[Class] Necromancer

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Source: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Necromancer_%283.5e_Class%29

Necromancer
?    Chapter 1: How to properly use a shovel.    ?
?The Book of the Dead

A Necromancer is a spellcaster that harbors the ability to raise, animate, create, or summon undead. They are spontaneous arcane magic casters that are more adept in the arts of magic that twists bodies, minds and souls alike than anyone else.
[edit] Making a Necromancer

A Necromancer is a caster that is able to expel negative energies flowing through their veins. Necromancers are similar to sorcerers, but are more adept with necromancy and, to some extent, enchantment spells. They use their abilities to gain absolute control over their enemies' bodies, minds and souls and usually the best thing to do that is by raising/summoning undead from their fallen enemies, skill at which they are unparalleled. Necromancers are also effective with diseases, poison spells, and affecting opponents with fear, fatigue, exhaustion, pain, negative energy damage, or even gaining mindless supporters through the use of enchantment spells like charm or dominate.

A Necromancer's strengths are in bolstering undead, summoning or raising undead minions (which they can control up to a number of a large mob) and being able to cast a vast repertoire of various necromancy spells. They are strong spell casters but are not durable in physical combat. A Necromancer should primarily be used for crowd control (and at higher levels, seriously, a 'crowd controller') able to curse the enemy while animating different undead to occupy the enemy while their teammates continue to sustain a mass of dead bodies for you.

Abilities: Charisma is the most important as it powers all the necromancer's spells in addition to granting more 'rebuke undead' attempts. A high dexterity can prove invaluable when enemies focus their attacks on rather frail but extremely potent caster. Constitution is also important unless necromancer intends to transform himself into undead at some point in his career via some of the most gruesome necromantic rituals.

Races: Humans are best fit to work as necromancers, due to their particularly short life spans and nonchalant attitudes toward the dead. Elves lack the stomach, and raw power to unearth materials. Gnomes find that the afterlife just isn't as entertaining as where they are now. Halflings see it to be a waste of time, as many undead weigh a lot and are too bulky to be hauling around everywhere. Many Orc, and half-orc shamans dabble in necromancy, and half elves don't mind it too much either.

Alignment: Any non-good (too much negative energy for a good aligned character to live with). A Necromancer is not quintessentially "evil", though most necromancers display traits of uncontrolled insanity, earlier on in history, necromancers were a welcome addition in any village or town. Once upon a time, necromancers were honored as shepherds of the dead, justified by aiding transition to the other side, as well as being a cornucopia of funerary wrappings, sacred incantations, and other things that help them to put the dead to rest.

Languages: A necromancer may substitute Draconic for any of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race. Starting Gold: 3d6 gp

Starting Age: Wizard

Table: The Necromancer

Hit Die: d6
Level    Base
Attack Bonus    Saving Throws    Special    Spells per Day
Fort    Ref    Will    1st    2nd    3rd    4th    5th    6th    7th    8th    9th
1st    +0    +0    +0    +2    Rebuke undead, undead companion    3    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
2nd    +1    +0    +0    +3    Negative energy conduit    4    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
3rd    +1    +1    +1    +3    Deathless vigor +2    5    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
4th    +2    +1    +1    +4    Undead mastery    6    3    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
5th    +2    +1    +1    +4    Animate dead 1/day    6    4    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
6th    +3    +2    +2    +5    Necromantic prowess +1    6    5    3    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
7th    +3    +2    +2    +5       6    6    4    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
8th    +4    +2    +2    +6    Desecration zone +1    6    6    5    3    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
9th    +4    +3    +3    +6    Master of atrocities    6    6    6    4    ?    ?    ?    ?    ?
10th    +5    +3    +3    +7    Animate dead 2/day    6    6    6    5    3    ?    ?    ?    ?
11th    +5    +3    +3    +7    Undead Senses    6    6    6    6    4    ?    ?    ?    ?
12th    +6/+1    +4    +4    +8    Desecration zone +2, necromantic prowess +2    6    6    6    6    5    3    ?    ?    ?
13th    +6/+1    +4    +4    +8    Tough as bone    6    6    6    6    6    4    ?    ?    ?
14th    +7/+2    +4    +4    +9    Deathless vigor +4    6    6    6    6    6    5    3    ?    ?
15th    +7/+2    +5    +5    +9    Animate dead 3/day    6    6    6    6    6    6    4    ?    ?
16th    +8/+3    +5    +5    +10    Desecration zone +3    6    6    6    6    6    6    5    3    ?
17th    +8/+3    +5    +5    +10       6    6    6    6    6    6    6    4    ?
18th    +9/+4    +6    +6    +11    Necromantic prowess +3    6    6    6    6    6    6    6    5    3
19th    +9/+4    +6    +6    +11    Deathless mastery    6    6    6    6    6    6    6    6    4
20th    +10/+5    +6    +6    +12    Phylactery, Desecration zone +4    6    6    6    6    6    6    6    6    5

Class Skills (2 + int modifier per level, ?4 at 1st level)
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Planes) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int).
[edit] Class Features

All of the following are class features of the necromancers.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Necromancer is proficient with all simple weapons. They are proficient with light armors but not with shields. The somatic components required for necromancer spells are simple, so members of this class can cast necromancer spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. They still incur the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes. In addition, if a necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, he incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as any other arcane caster if the spell in question has a somatic component.

