Zman
2013-02-02, 05:42 PM
Here is another fix for my classes rebalance aimed at bringing the classes into Tiers 1.5-4. See my homebrew signature for details. There is also a Minor Magic Fix and other related fixes will follow.
The Dread Necromancer is Tier 3, he summons minions to do his bidding. This fix is aimed at brining him in line with my other fixes, giving him the ability to stand on his own, increasing his versatility, and fix his spell list.
Dread Necromancer
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4 th|5th|6th|7th|8th
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Charnel Touch, Rebuke Undead|5|3
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Lich Body DR 2|5|4
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Negative Energy Aura, Advanced Learning|5|5|3
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Mental Bastion +2|5|5|4
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Fear Aura, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|3
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Scabrous Touch|5|5|5|4
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Lich Body DR 4, Summon Familiar, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5
8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+2|
+6|Undead Mastery|5|5|5|5|3
9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+3|
+6|Negative Energy Resistence, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|4
10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+3|
+7|Light Fortification 25%|5|5|5|5|5
11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+3|
+7|Lich Body DR 6, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|3
12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Enervating Touch|5|5|5|5|5|4
13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5
14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+4|
+9|Lich Body DR 8, Mental Bastion +4|5|5|5|5|5|5|3
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+9|Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|4
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Lich Body DR 10|5|5|5|5|5|5|5
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Enervating Touch, Light Fortification 50%, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+11|Lich Body DR 12|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|4
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Craft Wondrous ItemAdvanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Lich Transformation|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3[/table]
Alignment: Any Nuetral
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills: Bluff(Cha), Concentration(Con), Craft(Int), Decipher Script(Int), Disguise(Cha), Hide(Dex), Knowledge Arcana(Int), Knowledge Religion(Int), Listen(Wis), Profession(Wis), Speak Language(Int), Spellcraft(Int), Spot(Wis), Use Magic Device(Cha)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+Int Modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + INT.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dread necromancer is proficient with all simple weapons and with one martial weapon of her choice. Her choice of martial weapon is made when the character takes her first level of dread necromancer and cannot be changed.
Dread necromancers are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields. The somatic components required for dread necromancer spells are simple, so members of this class can cast dread necromancer spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. She still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes. In addition, if a dread necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, she incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as any other arcane caster if the spell in question has a somatic component (and most do).
Spellcasting: A dread necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the dread necromancer's spell list (see page 87). Like a sorcerer, she can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a dread necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, she automatically knows all the spells for that level given on the dread necromancer's spell list. Dread necromancers also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their advanced learning ability as they increase in level (see below).
To cast a spell, a dread necromancer must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a dread necromancer's spell is 10 + the spell's level + her Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a dread necromancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given in Table 5—2: The Dread
Necromancer. In addition, she receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score (see Table 1—1 on page 8 of the Player's Handbook).
Charnel Touch (Su): Negative energy flows through a dread necromancer's body, concentrating in her hands. At will, but no more than once per round, she can make a melee touch attack against a living foe that deals 1d8 points of damage, +1 per class level. This touch heals undead creatures, restoring 1 hit point per touch, +1 per class level. A dread necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance.
Rebuke Undead (Su): A dread necromancer can rebuke or command undead creatures by channeling negative energy through her body. See the cleric class feature described on page 33 of the Player's Handbook.
Lich Body: Starting at 2nd level, a dread necromancer begins her journey into undeath. The first symptom is her body's increased resilience to physical harm. She gains DR 2/bludgeoning and magic. As the dread necromancer increases in level, this DR increases in effectiveness, to DR 4 at 7th level, DR 6 at 11th level, and DR 8 at 15th level.
Negative Energy Aura(Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a dread necromancer gains the ability to emit an aura of negative energy from her body at will as a swift action, harming living creatures within 5 feet of her. This burst deals 1d4 points of damage per class level. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + Cha modifier) reduces damage by half. Undead creatures within this burst are healed the same amount of hit points as the damage she deals to living creatures.
Advanced Learning: At 3rd and every two levels thereafter(5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level), a Dread Necromancer can add a new spell to his list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a wizard spell of the Necromancy school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the Dread Necromancer already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is forever added to that Dread Necromancer's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell on the Dread Necromancer's list.
