Necromancer (Witch Alternative)

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  Note: The Necromancer is an alternate sort of witch, using the Necromancer archetype as the basic Witch type along with several homebrew changes and abilities, if your campaign is better suited to other necromancers, feel free to change things back to normal*

Role: Necromancers are an odd bunch, oftentimes wishing to spend their time in graveyards or among the dead rather than dealing with the living.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d6.

Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 hl (average 105hl.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 hl or less.

Class Skills

The Necromancer’s class skills are Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int),  Knowledge (Planes) (Int), Martial Knowledge (Crossbows and firearms) (Light) (Int), Martial Knowledge Nunchaku (Int), Martial Knowledge Blades (Heavy) (Int), Martial Knowledge Blades (Light) (Int) , Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: Necromancer

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day										Techniques readied
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Cantrips, Aura of Desecration, Inspired Necromancy, Spell Poppet, Evilty	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Deathcharm	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Spells Level I	4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonethrall	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Spells Level II	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Deathcharm	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	2
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Spells Level III	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	2
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Possess Undead	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	2
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Spells Level IV	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	2
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Deathcharm, major deathcharm	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	2
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Spells Level V	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	3
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	deathcharm	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	3
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Spells Level VI	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	3
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	deathcharm	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	3
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Spells Level VII	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	3
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	deathcharm	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	4
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Spells Level VII	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	4
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	deathcharm,  grand deathcharm	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	4
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	4
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	deathcharm	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5

Class Features

The following are the class features of the Necromancer.

Starting Evilty: Necromancy:

You can choose to animate any enemy slain by you as a zombie as per the Lesser animate dead ability. This only lasts for one round per level however after which the zombie crumbles into nothingness.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

Necromancers are proficient with Crossbows and firearms (Light), Nunchaku, Blades (Heavy), And Blades (Light). Armor interferes with a Necromancer’s gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail (see Arcane Spells and Armor on page 83 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook).

Spells and techniques

A Necromancer casts arcane spells drawn from the Necromancer spell list. A Necromancer must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time.

To learn or cast a spell, a Necromancer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Necromancer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Necromancer’s Charisma modifier.

A Necromancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the above table. In addition, she receives bonus spell points per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

A Necromancer may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour communing with her Poppet. While communing, the Necromancer decides which spells to prepare.

A Necromancer can also learn to perform a number of martial techniques she can utilize in battle. A Necromancer can qualify for bonus martial techniques from a high Charisma score in the same way it can with spells. Unlike with spells however, technique saving throws depend on the type of weapon wielded, listed in the technique's description.

Very few classes gain martial techniques for free, they must train to learn how to utilize the techniques. However this also means there is truly no limit to the number of martial techniques one can learn. Martial Techniques need not be prepared beforehand, they can be performed so long as you have uses left in the day.

Learning martial techniques is described in the Skills Section of this system.

Cantrips

Necromancers can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Necromancer under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Cantrips prepared using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats for example, are expended normally.

Aura of Desecration (Su)

At first level, a Necromancer can create a 20-foot-radius aura of necromantic power. This aura increases the DC of channeled negative energy by +1 and the turn resistance of undead by +1. At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the radius of the aura increases by 5 feet, to a maximum of 70 feet at 20th level.

Deathcharm

Necromancers learn a number of magic tricks, called deathcharms, that grant them powers or weaken foes. At 2nd level, a Necromancer gains one deathcharm of her choice. She gains an additional deathcharm at 6th level and for every 4 levels attained after 6th level, as noted on Table: Necromancer. A Necromancer cannot select an individual deathcharm more than once.

Unless otherwise noted, using a deathcharm is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a deathcharm is equal to 10 + 1/2 the Necromancer’s level + the Necromancer’s Charisma modifier.

Blight (Su): This Deathcharm is identical to the Witch Hex of the same name.

Bone Magic (Su): A necromancer can replace any normal spell components with a creature's bones. For materials worth 100 GP or less she can use the bones of a nobleman, For materials worth 1,000 GP or less she can use the bones of a member of some sort of Royalty.

Unholy Fortitude (su): The Necromancer can tap into the powers of undeath to bolster her own healthiness. Starting with the level she chooses this Deathcharm, she can choose to add her Charisma modifier into her hit points at every level instead of her constitution. * This ability is based off of an ability from the Agent of the Grave Prestige class.

Death's Mistress (su): undead creatures are drawn to you and love you as much as you love them. As such you can effect Undead with your mind effecting spells or spell like abilities, as well as with spells that usually only effect humanoids (Enlarge person, bear's strength).

