Necromancer, Agiyaen Variant (3.5e Class)
Necromancer
Necromancers are not always a wizard or cleric, but they have the ability to be either, it's up for them to decide. Either as religious zealots or arcane scholars, they share a common love; the dead. To nourish their love, they often take professions as surgeons, where a few untimely demises are common with the lack of advanced medical techniques and equipment, or undertakers, where fresh bodies aren't hard to find. In either profession, they find acquiring bodies and or organs easy and without drawing too much suspicion. However a necromancer won't just raise any body. The true pride of a necromancer is constructing his own, choosing the best body parts and lovingly reattaching them to make a monstrosity that would strike the terror into the hearts of the bravest warriors.
Making a Necromancer
Abilities: A necromancer's intelligence is key for his work, even if it is just to dig graves, he must plot a way to unbury the corpse without being caught by the local cleric or paladin. Charisma grants him the power to rebuke the undead, especially a rival's masterpieces. Dexterity brings him the ability to sneak about graveyards unnoticed so that he may do his work without interruption.
Races: Among the races that a necromancer may be born into, humans are the most common, for the average human is indifferent to whose grave he is robbing even if it were a kin's or loved one's. Many dwarves have sworn against magic and lack the creativity needed while elves often lack the stomach for such gruesome tasks. Gnomes bore to easily since the average undead is admittedly not that interesting while halflings may go about graverobbing only to sell his takings on to other necromancers on the black market.
Alignment: It is rare for a good aligned person to ever conceive the reason behind doing such grisly tasks and often lack the spine. Evil has no quarrels raising the dead and often excel within the dark arts. Though it is not uncommon for neutrally aligned souls to be necromancers, many fear that it would upset the balance between good and evil.
Starting Gold: 4d4×10 gp (100 gp).
Starting Age: Complex.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Craft Composite Corpse, Scribe Talisman | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus Feat | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Bonus Feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Bonus Feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Bonus Feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Necromancer:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A necromancer is proficient with a Dagger, Club, Sickle, Crossbow (Light or Heavy), Quarterstaff and Scythe, but is not proficient with any armor or shields.
Bonus Feats: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a necromancer gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery. The necromancer must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.
Spells: A necromancer can choose to cast either Arcane Spells. A necromancer can only cast spells whose level is equal to or less their Intelligence modifier. A necromancer can learn a new spells the same way that a wizard can. Necromancer must study their spell book in order to prepare their spells for the day (like a wizard). Necromancers choose their spells from the following list:
0— Detect Magic Detect Poison Inflict Minor Wounds Mending Read Magic Disrupt Undead Arcane Mark (Arcane Spellcasting only) Preserve Organ
1st— Alarm Disguise Self Black Bag Darklight Death Grimace Animate Dead Animals Corpse Link Exterminate Locate Remains Spectral Voice Summon Undead I Net of Shadows Back Biter Ebon Eyes
2nd— Darkness Death Knell Desecrate Inflict Moderate Wounds Undetected Alignment Summon Swarm Blindness/Deafness Embalm Living Link Skeletal Hands Stone Bones Summon Undead II Disguise Undead Bonefiddle
3rd—
Animate Dead
Dispel Magic
Inflict Serious Wounds
Speak with Dead
Nondetection
Halt Undead
Vampiric Touch
Red Fester
Boneblade
Unliving Weapon
Bonedance
False Face
Skulltrap
Rejuvenate Corpse
Skull Watch
Slashing Darkness
Spark of Life
Summon Undead III
Corpse Candle
Disrupt Undead, Greater
Curse of Impending Blades
Incorporeal Enchant
Undead Lieutenant
Undead Torch
4th— Dimension Door Absorb Strength Corrupts Summons Brainkill Empathic Wound Transfer Summon Spirit Iron Bones Summon Undead IV Burning Blood
5th— Inflict Light Wounds, Mass Blight Power Leech Soul Shackles Stop Heart Bind Undead Bone Blight Great Flesh Summon Undead V
6th— Create Undead Undeath to Death Consume Likeness Ectoplasmic Enchantment Corpse Host Ghoul Gauntlet Transmute Bones to Metal Aura of Fear Incorporeal Nova Revive Undead Dispel Magic, Greater Circle of Death
7th— Inflict Serious Wounds, Mass Control Undead Wound Conferral Ghost Trap Arrow of Bone Awaken Undead
8th— Create Greater Undead Inflict Critical Wounds, Mass Symbol of Death Gutwrench Death Shroud Life Force Transfer General of Undeath Veil of Undeath
9th— Death Ward Life Force Exchange
Craft Composite Corpse: A necromancer's pride isn't just resurrecting or summoning undead, but is also the love to craft the ultimate corpse and animate it. Thus many necromancers can create a composite corpse from several different corpses making a Craft check with a DC check of 10. For every rank of "Profession (Surgeon)" and "Knowledge (Anatomy)" the necromancer gains +1 Situation Bonus to the Craft Check. A necromancer gets -2 Situational Penalty when trying to combine the body parts of creatures of slightly different anatomy (as in different genders, heights and/or weights), a -4 situational penalty to the check if the corpses are of different races, and -10 if the corpses of different sizes (i.e. Medium, Small, Large) plus an additional -2 situational penalty for every size difference past the first size of the creature. If a necromancer makes a Craft Check of 15 or more, he has constructed the corpse in a manner to his liking, but lacks the ability to craft fine detail (such as the face). If a necromancer makes a Craft Check of 20 or more, then he has crafted a perfect corpse with every detail under his control (including the face.) The amount of time to craft a Composite Corpse is equal to half of the number of bodies used.
Scribe Talisman: A necromancer can scribe a talisman in the same matter that a Wizard can scribe a scroll. For all matters, this ability is considered to be the same as the Scribe Scroll Ability of a Wizard. (However a necromancer doesn't need a spellbook to scribe a talisman.)
Campaign Information
Playing a Necromancer
Religion: A necromancer is free to choose to worship a deity or not. Those who do (usually the ones choosing to cast divine magic) most often worship the deity of death (name at DM's discretion) acting on her every command while necromancers that seek freedom forgo religion in all forms (thus choosing to cast arcane magic) and can learn freely their spells.
Other Classes: Necromancers are the worst enemy of clerics and paladins alike especially those who are of the good alignment. Necromancers don't often play well with others and often seek to go alone, the only accompany being their undead legions.
Combat: A necromancer refrains from direct combat if they get involved personally at all. Even a weak necromancer can summon a few undead minions, to whom they order about and use to fight for them, keeping to protection of the other party members if there are any and if possible.
Advancement: A necromancer doesn't often seek other classes for they find themselves as perfect as they can already though many favor prestige that revolve around death and killing.
Necromancers in the World
| “ | What's the point in living except to die and what's the point in dying except becoming of use to me? | ” |
| —Bonez, Human Necromancer | ||
Daily Life: A necromancer often lives in secret of society, doing the dark arts in the privacy of their own homes or else risk divine punishment at the hands of clerics and paladins. They make their living in a way that they get to enjoy, by working with the dead. Those who prefer to just harvest a few good organs often take pride and skill with a scalpel, becoming rather notorious surgeons who may save one's life only at the price of a few bones or muscles while others who harvest corpses the old fashioned way find much use as undertakers, marking mentally or magically the position of every fresh corpse as they're buried.
Notables: An enigmatic girl simply named Bonez has a rather interesting way to come across fresh "specimens". She dresses like the daughter of a local farmer or any other form of innocent girl of a location, walking into the nearest tavern, locating the specimen, or waving down travelers on the road and offering a good time. Drawing her prey away to a secluded area, she then strikes, slaying the prey and harvesting his body for strong bones.
Meanwhile, a elf hailing from kittelic lands named Shi Long, has a rather eccentric opinion by which he goes about his work. He believes that when lays his eyes on any woman, he should see the face of his beloved. He fulfills this dream by slaying any woman he finds and altering her body to be exactly a replica of his beloved in all ways. Reanimating the corpse and sealing the victim's soul away, he adds the new "puppet" to his grisly collection, which grows without any known end.
Organizations: Religious necromancers often form underground cults, serving their deity to their best ability. The location and number of members of such a cult is kept dearly secret, for an outsider to learn of it would mean the local sheriff and clerics/paladins breathing down the cult's neck, a risk they cannot take. Anybody who does learn this information is often given one of two options, death or membership, though many think the two as being no different from one another.
NPC Reactions: Necromancers are feared and misunderstood individuals and rarely trusted by commoners. Usually, when an individual reveals he's a necromancer he is hunted down by angry mob, the local law enforcement and/or clergy, all seeking to destroy him. However, there are those who can put aside their fears to hire a necromancer. After all necromancers are renown for knowing many ways of killing somebody in addition to raising their corpse and are often cheaper to hire than professional assassins.
Necromancer Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcane)/(Religion) can research necromancers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 5 | "They draw forth the dark arts, raising the dead to serve their needs. They have no regard for the dead think corpses exist only to be raised by them." |
| 10 | "Necromancers are crafty folk who be living among us. They prefer professions where fresh, whole corpses, or just certain body parts easily without too much suspicion being drawn to them such as a surgeon or undertaker. |
| 15 | A necromancer origin is often unknown and mysterious, though they are not all evil as stereotyped. Some are grief-stricken lovers whose beloved passed away and the inability to accept their loss has driven into a state of denial and madness. Sometimes the great goddess of death (insert name here) comes before them, promising to bring their beloved back in exchange for eternal servitude. |
| 20 | Necromancers have once served a respectful service to the early world. By communing with the dead, they could foretell the future of a tribe or clan, often serving as shaman or seer and leading the their people on a path to glory and fortune. |
Necromancers in the Game
Necromancers are often the mastermind behind zombie plagues, building an army of undead to which they send to kill and ravish towns and villages, though a necromancer may also be a hero (or rather an anti-hero) seeking to avenge the death of a loved one or innocents. In more open minded societies, necromancers may serve as divine assistants, openly practicing their arts in funeral preparations and asking for the goddess of death to lead them to the next realm safely.