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Grod_The_Giant
2014-05-12, 02:14 PM
Is this necessary? No, not really. But the class doesn't quite fit in with my other revised fixed-list casters. I'd messed around with changes to the spell list, and to how summoning worked, so I figured that I'd collect everything in one place.

Dread Necromancer

Hit Die: d6

Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disguise, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Spellcraft, Spot
Skill Points at First Level: (4+Int Mod) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+Int Mod



Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
0 lv
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Charnel touch, Undead Horde (I), Armored Mage
5
3
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—


2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
Tomb-Tainted Soul
6
4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—


3rd
+1
+1
+1
+3
Rebuke Undead, Undead Horde (II)
6
5
3
—
—
—
—
—
—
—


4th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Lich Body, Eclectic Learning
6
6
4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—


5th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Fear Aura, Undead Horde (III)
6
6
5
3
—
—
—
—
—
—


6th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
4
—
—
—
—
—
—


7th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Undead Horde (IV)
6
6
6
5
3
—
—
—
—
—


8th
+4
+2
+2
+6
Undead Vitality, Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
4
—
—
—
—
—


9th
+4
+3
+3
+6
Undead Horde (V)
6
6
6
6
5
3
—
—
—
—


10th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
6
4
—
—
—
—


11th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Undead Horde (VI)
6
6
6
6
6
5
3
—
—
—


12th
+6/+1
+4
+4
+8
Lich Resilience (25%), Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
6
6
4
—
—
—


13th
+6/+1
+4
+4
+8
Undead Horde (VII)
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
3
—
—


14th
+7/+2
+4
+4
+9
Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
4
—
—


15th
+7/+2
+5
+5
+9
Enervating Touch, Undead Horde (VIII)
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
3
—


16th
+8/+3
+5
+5
+10
Lich Resilience (50%), Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
4
—


17th
+8/+3
+5
+5
+10
Undead Horde (IX)
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
3


18th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Eclectic Learning
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
4


19th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Undead Horde (X)
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5


20th
+10/+5
+6
+6
+12
Lich Transformation
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6



Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Dread Necromancer is proficient with all simple weapons. Dread Necromancers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Spellcasting: A Dread Necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the Dread Necromancer spell list (see below). Like a sorcerer, he can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a dread necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, he 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 Eclectic 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 + his 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 on the table above. In addition, he receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score.

Charnel Touch (Su)— Once per round as a standard action, a Dread Necromancer can make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6+Charisma modifier points of negative energy damage. A Dread Necromancer under the effects of the spectral hand spell can use the hand to deliver their Charnel Touch at a distance, as if it were a spell. As negative energy, this ability is capable of healing undead.

Undead Horde (Sp): A Dread Necromancer's trademark power is his ability to raise the dead. Once per day per class level, your may perform an hour-long ritual to transform a corpse into an appropriate type of undead, under your complete control. You may raise any number of undead, as long as their total challenge rating does not exceed your Dread Necromancer level. This limit is independent of hit-die based limits, such as those specified by the desecrate spell. Undead created in this way cannot create any sort of spawn, nor may they control undead themselves (for example, using the undead lieutenant spell (SpC).

At any point, you may release an undead from your control as a full-round action. The released undead either instantly crumbles to dust, or lingers for 1d4 days, completely independently.


At 1st level, you may only create skeletons and zombies.
At 3rd level, you may also create ghouls.
At 5th level, you may also create ghasts and wights.
At 7th level, you may also create allips, shadows, and vampire spawn.
At 9th level, you may also create mummies and wraiths.
At 11th level, you may also create ghosts* and vampires*.
At 13th level, you may also create greater shadows, mohrgs, and spectres.
At 15th level, you may also create bodaks.
At 17th level, you may also create devourers and dread wraiths.
At 19th level, you may also create nightwings.

*You may apply these template to any base create you wish, provided the adjusted challenge rating does not exceed the normal limit on how many undead you can control.

This ability counts as animate dead for the purposes of prerequisites. At 11th level, it also counts as create undead, and at 15th level it counts as create greater undead. Undead created by this ability benefit from all bonuses that apply to undead created by the aforementioned spells, such as the Corpsecrafter feat.

Armored Mage (Ex): Normally, armor of any type interferes with an arcane spellcaster's gestures, which can cause your spells to fail if those spells have a somatic component. A Dread Necromancer’s limited focus and specialized training, however, allow him to avoid any chance of arcane spell failure as long as he restricts himself to light armor. This training does not extend to any other form of armor, nor does this ability apply to spells gained from other spellcasting classes.

Tomb-Tainted Soul— At 2nd level, you gain Tomb-Tainted Soul (Libris Mortis) as a bonus feat.

Rebuke Undead (Su)— At 3rd level, you may rebuke or command undead creatures, as the (revised) Cleric (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?319556-The-Cleric-%28Fixed-List-Caster-Project%29-3-5-PEACH)class feature.

