Dark Pact Enforcer - PEACH [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dark Pact Enforcer - PEACH [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tuhljin
09-07-07, 09:06 PM DARK PACT ENFORCER

"As you can see, the contract clearly stipulates the - shall we say - 'unfortunate' consequences of your actions."
- Arbiter Rievan, Dark Pact Enforcer

Members of the highly-lawful Necromantic Order know that no law is worth its ink unless there is a punishment attached, and no punishment is worth its weight unless it is enforced. They do not speak of them often, but there is an elite class of their guildmates whose primary duty to the order is the enforcement of its rules: These are the Dark Pact Enforcers.

This select group of mages deals not only with disorderly members and former members of the guild, but also with rogue necromancers who practice the craft without a license or in an illegal fashion, whether at the behest of government authorities who have an agreement with the guild or merely to exert the authority over such matters to which the Necromantic Order lays claim. Enforcers, like their guildmates, specialize in the art of necromancy, but they put special emphasis on dealing with other spellcasters and quickly incapacitating the companions of such an enemy.

An enforcer of the dark pact must often act in areas where guild laws are not enforced or even recognized by the local authorities. As such, he must learn to rely on his own abilities to track down offenders without tipping them off about the pursuit and to infiltrate their sanctuaries. To accomplish this, enforcers cultivate a number of social skills, mundane and magical.

Requirements
Alignment: Any non-chaotic.
Feat: Arcane Defense (necromancy), Spell Focus (necromancy).
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 8 Ranks, Spellcraft 8 Ranks, and at least 4 Ranks total distributed amongst Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information and/or Intimidate.
Spells: Able to cast three arcane necromancy spells, at least one of which must be 4th level or higher.
Special: Must be a member in good standing with the Necromantic Order who has been selected for this role by one of the guild's arbiters (a high-ranking officer).

Joining the Order involves a licensing fee of at least 1,000 gp. Sometimes membership is offered fee-free to those that perform some service for the Order, such as stopping a rogue necromancer.

Class Skills
The Dark Pact Enforcer's class skills are: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Decipher Script, Disguise, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Dark Pact Enforcer Hit Die: d4
Lvl BaB Fort Refl Will Special Spellcasting
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Dark pact specialist, two-faced -
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Cunning deceit +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 Unbinding ray +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat, serene visage +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th +2 +1 +1 +4 Reflexive resistance 1/day +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6th +3 +2 +2 +5 Daunting visage +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
7th +3 +2 +2 +5 Enforcer's mettle +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8th +4 +2 +2 +6 Bonus feat, practiced facade +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th +4 +3 +3 +6 Reflexive resistance 2/day +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10th +5 +3 +3 +7 Death's embrace +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

Class Features
The following are class features of the Falazurian Dream-eater prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Falazurian dream-eaters gain no additional proficiencies in weapons or armor.

Spellcasting: When a new dark pact enforcer level other than 1st is gained, you gain new spells per day and spells known as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one such class before becoming a dark pact enforcer, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Dark Pact Specialist (Ex): Add the spells hide from undead and death ward to your arcane spellcasting class's spell list as a 1st level spell and a 4th level spell, respectively. You automatically know these spells: If you use a spellbook, you may add them at any time; if you cast as a sorcerer, they are added to your spells known in addition to the others normally known at those levels. In addition, whenever you cast an arcane necromancy spell, add 1 to your effective caster level for that spell.

Two-faced (Ex): As a dark pact enforcer, you usually display one of two personas to the world: That of the harsh no-nonsense punisher or that of an inquisitive but ultimately unimportant traveler, commoner, or other person of little note. You may operate under only one of these personas at a time. The first persona is known as your "menacing guise." The second persona is known as your "unassuming guise."

While operating under either guise, you gain a bonus to specific skill checks equal to half your class level (rounded up): While using your menacing guise, the bonus applies to Intimidate checks, and while using your unassuming guise, it applies to Gather Information checks. You may only use your unassuming guise against creatures that do not realize your true nature as a dark pact enforcer. They must not believe you are attempting to gather information that would be dangerous for them to give you. If you make an Intimidate check on a creature or it witnesses you doing so with someone else, you lose the ability to use your unassuming guise on it so long as it remembers the incident and realizes you are the same person it saw using intimidation.

