I have thought up just about this much of the class. I was wondering if I could get a few suggestions
Role: Controller
Power source: Shadow
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth
Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Quarter Staff
Implements: Staffs, Tombs, Wands
Bonus to Defense: +2 Will
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution score
Hit Points Gained per Level: 4
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier
Level 1 At-Will Hexes
Summon Undead Necromancer Attack 1
You imprint a lingering soul from the Shadowfel onto material at hand to do your bidding.
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Implement
STandard Action Area 1 Adjacent Square
Effect: Summons an Undead Minion in target Square, which then immediately moves and attacks.
Undead Minions last until the end of the Encounter or until destroyed. When spending a Standard Action to attack with existing Undead minions causes all of them to attack. All Undead Minions and the Necromancer may move as a move action.
Undead Minion Level (As Necromancer) Minion
Medium Undead XP nil
HP: 1: A missed attack never damages a minion
AC, Fort, Reflex, Will: As Necromancer
Speed: 3 + Charisma modifier
Claw: Standard at will
Int VS AC; Int Damage
Claw of Oportunity:
When making an oportunity attack the Undead Minion Gains a + Wis bonus to the attack roll
Skills: As Necromancer
Now I'm tempted to make this a feature or a mandatory At-Will. It does create control by forcing NPC's to deal with the minion/s before they can reach their desired position, normally where the Minion is standing.
What does everyone think of this vague concept?
instead of one mandatory summoning power, I'd do it like druids, warlocks or shaman. They have to pick a summoning at-will but they get their choice of summoning at-will.
Implements: Staffs, Tombs, Wands
Although at first it might seem appropriate for a necromancer to have tombs as implements, I fail to see how anyone can carry a tomb. Perhaps you are refering to tomes, which are more thematically appropriate?
Hit Points Gained per Level: 4
Perhaps this is a bit too much of a pain for players, considering the lowest HP gained per level is typically 5.
Summon Undead Necromancer Attack 1
You imprint a lingering soul from the Shadowfel onto material at hand to do your bidding.
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Implement
STandard Action Area 1 Adjacent Square
Effect: Summons an Undead Minion in target Square, which then immediately moves and attacks.
Undead Minions last until the end of the Encounter or until destroyed. When spending a Standard Action to attack with existing Undead minions causes all of them to attack. All Undead Minions and the Necromancer may move as a move action.
Undead Minion Level (As Necromancer) Minion
Medium Undead XP nil
HP: 1: A missed attack never damages a minion
AC, Fort, Reflex, Will: As Necromancer
Speed: 3 + Charisma modifier
Int VS AC; Int Damage
Claw of Oportunity:
When making an oportunity attack the Undead Minion Gains a + Wis bonus to the attack roll
Skills: As NecromancerNow I'm tempted to make this a feature or a mandatory At-Will. It does create control by forcing NPC's to deal with the minion/s before they can reach their desired position, normally where the Minion is standing.
What does everyone think of this vague concept?
First off, this is what the Summoning keyword was made for: to avoid the potential of becoming overpowering. True, this is a minion, but considering the fact that any half-decent character could start out with 16 INT, 16 CHA after racial bonuses and would pump these stats all the way to epic, that's a total of +7 INT vs AC, +7 damage, with a speed of 10 by level 28. And as the spell allows both the summoner and the minions to move simultaneously, as well as have all the minions attack simultaneously, this can easily amount to ridiculous amounts of damage in the battlefield, with absolutely no prerequisite or drawback.
It easily is more powerful than the level 30 feature of the Darklord EPIC DESTINY.
Second, virtually all summons, which have the summoning keyword, are daily powers. Making a summoning power at-will is easily unbalancing.
Finally, most of your at-will's work is under the Summoning keyword.
Now, if I was to translate that to a more manageable necromancer power, I'd probably go like this:
Summon Shade * Necromancer Attack 1
Daily * Shadow, Necrotic, Implement, Summoning
Standard Action * Range 10
Effect: You create a shade in an unoccupied square within range. This creature has a speed of 6. Whenever a creature starts its turn in, or moves into a square adjacent to the shade, it is marked by the shade. You can make give the shade the following special commands:
Standard Action: melee 1, INT vs AC, 1d6 + INT Necrotic damage, and the target grants combat advantage to allies.
Opportunity Action: melee 1, INT vs AC, 1d8 + INT Necrotic damage.
I thought he could carry a small 50lb stone Tomb with maybe a family of dead mice in it... Ya I meant Tome, ya that's it.
The draw back would be making a single Int vs AC attack without a Prof Bonus that deals only bonus damage, with hopes of the minion surviving till next round so you can start doing "Swarm Attacks"
Cause you can't "Swarm" and generate Undead Minions with just one standard action.
