I couldn't be the only one who misses the Ashworm Dragoon, could I?
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Good points Ulfsarker! For the cantrips I was thinking the fact they get a martial weapon of their choice and light armor proficiency with no spell failure it would balance out a little more even. Yes you won't be able to start off with prestidigitation but you can start with an extra +4 AC without having to cast a spell and a more than handy martial weapon. I did also consider giving them summon monster but in the end I decided to drop it due to combat management worries later on. I also felt that they would be able to carry themselves fairly well early on with the aforementioned extra Ac and most likely a martial reach weapon. I did however accidentally delete the fact that they get inflict light wounds as a first level spell. I also think it might be a good idea to go ahead and give them lesser animate dead as a second level spell to help close that gap. Figuring out a balancing way to even out their spellcasting was a little tricky. I wanted them to maintain the spontaneous casting from 3.5 while making it to where they couldn't out blast the sorcerers when they get more damaging spells. If I were to keep them as they were they would be more versatile than a wizard as soon as they gained a new spell level as well as being as devastating as a sorcerer when it comes to flinging them. I figured my fix would be more appealing seems how they gain their new spell level 1 class level earlier than before while limiting how blasty they can be. I did mean to have inflict light wounds as a 1st level spell and lesser animate dead as a 2nd level spell Honestly, now that you mention it, I think you're absolutely right about lich's touch not needing a saving throw. TLDR armor and martial weapon proficiency, in my opinion, balance lack of cantrips and boost survibability greatly. Lesser animate dead as a 2nd level spell should mend most of that hole at low levels. Spellcasting is the way it is to insure wizards and sorcerers keep their niches. Lich's touch does not need saving throw. Also I've decided that light fortification is a little out of place in this class, seems how most undead no longer receive it, and have decided to remove it completely.
List of changes Hit Dice is now a d8 Lich's touch no longer has a saving throw. At level 16 the Dread Necromancer does not get to replace constitution with charisma when calculating max HP. Dread Necromancer no longer gets Light fortification or its improvement at levels 10 and 17. Lich Transformation now only applies lich Template to character at no material cost. Inflict Light Wounds added as a 1st level spell. Lesser Animate Dead added as a 2nd level spell.
Thank you Falcar! I simply forgot to take out the experience part all together so that was just my error. I do agree that the Lich transformation should get the D8 hit dice so that will be changed in the final draft. In fact I'll probably just change it to where they get the lich template at none of the cost. Channeling negative energy as a cleric was something I did contemplate but I personally thought that would give this class a little too much. The difference being blasting 10d6 of negative energy 3 + cha a day (around 12-16 at level 20) or a straight 20d4 in a much smaller burst of 5ft radius just 3 times a day should be plenty for a class that already gets so much. The d6 hit dice was also a precaution to help the class from being too strong. After a little bit of math I figure if you min-max charisma you can have 345HD of undead under your control at level 19(432 as a level 20 lich). To put it in perspective a cleric of level 20 would only be able to control 96hd. Given the fact at level 16 he gets to use his charisma to HP instead of his con, d6 sounded lenient. On second thought seems how the Level 19 min-max Dread necromancer above would be netting a cool 228hp from charisma, maybe he should get d8 and just lose the charisma to hp, at least until he's a full lich anyways...
Shameless self bump!
Hey all, my goal here is to make a usable Dread Necromancer conversion from 3.5 to Pathfinder. I'm hoping to gather advice to further balance the character and notice any mechanical problems that I may have overlooked. First, here is a link to the original class.
______________________________________________________ Alignment, hp, skills, saves:
Alignment: Any Non-good
D6 hit dice 1/2 base attack bonus progression 2+int skills points Class skills: Bluff, Craft, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge Religion, Linguistics, Profession, Spellcraft, Stealth. Dread necromancers have good Will saves Weapon and armor proficiency:
A dread necromancer is proficient with all simple weapons and with one martial weapon of her choice. Her choice of martial weapon is made when the character takes her first level of dread necromancer and cannot be changed.
