|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I've always found the fact that wizards are behind clerics in undead animation to be annoying. While pathfinder mitigates that a bit, it still at base dose not eliminate the issue. Thus, I have decided to make my own archetype for an animation and necromancy focused wizard, with the fluff of a necromancer who delves deeper into dark arcane lore then his peers and sacrifices some arcane power for greater control over the forces of undeath. I am not the best homebrewer in the world and realize a lot of this may be unbalanced, so I'd like your opinions on it and, more importantly, how to improve it. So, without further hesitation I present the True Necromancer...
Necromancy is often considered a poor choice of specialty for a budding wizard. Indeed, those who wish to command legions of undead minions almost always peruse divine means. However, for some who may not possess the enlightened mindset necessary to become a cleric, or those whom wish to command the powers of undeath while retaining the mastery over reality arcane magic allows, the study of arcane necromancy can prove fruitful if they dig deeply enough into forbidden knowledge. These wizards devote the vast bulk of their studies to the black arts of necromancy, shunning many of the traditional areas of arcane study to gain greater power over the forces of undeath. They are the true masters of undeath, the commanders of undead legions and keepers of blasphemous arcane secrets. They are the True Necromancers.
Prerequisite: A Wizard must be of a non-good alignment and must be a Necromancer Wizard with the Undead focused school to take this archetype.
A True Necromancer has the following class features:
Spellcasting: The True Necromancer's spellcasting functions like that of any other wizard, however, due to their intense focus on the black arts of Necromancy, they neglect their restricted schools even more then a standard necromancer would. Spells from restricted schools not only take two spell slots instead of one for the True Necromancer to prepare, but are also counted as one level higher then normal for the purposes of preparing and casting those spells.(So a True Necromancer trying to cast a spell from a restricted school that would usually take two level four slots to prepare instead takes two level 5 slots.) However, in return for this sacrifice, the True Necromancer moves all spells that animate and/or create undead down one spell level on his class spell list.(So a True Necromancer could learn Animate Dead as a level 3 spell instead of a level 4, and could learn a spell like Create Undead as a level 5 spell instead of a level 6.)
This ability is considered to alter the spellcasting class features of the wizard class.
Dark Channeling (Su): A True Necromancer's study of the dark arts grants him the ability to channel energy much like agents of the divine powers do. At 1st level, the True Necromancer gains the ability to channel negative energy(and ONLY negative energy) as a cleric of his wizard level a number if times per-day equal to 3+ his cha-modifier. If the True Necromancer already possesses the ability to channel energy in a limited manner, this ability replaces the limited channel energy ability they possess and can be used to power any feats their old channel energy power was used to fuel(Such as Command Undead) while retaining the ability to be used as a standard channel energy ability. The True Necromancer thus can take any of the channeling feats a cleric or other channeling character could, including feats like alignment channel.
This class feature replaces the Cantrips wizard class feature.
Undead Servitor (Su): The True Necromancer studies the art of reanimation so thoroughly that they can create undead servants through ritual alone. At 1st level and every level after, the True Necromancer can animate the corpses of dead creatures as skeletons and zombies by preforming a ritual that takes 8 hours. The skeleton or zombie cannot have hit dice that exceed the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can create and control only one undead with this ritual.. Undead the True Necromancer controls with this ability do not count against the number of undead the True Necromancer can control with spells such as Animate Dead and the Command Undead ability. This ability can also be used to create variant skeletons and zombies, such as burning or bloody skeletons, but their hit dice cannot exceed half the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can as a standard action dismiss his undead servitor, destroying it.
This class feature replaces the wizard's "Arcane Bond" class feature.
Death's Messiah (Su): A True Necromancer becomes so adapt at animating the undead that he can command such great numbers that no spellcaster can match the size of his legions. At 5th level and every level after a True Necromancer’s ability to command the undead with spells like Animate Dead increases, the maximum number of undead that he is able to control with Animate Dead is equal to his wizard level times his caster level instead of the usual 4 times his caster level.
