Undead Master (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by captdiablo on DeviantArt)
The funny thing about the undead is that, for all the horror that is implied by their existence, they’re also, in a few words: Metal as hell.
Whether you’re a goth, a metalhead, or otherwise find delight in the macabre, there’s plenty of appeal to be found in imagry of death and horror, which is why some enjoy playing necromancer characters so much, even though in most settings and systems, the characters are assumed to be evil (or are obligated to be so by the lore) by most within the setting.
Now, whether that is the case in your setting and games varies. There’s a lot of reasons why some cultures would not consider the reanimation of the dead to be an evil act, particularly if it’s considered consensual and framed as a form of communion with the dead. Heck, even within the confines of the Lost Omens setting, we find things like iruxi ossatures, which are undead that spontaneously manifest to defend lizardfolk dwellings and kin from danger when needed, and aren’t even evil. Grandma just had strong opinions about invaders in the communal egg hatchery and ripped her way out of the walls to express them with extreme violence.
All of this to say that no matter how you handle undeath in your games, some players might want to do a little necromancy for their characters, for good or ill. And some just really want a badass skeleton horse mount.
Which is where today’s archetype comes in! The undead master is all about having an undead companion, and could arguably be considered an undead companion equivalent to the beastmaster archetype (it certainly borrows enough feats from it)
And the best part is, any class can take it as long as they are evil (in the pre-Remaster version) or not have any personal edicts about shunning and destroying the undead (in the Remaster). So you can have your necromancers with semi-permanent pet undead or your martial classes with undead companions of various stripes. The only classes that probably can’t justify taking the archetype are holy divine casters or druids and rangers, what with their devotion to the natural order.
So with that, let’s get into it!
The base dedication to the archetype grants the character an undead companion, as well as the potential to get more than one, though like the beastmaster, the others remain in reserve, letting you call and switch them out as needed, which might be them hiding from prying eyes in the wilds and following the party from afar, or might involve some ethereal storage of some kind.
Naturally, one of the feats of the archetype lets you get said additional companions.
They also “mature” and develop their companions over time and mastery, though this is less a matter of aging and more of refining control over them. Additionally, the companion gets some autonomy to act on their own.
By spending more time on a command, these necromantic masters can get their companions to do more complicated and time-consuming tasks.
At their core, these undead companions are bodyguards, and whether they throw themselves into harms way or their master uses sympathetic magic to transfer the harm to them, they can save their master’s life in a pinch.
Naturally, there are also feats for further improving their companions, and even specializing them as well.
With a command, even the reserve companions can provide aid, briefly manifesting to provide their support before vanishing.
True masters can even have multiple undead partners at once, both providing their support and even having some autonomy.
There are as many ways to use their archetype as there are ways to use the beastmaster, whether you have an army of multiple companions to switch between or just one really good one regardless of your class, so if you want to have a bodyguard for your mage, a flanking ally or mount as a warrior, or something else, you can. There’s even some neat pre-written companions out there too, though coming up with your own can also be great if you like homebrewing.
Like I said before, roleplaying any necromancy-themed archetype depends heavily on how various cultures view the undead and necromancy used to create or control them. You might explore the revulsion and fear seen in others, or they might be seen as minders of the restless dead, keeping them out of trouble and giving them something to do. Again, it all depends.
A rare undead specimen, a zombified megaprimatus, has broken free and is on the rampage. The party is tasked with tracking it down, but the original owner insists that the creature be pacified rather than destroyed, a tall order with a creature that feels no pain or fear.
Kavaas Witch-Cat certainly lives up to their name, being an awakened cat with connections to hag magic that make her something like but not quite a changeling. She mostly keeps to herself, aside for a few undead guardians she keeps on hand, including the remains of the last adventuring party that tried to put an end to her.
Eagerly fulfilling it’s last orders without a thought for how it’s masters are long gone, a fulthrethu alghollthu in Bloodsalt Cove has been responsible for numerous shipwrecks over the years, and a multitude of undead as a result. Most of these draugr and other nautical undead are somewhat passive since there are few mortals to sense and prey on, making those interested in undead minions tempted to brave the source of the illusions to acquire such a companion, or to put them to rest.
