Grim Harvest When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your connection to death allows you to siphon life from creatures you kill. When you kill one or more living creatures with a spell of 1st level or higher, you regain hit points equal to twice the spell’s level, or three times the spell’s level if it is a Necromancy spell. This feature has no effect on constructs or undead.
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Controlled Undead & Animate Dead 6th-level School of Necromancy feature
At 6th level, your control over undead improves.
Undead Boons All undead you control gain the following benefits in addition to their normal statistics: - You add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to attack rolls. - You add half your Intelligence modifier (rounded down, minimum 1) to damage rolls. - Each undead can make a number of attacks equal to your wizard level ÷ 2, rounded down, to a maximum of 3.
Hit Points Each undead you animate gains 5 hit points when first created, plus 5 additional hit points for each spell slot level above the spell’s default level.
These bonuses do not apply to summoned creatures.
Initiative Controlled undead act immediately after you in the initiative order. They take actions only if you command them using your bonus action; otherwise, they automatically take the Dodge action.
Animate Dead When you cast Animate Dead using a 3rd-level or higher spell slot: - Control Limit: You can control no more skeletons and/or zombies than your proficiency bonus. - Overflow: If you cast this spell while at your control limit, the spell fails.
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Necrotic Resistance 10th-level School of Necromancy feature
Starting at 10th level, you gain: - Resistance to necrotic damage. - Any necrotic damage you deal ignores resistance.
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Create Undead & Finger of Death 14th-level School of Necromancy feature
At 14th level, your mastery over powerful undead reaches its peak.
Create Undead When you cast Create Undead using a 6th-level or higher spell slot: - Hit Points: The undead gains a base of 40 hit points instead of the normal Undead Boons hit points. - Control Limit: You cannot control more units created with this spell than your Intelligence modifier. - Overflow: If you cast this spell while at your control limit, the spell fails. - Initiative: These undead act immediately after you and take actions only when commanded with your bonus action; otherwise, they Dodge.
Finger of Death When a creature dies from Finger of Death and you animate it as a zombie: - Hit Points: The zombie gains a base of 50 hit points instead of the normal Undead Boons hit points. - Overflow: If you are already controlling the maximum number of skeletons or zombies, you must choose an existing unit to relinquish control before adding the new zombie. - Initiative: These undead act immediately after you and follow your bonus-action commands; otherwise, they Dodge.
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All controlled undead benefit from Undead Boons (attack, damage, number of attacks, maximum 5). Additional hit points and control limits depend on the spell used (Animate Dead, Create Undead, Finger of Death).
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Design Notes - Retains the identity of a master of the undead. - Scaling keeps undead effective throughout the campaign. - Simple and balanced for gameplay. - Grim Harvest functions as in the original 2014 subclass, excluding constructs and undead. - Limits and overflow prevent “army spam” while keeping progression rewarding. - Initiative rule ensures undead act after the wizard and only with explicit orders, maintaining tactical control without excessive micromanagement.
School of Necromancy (Playtest Variant)
Grim Harvest
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your connection to death allows you to siphon life from creatures you kill.
When you kill one or more living creatures with a spell of 1st level or higher, you regain hit points equal to twice the spell’s level, or three times the spell’s level if it is a Necromancy spell.
This feature has no effect on constructs or undead.
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Controlled Undead & Animate Dead
6th-level School of Necromancy feature
At 6th level, your control over undead improves.
Undead Boons
All undead you control gain the following benefits in addition to their normal statistics:
- You add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to attack rolls.
- You add half your Intelligence modifier (rounded down, minimum 1) to damage rolls.
- Each undead can make a number of attacks equal to your wizard level ÷ 2, rounded down, to a maximum of 3.
Hit Points
Each undead you animate gains 5 hit points when first created, plus 5 additional hit points for each spell slot level above the spell’s default level.
These bonuses do not apply to summoned creatures.
Initiative
Controlled undead act immediately after you in the initiative order. They take actions only if you command them using your bonus action; otherwise, they automatically take the Dodge action.
Animate Dead
When you cast Animate Dead using a 3rd-level or higher spell slot:
- Control Limit: You can control no more skeletons and/or zombies than your proficiency bonus.
- Overflow: If you cast this spell while at your control limit, the spell fails.
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Necrotic Resistance
10th-level School of Necromancy feature
Starting at 10th level, you gain:
- Resistance to necrotic damage.
- Any necrotic damage you deal ignores resistance.
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Create Undead & Finger of Death
14th-level School of Necromancy feature
At 14th level, your mastery over powerful undead reaches its peak.
Create Undead
When you cast Create Undead using a 6th-level or higher spell slot:
- Hit Points: The undead gains a base of 40 hit points instead of the normal Undead Boons hit points.
- Control Limit: You cannot control more units created with this spell than your Intelligence modifier.
- Overflow: If you cast this spell while at your control limit, the spell fails.
- Initiative: These undead act immediately after you and take actions only when commanded with your bonus action; otherwise, they Dodge.
Finger of Death
When a creature dies from Finger of Death and you animate it as a zombie:
- Hit Points: The zombie gains a base of 50 hit points instead of the normal Undead Boons hit points.
- Overflow: If you are already controlling the maximum number of skeletons or zombies, you must choose an existing unit to relinquish control before adding the new zombie.
- Initiative: These undead act immediately after you and follow your bonus-action commands; otherwise, they Dodge.
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All controlled undead benefit from Undead Boons (attack, damage, number of attacks, maximum 5). Additional hit points and control limits depend on the spell used (Animate Dead, Create Undead, Finger of Death).
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Design Notes
- Retains the identity of a master of the undead.
- Scaling keeps undead effective throughout the campaign.
- Simple and balanced for gameplay.
- Grim Harvest functions as in the original 2014 subclass, excluding constructs and undead.
- Limits and overflow prevent “army spam” while keeping progression rewarding.
- Initiative rule ensures undead act after the wizard and only with explicit orders, maintaining tactical control without excessive micromanagement.