Cunning Deceit (Ex): At 2nd level, you may add your Int modifier to Bluff checks made to convince someone you are telling the truth. You may also add this bonus to your Disguise checks.

Unbinding Ray (Su): The 3rd-level dark pact enforcer has learned how to alter the arcane energy of his necromancy spells in order to disrupt and release some of the negative energy that empowers the undead, harming such foes and possibly others around them. You gain the ability to change spell energy from arcane necromancy spells into a black ray. This ray is a ranged touch attack with Long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level of dark pact enforcer) which deals damage to an undead target equal to 2d6 per level of the spell used to create the effect plus an additional 1d6 for every three dark pact enforcer levels you possess (rounded down). If the ray hits another type of creature, it has no effect. If the target is destroyed by this ability, then a burst of negative energy may be released from the creature, at your option. Choose any corner of a square which the target occupied when it was destroyed. A 20-foot burst centered on this corner deals 2d6 negative energy damage per Hit Dice of the destroyed undead target to all creatures in the area. These creatures may attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + dark pact enforcer level + your Cha modifier) to halve the damage from this burst.

Bonus Feat: At 4th level, you may choose to gain one feat from the following list, or any one feat that has one of these listed feats as a prerequisite: Combat Casting, Fearsome Necromancy, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Counterspell, Metamagic School Focus (necromancy), Sickening Grasp, Spell Penetration, or Undead Empathy. You must still meet the prerequisites of the feat.

At 8th level, you again gain a feat as described above except you may choose to gain a metamagic feat that you qualify for instead.

Serene Visage (Sp): At 4th level, you may cast serene visage (as the spell) as a spell-like ability 3 times per day. The caster level is equal to that of the arcane spellcasting class you used to qualify for this prestige class.

Reflexive Resistance (Su): At 5th level, once per day you may use a spell-like ability that grants you spell resistance as an immediate action. This functions as the spell spell resistance using your highest arcane caster level except that it lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). At 9th level, you may use this one additional time per day.

Daunting Visage (Sp): At 6th level, you may consume a use of your serene visage class feature to bring about simple illusions that make your appearance more threatening rather than more persuasive. You gain an insight bonus equal to half your caster level (maximum +10) on Intimidate checks for 1 minute per caster level. This is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell. If you use daunting visage while serene visage is active, the latter effect ends, and vice versa.

Enforcer's Mettle (Ex): At 7th level, your experience with the dark arts has left your mind and body more able to shrug off many of its effects. If you are targeted by a spell or magical effect (including supernatural effects) that is of the necromancy school, has the death descriptor, is an energy drain effect (including magic that bestows negative levels), or is a negative energy effect (such as the burst effect of your unbinding ray), and you make a successful Will or Fortitude saving throw that would normally reduce its effect, you suffer no effect from it at all. Only those spells or effects with a Saving Throw entry of "Will partial," "Fortitude half," or similar entries can be negated through this ability.

Practiced Facade (Ex): Upon reaching 8th level, Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information, and Intimidate are always considered class skills for you from now on.

Death's Embrace (Su): At 10th level, whenever you cast a spell with the death descriptor, any targeted creatures that survive must make a Will save (DC equals that of the original spell; if the spell didn't allow a save, calculate the DC as if it did). A creature that fails this save cowers for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. Creatures that weren't affected by the spell due to spell resistance, spell turning, or a similar effect are not subject to death's embrace.
forsaken1111
09-08-07, 01:24 AM It looks like a good class, but you may not want to give it full spellcasting progression. Seems a bit powerful.
Tuhljin
09-08-07, 06:09 PM What sort of caster progression do you think is appropriate with the other current class features? I don't want to hurt casting progression too much, here. Perhaps some other things could be toned down to keep full caster progression or to lose only one level, possibly two.

One change I'm probably going to make is putting a cap on the negative-energy burst that unbinding ray can produce, perhaps 1d6 per caster level.
masterartisan
09-08-07, 06:10 PM fix your chart, the bab and the saves got messed up when you typed them in.
Tuhljin
09-08-07, 06:23 PM fix your chart, the bab and the saves got messed up when you typed them in.
Fixed. It was a copy/paste error - it wasn't originally a 10-lvl PrC. :embarrass

Another idea for balancing - should I just drop one or both bonus feats entirely? I really don't want to reduce the casting progression too much here as that defeats the purpose I'm going for. (FYI, I'm DMing a campaign that might include 1 or more of these as NPCs but it ought to be balanced for players as well.)
JoshuaZ
09-09-07, 03:27 PM What sort of caster progression do you think is appropriate with the other current class features? I don't want to hurt casting progression too much, here. Perhaps some other things could be toned down to keep full caster progression or to lose only one level, possibly two.

