The Necromancer
Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:07 pm
I've copied this over from the Specialist Wizards thread for easier access.
THE NECROMANCER (Intelligence)
The necromancer or death master is a subclass of magic-user that, like the illusionist, specializes in a particular school of magic. As practitioners of necromancy, death masters tend to be evil, though they may initially be of any alignment. Ultimately, however, he will be of an evil alignment, although his early alignment might even be lawful good. The necromancer will change alignment, moving one step closer to evil (if he isnt there already) upon the gaining of every four levels of experience. Thus, a death master who starts out as lawful good will turn lawful neutral upon attaining 5th level and lawful evil at 9th level.
In any event, a death master will be evil by the time he reaches 9th level, and in most cases the switch will not take that long. In this downward spiral, no magic, not even a wish, can move the death masters alignment in the direction away from evil.
LEVEL & SPELL PROGRESSION
Necromancer's use the Illusionist class's experience and spell progression charts
Prime Requisite: Intelligence
Hit Die: d4
Alignment: Any (see class description)
Weapons: Club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, sickle & scythe
Armor: None*
Abilities: Necromancer spells, resistance to enchantment/charm, command undead
* a necromancer may not cast spells in armor.
Necromancers shun armor of all types but may use rings, cloaks and jewelry of protection, including bracers of defense. Otherwise, they may employ all items useable by wizards, except those items that store spells not featured on the necromancer spell list. They can only use arcane scrolls that have spell from their spell list scribed upon them or those that control or protect from the undead.
Necromancer Spells: A necromancer casts arcane spells much like a magic-user but, due to the specialized and inherently different nature of death magic, have their own spell list. Each necromancer can cast a limited number of spells from each spell level per day. The table below lists the number of spells per day a necromancer may cast of each spell level. For example, a 5th level necromancer can cast six 0-level, five 1st level, three 2nd level spells and one 3rd level spell.
A necromancer must prepare spells before casting them by studying from a spellbook. They may only scribe necromancer spells into their spellbooks. While studying, the necromancer decides which spells to prepare. Spell memorization and descriptions are covered in greater detail in the Magic section of THE PLAYERS HANDBOOK. Necromancers gain bonus spells for high intelligence scores just as a magic-user or illusionist does.
Resistance to Enchantment/Charm: At 1st level, necromancers gain a +1 bonus to saving throws to resist all enchantment/charm spells and effects. At levels 5, 10, 15 and 20 this bonus increases by an additional point, to a maximum of +5 at level 20.
Command Undead (Wisdom): At 3rd level, the necromancer gains the ability to effect undead as an evil cleric of 1st level. When making a wisdom check to command undead, a necromancer adds his turning level to the roll, not the characters actual level. This ability improves with each level, so a 5th level necromancer turns or commands undead like a 3rd level cleric.
Spellbook: The number of spells that a necromancer has in their spellbook at the beginning of play is equal to the number of spells they can cast at first level plus read magic. For example, a 1st level necromancer with a 14 intelligence can cast four 0-level spells and three 1st level spells (2+1 bonus). So, the character would begin play with a spellbook containing five 0-level and three 1st level spells plus read magic. The spells in the spellbook are chosen by player and should be approved by the Dungeon Master.
Starting Funds: Necromancers begin play with 10-100 gold pieces with which to purchase their initial equipment.