Lich Body (Ex)— Beginning at 4th level, you gain DR/Bludgeoning and Magic equal to one-half your Dread Necromancer level (rounded down).

Eclectic Learning— At 4th level, and every subsequent even-numbered level, a Dread Necromancer learns one spell from the Sorcerer/Wizard list. If the spell is from the necromancy school, he learns it at its normal level. If it is not, he learns it one level higher than normal. He must be able to cast the spell at its adjusted level in order to learn it.

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 class level + Cha modifier) or become shaken for 1 minute per Dread Necromancer level. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dread necromancer's fear aura for 24 hours.

Undead Vitality (Ex)— Beginning at 8th level, you gain a bonus on saving throws made to resist sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, or disease equal to your Charisma modifier.

Lich Resilience (Ex)— Beginning at 12th 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 16th level, this fortification increases to 50%.

Enervating Touch (Su)— Beginning at 15th level, when you hit a living creature with your Charnel Touch, you may choose to inflict a negative level in addition to the normal damage.

Lich Transformation— When a dread necromancer attains 20th level, he undergoes a hideous transformation and becomes a lich, gaining the full benefits of that template. This includes his type changes to undead, and his gain of all the traits of the undead (see page 317 of the Monster Manual). He no longer has a Constitution score, all his existing Hit Dice become d12s, and he must reroll his hit points. A dread necromancer need not pay experience points or gold to create his phylactery.

Dread Necromancer Spell List

0 Level Dread Necromancer Spells (Cantrips)

Daze: Humanoid creature of 4 HD or less loses next action.
Detect Magic: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft.
Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or object.
Disrupt Undead: Deals ld6 damage to one undead.
Inflict Minor Wounds: Touch attack, 1 point of damage.
Light: Object shines like a torch.
Mage Hand: 5-pound telekinesis.
Read Magic: Read scrolls and spellbooks
Touch of Fatigue: Touch attack fatigues target


1st Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Bane: Enemies take - 1 on attack rolls and saves against fear.
Blood Wind (SpC): Subject uses natural weapons at range.
Cause Fear: One creature of 5 HD or less flees for ld4 rounds.
Chill Touch: One touch/level deals ld6 damage and possibly 1 Str damage.
Deathwatch: Reveals how near death subjects within 30 ft. are.
Detect Undead: Reveals undead within 60 ft.
Hide from Undead: Undead can't perceive one subject/level.
Inflict Light Wounds: Touch deals ld8 damage +1/level (max +5).
Magic Fang: One natural weapon of subject creature
Ray of Clumsiness (SpC): Victim takes 1d6 Dexterity penalty +1/2 levels.
Ray of Enfeeblement: Ray deals ld6 +1 per two levels Str damage.
Spirit Worm (SpC): Subject takes 1 point Con damage every round for 1 round/level.


2nd Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject blinded or deafened.
Command Undead: Undead creature obeys your commands.
Desecrate: Fills area with negative energy, making undead stronger.
Desiccating Bubble (SpC): Globe of air damages by evaporating moisture from subject.
Gentle Repose: Preserves one corpse.
Ghoul Touch: Paralyzes one subject, which exudes stench
Inflict Moderate Wounds: Touch attack, 2d8 damage +1/level (max +10).
Ray of Sickness (SpC): Subject becomes sickened.
Scare: Panics creatures of less than 6 HD.
Shadow Spray (SpC): Deals 4 points of Str damage and dazes.
Spectral Hand: Creates disembodied glowing hand to deliver touch attacks.
Wall of Gloom (SpC): Shadow barrier obscures vision.


3rd Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Bestow Curse: -6 to an ability score; -4 on attack rolls, saves, and checks; or 50% chance of losing each action.
Contagion: Infects subject with chosen disease.
Dispel Magic: Cancels magical spells and effects.
Halt Undead: Immobilizes undead for 1 round/level.
Healing Touch (SpC): Heal subject 1d6/2 levels, but take damage equal to half.
Inflict Serious Wounds: Touch attack, 3d8 damage +1/level (max +15).
Magic Fang, Greater: One natural weapon of subject creature gets +1/four levels on attack and damage rolls (max +5).
Nauseating Breath (SpC): Exhale a cone of nauseating gas.
Poison: Touch deals 1d10 Con damage, repeats in 1 min.
Ray of Exhaustion: Ray makes subject exhausted.
Rejuvenative Corpse (SpC): Negative energy fills corpse, feeding undead healed.
Shadow Binding (SpC): Ribbonlike shadows entangle creatures in 10-ft.-radius burst.
Speak with Dead: Corpse answers one question/two levels.
Vampiric Touch: Touch deals ld6/two levels damage; caster gains damage as hp.


