Sigil Necromancer (5e Class)

Sigil Necromancer

A drow woman, imposing and mysterious, stands side by side with a tall and hooded human figure. She has marks painted on her whole body, that bright with a faint light. Behind her, a tall and muscular cloaked human, dressed in rags and wielding a giant greatsword, waits patiently. His eyes are empty and lifeless, and he has a painted glyph on his head, the same symbol painted on the staff of the drow. She points her hand towards the blocked entrance of the dungeon, and both her and the human glyphs glow brighter, as he walks towards the stone door, lifting it. The bright light of the glyph reveals the mortal wound on his chest.

A human man, wearing a black leather armor, fights side by side with his companions against the a huge demon from the abyss. A long time friend, a warrior, is wounded by the horns of the demon, and is too far from the helping hands from the priest, able to heal with his touch blessed by the God of Life. The human lifts his arm and touches the seal painted on his forearm. The same seal is present in all members of this adventuring guild. The seal glows under the armor of the warrior, as he feels an influx of vitality putting him back on his feet and ready to fight once more.

Sitting on a tombstone, an halfling start to draw symbols on the ground. Once the drawing is complete, he start muttering words as he touches the magically infused symbol on his chest. Suddenly, the air grows heavier, thicker and colder, and what looks to be a misty cloud at first takes a vaguely humanoid form, the ghost of a deceased explorer. The secrets of great treasures and fortunes have died with him, so a conversation is the best way to recover some of that information.

Sigil necromancers are masters of using the power contained into mystical symbols infused with magic power, the sigils, in special necromancy sigils. Rather than using spells, they paint symbols of power, infused with necromantic magic, that can be used to both heal or harm creatures, and to bring people from the dead. They are always served or accompanied by undead souls, bind to them by those sigils, serving as slaves, servants, allies and loyal soldiers.

Undead Reanimators

Undead servants are a vital part of the practice of the sigil necromancer. The practice of undead animation and control is seen by many as a profane and despicable practice, but sigilists understand that reanimating a corpse is vital to understand how the death really work. Not always undead creatures under the service of a sigilist are mindless slaves, being sometimes helped by these necromancers to find purpose in the unlife and sometimes even peace enough to finally achieve the final rest.

Marks of Life and Death

Sigilists understand that necromancy is more than just death. The same energy used to create undead creatures, curse and stole vitality of living creatures can also be used to convoke souls and put them back inside their bodies, aiding lost souls to find their way and to protect and heal living creatures from negative energy. Also, they comprehend that death or even the undead life is not necessarily a malignant force, but a part of the natural planar wheel and from the existence cycle.

Creating Sigil Necromaner

[1] by Irina Nordsol Kuzmina

There are many types of people who choose the path of a sigil necromancer. You could be a medic, a shaman, an undertaker or member of any societal role commonly associated with the dead, and use the sigils to further your understanding and improve your practice. You should consider what was the driving force behind your decision to study the sigil mysteries. You could be tormented by a death you were unable to stop, or maybe you have followed a long tradition of a culture were a sigil necromancer plays an important role in helping the tribe members to cope with death. Maybe you could only want to exploit the control over the death for personal gains, or even to push the boundaries of knowledge about life and death.

Despite backgrounds or motivations, usually all sigil necromancers have some type of defining contact with the death. Could be the death of a relative, lover or friend that drove you to this path? Or maybe a near death experience you have suffered? You could just live around death constantly, living in a place full of war or plagues. You have encountered an undead before, maybe a haunted place or a horde attack? Or even maybe you are an undead or a revived person. Either way, now this fixation will define your adventurous journey through the world.

Quick Build

You can make a Sigil Necromancer quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the sage background.

Class Features

As a Sigil Necromancer you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Sigil Necromancer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Sigil Necromancer level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Painter's supplies
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) any simple weapon
• a light crossbow and 20 bolts
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Leather armor, and a dagger
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10 gp in funds.