Spells: A necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the necromancer?s spell list. Like a sorcerer, he can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all the spells for that level given on the necromancer?s spell list.

    1st?bane, bestow wound, cause fear, charm person, comprehend languages, curse water, deathwatch, detect secret doors, doom, hide from undead, hypnotism, identify, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement, sleep and summon undead I

    2nd?blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, darkvision, death knell, desecrate, detect thoughts, false life, fear, gentle repose, ghoul touch, inflict moderate wounds, locate object, scare, see invisibility, spectral hand, summon swarm, summon undead II and touch of idiocy

    3rd?animate dead, arcane sight, bestow curse, clairaudience/clairvoyance, contagion, deeper darkness, halt undead, inflict serious wounds, ray of exhaustion, speak with dead, suggestion, summon undead III, tongues and vampiric touch

    4th?arcane eye, blight, charm monster, confusion, crushing despair, death ward, enervation, fear, inflict critical wounds, locate creature, phantasmal killer, poison, scrying and summon undead IV

    5th?cloudkill, contact other plane, dominate person, feeblemind, greater dispel magic, insect plague, magic jar, mass inflict light wounds, mind fog, nightmare, oath of blood slay living, summon undead V, symbol of pain, telepathic bond, unhallow and waves of fatigue

    6th?analyze dweomer, circle of death, create undead, eyebite, geas/quest, harm, mass inflict moderate wounds, legend lore, mass suggestion, shadow walk, symbol of fear, symbol of persuasion, true seeing and undeath to death

    7th? control undead, destruction, finger of death, greater arcane sight, greater harm, greater scrying, insanity, mass inflict serious wounds, power word blind, symbol of weakness, vision and waves of exhaustion

    8th?clone, create greater undead, discern location, horrid wilting, mass charm monster, mass inflict critical wounds, moment of prescience, power word stun, symbol of death, symbol of insanity, trap the soul and unholy aura

    9th? energy drain, imprison soul, mass harm, plague of undead power word kill, soul bind and wail of the banshee and vile death

Rebuke Undead (Su): A necromancer can rebuke or command undead creatures by channeling negative energy through his body.

Undead Companion: A necromancer may begin play with a companion selected from the following list: human warrior skeleton, wolf skeleton, kobold zombie, human commoner zombie. This undead is a loyal, intelligent companion that accompanies the necromancer on his adventures until destroyed or released.

A 1st-level necromancer?s companion is completely typical for its kind except as noted below. As a necromancer advances in level, the undead?s power increases as shown on the table. If a necromancer releases his companion from service, he may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring an appropriate body and 24 uninterrupted hours of meditation. This ceremony can also replace an undead companion that was destroyed.

Negative Energy Conduit (Su): At 2nd level, a necromancer becomes a living conduit to the negative energy plane. This allows him to channel negative energy to heal undead allies (or himself, if somehow transformed to undead). At will (but not more often than once per round) by touching an undead creature, he can heal it by 1d4 hit points.

Deathless Vigor (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, a necromancer?s body becomes more akin to the undying flesh of his undead associates. The character gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves except against effects that also work on objects. This effect increases to +4 at 14th and higher levels.

Undead Mastery (Su): All undead creatures created by a necromancer who has reached 4th level or higher gain a +4 profane bonus to Strength and Dexterity and 2 additional hit points per Hit Die. In addition, when a necromancer uses the animate dead spell (or his animate dead class ability) to create undead, he can control 4 + his Charisma bonus HD worth of undead creatures per class level (rather than the 4 HD per level normally granted). Similarly, when a necromancer casts the control undead spell, the spell targets up to (2 + her Cha bonus) HD/level of undead creatures, rather than the 2 HD/level normally granted by the spell.

Animate Dead (Sp): At 5th level, a necromancer's experience working with undead forms brings the ability to animate the dead easily. The necromancer is able to animate the dead once per day as a spell-like ability that works as animate dead spell but requires no components. At 10th level number of uses increases to 2/day and at 15th level a necromancer can use it 3/day.

Necromantic Prowess (Ex): At 6th level, a necromancer gains unsurpassed power over death. When he rebukes undead, casts a necromancy spell, or uses a spell-like ability that mimics a necromancy spell, his effective caster level increases. The bonus is +1 at 6th level, +2 at 12th level, and +3 at 18th level and higher.

Desecration zone (Su): At 8th level, a necromancer is continuously surrounded by an aura of negative energy identical to the desecrate spell but affecting only allied undead. The area of negative energy extends to a radius of 10 feet per necromancer class level. At 12th level profane bonuses granted to controlled undead attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws and hit points per HD increase to +2. At 16th level they increase further to +3 and at 20th level they reach +4.