4th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Clutch of Orcus (SpC): Deals 1d12 damage/round and paralyzes foe.
Crushing Despair: Subjects take -2 on attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, and checks.
Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and negative energy effects.
Delay Death (SpC): Losing hit points doesn’t kill subject.
Enervation: Subject gains ld4 negative levels.
Evard's Black Tentacles: Tentacles grapple all within 20-ft. spread.
Fear: Subjects within cone flee for 1 round/level.
Inflict Critical Wounds: Touch attack, 4d8 damage+1/level (max +20).
Life Ward (SpC): Grants immunity to healing spells and positive energy effects.
Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills subject or deals 3d6 damage.
Wall of Limbs (SpC): Whirling limbs deal 5d6 damage and grab creatures passing through.


5th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Cloudkill: Kills 3 HD or less; 4-6 HD save or die, 6+ HD take Con damage.
Death Throes (SpC): Your body explodes when you die.
Doomtide (SpC): Black mist obscures sight, dazes those inside.
Graymantle (SpC): Inhibits creature’s ability to heal and regenerate for 1 round/level.
Imperious Glare (SpC): You cause subjects to cower in fear.
Inflict Light Wounds, Mass: Deals ld8 damage +1/level to many creatures.
Magic Jar: Enables possession of another creature.
Slay Living: Touch attack kills subject.
Spiritwall (SpC): Wall of spirit-forms causes panic, deals 1d10 damage if touched, can bestow negative levels if passed through.
Symbol of Fear: Triggered rune panics nearby creatures.
Unhallow (M): Designates location as unholy.
Waves of Fatigue: Several targets become fatigued.
Wrack (SpC): Renders creature helpless with pain.


6th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Antilife Shell: 10-ft.-radius field hedges out living creatures.
Circle of Death: Kills ld4/level HD of creatures.
Control Undead: Undead don't attack you while under your command.
Dispel Magic, Greater: As dispel magic, but up to +20 on check.
Extract Water Elemental (SpC): Pulls water from victim, forms water elemental.
Eyebite: Target becomes panicked, sickened, and comatose.
Fleshshiver (SpC): Subject is stunned for 1 round, takes 1d6/level damage, and is nauseated for 1d4+2 rounds.
Ghoul Gauntlet (SpC): Convert victim to a ghoul under your control.
Harm: Deals 10 points/level damage to target.
Inflict Moderate Wounds, Mass: Deals 2d8 damage +1/level to many creatures.
Spectral Touch (SpC): Your touch bestows one negative level/round.
Undeath to Death: Destroys 1d4 HD/level undead (max 20d4).


7th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Avasculate (SpC): Reduce foe to half hp and stun.
Awaken Undead (X) (SpC): Grant sentience to otherwise mindless undead.
Blood to Water (SpC): 2d6 Constitution damage to subjects.
Evil Glare (SpC): Paralyze creatures with your glare.
Finger of Death: Kills one subject.
Ghost Trap (SpC): Incorporeal creatures turn corporeal.
Inflict Serious Wounds, Mass: Deals 3d8 damage +1/level to many creatures.
Symbol of Weakness: Triggered rune weakens nearby creatures.
Waves of Exhaustion: Several targets become exhausted.


8th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Bestow Curse, Greater (SpC): As bestow curse, but more severe penalties.
Bodak’s Glare (F) (SpC): You slay a creature, which turns into a bodak 24 hours later.
Death Ward, Mass (SpC): As death ward, but more subjects.
Flensing (SpC): Pain and trauma deal 2d6 damage, 1d6 Con damage, 1d6 Cha damage for up to 4 rounds.
Heart of Stone (F,X) (SpC): Exchange your heart with stone heart to gain damage reduction, resistance to energy for 1 year.
Inflict Critical Wounds, Mass: Deals 4d8 damage+1/level to many creatures.
Symbol of Death: Triggered rune slays nearby creatures
Trap the Soul: Imprisons subject within gem.


9th Level Dread Necromancer Spells

Energy Drain: Subject gains 2d4 negative levels.
Implosion: Kills one creature/round.
Power Word Kill: Kills one creature with 100 hp or less.
Soul Bind: Traps newly dead soul to prevent resurrection.
Vile Death (M,X) (SpC): Undead creature gains fiindish template.
Wail of the Banshee: Kills one creature/level.

gkathellar
2014-05-12, 05:33 PM
Looks pretty good. I like the inclusion of Tomb-Tainted Soul, since that's mandatory, anyway. Charnel and Enervating Touch could use some language adjustments, though — designations like "foe" end up being a little bit awkward. I'm also a little bit curious: why remove the ability to heal undead with Charnel Touch?