Table: The Sigil Necromancer

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Flow Points	Necromantic Sigils Known
1st	+2	Haruspex, Soul Mark, Necromancy Acolyte	-	-
2nd	+2	Necromantic Sigils, Sealed Servant	-	1
3rd	+2	Dark Craft, Macabre Flow	3	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	2
5th	+3	Necrotic Influx, Ritualist	5	3
6th	+3	Necromantic Sigils	6	3
7th	+3	Dark Craft	7	4
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	8	4
9th	+4	Reinvigorating Flow, Protective Symbol	9	5
10th	+4	Necromantic Sigils	10	5
11th	+4	Symbol of Pain	11	6
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	12	6
13th	+5	Dark Craft	13	7
14th	+5	Necromantic Sigils	14	7
15th	+5	Glyph of the Flesh Puppet	15	8
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	16	8
17th	+6	Dark Craft	17	9
18th	+6	Protection from Death	18	9
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	19	10
20th	+6	Necromantic Sigils, Necrotic Infusion	20	10

Haruspex

By 1st level, you have a deep understanding over the mechanics of death. You have advantage on any Charisma check you make when interacting with undead.

Additionally, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of your Wisdom modifier, to Wisdom (Medicine) checks and for checks to you make to understand and interact with the dead and undead.

Finally, you can always tell how a creature died by looking at his corpse for at least 1 minute, without making any check.

Necromancy Acolyte

At 1st level, you have dabbled in necromancy, developing some general understanding about the basics of this school of magic. You learn the spare the dying and chill touch cantrips.

Intelligence is your necromancy ability for your sigil necromancer spells and class features. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell or feature refers to your necromancy ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for sigil necromancer spell or class feature and when making an spell attack.

You can use your painter's supplies as spellcasting focus for your necromancy spells.

In addition, while wielding your painter's supplies in one hand, you can quickly inscribe a sigil using your bonus action, marking a hostile creature within 30 feet. When you do so, you add your Intelligence modifier to the damage of any Sigil Necromancer necromancy spell against that target. The sigil lasts for 1 minute and you can only inscribe one. Inscribing another sigil make the first one disappear.

Necromancy save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Necromancy attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Soul Mark

At 1st level, you can spend a long rest to write a personal mark with your painter's supplies on a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier. This mark can be visible or invisible, and can have any shape, size or color you want. You can use your action to communicate telepathically with any marked creature within 30 feet. You can also cast spare the dying on the marked creature at a 30 feet range. This mark is considered a magical object.

Necromantic Sigils

At 2nd level, you learn how to write sigils onto a corpse, giving it new abilities. This sigils channel the energy of deceased souls and pure dark energy, creating powerful undead servants.

You must spend 1 hour for each sigil you mark with your painter's supplies, and the sigil remains marked until you decide to change them or until the undead servant dies. As you gain levels in this class, you learn how to empower this servant with new sigils.

Your servants have a number of sigil slots, that can be spent at the following manner:

• Two 2nd level sigils at 2nd level.

• Two 6th level sigils, plus the sigils of the previous level at 6th level.

• Two 10th level sigils, plus the sigils of the previous level at 10th level.

• One 14th level sigil, plus the sigils of the previous level at 14th level.

• One 20th level sigil, plus the sigils of the previous level at 20th level.

Sealed Servant

Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to write a sigil infused with necromantic power onto a corpse, creating a loyal undead servant. Choose between a zombie or a skeleton, depending on the state of conservation of the body you are writing the sigil.

Imbuing a sigil with necromantic power onto an undead requires a 8-hour ritual, 50 gp in magical prepared paint and your painter's supplies. You can have only one servant at a time. If your servant is ever slain, you can spend 8 hours writing a sigil onto a new servant.

The servant you gain at 2nd level obeys your commands as best it can. Your servant takes its turn immediately before or after your turn (your choice), and you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your servant acts on its own.

Your servant has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level in this class. Your servant uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own.

Your servant gains proficiency in Athletics and Perception skills. For each sigil necromancer level you gain after 2nd, your cohort gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your servant's abilities also improve. Your servant can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your servant can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

Your servant's alignment is within one step of you own, and has a personality trait and flaw determined by the GM. Its bond is always, “I will serve my master for the eternity, and i will destroy its enemies.”