Master of Atrocities: At 10th level, a necromancer significantly extends his mastery of Animate Dead class ability. He can now raise his victims not only as zombies or skeletons, but as any kind of undead creature, provided the created undead challenge rating would not be higher than ? necromancer?s class level and that the animated corpse/soul had in life at least enough HD as the chosen undead creature's base HD. Limit to the maximum HD resurrected per cast still applies and so does the the maximum controlled HD limit that is shared among all undead creatures controlled via Animate Dead.

Undead Senses (Ex): At 11th level a necromancer gains the senses of the dead, granting him sight, hearing and smell of the undead creatures. Necromancer gains darkvision 60 ft. and can see, hear and smell even if his respective sense organs are damaged or removed.

Undead Toughness (Ex): 13th level necromancer takes on even more of the qualities of an undead creature. He becomes immune to disease, nonlethal damage, and stunning.

Deathless Transformation (Ex): At 18th level, a necromancer gains the virtues of his undead minions. His body becomes partly mummified (though he is not truly undead), and he becomes immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, death effects, critical hits, ability drain, and energy drain, as well as damage to his physical ability scores(Str, Dex, and Con). He still needs to breathe, eat, and sleep as normal for his type, and he still ages normally.

Phylactery: At 20th level a necromancer can trap part of his soul into a Phylactery (see Lich?s Phylactery). Necromancer does not need craft wondrous item feat to craft the phylactery, however he still needs to pay XP and gold cost associated with crafting it. When necromancer is killed his soul flees to the phylactery and 1d10 days after death starts roaming in the vicinity to identify and possess a suitable dead body to inhabit it to come back to his full power once again.
[edit] Necromancer's Undead Companion

A necromancer?s undead companion is different from a normal undead of its kind in many ways. A necromancer?s undead companion is superior to a normal undead of its kind and has special powers, as described below.
Class
Level    Bonus
HD    Natural
Armor Adj.    Str/Dex
Adj.    Special
1st?2nd    +0    +0    +0    Link, Dark Empowerment
3rd?5th    +2    +2    +1    Evasion
6th?8th    +4    +4    +2    
9th?11th    +6    +6    +3    Multiattack
12th?14th    +8    +8    +4    
15th?17th    +10    +10    +5    Improved Evasion
18th?20th    +12    +12    +6    

Undead Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion?s kind, but make the following changes.

Class Level: The character?s necromancer level. The necromancer class levels are the base for determining the companion?s abilities and the alternative lists available to the character.

Bonus HD: Extra twelve-sided (d12) Hit Dice. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion?s base attack and base save bonuses. An undead companion?s base attack bonus is the same as that of a necromancer of a level equal to the undead?s HD. An undead companion has good Will save and weak Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the undead?s HD). An undead companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster?s Hit Dice.

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the undead companion?s existing natural armor bonus.

Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the undead companion?s Strength and Dexterity scores.

Int: If base undead creature is mindless undead it gains Int score equal 10. If base undead creature has intelligence score below 10, it increases to 10.

Link (Ex): A necromancer can give orders to his undead companion as a free action. undead companion understands any languages that his master speaks and obeys him as best as it can.

Dark Empowerment (Ex): If a necromancer possesses any feats or other extraordinary abilities that boost undead he creates, he may also apply these bonuses to the undead companion at the moment of its creation. These also include necromancer class skill - undead mastery.

Evasion (Ex): If an undead companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

Multiattack: An undead companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the undead companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a ?5 penalty.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an undead companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.

Alternative undead Companions: A necromancer of sufficiently high level can select his undead companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the necromancer?s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion?s characteristics and special abilities.

4th Level or Higher (Level ?3)
    Skeleton, owlbear (undead)
    Zombie, bugbear (undead)
    Ghoul (undead)

7th Level or Higher (Level ?6)
    Allip (undead)
    Ghast (undead)
    Shadow (undead)
    Skeleton, troll (undead)
    Wight (undead)
    Zombie, minotaur (undead)
    Zombie, ogre (undead)
    Zombie, wyvern (undead)

   

10th Level or Higher (Level ?9)
    Skeleton, chimera (undead)
    Skeleton, ettin (undead)
    Mummy (undead)
    Vampire spawn (undead)
    Wraith (undead)

13th Level or Higher (Level ?12)
    Skeleton, advanced megaraptor (undead)
    Skeleton, cloud giant (undead)
    Spectre (undead)
    Zombie, gray render (undead)

   

16th Level or Higher (Level ?15)
    Mohrg (undead)
    Bodak (undead)
    Skeleton, young adult red dragon (undead)
    Shadow, greater (undead)

[edit] Ex-Necromancers

A Necromancer that doesn't want to sustain his link to the negative energy cannot gain levels in the Necromancer class and loses all special abilities and any spells from the necromancy school of magic.