The Dread Necromancer is Proficient with light armor but not shields and thus does not suffer from the normal arcane spell failure while wearing it. If a dread necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, she incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as any other arcane caster if the spell in question has a somatic component. Spellcasting:
The Dread Necromancer cast arcane spells from the dread necromancer's spell list. Like a sorcerer she can cast spells without preparing them ahead of time.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Dread Necromancer's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Dread Necromancer's Charisma modifier. Starting Spells: A dread necromancer begins play knowing Read Magic, and Detect Magic as 1st level spells as well as any two of their choice from his spell list. Each time a character attains a new Dread Necromancer level, he gains two spells of his choice to add to his spells known. The two free spells must be of spell levels he can cast or lower. A Dread Necromancer has the same spells per day advancement as a wizard. Spell List:
Level 1 bane cause fear chill touch detect magic detect undead doom hide from undead Ray of enfeeblement Undetectable alignment level 2
level 3
level 4
level 5
level 6
level 7
level 8
level 9
Spoiler:
1: Lich's Touch, Command Undead 2: Lich body 3: Negative Energy Burst 4: Advanced Learning 5: Fear Aura 6: Scabrous Touch 7: Corpse Companion 8: Undead Mastery 9: Negative energy Resistance 10: Light Fortification 11: 12: Enervating Touch 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: Craft Wondrous Item 20: Lich Transformation Detailed Class Features
Lich's Touch:
At 1st level, the Dread Necromancer becomes a conduit for negative energy and the chill powers of death, allowing him to make a melee touch attack dealing 1d6 points of damage from negative energy per every other level of the Dread Necromancer class he attains with a Will Save of 10+ 1/2 Dread Necromancer level + Charisma Modifier for half damage. This ability allows him to heal undead minions, and himself upon attaining the negative energy affinity ability at 7th level. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma bonus. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a Lich’s Touch attack from a distance. Command Undead:
You receive Command Undead as a bonus feat. You can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier, but only to use the selected feat. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Extra Channel and Improved Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Elemental Chanel and Alignment Chanel. The DC to save against these feats is equal to 10 + 1/2 your Dread Necromancer level + your Charisma modifier. At 20th level, undead cannot add their channel resistance to the save against this ability. Lich Body:
Starting at 2nd level, a dread necromancer begins her journey into undeath. The first symptom is her body's increased resilience to physical harm. She gains DR 2/bludgeoning and magic. At level 4 her body becomes more attune with the undead granting her a +2 on saving throws to resist disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, and sleep. This DR increases in effectiveness to DR 4 at 7th level and she also becomes so attune with the undead she gains Negative Energy Affinity suffering all of the positives and negatives associated with it. At 12th level her resistances strengthen from +2 to +4 and her DR increases to 6. At 16th Level The Dread Necromancer Becomes truly one with the undead. Spells that affect undead or spells that have specific effects on undead (such as Command Undead, Halt Undead, and searing Light) affect the Dread Necromancer as if she were undead. Her DR increases to DR 8. She Gains Immunity to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, and sleep. The Dread Necromancer also taps into his conviction to bolster his health, the character loses any hit points gained or lost from constitution modifier and they are immediately replaced with his charisma modifier. This change does not affect fortitude saves or skills or any check that uses Constitution. Negative Energy Burst:
Beginning at 3rd level, a dread necromancer gains the ability to emit a burst of negative energy from her body, harming living creatures within 5 feet of her. This burst deals 1d4 points of damage per class level. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + Cha modifier) reduces damage by half. Undead creatures within this burst are healed the same amount of hit points as the damage she deals to living creatures The Dread Necromancer may choose to be in the blast or not. A Dread Necromancer can use this ability once per day at 3rd level, and one additional time per day for every five levels she attains beyond 3rd (2/day at 8th level, 3/day at 13th level, and 4/day at 18th level). Advanced Learning:
At 4th level, a Dread Necromancer can add a new spell to her list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a cleric, witch, or wizard spell of the necromancy school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the dread necromancer already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is added to that dread necromancer's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell she knows. If a spell is on multiple spell list, use the lower of the spell levels (when different) to determine what level the spell is for a dread necromancer. A dread necromancer gains an additional new spell at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level. Fear Aura:
Beginning at 5th level, a dread necromancer radiates a 5-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier) or become shaken. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dread necromancer's fear aura for 24 hours. Scabrous Touch:
Starting at 6th level, once per day a dread necromancer can use her Lich’s Touch to inflict disease on a creature she touches. This ability works like the contagion spell, inflicting the disease of her choice immediately, with no incubation period, unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier). The DC for subsequent saving throws to resist the effects of the disease depends on the disease inflicted. Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until the dread necromancer makes a successful Lich’s Touch attack. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a scabrous touch attack from a distance. A dread necromancer can use this ability once per day at 6th level, twice per day at 11th level, and three times per day at 16th level. Corpse Companion:
With a ritual requiring 8 hours, an undead lord can animate a single skeleton or zombie whose Hit Dice do not exceed her Dread Necromancer level. This corpse companion automatically follows her commands and does not need to be controlled by her. She cannot have more than one corpse companion at a time. It does not count against the number of Hit Dice of undead controlled by other methods. She can use this ability to create a variant skeleton such as a bloody or burning skeleton, but its Hit Dice cannot exceed half her Dread Necromancer level. She can dismiss her companion as a standard action, which destroys it. Undead Mastery:
All undead creatures created by a Dread Necromancer who has reached 8th level or higher gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity and 2 additional hit points per Hit Die. In addition, when a Dread Necromancer uses the animate dead spell to create undead, she can control 4 + her Charisma bonus HD worth of undead creatures per class level (rather than the 4 HD per level normally granted by the spell). Similarly, when a dread necromancer casts the control undead spell, the spell targets up to (2 + her Cha bonus) HD/level of undead creatures, rather than the 2 HD/level normally granted by the spell. Negative Energy Resistance:
Beginning at 9th level, a dread necromancer gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist negative energy effects, including energy drain, some ability drain, and inflict spells. Light Fortification:
Starting at 10th level, a dread necromancer gains 25% resistance to critical hits; this is the equivalent of the light fortification armor special ability described on page 219 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. At 17th level, this fortification increases to 50%. Enervating Touch:
When a dread necromancer reaches 12th level, she gains the ability to bestow negative levels when she uses her Lich’s Touch attack. Each day, she can bestow a total number of negative levels equal to one-half her class level, but no more than two negative levels with a single touch. The saving throw to remove the negative levels has a DC of 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Charisma modifier. Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until she makes a successful Lich’s Touch attack. A dread necromancer can use the Spectral Hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance. Beginning at 17th level, the number of negative levels a dread necromancer can bestow per day increases to equal her class level. Craft Wondrous Item:
At 19th level, the dread necromancer gains Craft Wondrous Item as a bonus feat. This helps her prepare the phylactery required to become a lich. Lich Transformation:
When a Dread Necromancer attains 20th level, she undergoes a hideous transformation and becomes a lich. Her type changes to undead, and she gains all the traits of the undead. She no longer has a Constitution score, all of her existing Hit Dice become d12's, and she must reroll her hit points. A dread necromancer need not pay experience points or gold to create her phylactery. A dread necromancer who is not humanoid does not gain this class feature. Remember feedback is much appreciated!
Well I might as well contribute my latest foolhardy plan that went terribly wrong/horribly right. First, a little background information, the game was serpent skull, and the main mischief makers were myself a fighter, Judo Kickass McGuyver, who specializes in large weapons he builds out of excess materials and lives true to his chaotic good lifestyle and 8 wisdom. The second culprit Feroh Ahab, the chaotic good Bard/Oracle of nature flaunting a 7 wisdom, deemed the hero of nature by the fey on the shiv. He lives only for glory, friendship, and nature, and erm treasure, but the treasure is a different story. Now this adventure takes place after clearing a cave and finding an evil caravan of merchant traders disguised as a seemingly good caravan full of friendly helpful people. We are greeted and asked if we want to barter so we make our way to the shops were we are then greeted by a man by the name of Rickets, a no good piece of scum that speaks as though he is Ray Romano, who invites us to some cock fights and gambling that would happen later that evening. Feroh and my character Judo exchange looks then a silent nod then separate them self's from the party. We began concocting a plan to rescue the chickens and end the animal cruelty once and for all. The night had fallen and the chicken fights were beginning as scheduled. Feroh managed to fascinate the two chickens and cease them from fighting as Juliana, our summoner, cast haste on the chicken she had bet on. The fight had stalled out only to have Rickets jump in and shake the chickens into fighting one