NECROMANCER SPELLS (Magic-Users)
0-Level
Audible Glamer
Cause Minor Wounds
Dancing Lights
Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Read Magic
Wizard Mark
Write
1st Level
Alarm
Armor
Cause Fear
Comprehend Languages
Detect Evil/Good
Detect Undead
Erase
Feather Fall
Find Familiar
Identify
Invisibillity to Undead
Nystul's Magic Aura
Protection from Good
Obscurement
Shield
Sleep
Unseen Servant
2nd Level
Blur
Cause Blindness/Deafness
Continual Darkess
Darkness 15' Radius
Darkvision
ESP
Feign Death
Fog Cloud
Invisibility
Knock
Know Alignment
Magic Mouth
Misdirection
Pyrotechnics
Ray of Enfeeblement
Scare
Speak with Dead
Wizard Lock
3rd Level
Animate Dead
Arcane Sight
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Deep Sleeper
Dispel Magic
Fear
Hold Person
Gaseous Form
Invisibility 10' Radius
Nondetection
Phantom Steed
Protection from Good 10' Radius
Stinking Cloud
Tongues
4th Level
Curse
Detect Scrying
Dimensional Anchor
Negative Plane Protection
Neutralize Poison
Poison
Remove Curse
Scrying
Shadow Conjuration
Solid Fog
Wall of Ice
Wizard Eye
5th Level
Cloudkill
Cone of Cold
Dismissal
Hold Monster
Magic Jar
Nightmare
Permanency
Slay Living
Symbol of Pain
Symbol of Sleep
Teleport
True Seeing
6th Level
Antilife Shell
Death Spell
Enchant an Item
Geas/Quest
Globe of Invulnerability
Improved Dispel Magic
Legend Lore
Move Earth
Planar Binding
Shadow Walk
Summon Shadow
Symbol of Fear
7th Level
Banishment
Ethereal Jaunt
Finger of Death
Improved Scrying
Improved Shadow Conjuration
Insanity
Limited Wish
Plane Shift
Power Word Blind
Symbol of Stunning
Symbol of Weakness
Teleport without Error
8th Level
Clone
Destruction
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Improved Planar Binding
Mind Blank
Power Word Stun
Serten's Spell Immunity
Symbol of Death
Symbol of Insanity
Temporal Stasis
Trap of Soul
9th Level
Astral Spell
Energy Drain
Etherealness
Gate
Power Word Kill
Soul Bind
Time Stop
Wish/Alter Reality
Note that some of these spells do not appear in C&C. They are listed in my alternate player's handbook listed here
THE NECROMANCER (Intelligence)
The necromancer or death master is a subclass of magic-user that, like the illusionist, specializes in a particular school of magic. As practitioners of necromancy, death masters tend to be evil, though they may initially be of any alignment. Ultimately, however, he will be of an evil alignment, although his early alignment might even be lawful good. The necromancer will change alignment, moving one step closer to evil (if he isnt there already) upon the gaining of every four levels of experience. Thus, a death master who starts out as lawful good will turn lawful neutral upon attaining 5th level and lawful evil at 9th level.
In any event, a death master will be evil by the time he reaches 9th level, and in most cases the switch will not take that long. In this downward spiral, no magic, not even a wish, can move the death masters alignment in the direction away from evil.
LEVEL & SPELL PROGRESSION
Necromancer's use the Illusionist class's experience and spell progression charts
Prime Requisite: Intelligence
Hit Die: d4
Alignment: Any (see class description)
Weapons: Club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, sickle & scythe
Armor: None*
Abilities: Necromancer spells, resistance to enchantment/charm, command undead
* a necromancer may not cast spells in armor.
Necromancers shun armor of all types but may use rings, cloaks and jewelry of protection, including bracers of defense. Otherwise, they may employ all items useable by wizards, except those items that store spells not featured on the necromancer spell list. They can only use arcane scrolls that have spell from their spell list scribed upon them or those that control or protect from the undead.
Necromancer Spells: A necromancer casts arcane spells much like a magic-user but, due to the specialized and inherently different nature of death magic, have their own spell list. Each necromancer can cast a limited number of spells from each spell level per day. The table below lists the number of spells per day a necromancer may cast of each spell level. For example, a 5th level necromancer can cast six 0-level, five 1st level, three 2nd level spells and one 3rd level spell.
