Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Classes

The Necromancer

Main requisites: Wisdom, Constitution
Minmal requisites: Wisdom 9, Strength 9, Constitution 12
Allowed races: Humans, Halfelves
Starting gold: 3d6x10
Alignment: Chaotic evil

The religion of death or Necromancy, has always been active in the world's history. The Necromancer who controls this terrible power, has sold his soul to the God of Death renouncing life and consacrating his existance to evil. People willing to serve him in exchange for an unholy form of immortality contact him. This character is extremely evil, and very powerful, because he has a strong tie with the powers of beyond the grave, which make him almost fearless. There can be many goals in the life of a Necromancer: becoming a lich, building a death temple; but the greatest is to find the Necronomicon, the book of the dead, bonded in human skin and written with the blood of the living. It contains incredibly powerful necromantic formulae and spells. Noone knows who wrote it, and noone is sure that it exists, but any Necromancer believes in this ancient artifact, and will never stop looking for it.

Hit dice, THAC0, saving throws, level progression The Necromancer uses d8 to determinate his hit points (+2 beyond 9th level). The THAC0 and level progression is the same as a cleric; for saving throws he takes the best between the priest and warrior's ones.

Multiclass combinations The player can choose a multiclass character: Warrior/Necromancer, Wizard/Necromancer (provided that it is not an enchantment/charme or illusion specialist wizard).

Traits and proficiencies Weapon proficiencies: The Necromancer has 8 CP to spend in these skills and he can use any weapon.
Non weapon proficiencies: The Necromancer has 8 CP to spend in these proficiencies. Bonus: religion. Suggested: healing.
Suggested traits: fast healing, ecleptic culture, poison immunity.

Equipment He can wear any armor. He owns a holy symbol which represents a goat's skull.

Magical items He uses priets' and warriors' magical items.

Class skills The Necromancers receives 180 CP to purchase class skills. Unspent CP can be saved for nonweapon proficiencies or kept for later use.

Immunity to undead special powers (15): With this skill the Necromancer is immune to the special powers (such as paralyisis, drain life, etc.) of undead with less hit dice than his level.

Disease immunity (15): The Necromancer is immune to all disease, even magical ones.

Speak with undead (10): The Necromancer can always speak with undead: when this happens he adds his level as a Charisma bonus.

Control undead (10): The Necromancer can control a number of hit die of undead equal to 10 times his level as if he was a priest of two levels higher.

Bonus on ST (10): The necromancer has a bonus on STs versus poison and magical attacks from spells, rods, wands and staves as dwarves do. (consult the dwarves saving throws table).

Reduced casting time (5): The casting time of all spells is reduced by one. No spell can have a casting time of less than one.

Improved spell duration (10): The duration of all non-instantaneous spells cast by the Necromancers is improved by 1 round every 2 experience levels. For example, a 6th level Necromancer can improve the duration of his spells by 3 rounds.

Bonus hit points (10): The necromancer with this skill rolls 1d10 instead of 1d8 to determine hit points.

Strength of the damned (10): A man, elf or dwarf must be sacrificed at midnight, with a full moon, and the spell's recipient must bathe in the blood of the victim and then drink it: he can now reach maximum Strength (18/00) and use the fighters' constitution bonuses. The duration of this power depends on the sacrificed victim (male: 1 month, woman: 2 months, virgin: 4 months, pregnant: 12 months). The recipient immediately becomes Chaotic if he wasn't already, and he can no more be ressurrected.

Fear immunity (10): The necromancer is immune to all forms that can cause fear, such as spells, monsters, magical items, etc.

Poison resistance (5): The necromancer gains a +1 bonus on STs versus poison.

Single specialization (15): the necromancer can specialize in one weapon. The cost for the specialization must be added.

Death aura (10): The Necromancer radiates an aura similar to the one created by the Fear (Death) spell. This power can be used 3 times per day.

Constitution bonus (20): He obtains a +1 bonus on Constitution (max. 18).

Necromending (10): The necromancer can heal 3d6+3 hit points to an undead, three times per day.

Night vision (10): the necromancer gains the power of seeing in the dark, thus having a +1 to hit bonus; in daylight he will suffer a -1 to hit malus instead (because he sees in daylight as in moonlight).

Detect undead (10): The necromancer can detect all undead in a 3 meters wide and 18 meters long area. To probe a direction, the Necromancer must concentrate for one round and can't do anything else. The necromancer can't detect undead beyond stone or other thick materials.

Detect living (10): The necromancer can detect all living in a 3 meters wide and 18 meters long area. To probe a direction, the Necromancer must concentrate for one round and can't do anything else. The necromancer can't detect living beyond stone or other thick materials.

