I've always found the fact that wizards are behind clerics in undead animation to be annoying. While pathfinder mitigates that a bit, it still at base dose not eliminate the issue. Thus, I have decided to make my own archetype for an animation and necromancy focused wizard, with the fluff of a necromancer who delves deeper into dark arcane lore then his peers and sacrifices some arcane power for greater control over the forces of undeath. I am not the best homebrewer in the world and realize a lot of this may be unbalanced and even more of it comes from the minds of Frank and K, I'd like your opinions on it and, more importantly, how to improve it. So, without further hesitation I present the True Necromancer...
Necromancy is often considered a poor choice of specialty for a budding wizard. Indeed, those who wish to command legions of undead minions almost always peruse divine means. However, for some who may not possess the enlightened mindset necessary to become a cleric, or those whom wish to command the powers of undeath while retaining the mastery over reality arcane magic allows, the study of arcane necromancy can prove fruitful if they dig deeply enough into forbidden knowledge. These wizards devote the vast bulk of their studies to the black arts of necromancy, shunning many of the traditional areas of arcane study to gain greater power over the forces of undeath. They are the true masters of undeath, the commanders of undead legions and keepers of blasphemous arcane secrets. They are the True Necromancers.
Prerequsite: A Wizard must be of a non-good alignment and must be a Necromancer Wizard with the Undead focused school to take this archetype.
A True Necromancer has the following class features:
Spellcasting: The True Necromancer's spellcasting functions like that of any other wizard, however, due to their intense focus on the black arts of Necromancy, they neglect their traditional realms of arcane study even more then other necromancers. The True Necromancer chooses 4 restricted schools instead of the 2 a normal specialist chooses. However, in return for this sacrifice, the True Necromancer adds all necromancy spells from all spell lists to their class spell list. These spells are treated and cast as any other spells the True Necromancer could learn and cast, despite their list of origin.(So these spells remain arcane, remain intelligence based ect..) Any of these spells, including those that are ordinarily divine can be learned from any kind of written text, even if those texts are not wizard/sorcerer or arcane texts.(So a True Necromancer could learn the spell "destruction" from a divine scroll despite the fact a normal wizard could not do the same.) These spells can also be chosen as bonus spells gained from leveling up. If a spell added this way already appears on the True necromancer's class spell list, it can be learned by a True Necromancer as a spell of the lowest level it appears on all spell lists.(So a True Necromancer could learn Animate Dead as a level 3 spell instead of a level 4 spell, for example.)
This ability is considered to alter the spellcasting class features of the wizard class.
Dark Channeling (SU): While a standard Necromancer wizard can only use his channel energy attempts to use the Command Undead feat, the True Necromancer' learns to channel energy just like the servants of the divine. The True Necromancer loses the limited channel energy he gains from being a necromancy specialist(but keeps the command undead feat) and instead gains the ability to channel negative energy as an evil cleric of his class level a number of times per-day equal to 3+ his cha-modifier. He can use this ability in any and all ways a cleric can, and can take any channeling feats, including feats such as alignment channel that alter this ability.
This class feature is considered as altering the Arcane School wizard class feature.
Undead Servitor (Su): The True Necromancer studies the art of reanimation so thoroughly that they can create undead servants through ritual alone. At 1st level and every level after, the True Necromancer can animate the corpses of dead creatures as skeletons and zombies by preforming a ritual that takes 8 hours. The skeleton or zombie cannot have hit dice that exceed the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can create and control only one undead with this ritual.. Undead the True Necromancer controls with this ability do not count against the number of undead the True Necromancer can control with spells such as Animate Dead and the Command Undead ability. This ability can also be used to create variant skeletons and zombies, such as burning or bloody skeletons, but their hit dice cannot exceed half the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can as a standard action dismiss his undead servitor, destroying it.
Due to the nature of this dread ritual, this undead minion shares some abilites with the fammilars of normal wizards. Any undead servitor created with this ability that is under the True Necromancer's control has all the abilites(sans those unique to specific fammilars, such as the skill bonuses.) of a wizard's fammilar, using it's HD instead of the True Necromancer's wizard level to determine what abilities it has variant skeletons and zombies, such as burning or bloody skeletons, use double their HD instead.
This class feature replaces the wizard's "Arcane Bond" class feature.
Desecrated Animation (Su) : The True Necromancer as he grows in his craft learns how to lace his undead animation spells and abilities with negative energy, making his undead stronger and allowing him to create more undead. At level 5 and every level after, whenever the True Necromancer casts a spell that animates, summons or creates undead creatures is treated as if it where being cast in a area under the effect if a desecrate spell. In addition, any undead animated, created or summoned by that spell is treated as if it was in a desecrated area, gaining all the bonuses that would be applied of a desecrate spell was actually in effect.
