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Belial_the_Leveler
2008-05-31, 09:10 AM
NECROMANCER
Role: Controller. You control the battlefield through armies of minions that attack, hinder and block your enemies as well as the powers of darkness that disable or curse your adversaries while shielding you.
Power Source: Shadow. You channel the powers of the Shadowfell and the Abyss by using your soul as a link to those planes of darkness and destruction. bringing the dead and the damned into the world of the living.
Key Abilities: Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth
Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, quarterstaff
Implements: Orbs, staffs, wands
Bonus to Defense: +1 Will, +1 Fortitude
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 4
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier
Trained Skills: Arcana. From the class skills list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Dungeoneering (Wis), History (Int), Insight (Wis), Nature (Int), Religion (Int)
Class Features: Cantrips, Mark of Damnation,
Ritual Casting, Soulshard

Cantrips
Like a wizard, a necromancer knows some minor at will powers she can use at any time. These cantrips however are of a much darker nature than a wizard's.

Ghost Sound
With a wink, you create an illusory sound that emanates from
somewhere close by.
At-Will ✦ Arcane, Illusion
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One object or unoccupied square
Effect: You cause a sound as quiet as a whisper or as loud as
a yelling or fighting creature to emanate from the target.
You can produce nonvocal sounds such as the ringing of a
sword blow, jingling armor, or scraping stone. If you whisper,
you can whisper quietly enough that only creatures
adjacent to the target can hear your words.

Nighteye
The target's eyes glow an eerie red as the power of the dark enables him to pierce all shadows
At-Will Shadow
Minor Action Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Effect: You enable the target to see through any darkness up to a radius of 20 squares. However, the target's vision considerably deteriorates in the day. In broad daylight or equivalent illumination the target gets -2 to all attacks and -2 to AC and reflex defences
Special: If the target moves further than 20 squares away the effect ends. In addition, you must touch the target's brow as a move action to end the effect voluntarily.

Shadow's trick
You perform an unnerving magical trick, such as creating a dancing
wisp of light, freshening a wilting flower, making a coin invisible,
or warming a cold drink.
At-Will Shadow
Standard Action Ranged 2
Effect: Use this cantrip to accomplish one of the effects
given below.
Move up to 1 pound of material.
Create a harmless sensory effect, such as a shower
of sparks, a puff of wind, faint music, or a strong odor.
Color, clean, or soil items in 1 cubic foot for up to
1 hour.
Instantly light (or snuff out) a candle, a torch, or a
small campfire.
Chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 pound of nonliving material
for up to 1 hour.
Make a small mark or symbol appear on a surface for
up to 1 hour.
Produce out of nothingness a small item or image
that exists until the end of your next turn.
Make a small, handheld item invisible until the end of
your next turn.
Nothing you create with this cantrip can deal damage,
serve as a weapon or a tool, or hinder another creature’s
actions. This cantrip cannot duplicate the effect of any
other power.
Special: You can have as many as three prestidigitation
effects active at one time.


Darkness
With a wave of your hand, you cause a patch of midnight dark to appear on
the tip of your staff, upon some other object, or in a nearby space.
At-Will Shadow
Minor Action Ranged 5
Target: One object or unoccupied square
Effect: You cause the target to shed darkness. The darkness
fills the target’s square and all squares within 4 squares of
it. The darkness lasts for 5 minutes. Putting out the darkness is a
free action. The darkness provides concealment to anyone within but the penalties of the concealment also apply when those within attack those without.
Special: You can have only one darkness cantrip active at a time. If
you create a new darkness, your previously cast darkness winks out.


Mark of Damnation
As a move action you may mark any target that you can see. Once you mark a target choose one of the following;
Blight The target is struck by a curse and only regains half the normal amount of HP from any healing surges or powers.
Lifethief You steal the target's ability to recover from wounds. You gain half the amount of regeneration the target has. The target's regeneration is halved. You may cast lifethief on a creature without regeneration but in that case you gain nothing. If a creature gains regeneration after it is marked, the effects apply normally.
You may only have one mark of damnation active at a time. If you mark another target, the first mark fades. If you spend 2 healing surges on first marking a target, the effects double; Blight reduces healing to 1/4 normal and Lifethief gives you the target's full regeneration while he stops to regenerate.

Soulshard
Each necromancer has a soulshard, a glowing crystal about the size of her thumb. The crystal is made out of the necromancer's solidified blood and a sacrifice of silver ingots costing as much as a wizard's spellbook and as long as the necromancer is alive the crystal is indestructible and the necromancer can call it to her person from any distance as a standard action.
Like a wizard's spellbook, a soulshard holds daily and utility powers learned.
Like a wizard's spellbook, a soulshard also holds rituals learned. A necromancer masters rituals at the same rate a wizard does. Additional mastered rituals can be added normally as well.
A Necromancer is a master of rituals that conjure or create undead. She may ignore the nonstandard requirements of such rituals. E.g. a powerful necromancer could create a vampire lord without having to be a vampire lord herself as long as the creatures to be created are at least 4 levels lower than the necromancer.
A soulshard does not have a maximum capacity-information is stored spiritually. However, for every page of information beyond the first 100, the necromancer must sacrifice silver ingots costing 500 gp to store the information in addition to any normal costs required for the process.
A necromancer may only have one soulshard.

