[Cowdragon]

I've seen it mentioned on a few threads in here, but is Necromancy a thing in Shadowrun? It seems like it wouldn't be, as the afterlife is not something that's covered really. It's left more to individual beliefs. So true Necromancy (communing with the dead, binding dead person's spirits, reincarnating and resurection of the deceased, or even just simple animation of corpses) is something of fiction even for the 6th World.

[Reaver]

Yes and No.

Its a tradition of magic, just like any other, but goes a dark, near toxic path. It is whispered they are actually shamans of the Shedim tradition..

Things they are known for:

making zombies (possession spirits)
Resurrection: (again possession spirits)
Life sucking spells.


Think: "Dark Hougaun"

[Sendaz]

well cybermancy touches on this a bit as you are binding that person's spirit to the cybered up husk.

As for speaking with the dead, some would say invoking spirits of Man is sort of talking with the dead as many traditions have those spirits are supposed to be ancestor spirits. 
Whether they are or not is still hotly debated in many circles.

Ressurection/Reincarnating are the holy grails of magic in many eyes, but in game mechanics like Street Magic pg 160 specifically mentions Magic can not raise the dead. 
Course whether this is due to maybe insufficient mana levels or training can be debated.

Of course as mentioned above, possession can offer some work-arounds.

[Reaver]

It should be noted;

What a necromancer returns to life, isn't what died...

[Cowdragon]

It should be noted;

What a necromancer returns to life, isn't what died...

that was almost Lovecraftian in nature. Cryptic: 8/10 Creepy: 11/10 thanks for the chills running down my spine. 

[Sendaz]

It should be noted;

What a necromancer returns to life, isn't what died...

that was almost Lovecraftian in nature. Cryptic: 8/10 Creepy: 11/10 thanks for the chills running down my spine. 

Reaver will be here all week. 

Be sure to try the veal and tip your waitress.

[RHat]

making zombies (possession spirits)

Note that the actual term zombie would be specific to voodoo.

[Crimsondude]

Nethermancers were character classes in Earthdawn, and so yes, necromancy is possible in the SR universe. That said, the number of living practitioners in Shadowrun is probably less than a dozen, if even a handful, with the most powerful one dying relatively recently. Though what is physical death to someone who has mastered that force itself?

[Grinder]

Nethermancers were character classes in Earthdawn, and so yes, necromancy is possible in the SR universe.

The current mana level just needs to rise a fair bit before that.

[Senko]

And then just a bit more for true resurruection amongst other things to become possible. If course as Reaver said the gods rarely allow something to return so what your actually getting? Well it could be your beloved son or an animated corpse who wants to eat your face.

[Crimsondude]

Nethermancers were character classes in Earthdawn, and so yes, necromancy is possible in the SR universe.

The current mana level just needs to rise a fair bit before that.

Tsk.

Magic was possible even during the downcycle. All you need is skill and patience.

[Parker]

They make great wildcards.  Vamps, bug spirits, and even shedim spirits to assume top-level threat to a team.  Who would assume a death-dealing magic user?

It should be noted;

What a necromancer returns to life, isn't what died...

that was almost Lovecraftian in nature. Cryptic: 8/10 Creepy: 11/10 thanks for the chills running down my spine. 

                                  Gotta love it. 

[firebug]

As is, there's no way to do D&D style "walking dead" without just having a spirit possess a corpse (but often, there's better things for them to possess).  Communicating with the deceased...  No rules, certainly, but many traditions of magic believe in ancestor spirits and the like.  If it came up in a game, I would say that expecting to simply ask a dead person what happened is out of the question, but "communing with ancestors" for a clue wouldn't be unreasonable.

Earthdawn is only "kind of" the past of Shadowrun; I believe since it's a game no longer owned by Catalyst, nothing in it is necessarily "officially canon" but I mean, it's at least worth considering.

And as always, remember the mantra of the Sixth World, should you ever try to perform true necromancy.  "Everything has a price."

[CanRay]

Thread Necromancy is easy enough. 

[Longshot23]

Don't you mean dead easy?