Alternatively, the Dread Necromancer can select a spell of any school available to a Wizard with a few restrictions. For the purposes of selecting this spell the Dread Necromancer counts as a Wizard of 1/2 his level for determining what level of spell the Dread Necromancer can choose. For instance, an 11th level Dread Necromancer counts as a 5th level Wizard and can choose a 3rd level spell from any school to learn as part of his Advanced Learning.
Mental Bastion: Starting at 4th level, a dread necromancer gains a +2 bonus on saving throws made to resist sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, or disease. This bonus increases to +4 at 14th level.
Fear Aura (Su): Beginning at 5th level, a dread necromancer radiates a 5-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier) or become shaken for the remainder of the encounter.. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dread necromancer's fear aura for 24 hours. The aura stays active until the Dread Necromancer chooses to end it as a free action.
Scabrous Touch (Su): Starting at 6th level, once per encounter a dread necromancer can use her charnel touch to inflict disease on a creature she touches. This ability works like the contagion spell (see page 213 of the Player's Handbook), inflicting the disease of her choice immediately, with no incubation period, unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier). The DC for subsequent saving throws to resist the effects of the disease depends on the disease inflicted; see page 292 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for details.
Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until the dread necromancer makes a successful charnel touch attack. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a scabrous touch attack from a distance.
A dread necromancer can use this ability once per day at 6th level, twice per day at 11th level, and three times per day at 16th level.
Summon Familiar: At 7th level or anytime thereafter, a dread necromancer can obtain a familiar. The familiar she acquires is more powerful than a standard wizard's or sorcerer's familiar, but it is unequivocally evil. The player of a dread necromancer character chooses one of the following creatures: imp (devil), quasit (demon), vargouille, or ghostly visage. All these creatures are described in the Monster Manual except for the ghostly visage, an undead symbiont described on page 221 of the Fiend Folio.
A dread necromancer's familiar gains the usual familiar benefi ts given on pages 52—53 of the Player's Handbook, with two exceptions. Its type does not change, and it does not gain the exceptional ability to speak with other creatures of its kind. A dread necromancer's familiar can use its ability to deliver touch spells such as its master's charnel touch, scabrous touch, or enervating touch attack. The master must use a standard action to imbue the touch attack into her familiar.
Undead Mastery: All undead creatures created by a dread necromancer who has reached 8th level or higher gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity and 2 additional hit points per Hit Die.
In addition, when a dread necromancer uses the animate dead spell to create undead, she can control 4 + her Charisma bonus HD worth of undead creatures per class level (rather than the 4 HD per level normally granted by the spell).
Similarly, when a dread 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.
Negative Energy Resistance: Beginning at 9th level, a dread necromancer gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist negative energy effects, including energy drain, some ability drain, and inflict spells.
Light Fortification: Starting at 10th level, a dread necromancer gains 25% resistance to critical hits; this is the equivalent of the light fortification armor special ability described on page 219 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. At 17th level, this fortification increases to 50%.
Enervating Touch (Su): When a dread necromancer reaches 12th level, she gains the ability to bestow negative levels when she uses her charnel touch attack. Each day, she can bestow a total number of negative levels equal to one-half her class level, but no more than two negative levels with a single touch. The saving throw to remove the negative levels has a DC of 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Charisma modifier.
Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until she makes a successful charnel touch attack.
A dread necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance.
Beginning at 17th level, the number of negative levels a dread necromancer can bestow per day increases to equal her class level.
Craft Wondrous Item: At 19th level, the dread necromancer gains Craft Wondrous Item as a bonus feat. This helps her prepare the phylactery required to become a lich.
Lich Transformation: When a dread necromancer attains 20th level, she undergoes a hideous transformation and becomes a lich. Her type changes to undead, and she gains all the traits of the undead (see page 317 of the Monster Manual). She no longer has a Constitution score, all her existing Hit Dice become d12s, and she must reroll her hit points. A dread necromancer need not pay experience points or gold to create her phylactery.
A dread necromancer who is not humanoid does not gain this class feature.
Changes to Spell List
Add Desecrate, 2nd Level Spell.
Animate Dead, 3rd Level Spell.
