Necromancy "Default" powers...

[steeldragons]

So, let's say there's this simplified D&D system, and Necromancers are there, in the the standard "specialist mage" kinda way.

This system, however, includes a set limited but renewable "power" for specialists relating to their particular flavor of magic.

I have two in mind...but they can only have one...

Which 1) is/seems more iconic "Necromancer"?
and 2) would you rather a necromancer class have built in?

The options are:
Necromantic Healing: pulling hp from someone and adding them to yourself , or vice versa or acting as "healing conduit" between two people/creatures you're are touching at the time (shifting their hp back/forth).
OR
Animate Dead: create skeletons and zombies* under your control [*from existing corpses not just spontaneously sprouting from the ground...as much as I like the visual].

Thanks in advance for the input an thoughts.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Animate dead is more flavorful.

How about an undead familiar?

 

[DEFCON 1]

Vampiric Touch for both questions.

Animating the dead always seems to me to be a spell or ritual that should be a big deal. A bigger event. Much bigger than just tossing off a spell in the middle of combat with a single action and having a heap of minions get up on their feet... especially if the rules allow you to cast spells multiple times in a single day. From a practical game-play point of view that is just too much of a pain in the butt to have to deal with-- all these skeletons and zombies getting up several times over the course of a fight.

Nah... save animating the dead for a more intricate ritual that takes longer and can't be done during combat-- so that you now have a pet/companion of a bit higher power that might actually be more useful later on in a fight as needed.

 

[steeldragons]

How about an undead familiar?

Just to hit on this for a second, familiars are an optional feature (player's choice) for all mages.

Have to admit I don't have any undead ones in the list of possibilities, though. hahaha. Maybe an option for a higher level/later thing for Necromancers to get/choose.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'll go with animate dead. I don't know if it's possible to balance having a fairly independent undead servitor though, especially if it moves more slowly than everyone else in the party. There would need to be strict limits on how powerful it could be, or how many you could have.

If this were 4e, I'd insist that the undead be a companion, but... in 3e, CR =/= ECL.

 

[Stormonu]

Why not make both options available, but only let them only go down one path (and perhaps start the other at say, 5th).

Another path to consider:

Power of the Undead: The necromancer's association with the creatures of the night allows him to take on the abilities of undead. He may become emaciated (gaining the damage reduction of a skeleton against non-bludgeoning weapons) or dessicated (like a zombie, gaining an extra HD), the speed of a vampire, the life-draining powers of a wight, the incorporeal intangibility of a ghost and so on. These powers may be slight and short-lived at first, but as his affiliation with the undead grows stronger, so too do his unnatural prowess.

 

[Stormonu]

Thinking about it further, here's an array of powers to consider:

Path of the Ghoul
Your festering touch brings woe to your prey
Benefit: You gain a claw attack. On a hit, your foe continues to take a small amount of damage each round
Upgrade: You paralyze your foe until your next action with a hit

Path of the Ghost
Every day, you fade a little more
Benefit: You are slightly incorporeal, attacks have a small chance of passing through you harmlessly. Solid barriers still block your way.
Upgrade: You become weightless and can levitate

Path of the Wight
Nothing must be allowed to live. Suffering is your friend.
Benefit: Your melee attacks drain a small amount of life force and temporarily transfer it to you.
Upgrade: You can drain your opponent's experience, granting you temporary bonuses to skills they possessed.

Path of the Vampire
Blood is life! Feel it thrum in your veins as it drains out of your foes.
Benefit: Your base movement rate is increased a step. Occasionally, you can focus yourself into a hasted or frenzied state for a short time.
Upgrade: You can transform into a bat or wolf for a short time

Path of the Dead Companion
The undead - they are your brothers, and they heed your call.
Benefit: Mindless undead treat you as if you were one of their own and will not attack you unless you attack them first. If you focus, you can compel mindless undead to follow your orders.
Upgrade: You can create mindless undead from corpses

Path of the Soul Singer
The dead - they know things that the living have forgotten.
Benefit: If you concentrate, you can speak with corpses, urging them to reveal secrets they kept in life.
Upgrade: You can call the dead from their graves to wreck vengeance on the living

Path of the Shadow
Every day, the darkness grows stronger
Benefit: You can stretch your shadow to manipulate things at a distance. Your touch slowly drains strength from your enemies.
Upgrade: Like a shadow, you can slip through cracks and barriers or disappear into darkness

 

[tuxgeo]

The "iconic" necromantic power is Animate Dead; however, as others have said, it's a power for later levels, and maybe as a ritual, so while it's iconic, I think it shouldn't be the default.

I wouldn't like to give necromancers much in the way of transferring life-energy from one being to another -- that the main schtick of Vampires, instead.

In my mind, the essential, rechargeable power for a necromancer would be a combat spell dealing necrotic damage: examples are the cantrip "Chill Touch," and the spells "Inflict Wounds" and "Blight," even going up to higher-level spells such as "Circle of Death," "Harm," and "Destruction."

I mean, there's that necrotic damage type in the game, and it seems specifically slated for necromancers, so why not make it available to them?

 

[steeldragons]

Why not make both options available, but only let them only go down one path (and perhaps start the other at say, 5th).

This is, of course, an excellent way to go. The problem(s) being
1) This is just supposed to be a "Basic" type of game. Take a sample character and get going.
2) Each character has 3 items..."features" I guess for lack of a better term...and all of their Class goodies have to fit in there. With the Necromancer (as the other mage options) "Arcane Magic" [their spellcasting] and "Arcane Lore" are taking up 2 of those options...leaving 1 slot. To give them both means...having to come up with a 4th option to include in evvverybody else! ...the Design Migraine is settign in just thinking about it.

Another path to consider:
Power of the Undead: The necromancer's association with the creatures of the night allows him to take on the abilities of undead. He may become emaciated (gaining the damage reduction of a skeleton against non-bludgeoning weapons) or dessicated (like a zombie, gaining an extra HD), the speed of a vampire, the life-draining powers of a wight, the incorporeal intangibility of a ghost and so on. These powers may be slight and short-lived at first, but as his affiliation with the undead grows stronger, so too do his unnatural prowess.

This is good too...but, again, a bit too far reaching/too many options to start/basics with. There IS something akin to this in the more expansive/expert/advanced game kind of rules. So this could, if you'll forgive me, be brought back from the proverbial grave to use at a later time.

The "iconic" necromantic power is Animate Dead; however, as others have said, it's a power for later levels, and maybe as a ritual, so while it's iconic, I think it shouldn't be the default.

Yes. I'm starting to get that...without putting limitations on the numbers and kinds of undead, which would be simple enough I suppose, but I can still see the potential problems/abuses in play.

I wouldn't like to give necromancers much in the way of transferring life-energy from one being to another

I rather like it...and it's growing on me. Specifically for 2 flavor/roleplay reasons.
1) It gives an option for magical Healing outside of Clerics or Druids.
2) It lends some flavor room (and validation) for the existence of the "non-evil misunderstood necromancers." Mages that are really just studying their craft, not interested in "the un/dead" per se, but the harnessing and directing of life/death energies.

-- that the main schtick of Vampires, instead.

Well, there will be no vampire characters in my game [as written. individual tables can muck about as they like. But I'm certainly not making it an option sanctioned by the game guidelines!]. So that's kinda moot.

In my mind, the essential, rechargeable power for a necromancer would be a combat spell dealing necrotic damage: examples are the cantrip "Chill Touch," and the spells "Inflict Wounds" and "Blight," even going up to higher-level spells such as "Circle of Death," "Harm," and "Destruction."

That was another thought/option, actually. A simple "Inflict Wounds" touch or maybe a short range ray...and "balances" nicely, since one of the cleric types has a "healing touch". But then again, that seems to reinforce the "necromancers has evilbad" trope and that's not necessarily an automatic flavor I want...though I suppose I could make cause wounds the innate power and put Cure Wounds into their allowable spell list...that would accomplish the same thing (and its already there in the more expanded rules' spell-list).

All good thoughts here guys. Thanks. Keep 'em coming.


I mean, there's that necrotic damage type in the game, and it seems specifically slated for necromancers, so why not make it available to them?[/QUOTE]

 

[DEFCON 1]

That was another thought/option, actually. A simple "Inflict Wounds" touch or maybe a short range ray...and "balances" nicely, since one of the cleric types has a "healing touch".

The reason why I prefer Vampiric Touch (or whatever you call it) over Chill Touch or a straight necrotic damage spell is that other than the fluff and the keyword, the latter are no different than any other evocation or damaging spell. So it doesn't scream "necromancer" to me, it just says "combat mage spell". You're doing straight damage to an enemy and that's it. Only difference is it has a necrotic keyword rather than a force keyword like a Magic Missile does, but so what? That's pretty meaningless.

Necromancers are mages that specialize in manipulating and controlling life and death. So they are the one specialist mage that probably should have some healing capacity in some form. Now sure, I can understand the sentiment that perhaps they should not be able to drain life from one creature and transfer it to another creature... but at the very least, draining from one and transferring to himself makes all the sense in the world. And on top of that... you actually get the best of both worlds inasmuch as if the necromancer is already topped off on HP... the spell at that point really is no different than a standard combat spell (since there is no HP being transferred.)

Now that being said... if you really want to give a "pseudo-good" necromancer option... then allowing for the transfer of HP to go to allies in order to heal them, is probably the best way to do that. Vampiric Touch is a very selflish spell-- you are hurting others just to help yourself. But if you allow for the HP to go to allies... then its a bit more grey. Yes, you are still hurting others, but it's for a good cause-- helping to keep your friends alive.

To me... that's the kind of spell I would want to see in the necromancer's list. It sits in the middle of a "pure damage" spell that the evokers would have, and the "pure healing" that your clerics and druids would have. Half damaging and half healing-- not as strong as either of the pure spells, but strong enough to be a worthwhile complement to the necromancer's arsenal.