Maybe I should set a hard limit of 2 Undead Minions in Heroic, 3 in Paragon and 4 in Epic though.
I thought he could carry a small 50lb stone Tomb with maybe a family of dead mice in it... Ya I meant Tome, ya that's it.
The draw back would be making a single Int vs AC attack without a Prof Bonus that deals only bonus damage, with hopes of the minion surviving till next round so you can start doing "Swarm Attacks"
Cause you can't "Swarm" and generate Undead Minions with just one standard action.
Maybe I should set a hard limit of 2 Undead Minions in Heroic, 3 in Paragon and 4 in Epic though.
Well, I've yet to see a 50lb tomb anywhere... :P
The issue with that would be that each undead minion would be dishing out INT mod damage, and being an Implement attack would benefit from your attack mod (even if you don't benefit from enhancement bonuses to damage since you're not rolling for damage).
If we were to keep with it as an at-will, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to limit it as you mention. Perhaps something like this?
Call the Shadows * Necromancer Attack 1
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Implement, Summoning
Standard Action * Close Burst 1
Effect: You summon up to 2 shadows in an unoccupied square within range. Each shadow has 1 HP and does not take damage when an attack misses it. Each shadow has a speed of 6. You do not lose a healing surge when shadows summoned by this power are destroyed.
You can make give each shadow the following special commands:
Minor Action: melee 1, INT vs AC, INT Necrotic damage
Opportunity Action: melee 1, INT vs AC, INT Necrotic damage
Special: At level 11, you summon up to 3 shadows instead of 2. At level 21, you summon up to 5 shadows instead. Using this power will not give you more than the maximum number of shadows allowed (you cannot have more than 2 shadows at level 1, 3 shadows at level 11, and 5 shadows at level 21).
Another possible Necromancer at-will.
Whispers of Death * Necromancer Attack 1
At-Will * Shadow, Psychic, Fear, Implement
Standard Action * Range 10
Attack: INT vs Will
Hit: Target takes 1d6 + INT modifier damage, and is knocked prone.
Wizards: I see this as a summoner style build and single target blaster type.
Cleric: I see this type of cleric being like the "lazer cleric" sitting in the back, but doing lighter damage while healing. Think life drain effects and such.
Warlock: I can definately see a Soul Pact, think Reaper style Warlock.
Paladin: I can see the Paladin having a necromancer style build but I think it would work more like an angelic type, cast out the "evil" in others and "turn their life force to the light".
Avenger: not sure about this type but could be done.
Invoker: I can seriously see the Invoker with a necromantic build, similar to a mix between the cleric and wizard.
Shaman: I may not see the druid pulling it off, but I can see the shaman doing it. Think "Dark Afrika" or ancient Aztec shaman.
Bard: I see the necromantic Bard as a Dirge Singer not sure how his powers would work sense I've never really played a bard.
Tailoring Necro powers for 8 classes is painstaking and using one set of Necro powers for all 8 will without fail produce a broken combo.
Now traditionally a Necromancer has two types of undead working under him. Minions that clog the field with their corpses and 1 favored Knight/Lieutenant.
Now lets assume we move the minions to Daily powers, and make a Encounter Power Feature that triggers in response to a Foe Dying within 10 and summons a Knight/Lieutenant in that square, fresh souls and everything.
Ensures he isn't present every round and lets him be about as tough as a Spirit Companion
I hate to say this, but I just still don't see the necromancer as a class. I think there should be a necromancer build for wizards and clerics for sure, with there own class features.
While this idea has merrit, I think the Necromancer should be it's own class.
A Necromancer deals directly with Undead, and that implies a connection to a God, a Demon (eg Orcus) or another source of control over corpses (such as the affore mentioned Shadow Power source)
Powers to control Undead that appear in a Necromancer's path should be inhearent. Powers to summon minor undead should be selectable. Powers to Summon major undead should be in the form of Ritual Spells that takes hours to perform. The power to control those major undead he/she creates as part of spells.
A Necromancer should also have the power to drain Undead he/she cannot control.
I would think that a Necromancer should be a sort of Hybrid between the Base Cleric and Wizard...
AT Will Powers should NOT be sumning powers. However, raise Undead from recently dead corpses I'd be in favour of. At Will Powers, IMHO, should include Drain Undead and/or Increase Life Force (HP) of Undead, regardless of if that Undead is under the Necromancer's control or not.
IMHO, a Necromancer should also be required to have a spellbook, as with a Wizard.
1, it gives the Necromancer a never ending army of minions.
2, with a never ending army, if you scale those minions up by the Necromancer's level, you make him way too powerful at any level. If the minions do NOT scale up, the Necromancer is too weak.
I'd much rather see the At Wills be focused on Regen or direct attack, or some combination of the two. That would make a Necromancer formidable, without making him overwhealming.