Sabriel/Abhorsen in 3.5

[Scarey Nerd]

I'm kinda new to homebrewing, I'm not so great at getting stuff balanced, but: I'm running a campaign in the next couple of weeks based around a setting similar to the Old Kingdom series of books. Ie, there's the Material Realm, and Death. However, this presents two main issues/challenges.

I need a way to incorporate Demons for Warlocks to be a thing (Unless they were refluffed to promise themselves to Greater Dead).
I need a spell designed around the whole sending your spirit into Death thing (ie, a rebalanced version of Astral Projection, as well as Binding spells to replace simple Animate Dead spells.

Anyone that's read this series of books, do you have suggestions for me? I don't have much of a starting point...
And anyone who hasn't read them... Go do it. Seriously, they rock.

[Winds]

Sounds cool. But I'm not sure you need to change things as much as you're asking.


For your way of bringing in Warlocks: forget the pacting stuff. Have their invocations/blast abilities just be how they wield Free Magic. (Keeping in mind that Free Magic is not something it's wise to overuse, of course...)


For whatever you call the 'spell' that let's you enter the Realm of the Dead...does it need to be a spell? It's been a while since I read it, but wasn't the ability to project yourself largely an inherent skill to Necromancy? (Including the Abhorsen's 'good necromancy'.)


As for the Animate Dead spells...What would you need to change? Animate Dead could work as written, for just creating the lesser Dead creatures, and Create [As Appropriate] Undead for making free-willed Dead.

[Scarey Nerd]

Well, the setting isn't precisely the same, I'm just using the system of Death. However, I like the idea of Warlocks being Free Magic users. In the books it was an innate ability to enter Death, but in terms of D&D it's a little hard to give classes with necromancy spells a class feature that lets them do it, since it would allow anyone of that class to poke their head into Death (not that they should want to, but players do as players do). The animate Dead spell would work for Hands, yes, since Mosrael could wake the Lesser Dead easily enough, but as I recall for anything more powerful than a Shadow Hand the Necromancer had to enter Death. Though you're right, that could be substituted, I'd just like to give players a way of entering Death in case of Remembrancer things, pursuing Mordicants, etc.

Edit: What if the Death Projection ability was a feat? Spells would make the Dead, but the feat would allow other stuff? A pre-req of caster level 4, for example (druids prohibited because... Sorta not their thing)

[Winds]

As a feat makes sense. Barring druids...I personally wouldn't make that a hard-and-fast rule. I could see a druid going the Abhorsen route and learning how to keep the undead down. Cycle of life is part of their remit, even if they don't 'normally' get access to necromancy.

[Passive Pete]

I'm no expert in this department, but I think I might be able to help out inspiration-wise. . .

I just remembered this from earlier browsing. I hope it proves useful to you.

[Scarey Nerd]

I have yet to decide if the Abhorsen is actually a thing, as one person isn't really enough to help out an entire planet, they were stretched thin just in the Old Kingdom. I see your point, though, some Druids do dedicate themselves to fighting the unnatural, and the Dead certainly qualify with flying colours.

@TheHatMan, I have seen that class in years past but I'd forgotten all about it, cheers I like the idea behind it, though I'm not a fan of some parts of it (Like becoming an incorporeal spirit), but I might be able to take parts of it.

Edit: Just realised I don't need binding spells... I really should have taken a closer look at the PHB before I posted this, Command Undead sort of... does that.

[DMwithoutPC's]

when I say Sabriel, I thought Fanfiction, I was REALLY curious what kind of homebrew this was going to be. nothing of the kind though, alas.

I have never read the books so I can't help you any further, sorry!