Necromancer (2024)

This was initially intended as a Friendly Neighbourhood Necromancer kind of subclass, but just as useful for a mad evil Necromancer?

Level 3: Necromancy Savant

Choose two Wizard spells from the Necromancy school, each of which must be no higher than level 2, and add them to your spellbook for free.

In addition, whenever you gain access to a new level of spell slots in this class, you can add one Wizard spell from the Necromancy school to your spellbook for free. The chosen spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

 

Level 3: Undead Familiar

You gain the Find Familiar spell, however it brings back a ghostly, putrid or skeletal version of the beast summoned. Your familiar has the Undead creature type.

Ghostly familiars have Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to necrotic damage, and Incorporeal Movement - the ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were Difficult Terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) Force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Putrid familiars have Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to poison, and Undead Fortitude - If damage reduces the zombie to 0 Hit Points, it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 5 plus the damage taken) unless the damage is Radiant or from a Critical Hit. On a successful save, the zombie drops to 1 Hit Point instead.

Skeletal familiars have Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to poison and Disassembly - the familiar temporarily disassembles itself in to a pile of bones. This allows it to pass unnoticed in stealth situations and functions as if the familiar is invisible until it reassembles itself. It cannot take any actions when disassembled, other than to reassemble itself. 

Level 6: Undead Protector

You always have the spell Summon Undead prepared. You can cast this without a spell slot, however this halves the HP of the Undead Spirit summoned, and you can only do this once per long rest.

Level 10: Inured to Undeath

You gain resistance to Necrotic damage, and your maximum hit points cannot be reduced.

Level 14: Undead Army

You no longer need a full skeleton or corpse to animate an undead minion. You now only require 1 piece of bone of size greater than your palm, or 1 chunk of flesh of the same size. These must still be from a deceased Medium or Small Humanoid. 

Undead animated this way will function as normal animated undead for 24 hours and then crumble in to dust (due to the smaller amount of material used to animate them).