Necromancer's Legacy 2: Q&A

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Post it here Kit, then other people can always come with comments too if they like

Just had an entire week without getting online, had a little over a hundred emails in the inbox.

 

[Kitsunekaboom]

Here we go! Also considering an idea where the Void Claimed will reform on the negative plane And giving them a minimum intelligence of 10. Thoughts so far though?

Void Claimed

The Void Claimed are among the most deadly of undead. They were thrown into the Void, through accident or purpose, and the Void destroyed them. They return to our world through the shadows, and lay waste to all life they touch. Thankfully they are rare, for if they weren’t, the lands of the living would be overrun with our dead.
Boris Verhein – Hunter of the Damned

The Void Claimed are creatures that have visited, through chance or act of their own, the Negative Energy Plane and were destroyed by its malevolence. They have returned through the shadows and

Their skin is drawn tight and has become ashen, their eyes burn with black and blue flame, and their hands have become gnarled and clawed. Negative energy surrounds their bodies and radiates outward.

Creating a Void Claimed
Void Claimed is a template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, beast, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, Shapechanger, or Vermin that is not immune to the effects of negative energy (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). The creature’s type changes to “undead.” It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice: Increase to d12
Speed: Void Claimed float at half of their former movement rate. In case of two different movement rates use the higher. They fly at perfect maneuverability. This is a supernatural ability. If a creature already has a flight ability use that.
AC: +3 AC
Damage: The Void Claimed have claw attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the damage values in the table below. Creatures with natural attacks retain their old damage ratings or use the values below, whichever is better. If the creature has no arms but does have a natural attack the damage may be substituted for the higher value on this table.

Size Damage
Fine 1
Diminutive 1d2
Tiny 1d3
Small 1d4
Medium 1d6
Large 1d8
Huge 2d6
Gargantuan 2d8
Colossal 3d6

Special Attack: A Void Claimed retains all the base creature’s special attacks and also gains those listed below.

Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by a Void Claimed’s receive negative levels based on the table below. A Fortitude save with a DC equal to 10 plus ½ the Void Claimed’s hit dice plus it’s Charisma modifier if any.

Hit Dice Level Damage Undead Type
1-3 1 Zombie
4-7 2 Skeleton
8-11 3 Ghoul
12-15 4 Ghast
16+ 5 Wight


Special Qualities: A Void Claimed retains all the base creature special qualities and also gains those listed below as well as the undead type.

Darkvision (Su) A Void Claimed gains Darkvision 60’ This form of Darkvision allows the Void Claimed to see through magical darkness and even the very darkness of the Negative Energy Plane.

Immunities (Ex) A Void Claimed is immune to all cold damage. It is also immune to all damage dealt by healing spells due to its link to the Negative Energy Plane.

Negative Energy Radiation (Su) A Void Claimed exudes an aura of Negative Energy. The aura extends 5’ per size category. In this aura any dead bodies animate as per Animate Dead with caster level equal to the Void Claimed’s hit dice. These animated creatures vary as per the table above.

In addition undead within the aura gain a +1 Profane bonus to all rolls including damage and gain the Fast Heal 2 trait. If an undead has the Fast Heal ability then use the greater value. Finally all undead in the Void Claimed’s aura get a +2 turn resistance. All abilities of this aura are tripled on the Negative Energy Plane.

None of these abilities effect the Void Claimed itself.

Rebuke/Command Undead (Su) The Void Claimed can turn and rebuke undead as a cleric of it’s hit dice. The number of undead that can be commanded is doubled on the Negative Energy Plane.

Spell like abilities (Su) A Void Claimed can use Dimensional Door three times per day but may only step through shadows to use it. It also can use Planeshift three times per day but may only use it to travel to the Negative Energy Plane and its home plane. These are cast as a sorcerer of the Void Claimed’s hit dice.

Turn Resistance (Ex) A Void Claimed has +4 turn resistance.

