Need help with a Necromancer concept

[Ero Gaki]

It says in the PH that Necormancy spells manipulate the powers of Death, Undeath, and the Life Force. I have decided that I shall make a necromancer who deals with Life Force. I wish to avoid the annoying stereotypical necromancer; I don't intend to raise any undead and the like. But the problem is that there are not many spells that deal with the life force and its manipulation. What's worse, those spells that do work with the life force are mostly negative effects.

For background, this is set in Eberron. I'm gonna play a Neutral Good human necromancer (I'm really trying to avoid dipping into cleric). I would like to play this character as a mystic who knows much about spiritual matters; in philosophy, he'll be much like a monk.

Obviously, I'm gonna have to develope my own spells to handle the lack of positive necromantic spells. Does anyone have any suggestions on prestige classes, feats, etc?

 

[Seeten]

Loremaster. Speaker with Dead.

 

[Ero Gaki]

Any other thoughts?

 

[blargney the second]

I've got a PC that's a Necromancer/Cleric going for Mystic Theurge. Cleric domains that are great for the concept are Healing and Necromancy. Take the Practised Spellcaster feat twice and you'll have a fairly effective life force manipulator on your hands! It's a really fun character concept to play

-blarg

 

[gabrion]

Just so I'm clear on this, what exactly do you mean by "manipulating life force?" It seems like the options are taking life away (which can be done in many ways), or giving life back (which is either restoring life or creating undead). The only other way I can think of manipulating life force is healing, so if you want to be on the positive side of necromancy, just be a healer. All of the heal spells should be necromacy anyway, so just modify them as such and take the arcane disciple feat or whatever it is that will allow you to cast from the heal domain.

 

[blargney the second]

If you want to abstract yourself enough, a fighter ends up being a "life force manipulator". If you pull yourself far enough back, it all amounts to pushing numbers on pieces of paper. *shrug*

For flavour purposes, spells like Ray of Enfeeblement and Touch of Idiocy are great for this concept. Spectral Hand lets you deliver your healing spells at range too. Wahoo!

-blarg

 

[PK]

A few thoughts.

First off, take a look at the Deathless cleric domain. Maybe your DM will let you take those as arcane spells.

Also keep in mind that the Blood of Vol cult fits fairly well here. Manipulating life force because the only true evil in the world is death itself, thus undeath isn't evil.

 

[Whimsical]

False life is a good example of positive life force manipulation. Let's work off of that.

How about a spell that enhances all of your physical stats (STR, DEX, CON) by one point/two levels for a duration. Similar to the 2nd levle animal buffs, but works a little differently.

A spell that lowers the limits of being staggered and dead. For a duration, the recipient is staggered if their HP are between zero and zero minus your caster level and the recipient's CON bonus, and they die if their HP goes to zero minus your caster level and the recipient's CON score (or 10 if the CON score is lower than 10). And they autostablize if their HP goes to negatives.

A spell that converts half of the last damage the recipient received into nonlethal damage, but only from a piercing or slashing attack as the spell does some magical stitiching of the wound.

A spell that has the recipients heal overnight as if they had no activity for the day, because it sets in place all injuries and wounds in the best possible position for natural healing.

 

[moritheil]

Just so I'm clear on this, what exactly do you mean by "manipulating life force?"

He means using inflict and cure spells.