabled.


::SOULS SYSTEM::

Souls are needed as a power source for certain rituals (like reanimations with zero magicka cost via menu interactions) and, as the beginning of this section hinted to, a currency to unlock more chapters to advance one's knowledge in Necromancy. In a way, "Souls" will behave like perk points for the purposes of this mod. To obtain "Souls" the player needs to acquire a black soul gem that's filled with a grand soul and perform the "Soul Harvest" ritual with the book. Alternatively, players can use the Soul Harvest spell to harvest these "Souls" directly. Players can also do the reverse and channel their "Souls" into empty black soul gems in order to fill them.


::CHAPTERS SYSTEM::

With the "Read Grimoire" option of the grimoire, new spells and perks can be learned, however, the grimoire does not share its knowledge freely: you will need to offer it "Souls" while having ink and paper at hand to transcribe its wisdom into chapters. The grimoire will slowly reveal more chapters that can be unlocked with higher Necromancy levels (every 25 levels). If you wish to unlearn a specific perk or spell, then simply reopen the chapter to forget the chapter's contents. Once a player has learned the contents of a chapter it will "disappear" from the book, but if you wish to craft more copies of that chapter then toggling on Debug Mode will make that chapter's recipe visible again.





::PERK TREE SYSTEM::

Through the use of Custom Skill Framework and its patch within this mod's download section, players can access Practical Necromancy's perks via a perk tree instead of the chapters system. Equip the Grimoire and click the "Open Perk Tree" button to see the tree or use either Custom Skills Menu or Denji's Custom Skills Menu. The Necromancy perk tree does not use "Souls" like the chapters system above; it draws from the same pool of perks that you gain whenever your character levels up. Please note that while this mod's perks can be learned from the tree, its spells will only be accessible via the Grimoire.





::NECROTIC AFFINITY SYSTEM::

Necromancy involves the manipulation of souls, and the grimoire equips the budding necromancer with the means to bend souls to their will. Players can choose one of six different affinities: Soul, Fire, Frost, Shock, Poison and Disease through the "Necrotic Affinity" spell and during specific conditions. With an affinity the player communes with souls of those who died in a specific and tragic manner connected to that affinity and then attunes the player to it. Fire Affinity binds the player to the souls of those who met their end to thirst or fire and can be unlocked while the player is being attacked with fire spells, being burnt by fire outside of combat or whenever the weather is hot. Frost affinity aligns the player with the souls of those who died from the harsh cold of Skyrim and can be chosen whenever the player is struck with ice spells or while wandering through snowy weather. With Shock Affiinity the player binds themselves to the pain of those who perished to lightning, it can be triggered whenever the weather is rainy or stormy or while being killed with shock magic. A player can commune with the souls of those who died from poisoning while under the effects of poison themselves to unlock Poison Affinity. Disease Affinity can be unlocked after the player has contracted a disease or while battling creatures known to spread them like rats and wolves. Soul Affinity ties the player to the restless souls of those who died under mysterious circumstances and gets selected whenever the player casts the spell in ominous weather like fog or whenever the weather is overcast. Necrotic Affinity allows players to customize the visuals of the reanimated thralls that were raised by the new reanimation spells in this mod, it alters the damage types for certain hostile spells and interacts in different ways with some of the new perks like Necrotic Inoculation and Necrotic Bloom.





::CORRUPTION SYSTEM::

The mod allows players to create permanent undead, that will exist without time limits and can be given commands, called Awakened Undead. These Awakened Undead can be ordered to wait and follow and can be commanded to guard and patrol the player's home or lair. More importantly, Awakened Undead also ignores the player's summon limit, with this in mind, the Corruption mechanic steps in to maintain balance. Corruption acts like a disease and steadily climbs with more Awakened Undead brought into the world and will apply increasingly harmful debuffs to the player. For those familiar with Enderal it is similar to its Arcane Fever mechanic and like Enderal this mod offers perks and solutions to manage and combat Corruption. If you would like a preview on the debuffs imposed for the different thresholds of Corruption then click the spoiler below:



::NECROMANCER CLASS::

This is the main skill line for the Necromancy skill. It teaches new spells and rituals which will empower you to control corpses, souls and the undead. Visually it represents the "trunk" of the perk tree and its perks will open access to the classical minion build play style that you know and love.


Novice

• Soul Harvest - This spell directly traps a humanoid soul into the Grimoire without the need of Soul Trap spells and Black Soul Gems.
• Necromancer (Necromancy Mastery) (2) - This perk increases the magnitude and duration of Necromancy spells (Reanimations and Undead summons) by 1% per level of Necromancy and will reduce their magicka cost by 50%.
• Speak With Dead - This perk allows players to interact with their reanimated thralls while not sneaking via a menu to better customize and manage them and the ability to promote undead. It will also grant all undead minions immunity to the player's destruction spells, attacks and shouts during combat. With the The Keyword Item Distributor (KID) patch this protection extends to all hostile spells. If the perk is not enabled, then the mod will simply open up the reanimated thrall's inventory upon interaction.
• Corpse Preparation - This perk allows players to interact with the dead via a menu, perform dissections and dispose corpses. Be warned though, this perk will temporarily become inactive whenever the player has the Ring of Namira equipped, since it interacts with corpses in a similar manner, unequip the Ring of Namira to reactivate interactions with corpses once more. If Hunterborn is detected by Practical Necromancy, then this perk's chapter recipe will be disabled for compatibility reasons.
• Anatomical Insights - This is an alternative to "Corpse Preparation" which gives players the ability to craft two uniquely enchanted embalming tools at forges: Necromancer Scalpel and Necromancer Embalming Pick which can be used to avoid or minimize the need to interact with corpses via menus. The Necromancer Scalpel can be used to quickly dissect and harvest ingredients from corpses by simply slashing it a few times, the swings required can be reduced by removing the armor beforehand from the corpse and with higher Necromancy levels. The Necromancer Embalming Pick primarily serves to improve compatibility with other corpse menu mods like CACO and Hunterborn by allowing players to slash the corpse to interact with it instead of activating it directly. These two enchanted embalming tools can be broken down at any enchanting table to learn their enchantments which can then be applied to different weapons for more customization options.
• Augury of Death - This perk increases the chance of finding Necromancy related items like Black Soul Gems and the unique vials necessary for the Create Undead ritual from practitioners of the Dark Arts. This mod considers the following individuals as practitioners of the Dark Arts: any NPC who knows the vanilla reanimation spells (like Necromancers) and anyone who possesses the Necromancy and Dark Souls perks (like the Dragon Priests, Witches and Hagravens). Please note that the chance for the drop rate of these items vary based on the mod's difficulty setting and applies health debuffs for the harder difficulties of the mod (Hard and Nightmare Modes).
• Danse Macabre - This perk uncaps the summon limit for players by tying it to magicka, the player gains an additional reanimated thrall for every 100 points of magicka. This of course means that those who truly want to become a powerful necromancer will need to invest heavily in magicka and less in health resulting in a squishy character which I'd like to think is a fair trade off. By default, this bonus caps off at 10 additional minions but with Cheat Mode enabled the magicka requirement is ignored and is capped at 50 additional minions instead.
• Create Undead - Unlocks the Ritual option for the corpse menu from Corpse Preparation and Anatomical Insights that converts a corpse into a Created Undead. This ritual will require specific ingredients like filled black soul gems and unique vials of reagents that can be crafted at cooking pots.
• Study - Enables the "Study" option within the dissection menu and unlocks access to Worm Thralls.
• Soul Bind - Enables the "Ritual" option within the grimoire menu and unlocks access to Spectral Thralls.
• Anathema - This follower spell allows players to order all of their nearby Promoted Undead and Dominated Thralls to attack a specific target. Anathema has an additional side effect: it will preserve the target's corpse from the following effects that tend to destroy corpses and prevent reanimation: the Wabbajack, disintegration effects from the destruction perks and decapitation.
• Catharsis - This spell allows players to dispel ongoing magic effects like reanimation effects on missing reanimated thralls. Please note that it only works outside of combat.
• Domination - A necromancy spell which temporarily makes an unbound undead the player's companion or seize control of an enemy necromancer's reanimated thrall. Players will be able to command undead that are either at or below their character level. In addition to this level requirement, the effectiveness or success of commanding an undead with this spell increases with Necromancy skill - the level of a valid target scales by 1% per level of Necromancy. For example, a level 10 player with level 100 Necromancy will now be able to dominate an unbound undead that is level 20 (twice their own level). Domination also shares Anathema's ability to preserve corpses from destruction by the Wabbajack, disintegration effects from the destruction perks and decapitation.
• Soul Draw - A unique telekinesis spell that will allow you to not only move inanimate objects, but move corpses as well.
• Summon Dead - This spell comes with the Litany of Preservation and allows players to summon Undead Legion to their side.
• Radiant Soul - This perk open up access to a few new spells designed around Soul Magic.
• Soul Assault - Requires Radiant Soul, this novice concentration spell deals damage comparable to the vanilla Flames spell (8 damage). Its damage type mirrors the player's affinity.
• Bound Soul Sword - Requires Radiant Soul, a radiant 1-handed bound sword made of soul energy. It is compatible with the Mystic Binding and Oblivion Binding perks.
• Bound Soul Greatsword - Requires Radiant Soul, a radiant 2-Handed greatsword made of soul energy. It is compatible with the Mystic Binding and Oblivion Binding perks.
  