another. After the match he called Juliana out on using magic to aid one into winning, and at that point he sent his goons after her, his first mistake. The goons, who were guarding Rickets wagon of chickens, had began to chase after Juliana only to have Feroh jump out and take the blame to have the guards taken farther away from the wagon, now was my chance. I ran straight towards the wagon that Rickets now guarded alone, and jumped on the back throwing a thunderstone at my feet. The loud bang of the alchemical stone spooked the horses as they sped off driverless into the dark and rough terrain. Clinging onto the back of the wagon I began to pour vials of acid onto the lock and gained entrance into the wagon, were I found dozens of traumatized chickens starring at me begging for freedom from their world of fighting. I happily obliged by setting them free one at a time tossing them from their cages from the back of the wagon were they began to flutter toward freedom, when suddenly the wagon went air born and crashed into a dry ravine, some of the chickens were now laying dead at my feet. I clambered out of the wagon and to my horror I saw that one of the horses were on its side scrambling in pain of what was a broken leg. Now I'm no healer or veterinarian, having spent most my time as a sailor I thought that this would most likely lead to amputation, and for a horse, that meant death. I decided I'd do what I could to set that bone straight no matter what, I told my dm I was using my last hero point to add +8 to my next roll, only to be followed up by me rolling a nat 20 on my dice, the leg was set and I popped a potion of cmw into the horses mouth to speed up the healing process, I managed to pull it off, the horse would walk again, but to my dismay this gave Rickets men enough time to catch up to me. I decided to flee the scene only to have my pursuers surround me on horse back. I was outnumbered 5 to one, they won initiative and pelted me with 2 arrows, while the other 2 dismounted and pulled short swords. I gave one final warning then charged, Nat 20. I ended up doing 40 non lethal to the first guy which was more than enough to put him under. I was then pelted with two more arrows as I dodged the short sword. I was looking bad 13hp out of 49, when my ally, unknowing to me, had used his last hero point to cast a minor image of the most blood thirsty triceratops you could imagine. The beast stood 20 ft tall and out of it's mouth dangled the arms of what looked to be a fellow goon, the 4 remaining men fled as fast as they could leaving their unconscious buddy behind. I got him into this, I'd get him out, I picked up the wounded man and threw him over my shoulders and ran off in the opposite direction of my pursuers. The triceratops was beginning to follow me and was gaining ground, I knew I couldn't run for ever so I threw the injured man down and drew my Double Sawtooth Slasher, a pole-arm made by screwing two saws onto each side of an oar. As the beast charged me I braced for impact and closed my eyes knowing that this would most likely be my end. Upon reopening my eyes the beast had disappeared, as most illusion spells would once they reach their maximum distance. I heaved a sigh of relief and picked up the injured man and made my way back to the scene of the crash were the horse remained on its side struggling to regain it's footwork, in my retreat I forgot to cut the injured horse free of it's reins. I cut the horse free and it galloped away half happily and half in fear, and then I began to release the chickens. After getting a good majority of them out of their respective cages, they began to fight, as any chicken trained to do so probably would. Their fight's were bloody but only resulted in the deaths of about 3 more chickens leaving about a dozen or so unconscious and not in their native land. I figured if the goons were to ride up they'd recage the chickens so I began to scatter and hide the chickens around in bushes, trees, piles of rocks, or whatever else I could use to cover them. I sat the uncounsious man down in the back of the wagon and scribbled down a note that read, Sorry bout that knock on the noggin, here's 50 gp compensation. sincerely,
I left a pouch of 50 gp then hightailed it out of their to find a nice tree a couple of miles away that i could sleep in to protect me from velociraptors, as the forests we are in are inhabited by dinosaurs. The night ended without any more incident, and I rejoined the party in the next town up only to find that i've lost favor with most of the party for my actions, and that the loveable bard Feroh was nowhere to be found.
Why was swallow whole not included in the list of druid ability's for wild shape/beast form? I'm asking because the ability fits the flavor of one of my characters. Was it a balance issue?
My question originates from a campaign I'm in, I'm playing an over weight druid ,320 pounds, that is going to be traveling on a boat for around 72 days and during this time he is spending 16 hours using survival checks to provide food for some 27 crew mates. Every day is the same routine of Wild shaping into a large water elemental then fishing underneath the boat. My question is, will the druid encounter weight loss due to his strenuous hunting during the long days. The other players argue that their is no weight loss due to the fact that im in another form besides my regular one. My counter argument being, at the end of the day i am still fatigued therefore i have burned calories and thus i should lose weight. What is your thought on the mater and how much weight should my character lose during this time and should he gain any benefits from his sudden weight loss? |