School of Life's Flame

The School of Life's Flame dives deep into the burning energy of life. As you focus your studies in this tradition, you learn to manipulate the energy that fuels all living things. As you progress, you learn to ignite the life force of a creature as your magic destroys its body, transforming that vital energy into magical power you can manipulate.

Many have never heard of this school of magic as it is shunned by Arcane and Divine practitioners alike, this is because many fear the school burns away the very soul of the creature in a grasp for personal power. Though those who practice this school of magic see its detractors as weak-minded fools, too caught up in personal morals to claim the power that could be theirs.

 

Talk to you DM about how this power might work in your setting as this could be seen as normal Necromancy with a twist, others will open up something more. I encourage you to dive deep into the potential lore of this class and create a story element out of it.

 

Flame of Life

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, necromancy spells you cast begin to flicker with Ghostly Blue Flames. Necromancy spells you cast begin to flicker with Ghostly Blue Flames. When you cast a spell that deals Necrotic damage, you can change it to Fire and vise-versa.

Corpse Explosion

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to ignite the vestigial life energy of the dying. As a reaction when a creature dies or as an action, you can target a medium size or smaller corpse within 60 feet of you, causing it to explode in a necrotic fireball. All creatures within 5 feet of the corpse must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your wizard spell save dc or take 1d6 points of necrotic or fire damage, this destroys the corpse. Increase the radius by 5 feet and add 1d6 for each size larger than small.
You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one), expended uses reset on a long rest.

At higher levels you can target larger corpses to explode. You can target large corpses at 6th level, huge corpses at 10th level, gargantuan corpses at 14th level.

Living Vessels

Starting at 6th level, you have learned to control the power of life force to far greater levels allowing you the following effects. You add the animate dead  and fireball spells to your spellbook if they are not there already. When you cast animate dead, you target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another skeleton or zombie, as appropriate.

Whenever you create an undead using a necromancy spell you wreath it in ghostly fire, it has the following additional features:

• The creature’s hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your wizard level.
• The creature adds half your proficiency bonus to its armour class and its attack rolls.
• The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.
• When the creature hits with a melee weapon attack, you can roll a d6 and add it to the damage roll as fire or necrotic damage. The creature then takes an equal amount of damage.
• You may grant your servants either resistance to necrotic or fire damage.

Inured to Life's Fire

Beginning at 10th level, you have hardened your body by the power of the magics you wield. You have resistance to necrotic or fire damage. Your hit point maximum can’t be reduced. You have spent so much time dealing with Life's Fire and the forces that power it that you have become inured to some of their worst effects.

Resistance to fire

Resistance to Fire damage.

Resistance to necrotic

Resistance to Necrotic Damage

Lord of Life's Flame

Starting at 14th level, you have gained so much knowledge of the fire of life you are able to even stave off death.

Your body no longer ages, and you are no longer required to eat or drink.

You have the ability to transcend death. When your hit points drop to 0, you fall unconscious and project an ethereal manifestation of yourself above your body. This effect lasts for 12 seconds (2 turns). While in this state, you can cast spells that deal Fire or Necrotic damage without expending spell slots. You also do not make death saves, however should your physical body be attacked you are still subject to normal death save rules. 

When this effect ends, you immediately fail one death save and remain unconscious, resuming death saves as normal.