Apprentice

• Cadaver Preparation - Once a Promoted Undead is dissected, if any of its viscera or death items are harvested then it will gain increased health regeneration outside of combat. Whenever said thrall is reanimated then their health, magicka and stamina will increase by 100 points.
• Awaken Undead - Unlocks a new corpse ritual which grants players the ability to convert a corpse into a permanent minion that ignores the summon limit: "Awakened Undead" at the cost of one Soul. This ritual has two requirements: the corpse must be that of a Created Undead and the corpse needs to be dissected and have any of its viscera removed beforehand. The player gains Corruption - a disease like effect - after the awakening ritual and like a disease it progresses with more undead that are awakened with steeper and steeper debuffs to the player. See the Awakened Undead section for more details.
• Votary - Awakened Undead will lower the player's Corruption whenever they kill opponents that are stronger (higher level) than themselves. This will be a boon to players who actually lean into the Necromancy roleplay (take the time to improve their undead) and will open up access to more Awakened Undead with less of the debilitating debuffs.
• Litany of Autonomy - This perk unlocks the ability to promote corpses and reanimated thralls to the Undead Guard category.
• Agraphia - The Soul Harvest spell will now apply a debuff that halts the target's magicka regeneration. This effectively silences spell casters when paired with shock spells or spells and enchantments that drain magicka.
• Summon Undead - This spell allows players to summon Undead Guard to their side.
• Liturgical Knowledge - This perk will unlock access to craft some unique weapons, grimoires and armor (that are temperable) at the forge and tanning racks. Please note, that the De Vermis Mysteriis can be broken down to learn its enchantment, so the grimoires that can be crafted with this perk will serve as perfect candidates for this enchantment and will open up more customization options.
• Litany of Preservation - This perk unlocks the ability to promote corpses and reanimated thralls to either the Undead Mount or Undead Beast categories. Litany of Preservation also allow players to interact with Undead Mounts and Promoted Mounts while sneaking. Undead Mounts will be banished alive to storage.
• Enfeeble - The Soul Harvest spell will now apply a debuff that halts the target's stamina regeneration. Useful in lowering enemies' damage output, especially when paired with frost spells or spells and enchantments that drain stamina.
• Summon Mount -This spell summons all of the horses or mounts that were promoted to the Undead Mount category.
• Summon Beast - This spell summons all of the undead and corpses that were promoted to the Undead Beast category.
• Litany of Ruin - This perk unlocks the ability to promote corpses and reanimated thralls to either the Undead Swarm or Undead Fish categories.
• Wither - The Soul Harvest spell will now apply a debuff that reduces the target's resistance to the player's affinity by 0.5% per level of Necromancy. Soul Affinity will instead reduce Magic Resistance by 0.25% per level of Necromancy. For example, a level 50 Necromancer who attuned themself to Frost Affinity will now apply a 25% Weakness to Frost to the enemy with Soul Harvest.
• Summon Swarm - This spell summons all of the undead and corpses that were promoted to the Undead Swarm category.
• Summon Fish - This spell summons all of the undead and corpses that were promoted to the Undead Fish category.
• Esoteric Knowledge - Unlocks the ability to craft Black Soul Gems at the atronach forge from void salts and either a greater or grand soul gem.
• Litany of Dominion - This perk unlocks the ability to promote corpses and reanimated thralls to the Undead Aberration category.
• Bane - The Soul Harvest spell will now apply a debuff that halts the target's health regeneration. A really useful tool against trolls and modded creatures with combat health regeneration.
• Blood Saint - It teaches the ability to craft unique potions called "Bloodstones," which can be used to temporarily buff undead, at cooking pots and "Blood Gems," unique enchanted fist weapons (that are temperable) at the forge with the new learnable Soul Harvest and Anathema enchantments. Please note that these Blood Gems are compatible with "Corpore Sano" of the Anatomist subclass.
• Summon Aberration - This spell summons all of the undead and corpses that were promoted to the Undead Aberration category.
• Animate Dead - An advanced version of the vanilla "Dead Thrall" spell with a few key differences. It can work on both NPCs and creatures, it eliminates the level cap for reanimated undead and the spell is delivered directly to a single target rather than via a projectile. It also eliminates the flags that label it as "dangerous" so that NPCs won't comment negatively about the spell if it's active. The only caveat to the spell is that you can't reanimate dragons and dwarven automatons for obvious reasons. Affinity alters this spell appearance.
• Subjugate Ghost - This works just like Animate Dead in every way, however, it is different in that it allows players to reanimate a corpse with a ghostly appearance instead. Affinity will morph this spell's appearance, for instance, players with Frost affinity will reanimate a chilly ghost.
• Banishment - This spell allows players to remotely banish their undead. It can be paired with Memento Mori to remotely banish all of the player's nearby Promoted Undead. Unpromoted reanimated thralls will simply die on the spot if targeted with this spell.
• Consecration - This spell allows players to remotely apply potions to their Promoted Undead.
• Dismissal - This spell remotely kills the player's undead. It can be paired with Memento Mori to kill off all of the player's nearby Promoted Undead.
• Memento Mori - This power casts non-hostile spells (like reanimation, magelight and armor spells) held in the player's right hand onto all of the player's nearby Promoted Undead. Harder difficulties of the mod like Hard Mode and Nightmare Mode will require 1 "Soul" per cast.
• Necrotic Affinity - This power grants the ability to switch affinities. The player's current affinity can be tracked from the active effects tab.
• Anima Ligature - Grants players the ability to cast the Soul Harvest spell on strike with the Bound Soul Weapons learned from the core Necromancer perk: Radiant Soul.
• Soul Rune - Requires Radiant Soul, an apprentice destruction rune spell which deals damage similar to the vanilla Fire Rune (50 damage). Its damage type mirrors the player's affinity.
• Soul Snare - This necromancy spell binds the soul of an enemy to your will upon their death, it behaves similar to the way soul trap requires the target to die while the spell is active. The soul is "animated" by the reanimation spell "Subjugate Ghost." This soul will be promoted to Undead Legion automatically and will benefit from the advanced features of this mod.
• Soul Strike - Requires Radiant Soul, this apprentice destruction spell deals damage comparable to the vanilla Firebolt spell (25 damage). Its damage type mirrors the player's affinity.
  