Bolster (su): As a Standard Action, you can touch an undead creature and infuse it with negative energy. It gains a +1 profane bonus on all attack rolls and saving throws, as well as 1 temporary hit point per hit die and a +2 to it's turn resistance. The bonus to attack and saving throws increases by +1 for every 5 levels you possess (Maximum +4). These bonuses last for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your Necromancer level rounded down. The bonuses and temporary hit points are dispelled if the creature enters a consecrated area. This can be used a number of times per day equal to 3+ your Charisma Modifier.

Disguise Undead (su): A number of undead equal to your charisma modifier can be disguised to appear as normal humanoid creatures. This ability lasts for 24 hours once used and can be dispelled as a free action.

Specialized Death (su): Each undead raised by you has a purpose. Every undead you animate gets a +2 bonus to one ability score of your choosing. This becomes +4 at 12th level.

Death Speed (Su): You can grant a number of undead under your control equal to your Charisma Modifier, a +10 bonus to their movement speeds. At 8th level this increases to +20 and at 16th level this increases to +30.

Thick Skinned (Su): Undead you create are exceptionally tough and as such gain a +2 bonus to natural armor. At 8th level this increases to +4.

Terrible Claws (Su): A number of undead equal to your Charisma modifier that you control gain the Improved natural attack feat for free.

Healthy Corpse (Su): Undead you control gain Toughness as a bonus feat. If they already possess toughness, you gain Improved toughness instead, if they already have that it becomes Hearty Stock. And if they happen to possess all of those feats it just gains +1 hit point per hit dice.

Slowed metabolism (Su): Your body is slow and sickly but you feel as healthy as a normal person... perhaps even more so. Your lifeblood moves slowly in your body allowing you to instantly stabilize when you are knocked unconscious. In addition the Necromancer becomes immune to bleed damage and wounding weapons.

Dead Organs (Ex): Your organs are withering and decaying, as such you don't feel much even when enemies land the most powerful of blows. This grants a 25% immunity to critical hits. This Deathcharm can be taken up to 3 times, increasing this immunity by 25% each time to a maximum of 75%.

Corpsecraft (Ex): Undead you create are exceptionally hearty. They gain +2 to their Strength and +1 hit point per hit die. This increases to +4 strength and +2 hit points per hit die at 8th level.

Chilling Soul (Su): The Undead posses an ice cold grip. They deal an extra 1d4 frost damage on a successful natural attack.

Necro-Ignition (Su): The Undead possess a powerful burning hatred. They deal an extra 1d4 fire damage on a successful natural attack.

Corrosive beast (Ex): Born from the corrosive gasses and liquids of the universe, your undead deal an additional 1d4 acid damage on a successful natural attack.

Inspired Necromancy (Ex)

When determining the maximum number of Hit Dice of undead he can control with spells like animate dead, a character counts his Necromancer levels twice. This ability does not factor into how many undead he can create with a single casting of a spell.

Spell Poppet

Each Necromancer carries around a gristly, inanimate poppet stitched from human skin and stuffed with shards of bone, fingernails, and grave dirt. A Necromancer’s spells come from the will of evil spirits residing in the poppet, and its ability to hold spells functions in a manner identical to the way a Necromancer’s spells are granted by her familiar. The Necromancer must commune with her poppet each day to prepare her spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the poppet. A Necromancer’s Poppet begins play storing all of the 0-level Necromancer spells plus three 1st level spells of the Necromancer’s choice. The Necromancer also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to her Charisma modifier to store in her familiar. At each new Necromancer level, she adds two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new necromancer level) to her Poppet.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su)

At 3rd level or higher, a Necromancer can use her poppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a touch spell, as a full-round action, the Necromancer can designate a target and stab a pin into her poppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack. The target must be within range of her aura of desecration ability.

Bonethrall (Su)

A Necromancer can take control of an undead creature within her aura of desecration by forcing her will upon it DC: 10+1/2 level+ Charisma modifier (Will negates). If it fails the save, the creature falls under her control as if she had used command undead (once control is established, the undead remain controlled even if outside the Necromancer’s aura). Intelligent undead receive a new saving throw each day to resist her command. The Necromancer can control up to 1 HD of undead creatures per caster level. If an undead creature is under the control of another creature, the Necromancer must make an opposed Charisma check whenever her orders conflict with that creature’s.

Possess Undead (Sp)

A Necromancer may take direct control of one of her undead minions within her aura of desecration, as if using magic jar; the Necromancer’s poppet acts as the soul receptacle for this ability. The minion gets no saving throw against this ability.

Major Deathcharm

Starting at 10th level, and every two levels thereafter, a Necromancer can choose one of the following major deathcharms whenever she could select a new deathcharm.

Agony (Su): This functions as the Necromancer's hex of the same name.

