The Soulmancer class could not revive the dead nor use the spirits of the dead. The class is only hated by the elven race, unlike the Necromancer class, which is hated by all races.
Soulmancers could only collect the portion of the soul left in a recently deceased being. The spirit would contain a small portion of its ego and its features would be identical or slightly different than when it was alive.
However, even if this sounded powerful and dangerous, everything has a limit. An ordinary Soulmancer can only have one spirit serving them. Furthermore, their first Soul Servant is born from their soul.
Another rule constricted the true potential of the Soulmancer class, yet it made it less despised at the same time.
Animals and non-animal beings awaken differently. One group awakens a magic core while the other strengthens its soul by attaining a class. A Soulmancer could only take a small fragment of the soul of a recently deceased magic beast.