So three specialist wizards walk into a dungeon—an invoker, a necromancer, and an illusionist. This was a second edition dungeon, mind you, from many years ago, and run by our friend Rob, who was a serious aficionado of horror films and novels. What ensued was one of the best adventures I've ever participated in, a dark and twisted scenario replete with creepy, haunting scenes and several genuinely scary moments. That one dungeon re-energized and renewed my interest in RPGs and even today, some fifteen odd years later, still inspires.
Curt played the necromancer, Ethan, his name pronounced in a long drawn out whisper. In order to test out the new eldritch weaver base class, I resurrected Ethan and statted him out at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level. The results were pretty satisfying: in 3e, there are about a thousand ways to make a necromancer build, and using the eldritch weaver class seems to be just as promising as any of the other approaches. Spells or feats marked with an asterisk are new items from Green Ronin's Advanced Player's Manual.
Male human eldritch weaver 5
NE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common
AC 11, touch 10, flat-footed 11
hp 19 (5 HD)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +8
Spd 30 ft.
Melee mwk quarterstaff +3 (1d6)
Ranged mwk dart +3 (1d4)
Base Atk +2; Grp +2
Combat Gear hand of the mage, potion of protection from arrows 10/magic, potion of resist energy (fire) 10, scroll of daze monster
Special Actions minor thread power 3/day (rebuke undead [+1 check, 2d6+2 HD], resist fear, sickening touch [DC 15])
Spells Prepared (CL 5th, 7th for Undead thread spells)
2nd—command undead (DC 14), ghoul touch (+2 melee touch, DC 14), scare (DC 14)
1st—cause fear (DC 13), chill touch (+2 melee touch, DC 13), detect undead, ray of enfeeblement (+2 ranged touch)
0—acid splash (+2 ranged touch), detect magic, disrupt undead (+2 ranged touch), ghost sound (DC 12), ray of frost (+2 ranged touch), touch of fatigue (+2 melee touch, DC 12)
Threads Blight, the Executioner, the Undead
Abilities Str 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 8
SQ eldritch weaving (cast Undead thread spells at level +1)
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Turning, Thread Focus* (undead)
Skills Concentration +7 (+11 casting defensively), Craft (alchemy) +8, Decipher Script +8, Diplomacy +5, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (religion) +10, Spellcraft +8 (+10 with scrolls), Use Magic Device +5 (+9 with scrolls)
Possessions combat gear, bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork quarterstaff, masterwork dart, 50 gp
Spellbook All prepared plus 0–detect poison; 1st–color spray, inflict light wounds; 2nd–blindness/deafness, inflict moderate wounds, spectral hand
Resist Fear (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 15 against magical fear effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular fear effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular fear effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows.
Rebuke Undead (Su) Ethan can rebuke undead as a 3rd level cleric.
Sickening Touch (Su) At the Ethan's touch, any aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider must make a successful DC 15 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.
Male human eldritch weaver 10
NE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common
AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 11
hp 36 (10 HD)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +12
Spd 30 ft.
Melee mwk quarterstaff +6 (1d6)
Ranged mwk dart +6 (1d4)
Base Atk +5; Grp +5
Combat Gear hand of the mage, robe of bones, potion of barkskin +4, scroll of cloudkill
Special Actions minor thread power 3/day (rebuke undead [+1 check, 2d6+2 HD], resist fear, sickening touch [DC 18], touch of fatigue [DC 18])
Spells Prepared (CL 10th, 12th for Undead thread spells)
5th—magic jar U (DC 18)
4th—contagion U (+5 melee touch, DC 17), enervation U (+5 ranged touch)
3rd—ray of exhaustion (+5 ranged touch, DC 16), slow (2, DC 16), vampiric touch U (+5 melee touch)
2nd—command undead U (DC 15), ghoul touch (+5 melee touch, DC 15), scare (DC 15), spectral hand U
1st—cause fear (DC 14), chill touch U (+5 melee touch, DC 14), detect undead U, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement U (+5 ranged touch)
0—acid splash (+5 ranged touch), detect magic, disrupt undead (+5 ranged touch), ghost sound (DC 13), ray of frost (+5 ranged touch), touch of fatigue (+5 melee touch, DC 13)
U Undead thread spell
Threads Benighting, Blight, the Executioner, the Undead
Abilities Str 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 8
SQ eldritch weaving (cast Undead thread spells at level +1, spontaneously cast Undead thread spells)
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Turning, Still Spell, Silent Spell, Thread Focus* (undead)
Skills Concentration +14 (+18 casting defensively), Craft (alchemy) +13, Decipher Script +13, Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +13, Knowledge (religion) +16, Spellcraft +15 (+17 with scrolls), Use Magic Device +9 (+13 with scrolls)
Possessions combat gear, bracers of armor +2, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +1, masterwork quarterstaff, masterwork dart, 75 gp
Spellbook All prepared plus 0–detect poison, read magic; 1st–color spray; 2nd–blindness/deafness, inflict moderate wounds; 3rd—halt undead; 4th—animate dead, crushing despair; 5th—waves of fatigue
Resist Fear (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 20 against magical fear effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular fear effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular fear effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows.
