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Dread Necromancer

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Suggested Price $2.00

A dark taint stains your soul. Do you dare embrace the vile power it bestows?

The Dread Necromancer is a new class designed for the 5th edition of the world's greatest roleplaying game. With this new class you can create a character that bears the tragic stain of darkness and the gift of necromancy that comes with it. As your soul succumbs to the fell power of this insidious taint you are transformed into a Lich.

Inside you will find:

  • The Dread Necromancer class and the three path that are its dread callings.

Raise legions of the dead as a Corpsecrafter.

Frighten your enemies to death as a Fearmonger.

Visit disease and pestilence on your foes as a Plaguebearer.

  • Multiple new diseases and a new spell.
  • Alternative fates for the Dread Necromancer.

Stave off the effects of darkness with stolen holy power as a Mummy.

Use the art of the High Elves to preserve your life as one of the Balenorn.

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Reviews (6)
Discussions (26)
Customer avatar
Joshua R May 23, 2020 9:15 am UTC
PURCHASER
I'm just a bit unsure of a few things.

1. Wherever it requires a certain amount of GP worth of materials, it never specifically states whether it gets consumed. Does that mean once you've bought the 5000 GP materials (or other cost) then you can keep reusing the materials? I figured it probably gets consumed, but just want to double check.

2. For charnel touch, do we need to make an attack (either str or dex), or is it an automatic hit with a save?

3. For casting spells, just to clarify you still need vocal (V) and somantic (S) components, just not material (correct)? Which means if I wanted to use rapier and shield, I'd need to get the warcaster feat to be able to cast spells at the same time (I believe, unless that was not an intended drawback).

4. For the animate dead stuff, it states that I cast my spells at the same level as given in the table. Since at level 6 I'm casting at equivalent to level 2 (we are given the boon of casting it a level 3 spell, plus...See more
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Joshua R May 23, 2020 10:57 am UTC
PURCHASER
This is also pretty much Corpsecrafter focused.
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Robert B December 31, 2019 4:16 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Any chance you could adapt this to FG (Fantasy Grounds)?
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Joseph T November 07, 2019 8:23 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Wowzers, started writing this feedback as I was going through the PDF and yeah it's gotten huge! Too wall of texty and also too long for a single post, so I'm putting in numbers and empty lines (assuming that formatting attempt sticks) and splitting it into two posts.

1: Why no option to take a ranged necromantic cantrip? I know you get Charnel Touch, which functions similarly to a cantrip, but personally I prefer my necromancers to maintain distance between themselves and their enemies (no matter what Grim Dawn and Diablo 3 depict, not all necromancers are grim reaper wannabes).

2: The weapon proficiency is nonsensical IMO given that the Dread Necromancer is not primarily a melee class. If you really want that grim reaper necromancer archetype, I'd suggest adding a new Dread Calling option of the Reaper, which grants said proficiency in a martial melee weapon, the ability to use martial melee weapons you are proficient with as a spell focus for Dark Arcana, and a bunch of necrotic smite...See more
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Joseph T November 07, 2019 8:24 pm UTC
PURCHASER
25: Shadow Magic should specify that you use Charisma as your casting stat. Also, if it's already an illusion that normally requires an action be spent to make an Investigation check to disbelieve, why add the free reactive Wisdom saving throw? Seems like double jeopardy to me. Also, slightly disappointed that neither this nor Shadow Conjuration allow Conjuration spells other than the specified summons to be used. Illusory Grease just sounds hilarious to me lol :p

26: Please renumber the page numbers to match the actual PDF page numbers, including the title etc in the count. It's very annoying when I jump to the page number listed in the Table of Contents only to realize that what I want is like 3 pages further down.

So in summary: Several nitpicks, some balance suggestions, and two suggestions for new archetypes (Reaper in #2, and Master of Shrouds in #8). You're welcome!
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Christopher F September 04, 2019 7:56 am UTC
PURCHASER
Love this, and finally was able to put one into a homebrew campaign.

Curious: can we look forward to this being put onto D&D Beyond?
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Zac K August 26, 2019 9:33 pm UTC
PURCHASER
love it but me and play group think the level 10 ability is a bit weak for corpse crafter maybe cause i playing a pale master crospe master just level 10 ability seems really costly to get zombie or skeleton to use armor and shield and magic items that dont require attunment or activation but the fact that it is mindless and cant be more then 200 feet away from you i feel is lack luster cant really use to command undead and it does get two attacks just 3000 gold 24 hous of time for super skeleton or zombie seems weak but i do really love the book and this is the one thing that does give issues for me and my play group
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Maxwell G April 19, 2019 12:47 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hello David, I am very interested in making an NPC a high level Corpse Crafter, and definitely hope to play said NPC as a PC one day. I just have a couple questions regarding the undead minion. When you say that the hit points of either the zombie or skeleton is four times your Dread Necromancer level, do you mean that the minion gains additional hit points equal to four times your level and its base hit points are the d12's for every two levels you have in Dread Necromancer, or does the minion's hit points reach a maximum of 80 and it may expend Hit Dice as self sustainability only?