Magic Circle Against Good/Evil/Law/Chaos, 3rd Level Spell.
ACF's
The Dread Necromancer is Tier 3, he summons minions to do his bidding. This fix is aimed at brining him in line with my other fixes, giving him the ability to stand on his own, increasing his versatility, and fix his spell list.
Dread Necromancer
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4 th|5th|6th|7th|8th
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Charnel Touch, Rebuke Undead|5|3
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Lich Body DR 2|5|4
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Negative Energy Aura, Advanced Learning|5|5|3
4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Mental Bastion +2|5|5|4
5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Fear Aura, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|3
6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Scabrous Touch|5|5|5|4
7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Lich Body DR 4, Summon Familiar, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5
8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+2|
+6|Undead Mastery|5|5|5|5|3
9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+3|
+6|Negative Energy Resistence, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|4
10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+3|
+7|Light Fortification 25%|5|5|5|5|5
11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+3|
+7|Lich Body DR 6, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|3
12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Enervating Touch|5|5|5|5|5|4
13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+4|
+8|Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5
14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+4|
+9|Lich Body DR 8, Mental Bastion +4|5|5|5|5|5|5|3
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+9|Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|4
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Lich Body DR 10|5|5|5|5|5|5|5
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+10|Enervating Touch, Light Fortification 50%, Advanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+11|Lich Body DR 12|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|4
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Craft Wondrous ItemAdvanced Learning|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Lich Transformation|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3[/table]
Alignment: Any Nuetral
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills: Bluff(Cha), Concentration(Con), Craft(Int), Decipher Script(Int), Disguise(Cha), Hide(Dex), Knowledge Arcana(Int), Knowledge Religion(Int), Listen(Wis), Profession(Wis), Speak Language(Int), Spellcraft(Int), Spot(Wis), Use Magic Device(Cha)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+Int Modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + INT.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dread necromancer is proficient with all simple weapons and with one martial weapon of her choice. Her choice of martial weapon is made when the character takes her first level of dread necromancer and cannot be changed.
Dread necromancers are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields. The somatic components required for dread necromancer spells are simple, so members of this class can cast dread necromancer spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. She still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes. In addition, if a dread necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, she incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as any other arcane caster if the spell in question has a somatic component (and most do).
Spellcasting: A dread necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the dread necromancer's spell list (see page 87). Like a sorcerer, she can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a dread necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, she automatically knows all the spells for that level given on the dread necromancer's spell list. Dread necromancers also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their advanced learning ability as they increase in level (see below).
To cast a spell, a dread necromancer must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a dread necromancer's spell is 10 + the spell's level + her Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a dread necromancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given in Table 5—2: The Dread
Necromancer. In addition, she receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score (see Table 1—1 on page 8 of the Player's Handbook).
Charnel Touch (Su): Negative energy flows through a dread necromancer's body, concentrating in her hands. At will, but no more than once per round, she can make a melee touch attack against a living foe that deals 1d8 points of damage, +1 per class level. This touch heals undead creatures, restoring 1 hit point per touch, +1 per class level. A dread necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance.
Rebuke Undead (Su): A dread necromancer can rebuke or command undead creatures by channeling negative energy through her body. See the cleric class feature described on page 33 of the Player's Handbook.
Lich Body: Starting at 2nd level, a dread necromancer begins her journey into undeath. The first symptom is her body's increased resilience to physical harm. She gains DR 2/bludgeoning and magic. As the dread necromancer increases in level, this DR increases in effectiveness, to DR 4 at 7th level, DR 6 at 11th level, and DR 8 at 15th level.
Negative Energy Aura(Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a dread necromancer gains the ability to emit an aura of negative energy from her body at will as a swift action, harming living creatures within 5 feet of her. This burst deals 1d4 points of damage per class level. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + Cha modifier) reduces damage by half. Undead creatures within this burst are healed the same amount of hit points as the damage she deals to living creatures.
Advanced Learning: At 3rd and every two levels thereafter(5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level), a Dread Necromancer can add a new spell to his list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a wizard spell of the Necromancy school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the Dread Necromancer already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is forever added to that Dread Necromancer's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell on the Dread Necromancer's list.