Rebuke Undead (Su) Ethan can rebuke undead as 6th level cleric.
Sickening Touch (Su) At the Ethan's touch, any aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider must make a successful DC 18 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.
Touch of Fatigue (Su) At Ethan's touch, any living creature must make a successful DC 18 Fortitude save or become fatigued for 1 minute. Touch of fatigue does not stack with itself, but if the fatigued subject undertakes any action which would normally cause fatigue or receives another magical fatigue effect (such as the waves of fatigue spell), he becomes exhausted for the balance of the power's duration.
Male human eldritch weaver 15
NE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses Listen +5, Spot +5
Languages Common
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 17
hp 54 (15 HD)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +18
Spd 30 ft.
Melee mwk quarterstaff +8/+3 (1d6)
Ranged mwk dart +8 (1d4)
Base Atk +7; Grp +7
Combat Gear ring of invisibility, scroll of shadow walk, 2 potions of cure light wounds
Special Actions major thread power 5/day (cloud of night [DC 22], ray of nausea [DC 22], resist fear, vampiric fortitude), minor thread power 5/day (rebuke undead [+1 check, 2d6+12 HD], resist fear, sickening touch [DC 22], touch of fatigue [DC 22])
Spells Prepared (CL 15th, 17th for Undead thread spells)
7th—control undead U(DC 23), mass inflict serious wounds E(DC 22)
6th—circle of death E, U (DC 22), disintegrate (+7 ranged touch, DC 21), harm E(DC 21)
5th—blight, magic jar U (DC 21), slay living E(+7 melee touch, DC 20), waves of fatigueU
4th—animate dead, contagion U (+7 melee touch, DC 20), crushing despair(DC 19), enervation E, U (2, +7 ranged touch)
3rd—ray of exhaustion (2, +7 ranged touch, DC 18), slow (2, DC 16), vampiric touch U,E (+7 melee touch)
2nd—command undead U (DC 18), inflict moderate wounds E, ghoul touch E (+7 melee touch, DC 17), scare E (DC 17), spectral hand U
1st—cause fear E(2, DC 16), chill touch E, U (+7 melee touch, DC 17), detect undead U, inflict light wounds E, ray of enfeeblement U (+7 ranged touch)
0—acid splash (+7 ranged touch), detect magic, disrupt undead (+7 ranged touch), ghost sound (DC 15), ray of frost (+7 ranged touch), touch of fatigue (+7 melee touch, DC 15)
E Executioner thread spell, U Undead thread spell
Threads Benighting, Blight, the Executioner, the Undead
Abilities Str 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 21, Wis 20, Cha 8
SQ eldritch weaving (cast Undead thread spells at level +1, spontaneously cast Undead thread spells, increase DC of Undead thread spells +1, freely silence or still 3rd level or lower Execution thread spells)
Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Improved Turning, Still Spell, Silent Spell, Thread Focus* (undead)
Skills Concentration +19 (+23 casting defensively), Craft (alchemy) +19, Decipher Script +19, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (arcana) +19, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +19, Knowledge (religion) +23, Spellcraft +25 (+29 with scrolls), Use Magic Device +13 (+17 with scrolls)
Possessions combat gear, bracers of armor +4, cloak of resistance +4, ring of protection +3, headband of intellect +4, periapt of wisdom +4, phylactery of undead turning, masterwork quarterstaff, masterwork dart, 150 gp
Spellbook all prepared plus 0–detect poison, read magic; 1st–color spray; 2nd–blindness/deafness; 3rd—halt undead; 6th—create undead; 7th—finger of death, waves of exhaustion
Cloud of Night (Su) Ethan creates a billowing mass of wispy, inky tendrils that fill a 20-foot-radius spread at any point within 60 feet. Creatures within the cloud which fail a DC 22 Fortitude save are blinded for as long as they remain inside and for 1d4 rounds after leaving. A creature that makes a successful save cannot be blinded again by the same cloud of night. The effect lasts 1d6 minutes. If the cloud blinds a creature with a gaze attack, its gaze attack does not function until its sight returns. In addition, the cloud has a 50% chance to automatically negate gaze attacks if line of sight between the creature with the gaze attack and the attack's subject passes through any part of the cloud. Check separately for each creature subjected to the gaze attack. The cloud has a 50% chance to automatically suppress any magical light effect. If the source or point of origin for the light effect lies within the cloud, the light effect is completely suppressed while the cloud lasts, while if the source or point of origin for the light effect lies outside the cloud, the light effect's area does not into extend into or past the cloud. Check once per effect.
