A necromancer's life is structured above all by the unreasoning prejudice of others. With very few exceptions, people do not want to be associated with necromancers, and most churches seek to outlaw what they see as meddling with life and death. This means that most necromancers are loners, whether they live in crypts, on secluded islands or hidden in the middle of cities. Some necromancers, however, may choose to associate with adventuring parties as a means of gaining experience, in some cases the necromancer will acquire a collection of spells from a different school to enable them to masquerade as something else, although there is always a small minority of adventuring parties who do not mind taking zombies or ghouls as companions.

Necromancers are not necessarily evil, some are simply dedicated to research into the basic processes of living and dying, most if not all, however, lack the kind of insight into other people which might explain why the prospect of seeing your dead aunt Mary staggering across the fields towards you fails to appeal. Those known to be necromancers are likely to be persecuted by the law, by local churches, by mobs of citizens and quite often by bounty hunters, or simply romantic types who appreciate the opportunity to kill objectionable people without facing lawsuits or vendettas.