This ability replaces the wizard's level 5 bonus feat.
Duke of the Damned (Ex): As his power grows the True Necromancer's vile reputation becomes so great that he attracts undead minions and other agents of undeath to him. At level 10, the True Necromancer gains an ability identical to the leadership feat, but with the following changes: Your leadership score is treated as 2 higher than it otherwise would be for the purpose of attracting followers and you can only attract undead followers. Your cohort can be living or undead, but if your cohort is living they must be either a knight of the sepulcher antipaladin, cleric with the death domain, bones mystery oracle, blight druid, gravewalker witch, undead bloodline sorcerer or necromancer wizard. If you choose to attract an undead cohort as appose to a living one, you can attract an undead cohort with a maximum effective character level equal to two less then your character level. If you already have the leadership feat when you obtain this ability or take it at any point after you gain it, it still functions as normal and your leadership score for this ability remains separate from your leadership score for the leadership feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 10 bonus feat.
Impose Undeath (Su): The True Necromancer becomes so powerful that he eventually learns how channel negative energy in a way that transforms dying enemies into obedient undead. At level 15, the True Necromancer gains an additional use for his channel energy ability. He can expend a channel energy use to make one living creature that he drops to 0 hit points into any undead creature of his choice who's total hit dice are equal to the total hit dice of the creature he dropped to 0 hit points. This undead creature is automatically under the command of the True Necromancer and dose not count against the control limit for spells like animate dead and the command undead feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 15 bonus feat.
Horderaiser (Su): At the height of his craft, the True Necromancer can animate large amounts of undead to do his bidding. At level 20, the True Necromancer gains the ability to use his command undead ability to animate undead instead of command them. The True Necromancer makes his command check treating the corpses to be animated as undead of equal hit dice. Any of the corpses which would be commanded by his results if they where undead are reanimated as skeletons or zombies that are automatically under the True Necromancer's control. A True Necromancer cannot animate more undead then the maximum number he could command(Including any undead already under his command.) with this ability. These undead are counted against the control limit of the True Necromancer's Command Undead feat. Any excess undead animated with this ability are not under the True Necromancer's command.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 20 bonus feat
Dotted.
Check out SGG's Death Mage for ideas.
And if you like it, buy the PDF :)
|
|
I know of the death mage and have bought the pdf...a long time ago. However, I'm looking for a way to make a good minionmaster wizard, not play another class. Anyway, I know impose undeath is pretty OPed, but I'm not sure how to fix it. It was actually inspired by a horrid 3.5e spell known as ghoul gauntlet, of all things, and I could maybe take a page from said spell? Perhaps make it so the undead created by it are not automatically controlled? Or would I need to do more then that to balance it?
Its not bad but it doesn’t actually solve the ‘clerics are better necromancers’ issue. The True Necromancer is only ‘barely’ equal to a normal cleric that uses just happens to use undead (to say nothing of a specialist), due to lack of useful necromancy spells (the Inflict spells in particular).
Just a few suggestions, take it as you will, of possible changes to consider.
The Red Mage Approach: A True Necromancer gives the impression of mastering necromancy to the exclusion of all else, in a similar line-of-thought the Red Mages of Ferune tend to specialize in one school to the exclusion of almost every other school of magic. In doing so diversity is sacrificed for greater power in the ‘specialized school‘, usually enough to compensate for the lose, granting things like free Spell Focus and Spell Penetration (or similar things) or lessening metamagic costs for the ‘specialized school’.
So perhaps something like this:
===
House of One: You see no reason to consider the powers of other schools compared to the ultimate glory of necromancy, for the power over life and death is absolute. A True Necromancer is specialized in Necromancy (with all its benefits) and all other schools are counted as ‘opposed‘ schools.
