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Necromancer
About this class
Death is as inevitable as the changing of the seasons. While most fear or lament this fact, Necromancers instead see it as an opportunity to grasp power. Through either harnessing their inner darkness, pledging themselves to a grim magical benefactor, or studying vile arcane lore, Necromancers gain the power to bend life and death to their will. Feared and reviled by most societies, Necromancers are often pragmatic at best, or outright villainous at worst, as their craft requires a willingness to transgress societal taboos and morals. Yet despite this, not all Necromancers are evil. While plenty of Necromancers are nakedly ambitious power-seekers, just as many might be morbidly curious scholars of medicine, or grim anti-heroes who use the powers of the dark for noble ends.
Included subclasses
Domains
Splendor
Starting stats
Hope feature
Class features
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Harvest Essence
When you take this class, you start with 3 Essence Tokens. When a creature dies within Far range, you can gain an Essence Token. You also can spend a downtime action draining life essence from the world or newly dead corpses to gain Essence Tokens equal to your Spellcast Trait. You can hold no more than 6 Essence Tokens.
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Undead Thralls
You have the ability to use your Essence Tokens to create Undead Thralls. When you gain this class, take the Undead Thralls sheet, which explains the rules for your Thralls and how you create them. (IMPORTANT NOTE: The Undead Thralls sheet can be found in the Homebrewery version of the class, which you can see here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/Cm-Z37LQ8oJN)
Class items
- A memento that reminds you of a dead individual you knew
- A harmless undead pet
Character questions
Background prompts
- What desire or event drove me to seek power over life and death?
- What sacrifice did I make to obtain my magic?
- Who did the first corpse I reanimated belong to?
Connection prompts
- How did I help to shape your views on death?
- I once reanimated the body of someone you knew. How did this affect you?
- What morbid favor do you owe me for?
Subclass cards
Printable via header menu
Death Magus
Foundation
SPELLCAST TRAIT: Knowledge
Harness Thralls: When you use a spell, you can destroy 1 or more of your Thralls to gain one of the following benefits:
- Add 1d4 to the Spellcast Roll for each Thrall destroyed.
- The spell deals 1d6 additional damage for each Thrall destroyed.
Visage of Undeath: You gain a bonus on rolls made to Intimidate equal to half your Knowledge.
Death Magus
Specialization
Corpse Explosion: When one of your Thralls is destroyed, you can spend an Essence Token to force each Adversary within Close range of the Thrall to make a Reaction Roll (13). On a failure, they mark a Hit Point and become temporarily Vulnerable.
Prolong Agony: When your GM spends a Fear to clear a temporary condition or effect from an Adversary within Far range, you can force that Adversary to make a Reaction Roll (13). On a failure they mark a Stress.
Death Magus
Mastery
Aura of Dread: When an Adversary within Far range of you marks one or more Stress, they mark an additional Stress. If they are within Very Close range of you, they mark 2 additional Stress instead.
Death Spell: When you use Harness Thralls to increase the damage of a spell, you can spend an Essence Token to have each Adversary damaged by that spell mark an additional Hit Point.
Overlord
Foundation
SPELLCAST TRAIT: Presence
Essence Dominion: When one of your Thralls is destroyed, you can mark a Stress to gain an Essence Token.
Protective Command: When a creature within Very Close range of one of your Thralls would take damage, you can mark a Stress and spend an Essence Token to have that Thrall stand in the way and become the target of the attack instead, which is destroyed immediately (no reaction roll).
Overlord
Specialization
Bountiful Harvest: You can use Grim Harvest by spending an Essence Token instead of 3 Hope. If you do, you can’t affect the same target with it again until your next rest, unless you use it by spending 3 Hope as normal.
General of Undeath: You can now control a maximum number of Thralls equal to twice your Spellcast Trait. When you spend an Essence Token to create a Thrall, you can create an additional Thrall.
Overlord
Mastery
Effortless Command: When you make a Spellcast Roll to use a spell, you can command your Thralls to perform Complex Tasks with the same Spellcast Roll.
Impure Resurrection: Once per rest, when a creature within Far range Risks it All on a Death move and rolls higher on the Fear die, you can spend 3 Essence Tokens to have them clear a Hit Point and gain a Scar instead of dying. If that creature isn’t you, you also gain a Scar.