Lich's Touch (Su): The Necromancer becomes a conduit of great death and can utilize the great powers of negative energy. She can make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 negative energy damage per level to the opponent. This also allows the Necromancer to heal an undead in the same way. She can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma Modifier. *based on an ability from the Agent of the Grave Prestige Class

Darkfrost Curse (Su): Your heart is cold and you imbue your undead with this icy hatred as well. Undead you create gain the Cold subtype and deal an additional 1d6 points of frost damage with every attack they make. At 15th level this becomes 1d8 frost damage. You must have taken Chilling soul to qualify for this.

Curse of Black Flames (Su): A hellish ignition of dark fire burns within you and you make it known by raising your minions with burning eyes and crackling flames. Undead you create gain the Fire subtype and deal an additional 1d6 points of Fire damage with every attack they make. At 15th level this becomes 1d8 fire damage. You must have taken Necro-Ignition to qualify for this.

Cannibal Corpse (Su): Your connection with the dead allows them to regain their health by consuming the flesh of their enemies. Your undead can take a full round action to consume the flesh of a corpse. This heals them as if they had been targeted by an Inflict Serious wounds spell of your caster level. The same undead cannot use this more than once per day. At 15th level this becomes like inflict critical wounds.

Spellwarped Corpses (Su): Your undead become warped and twisted by the dark powers you control. Your undead all gain a +1 Enchantment bonus to their attack and damage rolls. At 15th level they also gain the spell storing enchantment on themselves.

Retribution (Su): Works as the witch Hex of the same name.

Supreme Undeath (Su): A Necromancer can add the Fiendish, Advanced, or Giant  template to a number of undead equal to her Charisma Score. The Necromancer can choose freely to switch the template from one of her undead to another, which takes 1 minute for each undead. No undead can receive more than 1 template in this way.

Flesh Tomb (Su): A raging vortex of bones and flesh launch forward and engulf the target, which takes 3d8 points of slashing damage (Fortitude half). If the target fails its save, it is paralyzed and unconscious but does not need to eat or breathe while the mound of flesh lasts. The flesh has 20 hit points; destroying the tomb frees the creature, which is staggered for 1d4 rounds after being released. Whether or not the target’s saving throw is successful, it cannot be the target of this deathcharm again for 1 day.

Fleshbomb (Su): A necromancer can choose to detonate one of it's undead as a standard action that kills the creature instantly. This creature then deals the damage of a Fireball spell of your caster level, reflex save halves the damage.

Dark Ectoplasm (Su): With this you can grant yourself or an undead you touch the ability to become incorporeal for a short time. You can become incorporeal for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier, while incorporeal you gain a fly speed of 30 with perfect maneuverability. These rounds need not be consecutive.

Infected Wounds (Su): This works as the necromancer's hex of the same name.

Fleshwarp (Su): A necromancer can teleport herself through undead she controls. This works as Teleport without error, however she can only go from one undead to another in this way.

Secrets of Death (Su): Upon choosing this ability a necromancer can add a number of spells from a different spell list to her own spell list equal to her charisma modifier. These spells can only be from the necromancy school of magic.

Mummification (Ex): Your body is well preserved like that of a mummy, as such you become immune to cold, nonlethal damage, paralysis, and sleep effects. You must have taken Dead Organs at least once to take this Death charm.

Destruction Retribution (Su): When an undead under your control dies, it explodes in a 5 foot burst (5 feet larger for every size category over medium) of Negative energy. This deals 1d6 per 2 hit dice of the undead and a successful reflex saving throw halves.

Grand Deathcharm

Starting at 18th level, and every two levels thereafter, a Necromancer can choose one of the following grand deathcharmes whenever she could select a new deathcharm.

Death Curse (Su): This works as the Witch Hex of the same name.

Dire Prophecy (Su): This works as the Witch Hex of the same name.

Apocalyptic Infection (Su): All undead created by you carry a highly infectious disease on them. Creatures struck by the undead must make a Fortitude save or contract a disease that will turn them into a Zombie under the Necromancer's control within 1d6 days. This effect can only be removed with a cure Disease spell from a caster of a higher level than the Necromancer.

Summon Spirit (Sp): This functions the same way as the Necromancer Hex of the same name.

Champion of Undeath (su): All of your undead created gain the advanced creature template. This does not count towards templates applied with the Supreme Undeath Deathcharm.

Horrid Transformation (su): Your body twists and mangles it's self into a horrible visage of Death. Your type becomes Undead and you gain the Phylactery ability of a Lich. You need not possess the Craft Wondrous item feat. You still must pay the 120,000 GP cost and if you do not possess enough at the time, the event will wait until you do. The Phylactery is the Necromancer's Poppett.

Soul Eater (Su): Once per day as a touch attack, you can use a Slay living spell. If the creature is killed by this effect whether they succeed in the fortitude save or not you regain one spell per 5 levels of the creature slain. The spells regained only last until you next prepare spells and can be of any level you can cast. If you have not cast a spell when you use this you instead gain them as bonus spells.