Recommended language changes below:


Charnel Touch (Su) — Once per round as a standard action, a Dread Necromancer can make a melee touch attack against a living creature that deals 1d6+Charisma modifier points of negative energy damage. A Dread Necromancer under the effects of the spectral hand spell can use the hand to deliver their Charnel Touch at a distance, as if it were a spell.

Enervating Touch (Su)— Beginning at 15th level, when you hit a living creature with your Charnel Touch, you may choose to inflict a negative level in addition to the normal damage.

Grod_The_Giant
2014-05-12, 05:46 PM
Looks pretty good. I like the inclusion of Tomb-Tainted Soul, since that's mandatory, anyway. Charnel and Enervating Touch could use some language adjustments, though — designations like "foe" end up being a little bit awkward. I'm also a little bit curious: why remove the ability to heal undead with Charnel Touch?

Recommended language changes below:
I didn't; as negative energy, it automatically heals undead. I suppose I can clarify.

gkathellar
2014-05-12, 05:51 PM
I didn't; as negative energy, it automatically heals undead. I suppose I can clarify.

Ah - you specify living creatures as targets, so as written, it doesn't work on undead. Cut "living" and you should be good.

ben-zayb
2014-05-12, 06:27 PM
It's nice to see a fixed Dread Necro list in terms of appropriate spell level and addition of other spells; Dispel Magic and its greater equivalent being at successive spell levels is really weird. And I get that stuff like Acid Fog and Imprison Soul (replaced by Trap the Soul) need to go, but why get rid of Waves of Exhaustion while retaining the other fatigue-type spells? I'm also not sure if your system fix is in conflict with this, but I was thinking that Veil of Undeath would be an appropriate Dread Necromancer spell.

Undead Horde: I really like this change of basing undead limits on CR instead of HD. It may be for the better, although there may still be unbalancing outliers to this estimate (just 3.5 being 3.5). Does this new rule effectively replace instances of "HD" to "CR" in undead-limit-multiplier effects, like Desecrate? And is it correct to assume the standard-action casting time Animate Dead is no longer a thing for any other class in this project?

Charnel Touch: I'm guessing that the intent is to drop the unlimited off-combat healing due to being able to only target "foes", which is funny because you got...

Tomb Tainted Soul: for free! Practically every* DN takes this anyway, so I agree that giving this out is a no-brainer for a fix. A minor problem I see with this is that while you can, on a limited capacity, heal yourself with your spells, it would be a bit more difficult for other party members to traditionally heal you.

* non-good, and I suggest adding a clause with the class feature stating it works even if you don't meet the alignment prerequisite

Lich Body: more intuitive level-based DR distribution is a nice thing

Enervating Touch: Initially I thought this was a bit unbalanced because it's spamtastic, but on the other hand it only deals one (to two, on a crit?) negative level per round (hardly abusable in combat) and doing it off-combat pretty much implies the target's life is already at the party's mercy in the first place.

Not sure if gaining temporary HP from granting negative levels only work for Energy Drain (Su), but the Ghostwalk feat of this same name still specified that it doesn't grant temporary HP.

Grod_The_Giant
2014-05-12, 06:34 PM
It's nice to see a fixed Dread Necro list in terms of appropriate spell level and addition of other spells; Dispel Magic and its greater equivalent being at successive spell levels is really weird. And I get that stuff like Acid Fog and Imprison Soul (replaced by Trap the Soul) need to go, but why get rid of Waves of Exhaustion while retaining the other fatigue-type spells? I'm also not sure if your system fix is in conflict with this, but I was thinking that Veil of Undeath would be an appropriate Dread Necromancer spell.
Both questions are sort of answered the same way: when designing these spell lists, I went through the PHB and SpC picking out every possibly relevant spell, then cut the lists back to appropriate sizes. For that step, I made judgements based on power, redundancy, thematics, a bit of personal preference and a bit of randomness. At low-levels, the sheer number of potential options meant that a lot of good things got the ax; at higher levels, reduced options meant that some inferior spells came in just to keep up numbers. It's easy enough to switch things around if you prefer.


Undead Horde: I really like this change of basing undead limits on CR instead of HD. It may be for the better, although there may still be unbalancing outliers to this estimate (just 3.5 being 3.5). Does this new rule effectively replace instances of "HD" to "CR" in undead-limit-multiplier effects, like Desecrate? And is it correct to assume the standard-action casting time Animate Dead is no longer a thing for any other class in this project?
Animate Dead (and upgrades) are gone, yeah. As for the first point... yeah, I'll edit that into the main G&G post. Good point.

TheTeaMustFlow
2014-05-14, 01:52 AM
Does the capstone give you the benefits of the lich template or just the undead type?

Grod_The_Giant
2014-05-14, 11:31 AM
Does the capstone give you the benefits of the lich template or just the undead type?
Full benefits of the lich template. I copied the text directly from the book, but I can clarify if it's ambiguous.