Subpages Archetypes

Most necromancers are foul, twisted individuals obsessed with corruption and death. A few, however, embrace the knowledge that true necromancy involves tapping the powers of life as well as those of death and unlife. These enlightened few are known as white necromancers.

Role: White necromancers are arcane spellcasters who study the mysterious connection between life and death. They do not walk the same evil path as traditional necromancers, or dark necromancers, as white necromancers call them. Instead, white necromancers honor the dead and seek to aid the living. They have a deep and profound understanding of life’s eternal cycle—the necromantic triad—which makes them potent healers as well as powerful spellcasters.

Alignment: Any non-evil

Hit Die: d6

Starting Wealth: 2d6 × 10 gp (average 70 gp). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The white necromancer’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the white necromancer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

White necromancers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a white necromancer’s gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail (see Arcane Spells and Armor).

Spell Casting

Table: White Necromancer Spells Known Level Spells Known 0th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 1st 4 2 — — — — — — — — 2nd 5 2 — — — — — — — — 3rd 5 3 — — — — — — — — 4th 6 3 1 — — — — — — — 5th 6 4 2 — — — — — — — 6th 7 4 2 1 — — — — — — 7th 7 5 3 2 — — — — — — 8th 8 5 3 2 1 — — — — — 9th 8 5 4 3 2 — — — — — 10th 9 5 4 3 2 1 — — — — 11th 9 5 5 4 3 2 — — — — 12th 9 5 5 4 3 2 1 — — — 13th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2 — — — 14th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2 1 — — 15th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 — — 16th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 1 — 17th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 — 18th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 19th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 20th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3

White Necromancer Spell List

White necromancers gain access to the following spells.

0th-Level Spells

arcane mark

bleed

dancing lights

daze

detect magic

detect poison

disrupt undead

guidance

light

mending

message

read magic

resistance

ray of frost

stabilize

touch of fatigue

1st-Level Spells

cause fear

cure light wounds

chill touch

deathwatch

decompose corpse

detect undead

detect evil

doom

hide from undead

identify

inflict light wounds

protection from evil

ray of enfeeblement

ray of sickening

remove fear

restore corpse

sanctify corpse

sculpt corpse

sleep

mage armor

unseen servant

2nd-Level Spells

blindness/deafness

bone shards

bone swarm

command undead

cure moderate wounds

darkness

darkvision

deathknell

delay poison

detect thoughts

false life

fog cloud

ghostly disguise

ghoul touch

inflict moderate wounds

invisibility

lesser animate dead

levitate

pernicious poison

scare

silence

see invisibility

spectral hand

steal voice

toxic gift

unshakable chill

3rd-Level Spells

blood biography

cure serious wounds

dance of the dead

daylight

deep slumber

eldritch fever

fester

fly

gaseous form

gentle repose

halt undead

healing thief

howling agony

inflict serious wounds

marionette possession

nap stack

phantom steed

ray of exhaustion

sands of time

slow

speak with dead

undead anatomy I

vampiric touch

4th-Level Spells

animate dead

aura of doom

bestow curse

cause fear

contagion

crushing despair

cure critical wounds

death ward

enervation

greater false life

greater invisibility

haunting choir

ice storm

inflict critical wounds

neutralize poison

plague carrier

poison

shadow projection

wall of ice

5th-Level Spells

breath of life

chain of bones

cone of cold

greater bone shards

greater contagion

lesser astral projection

magic jar

permanency

possess object

raise dead

rest eternal

slay living

suffocation

symbol of pain

symbol of sleep

undead anatomy II

wall of bones

waves of fatigue

6th-Level Spells

antilife shell

circle of death

create undead

disintegrate

eyebite

freezing sphere

harm

major curse

mass fester

symbol of fear

true seeing

undead anatomy III

undeath to death

unwilling shield

7th-Level Spells

control undead

destruction

epidemic

ethereal jaunt

finger of death

heal

plague storm

power word blind

resurrection

symbol of weakness

temporary resurrection

waves of exhaustion

8th Level Spells

clone

create greater undead

horrid wilting

mind blank

orb of the void

polar ray

symbol of death

temporal stasis

trap the soul

undead anatomy IV

9th-Level Spells

astral projection

energy drain

mass suffocation

power word kill

soul bind

true resurrection

wail of the banshee

A white necromancer casts arcane spells drawn from the white necromancer spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a white necromancer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a white necromancer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the white necromancer’s Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a white necromancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: White Necromancer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

A white necromancer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A white necromancer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of his choice. At each new white necromancer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: White Necromancer Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a white necromancer knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: White Necromancer Spells Known are fixed.)

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered white necromancer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a white necromancer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the white necromancer loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A white necromancer may swap only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a white necromancer need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

Evil Necromancy Spells: White necromancers, particularly those of good alignment, find that casting evil necromancy spells (spells of the necromancy school with the evil descriptor) is foreign to them. They are not strictly forbidden from doing so, however, and they may occasionally cast such spells if the need is sufficiently great. When a white necromancer casts an evil necromancy spell, he uses up two spell slots of that level.

Cantrips White necromancers learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: White Necromancer Spells Known under “Spells Known.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.

Eschew Materials

A white necromancer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Lore of Life and Death (Ex)

A white necromancer adds his Wisdom modifier in addition to his Intelligence modifier when making Knowledge (religion) skill checks pertaining to subjects involving death, burial practices, undead, or the afterlife. In addition, a white necromancer adds a bonus equal to 1/2 his white necromancer level (minimum +1) to all Heal skill checks.

Rebuke Death (Sp)

As a standard action, a white necromancer can touch a living creature to heal it for 1d4 hp plus 1 for every two white necromancer levels he possesses. He can use this ability only on a creature below 0 hp. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier.

