Dragon 372 - Secrets of the City Entombed...Includes Many Necromantic Flavored Powers

[Nymrohd]

Animating something huge would probably be one of the strongest control powers available for only a 9th level daily.

 

[chaotix42]

Heh, yeah. That is pretty sweet.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

All of the powers in this article were specifically written for this article by Matt Sernett and developed by me. None of them appear in any upcoming product (at least, that we have planned) and are exclusive to Dragon Magazine.

So, you think the lack of a Proficiency Bonus on attacks against AC with the summoned monster will work fine? Or are modifications considered before the finale issue is compiled?

 

[Sir Brennen]

I too want to see the summons buffed up a bit. Maybe if the animated dead is destroyed the wizard doesn't take damage like he does with normal summons? Or perhaps give the animated dead some extra hit points? It definitely needs something special.

I was thinking something more along the lines of Resist 2 weapon damage (is there a precedent for that type of resistance?), Vulnerable 5 Radiant.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Animating something huge would probably be one of the strongest control powers available for only a 9th level daily.

With the caveats of

1) The DM places a Huge creature in the scenario
2) The Huge creature is slain early enough in the fight for it to be used by the power

I saw someone mentioning simply lugging around the bones of a large/huge creature in a bag of holding, and using the power on them to get a bigger creature on a reliable basis. Personally, I'd make the Animate Dead power "use up" the target corpse when it is slain/expires to nip this trick in the bud. (In the Guild Wars MMORPG, a corpse a necromancer has used for a power - including various "animate dead" spells - becomes "exploited", meaning it cannot be used for another power, by them or anyone else.)

One thing I don't like about the wording of the power - it specifies using a fallen enemy. This makes it tough to use by an NPC, as heroes are less likely to actually die, and they can't use their fallen comrades for zombie making... I think I'd change that limitation in play.

 

[Byronic]

I'm surprised nobodies mentioned the possibility of putting a few of these powers together and making a Necromancer class. Oh well, I know my players will be happy.

 

[Rechan]

I saw someone mentioning simply lugging around the bones of a large/huge creature in a bag of holding, and using the power on them to get a bigger creature on a reliable basis. Personally, I'd make the Animate Dead power "use up" the target corpse when it is slain/expires to nip this trick in the bud.

Even if it used up the corpse, I would encourage the PCs to go hunt huge monsters to have a "ready made" dead to animate.

I see very little of that "We desire to just go hunt down specific monsters for the use of their body/right to say we killed 'em" in games. Usually it's "We fight what the DM has plotted" instead of pro-actively hunting them out.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Hmm... actually, looking at a bag of holding, it only holds up to 200 pounds. That wouldn't hold a large creature's corpse. It would hold it's bones, but the power says it works on a fallen enemy's corpse, and one might rule that just a skeleton does not a corpse make.

 

[Nymrohd]

I think it is a necromantic staple to hunt for foes who make good undead when animated

 

[Shroomy]

BTW, in the full release version of Dragon 372, all of the Summoning powers have been changed to target Reflex.