Necroficer

An unkempt and crazed dragonborn hovers over the corpse of the halfling man they just beat to death. “Perhaps you will do, stranger.” they say, a disturbing grin forming on their face as they begin dragging the body into their house. Down in the basement, the dragonborn begins fetching vials of strange liquids and jars full of embalmed organs, inserting the vials into bizarre contraptions attached to the halfling’s corpse via tubes. As the liquid begins travelling down the tubes, the dragonborn begins dissecting the corpse, rearranging its insides - organs are ripped out, replaced or left in place. As they finish the morbid operation, the liquids reach the corpse - filling its bloodstream with the unstable concoctions. The dragonborn begins chanting the dark incantation frantically, desperate for success. As the liquid drains from the pipes and the incantation reaches its end, all is quiet. Then suddenly, the corpse begins twisting and turning, tugging against the restraints with a strength only known by the undead. The dragonborn breaks out into a maniacal laughter, “Finally! Finally a success!”.

Most artificers tinker with machines and gadgets, creating magical items and useful contraptions. Necroficers on the other hand, are morbid tinkerers that experiment with corpses and cadavers instead of with springs and cogwheels. 

Necroficers shun the concept of necromancy and look down upon necromancers as they believe that the secrets to life and death cannot truly be unlocked through esoteric rituals and unempirical fairy tales. Only through thorough research and the uninhibited application of the scientific method can any truths be found. As such, most necroficers have no qualms digging up graves or killing and kidnapping people to serve as test subjects - nothing is too great a sacrifice to gain the knowledge they seek. 

Mind for the Dead

When you reach 3rd level, you have vast experience in dealing with the dead, whether rotting or recently deceased. You can innately sense any undead creatures that are within 10 feet of you. Additionally, you can always detect whether a corpse is truly dead or not and cannot be fooled even by magical means, such as with the Feign Death spell. Finally, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill.

Necroficer Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Necroficer Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Necroficer Spells

Artificer Level	Spell
3rd	false life, inflict wounds
5th	blindness/deafness, gentle repose
9th	speak with dead, revivify
13th	death ward, blight
17th	contagion, antilife shell

Maker of Horrors

By 3rd level, your advanced understanding of the balance between life and death has led you to unlock the secrets behind creating life, even if it is a foul mimicry of life as you know it. You gain the ability to create a loyal but mindless servant, known as a Horror. 

Creating a Horror requires the necroficer to undertake a taxing 1 hour ritual, which in turn requires undisturbed access to the corpse of a creature that doesn’t count as an undead, construct or celestial and isn’t of a size category greater than Large. In order to complete the ritual, a certain amount of arcane energy needs to be supplied via the use of a spell slot equal to or greater than the CR of the creature you’re turning into a Horror. The CR of a creature that you can transform into a Horror increases at certain levels (See the Horror CR Table below).

Necroficer Level	Creature CR	Spell Slot Required
3rd	1/4	1st Level
6th	1/2	1st Level
9th	1	1st Level
12th	2	2nd Level
15th	3	3rd Level
18th	4	4th level

Upon completing the ritual, the creature retains the same stats as it did in life, but adds your proficiency bonus to its attack and damage rolls. It also gains a resistance to necrotic damage and an immunity to poison, if it did not have these resistances already. Additionally, it gains the undead creature type. 

The Horror is friendly to you and your allies and understands your commands but cannot communicate itself. In combat, your Horror shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but otherwise only takes the Dodge action. If you expend your bonus action, you can command your Horror to take an action from its stat block, or take the Dash, Disengage, Help, or Search action.

The Horror cannot be healed by any spells other than Negative Energy Flood but can be healed outside of combat at the end of a long rest.

You can only maintain one Horror at a time and if you create a new one the previous Horror immediately perishes, turning into a lifeless corpse once more. 

Creator's Bond

Starting at 5th level, you automatically create an arcane link with any Horror you create. Once per short rest you may possess your Horror as an action, as long as it is within a 120-foot radius of you. While possessing your Horror in this way you can see, hear and otherwise sense everything that the Horror senses. You can choose to speak through your Horror using your own voice, provided the Horror has a mouth. While possessing your Horror, your own body is considered blinded and deafened. Additionally, you always know of your Horrors exact location as long as they are within this 120-foot radius.

Acquaintance of Death

At 9th level, your experience dissecting corpses and experimenting on the dead has allowed you to resist some of the more hazardous parts of your work. You have resistance to necrotic damage and are immune to diseases.

Unshackled Horror

At 15th level, you’ve figured out new ways to improve the Horrors you create. Any Horror you create gains an additional bonus to their damage rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier. It also gains a +1 bonus to their AC and a bonus to their hit points equal to three times your current artificer level. Finally, it is considered immune to effects that would make it charmed or frightened.