This ability replaces the wizard's level 5 bonus feat.
Master of Undeath (Su): At level 8, instead of gaining the life sight ability from the Necromancy school specialty, the True Necromancer gains the following ability: Instead of only being able to control 4 HD per caster level worth of undead animated with the spell Animate Dead, the True Necromancer controls 4 + his intelligence worth HD of undead per caster level. In addition, any undead animated by a True Necromancer with the spell Animate Dead gain a +4 enhancement bonus to their strength scores and +2 HP per hit die.
This ability is considered to alter the Arcane School wizard class feature.
Duke of the Damned (Ex): As his power grows the True Necromancer's vile reputation becomes so great that he attracts undead minions and other agents of undeath to him. At level 10, the True Necromancer gains an ability identical to the leadership feat, but with the following changes: Your leadership score is treated as 2 higher than it otherwise would be for the purpose of attracting followers and you can only attract undead followers. Your cohort can be living or undead, but if your cohort is living they must be either a knight of the sepulcher, cleric with the death domain, bones mystery oracle, blight druid, undead bloodline sorcerer or necromancer wizard. If you choose to attract an undead cohort as appose to a living one, you can attract an undead cohort with a maximum effective character level equal to two less then your character level. If you already have the leadership feat when you obtain this ability or take it at any point after you gain it, it still functions as normal and your leadership score for this ability remains separate from your leadership score for the leadership feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 10 bonus feat.
Impose Undeath(Su): The True Necromancer becomes so powerful that he eventually learns how to lace his spells with negative energy that reanimates those that his spells kill. At level 15, the True Necromancer gains the ability to spend a use of his channel energy ability to add the following effect to a spell of the necromancy school that deals damage that he is casting: If this spell drops one or more of it's target(s) to 0 hit points, the target is reanimated as an undead creature of the caster's choice who's HD is equal or less then that of the target. This undead creature is under the caster's control and counts against the number of undead the caster can control with the command undead feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 15 bonus feat.
Horderaiser (Su): At the height of his craft, the True Necromancer can animate large amounts of undead to do his bidding. At level 20, the True Necromancer gains the ability to use his command undead ability to animate undead instead of command them. The True Necromancer makes his command check treating the corpses to be animated as undead of equal hit dice. Any of the corpses which would be commanded by his results if they where undead are reanimated as skeletons or zombies that are automatically under the True Necromancer's control. A True Necromancer cannot animate more undead then the maximum number he could command(Including any undead already under his command.) with this ability. These undead are counted against the control limit of the True Necromancer's Command Undead feat. Any excess undead animated with this ability are not under the True Necromancer's command.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 20 bonus feat
So, any opinions and ideas for improvement?
Necromancy is often considered a poor choice of specialty for a budding wizard. Indeed, those who wish to command legions of undead minions almost always peruse divine means. However, for some who may not possess the enlightened mindset necessary to become a cleric, or those whom wish to command the powers of undeath while retaining the mastery over reality arcane magic allows, the study of arcane necromancy can prove fruitful if they dig deeply enough into forbidden knowledge. These wizards devote the vast bulk of their studies to the black arts of necromancy, shunning many of the traditional areas of arcane study to gain greater power over the forces of undeath. They are the true masters of undeath, the commanders of undead legions and keepers of blasphemous arcane secrets. They are the True Necromancers.
Prerequsite: A Wizard must be of a non-good alignment and must be a Necromancer Wizard with the Undead focused school to take this archetype.
A True Necromancer has the following class features:
Spellcasting: The True Necromancer's spellcasting functions like that of any other wizard, however, due to their intense focus on the black arts of Necromancy, they neglect their traditional realms of arcane study even more then other necromancers. The True Necromancer chooses 4 restricted schools instead of the 2 a normal specialist chooses. However, in return for this sacrifice, the True Necromancer adds all necromancy spells from all spell lists to their class spell list. These spells are treated and cast as any other spells the True Necromancer could learn and cast, despite their list of origin.(So these spells remain arcane, remain intelligence based ect..) Any of these spells, including those that are ordinarily divine can be learned from any kind of written text, even if those texts are not wizard/sorcerer or arcane texts.(So a True Necromancer could learn the spell "destruction" from a divine scroll despite the fact a normal wizard could not do the same.) These spells can also be chosen as bonus spells gained from leveling up. If a spell added this way already appears on the True necromancer's class spell list, it can be learned by a True Necromancer as a spell of the lowest level it appears on all spell lists.(So a True Necromancer could learn Animate Dead as a level 3 spell instead of a level 4 spell, for example.)
This ability is considered to alter the spellcasting class features of the wizard class.