Your servant is always considered to be in range and marked for the purposes of your sigil necromancer features and abilities.

Dark Craft

Starting at 3rd level, you adopt a craft as a specialization to become the master of it. You can select from the crafts which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level.

Macabre Flow

Starting at 3rd level, you have a source of necromantic energy that you can use to empower your allies or curse your enemies trough the marks you create. This macabre flow is represented by a number of points called flow points, that you can spend to activate macabre incantations. You can spend a maximum of flow points equal to your proficiency bonus.

You can spend macabre points to use the following incantations:

• Necrotic Strike. You can use your bonus action to empower the attacks of a marked ally within 30 feet with necromantic energy. When you do so, the first allied creature affected by this incantation to hit a melee weapon attack against a creature until the start of your next turn deal damage equal to the number of points spent. If you spend the maximum amount of points possible for your level, you also deal an additional amount of damage equal to your Intelligence modifier.

• Dark Vigor. You can use your bonus action to restore the hit points of a creature you can see within 5 feet by an amount equal to the number of points spent. If you spend the maximum amount of points possible for your level, you also cure an additional amount of hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier.

• Disempowerment. You can use your action to weaken a marked enemy. The next saving throw made by the enemy until the start of your next turn will have its DC increased by the amount of flow points spent. If you spent the maximum amount of points possible to your level, the creature take damage equal to your Intelligence modifier on its next failed saving throw.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Necrotic Influx

Starting at 5th level, as a bonus action on your turn, you can activate the mark on one target of your Soul Mark, within 60 feet, creating an influx of necromantic energy that lasts until the start of your next turn. The creature affected can generate one of the following effects:

• The mark create a influx of false vitality around the creature. When the marked creature take damage, it can use its reaction to reduce the damage by an ammount equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier.

• The marked creature can use its reaction to infuse his attack with necrotic energy, adding 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier necrotic damage on a hit. The use of this mark must be announced before the attack.

• If the marked creature suffer an attack that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it can use its reaction to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. When using this effect, the mark disappear from the creature.

Ritualist

Starting at 5th level, you can use special sigils to perform rituals. You can cast the gentle repose, feign death and speak with dead spells as rituals, while you have your painter's supplies at hand.

Reinvigorating Flow

At 9th level, whenever you use your macabre flow feature, you or any marked creature you choose gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level in this class.

Protective Symbol

At 9th level, you no longer have to make death saving throws, becoming automatically stabilized when reaching 0 hit points. In addition, you and any creature that has your soul mark have advantage on death saving throws, are immune to instant death and have resistance to necrotic damage.

Symbol of Pain

By 11th level, when your undead servant hit a creature with an attack, you can use your reaction to brand that creature with the symbol of pain. If you hit a creature branded with this symbol, you deal additional 3d6 necrotic damage on a hit. The symbol vanishes after the end of your turn.

Glyph of the Flesh Puppet

Starting at 15th level, whenever you or your servant reduce a marked humanoid creature to 0 hit points, you can raise that creature with the as a flesh puppet under your service. The corpse of the deceased creature return as a zombie under your service. The zombie has a number of temporary hit points equal to your level and add your proficiency bonus to its attacks. You control this zombie as if it had been animated by the animate dead spell, but it lasts for 1 hour. You can't have more than one zombie created by this feature under your service at the same time.

Protection from Death

At 18th level, your mark can trap the soul of the marked creature inside its body on the advent of death. When a marked creature within 120 feet that can see or hear you drops to 0 hit points, but is not killed outright, you can use your reaction to cause that creature to drop to 1 hit point instead.

Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or a long rest before you can do so again.

Necrotic Infusion

At 20th level, once in each round, when a marked creature hit a target with an attack, you can use your reaction to increase the damage dealt by that attack in 1d8.

Crafts

Marshals of all kinds endeavor to be true kings of the battlefield, mastering all of its secrets, and gathering the best men to their side to fight in their armies. To that end, they adopt symbols denoting their command style, values, and skills.

