Idea: The Dustmancer: He who Rises the ancient dead

[DarkSunLord1]

Hello, I was wondering what game mechanics someone could put together from this concept for a base class and school of magic:

The Dustmancer, like the necromancer, controls the dead. Unlike a necromancer, however, the dustmancer specializes in resurrecting the truely ancient dead, from tens of thousands of years to millionss of years. Another way to put it, a dustmancer's magic has been called "Fossil Magic". The most powerful dustmancers power reaches back millions of years, bring back dead that have long gone to dust and rock.

Unfortunately, this focus on the past means that a dustmancer is much weaker in dealing with dead that are from only anywhere form a few years to two or three thousands of years old.

Fortunately, the desert and arid areas of the world are known for their perserving qualities...

Bsically, this builds on the revived fossil template from Libris Mortis.

My idea is rather raw, and I want to know other peoples' thoughts this. I hope to show more concepts if this goes well.

PLEASE POST!

[Solaris]

... So now we know what Roy Chapman Andrews was really up to in the Gobi.

I take it the dustmancer would also gain some earth/dust-based abilities as well? I also imagine him having something like an animal companion, only fossilized, rather than raising up hordes of cheap undead.

[Veklim]

Nice principle for development. LOTS of issues as to what counts as old enough or not, and whether you have the same choice as to what is raised. Also, you may want that fossil companion to carry a pick and have profession archeologist in your list.
Brighter side, you can almost completely remove the 'necromancy is evil!!!!' thing this way, the bodies are ancient, and any soul which may once have been attached to them is long lost to the ethereal plane.
Base or PrC btw? Or is that one of the undecideds?
Come to think of it also, sounds more like a druid template than a wizard or cleric, interesting thought...?