Necromancer
Death is as inevitable as the changing of the seasons. While most fear or lament this fact, Necromancers instead see it as an opportunity to grasp power. Through either harnessing their inner darkness, pledging themselves to a grim magical benefactor, or studying vile arcane lore, Necromancers gain the power to bend life and death to their will. Feared and reviled by most societies, Necromancers are often pragmatic at best, or outright villainous at worst, as their craft requires a willingness to transgress societal taboos and morals. Yet despite this, not all Necromancers are evil. While plenty of Necromancers are nakedly ambitious power-seekers, just as many might be morbidly curious scholars of medicine, or grim anti-heroes who use the powers of the dark for noble ends.
Domains
Splendor + Dread
Starting Evasion
11
Starting Hit Points
5
Class Items
- • A memento that reminds you of a dead individual you knew
- • A harmless undead pet
Necromancer’s Hope Feature
Grim Harvest : When you deal damage to an Adversary with a Spellcast Roll or magic weapon, you can spend 3 Hope to have yourself or an ally within Very Close range of you or one of your Thralls clear a Hit Point or a Stress.
Class Features
Harvest Essence
When you take this class, you start with 3 Essence Tokens. When a creature dies within Far range, you can gain an Essence Token. You also can spend a downtime action draining life essence from the world or newly dead corpses to gain Essence Tokens equal to your Spellcast Trait. You can hold no more than 6 Essence Tokens.
Undead Thralls
You have the ability to use your Essence Tokens to create Undead Thralls. When you gain this class, take the Undead Thralls sheet, which explains the rules for your Thralls and how you create them. (IMPORTANT NOTE: The Undead Thralls sheet can be found in the Homebrewery version of the class, which you can see here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/Cm-Z37LQ8oJN)
Necromancer Subclasses
Choose either the Death Magus or Overlord subclass.
Death Magus
Play the Death Magus if you want to use the dead as a resource to empower your magic.
Spellcast Trait
Knowledge
Foundation Features
Harness Thralls: When you use a spell, you can destroy 1 or more of your Thralls to gain one of the following benefits:
- Add 1d4 to the Spellcast Roll for each Thrall destroyed.
- The spell deals 1d6 additional damage for each Thrall destroyed.
Visage of Undeath: You gain a bonus on rolls made to Intimidate equal to half your Knowledge.
Specialization Feature
Corpse Explosion: When one of your Thralls is destroyed, you can spend an Essence Token to force each Adversary within Close range of the Thrall to make a Reaction Roll (13). On a failure, they mark a Hit Point and become temporarily Vulnerable.
Prolong Agony: When your GM spends a Fear to clear a temporary condition or effect from an Adversary within Far range, you can force that Adversary to make a Reaction Roll (13). On a failure they mark a Stress.
Mastery Feature
Aura of Dread: When an Adversary within Far range of you marks one or more Stress, they mark an additional Stress. If they are within Very Close range of you, they mark 2 additional Stress instead.
Death Spell: When you use Harness Thralls to increase the damage of a spell, you can spend an Essence Token to have each Adversary damaged by that spell mark an additional Hit Point.
Overlord
Play the Overlord if you want to be a domineering leader of both the living and the dead.
Spellcast Trait
Presence
Foundation Features
Essence Dominion: When one of your Thralls is destroyed, you can mark a Stress to gain an Essence Token.
Protective Command: When a creature within Very Close range of one of your Thralls would take damage, you can mark a Stress and spend an Essence Token to have that Thrall stand in the way and become the target of the attack instead, which is destroyed immediately (no reaction roll).
Specialization Feature
Bountiful Harvest: You can use Grim Harvest by spending an Essence Token instead of 3 Hope. If you do, you can’t affect the same target with it again until your next rest, unless you use it by spending 3 Hope as normal.
General of Undeath: You can now control a maximum number of Thralls equal to twice your Spellcast Trait. When you spend an Essence Token to create a Thrall, you can create an additional Thrall.
Mastery Feature
Effortless Command: When you make a Spellcast Roll to use a spell, you can command your Thralls to perform Complex Tasks with the same Spellcast Roll.
Impure Resurrection: Once per rest, when a creature within Far range Risks it All on a Death move and rolls higher on the Fear die, you can spend 3 Essence Tokens to have them clear a Hit Point and gain a Scar instead of dying. If that creature isn’t you, you also gain a Scar.
Background Questions
Answer any of the following, or create your own.
- • What desire or event drove me to seek power over life and death?
- • What sacrifice did I make to obtain my magic?
- • Who did the first corpse I reanimated belong to?
Connections
Ask one of the following, or improvise.
- • How did I help to shape your views on death?
- • I once reanimated the body of someone you knew. How did this affect you?
- • What morbid favor do you owe me for?
Discussion
Be thoughtful and kind.
Remember to be respectful. Comments are moderated and should add to the discussion.