IMO if you just remove first level caster progression it should be reasonably balanced. That also helps prevent a one level dip to get Death Ward which is otherwise not an arcane spell.

One slight issue. This is presumably meant to go along with your Mage of the Necromantic Order prc but one would be unlikely to take both prcs. Does that mean that enforcers do not gain any of the standard guild benefits? Why then would they still be loyal to the guild?
Tuhljin
09-09-07, 07:45 PM I think I'm on the same page as you are as far as just dropping spellcasting progression from 1st level. I'd like to add something though that increases effective caster level when casting necromancy spells by 1 though if I do that to offset it a little, if that wouldn't be unbalancing. Are there any other thoughts on this from anyone?

As far as the Mage of the Necromantic Order PrC (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=885983), well, to be honest I haven't really put it to use in the campaign. It's still an interesting concept but it doesn't seem needed any more. I'm thinking that the guild is experimenting with creating the spell pool right now but it's not something everyone is a part of. The order itself has many members (especially if you count licensed dues-paying necromancers that otherwise have little to do with the organization as members), but most don't have access to the spell pool. (About loyalty to the guild, well, it has more to offer than a spell pool. Primarily, it offers legitimacy - in many parts of the known world, if you aren't licensed by the guild, most necromancy is illegal. They've also got lodging, libraries, labs, crypts, etc. scattered around the world for members to use, as well as being a fairly useful social network. They play a pivotal role in the campaign, and not just because one of the PCs is a necromancer.)
JoshuaZ
09-09-07, 08:14 PM I think I'm on the same page as you are as far as just dropping spellcasting progression from 1st level. I'd like to add something though that increases effective caster level when casting necromancy spells by 1 though if I do that to offset it a little, if that wouldn't be unbalancing. Are there any other thoughts on this from anyone?

I don't know whether that would make it unbalanced or not. For one, I'd then be more worried about someone who was really necromancy centered taking the PrC (like a Dread Necromancer).

As far as the Mage of the Necromantic Order PrC (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=885983), well, to be honest I haven't really put it to use in the campaign. It's still an interesting concept but it doesn't seem needed any more. I'm thinking that the guild is experimenting with creating the spell pool right now but it's not something everyone is a part of. The order itself has many members (especially if you count licensed dues-paying necromancers that otherwise have little to do with the organization as members), but most don't have access to the spell pool. (About loyalty to the guild, well, it has more to offer than a spell pool. Primarily, it offers legitimacy - in many parts of the known world, if you aren't licensed by the guild, most necromancy is illegal. They've also got lodging, libraries, labs, crypts, etc. scattered around the world for members to use, as well as being a fairly useful social network. They play a pivotal role in the campaign, and not just because one of the PCs is a necromancer.)

Sounds interesting. Have you removed the [evil] descriptor from Animate Dead and similar spells or maybe divorced the descriptor from the moral issues?
Tuhljin
09-12-07, 07:40 PM I don't know whether that would make it unbalanced or not. For one, I'd then be more worried about someone who was really necromancy centered taking the PrC (like a Dread Necromancer).
I'll change it for now, but will consider taking it away later depending on future comments and thought on the issue.

