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Dread Necromancer

Hello! Thanks for picking up this free

playtest document from Huge Nerd Games; we
hope you enjoy creating the undead as much
as we enjoyed creating this class! Before you
get started, we’d like to point out two things:

1. This is still a playtest. While the huge

nerds here at Huge Nerd are committed to
putting out quality, balanced classes and
character options, sometimes things fall
through the cracks. That’s why we need you! If
you find a loophole, imbalance, or even just a
typo we missed, feel free to email us at

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and we’ll make

sure this build gets polished to a sparkling
shine.

2. This is by no means the full build! Not only

does the full document cover the Paragon and
Epic tiers of play, but it’s got plenty of extra
goodies for players and DMs alike. Look for the
full version soon!

3. This is a class that revolves around

creating additional conjurations and summons,
as well as managing a currency for enhancing
powers. When playing the Dread
Necromancer, it’s recommended that you keep
additional miniatures on hand for marking your
extra creatures, and tokens for keeping track of
your character’s shadow motes.

Happy playing!

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Dread

Necromancer

“It’s alive... it’s alive!”

Class Traits

Role: Controller. Your conjured creatures roam

the battlefield, waiting to trap the unwary.

Power Source: Shadow. You control the bodies

and souls of the dead, raising undead
abominations and summoning foul spirits
under your command.

  Key Abilities: Charisma, Intelligence

  Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather
  Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple

ranged

  Implements: Tomes, staffs, wands
  Bonus to Defense: +2 Will

  Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution Score
  Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
  Healing Surges per Day: 8 + Constitution

modifier

Trained Skills: Arcana or Religion. From the

class skills list below, choose three more
trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Bluff (Cha),
Diplomacy (Cha), Endurance (Con), History
(Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidate (Cha),
Religion (Int)

Class Features: Create Undead, Ritual Casting,

Shadow Motes, Undead Companion

Create Undead

You gain the create undead power, which
allows you to resurrect slain enemies as your
minions. It costs motes to use, however (see
Shadow Motes, below).

Create Undead Dread Necromancer Feature

Calling forth the sum of your necromantic

powers, you briefly reanimate the corpse of a
fallen foe.
Encounter ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Shadow

Standard Action

Close burst 10

Target: The body of one creature reduced to 0

or fewer hit points during the current
encounter

Mote Cost: 2 (This power costs 2 shadow

motes to use.)

Effect: The target rises with hit points equal to

your healing surge value and is dominated
(save ends). As part of using this power, you
can command the target to stand up as a free
action. The target gains the undead type,
resist necrotic and vulnerable radiant equal
to one-half your level, immunity to fear and
poison, and cannot regain hit points. When
the target saves against the dominated
condition, it dies.

2 Motes: The target does not save against

the dominated condition on its first turn.

4 Motes: The target does not save against

the dominated condition on its first turn and
takes a -2 penalty to saving throws against
the dominated condition thereafter.

Ritual Casting

You gain the Ritual Caster feat as a bonus feat,
allowing you to use magical rituals. You own a
ritual book, and it contains three rituals that
you have mastered: Gentle Repose, Unseen
Servant, and one other 1st-level ritual.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Shadow Motes

Through the powers of undeath that course
through you, you gain a resource known as
shadow motes that you can use to empower
your at-will attack powers, replacing the
encounter attack powers that other characters
use. Because of this class feature, you acquire
and use powers in a slightly different manner
from how most other classes do.

At-Will Attack Powers: At 1st level, you choose
two at-will attack powers and one daily attack
power from your class, but you don’t start with
any encounter attack powers from your class.
You can instead empower your class’s at-will
attack powers using shadow motes. These
powers have the Mote keyword.

Shadow Motes: You start with 2 shadow motes.
You gain 2 additional shadow motes at 3rd and
7th level, 1 additional shadow mote at 13th
level, and 2 additional shadow motes at 17th,
21st, 23rd, and 27th level. If you gain shadow
motes from another source (such as your
paragon path), add them to your total. You can
use your power points to empower any Mote
power you have, regardless of how you gained
the power.

You regain all your shadow motes when you
take a short or an extended rest.

Level

Shadow Motes

Gain 2

Gain 2 (4 total)

Gain 2 (6 total)

Gain 1 (7 total)

Gain 2 (9 total)

Gain 2 (11 total)

Gain 2 (13 total)

Gain 2 (15 total)

The Mote Keyword
A power that has the Mote keyword has
optional empowerments, which you can use at
the cost of shadow motes. A Mote power
follows these rules, unless the power’s
description says otherwise.