Alternatively, the Dread Necromancer can select a spell of any school available to a Wizard with a few restrictions. For the purposes of selecting this spell the Dread Necromancer counts as a Wizard of 1/2 his level for determining what level of spell the Dread Necromancer can choose. For instance, an 11th level Dread Necromancer counts as a 5th level Wizard and can choose a 3rd level spell from any school to learn as part of his Advanced Learning.
Mental Bastion: Starting at 4th level, a dread necromancer gains a +2 bonus on saving throws made to resist sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, or disease. This bonus increases to +4 at 14th level.
Fear Aura (Su): Beginning at 5th level, a dread necromancer radiates a 5-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier) or become shaken for the remainder of the encounter.. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dread necromancer's fear aura for 24 hours. The aura stays active until the Dread Necromancer chooses to end it as a free action.
Scabrous Touch (Su): Starting at 6th level, once per encounter a dread necromancer can use her charnel touch to inflict disease on a creature she touches. This ability works like the contagion spell (see page 213 of the Player's Handbook), inflicting the disease of her choice immediately, with no incubation period, unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier). The DC for subsequent saving throws to resist the effects of the disease depends on the disease inflicted; see page 292 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for details.
Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until the dread necromancer makes a successful charnel touch attack. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a scabrous touch attack from a distance.
A dread necromancer can use this ability once per day at 6th level, twice per day at 11th level, and three times per day at 16th level.
Summon Familiar: At 7th level or anytime thereafter, a dread necromancer can obtain a familiar. The familiar she acquires is more powerful than a standard wizard's or sorcerer's familiar, but it is unequivocally evil. The player of a dread necromancer character chooses one of the following creatures: imp (devil), quasit (demon), vargouille, or ghostly visage. All these creatures are described in the Monster Manual except for the ghostly visage, an undead symbiont described on page 221 of the Fiend Folio.
A dread necromancer's familiar gains the usual familiar benefi ts given on pages 52—53 of the Player's Handbook, with two exceptions. Its type does not change, and it does not gain the exceptional ability to speak with other creatures of its kind. A dread necromancer's familiar can use its ability to deliver touch spells such as its master's charnel touch, scabrous touch, or enervating touch attack. The master must use a standard action to imbue the touch attack into her familiar.
Undead Mastery: All undead creatures created by a dread necromancer who has reached 8th level or higher gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity and 2 additional hit points per Hit Die.
In addition, when a dread necromancer uses the animate dead spell to create undead, she can control 4 + her Charisma bonus HD worth of undead creatures per class level (rather than the 4 HD per level normally granted by the spell).
Similarly, when a dread 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.
Negative Energy Resistance: Beginning at 9th level, a dread necromancer gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist negative energy effects, including energy drain, some ability drain, and inflict spells.
Light Fortification: Starting at 10th level, a dread necromancer gains 25% resistance to critical hits; this is the equivalent of the light fortification armor special ability described on page 219 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. At 17th level, this fortification increases to 50%.
Enervating Touch (Su): When a dread necromancer reaches 12th level, she gains the ability to bestow negative levels when she uses her charnel touch attack. Each day, she can bestow a total number of negative levels equal to one-half her class level, but no more than two negative levels with a single touch. The saving throw to remove the negative levels has a DC of 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Charisma modifier.
Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until she makes a successful charnel touch attack.
A dread necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance.
Beginning at 17th level, the number of negative levels a dread necromancer can bestow per day increases to equal her class level.
Craft Wondrous Item: At 19th level, the dread necromancer gains Craft Wondrous Item as a bonus feat. This helps her prepare the phylactery required to become a lich.
Lich Transformation: When a dread necromancer attains 20th level, she undergoes a hideous transformation and becomes a lich. Her type changes to undead, and she gains all the traits of the undead (see page 317 of the Monster Manual). She no longer has a Constitution score, all her existing Hit Dice become d12s, and she must reroll her hit points. A dread necromancer need not pay experience points or gold to create her phylactery.
A dread necromancer who is not humanoid does not gain this class feature.
Changes to Spell List
Add Desecrate, 2nd Level Spell.
Animate Dead, 3rd Level Spell.
Magic Circle Against Good/Evil/Law/Chaos, 3rd Level Spell.
ACF's