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apandapion
2005-08-07, 11:54 AM
I don't have liber mortis, so I have to write my own necromancer prestige class. I have a sorcerer in my campaign who focuses on necromancy because he thinks necromancy is cool - so think very low on the power gaming scale. (A power gamer would have obtained liber mortis and asked me for things out of it all day.) I know a power gamer could do some pretty obscene things with this class if they focused on it. So, that aside, what do you think? Is it overly dangerous in the hands of any player?

In some ways the class is slightly tailored for the target player - for instance, it has rogue BAB advancement and martial weapons because the player it is tailored for likes to hit things slightly more often than is really healthy for a sorcerer. And +1 Caster Level is shorthand for more spells and spells per day. (a level 10 black channeler/level 10 sorcerer has spells as a 15th level sorcerer.)

Black Channeler

Requirements :
the ability to spontaneously cast 4th level arcane spells
10 ranks Knowledge : Arcana

Feats: Martial Weapons
HD: D6

Skill Points: 2 + Int
Skills: As Sorcerer

Level BAB: Fort Ref Will
1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Sublimation; Onyx Soul
2 +1 +0 +0 +3 +1 Caster Level
3 +2 +1 +1 +3 Necrotic Mediation
4 +3 +1 +1 +4 +1 Caster Level
5 +3 +1 +1 +4 Dark Resplendence
6 +4 +2 +2 +5 +1 Caster Level
7 +5 +2 +2 +5 Ash Eater
8 +6 +2 +2 +6 +1 Caster Level
9 +6 +3 +3 +6 Black Slip
10 +7 +3 +3 +7 +1 Caster Level

Sublimation:
You may sacrifice an undead that you have created and is under your control instead of using a spell slot you possess to cast an arcane spell. You may only do this for spell slots equal to or less than your Black Channeler Level. The sacrificed undead is reduced to ash.

Onyx Soul:
When casting animate dead, you are regarded as having a free onyx gem equal in gold piece value to your black channeler level times 25.

Dark Resplendence:
The number of hit dice of undead you can control increases by your charisma modifier. This happens again at 7th level and 10th level. This gain is not increased later by charisma increases.

Necrotic Mediation:
When animating a corpse, you may select an arcane spell or spelllike ability that has an arcane spell equivellant. You must name the spell when animating - if the creature does not turn out to have the ability you named, this power does not function. The selected spell must be less than or equal to half your Black Channeler level.

As long as this undead is under your control, this spell is added to your spell selection, and you may spend spell slots to cast this spell as per normal.

Ash Eater:
You may destroy an undead which is under your control as a free action. You may only do this once per round. You gain a number of hit points equal to the monster's hit dice plus your charisma bonus.

Black Slip:
You may destroy an undead which you created and is under your control as a free action. You may only do this once per round. The destroyed undead explodes as per a fireball with energy substutuion : negative energy. The spell level of the explosion (and thus, the reflex save difficulty level) is equal to half your Black Channeler levels. The caster level of the explosion is determined by the hit dice of the undead destroyed.

Adghar
2005-08-07, 02:01 PM
Too lazy to do a full analysis, but a couple questions:



Dark Resplendence:
The number of hit dice of undead you can control increases by your charisma modifier. This happens again at 7th level and 10th level. This gain is not increased later by charisma increases.

Necrotic Mediation:
When animating a corpse, you may select an arcane spell or spelllike ability that has an arcane spell equivellant. You must name the spell when animating - if the creature does not turn out to have the ability you named, this power does not function. The selected spell must be less than or equal to half your Black Channeler level.


Dark Resplendence: Wait, so in the end you get 3x your CHA mod? And why not let it be retroactive for CHA increases?

Necromatic Mediation: You never say what you do with the selected spell. Are you saying that the undead can cast that spell or has the spell cast on it?

And you can't do all those undead destruction abilities at the same time, right? 'cause regaining a spell slot would just let you cast

Millikin_Erreene
2005-08-07, 03:38 PM
Am I understanding Necrotic Mediation correctly in assuming the corpse to be animated for this purpose must have possessed the ability or spell in their repertiore while they were alive?
ie. In order to cast faerie fire you need to animate the corpse of a drow or spellcaster with the spell in their repertoire.

I think there should be a minimum charisma score to qualify for this kit and have the ability to cast animate dead as an arcane or divine spellcaster.

You may want to revise letting them destroy any undead under their control as a free action. What if they temporarily charm or dominate something like a vampire or lich?

Ash Eater should probably be limited to once per turn and be a move equivalent action at the very least
As you have it right now, I can see it being exploited by having the caster conjure up a lot of level 1 level 2 undead prior to a fight, escalate their functional levels, and use them as free instant self heals during a fight.

Sublimation's effectiveness should probably be tied to the destroyed undead's hit dice level. I'd do something like Undead level + Black Channeler level / 2

Overall though these are some pretty nifty ideas.