Sounds interesting. Have you removed the [evil] descriptor from Animate Dead and similar spells or maybe divorced the descriptor from the moral issues?
The descriptor is still there and strictly speaking the spell is still evil in the moral sense - nature itself reviles undead - but one can keep from slipping into an Evil alignment by procuring the permission of the to-be-deceased. For this reason, the guild is primarily Lawful Neutral with spots of Lawful Evil lurking in many corners. The Necromantic Order in particular is known for offering gold and other benefits now in return for the use of a "customer's" body later (and sometimes even the temporary use of the soul or elements of it - a contract might stipulate undying service for a number of years, for example, after which point the body automatically turns to dust and the soul is freed; use of a soul is better than soulless undead because they retain skills and such that are useful to the guild).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tuhljin 09-07-07, 09:06 PM	DARK PACT ENFORCER "As you can see, the contract clearly stipulates the - shall we say - 'unfortunate' consequences of your actions." - Arbiter Rievan, Dark Pact Enforcer Members of the highly-lawful Necromantic Order know that no law is worth its ink unless there is a punishment attached, and no punishment is worth its weight unless it is enforced. They do not speak of them often, but there is an elite class of their guildmates whose primary duty to the order is the enforcement of its rules: These are the Dark Pact Enforcers. This select group of mages deals not only with disorderly members and former members of the guild, but also with rogue necromancers who practice the craft without a license or in an illegal fashion, whether at the behest of government authorities who have an agreement with the guild or merely to exert the authority over such matters to which the Necromantic Order lays claim. Enforcers, like their guildmates, specialize in the art of necromancy, but they put special emphasis on dealing with other spellcasters and quickly incapacitating the companions of such an enemy. An enforcer of the dark pact must often act in areas where guild laws are not enforced or even recognized by the local authorities. As such, he must learn to rely on his own abilities to track down offenders without tipping them off about the pursuit and to infiltrate their sanctuaries. To accomplish this, enforcers cultivate a number of social skills, mundane and magical. Requirements Alignment: Any non-chaotic. Feat: Arcane Defense (necromancy), Spell Focus (necromancy). Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 8 Ranks, Spellcraft 8 Ranks, and at least 4 Ranks total distributed amongst Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information and/or Intimidate. Spells: Able to cast three arcane necromancy spells, at least one of which must be 4th level or higher. Special: Must be a member in good standing with the Necromantic Order who has been selected for this role by one of the guild's arbiters (a high-ranking officer). Joining the Order involves a licensing fee of at least 1,000 gp. Sometimes membership is offered fee-free to those that perform some service for the Order, such as stopping a rogue necromancer. Class Skills The Dark Pact Enforcer's class skills are: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Decipher Script, Disguise, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft. Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. Dark Pact Enforcer Hit Die: d4 Lvl BaB Fort Refl Will Special Spellcasting 1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Dark pact specialist, two-faced - 2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Cunning deceit +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 Unbinding ray +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat, serene visage +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 5th +2 +1 +1 +4 Reflexive resistance 1/day +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 6th +3 +2 +2 +5 Daunting visage +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 7th +3 +2 +2 +5 Enforcer's mettle +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 8th +4 +2 +2 +6 Bonus feat, practiced facade +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 9th +4 +3 +3 +6 Reflexive resistance 2/day +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class 10th +5 +3 +3 +7 Death's embrace +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class Class Features The following are class features of the Falazurian Dream-eater prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Falazurian dream-eaters gain no additional proficiencies in weapons or armor. Spellcasting: When a new dark pact enforcer level other than 1st is gained, you gain new spells per day and spells known as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one such class before becoming a dark pact enforcer, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known. Dark Pact Specialist (Ex): Add the spells hide from undead and death ward to your arcane spellcasting class's spell list as a 1st level spell and a 4th level spell, respectively. You automatically know these spells: If you use a spellbook, you may add them at any time; if you cast as a sorcerer, they are added to your spells known in addition to the others normally known at those levels. In addition, whenever you cast an arcane necromancy spell, add 1 to your effective caster level for that spell. Two-faced (Ex): As a dark pact enforcer, you usually display one of two personas to the world: That of the harsh no-nonsense punisher or that of an inquisitive but ultimately unimportant traveler, commoner, or other person of little note. You may operate under only one of these personas at a time. The