[PEACH] New wizard necromancer variant the geneticist.

[Duke Malagigi]

I originally divised this class due to the simple and lamentable lack of non-Undead focused necromancer options in 3rd Edition. I hope this class inspires others to make other non-Undead use focused necromancer classes in the future.

This is the mutation standard I decided to use for spell-like abilities from cause mutation and Distill Essence.

Geneticist
The common perception is that the main reason for pursing a specialty in the necromantic sciences is power over the undead. This may be true for some but not for all. The deathslayer uses necromancy to destroy the undead, while the anatomist is more concerned with morgue work, surgery or other forms of medicine. Then there is the geneticist, the necromancer who is most interested in manipulating the basic building blocks of life, whether for good, use of necromancy to reverse adverse genetic mutation or bestow positive one, or for ill. Examples of geneticist necromancer role models include Francis Collins, the man who mapped the human genome, to Warhammer 40,000’s own Fabius Bile.

Races: Due to their intense interest life science and magic, elves are the most common geneticists. This is followed by humans, orcs and hags. Geneticists are least common among halflings, gnomes and trolls.
Religion: Unlike most arcane spellcasters geneticist tend to be a very or spiritual lot. In fact there are geneticists who combine scientific knowledge with religious fanaticism, often times believing that they have duty to "finish the work of God or the gods," by increasing the pace of evolution.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4.
Class Skills
The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4* + Int modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4* + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Scribe scroll, summon familiar|3+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

||4+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

||4+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Improve mutation: five points a week|4+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

||4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

||4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

||4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Improve mutation: ten points a week|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

||4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Geneticist expertise|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

||4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Improve mutation: fifteen points a week|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-

13th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Geneticist expertise|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

||4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

||4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|Improve mutation: twenty points a week, geneticist expertise|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

||4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

|Geneticist expertise|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Improve mutation: twenty-five points a week|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Geneticists are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a geneticist’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells: A geneticist casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/ wizard spell list. A geneticist must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below).

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the geneticist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the geneticist’s Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a geneticist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Geneticist. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a geneticist may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the geneticist decides which spells to prepare.

Bonus Languages: A geneticist may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.

Familiar: As another wizard or sorcerer.

Scribe Scroll: At 1st level, a geneticist gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Spellbooks: A geneticist must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.

A geneticist begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited schools due her nature as a necromancy specialist) plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the geneticist has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new geneticist level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wizard level) for her spellbook. At any time, a geneticist can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to her own.

Specialization: All geneticist wizards are specialist necromancers and gain all standard penalties and bonuses. They must take two prohibited schools, other than necromancy or divination, but gain one additional necromancy spell per spell level per day and gain a +2 towards all checks at learning nercomancy spells.

Improve Mutation (Su): Starting at 4th level the geneticist may spend five extra mutation points on any one necromancy spell that involves mutation. This increases by five per every four levels. Suitable spells are: false life (additional temporary hit points), contagion (bonuses to ability damage), cause mutation (mutation points), awaken (each point used goes to either Intelligence, Charisma or Wisdom but as a wizard only). Spells effected also include bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, eagle’s splendor, fox’s cunning and owl’s wisdom. When used with spell animal growth the duration is extended by one minute per two bonus points while ghoul gauntlet grants bonuses to either damage or to DC equal to each point spent. Improve mutation can also subtract one week per bonus point spent from the clone development time to a minimum of two months for Clone and stasis clone. This also applies to the origin of species line of epic spells but only to off set backlash damage or additional casters.

Geneticist Expertise: On attaining 10th level, and at every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th), a geneticist gains a special ability of her choice from among the following options.

Quickened mutation and cloning (Su):
Essentially the geneticist can reduce the casting time of any spell that can be effected by Improve Mutation by half. Doing so either takes up a spell slot two levels higher or raises the spell's casting DC by 15.

Draw essence (Su):
Prerequisite: must know the spell Cause Mutation or one of the Origin of Species line.
You can obtain more Improve Mutation points than your level would allow but you can only use them under strict conditions. To gain additional Improve Mutation points for use in bestowing any one spell-like ability, you must obtain these points by "drawing essence" from a living and corporeal creature that can use that power. In game terms this comes in the form of Constitution damage equal to the lowest full-caster spell level of the creature's or creatures' particular spell-like ability plus additional costs for daily use. Any and all points gathered in this method could only be applied to granting one of the creature's spell-like abilities, but multiple creatures of the same variety can be used to avoid over-taxing it. The spell-like ability or abilities are then distilled into the form mutative serums. Each serum costs 300 gold pieces per mutation point and categorized by base creature. For example: a standard unicorn has five spell-like abilities with costs, cure light wounds three times per day is worth 3 points, cure moderate wounds once per day is worth 2 points, neutralize poison once per day is worth 3 points, detect evil at will and a a standard action is worth 7 points and greater teleport once per day is also worth 7 points. All together, the spell-like abilities are worth a total of 22 improve mutation points and 22 points of Constitution damage.

Skill Mastery: The geneticist becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. Upon gaining this ability, she selects a number of skills, from her class skill list, equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. A geneticist may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.

Greater Mutation (Su): The geneticist can now double the bonuses gained from use of his or her Improved Mutation class ability. However this only affects 3 + her Intelligence modifier in mutation points per week.
*I don't like the idea of any player character class having less than four skill points per level, especially wizards.