Decide First: You must decide whether and how
to empower a Mote power when you choose to
use the power, before you make any attack rolls
or apply any of the power’s effects.

Shadow Mote Cost: An empowerment specifies
its cost in shadow motes. You must spend the
required shadow motes when you decide to use
the empowerment.

One at a Time: You can use only one of a
power’s empowerments at a time, so you can’t,
for example, spend 3 shadow motes to gain
both the Mote 1 and the Mote 2 empowerment
for a single power.

Replace Base Effects: When you empower a
power, any change to the power is noted in the
empowerment and adds its effects to the base
power. An empowered version of a power is
otherwise identical to the base power.

At-Will Attack Powers: When a power or some
other effect lets you use an at-will attack
power, you can choose to use one of your Mote
at-will attack powers, but you must use it
unempowered.

When a racial trait grants you an at-will attack
power of your choice and you choose a Mote
at-will attack power, the power loses its
empowerments. However, the power does not
lose the Mote keyword. This means the power
is unempowered when you use it, unless you
empower it by some other means.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Undead Companion

You gain an undead companion, an enduring
animated corpse who accompanies you on your
adventures and assists you in controlling the
battlefield. It is eternally bound to you, and you
can quickly raise a similar creation if it is
destroyed.

Your undead companion is considered a
creature and an ally and can be affected by
powers. Your undead companion’s level is equal
to yours, and its hit points, defenses, and
attacks are determined by your level, as noted
in its stat block.

Your undead companion shares your healing
surge total. Whenever an effect requires your
undead companion to spend a healing surge,
the surge is deducted from your total.
Whenever you use your second wind, your
undead companion also regains hit points equal
to your healing surge value. At the end of a
short rest, your undead companion regains all
its hit points.

Your undead companion is under your direct
control while you are within 20 squares of it.
You can take actions so that it can act, and its
initiative is the same as yours during an
encounter. However, whenever you take a
move action, your undead companion can also
take a move action.

If you are unconscious or more than 20 squares
away from your undead companion, your
undead companion can still take actions. An
undead companion acting independently can
take either a standard, a move, or a minor
action on its turn. It can also take opportunity
actions and free actions, but it cannot take
immediate actions.

If you die or your undead companion drops to 0
hit points, it is destroyed. You have two ways of
recreating your undead companion:



Minor Action: You take a minor action
and lose a healing surge. Doing so
causes your undead companion to
appear in the nearest unoccupied space
with hit points equal to your healing
surge value.



Short or Extended Rest: You lose a
healing surge at the end of a rest. Doing
so causes your undead companion to
appear in the nearest unoccupied space
with full hit points.

Undead Companion

Dread Necromancer Companion

Medium undead humanoid

HP your bloodied value Initiative equal to yours
AC 15, Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 13

Perception equal

(Add your level to each defense)

to yours

Resist necrotic 5 + one-half your level
Vulnerable radiant 3 + one-half your level
Immune poison, fear

Speed 6

Normal vision

Traits

Undead Mastery

The undead companion gains an
enhancement bonus to damage rolls equal
to the enhancement bonus of your
implement. On a critical hit, the undead
companion deals additional damage equal
to 1d8 times this enhancement bonus.

Standard Actions

M Melee Attack ✦ At-Will

Attack: Melee 1; your level + 5 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + your Charisma modifier + your

Intelligence modifier damage.

Level 21: 2d8 + your Charisma modifier +

your Intelligence modifier damage.

Str 18

Dex 8

Wis 10

Con 14

Int 2

Cha 6

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Level 1 At-Will Hexes

Charnel Touch Dread Necromancer Attack 1

Your channel the energy of undeath through

your hands, enhancing you and your servants.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Necrotic, Shadow

Standard Action

Melee 1

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d12 + Charisma modifier necrotic

damage.

1 Mote: You also gain temporary hit points

equal to your Intelligence modifier.

2 Motes: You can also command your

undead companion to make an attack as a
free action.

4 Motes: The attack deals an additional 2d12

necrotic damage and you can use your
second wind as a free action.

6 Motes: The attack deals an additional 3d12

necrotic damage, and you can also command
your undead companion and each of your
conjured and summoned creatures to make
an attack as a free action.