Adept

• Epigone - Awaken Undead ritual permanently teaches the Awakened Undead the spells held in the player's left and right hands. Perform the ritual without spells equipped to make said minion forget their memorized spells or not learn any.
• Necrotic Inoculation - This perk grants Promoted Undead immunity to damage from the player's affinity. For example, players who switched to Shock Affinity will now have Promoted Undead that are completely immune to shock spells. Soul Affinity will grant a 25% magic resistance instead since there isn't a corresponding "soul" resistance. Please note that this perk only takes hold on Promoted Minions once their viscera is removed and harvested. The perk applies magicka debuffs to the player for the harder difficulties of the mod (Hard and Nightmare Modes).
• Dark Investiture - Promoted Undead will inherit a few of the player's perks: Corpore Sano, Anchorite, Vivisectionist, Ascendant and Blood Adept after their viscera is removed. This of course depends on whether the player actually knows the perks. This perk is limited to native undead to the Create Undead ritual, however the Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) patch will make it possible to dynamically apply this buff to all Promoted Undead.
• Possession - This spell makes it possible to take control of the body of either a Promoted Undead or Dominated Thrall. In the case of Dominated Thralls this can be used in a strategic way to kill them. Sheathing one's weapons will quickly cancel the possession.
• Soul Burst - Requires Radiant Soul, this adept destruction AoE spell. It parallels the vanilla adept spell Fireball in that a projectile is fired and explodes on impact. Soul Burst's explosion deals 1 point of damage for every Soul that is stored in the Grimoire.
  

Expert

• Eremite - This perk is identical to the vanilla Necromage perk - it grants a 25% strength increase and 50% duration increase to all spells against undead - and will boost spells for the player if they are flagged as undead (via vampirism or lichdom with mods). Eremite was designed for those who missed the way that the Necromage perk worked before the Unofficial Skyrim Patch nerfed it.
• Resurrection - This spell allows players to resurrect the dead. It can be used to awaken undead that qualify for the Awakening ritual, but with a catch - the Awakened Undead will not gain the features of the Awaken Undead ritual.
• Soul Shred - Requires Radiant Soul, this apprentice destruction spell deals damage comparable to the vanilla Incinerate spell (75 damage). Its damage type mirrors the player's affinity.
  

::NECROMANCER SUBCLASSES::

If the Necromancer Class can be described as the "trunk" of the perk tree, then this section will discuss the "branches." Practical Necromancy offers ways to make more unique Necromancer builds and comes with four subclasses with additional perks that lean into the four fundamental Necromancer playstyles: Theurgist, Anatomist, Animist and Thaumaturge. First of all, Necromancy at its core is a very crafting oriented field. This goes all the way back to Sauron who served Aulë, the smith of the Valar, and his One Ring which was crafted and enchanted to rule and dominate Arda. Mannimarco, the Elder Scrolls equivalent to Sauron, likewise has a penchant for artifacts and powerful enchantments like the Bloodworm Helm, Necromancer Amulet and the Staff of Worms. As such, the very first perk for each of this mod's subclasses has a strong emphasis on the crafting skills: Alchemy, Smithing and Enchanting.

It is also a well known fact that Necromancy touches on the different schools of magic. For instance, a Necromancer with an intimate understanding of anatomy can become an incredible healer or even a deadly assassin or skilled destruction mage. A Necromancer who manipulates the souls of the dead can channel those souls into not just soul gems but also constructs or even use blood as a source of power. Another Necromancer with a keen mind can channel their craft into making a target susceptible to their mind altering spells or debilitating afflictions.

While Necromancy can be used to prepare corpses, bind souls, create undead and even create clones - it can also be channeled inwards to improve oneself and ones craft. After all, the lore makes it very clear that Necromancy can be used to extend ones life either through natural or by unnatural means. Hence the reason why this mod's subclass perks progressively become less focused on improving minions the higher you ascend them and more focused on improving oneself - the ultimate goal of Necromancers.

I really hope that these subclasses will open up your mind to what is possible with Necromancy. Necromancy is a science and like any science it can be applied in the real world. If you are a creative person and lean into the Necromancer roleplay then the possibilities are endless.


Theurgist

• Liturgist (Apprentice) - The Create Undead ritual offers Skeletons by default, however, this perk will allow players to specialize in the creation of the following Skeletal Undead: Boneman, Corrupted Shades, Keepers, Mistman and Wrathman.
• Theurgist (Apprentice) - Reanimation spells will last 1% longer per level of Smithing.
• Divine Spark (Apprentice) - During combat the player's healing spells will deal damage against enemies equal to 1% per level of Necromancy of their healing strength.
• Acolyte (Apprentice) - If the player is Corrupted (has more than 0% Corruption) then their Restoration spells will be 0.5% stronger per level of Necromancy.
• Aleatoric Verse (Apprentice) - Healing spells are 0.25% stronger per level of Necromancy.
• Apotropaism (Apprentice) - Turn Undead spells are 1% stronger and last 1% longer per level of Necromancy.
• Expurgation (Adept) - The Catharsis spell will now cure diseases by consuming some of the player's Corruption.
• Ritualist (Adept) - If the player is not Corrupted (has 0% Corruption) turn undead and reanimation spells will be 1.5% stronger and last 1.5% longer per Necromancy level.
• Anchorite (Expert) - All attacks will deal 1% more physical damage per 20 points of Stamina (equal to 0.05% of the player's current Stamina) and power attacks will stagger 0.5% more per Necromancy level. For example, if the player has this perk and 1000 points of Stamina then their attacks will be 50% stronger.
  

