Pyrusticia
2009-06-12, 07:26 AM
In line with Pramxnim's Geomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114471), I thought I'd introduce another alternate-source Warlock:
The Necrolock
Traditional warlocks gain their powers from a contract made with a fiendish or diabolical source. The Necrolock's power, on the other hand, comes from a powerful undead (often an ancient lich or similar undead), with a commensurate shift in focus and abilities.
Alignment: Any non-good. The Necrolock's unique invocations (as opposed to those they share with all warlocks) are evil, but the rare neutral necrolock may be found who simply does not use these invocations.
Combat: Rogue
Good Save: Will
Hit Die: d6
Armor: Light
Weapons: Simple, Scythe
Skill Points: 2 + Int
Class Skills
The Necrolock's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentrate (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Undead) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Religion: Those necrolocks who follow any god tend to give honor to those whose spheres include death, such as Wee-jas and Nerul.
Background: Necrolocks are a relatively recent phenomenon, and there are no known necrolocks who inherited their power. As such, all necrolocks must have had close contact with a powerful undead being at some point in their past.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Invocations known
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Negative Blast 1d6, Invocation (Least)|1
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Detect Undead, at will|2
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Negative Blast 2d6, Damage Reduction 1/magic|2
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Rebuke Undead|3
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Negative Blast 3d6 |3
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Invocations (Least or Lesser)|4
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Negative Blast 4d6, Damage Reduction 2/magic|4
8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+2|
+6|Chill of the Grave, 1d6|5
9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+3|
+6|Negative Blast 5d6|5
10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+3|
+7| |6
11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+3|
+7|Negative Blast 6d6, Damage Reduction 3/magic, Invocations (Least, Lesser, Greater)|7
12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Corpsecrafter|7
13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Chill of the Grave, 2d6 |8
14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+4|
+9| Negative Blast 7d6|8
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+9|Damage Reduction 4/magic|9
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Invocations (up to Dark)|10
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Negative Blast 8d6|10
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+11|Chill of the Grave, 5d6|11
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Damage Reduction 5/magic|11
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Negative Blast 9d6|12[/table]
Class Features
Negative Blast (Sp): As the Warlock ability Eldritch Blast, except that default is Negative Energy instead of Untyped Damage (Complete Arcane, p. 5).
Invocations: As Warlock Invocations.
Rebuke Undead: A Necrolock of at least 4th level may rebuke undead as a cleric of ½ his level.
Chill of the Grave: A Necrolock of at least 8th level may surround their body with a chill aura evocative of the darkness of the grave. This ability is usable 1/day, is activated as a Free Action and lasts for 2 minutes (unless dismissed earlier as a Free Action). Any creature that strikes the Necrolock with a non-reach weapon takes Nd6 Cold damage. This also creates an effect equivalent to a darkness spell centered on the Necrolock for as long as the aura is active.
Corpsecrafter: A Necrolock of 12th level gains Corpsecrafter as a bonus feat. If he already has this feat, he may select any other feat in the Corpsecrafter feat tree. Note that for purposes of a Necrolock (of any level), the Corpsecrafter feats apply to undead raised via invocations.
Necromantic Invocations
A Necrolock uses the standard Warlock Invocation list, with the following exceptions:
Remove from list:
Least - Entropic Warding
Greater - Devour Magic
Dark - Word of Changing
Add to list:
Least
Animal Servant
<Invocation (evil), S, 1StdAct, Touch, Instantaneous>
Animates a skeletal animal of one of the following types:
- Dog: Creates a dedicated tracker with the Scent and Track feats.
- Horse: Creates a mount equivalent to a light horse or pony.
- Monkey: Creates a small servitor which performs similar to an Unseen Servant
Some flexibility is permitted in selecting a body to raise. For instance, any horse can be raised into a Horse-type servant, not just light horses, and any small animal with grasping digits may be raised into a Monkey-type servant (including a raccoon or, theoretically, a small child). In any case, the animal servant lasts for 1 hr/lvl, at which time it crumbles into dust. In no event can the animal servant be induced to fight, even to defend itself. A Necrolock may control only one animal servant at a time, although he may dismiss one servant in order to create another.
Effective Spell Level: 1st
Greater
Create Undead
<Invocation (evil), SM, 1 Hour, Close-range>
Transforms a dead body into an Undead. This invocation can only be used at night, and requires a black onyx worth 50gp/HD. Note that the Undead created is not automatically under the Necrolock’s control.
{table=head]Undead|Min Lvl|Undead|Min Lvl
Ghoul|11|Mummy|15
Ghast|12|Mohrg|18[/table]
Effective Spell Level: 6th
Dark
Create Greater Undead
<Invocation (evil), SM, 1 Hour, Close-range>
Transforms a dead body into an Undead. This invocation can only be used at night, and requires a black onyx worth 50gp/HD. Note that the Undead created is not automatically under the Necrolock’s control.
{table=head]Undead|Min Lvl|Undead|Min Lvl
Shadow|15|Spectre|18
Wraith|16|Devourer|20[/table]
Effective Spell Level: 8th
Notes:
This variant is supposed to be balanced against the Fiendish Flamewreath Warlock from PH2. Due to the nature of their powers, abilities that focus on magic have been changed to ones that focus on the undead, and fire has changed to cold. Specific changes made are as follows:
Eldritch Blast --> Negative Blast
Detect Magic --> Detect Undead
Damage Reduction (cold iron) --> Damage Reduction (magic) (reduced from vampires and liches)
Deceive Item --> Rebuke Undead
Fire Aura --> Cold Aura
Imbue Item --> Corpsecrafter
Invocation changes as listed above.