Saves: Same as base creature
Abilities: A Void Claimed gains +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
Skills: Same as base creature.
Feats: Same as base creature.
Climate/Terrain: Any except Positive Energy Plane
Organization: Solitary, these tormented creatures rarely enjoy the company of one another.
Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +5
Alignment: Usually Evil
Advancement: None; a Void Claimed is a static creature, unchanging.


Sample Voidclaimed

Displacer Beast
Large Undead
Hit Dice: 6d12 (33)
Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex)
Speed: 20 Ft Float; Perfect
AC: 19 (-1 Size, +2 Dex, +8 Natural)
Attacks: 2 Tentacles +9 melee, bite +4 melee, 2 claw +4 melee
Damage: Tentacle 1d6+5, bite 1d8+3, claw 1d8+3
Face/Reach: 5 Ft. By 10ft/5ft (15 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Energy Drain
Special Qualities: Displacement, Resistance to ranged attacks, Negative Energy Aura,
Saves: Fort: +8 Ref: +7 Will: +4
Abilities: Str:20, Dex:15, Con:-, Int:7, Wis:14, Cha:10
Skills: Hide +12, Listen +4, Move Silently +7, Spot +7
Feats: Alertness, Dodge
Climate/Terrain: Any land
Organization: Solitary, or in Gang of undead (3-10)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Average
Alignment: Usually Lawful Evil
Advancement: None;

Combat


Darkvision (Su) Darkvision 60’ that sees through any darkness magical or otherwise.

Displacement (Su) Any melee or ranged attack directed at it has a 50% chance of missing unless the attacker can locate the beast by some means other than sight. A true seeing effect allows the user to see the beast’s position but see invisibility has no effect.


Energy Drain (Su): Any living creature hit by the Void Claimed Displacer Beast’s natural attacks receives two negative levels unless they make a Fortitude save DC: 13

Immunity (Ex) Immune to all Cold and healing damage.

Negative Energy Radiation (Su) The Void Claimed Displacer Beast exudes an aura of Negative Energy. The aura extends 30’. In this aura any dead bodies animate as per Animate Dead with caster level of 6. Bodies animated in this way are Skeletons.

In addition undead within the aura gain a +1 Profane bonus to all rolls including damage and gain the Fast Heal 2 trait. If an undead has the Fast Heal ability then use the greater value. Finally all undead in the Void Claimed’s aura get a +2 turn resistance. All abilities of this aura are tripled on the Negative Energy Plane. None of these abilities include the Void Claimed Displacer Beast itself.

Rebuke/Command Undead (Su) The Void Claimed Displacer Beast can turn and rebuke undead as a cleric of 6th level. The number of undead that can be commanded is doubled on the Negative Energy Plane.

Resistance to Ranged Attacks (Su): A displacer beast gains a +2 resistance bonus to saves against any ranged spell or ranged magical attack that specifically targets it (except for ranged touch attacks)

Spell like abilities (Su)

The Void Claimed Displacer Beast can use Dimensional Door three times per day but may only step through shadows to use it. It also can use Planeshift three times per day but may only use it to travel to the Negative Energy Plane and its home plane. These are cast as a sorcerer of the Void Claimed’s hit dice.

Turn Resistance (Ex) A Void Claimed Displacer Beast has +4 turn resistance.

Skills
A Void Claimed Displacer Beast receives a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks, thanks to its displacement powers.

 

[Blacksad]

My Comments & idea

I think that the flat increase in max HD controled is better for the undead army abilities (especially because players will have the idea of weapn with the undead retinue ability except that it will create vampire).

Chapter 2
I hope that it doesn't border too much with summoning

Chapter 3
Have you seen the Mechanithrall in the Monsternomicon from Privateer Press? It would be cool to have rules to create such a creature (there is already rules to create undead thrall in the book plus a bit in the errata, but the mechanithrall miss such rules).

Chapter 4
An armor that grant undead immunities.
An amulet that make mindless undead to consider you like one of their own.
A weapon that graft itself to your hand/arm (a psionic spell can do this), and allow an undead to use its level drain / cold damage abilities through it (undead can't normaly do this).