Chill Touch

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

An aura of cold surrounds your hands, freezing

those you touch to the bone.
At-Will ✦ Cold, Implement, Mote,

Necromancy, Shadow

Standard Action

Melee 1

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier cold damage, and

the target is slowed until the end of your next
turn.

1 Mote: The target also cannot shift until the

end of your next turn.

2 Motes: The attack is instead a ranged 10

attack and the target is instead immobilized
until the end of your next turn.

4 Motes: The attack is instead a ranged 10

attack, deals an additional 1d8 cold damage,
and each enemy providing cover to the target
takes 2d8 + Charisma modifier cold damage
and is slowed until the end of your next turn.

6 Motes: The attack is instead an area wall 8

within 10 that targets each creature in the
wall, deals an additional 1d8 cold damage,
and the target is instead immobilized until
the end of your next turn.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Conjure Phantom

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

A ghostly phantom harries the living before it

vanishes, letting out a terrifying death wail.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Psychic, Shadow

Standard Action

Ranged 5

Effect: You conjure a phantom in an

unoccupied square within range. Any enemy
that starts its turn adjacent to the phantom is
slowed until the end of your next turn. At the
start of your next turn, the phantom
disappears and you use the Conjure Phantom
Attack power using the phantom’s square as
the origin square.

1 Mote: When an enemy adjacent to the

phantom shifts, you can use an immediate
reaction to slide the phantom 1 square into
the space the enemy left.

2 Motes: The Conjure Phantom Attack deals

1d6 additional psychic damage, and the
target also takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls
until the end of your next turn.

4 Motes: Any enemy that starts adjacent to

the phantom is immobilized until the end of
your next turn.

6 Motes: The Conjure Phantom Attack deals

2d6 additional psychic damage, and the
target also cannot attack until the end of
your next turn.

Conjure Phantom Attack

A ghostly phantom harries the living before it

vanishes, letting out a terrifying death wail.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Psychic, Shadow

No Action

Close burst 1

Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1d6 + Charisma modifier psychic damage.

Dread Familiar Dread Necromancer Attack 1

You conjure a tiny but loyal creature that is

willing to give its short life for you.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Shadow

Standard Action

Ranged 5

Effect: You conjure a dread familiar in an

unoccupied square within range. The dread
familiar lasts until the end of your next turn
or until expended. Enemies adjacent to the
dread familiar grant combat advantage. In
addition, you can use the Dread Familiar
Attack power using the dread familiar’s
square as the origin square.

1 Mote: You can also move the dread familiar

5 squares as a move action.

2 Motes: The Dread Familiar Attack gains a

+2 bonus to the attack roll and deals an
additional 1d8 damage.

4 Motes: The Dread Familiar Attack is instead

a close burst 1 that targets each enemy in the
burst and deals an additional 1d8 damage.

6 Motes: Enemies within 3 squares of the

dread familiar grant combat advantage and
take a -2 penalty to attack rolls. Also, the
Dread Familiar Attack is instead a melee 3
attack, gains a +4 bonus to the attack roll,
and deals an additional 3d8 damage.

Dread Familiar Attack

You conjure a tiny but loyal creature that is

willing to give its short life for you.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Shadow

No Action

Melee 1

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier damage.

Effect: The dread familiar is expended.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Necrotic Burst Dread Necromancer Attack 1

An explosion of negative energy sends your

sickened foes stumbling.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Necrotic, Shadow

Standard Action

Close burst 1

Target: Each creature in the burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1d6 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage,

and the target is pushed 1 square.

1 Mote: The target is instead pushed a

number of squares equal to your Intelligence
modifier.

2 Motes: The attack deals an additional 1d6

necrotic damage and the target is also
knocked prone.

4 Motes: The attack’s burst is increased by 2

and the target is instead pushed a number of
squares equal to your Intelligence modifier.

6 Motes: The attack’s burst is increased by 1,

deals an additional 2d6 necrotic damage, and
the target is also knocked prone and cannot
stand up until the end of your next turn.

Overwhelming Fear

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

Unable to face its fears, your victim flees and

shakes in terror.
At-Will ✦ Fear, Implement, Mote,

Necromancy, Psychic, Shadow

Standard Action

Ranged 10

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier psychic damage,

and you slide the target 1 square.