first persona is known as your "menacing guise." The second persona is known as your "unassuming guise." While operating under either guise, you gain a bonus to specific skill checks equal to half your class level (rounded up): While using your menacing guise, the bonus applies to Intimidate checks, and while using your unassuming guise, it applies to Gather Information checks. You may only use your unassuming guise against creatures that do not realize your true nature as a dark pact enforcer. They must not believe you are attempting to gather information that would be dangerous for them to give you. If you make an Intimidate check on a creature or it witnesses you doing so with someone else, you lose the ability to use your unassuming guise on it so long as it remembers the incident and realizes you are the same person it saw using intimidation. Cunning Deceit (Ex): At 2nd level, you may add your Int modifier to Bluff checks made to convince someone you are telling the truth. You may also add this bonus to your Disguise checks. Unbinding Ray (Su): The 3rd-level dark pact enforcer has learned how to alter the arcane energy of his necromancy spells in order to disrupt and release some of the negative energy that empowers the undead, harming such foes and possibly others around them. You gain the ability to change spell energy from arcane necromancy spells into a black ray. This ray is a ranged touch attack with Long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level of dark pact enforcer) which deals damage to an undead target equal to 2d6 per level of the spell used to create the effect plus an additional 1d6 for every three dark pact enforcer levels you possess (rounded down). If the ray hits another type of creature, it has no effect. If the target is destroyed by this ability, then a burst of negative energy may be released from the creature, at your option. Choose any corner of a square which the target occupied when it was destroyed. A 20-foot burst centered on this corner deals 2d6 negative energy damage per Hit Dice of the destroyed undead target to all creatures in the area. These creatures may attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + dark pact enforcer level + your Cha modifier) to halve the damage from this burst. Bonus Feat: At 4th level, you may choose to gain one feat from the following list, or any one feat that has one of these listed feats as a prerequisite: Combat Casting, Fearsome Necromancy, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Counterspell, Metamagic School Focus (necromancy), Sickening Grasp, Spell Penetration, or Undead Empathy. You must still meet the prerequisites of the feat. At 8th level, you again gain a feat as described above except you may choose to gain a metamagic feat that you qualify for instead. Serene Visage (Sp): At 4th level, you may cast serene visage (as the spell) as a spell-like ability 3 times per day. The caster level is equal to that of the arcane spellcasting class you used to qualify for this prestige class. Reflexive Resistance (Su): At 5th level, once per day you may use a spell-like ability that grants you spell resistance as an immediate action. This functions as the spell spell resistance using your highest arcane caster level except that it lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). At 9th level, you may use this one additional time per day. Daunting Visage (Sp): At 6th level, you may consume a use of your serene visage class feature to bring about simple illusions that make your appearance more threatening rather than more persuasive. You gain an insight bonus equal to half your caster level (maximum +10) on Intimidate checks for 1 minute per caster level. This is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell. If you use daunting visage while serene visage is active, the latter effect ends, and vice versa. Enforcer's Mettle (Ex): At 7th level, your experience with the dark arts has left your mind and body more able to shrug off many of its effects. If you are targeted by a spell or magical effect (including supernatural effects) that is of the necromancy school, has the death descriptor, is an energy drain effect (including magic that bestows negative levels), or is a negative energy effect (such as the burst effect of your unbinding ray), and you make a successful Will or Fortitude saving throw that would normally reduce its effect, you suffer no effect from it at all. Only those spells or effects with a Saving Throw entry of "Will partial," "Fortitude half," or similar entries can be negated through this ability. Practiced Facade (Ex): Upon reaching 8th level, Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information, and Intimidate are always considered class skills for you from now on. Death's Embrace (Su): At 10th level, whenever you cast a spell with the death descriptor, any targeted creatures that survive must make a Will save (DC equals that of the original spell; if the spell didn't allow a save, calculate the DC as if it did). A creature that fails this save cowers for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. Creatures that weren't affected by the spell due to spell resistance, spell turning, or a similar effect are not subject to death's embrace.
forsaken1111 09-08-07, 01:24 AM	It looks like a good class, but you may not want to give it full spellcasting progression. Seems a bit powerful.
Tuhljin 09-08-07, 06:09 PM	What sort of caster progression do you think is appropriate with the other current class features? I don't want to hurt casting progression too much, here. Perhaps some other things could be toned down to keep full caster progression or to lose only one level, possibly two. One change I'm probably going to make is putting a cap on the negative-energy burst that unbinding ray can produce, perhaps 1d6 per caster level.