Anatomist

• Mortician (Apprentice) - The Create Undead ritual has Draugr, Clones and Forsworn Briarhearts by default while this perk makes the following Corporeal Undead available: Ash Spawn, Dragon Priest and all the other Draugr variants.
• Anatomist (Apprentice) - Reanimation spells will last 1% longer per level of Alchemy.
• Artificer (Apprentice) - Speak With Dead, Consecration, Banishment and Dismissal will all work on your automaton summons. Soul Snare will now work on automatons. The Soul Bind ritual will also remain in place, making it possible to craft Spectral Thrall versions of any automaton summons that you may know which will in turn open up more customization options. Finally, the perk will inherit the property of Speak With Dead - where it protects the player's automatons from their friendly fire during combat.
• Reanimator (Apprentice) - If the player is Corrupted (has more than 0% Corruption) then their Alteration spells will be 0.5% stronger and last 0.5% longer per level of Necromancy.
• Dyscrasia (Apprentice) - Poison applied to weapons will last for one additional hit per 25 levels of Necromancy.
• Corpore Sano (Apprentice) - Unarmed damage and fist weapons deals bonus damage equal to 5% of the player's current stamina.
• Eucrasia (Adept) - Grants access to a unique potion at cooking pots, Potion of Cure Corruption which will reduce the player's corruption by 10%.
• Dissector (Adept) - If the player is not Corrupted (has 0% Corruption) sneak attacks will deal 0.5% more damage per Necromancy level while Alteration spells will last 1.5% longer per Necromancy level.
• Vivisectionist (Expert) - The player gains additional critical chance and critical damage equal to 2.5% and 25% respectively of their current stamina and sneak attacks will deal 0.5% more damage per Necromancy level but only if the player is alone and not accompanied by others.
  

Animist

• Psychopomp (Apprentice) - The Create Undead ritual has Spectral Draugr, Spectral Horse and Subjugated Ghost by default as options for Incorporeal Undead, this perk unlocks the following: Headless Horseman, Ice Wraith, Spectral Warhounds, Wisps and Wispmothers.
• Animist (Apprentice) - Reanimation spells will last 1% longer per level of Enchanting.
• Shaman (Apprentice) - Speak With Dead, Consecration, Banishment and Dismissal will all work on living summons like daedra, familiars, modded animal summons: any non-automaton and non-undead summon basically. Soul Snare will now work on living summons and more unique enemies. The Soul Bind ritual will also remain in place, making it possible to craft Spectral Thrall versions of any these summons that you may know which will in turn open up more customization options. Finally, the perk will inherit the property of Speak With Dead - where it protects the player's summons from their friendly fire during combat.
• Witch (Apprentice) - If the player is Corrupted (has more than 0% Corruption) then their Destruction spells will be 0.25% stronger per level of Necromancy.
• Necrotic Bloom (Apprentice) - Destruction spells are 0.25% stronger per level of Necromancy whenever they match the player's affinity.
• Charcoaled Effigy (Apprentice) - Destruction spells are 0.25% stronger per level of Necromancy if they are outside the scope of Affinity and are unaffected by Necrotic Bloom. Please note that the Keyword Item Distributor (KID) patch will improve compatibility with modded destruction spells which will make this perk less necessary.
• Scapegoat (Adept) - When Corrupted the Anathema spell will reduce the player's corruption slightly once the target dies.
• Spiritualist (Adept) - If the player is not Corrupted (has 0% Corruption) Conjuration spells will last 1.5% longer per Necromancy level.
• Ascendant (Expert) - All spells (across the schools of magic) will gain 1% spell potency per 40 points of Magicka (equal to 0.025% of the player's current Magicka). For example, if the player has this perk and 1000 points of Magicka then their spells will be 25% stronger. Additionally, all spells last 1% longer per level of Necromancy whenever a location's affinity matches the player's affinity. For example, players with Soul Affinity can gain this buff whenever they visit places that has seen a lot of death like a Hall of the Dead, Nordic ruins and Necromancer dungeons.
  

Thaumaturge

• Defiler (Apprentice) - The Create Undead ritual has Frozen Falmer available by default for those who would like to create Accursed Undead, this perk opens up access to the following: Death Hound, Frozen Chaurus, Gargoyle, Gargoyle Brute, Gargoyle Sentinel and Gargoyle Sentinel Lord.
• Thaumaturge (Apprentice) - Reanimation spells will last 1% longer per level of Speech.
• Scion (Apprentice) - Domination now works on humanoids, creatures and automatons and their health will now regenerate outside of combat. Just as with the case of the Speak With Dead, Artificer and Shaman perks, Dominated Thralls will now be protected from the player's friendly fire during combat.
• Warlock (Apprentice) - If the player is Corrupted (has more than 0% Corruption) then their Illusion spells will be 0.5% stronger and last 0.5% longer per level of Necromancy.
• Blood Seal (Apprentice) - Vampiric Drain and Rune spells are 0.25% stronger per level of Necromancy. Please note that the Keyword Item Distributor (KID) patch will improve compatibility with modded absorb spells.
• Shadow Sigil (Apprentice) - Touch and location target spells can be cast at a greater distance equal to 10% of the player's current magicka.
• Mens Sana (Adept) - Objects thrown with telekinesis deal bonus damage equal to 25% of the player's current health. Dual casting the Soul Draw spell can now grab living targets.
• Sorcerer (Adept) - If the player is not Corrupted (has 0% Corruption) the spell magnitude for Charm (Courage, Fury, Calm and Fear) spells and the spell duration for Charm, Domination and Possession spells increase by 1.5% per Necromancy level.
• Elegiast (Expert) - Dominated Thralls that are neither summoned nor raised can be killed with Banishment and Dismissal. Only works whenever the player is at a higher level than the Dominated Thrall.
• Occultist (Expert) - Players gain additional critical chance and critical damage equal to 2.5% and 25% respectively of their current health.
• Blood Adept (Expert) - All spells (across the schools of magic) will gain 1% spell potency per 20 points of Health (equal to 0.05% of the player's current Health) and at low health (under 20% health, that moment when the player's heartbeat can be heard) spells will gain 1% increased duration per level of Necromancy. For example, if the player has this perk and 1000 points of Health then their spells will be 50% stronger.
  

::CORPSE MENU::

This section covers the various menu options that become available after the player learns the "Corpse Preparation" perk and interacts with a corpse while sneaking or with a swing of the embalming pick obtained via the "Anatomical Insights" perk. Each perk unlocks advanced interaction with all corpses with the exception of dragons and dwarven automatons. Those who have used Hunterborn in the past will have a better idea of what to expect as it's similar in a lot of ways. Please note that because of the way that the Ring of Namira interacts with corpses, this perk will temporarily go inactive (by design) if you have that ring equipped, so unequip the ring if you wish to reactivate this option.






::DISSECTION MENU::

This section goes into more detail for the dissection menu which can be accessed via the corpse preparation menu. It unlocks a few options that are only made available after a dissection is performed and the player interacts with the dissected corpse while sneaking with the "Corpse Preparation" perk or with a swing of the embalming pick after the corpse has been dissected with the scalpel (both tools obtained via the "Anatomical Insights" perk). Please be warned though the act of dissection will mutilate a corpse in such a way that it can't be used in the creation of undead, however, the corpse can be reanimated and resurrected since those spells "repair" the dissected corpse. Please note that because of the way that the Ring of Namira interacts with corpses, this perk will temporarily go inactive (by design) if you have that ring equipped, so unequip the ring if you wish to reactivate this option.