Also as a quick side note, the Lich template is already a powerful thing, but I would think it would make sense for the Dread Necromancer, upon attaining 20th level, also get two 6th level spell slots and the ability to choose from the Wizard or Cleric spell list for three 6th level spells. This is so the PC can cast Create Undead, which I think would make near perfect sense for a Lich to have in their repertoire of...See more
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David A April 19, 2019 3:09 pm UTC
CREATOR
Thanks for reaching out, Max!

The intent is that, regardless of the original stats for the creature being turned into a minion, a newly raised minion has a maximum hit point total equal to 4 times your level. So a 10th level Dread Necromancer would raise a new minion that had 40 hit points and 5 hit dice that were d12s. It can use those hit dice to heal during short rests.

I'll add your spell suggestions to the list of revisions I will be considering should I find the time to work on an update to the product. If you're interested in chatting more, or just checking out what I'm working on now, join me over on Twitter (level2npc).
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Scott M March 16, 2019 9:14 am UTC
PURCHASER
I've asked a couple questions before about this class and am going to be using it again soon. Since you haven't had the chance to update it, if you would send me a quicklist of the things you intend on changing I would make the update for you. The Plague Bearer has become one of my favorite classes in 5e so I would love to give back some support on this.
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Lee B February 03, 2019 11:31 am UTC
PURCHASER
Also... final question. How does the dark arcana spell level count? Does it mean that as you level up, any use of the dark arcana is treated as if it is cast at a higher level than the standard slot?
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David A February 04, 2019 8:20 pm UTC
CREATOR
This is correct.
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Lee B February 03, 2019 11:29 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hey, whats up with the Ray of Fatigue in this? I just had a horrible fight where i could of downed a very much over powered NPC with exhaustion had it been stackable for Profane lifeleech and i just realized that Ray of Fatigue despite being in the actual pdf... isn't a castable spell for the class. So what class can cast it? Also does the person in question who gets it cast on gain a new level of exhaustion every round until they succeed on the saving throw? Bit vague, but i thought it worth asking.
Also kind of harsh with the gaps between spellcasting. Love the idea of this class so far, but its a far cry from the 3.5 ed Dread necro in terms of usefulness. :(
I'm level 5 and have the highest AC, thats great but i only cast level 1 spells... my saves are pretty low due to standard array... and my ability to use fell powers or spell cast at low level are extremely limited... Heck 10 uses a day at level 20 is kinda low too.
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David A February 04, 2019 8:20 pm UTC
CREATOR
There are definitely components here that need updating. As soon as I have the time to start the process of updating content, this product is first on my list and I have a number of things that I anticipate modifying to hit my initial design goals. Ray of Fatigue needs some clarification, but the intent is that it bestows 1 level of exhaustion for the duration of the spell. The exhaustion does not stack with itself but would stack with any other effects that bestow exhaustion.
Regarding the spellcasting, spells cast with Fell Power are cast at the level indicated in the class table. For example, at 5th level all of the spells you cast are cast at 2nd level. By 20th level, every spell you cast is 6th level. The spellcasting is similar to what you would see on the Warlock, but with the option to use your Fell Power for other abilities that are comparable to your spells. The ideal strategy for the class is to use your first round to cast a spell to soften up a target and then wade into combat with your Charnel...See more
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Lee B February 13, 2019 9:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
Ah, i guess my point was kind of... vague. Why not make this class a bit more like Warlock and seperate fell powers and the dark arcana like how they seperate Invocations and spell slots... Also why tease us with Ray of Fatigue if its not even on our spell list. Also like the 3.5 version of Dread necromancer it'd be nice to be able to add a few Necromancy spells to our list of spells in case we want to customize our spell list a bit.
I turned a dread necromancer into a god level healer in 3.5 by lvl 13, as i had the ability to dump all my hp into a hurt person and then hide in the corner charnel touching myself up to full hp.
Also whats the point of having immunity to necrotic if it later heals us? I mean... That was a feat you had to take in 3.5 to get healed from negative energy. I like the throw back, but if i remember correctly an immunity trumps any weakness or resistance to a thing, so technically wouldn't our body just outright ignore it like any other undead does if we're granted immunity to...See more
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October 24, 2018 7:30 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Is there any way we could get a doc file of this? I want to copy and paste information and cant due to the formatting of the pdf.
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Cody R May 29, 2018 11:44 am UTC
PURCHASER
As a baelnorn do I still get all the feature of the dress necromancer
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David A May 29, 2018 5:35 pm UTC
CREATOR
The Baelnorn replaces Dark Arcana with Elven Arcana and Ritual Sacrifice with Arselu'Tel'Quess. These make the class play a bit more magical and the Nethermancy Dread Calling is designed to support that, but the Baelnorn can choose any of the Dread Callings.
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Cody R May 29, 2018 2:49 am UTC
PURCHASER
So my local dm started very hardcore homebrew campaign and told us we could choose anything from dms guild so I stumbled upon this and I thought it was insanely cool. So we made our characters and he breaks the news that the world we are in has steampunk cabailities with guns etc but most is still normal d&d. most of my party are generally good characters and we’re going for a we are all reliable and friendly thing. My question is do you think it will fit in with the steampunkish vibe and is there a way in your mind to make the necromancer sort of good and not full I wanna watch the world burn
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David A May 29, 2018 10:53 am UTC
CREATOR
It is certainly a narrative possibility that a Dread Necromancer could be good - as long as alignment isn't a force like gravity where evil acts (like raising the dead against their will) cause the accumulation of whatever force turns a character to evil. The basis of the Dread Necromancer's power is a taint of evil that gradually spreads and grows within. As a character, you don't have to embrace that. You can be a tragic good character who uses this vile power out of necessity. You might look at the Baelnorn options - they're much less directly evil.
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Cody C May 25, 2018 4:12 am UTC
Why dose the corpse crafter only get to use animate dead once per day ?? Or did i read it wrong
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David A May 25, 2018 2:01 pm UTC
CREATOR
You read correctly. The limitation prevents the dread necromancer from creating a massive horde. The skeleton or zombie that the spell creates only dies when it is reduced to 0 hp and the remainder of the ability provides options to heal and protect this creature. At 10th level, the undead minion allows you to have undead creatures under your control.

