Final ruling on Palemasters please

[Seheren]

You cant just get Vamp because you want it... Plus I agree that the class is perhaps just a little too underpowered for a caster. I am all for bringing it closer to PnP. As much as is possible with the NwN game engine and staff time available.

[Silas North]

I'm pretty much of the same opinion that I was before regarding the class. 1/2 CL is too weak, but full CL is ludicrous. 7/10 is the way to go. RP elements and downsides are just not good enough of a reason to make a class uber imo. Necromancy is not illegal unless you're raising the dead. An undead graft is likely not to be seen as the same thing. There are Palemasters in the Scholii and the Hands (mostly the Left).

As far as giving off an undead aura, I don't see the problem as long as said aura is different from those given off by liches, vampyres, etc. Yes, the Chaotic Good types may not care. But, that's a risk you run as a necromancer anyway.

The only way I can see giving PM full CL progression is if they have more undead ill effects rather than just being a blip on someone's radar; such as vulnerability to healing magicks, turning, etc etc etc. I really don't think they should have these weaknesses though. There's a distinctive difference between being undead and undead-ish. That's why the Living Undeath spell is not evil and why Palemasters are not the same as Liches.

Bottom line: I think they should give off a faint aura and have 7/10 CL progression. They shouldn't have any additional undead-like weaknesses and should be considered living human beings as far as the law is concerned.

[gbbishop]

What about the graft doesn't it have to come from a living donor? Would that act not be illegal?

Just a question and I am not sure that the graft has to come from a living target... maybe I read something wrong? If not it has to come from a cadaver? What is Sundren's law on grave robbing?

Otherwise I agree with Silas PM class could use a little boost.

[GodBeastX]

I planned to make Palemaster like they are in P&P a long time ago. It just isn't a priority right now.

9/10 Caster Levels skipping the first.
Scaling DC on touches
etc

In fact, I'll do the scaling dc on touches right now since I have the script open.

10 + Pale Master Levels + Charisma Modifier

[Lollercide]

And to maybe clear up a lot of the hubbub, I will post what the Palemaster class is/does. Not that all of their abilities/feats will be implemented perfectly, but it might put a few curious minds at ease!

Necromancy is usually a poor choice for arcane spellcasters---- those who really want to master the deathless arts almost always pursue divine means. However, there is an alternative for those who desire power over the undead but refuse to give up their arcane craft completely. Enter the pale master, who draws on a font of special lore that provides a macabre power all its own.

Virtually all pale masters are former wizards or sorcerers, due to the arcane talents required for entry into the class. Some have also dabbled in divine magic, perhaps multiclassing as clerics, before following this path.

NPC pale masters head special strike groups containing lesser undead, supplemented as needed with more powerful summoned undead. Sometimes they serve or act in collusion with powerful evil characters, such as true necromancers or divine spellcasters with Death as one of their domains. Wherever pale masters go, undead follow. Often it is difficult to tell a pale master from the undead that he surrounds himself with.

Requirements :: ----
Alignment: Any nongood.
Skill: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks
Feat: SKill Focus (Knowledge [religion])
Spells: Able to cast command undead and vampiric touch as arcane spells.
Special: The candidate must have spent three or more days locked in a tomb with animate undead. This contact may be peaceful or violent. A character who is slain by the undead and later raised still meets the requirements, although the resulting level loss may delay compliance with other prerequisites.

Class Features:: ----
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Pale masters gain proficiency with light and medium armor. They gain no proficiency with any weapons or shields.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: Beginning at 2nd level, a pale master gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or destroying undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on.) If he had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a pale master, he must decide which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Animate Dead (Sp): Starting at 2nd level, a pale master begins to exercise control over the udnead. Once per day, he can use animate dead, as the spell, without need of a material component. Use the pale master's highest arcane caster level as the caster level for this effect. All other level restrictions of animate dead still apply. For example, a 6th-level sorcerer/3rd-level pale master can animate up to 16 HD of undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can not control up to 32 HD of undead created using this ability, the animate dead spell, or both.

Darkvision (Ex): At 3rd level, the dark begins to lose its mysteries to a pale master, who gains darkvision out to 60 feet. IF he already has darkvision, its effective distance increases by 60 feet.