::FOLLOWER MENU::

Reanimated thralls will have more options than vanilla should the player learn the Speak With Dead perk. This perk, as its name suggests, aims to work just like a follower overhaul but for the undead and opens up more options to customize and carefully tweak reanimated undead. Click on the spoilers below for a preview on what is possible in this menu interaction.






::UNDEAD PROMOTION::


::PROMOTED UNDEAD::

Whenever a reanimation spell is cast on a corpse the mod automatically promotes them to the Undead Legion category (this feature can be toggled off in the mod's settings). Players can also manually promote corpses or reanimated thralls via the corpse and undead menus to the Undead Legion category. This is the default category that will allow players to in turn summon them (via the Summon Dead spell). Aside from the Undead Legion there are more categories available that are unlocked via four perks: Litany of Autonomy (Undead Guard), Litany of Preservation (Undead Mount and Undead Beast), Litany of Ruin (Undead Swarm and Undead Fish) and the Litany of Dominion (Undead Aberration). Promoted Undead as a whole offers the following features:

• They have smarter AI in general and are more aggressive in combat.
• They will pull out their weapons whenever you do and will automatically equip the best armor and weapons in their inventory.
• They will sneak whenever the player sneaks.
• They will ignore friendly fire from allies during combat.
• They all have the Light Foot perk, so they won't trigger traps. Requires the Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) patch in the download section.
• They all have the AlchemySkillBoosts and PerkSkillBoosts perks which will allow them to benefit from potions and enchantments that boost skills. Requires the Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) patch in the download section.
• They are all immune to fall damage. Requires the Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) patch in the download section.
• They will not flee from combat even if they were promoted from NPCs that generally flee from combat.
• Their health regenerates quickly over time outside of combat. Requires the Cadaver Preparation perk.
• They gain a bonus 100 points to health, stamina and magicka once reanimated. Requires the Cadaver Preparation perk.
• They gain 100% resistance to poison and disease resistance with a 50% resistance to frost.
• They are now immune to paralysis, disintegration, decapitation and the Wabbajack - effects that tend the hinder the ability to reanimate corpses.
• They can water breathe just like other vanilla undead.
• They can be summoned to the player: Undead Legion (Summon Dead), Undead Guard (Summon Undead), Undead Mount (Summon Mount), Undead Beast (Summon Beast), Undead Swarm (Summon Swarm), Undead Fish (Summon Fish) and Undead Aberration (Summon Aberration).
• They can be banished to storage via the "Commands" option of the "Speak With Dead" perk. Please note that they will be killed automatically just before being banished and then teleported to storage, however, Awakened Undead are unique in that they will be banished alive instead.
• They can be issued simple orders like killing specific targets of the "Anathema" spell.
• They can be manually controlled with the "Possession" spell.
• Their reanimation effect shaders will not persist across loading screens, as is the case with the vanilla game, however, there is a setting available in the mod that will allow players to enable a fix that preserves these shaders specifically for Promoted Undead.
• A maximum of 50 corpses or undead can be promoted.
• The number of undead within this category can be tracked via the "Stats" option from the grimoire's menu.
  

::CLEAN UP::

Corpses of Created Undead can be removed from the unique promotion categories via the "Demote" option and sent to the Clean Up category. Corpses sent to this category will be reserved for the mod's built-in clean up system to prevent the likelihood of save bloating.

• Promoted Undead that are disposed are automatically demoted to this category from their undead category and are then disposed.
• They are reserved for the next clean up cycle should the player decides to "demote" them into this category.
• Corpses within this category are automatically cleaned up each time the player disposes a corpse.
• Corpses within this category gets purged automatically each time the player creates new undead.
• Players can schedule a cleanup cycle via the "Debug Mod" option from the grimoire's menu.
• The clean up system safely disposes vanilla and modded corpses without destroying the spawn points for enemies. Practical Necromancy will delete disposed Created Undead to prevent save bloat but will dispose (vanilla and modded) corpses by sending them to the same vanilla utility cell that Skyrim uses to discard NPCs from radiant world encounters.
• A maximum of 25 bodies can be sent to this category at once.
• The number of corpses within this category can be tracked via the "Stats" option from the grimoire's menu.
  

Due to the fact that one of the three triggers to initiate a cleanup cycle is the act of disposing a corpse, players should make it a habit to routinely dispose the corpses of created undead that they are not using anymore, instead of just leaving them around. If the corpse is one of the player's favorites, then the player can opt to "record" that corpse in the grimoire with either one of the mod's cloning systems like the Study system via corpse dissection or the Soul Bind system via the Soul Bind ritual accessed from the Speak With Dead's menu.



::CREATE UNDEAD RITUAL::


::CREATED UNDEAD::

The Create Undead ritual grants players the ability to create 36 different types of undead which becomes 96 unique undead once the different classes of these undead types are taken into account. There are a few differences between the undead created with this mod and the ones from vanilla.

• They immediately join the Undead Legion category and inherit all of the features of Promoted Undead.
• They can be given outfits.
• They scale with the player's level, so will remain useful at higher levels.
• They have been set to not break the player's stealth if the player is sneaking.
• They all have the Light Foot perk, so they won't trigger traps.
• They all have the AlchemySkillBoosts and PerkSkillBoosts perks which will allow them to benefit from potions and enchantments that boost skills.
• They are all immune to fall damage.
• Incorporeal undead created by this mod won't disintegrate on death and leave ash piles.
• The player can't resurrect Created Undead with the exception of those who were awakened before.
• New undead can't be made from created undead, but undead can be upgraded to greater undead if they have an upgradable option in the Create Undead ritual.
  

The player can craft four types of undead: skeletal, corporeal, incorporeal and accursed via the Create Undead ritual, which requires the acquisition of a few ingredients beforehand. While the secondary ingredients for each undead type will vary, there are four main reagents that are required to perform the ritual:

• Vial of Corrosive Liquid - This concoction quickly dissolves the corpse's flesh in rituals to create skeletal undead.
• Vial of Embalming Fluid - This is used to preserve the corpses of fleshy or corporeal undead.
• Vial of Nightshade Oil - This oil is used to anoint corpses for rituals that create incorporeal undead.
• Vial of Tainted Blood - This defiled blood is used to create accursed undead - creatures that have been infected with the curse of vampirism.
  

The reagents above can all be crafted at cooking pots, with the exception of the Vial of Tainted Blood which can be harvested from dissected vampires. A complete list of all the different undead types that can be created in this mod can be found below.



::SKELETAL UNDEAD::

• Skeleton - Created from the corpses of NPCs. Five different skeleton types can be created based on the classes of the corpses, for instance, one can create skeleton archers from the bodies of those who were skilled in archery. Aside from archers one can create two-handers, one-handers, one-handers with a shield and a spell caster from the body of someone who was skilled with destruction magic.
• Corrupted Shade - Players can create 3 different types of corrupted shades - one Stormcloak shade from dead Stormcloaks, an Imperial shade from the corpses of Imperial soldiers and a generic shade from the bodies of those who were unaligned in the Civil War. Just as with the case of Skeletons above each type has 5 different classes, giving players the opportunity to raise a total of 15 different corrupted shades.
• Boneman - Created from the corpses of NPCs. Four different classes of Bonemen are available, with the mage archetype not being one of them.
• Mistman - Created from the corpses of NPCs.
• Wrathman - Created from the corpses of NPCs.
• Keeper - Created from the corpses of Giants. Four different classes of keepers are available, with no mages available
• Corrupted Shade Priest - Upgraded from generic Corrupted Shades of the mage class.
  