Mage of the Black Arcanum: You are a wizard of darkest secrets of necromancy, you have dared tread its darkest roads to learn it terrible truths and have not only survived but have advanced beyond your lowly peers. At 1st level a True Necromancer gains several benefits from his mental journey to the darkest places of the mind, and great understanding of life and death. He grains the feats Spell Focus (Necromancy), Spell Penetration, and Command Undead. In addition he gains access to all necromancy spells at their lowest spell level. Finally a True Necromancer gains the ability to channel negative energy (and only negative energy) as a cleric of equal level a number of times per day equal to 3+ your Intelligence Modifier.
At 6th Level a True Necromancer gains the feat Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy) for free.
This ability alters and replaces Arcane School and the Scribe Scroll feat
===
The above may be too powerful, or perhaps too weak, depending on who much value you place on a spell casters magic diversity. For some the bonuses from restricting all other schools is simply not enough to compensate from the lose of options. Still One’s Mileage Will Vary.
===
Numerical Superiority: Perhaps the biggest difference between an arcane and divine necromancer is the sheer number of undead they can put at their disposal. This can be seen as the core reason why divine necromancers tend to be considered superior to their arcane, that they can also acquire the Command Undead spell (the arcaneist only advantage) can be considered pretty unfair.
Regardless of whether you choose to give the True Necromancer a channel energy ability or not, doing so will at least put them on roughly equal terms, it wont really give them a real edge against the divine necromancers. The below may be all you really need to make a arcane necromancer, King of the Corpses.
Death’s Messiah: A True Necromancer’s ability to command the undead is his most powerful ability, that he can command such great numbers only increases the fear he emanates. At 5th level a True Necromancer’s ability to command the undead increases, the maxium number of undead he is able to control is equal to his True Necromancer level per caster level.
[Designer Note: A necromancer can only permanently control (until released or enthralled) a number of undead equal to 4 times his caster level. A True Necromancer that gets this ability at level 5 can command 5 times his caster level, and the number increases by 1 for every level of True Necromancer gained thereafter; to the maximum of 20 times his caster (around 400 Hit Dice worth of undead). Beat that cleric!]
Your Mileage May Vary as to whether you consider these reasonable ideas or not, but take what you will and leave the rest.
|
|
Yeah, I had similar ideas to yours, but thought them too powerful at first. Originally I made this class have three opposition schools and gave it all necromancy spells from the cleric list in return, but if you don't think that's too powerful then I may re-instate it. Also, I do not like the idea of every school being opposed sans necromancy. The whole reason I'm making this is I want a good arcane necromancer that still has the options of a tier 1 class, and making every school an opposed school will definitely drop the wizard a tier, stripping it of it's wealth of options and at that point it would be easier to just convert the Dread Necromancer from 3.5e to pathfinder.
I do like the last ability you made, though, and I'll probally apply it. Also, just so you know, the archetype can already channel energy to heal undead. It just cannot use that channel energy power to cause damage to the living.
Notes:
-Channel based on Int or Cha
I personally like the idea of using Cha. Seeing as the Wizard can be so SAD that most anti-depressants don't work at all, having his channeling remain Cha based is a good balancing factor for the class.
-It could also be done like the Juju Oracle, only channeling for Control Undead, maybe allowing healing Undead as well, but not damaging living. That said the Channel could function at a lower level and act as a replacement for the normal wizard level one power.
-Opposition Schools
Perhaps the 4 opposition schools of the Spellslinger makes sense. there's a precedent for it, and isn't as bad as needing to burn two slots of a higher level. That kills a lot of the Wizard's utility.
-Minion
I like using the minion as the Undead Lord instead of the familiar, although one could use the familiar progression of abilities, but have them based on the creature HD instead of the wizard level. Basically the familiar advances at the same rate, but the Wizard needs to take the time to animate a higher HD creature or make a variant to gain the advantages of a better familiar.
-Spells
Giving the Wizard the full compliment of cleric necromancy, as well as the Inflicts makes sense.
-Duke of Undeath needs a variant, in case Leadership is not allowed in a game.