Terrible force of will (Ex): Whenever you take this your Charisma score permenantly increases by +2.

Deathweaver (Su): When you take this you choose one spell with the death descriptor. When cast this spell no longer is considered to be of the death descriptor, therefore creatures usually immune to death can still be effected by it.

Necromancer Spells

necromancers gain access to the following spells.

0-Level Necromancer Spells— arcane mark, bleed, disrupt undead, daze, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light, mending, message, putrefy food and drink*, read magic, resistance, spark*, stabilize, touch of fatigue.

1st-Level Necromancer Spells—beguiling gift*, burning hands, cause fear, charm person, chill touch, command, comprehend languages, dancing lantern*,decompose corpse **, detect secret doors, enlarge person, hypnotism, identify, ill omen*, inflict light wounds, Interrogation **, mage armor, mask dweomer*, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickening, restore corpse reduce person, sculpt corpse*, unseen servant.

2nd-Level Necromancer Spells—alter self, augury, blindness/deafness, Bull's Strength, Fox's Cunning, burning gaze*, command undead, daze monster, death knell, delay poison, detect thoughts, enthrall, false life, feast of ashes*, fester*, find traps, fog cloud, gentle repose, glide*, ghoultouch, hidden speech*, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, levitate, perceive cues*,Pernicious Poison **, pox pustules*, scare, skinsend **, see invisibility, spectral hand, status, summon swarm, touch of idiocy, vomit swarm*, web, zone of truth.

3rd-Level Necromancer Spells—arcane sight, Animate dead (lesser),bestow curse, clairaudience/clairvoyance, cup of dust*, deep slumber, dispel magic, fly, glyph of warding, guiding star*, heroism, howling agony**, lightning bolt, locate object, nature's exile*, pain strike*, rage, ray of exhaustion, remove blindness/deafness, remove curse, remove disease, screech*, seek thoughts*, sepia snake sigil, share senses*, sleet storm, speak with dead, stinking cloud, suggestion, tongues, toxic gift ** twilight knife*, vampiric touch, water walk.

4th-Level Necromancer Spells—Animate Dead, arcane eye, black tentacles, charm monster, confusion, contagion, crushing despair, death ward, detect scrying, dimension door, discern lies, divination, enervation,Greater False Life **, fear, geas (lesser), ice storm, inflict serious wounds, locate creature, minor creation, moonstruck*, neutralize poison, phantasmal killer, poison, scrying, secure shelter, sleepwalk*, solid fog, spite*, threefold aspect*, wandering star motes*.

5th-Level Necromancer Spells— Absorb toxcity, Astral Projection (Lesser), banish seeming*, blight, break enchantment, cloudkill, dominate person, feeblemind, hold monster, inflict critical wounds, magic jar, major creation, mark of justice, mind fog, overland flight, pain strike (mass)*, possess object **, prying eyes, reincarnate, rest eternal*, secret chest, suffocation*, symbol of pain, symbol of sleep, telepathic bond, teleport, waves of fatigue.

6th-Level Necromancer Spells—analyze dweomer, Bull's Strength Mass, Circle of Death, Greater Contagion, cloak of dreams*, cone of cold, Create Undead, dispel magic (greater), eyebite, fester (mass)*, find the path, geas/quest, guards and wards, heroism (greater), inflict light wounds (mass), legend lore, Major Curse, raise dead, slay living, suggestion (mass), swarm skin*, symbol of fear, symbol of persuasion, transformation, true seeing, unwilling shield*.

7th-Level Necromancer Spells—arcane sight (greater), control weather, control Undead, Epidemic **, harm, hold person (mass), Finger of Death, inflict moderate wounds (mass), insanity, instant summons, phase door, plane shift, power word blind, regenerate, scrying (greater), symbol of stunning, symbol of weakness, teleport (greater), teleport object, vision, waves of exhaustion.

8th-Level Necromancer Spells—antipathy, charm monster (mass), clone, create Greater Undead, demand, destruction, discern location, horrid wilting, inflict serious wounds (mass), irresistible dance, maze, mind blank, moment of prescience, power word stun, prying eyes (greater), Orb of The Void **, stormbolts*, symbol of death, symbol of insanity, sympathy, trap the soul.

9th-Level Necromancer Spells—astral projection, Cursed Earth, dominate monster, elemental swarm, foresight, hold monster (mass), inflict critical wounds (mass), power word kill, refuge, soul bind, storm of vengeance, suffocation (mass)*, teleportation circle, wail of the banshee.

• Spells in APG
  • Spells in Ultimate Magic
    • Spells in Ultimate Combat

Reincarnation

If Reincarnating into this class after having already been this class, or a class with similar abilities, check the following page to see what ability you'll get instead at the levels you would normally gain an already achieved class ability.

Necromancer Reincarnation