Giegue
2017-06-21, 09:18 PM
As the title says. A big issue I have with D&D 5e right now is the wizard is really the only class able to do anything with undead minions thats worthwhile; while other classes have access to animate dead, they are piss poor at actually using it, so I've been trying to remedy that fact for a while, specificly because I want a charisma-based necromancer option thats not strictly worse at minionmancy than the wizard. I've tried archetypes, classes and everything under the sun, but in the end decided that, maybe the most simple, elegant and "5e" way to do this was with something as easy as a new spell. In particular, a spell that lets clerics reclaim some of their former minion-mastery while other classes, such as the lord bard and favored soul sorcerer, can pick it up with their class features.
The spell? Desecrate, and as it stands it basically gives other classes access to nearly accidental bonuses to the Wizard undead thralls feature, since I can't think of better bonuses and, more importantly, "why reinvent the wheel?" The bonuses the wizard gets are really the most elegant, simple and effective way to handle long-term undead minion buffing, so I felt that making a spell that gives clerics (and thus other classes) access to the same bonuses for a price, both in gold and spell slots. However, while this is an simple and elegant way to handle this issue, I'm not sure if it's really balanced...and thats my main concern. Does this spell's exsistance make the necromancer wizard too weak? Or is the spell slot GP savings, and the fact they get the spell's bonuses "for free" (whereas a cleric has to waste GP and a prepared spell slot on it while other classes like bard and sorcerer have to waste things like magical secrects or spells Known picks on it) enough to make the necro wizard still a relevent necromancy option in a world where this spell exists?
The spell is listed below...
Desecrate
2nd-level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 20 ft radius spread, centered on you.
Components: V, S, M (A vial of unholy water and 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of silver dust, all of which must be sprinkled around the area.)
Duration: 1 hour
You perform a vile ritual that taints a 20 ft radius area, causing reanimation spells cast there to be bolstered in power. When you cast a necromancy spell that creates undead (Such as Animate Dead or Create Undead.) within this spread during this spell’s duration, that spell gains the following additional effects:
If this spell creates Skeletons or Zombies, it can target 1 additional corpse or bone pile and create (or reassert control over) 1 additional skeleton or zombie.
The Undead this spell creates add your spellcasting class level to the hit point maximums, if they would not already. If you have two spellcasting classes, you use the class that gave you access to this spell to calculate this (“spellcasting classes” are any class that gains the “spellcasting” feature.)
The Undead this spell creates add your proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls, if they would not already.
Any thoughts/opinions on this, and my aforementioned balance concerns about it, would be most appreciated!
The spell? Desecrate, and as it stands it basically gives other classes access to nearly accidental bonuses to the Wizard undead thralls feature, since I can't think of better bonuses and, more importantly, "why reinvent the wheel?" The bonuses the wizard gets are really the most elegant, simple and effective way to handle long-term undead minion buffing, so I felt that making a spell that gives clerics (and thus other classes) access to the same bonuses for a price, both in gold and spell slots. However, while this is an simple and elegant way to handle this issue, I'm not sure if it's really balanced...and thats my main concern. Does this spell's exsistance make the necromancer wizard too weak? Or is the spell slot GP savings, and the fact they get the spell's bonuses "for free" (whereas a cleric has to waste GP and a prepared spell slot on it while other classes like bard and sorcerer have to waste things like magical secrects or spells Known picks on it) enough to make the necro wizard still a relevent necromancy option in a world where this spell exists?
The spell is listed below...
Desecrate
2nd-level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 20 ft radius spread, centered on you.
Components: V, S, M (A vial of unholy water and 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of silver dust, all of which must be sprinkled around the area.)
Duration: 1 hour
You perform a vile ritual that taints a 20 ft radius area, causing reanimation spells cast there to be bolstered in power. When you cast a necromancy spell that creates undead (Such as Animate Dead or Create Undead.) within this spread during this spell’s duration, that spell gains the following additional effects:
If this spell creates Skeletons or Zombies, it can target 1 additional corpse or bone pile and create (or reassert control over) 1 additional skeleton or zombie.
The Undead this spell creates add your spellcasting class level to the hit point maximums, if they would not already. If you have two spellcasting classes, you use the class that gave you access to this spell to calculate this (“spellcasting classes” are any class that gains the “spellcasting” feature.)
The Undead this spell creates add your proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls, if they would not already.
Any thoughts/opinions on this, and my aforementioned balance concerns about it, would be most appreciated!