While I do love homebrew, I'm rather guilty of using the homebrew of others for my campaigns. The main reason being I'm never sure if anything I make is balanced and such. I have, however, made this little class variant here, and I have used it before. However, I want opinions on it. Not stuff like "This is epic fail" or "It sucks, that's all." I'm looking for criticism that's helpful, honest and constructive but not blunt, abrasive or brutally honest. Anyway, this will not include any fluff with it because I'm lazy tonight, so if you want fluff to go along with the variant class I'm sorry but my lazy-ness comes first.
Anyway..here's the variant class:
Devoted Necromancer- A wizard variant class..
The Devoted Necromancer is a variant of the wizard class created to address the glaring inadequacy of wizards in the area of necromancy when compared to clerics. A devoted necromancer is for all intent and purposes, a wizard specialized in necromancy. Thus, a dedicated Necromancer counts as a necromancy specialist for entry into PrCs which require you to be a specialized wizard, such as Red Wizard or Master Specialist. In addition, like any specialist wizard, a devoted necromancer must chose two prohibited schools. A devoted Necromancer however gains no benefits what so ever from being a specialist.(So they would not get a specialist's bonus spells and other assorted abilities like bonuses with identifying spell from their specialized school ect..)
A devoted Necromancer also loses their familiar and can only scribe scrolls of spells from the necromancy school. They also can't use magic items which contain spells not of the necromancy school such as a fireball wand ect..(They can, however, use metamagic wands and other such magic items which don't contain non-necromancy spells) Finally, the last thing a devoted necromancer trades for their powers is all of their wizard bonus feats that they would normally obtain.
However, they gain a lot in place of these losses:
- Devoted Necromancers may rebuke undead as a cleric of the same character level a number of times per day equal to 3 + their cha modifier.
-At character creation, A Devoted Necromancer can chose one of the following cleric domains: Deathbound, Death, Undeath, Repose. He gains that domain's granted power, using his devoted necromancer wizard levels in place of cleric levels for any abilities depended on cleric level. He also substitutes his int modifier for his wis modifier for any ability which would be dependent on his wis modifier normally. In addition, at character creation and every level which he gains access to a new spell level, the dedicated necromancer adds the domain spell of his chosen domain of the new spell level(s) which he is able to cast to his spell book.(So, for example, a devoted necromancer with the undeath domain at character creation would add detect undead to his spell book. When he reaches 3rd level and thus gains level 2 spells, he would add desecrate to his spell book. When he is able to cast 3rd level spells, he would add animate dead to his spell book and so on and so forth..)
A devoted necromancer however, dose not gain domain spell slots for these spells. Rather he prepares them in his standard spell slots in the exact same manner as all other spells he has recorded in his spell book, and these spells are treated in the exact same manner as all other spells in his spell book.(Including being cast off of and having their DCs based on his primary casting stat, int.)
- In place of bonus feats, the devoted necromancer gains particular special abilities at the levels at which he would normally obtain bonus feats. The abilities are outlined below.
Level 5: At level 5, in place of a standard wizard bonus feat, the Devoted Necromancer gains the ability to spontaneously cast inflict spells by converting memorized spells into inflict spells of the equivalent level in the same manner as an evil cleric. This includes all inflict spells, including the higher level "mass" inflict spells. However, the dedicated necromancer dose not add these inflict spells to his spell book and he can only cast inflict spells through his spontaneous casting ability.
Level 10: At level 10, the Devoted Necromancer gains a bonus feat which must be chosen from the following list: Spell Focus(Necromancy), Greater Spell Focus(Necromancy), Fearsome Necromancy, Fell Animate, Fell Frighten, Profane Lifeleech and all feats from the Corpsecrafter line.
Level 15: At level 15 and onwards, a Devoted Necromancer is at all times treated as if he had cast the spell "General of Undeath" for determining the HD of undead that he can control.
