Ionathus
2023-08-28, 05:32 PM
The necromancer player in my campaign (level 13) has really been leaning into the "undead minions" side of her abilities and I want to make that more fun for her! What do you folks think of the power level/utility of these two treasures? I plan for her to find both in an upcoming necro-themed dungeon.
Bone Stud Earrings
wondrous item, rare
These small chips of compressed bone have been molded into earrings that can be worn by any necromancer.
As a bonus action, you may pull a stud out and throw it at a point you can see on the ground within 30 feet, where it is destroyed and reforms into a skeleton as if created with the Danse Macabre spell (except duration). As part of the same bonus action, you may issue commands to the skeleton and any other undead you control.
After 24 hours, your control of the skeleton lapses, as per the conditions of Animate Dead.
Hail of Bones
5th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a humanoid femur burnt as part of the spell)
Duration: 24 hours
You suffuse your necromancy with long-forgotten power, channeling a surge of explosive negative energy into the undead under your command.
For the duration of this spell, whenever an undead creature controlled by you is reduced to 0 hit points, it explodes in a shower of bone shards and dark energy. All creatures within 10 feet of the explosion must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 3d8 piercing and 3d8 necrotic damage (half as much on a successful save).
You may trigger this explosion early, as part of any bonus action that issues a command to undead under your control. Each time you trigger it early, you take 2d8 necrotic damage, which cannot be reduced or avoided in any way.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, both the piercing and necrotic damage dealt by the explosion increase by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
I wanted both things to synergize with the Necromancer's "command minions" bonus action, because if she can't do both then the opportunity cost is probably too high. The bone stud earrings are consumables: I plan to hand out roughly a dozen throughout the dungeon, then allow her to try making more on her own once she's used a few. The homebrew spell scroll is meant to be learned, and I particularly struggled with the spell level -- 4th level feels so trivial that it would be an "always" pick, but 5th level feels like a serious investment and I want the power to be worth that high cost.
Ultimately she's been noticing not a lot of "bang for her buck" in terms of her undead army, so I want to give her some more tools to play with, even if they're slightly overpowered. How do these deliver on that goal?
Bone Stud Earrings
wondrous item, rare
These small chips of compressed bone have been molded into earrings that can be worn by any necromancer.
As a bonus action, you may pull a stud out and throw it at a point you can see on the ground within 30 feet, where it is destroyed and reforms into a skeleton as if created with the Danse Macabre spell (except duration). As part of the same bonus action, you may issue commands to the skeleton and any other undead you control.
After 24 hours, your control of the skeleton lapses, as per the conditions of Animate Dead.
Hail of Bones
5th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a humanoid femur burnt as part of the spell)
Duration: 24 hours
You suffuse your necromancy with long-forgotten power, channeling a surge of explosive negative energy into the undead under your command.
For the duration of this spell, whenever an undead creature controlled by you is reduced to 0 hit points, it explodes in a shower of bone shards and dark energy. All creatures within 10 feet of the explosion must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 3d8 piercing and 3d8 necrotic damage (half as much on a successful save).
You may trigger this explosion early, as part of any bonus action that issues a command to undead under your control. Each time you trigger it early, you take 2d8 necrotic damage, which cannot be reduced or avoided in any way.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, both the piercing and necrotic damage dealt by the explosion increase by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
I wanted both things to synergize with the Necromancer's "command minions" bonus action, because if she can't do both then the opportunity cost is probably too high. The bone stud earrings are consumables: I plan to hand out roughly a dozen throughout the dungeon, then allow her to try making more on her own once she's used a few. The homebrew spell scroll is meant to be learned, and I particularly struggled with the spell level -- 4th level feels so trivial that it would be an "always" pick, but 5th level feels like a serious investment and I want the power to be worth that high cost.
Ultimately she's been noticing not a lot of "bang for her buck" in terms of her undead army, so I want to give her some more tools to play with, even if they're slightly overpowered. How do these deliver on that goal?