Sphere access: the necromancer can have full access to the following spheres: All, Combat, Protection, Divination, Darkness, Necromancy, Astral, while he has partial access to the Guard sphere (see the Sphere access priest skill for the cost of the various spheres).

Necropresence (10): It's more difficult to turn or destroy the undead a Necromancer is controlling, if he is present: subtract one from the turning attempt every 3 levels of the Necromancer.

Necroanimation (15): at 10th level the Necromancer can animate the corpses of the dead to produce undeads such as: Ghoul, Wight, Wraith, Mummy, Specter, Vampire, Poltergeist, Banshee, Ghost, Phantom, Ghast, Undead Beholder (to animate it a Beholder corpse is needed), Lich (a wizard of at least 21st level is needed), etc. One hit dice of undead is animated per level of the Necromancer. This power can be used once per day.

Death angel (15): at 11th level the Necromancer calls an angel of death, who immediately appears, bent to kill a creature within 9 meters. If the victim fails a ST versus Death with a +2 bonus, he immediately dies without the possibility of being raised. This power can be used once per week.

Army of darkness (15): from the 11th level the necromancer can anumate 1d1000 corpses, turning them into skeletons or common zombies which are under his control (with the usual limitation of 10 hit die per level). This power can be used once per month.

Become lich (15): at 20th level the necromancer can become a Lich of the appropriate level. The transformation to lich process requires one day per level. Once having become a Lich, the Necromancer stays like that forever. He controls undead following the specific rules for these creatures, and this power substitutes the nurmal Necromantic power of controlling undead. The Lich keeps all othe Necromancer powers. The main components required for the transformation are a pint of venom from the tail of a giant scorpion and the skull of an Abishai.
Once a PC has become a Lich, he can no longer advance in level, though he may still try to reach immortality.

Optional restrictions The necromancer can obtain bonus character points to spend in the previously mentioned skills, by accepting restrictions. They are detailed here:

Limited armor choice (5/10/15): The necromancer has limitations in the armor type he can wear. If the character chooses to limit himseld to chain mail or lighter, he receives 5 CP; if he chooses to only use studded leather or lighter armors, he gains 10 CP; if he chooses not to wear any armor, this restriction is worth 15 CP (the character can still use shield).

Disadvantages The Necromancer can't get married.

The Necromancer can't attract followers or hire soldiers and specialists. Because he hates the living;

A Necromancer can be magically raised only if the attempt is made within 1 turn from death, so strong is his affinity with death.

Every time he gets a new experience level, he becomes more similar to a corpse: on his body, bubbles and tumors grow, the flesh becomes pale and it seems to putrefy. In game terms, his Charisma is lessened by one for every experience level (but it stays the same with undead...) up to zero. A character with 1 or 2 Charisma is immediately identified as an evil being, while with 0 charisma he can even cause fear in common folks as a monster.

One of the greates limits of the necromancer is his total inability to use benefic and healing spells... the God of Death doesn't tolerate anything that can draw a soul far from him, even if it is a faithful servant! Thus, his wounds can only heal naturally or through a sacrifice. This ritual requires a brazier, black incense candles, a knife purified with an unholy prayer and a hour of time, during which the Necromancer kills the victim and regenreates his wounds, drinking the blood. The effect is similar to a Cure Light Wounds spell, but the DM may decide that some "special" victims (such as young virgins or brave paladins) may have greater effects (such as a Cure Serious Wounds). A Necromancer must periodically offer sacrifices to the God of Death, with a minimum of one victim per month: if he can't, he loses the equivalent of one level for every month; if he restarts the sacrifices, he immediately regains lost levels.

The Temple of Death One of the ambitious objectives of the Necromancer is the building of his temple of death, which must be built with human bones and blood and othe unholy glues. The Necromancer must decide the size of the temple when the building begins: every cubic meter requires 10 hours of work and the bones of at least 50 humans or humanoids and the blood of 5. To build the temple human workers are needed, because undead lack the required skill. Only one temple can exist in a given moment per Necromancer, but if it is destroyed another can be built.

Once made, a temple of death appears frightening: its white-red aspect, due to bones and blood, and it's nauseous smell keep away all sane creatures. Anyone getting close within 200 meters is subject to a -1 to STs and to hit. The temple's walls are continuosly moving, they pulsate and if touched 1d10 damage are suffered, with a 25% chance of catching a disease.

The Necromancer's powers are augmented in the temple:
He receives a +1 bonus on all die rolls;
He can regenerate his wounds at a rate of 1 HP per turn;
He can create skeletons from the walls of the temple (with the usual limitations of 10 hit die per level).

Walter.