Spectral Craft

Controlling the immaterial substance that flows on the bodies of all living creatures, sigil necromancers from the spectral craft summon ghosts and specters to do their bidding, controlling raging spirits and deadly ghosts.

Necrotic Bolt

Starting when you choose this craft at 3rd level, you can sling bolts of necrotic energy from your hands. You make a ranged spell attack, and on a hit you deal 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier necrotic damage.

You can use your bonus action to guide the necrotic bolt to your target, by spending your flow points. Doing so adds your flow points spent to the result of the attack roll. You can spend your flow points after making the attack roll, but before any effects of the attack are applied.

Soul Seer

At 7th level, you can see deep into a creature's soul and tap on its essence. You add your Intelligence modifier to any Wisdom (Insight). In addition, you add your Intelligence modifier to all Charisma checks that don't add your proficiency bonus.

Servant Improvement

At 7th level, you can choose a specter as your Sealed Servant by spending two 2nd-level sigil slots. In addition, your servant can use your necrotic bolt feature, using your spell attack and damage roll.

Phantasmagorical Strikes

At 13th level, you and any creatures marked by your sigils can decide to make a phantasmagorical strike. When doing so, the melee attacks now have reach, and the damage is necrotic, instead of the original type. This damage is considered magical.

In addition, you can decide to make a phantasmagorical strike when making a melee weapon attack. If you do so, you can use your Intelligence, instead of Dexterity or Strength for attack and damage rolls.

Spectral Rage

Starting at 17th level, you can use your action summon a horde of avenging spirits on an area of 10-foot radius, centered on you or on your servant. When you do so, all creatures in the area must make a Constitution saving throw, or take damage equal to your necrotic bolt damage.

In addition, you can choose one creature in the area and use your bonus action to try to take over control of its soul. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw, and on a failed save, you can use its reaction to make a single attack against any creature within its range.

Bone Craft

Focusing on the material aspect of death, the sigil necromancer of the bone craft use their sigils to control the putrefied corpses that are the signature characteristic of necromancy.

Undead Arm

Starting when you choose this craft at 3rd level, you mark your arm, that start to show signs of decomposition. You can make a melee spell attack with this arm, dealing 1d10 + Intelligence modifier bludgeoning damage.

In addition, you can use your bonus action when you hit a creature with this arm and expend your flow points to infuse the strike with necrotic energy, anesthetizing its body. The creature must make a Strength saving throw, or will be grappled and restrained by your arm as long as the grappling continues. You add the flow points to the DC of the saving throw.

Undead Resilience

At 7th level, the death sigil on your arm spreads to your body, giving you undead capabilities. You have advantage on any saving throw against diseases and poisons, and resistance to poison damage.

In addition, you no longer need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you remain semiconscious, and you can hear as normal.

Servant Improvement

At 7th level, you can choose a ghoul as your Sealed Servant, by spending two 2nd-level sigil slots. In addition, when you use your undead arm feature, you can choose to activate it from your or your servant position.

Rigor Mortis

Starting at 13th level, when you roll initiative, you and your marked allies gain a resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks against the first attack each one receives until the start of your next turn.

Touch of Death

Starting at 17th level, when you or your servant take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet, you can use your reaction to make an attack with your mummified arm against that creature, or command your servant to make an attack from its position, at advantage. On a hit, you add necrotic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. The creature that make this attack regain the same amount of hit points.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and you regain all uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Warrior Craft

Spiritual Shield

At 3rd level, you can spend your flow points to create a spiritual barrier. You can use your bonus action to gain a bonus to your AC against the next attack that hits you. The bonus equal the number of flow points spent. If you spend your maximum possible of flow points for your level, you add your Intelligence modifier to the AC increase. The barrier drops after a minute, or after the next failed attack.

Precise Cutter

Starting at 3rd level, you learn how to use your knowledge about bodies and anatomy to perform gruesome strikes. You can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, when performing attacks with slashing weapons that has the light or finesse property.

I addition, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, heavy armor and shields.

Special-Warrior's Sigil

When you reach the 6th level, you can choose a special sigil restricted for this archetype. The warrior sigil allow you to make one additional attack when you take the Attack action. This sigil can't be inscribed on your servant.