masterartisan 09-08-07, 06:10 PM	fix your chart, the bab and the saves got messed up when you typed them in.
Tuhljin 09-08-07, 06:23 PM	fix your chart, the bab and the saves got messed up when you typed them in. Fixed. It was a copy/paste error - it wasn't originally a 10-lvl PrC. :embarrass Another idea for balancing - should I just drop one or both bonus feats entirely? I really don't want to reduce the casting progression too much here as that defeats the purpose I'm going for. (FYI, I'm DMing a campaign that might include 1 or more of these as NPCs but it ought to be balanced for players as well.)
JoshuaZ 09-09-07, 03:27 PM	What sort of caster progression do you think is appropriate with the other current class features? I don't want to hurt casting progression too much, here. Perhaps some other things could be toned down to keep full caster progression or to lose only one level, possibly two. IMO if you just remove first level caster progression it should be reasonably balanced. That also helps prevent a one level dip to get Death Ward which is otherwise not an arcane spell. One slight issue. This is presumably meant to go along with your Mage of the Necromantic Order prc but one would be unlikely to take both prcs. Does that mean that enforcers do not gain any of the standard guild benefits? Why then would they still be loyal to the guild?
Tuhljin 09-09-07, 07:45 PM	I think I'm on the same page as you are as far as just dropping spellcasting progression from 1st level. I'd like to add something though that increases effective caster level when casting necromancy spells by 1 though if I do that to offset it a little, if that wouldn't be unbalancing. Are there any other thoughts on this from anyone? As far as the Mage of the Necromantic Order PrC (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=885983), well, to be honest I haven't really put it to use in the campaign. It's still an interesting concept but it doesn't seem needed any more. I'm thinking that the guild is experimenting with creating the spell pool right now but it's not something everyone is a part of. The order itself has many members (especially if you count licensed dues-paying necromancers that otherwise have little to do with the organization as members), but most don't have access to the spell pool. (About loyalty to the guild, well, it has more to offer than a spell pool. Primarily, it offers legitimacy - in many parts of the known world, if you aren't licensed by the guild, most necromancy is illegal. They've also got lodging, libraries, labs, crypts, etc. scattered around the world for members to use, as well as being a fairly useful social network. They play a pivotal role in the campaign, and not just because one of the PCs is a necromancer.)
JoshuaZ 09-09-07, 08:14 PM	I think I'm on the same page as you are as far as just dropping spellcasting progression from 1st level. I'd like to add something though that increases effective caster level when casting necromancy spells by 1 though if I do that to offset it a little, if that wouldn't be unbalancing. Are there any other thoughts on this from anyone? I don't know whether that would make it unbalanced or not. For one, I'd then be more worried about someone who was really necromancy centered taking the PrC (like a Dread Necromancer). As far as the Mage of the Necromantic Order PrC (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=885983), well, to be honest I haven't really put it to use in the campaign. It's still an interesting concept but it doesn't seem needed any more. I'm thinking that the guild is experimenting with creating the spell pool right now but it's not something everyone is a part of. The order itself has many members (especially if you count licensed dues-paying necromancers that otherwise have little to do with the organization as members), but most don't have access to the spell pool. (About loyalty to the guild, well, it has more to offer than a spell pool. Primarily, it offers legitimacy - in many parts of the known world, if you aren't licensed by the guild, most necromancy is illegal. They've also got lodging, libraries, labs, crypts, etc. scattered around the world for members to use, as well as being a fairly useful social network. They play a pivotal role in the campaign, and not just because one of the PCs is a necromancer.) Sounds interesting. Have you removed the [evil] descriptor from Animate Dead and similar spells or maybe divorced the descriptor from the moral issues?
Tuhljin 09-12-07, 07:40 PM	I don't know whether that would make it unbalanced or not. For one, I'd then be more worried about someone who was really necromancy centered taking the PrC (like a Dread Necromancer). I'll change it for now, but will consider taking it away later depending on future comments and thought on the issue. Sounds interesting. Have you removed the [evil] descriptor from Animate Dead and similar spells or maybe divorced the descriptor from the moral issues? The descriptor is still there and strictly speaking the spell is still evil in the moral sense - nature itself reviles undead - but one can keep from slipping into an Evil alignment by procuring the permission of the to-be-deceased. For this reason, the guild is primarily Lawful Neutral with spots of Lawful Evil lurking in many corners. The Necromantic Order in particular is known for offering gold and other benefits now in return for the use of a "customer's" body later (and sometimes even the temporary use of the soul or elements of it - a contract might stipulate undying service for a number of years, for example, after which point the body automatically turns to dust and the soul is freed; use of a soul is better than soulless undead because they retain skills and such that are useful to the guild).