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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Sorcerer Archetype: Pale Master Origin [WIP/Needs Balance Help]



Giegue
2019-02-13, 12:03 PM
Pale Master Origin

(Placeholder for fluff; I am posting this with limited time/under a time crunch and thus since mechanical Balance is my primary concern I will fill this in later when I have more time, as well as add a pic)

Macabre Secrects

The Necrotic bile coursing through your body contains the power to produce necromantic effects beyond the scope of traditional Sorcery. Starting at 1st level, when your Spellcasting feature lets you select a Sorcerer cantrip or Sorcerer spell known, you can choose that spell from all necromancy spells on the Wizard list of levels you can cast, or the Sorcerer list.

Additionally, you can also harness the taint contained within you to bring undead under your control. Once per short or long rest, you can spend 2 sorcery points to target an undead creature within 30ft and force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Sorcerer Spell Save DC. On a failed save, the target must obey your commands for 24 hours, or until you use this feature again. Undead whoes CRs equal or exceed your Sorcerer level are immune to this effect.

Fleshgrafting

Also at 1st level, you learn how to use the flesh, blood, and innards of a corpse to fill and knit wounds. As an action, you can spend a spell slot to target a corpse within 60ft and have a creature within 60ft of that corpse regain an amount of hit points equal to 1d8 per-level of the expended slot + your Charisma modifier. Once per short or long rest, you can use this feature without spending a spell slot, treating it as-if used with a slot of the highest spell level to which you have access. However, when you do this you use d6s instead of d8s to determine the hit points regained. This feature can not be used to heal constructs.

Lord of the Dead

At 6th level, you learn how to control more undead than other spellcasters and heal them with your necrotic magics. When you cast a spell to reassert control over undead you created (such as Animate Dead or Create Undead), you can spend sorcery points to have that spell reassert control over 2 additional undead for each point spent. When you gain this feature at 6th level you can only spend 1 point this way, however at each Sorcerer level you gain access to a new spell level this limit increases by 1, to a maximum of 6 points at 17th level. However, when using this feature with spells above 3rd level you reduce this point maximum by 1 for each level about 3rd. (So for example, at 7th level you could spend 2 points when casting a 3rd level Animate Dead, but only 1 when casting a 4th level Animate Dead.) Additionally, when an undead creature you control would be dealt necrotic damage by a spell of 1st level higher you cast, it instead regains hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

Greater Fleshgrafting

At 14th level, your skill with fleshgrafting improves, allowing you to use it to heal multiple creatures at once. As an action, you can spend a spell slot of at least 5th level to target a corpse within 60ft and have up to 6 creatures in a 30ft radius sphere within 60ft of that corpse for regain an amount of hit points equal to 3d8 +1d8 for each slot level above 5th + your Charisma modifier. Once per short or long rest, you can use this feature without spending a spell slot, treating it as-if used with a slot of the highest spell level to which you have access. However, when you do this you use d6s instead of d8s to determine the hit points regained. This feature can not be used to heal constructs.

Undead Graft

At 18th level, you use your fleshgrafting skills on yourself, replacing one of your limbs or appendages with a limb or appendage from an undead creature. Typically, this is a skeletal or zombie arm, though more exotic grafts are not unheard of. However, regardless of its form, this graft gives you access to a vile touch attack that can slay creatures wvdceause thennas Undead minions. As an action, you can make a melee spell attack using your Sorcerer spell attack modifier. If the attack hits, it deals Necrotic damage equal to ½ your Sorcerer level level of d6’s + Charisma modifier. Any medium size humanoid that dies as a result of this touch attack rises as a zombie under your control. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Garfunion
2019-02-13, 01:43 PM
To be honest you can do all of these things with a re-fluffed Divine Soul. Personally restricting yourself from healing unless there is a corpse nearby. There are only a few necromancy spells a cleric doesn’t have access to.

So what do you really want out of this archetype?

Giegue
2019-02-13, 02:12 PM
You actually can’t do most of the stuff this subclass can with a divine soul. You forget, Divine Souls get jack **** when it comes to Undead pets/minion-mastery. A wizard will ALWAYS control more and better undead than a divine soul ALWAYS. This archetype was made mainly to be an undead controller, sacrificing the wizard’s buffs for the ability to field far greater numbers of undead than even the school of Necromancy wizard, and basicly be the quantity minion-mancer to the wizard’s quality minion-mancer. The healing power was made to be primarily an undead heal, as it can effect undead unlike a divine soul or cleric’s Cure Wounds. It was made to work on allies as well so it’s not a dead feature at 1st. You don’t have all the spells needed to be the party healer like a divine soul, and the ability to heal allies is less about making you THE party healer and more an off-healer who can ease the burden on the bard, druid or cleric who is the main healer for the party. Also, since your not getting the HP max buff to pets a wizard gets, the healing was a way to increase pet survivability in your own way, rather than just ripping off the wizard and handing out an identical bonus.

The 6th level feature is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL to being able to rival a wizard for undead mastery, which a divine soul can NEVER EVER DO EVER, and the 6th level power is thus the linchpin of this entire archetype, and the main thing that makes it stand out. The 6th level feature lets you control the most undead of any character in the game, bar none. Only a school if Necromancy wizard can come close, but you still surpass even their numbers. That was the main gimmick of the archetype; while the wizard minionmaster is about quality, I.E. raising stronger things, the 6th level feature lets you match the wizards’ quality and quantity increase with sheer, unrivaled numbers. You may not raise things stronger than any other caster, but you stay competitive with the school of Necromancy wizard by being able to field the most undead of any character in the game. The healing side of the class also plays into the per side, since as I stated the heals do work Undead, unlike actual healing spells like cure wounds, which specificly don’t.

So it is FAR from a rip/off and very much is own thing, meant to be comparable to a school of Necromancy wizard in the minion front, which a divine soul is VERY MUCH NOT.

Garfunion
2019-02-13, 04:13 PM
I’m trying to help you which is why I suggested the re-fluffed Divine Soul, I wasn’t sure what you wanted out of the archetype.

Minionmancery is very frowned upon in 5th edition. It is hard to balance and slows down combat. Have you looked at the spell “Danse Macabre”, you get to control a lot of undead for a short time.

Healing most undead, that you can create is pointless, do to them having very few hit points already. However you can
•pick up the healer feat and use a healer’s kit on them
•they can spend their hit die during a short rest to heal themselves
•they can drink a healing potion
•you can give them temp HP(like inspiring leader feat)
•let them die and cast Animate Dead on the remains (if there are any)
•Regenerate spell
I’m sure there a more ways to maintain the “health” of your undead minions.

I remember us working together on a similar archetype, Uttercold Assault Warlock archetype.

Maybe look at keeping them “alive”(temp HP), than having a multitude of them.

Garfunion
2019-02-15, 11:08 AM
I’ve been thinking about the archetype that you want to create. I need more back story for it and how strong do you really want your bonus undead to be?
That is, if you still want the help.