The Vampire Template I use also allows more undead to be controlled, though with researvations for generation and age of vampire. Its actually found a little lower on the forum. But, it amazes me that the norma 3E rules doesn't allow a Necromancer to have a big, ol' army of skeletons and zombies, even though there are plenty of books that have that.
Items found in a Necromancers Laboratory
- Thread starter Clay_More
- Start date
yeah... even a twentieth level regular character could only control about 40 1HD skeletons at a time. and at the time that you have PCs fighting 1HD skeletons they shouldn't be shaping up for a 20'th level BBEG.
a level 10 or less character... with +30 skeletons under it's grasp. that's all i ask.
a level 10 or less character... with +30 skeletons under it's grasp. that's all i ask.
Well, the exact reason I made other undeads for the vampires, was that the normal, 1-2 HD skeletons and zombs get pretty ineffective rather fast. Then, you need bigger skels or zoms, and they don't have the same "army" feel to them. Even though, an army of loads of 1 hd skeletons with a few "bone catapults" and huge/colossal skeletons would actually begin to look like a real army 
DiFier
First Post
I like your ideas so much I'm gonna use them in my story hour. It isn't a game based story hour but background stories of my charachter in Dr. Nuncheon Freeport story hour. 10 year old Di'Fier is gonna run afoul of a couple of necromancers. And of course they are going to have a lab. I'll let everyone reading my storyhour know what things are yours and I'll post a link to this thread when your stuff shows up.
keep up the great work.
if anyone cares here are some links:
my story hour:
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41306
& Dr. N Freeport Story hour
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=17841
keep up the great work.
if anyone cares here are some links:
my story hour:
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41306
& Dr. N Freeport Story hour
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=17841
Okay, this one wasn't actually one of my original 2 Ed. items, it was one that I came up with after the feedback from Saepiroth.
Staff of the Undead Warlord
The Staff of the Undead Warlord is a black, metal staff covered in small carvings depicting shields and weapons. At the top of the staff is a skull wearing a legionnaires helmet. The staff is used by necromancers that want to use animated undead in large numbers. When the staff is carried by a necromancer, he can control five times as many HD of skeletons and zombies as he normally would be able to. This increase in the amount of undead he can command is stackable with other items which increase the amount of undead the carrier can command. When the necromancer carrying the Staff of the Undead Warlord uses the spell Animate Dead, he can choose one of the three below listed benefits for his creations. They are chosen when the undead are created and are permanent thereafter.
Archery - The Skeleton or Zombie gains Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with a ranged weapon of the creators choice. The Skeleton or Zombie also gains Point Blank Shot.
Cavalry - The Skeleton or Zombie gains four ranks in Ride and the feats Mounted Combat and Ride-by Attack.
Infantry - The Skeleton or Zombie gains Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with a melee weapon of the creators choice. The Skeleton or Zombie also gains Toughness, granting it 3 extra hitpoints.
Staff of the Undead Warlord
The Staff of the Undead Warlord is a black, metal staff covered in small carvings depicting shields and weapons. At the top of the staff is a skull wearing a legionnaires helmet. The staff is used by necromancers that want to use animated undead in large numbers. When the staff is carried by a necromancer, he can control five times as many HD of skeletons and zombies as he normally would be able to. This increase in the amount of undead he can command is stackable with other items which increase the amount of undead the carrier can command. When the necromancer carrying the Staff of the Undead Warlord uses the spell Animate Dead, he can choose one of the three below listed benefits for his creations. They are chosen when the undead are created and are permanent thereafter.
Archery - The Skeleton or Zombie gains Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with a ranged weapon of the creators choice. The Skeleton or Zombie also gains Point Blank Shot.
Cavalry - The Skeleton or Zombie gains four ranks in Ride and the feats Mounted Combat and Ride-by Attack.
Infantry - The Skeleton or Zombie gains Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with a melee weapon of the creators choice. The Skeleton or Zombie also gains Toughness, granting it 3 extra hitpoints.
Well, more of them darn 2 Ed. items anyway
Cauldron of Lifeseed
The Cauldron of Lifeseed is a very evil item, used by epic Necromancers. The Cauldron is a big, heavy, iron pot made of some kind of blackish metal. Covering the inside of the Cauldron are ancient, Necromantic symbols. Anyone casting Read Magic will be able of determining that the symbols are supposed to suck energy out of a living creature.
The necromancer uses the Cauldron by placing a living being inside. The being is then slowly cooked for several days, after which only the bones will remain. Yet, the powerful magic of the Cauldron will have stored the life energy of the subject in a small Lifeseed, which can be found at the bottom of the Cauldron amongst the bones. A Lifeseed is a small, blackened lump of dead flesh that pulsates with Necromantic power. The deceased cannot be raised after it has been through the Cauldron of Lifeseed, as it’s soul and spirit has been turned into evil energy.
The Lifeseed can be used by the Necromancer to bolster any of his Necromantic spells. By adding a Lifeseed to a spell before casting it, the Necromancer can do one of the following things..,
Increase spell DC by 2
Maximise the spell, as per the feat Maximise
Increase it’s duration, as per the feat Extend
Cast the spell without having to use material components, no matter the cost of these
Cast the spell without having to sacrifice XP
These effect only work on Necromantic spells. Only one Lifeseed can be used to bolster one spell. An epic Necromancer can use a Lifeseed to increase his Spellcraft check for the purpose of one, single epic spell. Using the Lifeseed in such a manner gives the Necromancer a +5 modifier to his Spellcraft check for determining the success of an Epic Necromancy spell. A Lifeseed must be used within ten years of its creation, after that, the life energy will vanish.
Prerequisites: Vampiric Touch, Magic Jar, Permanency, Creator must be Evil ?