-- Millikin

Balisarius
2005-08-07, 04:12 PM
Hazaar! My pet subject! :D I approve of your class, yet dont like that alternate spell level progression. Painful for a wizard, unthinkable for a sorcerer!
I really like the Ash eater and Onyx soul tweaks, two issues ive developed myself in terms of spells+house rules. Most of the special abilities becides are covered in d20 spells that can be dredged from many sources however. But then Im wizard player than sorcerer so I see the point of forgoing the extra spells..
Ive seen most if not all the necromancer material available for D20 and 3.5. I may have an unhealthy interest in this avenue of gaming and have a respectable (worrying) collection. In most cases the prestige classes are poor, Libris Mortis just has rehashes of previous 3.0 ed stuff(true necromancer and that lunatic who cuts off his own arm that they're so fond of.) For wizard necromancers, however, look to 'Secret College of Necromancy' (D20, green ronin publishing.) and 'Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers'. (D20.)

Caelestion
2005-08-07, 05:27 PM
Why are there no other feat or skill requirements? At the very least, I'd require Spell Focus: Necromancy and Knowledge: Religion 5 ranks.
Proficiency in all martial weapons - why? Other than giving a special fighter-type ability completely for free, what purpose does it solve (and don't answer with "because he likes hitting things).
As it stands, ANY self-respecting sorcerer immediately qualifies and probably should take one level, if only for the d6 HD and all martial weapons and the other two abilities, all for just losing one caster level.

Cael.

jdrich
2005-08-07, 06:09 PM
This class seems to mimic the Bane of Infidels class in Masters of the Wild, only with undead instead of fanatics.

Perhaps you should take a look there.

stainboy
2005-08-07, 06:42 PM
So if I'm understanding this right, a black channeler with Necrotic Mediation could animate a displacer beast and temporarily add Displacement to his spells known? If so, that's awesome.

It's also nice to have a "horde leader" style arcane necromancer, who has the BAB and hit points to lead his undead into battle rather than staying behind at fireball range. Liber Mortis doesn't have many options for an arcane necromancer who won't get wasted in melee.

I'd suggest changing some of the prerequisites, though. This class's dual focus on combat and spellcasting means that some people are going to want to take a few levels of fighter along with the spellcaster levels they need to qualify for the prestige class. That's not particularly viable if they need to be able to cast 4th level arcane spells (which I realize is so they can cast Animate Dead, but still). Also, the spellcasting requirements should probably require some necromancy spells, and that the character be a spontanous caster (since this prestige class is clearly intended for sorcerers).

(Cont'd below...)

stainboy
2005-08-07, 06:46 PM
My suggested prerequisites:

Spellcasting: Ability to spontaneously cast at least three arcane necromancy spells, one of which must be Command Undead.
Base Attack Bonus: +4 (an 8th-level sorcerer could still meet this, but so could a sorcerer4/fighter2.)
Proficiencies:Proficiency in at least 1 martial or exotic weapon (in other words, either a feat, a level in a tank class, or being an elf.)
Skills: Knowledge (Religion) 5 ranks. (This is the skill that officially encompasses knowledge of the undead. If you've house-ruled it to Knowledge - Arcana, ignore this.)

If you take my suggestions, though, I'd change Onyx Soul to make sure the character can cast Animate Dead:

(Cont'd below...)

stainboy
2005-08-07, 06:47 PM
Onyx Soul: at 1st level, a Black Channeler can use Animate Dead as a spell-like ability once per day. This requires no material component. If the Black Channeler can spontaneously cast 4th-level arcane spells, she can sacrifice a 4th-level spell to use this ability instead of expending her one use per day.


...one other thing. The way Dark Resplendance works is kinda awkward. Instead of doing it by Charisma modifier, I'd suggest just adding the character's Black Channeler class level add to his maximum HD of undead controlled.

Like I said, overall the class is awesome, just a few suggested changes. Do with them what you wish.

EDIT: One other, other thing. Necrotic Mediation and those undead-sacrificing abilities need some kind of range limit. Line-of-effect and within 120' of the character, for example. Otherwhise, a black channeler could animate a bunch of undead, bury them in a hole somewhere safe, and just use them as bonus spells and heal-batteries.

apandapion
2005-08-07, 09:19 PM
I don't have time to respond to everyone, so I'll just hit the high points.

Good point about how you should be able to use one of the powers per round, even if they are "free actions only once per round". I'm not sure if it's unbalancing to use them all at once - if you ash half your army for a free spell slot, around 10 more hitpoints, and a free fireball, have you really come out ahead? And also a good point about the range - consider all of the powers to have medium range.

Most of the powers say "you animated and is under your control" to dodge the "temporarily dominate and then sack undead." issue. The rest should probably have it added.

Sublimation:
It should be tied to monster's HD. Good call. I meant it to be. Whoops.

Dark Resplendance:
It doesn't increase as the charisma does because I'm worried about epic level extension. (DC level / 3) times CHA bonus could add up to a stupid amount of undead because of the multiplication involved.

Ash Eater:
If Ash Eater is not already limited to once per round, it's a typo.

Necotic Mediation:
Yes, stainboy, that's what it does. You could get displacement by that

Fredderf
2006-08-27, 03:45 PM
I have to disagree with Jonathan. Bane of Infadels involves sacrificing things. Besides that similarity I don't see any class abilities coming all that close to clashing.

I like this class. It is pretty original to my knowledge, however, it would be kind of cool to see some fluff about how they can do this.