Level 20: At level 20, the Devoted Necromancer gains a bonus feat which must be chosen from the following list: Spell Focus(Necromancy), Greater Spell Focus(Necromancy), Fearsome Necromancy, Fell Animate, Fell Frighten, Profane Lifeleech and all feats from the Corpsecrafter line.
So, any opinions? Thoughts? Criticism? Is it too powerful? Too weak?
Anyway..here's the variant class:
Devoted Necromancer- A wizard variant class..
The Devoted Necromancer is a variant of the wizard class created to address the glaring inadequacy of wizards in the area of necromancy when compared to clerics. A devoted necromancer is for all intent and purposes, a wizard specialized in necromancy. Thus, a dedicated Necromancer counts as a necromancy specialist for entry into PrCs which require you to be a specialized wizard, such as Red Wizard or Master Specialist. In addition, like any specialist wizard, a devoted necromancer must chose two prohibited schools. A devoted Necromancer however gains no benefits what so ever from being a specialist.(So they would not get a specialist's bonus spells and other assorted abilities like bonuses with identifying spell from their specialized school ect..)
A devoted Necromancer also loses their familiar and can only scribe scrolls of spells from the necromancy school. They also can't use magic items which contain spells not of the necromancy school such as a fireball wand ect..(They can, however, use metamagic wands and other such magic items which don't contain non-necromancy spells) Finally, the last thing a devoted necromancer trades for their powers is all of their wizard bonus feats that they would normally obtain.
However, they gain a lot in place of these losses:
- Devoted Necromancers may rebuke undead as a cleric of the same character level a number of times per day equal to 3 + their cha modifier.
-At character creation, A Devoted Necromancer can chose one of the following cleric domains: Deathbound, Death, Undeath, Repose. He gains that domain's granted power, using his devoted necromancer wizard levels in place of cleric levels for any abilities depended on cleric level. He also substitutes his int modifier for his wis modifier for any ability which would be dependent on his wis modifier normally. In addition, at character creation and every level which he gains access to a new spell level, the dedicated necromancer adds the domain spell of his chosen domain of the new spell level(s) which he is able to cast to his spell book.(So, for example, a devoted necromancer with the undeath domain at character creation would add detect undead to his spell book. When he reaches 3rd level and thus gains level 2 spells, he would add desecrate to his spell book. When he is able to cast 3rd level spells, he would add animate dead to his spell book and so on and so forth..)
A devoted necromancer however, dose not gain domain spell slots for these spells. Rather he prepares them in his standard spell slots in the exact same manner as all other spells he has recorded in his spell book, and these spells are treated in the exact same manner as all other spells in his spell book.(Including being cast off of and having their DCs based on his primary casting stat, int.)
- In place of bonus feats, the devoted necromancer gains particular special abilities at the levels at which he would normally obtain bonus feats. The abilities are outlined below.
Level 5: At level 5, in place of a standard wizard bonus feat, the Devoted Necromancer gains the ability to spontaneously cast inflict spells by converting memorized spells into inflict spells of the equivalent level in the same manner as an evil cleric. This includes all inflict spells, including the higher level "mass" inflict spells. However, the dedicated necromancer dose not add these inflict spells to his spell book and he can only cast inflict spells through his spontaneous casting ability.
Level 10: At level 10, the Devoted Necromancer gains a bonus feat which must be chosen from the following list: Spell Focus(Necromancy), Greater Spell Focus(Necromancy), Fearsome Necromancy, Fell Animate, Fell Frighten, Profane Lifeleech and all feats from the Corpsecrafter line.
Level 15: At level 15 and onwards, a Devoted Necromancer is at all times treated as if he had cast the spell "General of Undeath" for determining the HD of undead that he can control.
Level 20: At level 20, the Devoted Necromancer gains a bonus feat which must be chosen from the following list: Spell Focus(Necromancy), Greater Spell Focus(Necromancy), Fearsome Necromancy, Fell Animate, Fell Frighten, Profane Lifeleech and all feats from the Corpsecrafter line.
So, any opinions? Thoughts? Criticism? Is it too powerful? Too weak?
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