::CORPOREAL UNDEAD::

• Draugr - Created from dead NPCs. Five different Draugr are possible based on the classes of the corpses that were used, for instance, a Draugr that favors two handed weapons can be created from an NPC that favors the two-handed skill (just like in the case with Skeletons and Corrupted Shades above). This rule applies for all other Draugr types below as well.
• Clone - Creates a clone of any corpse.
• Forsworn Briarheart - Created from dead NPCs. Unlike the other corporeal undead the deceased NPC must be a male. Five different classes are available for Briarhearts.
• Worm Thrall - Created from dead NPCs and by referencing scrolls with the anatomical sketches of corpses recorded from studying corpses after they were dissected. This undead is a corporeal clone of the subject that was dissected.
• Restless Draugr - Created from dead NPCs.
• Draugr Wight - Created from dead NPCs.
• Draugr Scourge - Created from dead NPCs.
• Ash Spawn - Created from dead NPCs.
• Hulking Draugr - Created from dead NPCs.
• Draugr Deathlord - Created from dead NPCs.
• Draugr Overlord - Upgraded from Restless Draugr.
• Draugr Wight Lord - Upgraded from Draugr Wight.
• Draugr Scourge Lord - Upgraded from Draugr Scourge.
• Draugr Death Overlord - Upgraded from Draugr Deathlord.
• Dragon Priest - Upgraded from Draugr Death Overlord.
• Corrupted Thrall - Created from the templates of broken minions that automatically get disposed by the mod. These thralls are managed by the "Requiem" ritual.
  

::INCORPOREAL UNDEAD::

• Spectral Draugr - Created from dead NPCs, just as with the case with other Draugr, one can create five different classes of this type of undead based on the class and equipment of the deceased NPC.
• Subjugated Ghost - Created from male dead NPCs, five different classes of ghosts can be produced based on the class and equipment of the corpse that the ritual is performed on.
• Spectral Horse - Created from dead horses. This horse has been set to use the same meshes and textures that Arvak uses. This means that Spectral Horses will inherit the appearance of Arvak from Arvak mods like my Better Arvak mod, however, they won't inherit any of the passive and active spells from that mod. The auras of Spectral Horses will adapt to the player's affinity, meaning frost affinity will result in a frosty spectral horse.
• Spectral Thrall - Created from dead NPCs and by binding the souls of reanimated thralls via the "Soul Bind" ritual. These souls are bound to scrolls which can then be referenced in a way that's similar to Worm Thralls.
• Spectral Warhound - Created from dead canine like dogs, wolves and huskies.
• Headless Horseman - Created from male dead NPCs.
• Wisp - Created from any corpse.
• Ice Wraith - Created from any corpse.
• Wispmother - Created from dead female NPCs.
  

::ACCURSED UNDEAD::

• Frozen Falmer - Created from dead Falmer. Five different classes can be raised based on the combat style that the Falmer had in life.
• Death Hound - Created from dead canine like dogs, wolves and huskies.
• Frozen Chaurus - Created from dead Chaurus.
• Gargoyle - Created from dead Trolls and other Gargoyles.
• Gargoyle Brute - Created from dead Trolls and other Gargoyles.
• Gargoyle Sentinel - Created from dead Trolls and other Gargoyles.
• Gargoyle Sentinel Lord - Upgraded from Gargoyle Sentinels.
  

::AWAKEN UNDEAD RITUAL::

The Awaken Undead ritual becomes unlocked with the perk of the same name. It will allow players to create Permanent Undead called Awakened Undead that are not limited by timers or contribute to the player's summon limits. This freedom comes at a price though in the form of Corruption, a disease like status, that imposes steep debuffs with each Awakened Undead that is brought into the world. Here are a few unique properties of Awakened Undead.

::AWAKENED UNDEAD::

• Once the Awaken Undead ritual is performed the Awakened Undead will inherit the same base health, base stamina, base magicka and base skill levels as the player in every instance that their current stats are lower than those of the player. For example, a Created Undead with 20 health will inherit the same 100 health of the player after its awakened, while a Created Undead with level 100 One Handed will not inherit the level 15 One Handed skill of the player.
• They can be taught spells by the player. Requires the Epigone perk.
• Unlike Promoted Undead that are reanimated, Awakened Undead will be banished to storage alive and will be summoned from storage alive.
• They can be issued commands like wait and follow.
• They can be posted at the player's home or lair and be ordered to guard and sandbox the area.
• When set to Follow mode, Awakened Undead will remain silent, however, in Scout Mode they will use idle dialogues and react audibly to the player's actions.
• If they were issued commands but were summoned, they will forget their last orders and automatically follow the player.
  

::REQUIREMENTS::

• Skyrim - Latest Version
• Dawnguard
• Hearthfire
• Dragonborn
  

::INSTALLATION::

First of all, do not compact this mod's .esp file or flag it as an .esl file, doing so might break the scripts in the mod, so please keep it as an untouched .esp file. For non-English speakers, if you use a translation of the mod then only use a translation for the latest version of Practical Necromancy or download an older version of Practical Necromancy that matches the version of the translation that is available to you. If you use an outdated translation with the latest version of this mod then the menus will more than likely not work properly. Finally, if you play with the older versions of Skyrim (Skyrim 1.5.97 to Skyrim 1.6.640) then you will need to use Backported Extended ESL Support as well.

Before enabling the mod in your load order please kill off any reanimated thralls that you might have with you and make a save or a few saves. It is important that you make a backup save before installing this mod, because this mod makes use of scripts and will corrupt your save should you decide to uninstall the mod on an ongoing save. This pre-installation backup save should be reloaded and used if you want to safely uninstall the mod at a later time. While save cleaners may be another option, I cannot vouch for how reliable they can be in cleaning orphan scripts from your save and might actually make things worse. After making a pre-installation save to rollback to, should you change your mind about using the mod, then you can install the mod virtually with your preferred mod manager.

Download and install the main file (Practical Necromancy) and one of the Custom Skills Framework patches (Practical Necromancy - CSF Patch) from the optional files if you would like to get the perk tree. Please note that there are other patches in the download section as well, so take your time and download and install the ones that you need. Once in-game you will receive the grimoire (De Vermis Mysteriis) soon after you reanimate your first corpse with the mod enabled. This grimoire is flagged as a shield and can be found in the clothing or armor section of your inventory, favorite it and equip it to begin your new journey as a Necromancer.



::UPDATING::

First of all, kill off all of your undead minions or at least banish all of them before updating and make a save. Once again for non-English speakers, if you use a translation of the mod then only use a translation that matches the latest version of Practical Necromancy. Also if you play with the older versions of Skyrim (Skyrim 1.5.97 to Skyrim 1.6.640) then you will need to use Backported Extended ESL Support as well.

You can update the mod by reinstalling it with the updated version through your mod manager or by manually deleting the mod and installing it again with the updated version. Once in-game equip the grimoire to enter the grimoire's menu, you will see a new option available called "Update Mod." Click this option and wait for it to complete to finalize the mod's update in-game.