1 Mote: The target also takes a -2 penalty to

Will defense until the end of your next turn.

2 Motes: The attack targets an additional

creature and you slide the target up to 3
squares.

4 Motes: The attack is instead an area burst 2

within 10 that targets each enemy in the
burst and the target takes a penalty to Will
defense equal to your Intelligence modifier
until the end of your next turn.

6 Motes: The target is also stunned until the

end of your next turn.

Ray of Enervation

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

A necrotic bolt saps its target’s strength,

leaving them helpless against your allies.
At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Necrotic, Shadow

Standard Action

Ranged 10

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude

Hit: 1d6 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage,

and the target takes a -2 penalty to attack
rolls until the end of your next turn.

1 Mote: The target also takes a penalty to

opportunity attack rolls equal to your
Intelligence modifier.

2 Motes: The attack deals an additional 1d6

necrotic damage and the target is also dazed
until the end of your next turn.

4 Motes: The attack deals an additional 2d6

necrotic damage and target is also weakened
until the end of your next turn.

6 Motes: The attack targets two additional

creatures, deals an additional 1d6 necrotic
damage, and the target is also dazed until the
end of your next turn.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Scabrous Touch

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

Your very touch spreads disease.

At-Will ✦ Implement, Mote, Necromancy,

Poison, Shadow

Standard Action

Melee 1

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude

Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier poison damage,

and the target grants combat advantage until
the end of your next turn.

1 Mote: Each enemy adjacent to the target

takes poison damage equal to your
Intelligence modifier.

2 Motes: The attack is instead a close blast 3

that targets each creature in the blast.

4 Motes: The attack is instead a close blast 3

that targets each creature in the blast and
deals an additional 1d8 poison damage.

6 Motes: The attack deals an additional 2d8

necrotic damage, and target and each enemy
adjacent to the target take ongoing 5 poison
damage and grant combat advantage (save
ends both).

Level 1 Daily Hexes

Burning Empowerment

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

Encased in black flames, your undead

companion becomes a walking pyre.
Daily ✦ Fire, Shadow
Standard Action

Personal

Effect: Your undead companion makes a basic

attack as a free action. On a hit or miss, the
target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save
ends). Then, your undead companion gains
burning empowerment until the end of the
encounter. While it has burning
empowerment, it deals fire damage equal to
your Charisma modifier whenever it misses
with an attack, and enemies that end their
turn adjacent to your undead companion
take 5 fire damage.

Summon Rotting Zombie

Dread Necromancer Attack 1

When your summoned corpse makes an

attack, decaying pieces of itself fling in all
directions to infect the living.
Daily ✦ Implement, Necrotic, Poison,

Shadow, Summoning

Standard Action

Ranged 5

Effect: You summon a Medium zombie in an

unoccupied square within range. The zombie
has speed 5. You can give the zombie the
following special command. On the turn you
summon the zombie, you give that command
as part of using this power.
Standard Action: Melee 1; targets one
creature; Charisma vs. Reflex; 1d8 + Charisma
modifier damage, and one enemy adjacent to
the zombie other than the target takes
necrotic and poison damage equal to your
Charisma modifier.

Instinctive Effect: If you haven’t given the

zombie any commands by the end of your
turn, it attacks an adjacent enemy if it can. If
it can’t do that, it moves it speed to a square
adjacent to as many enemies as possible.

Level 2 Utility Hexes

False Life

Dread Necromancer Utility 2

Shadow energy can’t mend the wounds of the

living, but it can grant an invigorating effect.
Daily ✦ Shadow
Minor Action

Melee 1

Target: You or one ally

Effect: The target gains temporary hit points

equal to its healing surge value.

Spectral Hand Dread Necromancer Utility 2

A ghostly hand extends your reach.

Encounter ✦ Shadow
Minor Action

Personal

Effect: Your next melee attack power can

instead be made as a ranged 10 attack that
does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Level 5 Daily Hexes

Bone Spikes Dread Necromancer Attack 5

You graft menacing spikes of bone to your

undead companion.
Daily ✦ Shadow
Standard Action

Personal

Effect: Your undead companion makes a basic

attack as a free action against each enemy
adjacent to it. Then, your undead companion
gains bone spikes until the end of the
encounter. While it has bone spikes, it can
score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20, and
enemies adjacent to the undead companion
that attack take 5 damage.

