Necrotech - Spheres of Might Technican Archetype using Arte Mortis Necrocraft rules

[calyst]

Something I am cooking up for a campaign just wanted feedback.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xJuNEOS7WkWLDcf0Wxn6qYo0spe-w-BfgC9IRlHr0co/edit?usp=sharing

[Quarian Rex]

You've done some really interesting work here. Nice job. This is actually pretty ambitious but it does seem to have some issues and is in need of some clarity. For anyone reading this who doesn't have Arte Mortis, it is basically an expansion on the Necrocraft (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/necrocraft/) rules. Thanks for letting me know that the book existed btw.

As I go through this I'll comment on what stood out to me, just remember that I like what you're doing here and I think that I'm helping.



Gadgets

Replacing detonator with channel energy? Interesting, I like it. You need to change 'Necrocraft' to 'Necrotech' in the line about Command Undead though.



Death Linked

This needs to be clarified and/or re-examined. Saying that the Necrotech, "shares the senses (Darkvision,etc.) of any worn, carried or wielded undead of his own creation", is a problem. This essentially just lets your undead nightvision goggles be useful, but only for you. This should not be a class feature for the Necrotech, but an innate capability of necrocraft inventions. Otherwise said inventions cannot actually be used by anyone but the creator, and that is pretty sad. Remove the shared senses aspect of this feature and incorporate it into Inventions.

You can replace that by saying that any Death talents that would augment Reanimated undead (such as Empowered Reanimate) can be applied to Necrocraft made by the Necrotech.



Necrotically Minded

Necrocraft take a ridiculously long time to craft. Halving that time is simply not enough. Say that the time it takes a Necrotech to create a Necrocraft is measured in hours instead of days and can only be worked on for 8 hours a day. This will still take many days to do most craftings but at least he won't have to grind the campaign to a halt for months just to replace a minion.



Ghostly Insight

This is a really potent ability. The one thing that seems to be missing is a CP cost. I'd suggest CP 6 or so. Intangibility, flight, ghost touch attacks, etc. are a big deal and should not just be free adds to all of your Necrocraft.



Madman’s Insight
Technical Improvement

These are just nerfed versions of Inventor’s Insight and so it really has no place. You need to just remove them and let the class rely on Inventor’s Insight like it normally would. There is absolutely no need to make the Necrotech waste Insights.



Inventions

I see what you're doing here but I think that you need to incorporate it with the base inventions a little better. Right now you just get the ability to make a nerfed Necrocraft (it has an EHD limit of the class level, where normally you have an HD limit of caster level but EHD modifiers can go beyond), at full price (making the inventions of little use to low level Necrotechs), with poorly defined interaction with improvements (your additions under insights implies that they don't normally apply to base inventions, which is a mistake).

Go back to square one on this. How are Inventions used in the Technician class? They are designed as inexpensive prototypes that require constant maintainace or they fall apart. Apply this to the Necrotech Inventions. Say that Necrotech Inventions have a base price based on their final size (as found on p.71 of SoM) multiplied by 1+the number of extra CP used (aka the additional EHD modifier). This will probably wind up with a vaguely comparable cost to most base items in Inventions while limiting craziness with the larger Inventions.

Build the Necrocraft with your current limitations (total EHD limited to Necrocraft level) but state that Equipment Inventions have to be made in the image of one of the Technician Invention categories and is eligible for the associated improvements. This also lets you remove the line about how Equipment Inventions, "may be attached to either armor, armor-like Inventions or Independent Inventions", which is weirdly restrictive, as it turns all Necrotech equipment into armor upgrades, which is a mistake I think.

This allows the Necrotech to take Greater Craftsman to make permanent Necrocraft Inventions for a much greater cost than normal Necrocraft (which is fine due to not impacting the control pool and having Improvements). You also need to specify that Necrocraft armor actually provides a bonus to AC (currently that is not clear). I'd suggest that the wearer gains access to any Armor and Natural Armor bonuses that the Necrocraft has. This is also where you should say that the wearer of Necrocraft Equipment would benefit from the senses of the Necrocraft if appropriate.

Lastly, you need to clean up some of the Necrocraft Equipment examples. You have options that don't seem to actually exist or may not work right. Things like 'Extra Dex' in Zombie-quad Cannon and Extra Strength in Necrowhip (these CP abilities doen't exist and you cannot purchase Increase Dex/Str a 2nd time till 8HD), and Combat Inefficient in Skeletal Knight Armor (according to the rules that you've laid out Combat Inefficient would apply to the wearer, if this is what you want then you really need to specify that).

I like what you've done so far and I hope that what I've suggested will help get it to a better state.

[calyst]

Quarian Rex you brought up several good points and I have adopted some of them, it was my intention to have them operate more like inventions but that was not as well written as I had intended and I tried to clarify that. In regards to the EHD being the limit it is because they must/can take weaknesses in a different way from the normal Necrocraft rules which only allow weaknesses of 1/2 the amount of any CP above the base CP. This allows useable Necrocraft at low-levels.

[Quarian Rex]

I'll take a look at the changes later and provide responses but it might take a few days (that time of year).


In regards to the EHD being the limit it is because they must/can take weaknesses in a different way from the normal Necrocraft rules which only allow weaknesses of 1/2 the amount of any CP above the base CP. This allows useable Necrocraft at low-levels.

Yup, I got that. I also realize that it's a general nerf to the ultimate strength of the Necrocraft. There are only so many weaknesses that you can pile on and still have a functional creation, while with a standard Necrocraft you can pile on the special capabilities to create something truly monstrous, all without having to sacrifice HD.

To be clear, I agree with your initial decision and I think that is a great balance point in addition to enabling low level use. I was just recognizing that that decision had a cost and that standard Necrocraft would still be viable creations.