[3.5] Netherlord

This class is (one of) my attempts at creating a necromantic character who relies on a great volume of controlled undead to do his bidding. Some of the reasons behind the various choices: I believe necromancy should be primarily arcane, not divine, and that the costs associated with necromancy are too high. Also, that there has not really yet been an undead general class. I do realize this overlaps a great deal with the Dread Necro.

Netherlord

"Life is but a prelude to my reign."
- Blackheart Deathtongue, Human Netherlord

Text

Making a Netherlord
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Abilities: Intelligence controls the spellcasting of the Netherlord, and is thus the most important. Charisma affects the saving throws of his class features. Abilities that relate to his physical defense come afterwards.

Races: Netherlord may appear within any race, but are shunned and ostracized for their knowledge. Their willingness and desire to court with the undead makes them prime suspects to be persecuted.

Alignment: Netherlord are evil, wielding the undead as weapons in their war against the living

Table 1: The Netherlord

Code:

Level BAB Ref Fort Will Abilities 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
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1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Deathly Visions, Netherworld Companion 2 — — — — — —
2 +1 +1 +1 +3 Sickening Restoration 2 — — — — — —
3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Touch of Corruption 3 2 — — — — —
4 +2 +2 +2 +4 Animate Dead 3 2 — — — — —
5 +2 +2 +2 +4 Unliving Thirst 4 3 — — — — —
6 +3 +3 +3 +5 Leader of Undeath 4 3 2 — — — —
7 +3 +3 +3 +5 Numberless 4 4 2 — — — —
8 +4 +2 +2 +6 Beckoning 5 4 2 2 — — —
9 +4 +3 +3 +6 Eyes of Corruption 5 4 3 2 — — —
10 +5 +3 +3 +7 Corpse Flesh 5 5 3 3 — — —
11 +5 +3 +3 +7 Flesh Pact 6 5 4 3 2 — —
12 +6 +4 +4 +8 Create Undead 6 5 4 4 2 — —
13 +6 +4 +4 +8 Siphon 7 6 5 4 3 — —
14 +7 +4 +4 +9 Master of Undeath 7 6 5 5 3 2 —
15 +7 +5 +5 +9 Animate Command 8 7 6 5 4 2 —
16 +8 +5 +5 +10 Fitting Replacement 8 7 6 6 4 3 2
17 +8 +5 +5 +10 Create Greater Undead 9 8 7 6 5 4 2
18 +9 +6 +6 +11 Duress 9 8 7 7 5 5 3
19 +9 +6 +6 +11 Undying General 9 9 8 7 6 5 4
20 +10 +6 +6 +12 Servile 9 9 8 8 7 6 5

Game Rule Information
Netherlord have the following game statistics.

Alignment: Evil
Hit Die: d6
Starting Gold: 5d4 x 10 (125 gp)
Starting Age: Complex (as wizard)

Class skills
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (All) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features
Text

