Level Special
1 Touch of Life and Death, Spell Burst
2 Sense Necromancy
3 Famine
4 Bloodless, Improves Spell Burst
5 Bonus Feat
6 -
7 Pestilence
8 Sustained Body
9 Greater Spell Burst
10 Bonus Feat
11 Death
12 Sustained Mind
13 -
14 Superior Spell Burst
15 Bonus Feat
16 Sustained Breath
17 -
18 -
19 Supreme Spell Busrt
20 The Passing
Standard Sorc Spell Progression and Spells known
Cleric BAB Good Fort and Will saves
*Must be neutral alignment
D8
Class Skills: Heal, Knowledge Arcana / Nature / Religion, Spellcraft, Profession, Craft Alchemy.
Touch of Life and Death(su): With a touch the True Necromancer can shift a number of hit points either to or from a creature. With a successful touch attack the True Necromancer can shift hit points equal to their caster level to a target inflicting damage to themselves but healing the target the same amount. The same ability can be used to transfer hit points from a target to the necromancer harming the target but healing the caster.
Spell Burst(su): the true necromancer can expend a spell slot to either heal or inflict damage based upon the spell level. This effect has a radius of 10 feet per spell level and heals or inflicts damage equal to the spells level + CHA. modifier. At 4th level and every 5 levels after that, the amount healed or inflicted becomes multiplied. At 4th level x2, 9th level x3, 14th level x4, and x5 at 19th level.
Spellcasting: The True Necromancer does not gain 0 level spells. True Necromancers can only learn spells from the necromancy and healing schools. They cast spells spontaneously as sorcerers(CHA based). The True Necromancer cannot however learn spells with an alignment descriptor.
Sense Necromancy(su): The True Necromancer gains the ability to sense and identify necromancy and healing, only by its aura as if they had used detect magic. They also gain a bonus equal to their class level on Use Magic Item checks with Necromancy or Healing Items. The True Necromancer is also constantly under the effects of the spell Deathwatch.
Famine(su): The True Necromancy has learned to channel the energies of themselves and others in other ways. With a touch a True necromancer can remove fatigue, exhaustion, and sustain the target for one day without food and water. Alternativly they can also cause the creature to make a fort. Save or become exhausted. On a successful save the target is fatigued. The target also takes 2d6 subdual damage from starvation and dehydration (save negates). Save equals 10+1/2 caster level + CHA mod. This ability is useable 1+CHA mod. Times per day, and a creature can only be effected by this ability once per day.
Bloodless(ex): The True Necromancer may undergo a process by which they drain their body of blood. This process is gory and viewed as vile by most. The process requires 24 hours of research and preparation as well as 3 hours and 2000gp worth of materials to complete. The True Necromancer must succeed on a DC 10 fort save or die from the process. Once the process is complete the True necromancer becomes immune to bleed damage, non-magical poisons, and non-magical diseases.
Pestilence(su): With a touch the True Necromancer can remove, blindness, deafness, disease, poison, and paralysis. Alternativly they can also impart one of these conditions onto another, which allows a save DC= 10+1/2 CL +CHA. On a failed save the target is subject to one of the above conditions, with conditions as follows:
• Blindness or Deafness – permanent
• Diseases – permanent until single successful save. Cannot be magical diseases.
• Poisons – Duration until single successful save
• Paralysis – 1 round/5 caster levels
Sustained Body(ex): If the True Necromancer successfully completed the bloodless ritual they can proceed one step farther, removing their inner organs except their heart, lungs, and brain. The process requires 12 hours of research and preparation 4000gp of materials and 3 hours to complete. They must succeed a DC 15 fort save or die from the process. After which they are immune to physical ability score drain or damage. Immune to magical diseases and poisons, no longer need to eat or drink, immune to CON damage, CON drain and suffer no ill effects from aging.
Death(su): With a touch the True Necromancer can cause a creature to return to life. The creature in question returns to life just beyond the brink of death (0 hp), and exactly as they were at the time of death (minus bleeding effects). This effect can bring back a subject with 0 CON restoring 1 point of CON damage or drain, and this effect CAN bring back those that have died of old age, granting them an additional year of life, though the caster is seldom to use the ability in this manner out of respect for the permanency of life and death. The True Necromancer can also cause a subject to go just beyond the brink of life (-1 hp). A successful for save negates the effect, but ages the target by one category. Save equal to 10+1/2CL +CHA. The Necromancer is also immune to death effects.
Sustained Mind(ex): If the True Necromancer successfully completed the bloodless and sustained body ritual, they can continue their conversion. With this ritual the Necromancer removes their brain, and stores it in a special canoptic jar. The process requires 24 hours of research and preparation, 8000gp of materials (jar included in price) and 1 hour to complete. They must succeed on a DC 20 will save or die. If the successfully complete this ritual they are immune to mental effects, level drain, INT damage, INT drain, WIS damage, WIS drain, and no longer require rest. Though they must still take 1 hour out of their day to revitalize their spell energies. If the canoptic jar encasing their brain is ever destroyed the Necromancer dies.
Sustained Breath(ex): If the True Necromancer successfully completed all prior rituals they can continue their conversion. This ritual removes the True Necromancer’s lungs. The ritual requires 6 hours of research and preparation, 16000gp of materials (including canoptic jar) and 1 hour to complete. If they successfully complete the ritual they no longer need to breath. Also the True Necromancer can cast all of their spells as silent spells. If the canoptic jar encasing their lungs is ever destroyed the Necromancer dies of suffocation.
