For Necromancers : Adding one more summon to the Animate Dead tree

[tylernwn]

I wanted to suggest adding a skeleton lord to the animate dead summon tree, as the new capstone summon starting at level 15. It would be a mild improvement over the skeletal chieftain, (but more on that at the end). Animate dead would have the following progression:

Vanilla:
caster level   summon
1 to 5            Tyrantfog Zombie
6 to 9            Skeletal Warrior
10+              Skeletal Chieftain


POTM:
caster level   summon
1 to 5            Tyrantfog Zombie
6 to 9            Skeletal Warrior
10 to 14        Skeletal Chieftain
15+              Skeleton Lord

Why?:
I play a dedicated necromancer, and it is great fun. The bread and butter of the necromancer from levels 3-13 is the spell animate dead. Animate dead starts to lose some steam around level 10, (and for arcane casters perhaps never gains steam). For this reason, I suggest adding one additional summon to the list that is incrementally stronger than the previous one.

The skeletal lord! My thought is actually to take the skeletal chieftain, and just add +2 fighter levels, and +2 ac to it. This follows the progression of the rest of the summons:

Skeletal Warrior:    13 AC, lvl 4 fighter, lvl 1 undead.
Skeletal Cheiftain: 15 AC, lvl 6 fighter, lvl 1 undead.
Skeletal Lord:       17 AC, lvl 8 fighter, lvl 1 undead.

I'm not sure how this will be received, but speaking from my own experience this change would appreciably improve necromancy as a dedicated character path. Furthermore it would help both the arcane and divine casters that want to pursue necromancy, which I know has been a topic of complaint in the past. It's also conservative and should fit right in.

[zDark Shadowz]

Animate dead is a lvl 2-5 spell, when you get to level 13-15 you have access to Create Greater Undead

https://nwnravenloft.fandom.com/wiki/Create_Greater_Undead

Its just where animate dead cuts off and a more powerful ritual is required.

Arcane necromancers *are* a poor choice for necromancy, so they do have weaker summonings, this is where prestige classes True Necromancer & Palemaster come in.

[tylernwn]

Animate dead is a lvl 2-5 spell, when you get to level 13-15 you have access to Create Greater Undead

https://nwnravenloft.fandom.com/wiki/Create_Greater_Undead

Its just where animate dead cuts off and a more powerful ritual is required.

Arcane necromancers *are* a poor choice for necromancy, so they do have weaker summonings, this is where prestige classes True Necromancer & Palemaster come in.

Well as mentioned, this summon is for levels 10-13/15 (cleric), and something extra for arcane casters. Level 10-13 is a pretty long time on this server, which is the period during which you are in between rituals; the old ritual is getting weak, and the next ritual is far away. Furthermore bear in mind this is the gap for characters that have dedicated everything they have towards necromancy right from the start, otherwise its levels 10-15.

There are lots of ways to address this gap and the weakness of necromancy in these intermediate levels. However this suggestions seems like the easiest way to do a lot of good with minimal developer effort.

On a different note, I think you paint a very optimistic picture of the necromancy experience. For example I don't agree that palemaster is a catch all solution for arcane necromancers. While a great resource for roleplay, the reality of giving up 5-10 spell caster levels for some fairly weak summons is quite bleak. Most of the summons on the palemaster list are the same one's that are on the Create Undead list. Which are not good.

[Purist]

For example I don't agree that palemaster is a catch all solution for arcane necromancers. While a great resource for roleplay, the reality of giving up 5-10 spell caster levels for some fairly weak summons is quite bleak. Most of the summons on the palemaster list are the same one's that are on the Create Undead list. Which are not good.

I thought they changed the way it works here. You gain caster levels normally as you advance in the PrC, for example the Palemaster. You just don't get to learn new spells, you have to find the scrolls and learn from them.

Someone correct me here.

[Amon-Si]

Palemaster gives caster levels and slots as wizard and is very strong.

[tylernwn]

For example I don't agree that palemaster is a catch all solution for arcane necromancers. While a great resource for roleplay, the reality of giving up 5-10 spell caster levels for some fairly weak summons is quite bleak. Most of the summons on the palemaster list are the same one's that are on the Create Undead list. Which are not good.

I thought they changed the way it works here. You gain caster levels normally as you advance in the PrC, for example the Palemaster. You just don't get to learn new spells, you have to find the scrolls and learn from them.

Someone correct me here.

Oh. I was not aware of this. Seems the class has been reworked extensively.

The character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in his highest caster class (bard, sorcerer or wizard) and his caster level in that class
increases accordingly.

While I think this whole conversation is a little off topic,  I haven't heard any words in favor of this change in the week or so since I posted it. So I'm guessing this one is probably a no-go.