-Number of Undead available for control
400. that's more than 300. That is in fact MADNESS! I'd say it's be more reasonable to take another leaf out of the Juju book, and go with controlling 6HD per level, maybe 8 per level if you really need all the minions ever.
|
|
Yeah, but there is still the whole lack of desecrate. Perhaps I should poach the Dread Necro ability, but set to int instead of cha(so 4+ Int modifier per CL level instead of the normal 4 per CL.) Also, four opposition schools seems like a better trade, now that I think of it, since losing 9ths in two schools is a VERY big deal. Also, the channel power is cha-based, but I forgot to mention it. Sorry about that.
I really liked the idea of this archetype, but there are too much abilities. Based on this one, I came out with the following:
A specialist wizard who calls himself a necromancer or a cleric with the death domain has significant power over undead and the forces of negative energy, but the true necromancer is their real master. He calls upon restless, tormented spirits of the dead, seeking their arcane secrets and bind diverse forms of necromancy in a very unique art.
Prerequisite: A Wizard must be of a non-good alignment and must be a Necromancer Wizard with the Undead focused school to take this archetype.
Spellcasting: The True Necromancer's spellcasting functions like that of any other wizard; however, due to their intense focus on the black arts of Necromancy, they neglect their traditional realms of arcane study even more than other necromancers. The True Necromancer chooses 4 restricted schools instead of the 2 a normal specialist chooses. However, in return for this sacrifice, the True Necromancer adds all necromancy spells from all spell lists to their class spell list. These spells are treated and cast as any other spells the True Necromancer could learn and cast, despite their list of origin. So these spells remain arcane, remain intelligence based, etc. Any of these spells, including those that are ordinarily divine can be learned from any kind of written text, even if those texts are not wizard/sorcerer or arcane texts. So a True Necromancer could learn the spell "destruction" from a divine scroll despite the fact a normal wizard could not do the same. These spells can also be chosen as bonus spells gained from leveling up. If a spell added this way already appears on the wizard/sorcerer spell list, it can be learned by a True Necromancer as a spell of the lowest level it appears on all spell lists. So a True Necromancer could learn Animate Dead as a level 3 spell instead of a level 4 spell, for example.
Dark Channeling (Su): While a standard Necromancer wizard can only use his channel energy attempts to use the Command Undead feat, the True Necromancer' learns to channel energy just like the servants of the divine. The True Necromancer loses the limited channel energy he gains from being a necromancy specialist (but keeps the command undead feat) and instead gains the ability to channel negative energy as an evil cleric of his class level a number of times per day equal to 3 + his charisma modifier. He can use this ability in any and all ways a cleric can, and can take any channeling feats, including feats such as alignment channel that alter this ability. This class feature alters the Arcane School wizard class feature.
Dark Art (Ex or Su): The True Necromancer’s knowledge of the forbidden arts is vast, but commonly manifests in the form of a corpse companion or improved battle prowess. At 1st level, the true necromancer must choose one of the following abilities:
Corpse Companion (Su): With a ritual requiring 8 hours, a true necromancer can animate a single skeleton or zombie whose hit dice do not exceed his wizard level. This corpse companion automatically follows his commands and does not need to be controlled by him. He cannot have more than one companion at a time. It does not count against the number of hit dice of undead controlled by other methods. He can use this ability to create a variant skeleton such as a bloody or burning skeleton, but its hit dice cannot exceed half his wizard level. He can dismiss his companion as a standard action, which destroys it.
Reaper (Ex): A True Necromancer becomes proficient with simple weapons and with one melee martial weapon of his choice. He is also proficient with light armor, but not with shields. While wearing light armor, a true necromancer can cast spells of the necromancy and universal school without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. He still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells from the other schools and derived from other classes. In addition, if a true necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, he incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as normal.
This ability replaces Arcane Bond.
I tried to transport the feeling of the dread necromancer to this archetype. I think that the other abilities of the class and those created by Takhisis would be great as arcane discoveries. What do you think?
Traditionally, conversion to undeath costs a level/hit dice.
You might also bring back Bonedance. Make it available to Wizards, Sorcerers, and Bards only. Bonedance temporarily animated remains. It was alignment neutral and didn't count against undead controllable.