A necromancer must prepare spells before casting them by studying from a spellbook. They may only scribe necromancer spells into their spellbooks. While studying, the necromancer decides which spells to prepare. Spell memorization and descriptions are covered in greater detail in the Magic section of THE PLAYERS HANDBOOK. Necromancers gain bonus spells for high intelligence scores just as a magic-user or illusionist does.
Resistance to Enchantment/Charm: At 1st level, necromancers gain a +1 bonus to saving throws to resist all enchantment/charm spells and effects. At levels 5, 10, 15 and 20 this bonus increases by an additional point, to a maximum of +5 at level 20.
Command Undead (Wisdom): At 3rd level, the necromancer gains the ability to effect undead as an evil cleric of 1st level. When making a wisdom check to command undead, a necromancer adds his turning level to the roll, not the characters actual level. This ability improves with each level, so a 5th level necromancer turns or commands undead like a 3rd level cleric.
Spellbook: The number of spells that a necromancer has in their spellbook at the beginning of play is equal to the number of spells they can cast at first level plus read magic. For example, a 1st level necromancer with a 14 intelligence can cast four 0-level spells and three 1st level spells (2+1 bonus). So, the character would begin play with a spellbook containing five 0-level and three 1st level spells plus read magic. The spells in the spellbook are chosen by player and should be approved by the Dungeon Master.
Starting Funds: Necromancers begin play with 10-100 gold pieces with which to purchase their initial equipment.
NECROMANCER SPELLS (Magic-Users)
0-Level
Audible Glamer
Cause Minor Wounds
Dancing Lights
Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Read Magic
Wizard Mark
Write
1st Level
Alarm
Armor
Cause Fear
Comprehend Languages
Detect Evil/Good
Detect Undead
Erase
Feather Fall
Find Familiar
Identify
Invisibillity to Undead
Nystul's Magic Aura
Protection from Good
Obscurement
Shield
Sleep
Unseen Servant
2nd Level
Blur
Cause Blindness/Deafness
Continual Darkess
Darkness 15' Radius
Darkvision
ESP
Feign Death
Fog Cloud
Invisibility
Knock
Know Alignment
Magic Mouth
Misdirection
Pyrotechnics
Ray of Enfeeblement
Scare
Speak with Dead
Wizard Lock
3rd Level
Animate Dead
Arcane Sight
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Deep Sleeper
Dispel Magic
Fear
Hold Person
Gaseous Form
Invisibility 10' Radius
Nondetection
Phantom Steed
Protection from Good 10' Radius
Stinking Cloud
Tongues
4th Level
Curse
Detect Scrying
Dimensional Anchor
Negative Plane Protection
Neutralize Poison
Poison
Remove Curse
Scrying
Shadow Conjuration
Solid Fog
Wall of Ice
Wizard Eye
5th Level
Cloudkill
Cone of Cold
Dismissal
Hold Monster
Magic Jar
Nightmare
Permanency
Slay Living
Symbol of Pain
Symbol of Sleep
Teleport
True Seeing
6th Level
Antilife Shell
Death Spell
Enchant an Item
Geas/Quest
Globe of Invulnerability
Improved Dispel Magic
Legend Lore
Move Earth
Planar Binding
Shadow Walk
Summon Shadow
Symbol of Fear
7th Level
Banishment
Ethereal Jaunt
Finger of Death
Improved Scrying
Improved Shadow Conjuration
Insanity
Limited Wish
Plane Shift
Power Word Blind
Symbol of Stunning
Symbol of Weakness
Teleport without Error
8th Level
Clone
Destruction
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Improved Planar Binding
Mind Blank
Power Word Stun
Serten's Spell Immunity
Symbol of Death
Symbol of Insanity
Temporal Stasis
Trap of Soul
9th Level
Astral Spell
Energy Drain
Etherealness
Gate
Power Word Kill
Soul Bind
Time Stop
Wish/Alter Reality
Note that some of these spells do not appear in C&C. They are listed in my alternate player's handbook listed here