Undead Master
Thursday, December 11, 2003 (14:47:26)

Posted by CirJohn

Masters of the undead take many forms. Many are necromancers who seek to further thier mastery of the damned. Others are priests and priestesses of dark gods, using the powers given to them for the most vile of puposes. Whatever thier role in life, all undead masters share a desire for control that drives them onward. In some, it takes the form of a desire for a pefect world. In others it shows itself as the conquest of the undead master's nieghbors. It is most likely this desire for control that led the undead master to his current path. This path is almost always a lonely one. Most people fear an undead master for the same reasons they fear evil necromancers: thier power over the dead and the risk of losing ones soul. For this undead masters are reviled by goodly folk and hunted when uncovered. However, some undead masters manage to keep their true powers a gaurded secret and live around thier own kind.

HD: D4.
Base Attack Bonus: 1/2 level (as wizard).
Fortitude: Poor.
Reflx: Poor.
Will: Good.

Requirements
Any evil alignment.
10+ ranks in Knowledge (undead).
Ability to cast fourth level spells. (arcane or divine)
Ability to cast at least one spell capable of creating undead.

Class Skills
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy(int), Concentration(con), Craft(int), Knowledge(arcana, undead)(int), Profession(embalmer, taxidermist, etc)(wis), Scry(int, exclusive, 3.0 only), Spellcraft(int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the undead master prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Undead masters gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At 1st level and every two levels higher than 1st (3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th), an undead master gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that she adds half the level of undead master (rounded up) to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.
Rebuking Undead: Undead masters may attempt to rebuke and control undead three-plus-charisma-modifier times per day, using her undead master level for the check. If an undead master has levels in another class which grants the ability to rebuke undead, she gets no additional turning/rebuking attempts, though the class levels stack for the rebuking check.
Resist Undead: At second level, an undead master gains an inherent bonus equal to half his undead master level (rounded down) to saving throws against the spell-like and supernatural abilities of undead.
Control Limit: At fourth level and every third level thereafter, the multiplier used to calculate an undead master's control limit increases by 2. This increase applies when casting animate dead, command undead, create undead, or any similar spell which limits control of undead by hit dice.
Control Undead: At sixth level, undead masters gain the spell-like ability to control undead (as the spell) once per day. At 10th level this increases to twice per day.
Zone of Desecration At eighth level, undead masters may emanate an aura of negative energy similar to the desecrate spell as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Though an undead master may only create one zone of desecration at a time, he may dimiss the current zone as a free action. Caster level for this ability is the total of the character's levels in undead master, necromancer, and divine spell casting classes gaining power from gods of death/undeath.