Market Price: 150.000 gp ?
Unholy Orb
The Unholy Orb is a simple, glass orb that has three grappling arms attached to it. These grappling arms can then be connected with another Necromantic item, which must be a rod, staff or wand. The arms will lock the Unholy Orb permanently to the item and it cannot be removed without breaking the rod, staff or wand. The Orb can be opened at any time without breaking either object. The Necromancer can place any creature of size tiny or smaller within the Orb. The magic item can then utilise the life energy of the creature within the Orb to use it’s magic abilities. Instead of using a charge from the item, the wielder can choose to drain the small creature located in the Orb. For each charge to be used, one HP can instead be permanently drained from the creature. Thus, if the Orb contained a mouse with 2 HP, the wielder could sacrifice the mouse to use an ability that would otherwise cost two charges. He could also choose to use an ability that only costs one charge, in which case the mouse would be reduced permanently to 1 HP. The HP loss inflicted on the creature held inside the Orb can only be cured by a Miracle or Wish, and only if the creature has first been freed from the Orb.
The Orb can only be attached to wand, staffs and rods which have a value of 50.000 Gp or less. Special Unholy Orbs exists that can be attached to more powerful items. Some Necromancers like to use Polymorph Other to create a tiny creature that has more HP than most other tiny creatures, as it gives more charges to the Unholy Orb. The creature inside the Unholy Orb can be replaced at any time. If the Necromancer is carrying additional creatures on him, it would take two rounds to replace the creature. Some Necromancers have especially created miniature cages which allows them to carry around several, extra tiny creatures ready for use.
Prerequisite: Im at a loss
Market Price: 12.000 gp
Cauldron of Lifeseed
The Cauldron of Lifeseed is a very evil item, used by epic Necromancers. The Cauldron is a big, heavy, iron pot made of some kind of blackish metal. Covering the inside of the Cauldron are ancient, Necromantic symbols. Anyone casting Read Magic will be able of determining that the symbols are supposed to suck energy out of a living creature.
The necromancer uses the Cauldron by placing a living being inside. The being is then slowly cooked for several days, after which only the bones will remain. Yet, the powerful magic of the Cauldron will have stored the life energy of the subject in a small Lifeseed, which can be found at the bottom of the Cauldron amongst the bones. A Lifeseed is a small, blackened lump of dead flesh that pulsates with Necromantic power. The deceased cannot be raised after it has been through the Cauldron of Lifeseed, as it’s soul and spirit has been turned into evil energy.
The Lifeseed can be used by the Necromancer to bolster any of his Necromantic spells. By adding a Lifeseed to a spell before casting it, the Necromancer can do one of the following things..,
Increase spell DC by 2
Maximise the spell, as per the feat Maximise
Increase it’s duration, as per the feat Extend
Cast the spell without having to use material components, no matter the cost of these
Cast the spell without having to sacrifice XP
These effect only work on Necromantic spells. Only one Lifeseed can be used to bolster one spell. An epic Necromancer can use a Lifeseed to increase his Spellcraft check for the purpose of one, single epic spell. Using the Lifeseed in such a manner gives the Necromancer a +5 modifier to his Spellcraft check for determining the success of an Epic Necromancy spell. A Lifeseed must be used within ten years of its creation, after that, the life energy will vanish.
Prerequisites: Vampiric Touch, Magic Jar, Permanency, Creator must be Evil ?
Market Price: 150.000 gp ?
Unholy Orb
The Unholy Orb is a simple, glass orb that has three grappling arms attached to it. These grappling arms can then be connected with another Necromantic item, which must be a rod, staff or wand. The arms will lock the Unholy Orb permanently to the item and it cannot be removed without breaking the rod, staff or wand. The Orb can be opened at any time without breaking either object. The Necromancer can place any creature of size tiny or smaller within the Orb. The magic item can then utilise the life energy of the creature within the Orb to use it’s magic abilities. Instead of using a charge from the item, the wielder can choose to drain the small creature located in the Orb. For each charge to be used, one HP can instead be permanently drained from the creature. Thus, if the Orb contained a mouse with 2 HP, the wielder could sacrifice the mouse to use an ability that would otherwise cost two charges. He could also choose to use an ability that only costs one charge, in which case the mouse would be reduced permanently to 1 HP. The HP loss inflicted on the creature held inside the Orb can only be cured by a Miracle or Wish, and only if the creature has first been freed from the Orb.
The Orb can only be attached to wand, staffs and rods which have a value of 50.000 Gp or less. Special Unholy Orbs exists that can be attached to more powerful items. Some Necromancers like to use Polymorph Other to create a tiny creature that has more HP than most other tiny creatures, as it gives more charges to the Unholy Orb. The creature inside the Unholy Orb can be replaced at any time. If the Necromancer is carrying additional creatures on him, it would take two rounds to replace the creature. Some Necromancers have especially created miniature cages which allows them to carry around several, extra tiny creatures ready for use.
Prerequisite: Im at a loss
Market Price: 12.000 gp
Good points. The "Craft Wondrous Items" is a must for most of the things. Unholy Orb, sounds about right to have Enervation. Im still thinking about which of the two other spells are good though.... still thinking.....
The Cauldron could use a little bit of Energy Drain, true. I might replace Magic Jar with Energy Drain, makes slightly more sense...
Did you like em, anyway?
Just hope no anti-D&D christians are reading this forum, they would get alot of good argumentive ammunition from this thread.
The Cauldron could use a little bit of Energy Drain, true. I might replace Magic Jar with Energy Drain, makes slightly more sense...
Did you like em, anyway?
Just hope no anti-D&D christians are reading this forum, they would get alot of good argumentive ammunition from this thread.
Similar Threads
