Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Necromancer
• Ability Requirements: Fitness 14
• Alignments: Non-Good
• Starting Cash: By class

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Allowed Weapons: By class, plus Whip
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Spiritual
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Necrology, Netherworld Knowledge, Planes Lore
• Required Proficiencies: Ancient Languages
• Recommended Proficiencies: Ancient History, Ancient Languages, Astrology, Bargain, Bone Armor, Engineering, Etiquette, Heraldry, Intimidation, Lens Crafting, Religion, Spellcraft, Spirit Lore
• Forbidden Proficiencies: All Cross-class

Overview: The undead master specializes in the creation of undying minions and the summoning of extraplanar allies. Above all the necromancer craves power over others, reveling in the thrill of commanding obedient servants. The mindless undead, as unthinking and ever-faithful automatons, make perfect and unquestioning slaves that will shoulder even the most loathsome burdens without hesitation. The undead master enjoys domination the feeble will of the living, subverting the dead, and controlling the fiendishly powerful.

Description: Although the undead master is typically outfitted like any other wizard, this kind of character tends to be vain, so he only obtains possessions of the highest quality. Indeed, powerful undead masters may consider themselves to be on par with royalty, no matter how humble their birth.

Once they reach sufficiently high level, undead masters devote considerable attention to properly outfitting their numerous followers, from the lowliest skeleton to the most powerful fiend. Only the most uncouth necromancer would send his skeletons into battle with only their bony claws as weapons. Masters care not only about the combat potential of their servants, but about their physical appearance as well. Sometimes the equipment of an archmage’s servants will approach the extravagance and quality of a royal guard.

Role-Playing: The undead master is, in many ways, the archetypal necromancer, always surrounded by a host of undead servants, summoned fiends, bound genies, and charmed monsters. These wizards are never encountered without a large entourage of minions, making members of this kit especially terrible foes in combat.

The undead master may be encountered anywhere, both in the wilderness and in the midst of society. In the abandoned hinterlands, many masters establish petty domains where they can rule over legions of undead with impunity. Eventually, the most powerful masters gravitate back to human society, where they attempt to impose their will over the living. Sometimes, they magically
establish a tower in the center of a city, replete with their most powerful guardians. The presence of an undead master in a city directly challenges the authority of local rulers, who will seek to remove the wizard, regardless of the cost.

The greatest hindrance of this kit is the wizard’s own self-centered personality, which often borders on madness. Undead masters tend to be megalomaniacs of the highest degree. They always consider themselves, their experiences, their feelings, and their quests for power above those of anyone else. They demand to be the center of attention, ruthlessly subverting (or even elimination) those who contest their supremacy.

Special Abilities:

• Unlike other specialist Necromancers, the Undead Master has full access to the school of Enchantment, enabling him to dominate the minds of the living as well as the dead.
• The Undead Master may use any of his weapon proficiency slots to learn non-weapon proficiencies instead.
• The Undead Master is able to command undead creatures as a Cleric of equal level. This ability can also be used to command extraplanar creatures, which are treated as undead with the same hit dice.
• An Undead Master is immune to any fear caused by undead, unless that undead’s Hit Dice total exceeds the necromancer’s level by three or more. Then the fear affects the wizard normally.
• At 5th level, an Undead Master gains a constant undead companion. One undead being can be called per level that remains at the wizard’s beck and call until the creature is destroyed or a new creature is summoned (at the next level of experience). The type of creature that responds to the summons depends on the level of the undead master:
  • 5th-6th level: Normal skeleton
  • 7th-8th level: Common zombie
  • 9th-12th level: Thinking zombie
  • 13th+: Wracked spirit

Special Disadvantages:

• An Undead Master is highly specialized, even more so than a normal specialist wizard, and may not purchase non-weapon proficiencies outside of his class proficiency groups at 1st level. After initial character creation he is free to learn any proficiency he wants, so long as a teacher can be found.
• In exchange for his mastery of necromancy, enchantment, and conjuration, the Undead Master treats the schools of Alteration, Illusion, and Major Divination as opposition schools. He also may not use any wizard-only magic items that duplicate effects exclusive to these schools. Magic items that are available to all classes, that operate without special knowledge can be used normally.
• Additionally, the Undead Masters have the look of death about them. It hangs like a dark aura, growing stronger as they advance in level. They have pale flesh, and they are skeletal and gaunt to an unnatural extreme. This makes everyone they meet very uncomfortable, and requires an immediate morale check from anyone he encounters. On a failed morale check, the person flees in terror before even a single word can be spoken. On a successful morale check, the Undead Master still suffers a reaction penalty of one-half his level (round down).

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