Necromancer, 2nd Variant (5e Class)
False life necromancer
Take life from your enemy to give it as false life to an ally.
A thin human man cringes behind his companion as he throws black energy towards the enemy, touching his ally; he imbues them with a mimicry of life and moves on to his next protector. A gnome crouches down by the fallen body of an orc and slowly coerces the corpse into rising with the rest of its waiting brothers. A woman interposes a cadaver between herself and her enemy, filling it with stolen fervor leached from the living.
Creating a False life necromancer
- Quick Build
You can make a False life necromancer quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the Researcher background. Third, choose a Quarterstaff, Leather armour, a Scholars pack and an arcane focus.
Class Features
As a False life necromancer you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d6 per False life necromancer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 1d6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per False life necromancer level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: light armour
Weapons: Quarterstaffs, Daggers, light crossbows, darts, slings
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: choose two from; Arcana, History, insight, investigation, religion, Deception, medicine.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) A dagger or (b) A quarterstaff
- (a) Calligraphers supplies or (b) Leather armour
- (a) Explorers pack or (b) Scholars pack
- (a) Component pouch or (b) Arcane focus
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10 in funds.
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips known | Spells known | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |||||
1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Arcane recovery | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2nd | +2 | Necromancy savant, Grim harvest | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3rd | +2 | Soul rip | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5th | +3 | Ritualistic animation | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6th | +3 | undead thralls | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7th | +3 | Soul rip | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
9th | +4 | Ritualistic animation | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
10th | +4 | Inured to undeath | 4 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
11th | +4 | Durable undead | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
13th | +5 | — | 4 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
14th | +5 | Command undead | 4 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
15th | +5 | Soul rip | 4 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
17th | +6 | — | 4 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
18th | +6 | Borrowed time | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
20th | +6 | Forgiveness | 4 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Spellcasting
- Cantrips.
You learn two cantrips from the False life necromancer cantrip list. You learn additional cantrips as shown in the Cantrips Known collum. You may choose two cantrips not listed on the False life necromancer cantrips list, you may only have two cantrips that are not on the False life necromancer Cantrip list at any one time. When you gain a level in this class, you may replace a cantrip with another cantrip of your choice, this represents your amateur knowledge of other magics.
Cantrips |
---|
Chill touch |
Toll the dead |
- Spell Slots.
The False life necromancer Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level False life and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast False life using either slot.
- Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher.
You know four 1st-level spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be a necromancy spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. The Spells Known column of the False life necromancer spellcasting table shows when you learn more spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be a necromancy spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. The spells you learn at 8th, 12th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the spells you know with spell. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be a necromancy spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 8th, 12th, 14th, or 20th level.
- Spellcasting Ability.
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your spells, since you learn your spells through study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Ritual casting
you can cast a False life necromancer spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag. you don't need to have the spell prepared.
- Spellcasting focus
You can use an arcane focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your False life necromancer spells.
- Learning spells of 1st level and higher
During your adventures, you may find other necromancy spells that you can learn. Devoting an incantation to memory requires hours of practise and experimentation, to represent this, the process takes 2 hours and 50 gp for each level of the spell. After this process, you may cast this spell as you cast your others. The spell does not count agaisnt the number of spells you know.
Arcane recovery
Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. the spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.
Necromancy savant
At 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to experiment and memorise a necromancy spell is halved.
Grim harvest
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to reap life energy from creatures you kill with your spells. Once per turn when you kill one or more creatures with a spell of 1st level or higher, you regain hit points equal to thrice the spell’s level. You don’t gain this benefit for killing constructs or undead.
Soul rip
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to further leach life from the living. Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature using a Necromancy spell, you may gain temporary hitpoints equal to half the damage done (after resistance) + your CON modifier. You do not gain this benefit from damaging constructs. Furthermore, as a bonus action, at a range of touch you may imbue a willing creature with fake life, granting them the sum of your temporary hitpoints and removing them from yourself. If you grant temporary hitpoints to an undead you control, they can cast soul rip as a bonus action at a range of touch upon an ally. The temporary hitpoints dissipate from the affected creature after a number of rounds equal to your CON modifier. This effect gains further benefits at 7th level and 15th level.
- 7th level
When you use your bonus action to cast Soul rip, you may additionally command undead you control, or cast a necromancy cantrip.
- 15th level
Soul rip now adds the amount of damage dealt by the necromancy spell to the total temporary hit points gained from Soul rip. The temporary hitpoints gained by this effect halve after one round.
Furthermore, once per turn, a target that has gained temporary hitpoints from the effects of soul rip Casts Chill touch upon an opponent when they attack without a weapon.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Ritualistic animation
Starting at 5th level, you have patiently studied the knowledge required for raising a corpse. You learn the animate dead spell, this spell does not count against the number of spells you know. The animate dead spell gains the ritual tag, and you may cast it as a ritual. Undead created by these effects benefit from the undead thralls effect at 6th level.
This effect gains further benefits at 9th level.
- 9th level
Once per turn per undead, undead you control that possess no temporary hitpoints cast Chill touch when they attack without a weapon.
Undead thralls
At 6th level, When you cast animate dead, you can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or skeleton, as appropriate.
Whenever you create an undead using a necromancy spell, it has additional benefits:
The creature’s hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your wizard level + your CON modifier.
The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.
Inured to undeath
Beginning at 10th level, you have resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum can't be reduced. You have spent so much time dealing with undead and the forces that animate them that you have become inured to some of their worst effects.
You can target one additional corpse when you cast Animate dead as a ritual, in addition to that added by the effect Undead thralls. Your undead's hitpoint maximum cannot be below your CON score.
Durable undead
Starting at 11th level, undead you control are now able to use the full soul rip effect individually from the false life necromancer. They do so upon command of the false life necromancer, this does not use an action or bonus action.
Command undead
Starting at 14th level, you can use magic to bring undead under your control, even those created by other magic users. As an action, you can choose one undead that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your wizard spell save DC. If it succeeds, you can’t use this feature on it again. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your commands until you use this feature again.
Intelligent undead are harder to control in this way. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 12 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every hour until it succeeds and breaks free.
You can target one additional corpse when you cast Animate dead as a ritual, in addition to that added by the effect Undead thralls and Inured to undeath.
Borrowed time
At 18th level. Thrice per long rest, when you would drop to 0 hitpoints and become unconscious or die, you can choose to roll a CON saving throw with a DC of 10 to gain temporary hitpoints equal to 3 times your CON score and you do not fall unconscious. Each time you succeed on the CON saving throw, you gain 2 points of exhaustion.
Forgiveness
At 20th level, you have come too far down this road to repent, as a final apology, you are able to use an action to convert the entirety of a single willing creatures temporary hit points into true hit points, if the target is missing true hit points, this action heals the target by the amount of temporary hit points currently upon the target, if this exceeds their maximum hit point number, their effective hit point maximum is increased equal to the remaining temporary hit points and they heal to full. You can use this effect once a week after a long rest. After the affected character takes a long rest, their hit point maximum is reduced to their original hit point maximum.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the False life necromancer class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 15
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the False life necromancer class, you gain the following proficiencies: Arcana, History
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes