Necromancer feels too slow

[shamsael]

I plate tested today as a high elf sorcerer with the necromancer feat. My only use of the necromancer ability was in an encounter with kobolds. I slew one of the creatures in melee, the following round binding it's soul and, on the third round casting Cause Fear with disadvantage to one target. While Cause Fear was itself a game changing spell for that type of encounter, I felt the entire turn of downtime to impose disadvantage on a single target was a bit much. I woul have been better off by far not having done this and simply cast the spell a turn sooner.

How do others feel about this feat?

 

[RangerWickett]

I agree. Maybe if it was something like "collect as a free action, but you need 3 to charge up a necromancy spell"?

Or, wait, better idea.

Suck Soul
Standard Action

You absorb the soul of a recently dead creature. The spirit swirls around you as you suck it in, granting you concealment. Any hostile creature that moves adjacent to you until the start of your next turn takes 1 point of necrotic damage.

Keep the same action, but make it a bit more dramatic and immediately useful. But only just.

 

[MoonSong]

Or maybe it would be better if the souls didn't expire so soon, (lasting for hours instead of minutes) that way you just charge some souls in the morning and use them to power your spells for a further encounter on the day.

 

[Arytiss]

Using an action seems to be the standard means for gaining advantage thus far. I think it's working as intended.

 

[Stormonu]

Or maybe it would be better if the souls didn't expire so soon, (lasting for hours instead of minutes) that way you just charge some souls in the morning and use them to power your spells for a further encounter on the day.

Nah, I think that's too ripe for abuse.

If it's got a direct combat use, don't let the ability be precharged before combat. If it's going to be primarily for non-combat use, allow the culling to occur outside of combat.

 

[broskt]

I houserule'd it to be a reaction to when an enemy dies, I feel it works better this way and isn't too much more powerful than the original rules have it.

 

[steeldragons]

Or, wait, better idea.

Suck Soul
Standard Action

You absorb the soul of a recently dead creature. The spirit swirls around you as you suck it in, granting you concealment. Any hostile creature that moves adjacent to you until the start of your next turn takes 1 point of necrotic damage.

Why would the necrotic energies only care if the adjacent creature was "hostile"?

Just sayin'.