Power Over Undead (Su)

Beginning at 3rd level, a white necromancer receives Turn Undead as a bonus feat. He is treated as having the channel energy class ability, but only for purposes of using this feat.

A white necromancer can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 1 + his Charisma modifier, but only to use the Turn Undead feat. He can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Extra Channel and Improved Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Alignment Channel, Elemental Channel, or Selective Channeling. The DC to save against this feat is 10 + 1/2 his white necromancer level + his Charisma modifier. When he channels energy, all undead are potentially affected, even those under his control. At 20th level, undead cannot add their channel resistance to the save against this ability.

White Necromancy (Su)

Beginning at 4th level, any necromancy spell that creates undead loses the evil descriptor when cast by a white necromancer.

Such spells no longer cost two spell slots of that level (as noted under evil necromancy spells). Mindless undead resulting from white necromancy are of neutral alignment. The alignment of intelligent undead exactly matches the white necromancer’s alignment.

The white necromancer gains no specific control over undead created using white necromancy, although he may ask the undead to provide some service or to otherwise assist him. To make such a request, the white necromancer must make a special Diplomacy check, rolling 1d20 + the white necromancer’s level + his Charisma modifier.

Mindless undead created through white necromancy initially are indifferent toward the white necromancer, and a flat DC 15 Diplomacy check is required when requesting their assistance. Intelligent undead initially are friendly toward the white necromancer, and a flat DC 15 + the creature’s Charisma modifier is required when requesting their assistance.

A white necromancer must treat any undead created through white necromancy with honor and respect at all times. In most cases, a white necromancer should agree to release the undead once the requested service or task has been completed. Intelligent undead created through white necromancy might agree to follow the white necromancer for a prolonged period of time. In such cases, the undead would certainly expect to be treated as an honored and respected companion, and might even occasionally make requests of its own.

A white necromancer who fails to properly respect any undead he creates suffers a -10 to Diplomacy and similar skill checks when making new requests of that undead, subject to the GM’s discretion.

Life Bond (Su)

At 5th level, a white necromancer may create a bond between himself and another living creature within 90 ft. as a standard action. He may have one bond active per white necromancer level.

Each round at the start of the white necromancer’s turn, if the bonded creature is wounded for 5 or more hp below its maximum hp, the bonded creature heals 5 hp and the white necromancer takes 5 hp damage.

This bond continues until the bonded creature dies, the white necromancer dies, the distance between them exceeds 90 ft., or the white necromancer ends it as an immediate action. If he has multiple bonds active, he may end as many as he wants as part of the same immediate action.

Necrotic Transfer (Su)

At 7th level, a white necromancer can transfer some of his life essence to another living creature. As a standard action, when a white necromancer touches a subject, he can sacrifice an amount of his own hp equal to 10 + his Constitution score + his white necromancer level. Those hit points are then immediately transferred to the creature touched.

These hp heal the subject but cannot raise the subject’s hp higher than its normal hp total.

Voice of the Grave (Su)

At 7th level, a white necromancer can speak with dead, as the spell, for a number of rounds per day equal to his white necromancer level. These rounds need not be consecutive.

At 9th level, and every two levels thereafter, the dead creature takes a cumulative –2 penalty on its Will save to resist this effect.

Life Sight (Su)

At 9th level, a white necromancer gains blindsight to a range of 10 ft. for a number of rounds per day equal to his white necromancer level, but it detects only living creatures and undead creatures.

This sight also tells him whether a creature is living or undead. Constructs and other creatures neither living nor undead cannot be seen with this ability. The range of this ability increases by 10 ft. at 13th level and by an additional 10 ft. for every four levels beyond 13th. These rounds need not be consecutive.

Grasp of the Dead (Sp)

At 11th level, a white necromancer can summon a swarm of skeletal arms to burst from the ground to rip and tear at his foes. The skeletal arms erupt from the ground in a 20-ft.-radius burst and must appear from a solid surface. Any enemy in this area takes 1d6 hp slashing damage per each white necromancer level (maximum 15d6 hp damage). The white necromancer may center this ability anywhere within 60 ft.

Those caught in the area receive a Reflex save to take only half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 white necromancer level + Charisma modifier). Those who fail the save are unable to move for 1 round. The skeletal arms disappear after 1 round. A white necromancer can use this ability once per day at 11th level, twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.

Ghost Walk (Su)

Beginning at 13th level, a white necromancer can become incorporeal as a standard action. He can use this ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.

While in this form, the white necromancer can move in any direction and through any object (except for those made of force). He can take no action other than to move while in this form. He remains in this form for a number of rounds equal to his white necromancer level, but he can end this effect at any time with a standard action.

Death Warded (Su)

At 15th level, a white necromancer receives a morale bonus equal to half his white necromancer level on all saves against death spells and death effects. He is granted a save to negate such effects even if one is not normally allowed.

Protective Aura (Su)

At 17th level, the white necromancer can, as an immediate action, emit a 30-ft. aura that protects against death effects for a number of rounds per day equal to his white necromancer level. Living creatures within this area are immune to all death spells, death effects, energy drain, and effects that cause negative levels. This protective aura does not remove negative levels that a creature has already gained, but the negative levels have no effect while the creature is inside the protected area.

These rounds need not be consecutive.

Master of Life and Death (Su)

At 20th level, a white necromancer becomes a true master of life and death. Once per round, he can cast bleed or stabilize as a free action. If he is brought to below 0 hp, he automatically stabilizes.

He becomes immune to all death spells and magical death attacks. Ability damage and drain cannot reduce him below 1 in any ability score. Once per day, he can cast power word kill, but the spell can target only a creature with 150 hp or less.