Servant Improvement

At 7th level, you can choose a warhorse skeleton as your Sealed Servant by spending one 2nd-level sigil slot.

Sigil Rider

Starting at 7th level, you can mark sigils on your own body, instead of using your servant. While mounting your skeleton warhorse, both gain all the benefits for the sigils.

While mounting your skeleton warhorse, you have advantage on any saving throw made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off your mount, you always land on your feet if you aren’t incapacitated. Mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed. Additionally, you can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead.

Mark of Rage

At 13th level, you can use your bonus action and spend flow points to make a combination of furious attacks. You must spend the maximum amount of flow points for your level, and you make an attack two attacks while your undead servant make one.

Cleave of Souls

Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to swing your weapon in an arc, releasing a wave of necrotic destruction. All creatures within a 15-foot cone centered on you must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take necrotic damage equal to the damage of your weapon.

Servant Sigils

Bellow are the list of sigils, in no particular order. The prerequisite of the sigil is also its level (a sigil with a prerequisite of 6th level is a 6th level sigil).

Some sigils specify a minimum sigil necromancer level. You can’t learn such an sigil until you are at least that level.

When a sigil have a level progression, you need to choose the same sigil multiple times. Unless an sigil’s description has a level progression, you can’t learn the sigil more than once.

Sigil of Protection

The servant's armor class increase by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Sigil of Might

One the servant's ability scores increase by 2, to a maximum of 20.

Sigil of Power

The servant's deal additional 2 necrotic damage with his melee strikes. You can inscribe this sigil twice, to increase the damage by 4 necrotic at 10th level.

Sigil of Energy

The servant's deal additional 2 necrotic damage with his ranged strikes.

Sigil of Magic

Prerequisite: 6th level sigil necromancer

The servant can cast each of the following spells once, without spending a spell slot. cause fear, ray of sickness. Charisma is its spellcasting ability. The servant regain the ability to do so after completing a long rest.

Sigil of Improved Magic

Prerequisite: Sigil of Magic, 10th level

The servant can cast each of the following spells once, without spending a spell slot. blindness/deafness, ray of enfeeblement. Charisma is its spellcasting ability. If the spell require some material components, you or your servant must possess the component. The servant regain the ability to do so after completing a long rest.

Sigil of Advanced Magic

Prerequisite: Sigil of Companionship, 20th level

The servant can cast each of the following spells once, without spending a spell slot. life transference, revivify. Charisma is its spellcasting ability. The servant regain the ability to do so after completing a long rest.

Sigil of Learning

The servant double its proficiency bonus for two of his skills.

Sigil of Companionship

Whenever you or any marked creature are within 5 feet of your servant, the servant make the attack roll on its turn with advantage, adding 1d6 necrotic damage on a success. You can inscribe this sigil twice at 6th level, increasing the damage to 2d6, three times at 10th level, increasing the damage to 3d6, for times at 14th level, increasing the damage to 4d6.

Sigil of the Soul Eater

Prerequisite: Sigil of Companionship, 20th level

During its first turn, the servant can make one attack with advantage against any creature that hasn't acted yet on the combat. On a hit, the servant gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Sigil of the Master's Defense.

Prerequisite: Sigil of Companionship, 10th level

Whenever the servant must make a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution, saving throw to avoid damage, it can uses your Intelligence saving throw instead.

Sygil of Resistance

Prerequisite: 6th level

The servant can use its reaction to reduce any damage taken to half.

Sygil of the Magic Attack

Prerequisite: 6th level

The natural attacks of the servant are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.

Sygil of the Furious Attack

Prerequisite: 10th level

The servant can use its bonus action to make an additional attack, dealing 1d6 damage. This damage can be slashing, piercing or bludgeoning.

Sigil of the Sharp Claw

Prerequisite: 10th level

The attacks of the servant score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20 on the d20.

Sigil of the Murderous Strike

Prerequisite: 20th level

Once in each of its turns, your servant deal additional 2d6 necrotic damage against a creature it hits with a melee attack.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the sigil necromancer class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 13.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the sigil necromancer class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor.

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