Level 1 at will spells

Phantom Archers
With a word you call upon the powers of the netherworld and a host of phantom archers comes forth to attack your enemies.
At Will Shadow, Necrotic, Cold, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 20
Target: 1 creature per phantom archer, creatures can be attacked by more than one archer.
Attack: Charisma vs Reflex
Hit: 1d4 damage, your choice of either necrotic, weapon or cold.
Effect: 2 phantom archers appear and attack once each. The archers have no other effect than the attack. Increase to 3 phantom guards at 11th level, 4 phantom guards at 21st level.
Special: This power gains no bonus damage from any sources such as from charisma modifier, magic implements or feats. For every 3 points of bonus damage it would otherwise gain, increase the number of phantom archers by 1.

Hands of the Dead
You cause phantom skeletal hands to sprout from a surface, clawing at nearby creatures.
At will Shadow, Necrotic, Implement
Standard Action Area 1 square within 10 squares
Target: Each creature in square
Attack: Charisma vs fortitude
Hit: 1d6+charisma modifier weapon damage, increase to 2d6+charisma modifier at 21st level
Effect: The area is filled with spectral hands clawing at everyone nearby. Every creature entering or beginning its turn there takes necrotic damage equal to your constitution modifier. The hands remain there until the end of your next turn. You may not dispel the hands to allow allies to pass but they do not attack you or creatures and effects you directly control.

Wraith's Wail
You utter an unearthly wail that harms and weakens nearby enemies.
At will Shadow, Necrotic, Thunder, Implement
Standard Action Close Blast 3
Target: creatures in blast
Attack: charisma vs will
Hit: 1d4+charisma modifier damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn
Increase to blast 5 at 21st level

Minor Drain
You make a slashing motion with your left hand and a wound appears at a nearby enemy without you touching him. His blood and life-force seep from the wound and your own life-force increases
At will Shadow, necrotic, implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: 1 creature
Attack: charisma vs reflex
Hit: 1d4+charisma modifier damage and you gain temporary HP equal to your constitution modifier.

Skeletal Guard
A wound opens on your right wrist and blood falls on the ground. It quickly takes the shape of a tiny blood-soaked skeleton that almost instantly grows to your own size. Your skeletal guard defends you from attacks.
At will Shadow, necrotic, implement
Move Action Ranged 3
Attack: the skeleton attacks at charisma vs AC (using your stats)
Hit: 1d4 weapon damage + charisma modifier necrotic.
Effect: You create a skeletal guard within range. The skeletal guard has your own defences, resistances and immunities. It has HP equal to 1/4 your maximum plus 5 plus your charisma modifier. If you take a standard action to direct it, it may take a move and attack action using the attack indicated above but it cannot move beyond the range. If the skeletal guard is adjacent to you you may, as an immediate action, move it to interpose itself between you and a meele or ranged attack. If the attack hits, the guard takes the damage, not you. Whenever you would heal damage or gain temporary HP, you may have the guard heal damage or gain temporary HP instead.
Special: To use this power you sacrifice a number of HP equal to 1/4 your maximum HP. You may only have one skeletal guard at a time. The skeletal guard persists until it is destroyed or until you perform an extended rest.

Belial_the_Leveler
2008-05-31, 09:13 AM
Reserved for encounter powers

Belial_the_Leveler
2008-05-31, 09:14 AM
Reserved for daily powers

Belial_the_Leveler
2008-05-31, 09:15 AM
Reserved for utilities

katarl
2008-05-31, 03:29 PM
Thank You

First Necromancer Homebrew

Belial_the_Leveler
2008-05-31, 05:57 PM
Thanks. Any suggestions for powers, people? It is kind of a heavy job to make some 60 powers on my own.

A few hints for power making BTW:

a) Masquerade one power for another. That is, take an existing power similar to the one you want made from a similar class role and keep the damage/range/area and other effects the same. Only change (if you want) damage type, what defence the power attacks and, ofcourse, flavor. For example, Hands of the Dead is basically the exact same power as Knife Cloud from the wizard. (in addition to being an almost identical power in a long ago PC game called Sanity-but that's another story)

b) Keep the power balanced with the balance based on a same level, same type power. For example, Phantom Archers does multiple attacks-but the total damage is slightly lower than magic missile even if you take into account the various bonuses. That balances the fact that it does multiple attacks and thus is better against minions.

c) Balance out strong powers with costs. For example, skeletal guard may seem like a pretty powerful power-your minion has quite a few HP, can interpose itself and attack as well. However, the power has a range of 3-which is a very, very short one for a controller. In addition, compare the interposing with temporary HP. The interposing doesn't work on area attacks-temporary HP do. This means you effectively have temporary HP equal to 1/4 maximum + 5 + charisma modifier that doesn't work for area stuff. But you also initially spend your own 1/4 HP to make the skeletal guard. The difference-the temporary HP the power actually gives-is 5+charisma modifier which is pretty low. It is the same as a 1st level warlock power that both does damage and gives temp HP-with the difference that those HP work on area stuff too. Finally, your skeletal guard can move and attack. But its damage is actually lower than other at-will attacks, gets a very short effective range and you still need a standard action to direct it. As a power overall it is less effective than the 1st level warlock power vampiric embrace-less damage, less range, less effective temporary HP. But that's OK-vampiric embrace is a 1st level encounter power, not a 1stlevel at will power.

Shades of Gray
2008-06-01, 03:48 PM
Might I suggest a power that creates multiple Minions, the 1hp kind.

pyrefiend
2008-06-03, 08:25 PM
How about some sort of negative energy pool? Something with a large area of effect that slows and damages creatures who enter?