[3.5] True necromancer, new (fixed?) version.

[Hades]

The True Necromancer PRC has a great flavour, and winks at AD&D (a necromancer in AD&D needed high Wisdom, so many people biclassed cleric/necromancer).
Alas, the PRC is notoriously underpowered, due to the "too many caster levels lost".

I found in the Living Greyhawk adventure "CORS4-02 - here there be dragons" a variant of the PRC. It's basically the same from Libris Mortis, but with dual progression for all levels (like mystic theurge and arcane hierophant progression). With this variant (and of course an early entry into Mistic Theurge before going True Necromancer) is quite easy to create a "double 9" character.
For instance, thanks to Alternative Source Spell (Dragon #325) we can create something like Cloistered Cleric 1/Wizard 3/MT 2/TN 14, achieving the spell progression of a 17th level cleric and  a 19th level wizard.

Do you think that the "full dual progression" can fix the true necromancer, finally making that a worthwhile PRC?

[Nanashi]

Neat find.

Wasn't RPGA a wholey owned part of WotC (thus first party)? Any other crunch in these modules?

[Hades]

In that adventure (I've only got this one) there are some noncore elements like the multiheaded template or some spells, but iirc they're the same as the source material:

Ogni significant change is the true necromancer change to the spell progression, but I'm glad to see this change. Imho it changed the prc from too underpowered to worthwhile.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Niiice.


Some of the Greyhawk books qualify as 1st party,
but idk how RPGA stuff fits in ... haven't come across it before.

Wizard 5 / UrPriest 2^? / TN+ +X / Wiz Prc to finish
** nope needs death domain access

[Keldar]

RPGA was WotC, but Polyhedron (its magazine) was banished to the cornfield at Paizo and became part of Dungeon.

A quick search tells me "CORS4-02 - here there be dragons" was published by Wizards rather than being a Polyhedron adventure.  Probably safe to call everything RPGA as first party.

[Samwise]

In general, RPGA stuff is 2nd Party (licensed material) or 3rd Party (independent publisher).
As this is from a Core Special, it most likely qualifies as 2nd Party.

I have no idea how or why this bit of stealth errata found its way into an LG adventure - I never even noticed it when I ran the silly thing way back when. Things like that were not supposed to be done, but weird things could be inserted into Cores because that's how WotC and the RPGA worked, so who knows.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Hades, could you post enough of the rules text on that, i.e. for reference?


Any use for Yathrinshee 1 for another CL doubling, on top of this TN+?

[Hades]

About the spell progression of the "new" true necro? Basically, at first level the PRC says "+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class/+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class", and the following 13 levels says "as above".

About the Yathrinshee. Lorewise it would be fitting... BUT the true necromancer PRC requires "Access to the Death domain."
And ironically, despite being a deity of undeath and vengeance, she just offers the domains of Chaos, Drow, Evil, Retribution, Undeath.

I think that adding her the Death Domain, too wouldn't be a great stretch, due to her portfolio, but RAW she doesn't offer the Death Domain, so no True Necromancer/Yathrinshee ^^'