::UNINSTALLATION::

This mod has scripts and shouldn't be uninstalled on an ongoing save that had the mod enabled. If you decide to uninstall the mod, then uninstall it and revert to the pre-installation save(s) that was made by following the Installation procedure above.





::MOD COMPATIBILITY::

Practical Necromancy will serve as a good companion mod to the popular perk overhauls. It was designed with compatibility in mind and load order shouldn't matter if you use these mods. If in doubt about load order simply load this mod after these:


::COMPATIBLE MODS::

• NPCs React To Necromancy
• The Path of Transcendence - Lichdom
• Undead FX
• Undeath Remastered
• Undeath - Classical Lichdom
• Prelude to Purgatory - A Lich Custom Skill Tree
• Path of Sorcery - Magic Perk Overhaul
• Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim
• Vokrii - Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim
• Odin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul
• Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
• Skyrim Redone
• Perkus Maximus
• SkyrimSouls - Unpaused Game Menus
• Skyrim Souls RE - Updated
• Genuinely Intelligent Soul Trap
• Better Vampires
  

::SLIGHTLY COMPATIBLE MODS::

• Requiem - The Roleplaying Overhaul - Position Practical Necromancy below Requiem so that its ReanimateAshPile file overrides Requiem's ReanimateAshPile file in order to ensure that reanimated thralls remain intact when they die. Or do the opposite, move Practical Necromancy above Requiem if you would like reanimated thralls to disintegrate upon death, but beware though you will need to invest a couple perks in Requiem's Conjuration tree and require a level 75 Conjuration perk to reverse that decision.
• Adamant - A Perk Overhaul - Use Adamant - Do Not Open Revived Creatures Inventory to prevent Adamant from automatically opening up the reanimated thrall's inventory whenever you interact with them.
• Simply Order Summons - Both mods bring up overlapping menus when you communicate with undead, please use Simply Order Summons - No Dialogue Menu Patch if you would like to use both at the same time without issue.
• Skyrim Souls RE - Updated - Skyrim Souls makes navigation through this mod's menus very tedious by disabling the arrow keys and forcing players to use their mouse to click on each option. Open SkyrimSoulsRE.ini, change the bEnableMovementInMenus setting under the "Controls" section from true to false - this re-enables the arrow keys while in Practical Necromancy's menus.
• Nether's Follower Framework - Becomes fully compatible once the following settings are disabled in its MCM: "Minion Support," "Minions Follow" and "Acquiring Minion Notification." Practical Necromancy acts like a follower framework as well but for the undead, so please make these tweaks to ensure that Practical Necromancy has total control over your undead.
• Hunterborn - The Corpse Preparation perk conflicts with Hunterborn when sneaking, changing Hunterborn's MCM settings to interact with carcasses via activating instead of sneaking will bypass the conflict. Alternatively, you can use the Anatomical Insights perk to interact with carcasses by slashing them with its enchanted embalming tools. Please remember that those tools can be crafted at the forge once Anatomical Insights is unlocked.
  

::INCOMPATIBLE MODS::

• Skyrim 1.5.97, Skyrim 1.6.659 or any version in between - Use Backported Extended ESL Support to ensure that The Dark Arts.esp file is actually recognized and loaded by the game.
• Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim - There is an incompatibility with the "King of the Lost" enchantment that causes the Wraith-King to spawn in despite not even having the enchantment equipped. Use the patch in Practical Necromancy's download section to make both mods fully compatible.
• Better Dead Thralls - This necromancy overhaul works very similar to Practical Necromancy, so you should choose one instead.
• Dead and Daedric Guardians - Practical Necromancy offers a similar harvest system and features the ability to give minions commands. Consider using D&D Guardians instead if you are less interested in a necromancy overhaul but more interested in having unique daedra, undead, automatons and dragon minions.
• Dead NPC Body Cleaner Remover - This will make your dead bodies disappear which is bad, so avoid mods like this whenever you play a Necromancer. Please use Practical Necromancy's body disposal system instead.
• Mods that edit the ReanimateAshPile script within the ReanimateSecondayFFAimed and ReanimateSecondayTargetActor magic effects which tries to prevent the creation of ash piles from dead reanimated thralls.
• Mods that edit the ReanimateSecondayFFAimed and ReanimateSecondayTargetActor magic effects in an attempt to block the creation of ash piles from dead reanimated thralls.
  

If you found any conflicting mods, then please send me a message, so I can list the conflicting mod by name within this compatibility section for the sake of other users.


::NOTE TO PATCHERS AND MOD AUTHORS::

• In order to improve the compatibility of modded destruction spells with the Necrotic Bloom perk: Add either the MDAMagicDamageDisease or MagicAlchHarmful keywords to any disease damage destruction spell's magic effects. Add either the MDAMagicDamagePoison or MagicAlchResistPoison keywords to any poison damage destruction spell's magic effects. Add either the MDAMagicDamageMagic or MagicAlchResistMagic keywords to any pure magic damage destruction spell's magic effects.
• In order to improve the compatibility of modded blood or absorb spells with the Blood Seal perk: Add either the MDAMagicDamageBlood or MagicVampireDrain keyword to any of the spell's magic effects.
  

::KNOWN ISSUES::

• There are some who install the mod and have The Dark Arts.esp file enabled but cannot obtain the grimoire by reanimating a corpse. If you are playing with Skyrim 1.5.97, Skyrim 1.6.659 or any version in between then you will need to use Backported Extended ESL Support so that your older version of the game will actually load this mod in your load order properly.
• There are some who fail to obtain the grimoire after reanimating their first corpse. Assuming the prior point does not apply to you, then reanimate any corpse and interact with a tanning rack while that reanimated thrall is still following you - doing this opens up a new recipe that allows you to craft a copy of the book for free. Craft the book, equip it and then click the "Update Mod" option to finalize the mod. I apologize if that method might be convoluted, but it's meant to continue the same idea of gatekeeping access to the book only to actual Necromancers. If you still did not get the grimoire with this method, then that first point did in fact apply to you so you will need to use Backported Extended ESL Support.
• Why is the grimoire a shield and not an actual book? Vanilla Skyrim does not allow players to favorite books, so I was forced into creating a "fake" book out of a shield. As a shield the grimoire can then be added to the favorites menu and be assigned a hotkey for convenience.
• At times reanimated thralls may go missing because of the respawn mechanic (they respawned back to their original location). Sometimes they may disappear as quest NPCs, because both the vanilla game and the Skyrim Unofficial Patch tend to delete NPCs from the game once their associated quest is over. I strongly recommend that you use the cloning features and native undead in this mod instead, especially as pack mules, because Created Undead will not respawn or get deleted from the game. For the vanilla game, if a thrall goes missing in either case then their reanimation effect could remain active in the Active Effects tab. If you would like to remove the reanimation effect then use the Catharsis spell or any other modded dispel spell to dispel it. Alternatively, you can use a few vanilla tricks to dispel rogue reanimation effects like getting arrested, transforming into a werewolf or a vampire lord or reading an elder scroll. However, if you would like to attempt to recover that missing thrall or the items that it had then click on the spoiler:
  
