#undead master

(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.

 When you think necromancy, you probably think of using magic to reanimate and control the dead, armies of undead minions, deceased lovers brought back to a half-life, and so on.

Few go further than those that would call themselves “undead masters” though. Not only do they seek to control the dead, but walk among them, not always relying on spell to keep their undead minions in check, though they certainly have the arsenal to make sure they maintain their control.

Despite their evil prerequisite, these mystics may very well be the sort to be more personable with their minions than most, or they could be aspiring liches or other masters of necromancy that make their way in a dead-rules society. Regardless of origin, however, there is no doubt that these mages have a plan in place.

 Given their focus on reanimating and controlling the dead, in most settings this archetype requires them to be evil, to the point of not being able to continue their studies otherwise. This may be different in your setting though. One limitation they must have, however, is their focus on necromancy. Interestingly though, both the life and undead subschools are compatible with this methodology, so you could see necromancers that either double down on their power over the undead, or those that seek to master both life and death.

Utterly focused on the undead, these necromancers are especially skilled at identifying undead and understanding their mindset. However, that focus also alienates them from the living.

Undead masters that favor a bonded object make theirs out of bone, but those that would use a familiar find better use in that bond energy in reanimating a singular skeleton or zombie that is utterly loyal to them. The stronger they are, the more powerful the creature they can reanimate this way.

If they did not already have it due to the use of a subschool or by choosing the turn option instead, these mystics learn how to channel energies to bring undead under their control, going as far as to use other minor magics to fuel the channeling should they lack the ability to. If they already do have the ability, it grows in potency through their study.

Perhaps more impressive is how their studies grant them a variety of undead-related spells that they learn how to spontaneously cast using other spell energy. They even learn how to cast some of them at a lower level as if they were a cleric instead of a wizard. These spells include a minor heal for the undead, various undead creation spells, undead transformation spells, undead-slaying magic, and even the ability to curse a wide stretch of the landscape in various ways.

Finally, the most powerful of these wizards teeter on the ledge of life and death, gaining many resistances and immunities, to the point that unintelligent undead pay them no mind if not attacking or controlling them.

Interested in playing a heavy necromancy specialist? This archetype may be for you. The bonuses to diplomacy versus the restless dead means you have a good shot of befriending or commanding the dead without compelling them, and you have plenty of options should that not work. What’s more, the ability to spontaneously cast your bread and butter necromancy magics means you can prepare a wider variety of spells each day. Your choice of bond is yours to make, though there is a lot to be said about getting a free skeleton or zombie as a backup bodyguard.

 As I mentioned earlier, an evil alignment is required normally for this archetype, but I imagine with some tweaking this could be used for a necromancer that is also a guide for the dead, able to speak to them as the people that they once were, and perhaps still are. Or you can play it straight for a classic villain or antihero.

  Though resurrection magic is the purview of the divine, Emrashan is determined to find a way to bring back his human mother through the arcane. In pursuit of this, the half-elf has studied the necromantic arts deeply, and treated with all manner of undead beings. Even if he somehow succeeds, would she even recognize her son?

 They say in the rotten forest of Balewood, a dark fairy court rules, led by an undead seilenos of terrible charm and power. The undead fey was, however, present at the battle of Vongrodd in life. It would take a mind capable of charming the dead to coax details out of him, but he may hold the key to Balorn’s Lost Blade.