Hallowed NecromancerLegacy Content
Source Book of the Dead pg. 24It's quite common for mages of all sorts to study
necromancy—the surprisingly diverse school holds the secrets of
positive and
negative energy, as well as life and death. Many tap into these powers with no consideration of the morality of their use. For these unscrupulous magic users, it's simply another avenue in their never-ending pursuit of power, and the abilities learned are turned to the caster's personal ends, whatever they may be.
Others choose a different path. Through spiritual study and introspection, they have come to recognize the evil intrinsic in the existence of
undead, the fundamental wrongness of using the universal energy of death to create an appearance of life. To combat this evil, these casters learn to conduct positive energy and direct it to great effect against the undead they encounter. They may also engage in ongoing study to learn of the nature of life, death, and undeath, and the precise relationship between each state. These scholars and mages are commonly known as hallowed necromancers—a slightly misrepresentative name, as many of them don't use religious methods, but a frequently used shorthand regardless.
The exact origin of hallowed necromancers' abilities may vary from one to the next. Some are granted their gifts directly by a sympathetic deity such as
Sarenrae or
Pharasma, while others might use their knowledge of religion and the planes to learn such abilities on their own. Though rarer, it's even possible these practitioners might discover they possess an intuitive understanding and control over abilities that manifest spontaneously as their capabilities grow. Despite this variance, all share a fundamental understanding that undeath is an aberration to be quickly remedied.
Though the majority of hallowed necromancers have similar goals and are willing to work together, they tend not to form their own organizations. More often, these necromancers attach themselves to existing groups—such as the Knights of Lastwall or Voices of the Spire—and use their powers in support of those groups' causes. Otherwise, they plan and carry out their own personal vendettas against the forces of undeath, often enlisting the help of trusted friends and allies.
Legacy Content
Uncommon Archetype Dedication Source Book of the Dead pg. 24Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites expert in
Religion; good alignment, able to cast spells using spell slots, able to cast at least one
necromancy spell
You've studied techniques allowing you to blend so-called hallowed necromancy into your own spellcasting to bolster the living and destroy the
undead. You gain the
hallowed ground focus spell. It costs 1 Focus Point to cast a focus spell. This feat grants a focus pool of 1 Focus Point that you can recover using the
Refocus activity. You can Refocus by meditating or praying to connect yourself to conduits of positive energy. Focus spells from the hallowed necromancer archetype have the same tradition as your spell slots.
Casting spells that create, heal, or otherwise aid or promote undead is anathema to you, as is cooperation with undead. Using negative energy isn't anathema, as it serves a natural purpose, but twisting that negative energy for creation is blasphemous to you. If you perform acts that are anathema to your principles, you lose access to all feats from this archetype. These abilities can be regained only with an
atone ritual.
Special You can't select another dedication feat until you have gained two other feats from the hallowed necromancer archetype.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Book of the Dead pg. 24Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
You've expanded your focus spellcasting to techniques used by clerics and wizards. You gain an additional focus spell, either the
necromancer school spell
call of the grave or the initial domain spell of the
death domain,
death's call. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1.
Special You can select this feat a second time, choosing the other initial focus spell.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Book of the Dead pg. 25Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
Add
chill touch,
death ward,
disrupt undead,
disrupting weapons,
holy cascade,
magic stone, and
sunburst to your spell list. These are all
necromancy spells for you, even if they normally have a different spell school. You can either prepare these spells or add them to your repertoire just like the spells normally on your tradition's spell list. When you gain this feat, you can retrain existing spells to replace them with ones on this list.
In addition, your knowledge of the conduits to the
Positive Energy Plane allows you more flexibility with these spells. Choose one of these two benefits.
- If you're a prepared spellcaster, you can spend 10 minutes to replace one of the spells you've prepared with a spell of the same level from the list of sacred spells. You can do this while Refocusing.
- If you're a spontaneous spellcaster with the signature spells class feature, add two of the spells from the list of sacred spells to your repertoire. They are signature spells for you, in addition to your normal signature spells. When you gain the ability to cast a new level of spells, you can choose to switch the spells from this feat to any other spells from the list.
Legacy Content
Archetype Positive Source Book of the Dead pg. 25Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
With your intimate familiarity with the duality of positive and negative energy, you're able to stand as a bulwark against death and undeath alike. You gain resistance to negative damage equal to half your level and a +1 status bonus to saving throws against effects with the
negative trait.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Book of the Dead pg. 25Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites necromancer initial school spell or
death initial domain spell;
Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
You dig deeper into the magical tools found in wizard schools and divine domains. You gain an advanced focus spell, either the
necromancer advanced school spell
life siphon or the advanced domain spell of the
death domain,
eradicate undeath. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1. If you choose
life siphon, it triggers when you expend spell slots from your class even if they aren't wizard spell slots.
Special You can select this feat a second time, choosing the other advanced focus spell.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Book of the Dead pg. 25Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
You learn how to create a luminous reservoir of positive energy that you can use to punish undead who dare attack you. You gain the domain spell
positive luminance. It costs 1 Focus Point to cast a focus spell. This feat grants a focus pool of 1 Focus Point that you can recover using the
Refocus activity.
Legacy Content
Abjuration Archetype Aura Positive Source Book of the Dead pg. 25Archetype Hallowed NecromancerPrerequisites Hallowed Necromancer Dedication
Your body radiates positive energy, making your very presence disorienting to
undead and encouraging them to move away from you. The effect plays upon the instincts flowing through their bodies from negative energy and can thus affect even
mindless creatures. You gain an aura of positive energy in a 20-foot emanation. Each undead creature that ends its turn in your aura must succeed at a Will save against your spell DC or become
frightened 1 (frightened 2 on a critical failure). A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune for 1 minute.
Special Your aura gains the trait of the magical tradition for the spells you used to qualify for Hallowed Necromancer Dedication.