The Necrolock
Traditional warlocks gain their powers from a contract made with a fiendish or diabolical source. The Necrolock's power, on the other hand, comes from a powerful undead (often an ancient lich or similar undead), with a commensurate shift in focus and abilities.
Alignment: Any non-good. The Necrolock's unique invocations (as opposed to those they share with all warlocks) are evil, but the rare neutral necrolock may be found who simply does not use these invocations.
Combat: Rogue
Good Save: Will
Hit Die: d6
Armor: Light
Weapons: Simple, Scythe
Skill Points: 2 + Int
Class Skills
The Necrolock's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentrate (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Undead) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Religion: Those necrolocks who follow any god tend to give honor to those whose spheres include death, such as Wee-jas and Nerul.
Background: Necrolocks are a relatively recent phenomenon, and there are no known necrolocks who inherited their power. As such, all necrolocks must have had close contact with a powerful undead being at some point in their past.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Invocations known
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Negative Blast 1d6, Invocation (Least)|1
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Detect Undead, at will|2
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Negative Blast 2d6, Damage Reduction 1/magic|2
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Rebuke Undead|3
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Negative Blast 3d6 |3
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Invocations (Least or Lesser)|4
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Negative Blast 4d6, Damage Reduction 2/magic|4
8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+2|
+6|Chill of the Grave, 1d6|5
9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+3|
+6|Negative Blast 5d6|5
10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+3|
+7| |6
11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+3|
+7|Negative Blast 6d6, Damage Reduction 3/magic, Invocations (Least, Lesser, Greater)|7
12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Corpsecrafter|7
13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Chill of the Grave, 2d6 |8
14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+4|
+9| Negative Blast 7d6|8
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+9|Damage Reduction 4/magic|9
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Invocations (up to Dark)|10
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Negative Blast 8d6|10
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+11|Chill of the Grave, 5d6|11
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Damage Reduction 5/magic|11
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Negative Blast 9d6|12[/table]
Class Features
Negative Blast (Sp): As the Warlock ability Eldritch Blast, except that default is Negative Energy instead of Untyped Damage (Complete Arcane, p. 5).
Invocations: As Warlock Invocations.
Rebuke Undead: A Necrolock of at least 4th level may rebuke undead as a cleric of ½ his level.
Chill of the Grave: A Necrolock of at least 8th level may surround their body with a chill aura evocative of the darkness of the grave. This ability is usable 1/day, is activated as a Free Action and lasts for 2 minutes (unless dismissed earlier as a Free Action). Any creature that strikes the Necrolock with a non-reach weapon takes Nd6 Cold damage. This also creates an effect equivalent to a darkness spell centered on the Necrolock for as long as the aura is active.
Corpsecrafter: A Necrolock of 12th level gains Corpsecrafter as a bonus feat. If he already has this feat, he may select any other feat in the Corpsecrafter feat tree. Note that for purposes of a Necrolock (of any level), the Corpsecrafter feats apply to undead raised via invocations.
Necromantic Invocations
A Necrolock uses the standard Warlock Invocation list, with the following exceptions:
Remove from list:
Least - Entropic Warding
Greater - Devour Magic
Dark - Word of Changing
Add to list:
Least
Animal Servant
<Invocation (evil), S, 1StdAct, Touch, Instantaneous>
Animates a skeletal animal of one of the following types:
- Dog: Creates a dedicated tracker with the Scent and Track feats.
- Horse: Creates a mount equivalent to a light horse or pony.
- Monkey: Creates a small servitor which performs similar to an Unseen Servant
Some flexibility is permitted in selecting a body to raise. For instance, any horse can be raised into a Horse-type servant, not just light horses, and any small animal with grasping digits may be raised into a Monkey-type servant (including a raccoon or, theoretically, a small child). In any case, the animal servant lasts for 1 hr/lvl, at which time it crumbles into dust. In no event can the animal servant be induced to fight, even to defend itself. A Necrolock may control only one animal servant at a time, although he may dismiss one servant in order to create another.
Effective Spell Level: 1st
Greater
Create Undead
<Invocation (evil), SM, 1 Hour, Close-range>
Transforms a dead body into an Undead. This invocation can only be used at night, and requires a black onyx worth 50gp/HD. Note that the Undead created is not automatically under the Necrolock’s control.
{table=head]Undead|Min Lvl|Undead|Min Lvl
Ghoul|11|Mummy|15
Ghast|12|Mohrg|18[/table]
Effective Spell Level: 6th
Dark
Create Greater Undead
<Invocation (evil), SM, 1 Hour, Close-range>
Transforms a dead body into an Undead. This invocation can only be used at night, and requires a black onyx worth 50gp/HD. Note that the Undead created is not automatically under the Necrolock’s control.
{table=head]Undead|Min Lvl|Undead|Min Lvl
Shadow|15|Spectre|18
Wraith|16|Devourer|20[/table]
Effective Spell Level: 8th
Notes:
This variant is supposed to be balanced against the Fiendish Flamewreath Warlock from PH2. Due to the nature of their powers, abilities that focus on magic have been changed to ones that focus on the undead, and fire has changed to cold. Specific changes made are as follows:
Eldritch Blast --> Negative Blast
Detect Magic --> Detect Undead
Damage Reduction (cold iron) --> Damage Reduction (magic) (reduced from vampires and liches)
Deceive Item --> Rebuke Undead
Fire Aura --> Cold Aura
Imbue Item --> Corpsecrafter
Invocation changes as listed above.