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Netherlord are proficient with all simple weapons, the scythe, and light armour. Armor above light interferes with a Netherlord’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells: A Netherlord casts arcane spells which are drawn from the Netherlord spell list below. A Netherlord must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the Netherlord must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Netherlord’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Netherlord’s Intelligence modifier. Like other spellcasters, a Netherlord can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Spells Per Day. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score. Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a Netherlord may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the Netherlord decides which spells to prepare.
Deathly Visions (Su): The eyes of the Netherlord are pierced through with the energy of the undead, seared by the knowledge attained. At will, as a standard action, the Netherlord may use deathwatch or detect undead.
Netherworld Companion (Ex): The unholy arts that are the gift of the netherlord have allowed him to create a bodyguard, a creature that never leaves his side. The netherworld companion is 1 Hit Dice animal or humanoid with the skeletal template that does not count against the normal cap of undead the netherlord can control. In order to create a netherworld companion, the netherlord must acquire an appropriate body, and spend twenty four hours in a ritual creation of the companion. The netherworld companion advances 1 hit dice each time the netherlord gains a level. At level 5, monstrous humanoids and magical beasts may be used to create a netherworld companion. At level 8, giants and aberrations become available. At level 12, dragons and outsiders may be used to create a companion. Netherworld companions have maximum hit points per hit dice, and a +2 bonus to attack and a +4 bonus to damage against any creature attacking their master. The netherlord may only have one netherworld companion at a time.
Sickening Restoration (Su): The very touch of the Netherlord causes the skin to crawl and the body to shiver, exuding a strange and dangerous power. By making a melee touch attack against a living creature, the Netherlord may sicken that foe. If the creature is unliving, it is healed 1 point per class level.
Touch of Corruption (Su): Life seeps from the fingers of the Netherlord, so infused with embalming fluid and other hateful substances that they radiate filth and dark fury. The Netherlord may have any undead under his control deliver a touch spell, as per the Spectral Hand spell.
Animate Dead (Sp): Corpses writhe and shudder under the touch of the Netherlord, a vicious form of life reentering their bodies. Twice per day the Netherlord may cast Animate Dead as a spell-like ability.
Unliving Thirst (Ex): Creatures controlled by the Netherlord are portals to a horrible draining energy. All undead creatures controlled by Netherlord gain the following trait: Diminution (Su): Any living creature within 10 ft. of this undead loses one hit point per round. Multiple diminution effects stack with one another.
Leader of Undeath (Ex): He has begun to amass a great following among the dead, as his necromantic might calls to all who are dead, and yet not at peace. He may now control five times the normal amount of undead.
Numberless (Ex): The monsters that follow the Netherlord are uncountable, and spill forth over their foes in a wave of death. Any undead controlled by the Netherlord gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage for each other undead creature controlled by the Netherlord that is attacking that same target.
Beckoning (Su): The Netherlord has achieved a special insight into the nature of souls, and the ways in which they depart this plane. All creatures that are slain by the Netherlord or an undead creature that he controls must make a Will save against 10 + 1/2 Netherlord level + charisma modifier or rise again as a zombie in 1d4 rounds, under the control of the Netherlord.
Eyes of Corruption (Su): Each undead under the control of the Netherlord is a servant who falls to his knees in order to please the master. The Netherlord may, as a move action, see through the eyes of any undead under his control. He may also have any undead under his control count as the origination point of a spell that he has cast, regardless of the distance between him and that undead. The Netherlord must be using the creature's eyes at that time.
Corpse Flesh (Ex): Death flows throughout the body of the Netherlord, rotting the flesh and stealing the life. The Netherlord gains the zombie template with the following changes: mental scores, skills, and feats are unaffected, and the Netherlord can still take its normal allotment of actions per round.
Flesh Pact (Ex):The Netherlord revels in the control of the baser creatures of undeath, preferring the ease of control to the struggle for dominance over an intelligent minion. All mindless undead count as one-half their hit dice when calculating the total hit dice that the Netherlord can control.
Create Undead (Sp): Life burns in the eyes of the newly spawned, a hatred against all living things. Twice per day the Netherlord may cast Create Undead as a spell-like ability.
Siphon (Su): The energy of the living is sweet mead to an undead palette, and each strike becomes a chance to savour that heady aroma. Undead creatures controlled by the Netherlord heal one half the damage dealt on any successful melee attack.
Master of Undeath (Ex): The hordes of the Netherlord are legion, and even the great master himself has lost count of the swarms that dance to his whim and will. He may now control ten times the normal amount of undead.
Animate Command (Su): Even the most willful of the undead stands little chance against the great power of the Netherlord. Any intelligent undead, upon seeing the Netherlord for the first time, must succeed at a Will saving throw against 10 + 1/2 Netherlord level + charisma modifier or be forced to serve the Netherlord for one day per class level. At the end of this time, the undead may attempt the save again.
Fitting Replacement (Su): Even with their own death do creatures serve the Netherlord, for even as they die, they release a pulse of energy, invigorating all around them. Whenever an undead creature controlled by the Netherlord dies, all living creatures within 10 ft. take damage equal to 4 * the hit dice of the undead creature, and that undead creature springs back to life, with one half total hit points. Whenever an undead creature falls a second time, it does not rise.
Create Greater Undead (Sp): Vicious and vile creatures spawn under the touch of the Netherlord, slaying all those who oppose him. Twice per day the Netherlord may cast Create Greater Undead as a spell-like ability.
Duress (Su): Undead born under the auspices of the Netherlord snear at their living adversaries, watching the fools be crippled by the energy of undead life. Any living creature with three or more undead controlled by the Netherlord within 10 ft. of it gains a negative level, unless it succeeds at a Fortitude saving throw of 10 + 1/2 Netherlord level + charisma modifier.
Undying General (Ex): The power of necromancy has stolen away the soul of the Netherlord, and he is forever in its grasp. As long as there was at least one undead creature under the command of the Netherlord at the time of the Netherlord's death, the Netherlord will rise again in 1d10 days at the location of one its surviving undead creatures.
Servile (Su): The forces of corruption within the Netherlord are so strong that a single touch will infect a foe, burying his lifeforce beneath an avalanche of dark energy, burning his soul from his body and leaving a lifeless husk, a toy of the Netherlord. Each round as a standard action, the Netherlord may attempt a melee touch attack against a living creature. If the creature is struck by that attack, it must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw against 10 + 1/2 Netherlord level + charisma modifier, or be slain and rise as per Beckoning. This melee touch attack may be delivered as per Touch of Corruption.

Spell List

1st Level: Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Command Undead, Curse Water, Death Knell, Death Watch, Doom, Gentle Repose, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Ray of Enfeeblement, Spectral Hand
2nd Level: Animate Dead, False Life, Fear, Ghoul Touch, Halt Undead, Inflict Serious Wounds, Ray of Exhaustion, Scare, Vampiric Touch
3rd Level: Bestow Curse, Blight, Contagion, Death Ward, Inflict Critical Wounds, Poison, Speak with Dead
4th Level: Enervation, Eyebite, Inflict Moderate Wounds (Mass), Magic Jar, Slay Living, Symbol of Pain, Waves of Fatigue
5th Level: Circle of Death, Create Undead, Harm, Inflict Serious Wounds (Mass), Symbol of Fear, Undeath to Death
6th Level: Control Undead, Destruction, Energy Drain, Finger of Death, Inflict Critical Wounds (Mass), Symbol of Weakness, Waves of Exhaustion
7th Level: Clone, Create Greater Undead, Horrid Wilting, Soul Bind, Symbol of Death, Wail of the Banshee

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