  Spoiler:  

  Show

  If you failed to promote a minion (cannot summon them) and lost them then reload an older save where you still have them, open console, click on them and take note of its Reference Form ID. Load up your latest save (where they're missing) open console again and type "prid xxxxxxxx" where xxxxxxxx is the Reference Form ID that you just recorded and then type "moveto player" to get them back if they're still alive.If that fails then they're dead.If you still care about recovering that corpse then type these commands in this order: "prid xxxxxxxx" "resurrect" "moveto player" and then "kill". Keep in mind that this will reset its inventory so you will lose everything that you gave them and they will likely spawn in hostile. Alternatively, you can type "player.moveto xxxxxxxx" to teleport to the corpse.If you only care about reclaiming their items then use these commands in this order: "prid xxxxxxxx" and "openactorcontainer 1".
• There is an issue with the vanilla game where minions that are given armor to equip through this mod will wear it but will unequip them after being banished, summoned or after traveling through a loading screen. This happened because you removed all of the pieces of gear in their "default outfit" so the game forces them to re-equip all of the parts of that default outfit. There are two ways of dealing with this: the first being to re-equip the gear that you gave them but ensuring that you leave behind at least one of the pieces of their default outfit like their default boots for instance. The second and more reliable solution to this is to promote them, doing so will ensure that they automatically equip the best gear in their inventory - just like the vanilla followers do. Please remember that Created Undead comes with a feature that allows you to replace their default outfits altogether.
• This tends to be rare, but at times you might encounter a bug where the Corpse Preparation menu doesn't appear for a corpse when sneaking. If this happens then simply reanimate the corpse with a reanimation spell and use the "Debug" option from the Follower menu to fix this. Alternately, you can reanimate the corpse and simply go through a loading screen with the reanimated thrall (by entering another cell like a house) to fix it.
• Unfortunately, there are three engine limitations to the Possession spell. The first engine limitation is the camera, once the possession succeeds the camera tends to be zoomed in (making the Promoted Undead appear invisible) but this can be fixed by simply zooming out the camera to make the Promoted Undead visible. The second engine limitation prevents players from using the attack buttons for both spellcasters (humanoids with spells equipped) and non-humanoid undead (undead that are incapable of wielding weapons), however this limitation can be bypassed by simply moving the non-humanoid undead or spellcaster within melee range of an enemy target. Once within melee range, the undead will automatically attack and/or cast spells on the enemy without the player's actual input. The third engine limitation to possession tends to bug out the jumping animations for controlled humanoids (undead NPCs that are capable of jumping just like the player). However, this mod provides a built-in fix for this by setting the humanoid to "ragdoll" soon after jumping, which serves to preemptively fix that jumping animation bug, so please do not panic when this happens as it is intentional.
  

::RECOMMENDED MODS::

Please note that the following mods, for the most part, are not actually required for this mod to work:

• A Merged Patch created with SSEEdit is recommended to increase compatibility between mods in general. Even if you don't use this mod, it's always a good idea to create one. You can learn how to create a merged patch here.
• A Bashed Patch created with Wrye Bash could significantly reduce the likelihood of crashes with NPCs due to having several mods installed that change the leveled lists. Again, even if you don't use this mod, it's always a must to create a bashed patch for better stability when you have mods that edit leveled lists, just be sure to rebuild a bashed patch every time that you change your load order. You can learn how to create a bashed patch here.
• Backported Extended ESL Support - Essential for those who use Skyrim 1.5.97, Skyrim 1.6.659 or any version in between to ensure that this mod is recognized by the older versions of the game. This is redundant and unnecessary for those who use Skyrim 1.6.1130 and later versions.
• Custom Skills Framework - Highly recommended as it conveniently lets players pick perks from an actual perk tree instead of learning perks through the mod's chapter system. Use one of the Custom Skills Framework patches in Practical Necromancy's download section.
• Custom Skills Menu or Denji's Custom Skills Menu - Conveniently tweaks the vanilla tab menu to make custom skill perk trees easier to access, so that you will no longer need the grimoire to open up the perk tree.
• Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) - Highly recommended as it will distribute the following perks to all Promoted Undead: LightFoot (immunity to traps), AlchemySkillBoosts (skill boosting potions will now work), PerkSkillBoosts (skill boosting enchantments will now work) and MDAAbUndeadPerk (fall damage immunity). The following spells will be distributed to Necromancers and a few of the named Necromancer bosses: Soul Assault, Soul Strike, Soul Burst and Soul Shred. Use the SPID patch in Practical Necromancy's download section.
• Keyword Item Distributor (KID) - Highly recommended as it will improve compatibility of all absorb spells with the Blood Seal perk and applies some miscellaneous fixes. Use the KID patch in Practical Necromancy's download section.
• Better MessageBox Controls - Highly recommended for better navigation through the new menus that are added by this mod.
• Enderal Font for Skyrim SE (Dumbledor Font) - If you ever played Enderal like I did and could never go back to the default Skyrim font.
• I'm Walkin' Here - For those with so many minions that it's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate through them.
• Enhanced Reanimation - Allows the reanimation of decapitated NPCs, makes reanimated mounts rideable and allows reanimated Necromancers to cast reanimation spells.
• Undead Summons Emerge From The Ground - Does exactly what it says on the tin.
• Robes Retexture SE - For the cool Black Mage and Necromancer Robe retextures.
• Mage Clothing Expansion
• Vampire Clothing Expansion
• Vampire Armor Expansion
• DX Staff of Necromancy
• DX Necromancer Robes - UNP
• DX Necromancer Robes - SSE CBBE BodySlide
• DX Necromancer Robes - HDT-SMP Physics and 3BBB Bodyslides
• Black Mage Armor
• Necromaster Robes
• Kynreeve Armor
• Iron BattleMonk Mashup Armor
• Dragon Priest Cultist Armor
• Revenant Armour - Inspired by ESO Mannimarco
• Skyblivion - Master Necromancer Robes
• Lind's Black Robes Revamp - Texture Replacer
• Necromancers Amulet Replacement
• Black Robe Replacer (Necromancer Themed) 3 Variants - Male Only
• DCR - King Crusader Mega Pack
• Draugr Warrior Armor
• Perseus Armor
• Reapers Necromancers Robe Textures Replacer
• Revenant Necromancer Robes
• Evil Master Mind Armor
• Contractor Armor
• Contractor and Mavari Armors
• Soul Collector
• Warlock and Archmage
  

If you know of any more necromancer armor/clothing mods or any other mods that I can add to this list then let me know in the comment section.


::PERMISSIONS::

Please do not upload my mod to other websites. Anyone can make a translation for this mod and my other mods without seeking my permission. The only thing that I ask is that you at least upload the translation to the Nexus. For those out there who own a website, then it's perfectly fine if you host the translation on other websites, but all I ask is that you please maintain a separate mod page for the translation here on the Nexus in addition to that copy on your website.



::CREDITS::

Special thanks to D6Damage for all of the necromancy related videos for D&D and Pathfinder which helped to fill the gaps in areas where even the Elder Scrolls lore on Necromancy was scarce and megablackk1d who helped me out with the Custom Skills Framework patch that is compatible with Skyrim 1.5.97.