Chapter 5
Something really evil, and that player won't expect, a template that make the attack of an undead linked to an element (acid), grant immunity to all other (sonic, fire, electricity, cold) and weakness to acid

Chapter 7
Secret College of Necromancy had a funny spell that recalled a spirit in a skull, and it was possible to do it on a skeleton, and to allow it to control its body. My idea would be to grant ECL to the mindless undead, just in case someone grant them intelligence, it could fun.

Undead mole that destroy your gazon at night, and that your cat can't catch.


Chapter 8
Something that I found strange in the first PDF was that it was really hard to build a permanent undead army, so perhaps including the legion spells from the secret college of necromancy would be good?

A spell that allow a vampire or liche to trade some or all of its immunity to become partially or totally human again for a time.

That's all of my idea right now.

 

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Kit:
Void Claimed template is looking damm snazzy
I think I would be interesting in including it, with your permission of course. Its original, as I havent seen any similar template so far.

Blacksad:

hope that it doesn't border too much with summoning

Not at all, I was thinking of various things, amongst those forcing down demons & devils to inhabit the bodies of the dead. Also, I am working on introducing spirits (in the way they are represented in such mythologies as the American-Indian and Greek/Roman ones).

Have you seen the Mechanithrall in the Monsternomicon from Privateer Press? It would be cool to have rules to create such a creature (there is already rules to create undead thrall in the book plus a bit in the errata, but the mechanithrall miss such rules).

I have seen it in fact. Im making the Mechanical Grafts aside from the creatures, so that the DM will be able of building his own undeads instead of having a few selected creatures to choose from. I posted some examples on the Mechanical Grafts some time back.

An armor that grant undead immunities.
An amulet that make mindless undead to consider you like one of their own.
A weapon that graft itself to your hand/arm (a psionic spell can do this), and allow an undead to use its level drain / cold damage abilities through it (undead can't normaly do this).

There was actually a suggestion made further down that you could make weapons that simulate special abilities of some of the undeads, an Armor which grants special qualities would be a reasonable extension of this idea.
The amulet, isn't it simply like the spell "Invisibility to Undead"?
I think there actually was a spell in the Undead book that had that ability, cant remember if it was an amulet. You could eventually combine it with an armor granting undead immunities, making it an armor that also makes skeletons & zombies percieve you as one of such.
If you havent read the Vampire Template I posted earlier, it actually had Vampires that could use some of their special abilities through weapons. Vampires have difficulty using magical weapons, but they can sometimes transmit their own powers into the weapons they wield.

Something really evil, and that player won't expect, a template that make the attack of an undead linked to an element (acid), grant immunity to all other (sonic, fire, electricity, cold) and weakness to acid

Thats actually a cruel idea, having a creature that has an acid attack have weakness to acid (something that the players most definitely wont see comming). Like having a water elemental with cold vulnerability. Yet, there would have to be a "relatively" logical reason why the undead would have such an odd combination of abilities / immunities.

Secret College of Necromancy had a funny spell that recalled a spirit in a skull, and it was possible to do it on a skeleton, and to allow it to control its body. My idea would be to grant ECL to the mindless undead, just in case someone grant them intelligence, it could fun.

I saw some amusing spells at Realms of Evil too, a series of spells that would allow a Necromancer to create a zombie that had the same ability score as him in one of his ability scores. The advanced would even allow the zombie to have to of its casters scores (like intelligence & wisdom). Actually gave me a good idea for an amusing adventure. The players are attacked by a lone zombie. The day after the slay it, they suddenly see several zombies standing around the corpse of the first zombie. Dressed in trenchcoats, wielding magnifying glasses and smoking big detective-pipes, the newly arrived zombies are trying to discover the cause of death for their former friend.
A player of mine (Necromancer/Druid, sounds unlikely, but he wanted to play it soo...) once created a spell for creating Zombie Gardeners.

Something that I found strange in the first PDF was that it was really hard to build a permanent undead army, so perhaps including the legion spells from the secret college of necromancy would be good?