The Passing(ex): If the True Necromancer successfully completes all prior rituals they can perform their final conversion. This ritual removes the last of their organs, the heart. This ritual requires 24 hours of research and preparation 32000gp of materials their two canoptic jars and 10 hours to complete. The first part of the process requires a DC 25 fort save or the True Necromancer dies from removing their heart. If they survive, the second part requires the True Necromancer to destroy both canoptic jars requiring both a DC 25 fort and will save, or die. If they successfully complete this ritual the True Necromancer transforms into a creature depending on their alignment:
• Neutral Good – Deathless Lich *no phylactery
• True Neutral – Purgatorian
• Neutral Evil – Undead Lich *no phylactery
Purgatorian:
Same as lich except as noted here:
• Retains CON. Score
• Constant Gentle Repose
• Not classified as alive or dead
• Does not gain channel resistance
• Can deal either positive or negative damage with its touch attack
• Does not gain Fear aura
• Does not gain paralyzing touch
• Does not gain Damage Reduction
• Gains spell resistance 15 + HD
• +2 STR, +2 DEX, +2 CON
• Healed normally by positive and negative energy
• When reduced to 0 hit points there is a 50% chance that the Purgatorian dies or is destroyed.
Hi Saracen,
I like the idea and feeling of your True Necromancer but I honestly think it seems a bit overpowered.
The TN gains a lot of magical effects and not to mention the chance of dying as you level up, that's not exactly player friendly. Would it not be easier to keep the cost and use an xp penalty instead to go through with the ritual?
I would think Intelligence or Wisdom would be a more natural casting stat for a TN than Charisma as well. Can they choose any spells from the Healing and Necromancy subset or just arcane or divine spells?
I was wondering about the power aspect of some of its abilities when i was making it, then started doing math and found that some of the things arent really that overpowering they just seem like that at first glance. spell burst (while similar to channel energy) is different in two VERY different ways. 1; they have to burn a spell to get the effect, and said effect is contingent upon the spell. 2; there are not, nor are there likely to be any feats for this ability which makes it no where near as versatile or powerful as channel (encompassing 3.5 feats as well as pathfinder)
As for Famine, Pestilence and Death: typo, i forgot to put a daily usage on pestilence and death abilities.
Yea the whole dying thing is kinda steep ( I'm still working on that part) but seemed rather appropriate, I'm tossing around the idea of just dumping all their spells as part of ritual (to keep them alive and sew their magical forces as part of their natural body) instead of death, but for what they get that doesn't really seem like enough cost, though i guess that's what the money is for.
As for the Cha stat, while i get what your saying about the primary ability, while i was envisioning this class i saw them as a spontaneous caster. Like a person who literally holds life and death in their very hands.
And to your last question, yes they gain access to any and all necro and healing spells - as long as they don't have an alignment descriptor.
Thank you for your post, if disagree with me on these please let me know i take criticisms well, and welcome questions and suggestions.
A daily limit would certainly make the abilities more easily balanced and a ritual seems much "nicer" on players.
You haven't written up their armour and weapon proficiencies though, would these be similar to a cleric or sorcerer?
With regards to Spell Burst, perhaps you should specify that the TN can use positive or negative energy in a burst?
The canopic jars is an interesting idea, but it seems to leave the class rather vulnerable, of course, that's up to the GM on how mean he wants to be to the player.
I haven't looked through the spell list, but I assume it would be limited but quite useful what they can cast.
Yea with respects to armor and weapons, i was thinking same line as sorc/wiz.
spell burst, yes they cause an explosion of either positive or negative energy when they sacrifice one of their spell slots. They choose which when they use the ability.
On the canoptic jars, while yes it does leave the class extremely vulnerable however, this aspect of the class is late in its progression and does not present itself until such time that the adventurers *should* have, among other things, in their possession a Bag of Holding, and while i agree with you it is up to the DM to decide how mean they are going to be, I personally have never met one so mean as to sunder a PC's bag of holding.
As for the spell list that really would only be limited to the player's discretion. In that I mean that the only restrictions on spells that the class has is that the only spells they can learn are Necromancy and Healing spells, AND that said spells cannot have an alignment descriptor. So yes limited in its capacity but extrordinarily versatile.
Thank you for your post.
Very interesting class. My favorite part is the silent spells thingy, because for some reason it seems to fit Golarions whispering way philosophy so well.
Regarding balance I can't really tell, but the fluff is really good.
Maybe the only unbalanced thing (especially for a pc) would be, becoming an undead lich and having such a high charisma(resulting into too many hp and a huge fort save) . The purgatorian seems much more balanced and unique.
This really should be more of a prestige class than a base class. I'm not sure it is focused enough on a specific theme to even go that way. There are plenty of things in the class that are worth working with (such as the gradual removal of organs and such) but again, I don't know that it needs a base class to accomplish it rather than being an option for an evil spellcaster.
Also... no phylactery? So they die instantly and permanently if they hit 0 hitpoints, or do they never die permanently?
This really should be more of a prestige class than a base class. I'm not sure it is focused enough on a specific theme to even go that way. There are plenty of things in the class that are worth working with (such as the gradual removal of organs and such) but again, I don't know that it needs a base class to accomplish it rather than being an option for an evil spellcaster.
Also... no phylactery? So they die instantly and permanently if they hit 0 hitpoints, or do they never die permanently?
The class is supposed to be about the cycle of both life and death, and effectivly the story fluff behind the class is that while being a mortal they would want to stave off death as much as possible, they as a following understand the formality that is the counterpoint to life, and that everything must in time come to an end.
long story short no phylactery = instant death at 0, though soul still remains in the afterlife (such as with a Ghostwalk Campaign) the lich does not come back, and is gone for good.
While a true resurection could bring them back, they would have to do all the rituals over again to regain what they once had.