Help with Prestige Class

[iNSOMN14]

Player wants me to allow this prestige class that he created. How balanced do you think it is.


The Necroscope
The Necroscope is a rare Psion that has the ability to communicate with the dead. The dead love him and would even rise from there graves to protect him. The Necroscope has open gate ways to were the dead can talk to each other after death.

Hit Die: d4

Requirements
To qualify to become a Necroscope, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any nonevil
Skill: Diplomacy 5 ranks.
Feat: Wild Talent.
Special: Upon taking the necroscope prestige class you must give up all psionic powers known, but you still keep your power points. You can no longer obtain any psionic powers upon taking this prestige class. If you do not have psionic powers ignore this requirement
Special: Must have at least one power point in reserve.

Class Skills
The Necroscope’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Wis), Diplomacy (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Gather Information (Cha) Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Points/Day
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Deadspeak, Friend to the dead, 3
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Protect me, Learn from the dead(Bonus Feat) 6
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 10
4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Learn from the dead (Bonus Feat) 15
5th +3 +1 +4 +4 23
6th +4 +2 +5 +5 Learn from the Dead(Bonus Feat) 31
7th +5 +2 +5 +5 43
8th +6 +2 +6 +6 Learn from the Dead (Bonus Feat) 55
9th +6 +3 +6 +6 71
10th +7 +3 +7 +7 Learn from the Dead(Bonus feat ) 93

Class Features
All the following are class features of the necroscope prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Necroscope gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Powers Known: none

Deadspeak: A Necroscope has the ability to communicate with the dead at the cost of 1 power point per dead/undead

Friend to the Dead: The dead love the necroscope and would talk to the necroscope know matter what. With a diplomacy check DC: 15 +1 for each additional dead the necroscope wishes to talk to past the first (this ability works even it the undead is unintelligent). This can change there mood from hostile to friendly. After the check has been made the necroscope does not need to make any more diplomacy checks with that particular dead/undead person.

Protect Me: The dead love the necroscope and would even rise from there grave to protect him. In game terms Make a diplomacy check DC: 15+1 for each additional dead past the first. Also this incurs a power point cost of 5 +1 for each additional dead past the first. No more than double your total hit die in dead can be raised to protect the necroscope, example 5th level Fighter ,2nd level necroscope can raise 14 hit die worth of dead. The dead will remain with you up to one hour.

Learn from the Dead: As the necroscope grows more powerful the dead will teach him more. At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th level the necroscope gains a bonus feat as a result of what they have learned from the dead.

[Darkie]

This can be picked up by any level 2 character with Diplomacy as a Class skill, and Wild Talent as a feat. That seems odd.

It can also be picked up by a level 1 human with a feat that makes Diplomacy in-class.

[Ravyn]

Bonus feats every other level, two strong saves, and 6+Int skill points--and a reasonably fast-rising BAB? Particularly on something that, unless Wild Talent has a level-dependent requirement (I don't have that book, so...), you can get after two character levels? Somehow I doubt it.

[NEO|Phyte]

It can also be picked up by a level 1 human with a feat that makes Diplomacy in-class.

How? all the in-class skill in the world wont get you past the lvl + 3 cap on skill ranks

[Darkie]

How?Well, you'd need a DM who's as short on sleep as I am...
;)

My bad :P :-[

The benefit for humans isn't gaining it earlier, but that you can be a class that doesn't have diplomacy as a class skill, and still grab it after level 2.

[iNSOMN14]

Forgot to mention what I was thinking of changing. For instance, changing the free feats to feats from a feat list. Also, raise the Diplomacy (and maybe add a BAB requirement) requirment.

[Munchy]

Interesting but very different from anything I've seen played. Once you're done with feedback I suspect that you'll need to playtest it to check the undead HD summoned from a balance perspective. I have some comments about "Protect me".

1. Does the Necroscope get to pick the type and HD of the undead?

2. How long does this take?

3. Is there a restriction on location? I.e. close to graveyard for corporeal undead anywhere for incorporeal? What about range?

4. If in combat and the Necroscope is raising more undead to replace the ones being destroyed does this provoke an AoO? If trying to raise more undead than allowed are the weakest existing ones destroyed or does it just fail?

5. Do intelligent undead merely talk to and protect him or de they do his bidding? E.g. could he get a lich to teleport him somewhere?

6. The undead HD is solely a function of the class level. Why would someone need more than two levels of this class? (You get all the main benefits that grow with level at this point) This is overpowered.