Keeping the numbers of extra creatures added relatively low is important. All those extra actions add up, particularly if you use them creatively. Extra actions and turns to resolve lengthens combat. The intent was to avoid both of those complications but still attempt to provide some thematic fun that was different from the abilities that a Necromancer Wizard acquires.
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Cody C May 25, 2018 10:10 pm UTC
So we can have more the one minion as long as we have the time and items need to make more then one. And that makes since I was just wanting a little more then 3 at lvl 10 to help sheild me if I need it like 5 or 6 would be good with all the buffs you have for them witch are awesome and I love how you have it all set up.
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Scott M May 21, 2018 7:37 am UTC
PURCHASER
What is the proficiency in WIS for? I don't see anywhere it is used for the class. It seems that it should be CON and CHA. The only other things I see are the way you generate the DC checks. They seem kind of random whereas 5e its all pretty much set up as 8+pro+mod.
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Scott M May 21, 2018 8:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
Also, with tainted vitality do you mean that you add your CON modifier to your AC when wearing light armor in addition to the DEX mod that the armor itself uses? Or is it to replace the DEX mod?
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David A May 24, 2018 7:19 pm UTC
CREATOR
Good questions Scott!
This product and a couple of my oldest titles could do with a little sprucing up. Since they were created a lot of events have helped illuminate the underlying thinking on 5th edition's design perspective - from the addition of new content like subclasses and spells, updates in the form of errata, and greater transparency from the designers. There's a big list of things that, should I ever have time, I plan on polishing for this class.

Until that happens, I think that you should assume that save DCs would default to the standard method and that CON would replace DEX for AC calculations, ignoring any cap that armor would place on DEX.

I don't think that the content as currently presented would break anything, but it is beginning to show its age and I would very much like to give it some attention and updating. The outpouring of support for this product has been great, so you guys deserve a solid reward for that.
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Jeremiah F December 25, 2017 8:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
Just a question, shouldn't Charnel Touch be a touch attack and not just a con Save?
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David A May 24, 2018 7:27 pm UTC
CREATOR
Many apologies for the delayed response Jeremiah, and thanks for the question.

As I noted above in my reply to Scott, the expansion of D&D content in the time since this was released has helped clarify and refine my approach to design for the game. I don't have a definite timeline for updating this again (I'm just wrapping up work on JetPack7's Masters and Minions publication and gearing up to work with LoreSmyth on an adventure and possible follow-up to their highly successful Remarkable Inns product), but Charnel Touch is on the list of things that could be updated. Using a spell attack is definitely a more elegant way to deliver the ability, so you can use that for now. The original factor in favoring the saving throw was to allow for a gentle caress, in keeping with the creepiness of this player option. I think that on a redesign, that could be conveyed through flavor text instead and a more streamlined mechanic used.
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Patrick T October 12, 2017 6:21 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am looking over the Dread Necromancer and would like to add it to my class pool for my group to pick from. The only issue i worry about is if i have a Dread Necromancer will that take away from the Wizard Necromancy School?
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Customer avatar
David A October 12, 2017 8:25 pm UTC
CREATOR
That depends on what draws a character to the Necromancy tradition. The Dread Necromancer has access to very few spells in comparison to the Wizard. Their thematic and flavorful abilities come from their Dread Callings - Corpsecrafters raise undead minions, Plaugebearers toss around disease, and Fearmongers weaponize fright. They are each MUCH more narrow in focus than the Necromancer tradition for Wizards, which means they can do more with their single trick but they have fewer options for versatility. Wizards, by virtue of their spell selection, have more options when it comes to necromancy and can dip their toes into a little bit of everything, ultimately feeling more studied and knowledgable than Dread Necromancers. Dread Necromancers, on the other hand, can never escape their taint and can feel cursed to their fate in some ways. So if your player really only wants to raise legions of the dead, then the Dread Necromancer is going to eclipse the Wizard because of how well it delivers on that premise. But if...See more
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This title was added to our catalog on February 04, 2016.