Prestige Class: Pale Master

[Harkone]

PALE MASTER
(Pale Master/True Necromancer)

Requirements:
Alignment: any Evil
Feats: Skill Focus: Knowledge: Religion, Spell Focus: Necromancy
Skills: Knowledge: Arcana 8 ranks, Knowledge: Religion 8 ranks
Spells: Ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells, including command undead and vampiric touch as arcane spells
Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level divine spells
Special: Ability to rebuke undead
Special: Access to either the Death or Undeath domain


HD: d6 Base Attack Bonus: +1/2 Favored Saving Throws: Will


Class Skills (2+Int): Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Hide, Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Religion, Move Silently, Profession, Spellcraft


-Gains no new weapon or armor proficiency


Class Abilities:

1st: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Rebuke Undead

2nd: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Create Undead 1/day

3rd: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Necromantic Prowess: +1
Darkvision

4th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Zone of Desecration
Deathless Vigor

5th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Create Undead 2/day

6th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Necromantic Prowess: +2
Undead Graft: Paralyzing Touch 1/day

7th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Major Desecration

8th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Create Greater Undead 3/day
Undead Graft: Weakening Touch 2/day
Tough as Bone

9th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Necromantic Prowess: +3

10th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Undead Graft: Destructive Touch 3/day


11th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Create Greater Undead 4/day

12th: +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class / +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
Necromantic Prowess: +4
Undead Graft: Deathless Master’s Touch 4/day
Deathless Mastery


Rebuke Undead: Levels of Pale Master stack with levels of all other classes that grant the ability to rebuke/command undead for the purposes of determining effective cleric level for rebuking/commanding undead.


Necromantic Prowess: Add this number to the Pale Master’s caster level or effective cleric level when rebuking/commanding undead, casting a spell of the Necromancy school, or using a spell-like ability that duplicates a spell of the Necromancy school.


Darkvision: The Pale Master gains 60’ darkvision, or adds 60’ to any existing darkvision.


Zone of Desecration: The Pale Master radiates this spell effect at will, affecting only allied undead.


Deathless Vigor: The Pale Master gains a +4 on Fortitude saves except against effects that also work on objects.


Undead Graft: At 6th level, the Pale Master replaces one of his arms with an undead prosthetic, either of bone or preserved flesh. The graft grants the Pale Master an inherent +4 to STR. Starting at 6th level, he can deliver a touch attack 1/day; this increases to 2/day at 8th level, 3/day at 10th level, and 4/day at 12th level. The effect of this touch attack depends on the Pale Master’s level:
6th level: Paralyzing Touch: Fortitude save or paralyzed 1d4+1 rounds (does not affect elves)
8th level: Weakening Touch: 1d6 STR damage (no save)
10th level: Destructive Touch: Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of CON drain
12th level: Deathless Master’s Touch: Fortitude save or die instantly, animating 1 round later as a zombie under the Pale Master’s control
The save against these effects is DC: 10 + Pale Master level + his CHA modifier


Major Desecration: The Pale Master’s Zone of Desecration now extends out to a radius of 10’ per Pale Master level.


Tough as Bone: The Pale Master is now immune to stunning, nonlethal damage, and disease.


Deathless Mastery: The Pale Master is now immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, death effects, critical hits, energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage.

[Arbitrarity]

This looks like a better version of the Mystic theurge, though with some nasty prerequisites...

Is this a conversion from 3.0?

[Harkone]

I hate redundancy in gaming, especially in prestige classes, so I came up with this version of the Pale Master. It combines features from the 3.5 Pale Master and the 3.5 True Necromancer. When prestige classes (usually from different sourcebooks, but sometimes the same one) are interesting but so similar that they could really be the same class, I go ahead and combine them into one that's more usable.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I hate redundancy in gaming, especially in prestige classes, so I came up with this version of the Pale Master. It combines features from the 3.5 Pale Master and the 3.5 True Necromancer. When prestige classes (usually from different sourcebooks, but sometimes the same one) are interesting but so similar that they could really be the same class, I go ahead and combine them into one that's more usable.

Why combine them? They have completely differant purposes. Combining them just makes arcane necromancy even weaker than it already is.

[Harkone]

I always thought the Pale Master was pretty weak, as prestige classes go. That's what originally spurred me to combine the two. This folds the elements from the Pale Master that I thought were interesting into a better class (the True Necromancer), making a stronger class overall. Of course, this is all only my humble opinion.