Dark Channeling (SU): While a standard Necromancer wizard can only use his channel energy attempts to use the Command Undead feat, the True Necromancer' learns to channel energy just like the servants of the divine. The True Necromancer loses the limited channel energy he gains from being a necromancy specialist(but keeps the command undead feat) and instead gains the ability to channel negative energy as an evil cleric of his class level a number of times per-day equal to 3+ his cha-modifier. He can use this ability in any and all ways a cleric can, and can take any channeling feats, including feats such as alignment channel that alter this ability.
This class feature is considered as altering the Arcane School wizard class feature.
Undead Servitor (Su): The True Necromancer studies the art of reanimation so thoroughly that they can create undead servants through ritual alone. At 1st level and every level after, the True Necromancer can animate the corpses of dead creatures as skeletons and zombies by preforming a ritual that takes 8 hours. The skeleton or zombie cannot have hit dice that exceed the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can create and control only one undead with this ritual.. Undead the True Necromancer controls with this ability do not count against the number of undead the True Necromancer can control with spells such as Animate Dead and the Command Undead ability. This ability can also be used to create variant skeletons and zombies, such as burning or bloody skeletons, but their hit dice cannot exceed half the True Necromancer's wizard level. The True Necromancer can as a standard action dismiss his undead servitor, destroying it.
Due to the nature of this dread ritual, this undead minion shares some abilites with the fammilars of normal wizards. Any undead servitor created with this ability that is under the True Necromancer's control has all the abilites(sans those unique to specific fammilars, such as the skill bonuses.) of a wizard's fammilar, using it's HD instead of the True Necromancer's wizard level to determine what abilities it has variant skeletons and zombies, such as burning or bloody skeletons, use double their HD instead.
This class feature replaces the wizard's "Arcane Bond" class feature.
Desecrated Animation (Su) : The True Necromancer as he grows in his craft learns how to lace his undead animation spells and abilities with negative energy, making his undead stronger and allowing him to create more undead. At level 5 and every level after, whenever the True Necromancer casts a spell that animates, summons or creates undead creatures is treated as if it where being cast in a area under the effect if a desecrate spell. In addition, any undead animated, created or summoned by that spell is treated as if it was in a desecrated area, gaining all the bonuses that would be applied of a desecrate spell was actually in effect.
This ability replaces the wizard's level 5 bonus feat.
Master of Undeath (Su): At level 8, instead of gaining the life sight ability from the Necromancy school specialty, the True Necromancer gains the following ability: Instead of only being able to control 4 HD per caster level worth of undead animated with the spell Animate Dead, the True Necromancer controls 4 + his intelligence worth HD of undead per caster level. In addition, any undead animated by a True Necromancer with the spell Animate Dead gain a +4 enhancement bonus to their strength scores and +2 HP per hit die.
This ability is considered to alter the Arcane School wizard class feature.
Duke of the Damned (Ex): As his power grows the True Necromancer's vile reputation becomes so great that he attracts undead minions and other agents of undeath to him. At level 10, the True Necromancer gains an ability identical to the leadership feat, but with the following changes: Your leadership score is treated as 2 higher than it otherwise would be for the purpose of attracting followers and you can only attract undead followers. Your cohort can be living or undead, but if your cohort is living they must be either a knight of the sepulcher, cleric with the death domain, bones mystery oracle, blight druid, undead bloodline sorcerer or necromancer wizard. If you choose to attract an undead cohort as appose to a living one, you can attract an undead cohort with a maximum effective character level equal to two less then your character level. If you already have the leadership feat when you obtain this ability or take it at any point after you gain it, it still functions as normal and your leadership score for this ability remains separate from your leadership score for the leadership feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 10 bonus feat.
Impose Undeath(Su): The True Necromancer becomes so powerful that he eventually learns how to lace his spells with negative energy that reanimates those that his spells kill. At level 15, the True Necromancer gains the ability to spend a use of his channel energy ability to add the following effect to a spell of the necromancy school that deals damage that he is casting: If this spell drops one or more of it's target(s) to 0 hit points, the target is reanimated as an undead creature of the caster's choice who's HD is equal or less then that of the target. This undead creature is under the caster's control and counts against the number of undead the caster can control with the command undead feat.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 15 bonus feat.
Horderaiser (Su): At the height of his craft, the True Necromancer can animate large amounts of undead to do his bidding. At level 20, the True Necromancer gains the ability to use his command undead ability to animate undead instead of command them. The True Necromancer makes his command check treating the corpses to be animated as undead of equal hit dice. Any of the corpses which would be commanded by his results if they where undead are reanimated as skeletons or zombies that are automatically under the True Necromancer's control. A True Necromancer cannot animate more undead then the maximum number he could command(Including any undead already under his command.) with this ability. These undead are counted against the control limit of the True Necromancer's Command Undead feat. Any excess undead animated with this ability are not under the True Necromancer's command.
This class feature replaces the wizard's level 20 bonus feat
So, any opinions and ideas for improvement?
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