Summon Skeleton Crew

Dread Necromancer Attack 5

Bursting from the earth, a host of skeletons

appear, ready to follow your commands.
Daily ✦ Implement, Shadow, Summoning
Standard Action

Ranged 5

Effect: You summon four Medium skeletons in

four unoccupied squares within range. Each
skeleton has speed 6 and 1 hit point. A
missed attack never damages a skeleton.
Until all the skeletons summoned by this
power are reduced to 0 hit points, you do not
lose the healing surge lost when a creature
you summon drops to 0 hit points. When you
use a minor action to issue a command to a
skeleton, all skeletons can take that action.
You can give every skeleton the following
special command as one action. On the turn
you summon the skeletons, you give that
command as part of using this power.
Standard Action: Melee 1; targets one
creature; Charisma vs. Reflex; Charisma
modifier damage, and the target is pushed 1
square.

Instinctive Effect: If you haven’t given a

skeleton any commands by the end of your
turn, it attacks an adjacent enemy if it can. If
it can’t do that, it moves it speed to a square
adjacent to the closest enemy.

Level 6 Utility Hexes

Mental Bastion Dread Necromancer Utility 6

Your body is not the only part of you enhanced

by shadow, but your mind as well.
Encounter ✦ Shadow
Minor Action

Personal

Effect: You gain a +2 power bonus to Will

defense, as well as a +5 power bonus to
saving throws against Charm and Fear
effects, until the end of your turn.

Shroud of Darkness

Dread Necromancer Utility 6

A cloud of rolling shadow coalesces, blocking

the view of those you wish to hide from.
Daily ✦ Shadow, Zone
Minor Action

Area burst 3 within 10

Effect: The burst creates a zone of shadow that

lasts until the end of your next turn. Squares
within the zone are heavily obscured.

Sustain Minor: The effect persists, and you can

move the zone 3 squares.

Level 9 Daily Hexes

Chill of the Grave

Dread Necromancer Attack 9

A coating of frost does more than preserve

your undead companion, but slows down your
enemies as well.
Daily ✦ Cold, Shadow
Standard Action

Personal

Effect: Your undead companion makes a basic

attack against one or two creatures as a free
action. On a hit, the target is immobilized
(save ends). Then, your undead companion
gains the chill of the grave until the end of
the encounter. While it has the chill of the
grave, enemies hit by its attacks are slowed
until the end of your next turn, and enemies
that start their turn adjacent to your undead
companion and shift away take 5 cold
damage.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)

Dread Necromancer

Summon Dread Hound

Dread Necromancer Attack 9

A terrifying undead beast rises at your

command, snarling and snapping.
Daily ✦ Implement, Shadow, Summoning
Standard Action

Ranged 5

Effect: You summon a Medium dread hound in

an unoccupied square within range. The
hound has speed 8. You can give the hound
the following special commands. On the turn
you summon the hound, you give that
command as part of using this power.
Standard Action: Melee 1; targets one
creature; Charisma vs. Reflex; 1d6 + Charisma
modifier damage, and the target is knocked
prone.
Immediate Interrupt: Triggered when a
prone enemy adjacent to the hound stands
up; Melee 1; targets the triggering enemy;
Charisma vs. Reflex; 1d12 + Charisma
modifier damage.

Instinctive Effect: If you haven’t given the

hound any commands by the end of your
turn, it attacks an adjacent enemy if it can,
preferring enemies that are not already
prone. If it can’t do that, it moves it speed to
a square adjacent to the closest enemy.

Level 10 Utility Hexes

Fear Aura

Dread Necromancer Utility 10

Your very presence unnerves your enemies

when you activate this shadowy aura.
Daily ✦ Fear, Shadow, Zone
Minor Action

Close burst 1

Effect: The burst creates a zone of fear that

lasts until the end of the encounter. When
you move the zone moves with you,
remaining centered on you. Enemies in the
zone take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and
saving throws.

Undead Resilience

Dread Necromancer Utility 10

Without the weakness of life, you and your

undead companion are surprisingly tough.
Daily ✦ Healing, Shadow
Immediate Interrupt Close burst 10
Trigger: Your undead companion would be

reduced to 0 or fewer hit points

Effect: Your undead companion regains hit

points equal to your healing surge value, and
you and your undead companion gain a +2
bonus to all defenses until the end of your
next turn.

Somarie Pafn (order #3853083)