I finished my proposal for a new Necromancer Base Class a few days ago. One of the things I gave them was an increased ability to command undeads, since it would help explain why a Necromancer could possibly create a large army (not only a small band of 10-15 zombies like a PhB wizard can). Many of the things I am working on are items specifically made for undead armies.

A spell that allow a vampire or liche to trade some or all of its immunity to become partially or totally human again for a time.

Not a bad idea. Perhaps the spell wouldn't have a big advantage for the undead, since it removes most of its abilities and immunities, but it could be interesting for role-playing purposes. It makes me think of the fourth book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, where Lestat goes to great lengths to "borrow" a human body from some Psionically endowed person. Not for any other reason than being allowed to taste food again (as well as doing some other... typical human things which I wont describe).

 

[Blacksad]

Thats actually a cruel idea, having a creature that has an acid attack have weakness to acid (something that the players most definitely wont see comming). Like having a water elemental with cold vulnerability. Yet, there would have to be a "relatively" logical reason why the undead would have such an odd combination of abilities / immunities.

Easy one, a graft (symbiot/mechanicall/mystic symbol), use the negative energy/flesh of the undead to power the energy (acid/cold/etc..) attack, reversing the process will put the negative energy/flesh in the wrong place: boom!

I finished my proposal for a new Necromancer Base Class a few days ago. One of the things I gave them was an increased ability to command undeads, since it would help explain why a Necromancer could possibly create a large army (not only a small band of 10-15 zombies like a PhB wizard can). Many of the things I am working on are items specifically made for undead armies.

For a base class, please try to make it balanced for PC, not for NPC (like Secret College of Necromancy did with its death knight and necromancer).

Thanks for your answer

 

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Easy one, a graft (symbiot/mechanicall/mystic symbol), use the negative energy/flesh of the undead to power the energy (acid/cold/etc..) attack, reversing the process will put the negative energy/flesh in the wrong place: boom!

Touché

For a base class, please try to make it balanced for PC, not for NPC (like Secret College of Necromancy did with its death knight and necromancer).

Well, I should hope that it becomes viable as a normal PC class. I am actually gonna begin playtesting with my own group next week, just to test it out. Off course, I want the Necromancer to have more options available than simply creating undeads. I have, for example, been working on a PrC that puts the Necromancer in conjunction with monks, a PrC called Ravicinist. Its a kind of spellcasting monk that uses various necromancy spells to boost his combat abilities.

Thanks for your answer

Always mate

 

[Tuerny]

In 3e there is an undead fiend in the Fiend Folio called the Blood Demon.

2nd editions's dead gods also had undead fiends as well though I can't remember their name off the top of my head.

 

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The part about the Abysmal Necromancy should be the Necromancer forcing the spirits of demons and devils into dead bodies. Off course, Necromancers Legacy had an angel in it that was summoned forth by great bloodshed, which was pretty cool.
So, its an interesting concept to further as well.

I have read some of the undead demons & devils from 2 Ed. I actually think that the guys at Creature Catalog here at Enworld made some into 3 Ed, you could always take a peak in there (its accesible from the MAIN page at Enworld). They have alot of 2 Ed. monsters from both Dragon Magazine and other sources "translated" into 3 ed. (And when 3.5Ed comes, you can start all over).

 

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I just bring a little update on the situation so far.

Devon from this forum will have a creation of his, the Steel Lich Template, in the book under the Flesh & Steel chapter.

I will also include Kitsune's Void Claimed Template, in Abyssal Summoner chapter.

I am nearing completion on the first chapter (Flesh & Steel) and the other chapters are comming along (I have a tendency to skip back and forth alot).


There isn't an Open Call for the book, they were simply creatures that fit a niché and were well made, which is why I am glad that I can include them.

Most of the book is going to be "special rules", such as the Mechanical Grafts that are an alternative to magical items when it comes to altering undead. Spirits that are very alternative undead, being good more often than evil. Imbuing the essence of Demons & Devils into the corpses of the slain.

 

[Kitsunekaboom]

I'm anxious to see this stuff especially the Spirits section personally. Also hope to see spells dealing with ghosts in a bit more thorough manner than usual. But that's just me.