Undead Armor Affinity (Ex): A pale master has an instinctive feel for undead armor. At 4th level and higher, he treats the undead armor as if its arcane spell failure chance were 10% less. At 8th level, this reduction improves to 20%

Control Undead (Sp): Once per day, a pale master of 5th level or higher can gain control over an undead creature (with Hit Dice equal to or less than his highest arcane caster level) by making a successful touch attack against it. The undead creature receives no saving throw to resist this effect. The control lasts for 1 round per class level. When the duration expires, the undead creature returns to its former allegience, if any. The newly controlled undead can still be turned or rebuked as normal. THis effect is otherwise identical to the control undead spell. This ability is in addition to the number of undead a palemaster can control using his animate dead ability.

Deathless Vigor (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, a pale master's body becomes more akin to the undying flesh of his undead associates. The character gains a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves except against effects that also work on objects.

Undead Graft (Su): At 6th level, a pale master gives into terrible necrophiliac urges. He cuts off his arm and replaces it with an undead prosthetic, which may be skeletal in form or preserved flesh stitched in place like that of a flesh golem. Regardless of its composition, the graft grants a +4 inherent bonus to the character's Strength score.
Additionally, the undead graft allows him to deliver horrible touch attacks. A pale master can use this ability once per day at 6th level, twice per day at 8th level, and three times per day at 10th level. The character must declare that he is using this ability before making the attack roll; a failed attack roll still expends that use of the ability. Each time he makes a touch attack using this ability, the pale master can select from any of the effects described below for which he meets the prerequisite class level. The save DC for the pale master's touch attack is 10 + his pale master class level + his Cha modifier.

• Paralyzing Touch: Any living foe except for an elf that is hit by a pale master's touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds.
• Weakening Touch: A living foe hit by a pale master's touch attack takes 1d6 points of Strength damage (no save.) A creature reduces to Strength 0 dies.
• Degenerative Touch: A living foe hit by a pale master's touch attack receives one negative level (no save), and must make a Fortitude save 24 hours later to avoid losing the level permanently.
• Destructive Touch: A living foe hit by a pale master's touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Constitution drain.
• Deathless Master's Touch: A living foe of up to one size category larger than a pale master hit by the pale master's touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or die. A slain creature automatically animates 1 round later as a zombie (see page 265 of the Monster Manual) and is under the pale master's control as if he had animated it. Undead created using this power do not count against the pale master's HD total for controlling undead.

Tough as Bone (Ex): On reaching 7th level, a pale master takes on even more of the qualities of an undead creature. He becomes immune to disease, nonlethal damage, and stunning.

Undead Cohort: A 9th-level pale master gains the service of a loyal undead cohort. The cohort follows the rules for undead cohorts described under the Undead Leadership feat. The pale master does not gain any followers from this ability, only a single cohort. The cohort's effective character level is determined by the pale master's Leadership score and character level exactly as if the cohort had been gained by means of the Undead Leadership feat.

Deathless Mastery (Ex): On reaching 10th level, a pale master gains the virtues of his deathless arts. His body becomes partly mummified (though he is not truly undead), and becomes immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, death effects, critical hits, ability drain, and energy drain, as well as damage to his physical ability scores (Str, Dex, and COn). He still needs to breathe, eat, and sleep as normal for his type, and still ages normally.

[Cornuto]

*Thinks all the Paladins just crapped their pants*

[roguethree]

Pfft. Bring it.

[Urithrand]

*hopes that it becomes a priority soon and crosses fingers*

[Silas North]

Any chance that some of their other abilities will be weakened, given the killer 9/10 progression, such as weaknesses associated with undead?

[Lollercide]

*Thinks all the Paladins just crapped their pants*

Every paladin that isn't a CHA maxed, great smiting epic Aasimar paladin just did.

[wangxiuming]

Palemasters aren't so tough ... just get them to accidentally use Deathless Master Touch on themselves, and you're good.

... i have done that on a NWN server.

... twice

[Kajae]

Better hope you don't graft the same hand you use to greet Mister Happy.

[TakenByTheStormX]

I just took a palashit

[Darkened Skies]

Palemasters aren't so tough ... just get them to accidentally use Deathless Master Touch on themselves, and you're good.

... i have done that on a NWN server.

... twice

Well if they're implemented properly they're immune to everything their arm can do to them I think. Possibly...

[UnknownSoldier]

As a Palemaster, I support changing around the caster issue levels as well. I love the RP style of the class, the hidden evil. I've not gotten my grafted hand yet, but I look forward to it.


EDIT

And while we are at it...I just took the level of palemaster that was supposed to give me darkvision, but I didn't get darkvision. Bugged?