7. Could your sample figher5/N2 summon a single 14HD undead to protect him?

8. This class is very restricted and combat focused. This could make survivability tricky.

9. Friend to the dead seems overpowered. There is nothing related to the level of the undead. He could walk up to an uber-evil lvl 35 lich trying to take over the world and start chit-chatting....

[iNSOMN14]

Alright, considering I haven't "read" the class yet, as I was in the beginning of a game session when I posted (one of the players just sprung it on me, "can I be this prestige class I made up next level?"), so excuse the complete absurdity of it. Anyway, after revising it now that the session is done, what do you thing?

Also, excuse the table or the lack there of, as I have no clue how to even try and format one for the message boards.

---------------

Necroscope


Requirements:
Alignment: Any non-evil
Skills: Diplomacy 8 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 8 ranks.
Special: Must have a power point reserve of at least one power point or the ability to cast the spell Speak with Dead.

Hit Die
The Necroscape gains 1d4 hit points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.
Class Skills
The Necroscope’s class skills are as follows:
Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (arcana, religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis)
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: The Necroscope
Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Power Points
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Undead Specialization, Speak with the Dead, Friend to the Dead 2
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Protect Me 5
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 9
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 14
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Learn from the Dead 20
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Undead Affinity +2 28
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 37
8th +6 +6 +2 +6 Undead Affinity +4 47
9th +6 +6 +3 +6 58
10th +7 +7 +3 +7 Learn from the Dead 70

Class Features
All of the following features pertain to the Necroscope prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Necroscope gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Undead Specialization
When entering this class, the Necroscope must sacrifice his previous powers to gain a deeper understanding of the dead. If the character previous ability to cast spells or manifest powers, he loses the ability, nor can he ever take a spell casting class again.

Speak with the Dead
At first level, a Necroscope may use the spell Speak with Dead as a spell-like ability with his Necroscope level as his caster level.

Friend to the Dead
At first level, a Necroscope can use a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of mindless undead. Generally, the mindless undead are hostile at first encountering them, so a Diplomacy check is necessary just to make them withdraw from combat. If hostile, a Diplomacy check necessary to make them indifferent to make them withdraw from combat. If commanded to guard a location, additional Diplomacy checks are necessary to make it abandon its post, as per the Diplomacy rules on making a creature Friendly.

To influence the mindless undead, the creature must be within 30 feet of the undead. As with influencing the living, you may take a -20 to your Diplomacy check to hastily make it in one round instead of one minute.

Protect Me
At second level, once per day, to any number of undead with a total hit die equal to or level than twice the character’s Necroscope level, a Necroscope cast Animate Dead as a supernatural ability. This ability costs 5 power points + 1 power point per each addition undead past the first. This ability mimics Animate in all ways except no material components are needed. At no time can a Necroscope command more than twice his hit dice in undead through this method.

Learn from the Dead
At fifth and tenth level, the Necroscope may select a bonus feat from the following list. The Necroscope must meet all the requirements for the feat. Alertness, Baneful Moan , Bolster Resistance†, Corpse Crafter†, Deadly Chill†, Destruction Retribution†, Diehard, Endurance, Extra Turning, Ghostly Scarred†, Great Fortitude, Harden Flesh†, Improved Toughness, Improved Turning, Iron Will, Necromantic Might†, Necromantic Presence†, Negotiator, Nimble Bones†, Persuasive, Profane Vigor†, Requiem†, Skill Focus, Toughness, Tomb-born Fortitude†, Tomb-born Resilience†, Tomb-born Vitality†, Tomb-born Soul†, Undead Leadership†,

Undead Affinity
At sixth level, a Necroscope gains a +2 competency bonus to Diplomacy checks with the undead. This bonus increases to +4 at level eight.

Code of Conduct
Should a Necroscope becomes evil-aligned or grains a level in any spell casting or manifesting class other than Necroscope, the Undead will refuse to answer his call as he loses all supernatural and spell-like abilities.

† Feat from the Libris Mortis.

[Blade-Bearer_Ian]

why is his alignment any nonevil? To my awareness, raising and creating undead requires negative energy... I can't see a good aligned character rely so much on the undead.

[iNSOMN14]

The class is basically based on a power from another game (interestingly enough called Necroscope). In that game, the power doesn't work if you commit so many evil acts that the dead no longer answer your call.

May switch things over to Animate Deadless instead of Animate Dead for the Protect Me ability.

[Darkie]

The entire class depends heavily on the philosophical treatment of the dead, animated dead, undead, positive energy, and negative energy.

Which I'm too lazy to talk about, but I bring it up as speaking points.