Ray of Nausea (Su) As sickening touch, except that this power produces a ray up to 60 feet long that causes nausea in the target creature for 1d4+1 rounds.
Resist Fear (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 25 against magical fear effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular fear effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular fear effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows.
Rebuke Undead (Su) Ethan can rebuke undead as 12th level cleric.
Resist Death (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 25 against magical death effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular death effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular death effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows. This power also allows Ethan to avoid death, such that any attack that would reduce him to 0 or fewer hit points has a 50% chance to reduce him to 1 hit point instead. If the attack deals more than 50 points of damage, Ethan does not need to make the required Fortitude save against death by massive damage. Regardless of how many daily uses of this power he normally has, Ethan can avoid death only once per day.
Sickening Touch (Su) At the Ethan's touch, any aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider must make a successful DC 22 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.
Touch of Fatigue (Su) At Ethan's touch, any living creature must make a successful DC 22 Fortitude save or become fatigued for 1 minute. Touch of fatigue does not stack with itself, but if the fatigued subject undertakes any action which would normally cause fatigue or receives another magical fatigue effect (such as the waves of fatigue spell), he becomes exhausted for the balance of the power's duration.
Vampiric Fortitude (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power to gain damage reduction 5/silver, fast healing 2, and resistance to cold and electricity 10 for 1d6 minutes. The following types of attacks and effects have a 25% chance of failure when used against Ethan: physical ability damage (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), critical hits, magical death effects, death from massive damage, energy drain, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, and stunning. If the above attacks or eff ects fail, the eldritch weaver suffers no harm from the effect (though area effects still work normally against other creatures in the area). If a critical hit fails against Ethan, he still takes normal damage from the attack.
Male human eldritch weaver 20
NE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses Listen +6, Spot +6
Languages Common
AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 23
hp 71 (20 HD); regenerate 1 hp/hour
Resist lavender and green ioun stone absorbs up to 50 spell levels of 8th level or less
Fort +12, Ref +11, Will +23
Spd 30 ft.
Melee +1 ghost touch quarterstaff +11/+6 (1d6+1)
Ranged mwk dart +11 (1d4)
Base Atk +10; Grp +10
Combat Gear staff of necromancy, scroll of soul bind, potion of barkskin +4
Special Actions major thread power 6/day (cloud of night [DC 26], ray of nausea [DC 26], resist fear, shadow form, vampiric fortitude), minor thread power 6/day (lesser shadow form, rebuke undead [+1 check, 2d6+14 HD], resist fear, sickening touch [DC 26], touch of fatigue [DC 26])
Spells Prepared (CL 21st, 23rd for Undead thread spells)
9th—energy drain U (+10 ranged touch, DC 27), power word kill E, wail of the banshee E (DC 26)
8th—blackburst* (80 ft radius burst; 20d6 cold/negative energy dmg and sickens; DC 25 Reflex for half dmg and no sickness), horrid wiltingU (DC 26), mass inflict critical wounds E (DC 25), symbol of death E (DC 25)
7th—control undead U(DC 25), finger of death E, waves of exhaustion (2), mass inflict serious wounds E(DC 24)
6th—circle of deathE, U (DC 24), disintegrate (2, +10 ranged touch, DC 23), harm E(DC 23), shadow walk
5th—blight, magic jar U (DC 23), slay living E(2, +10 melee touch, DC 22), waves of fatigueU
4th—animate dead, contagion U (+10 melee touch, DC 22), crushing despair(DC 21), enervation E, U (2, +10 ranged touch)
3rd—ray of exhaustion (2, +10 ranged touch, DC 20), slow (2, DC 20), vampiric touch U,E (2, +10 melee touch)
2nd—command undead U (DC 20), inflict moderate wounds E, ghoul touch E (2, +10 melee touch, DC 19), scare E (DC 19), spectral hand U
1st—cause fear E(2, DC 18), chill touch E, U (+10 melee touch, DC 19), detect undead U, inflict light wounds E, ray of enfeeblement U (+10 ranged touch)
0—acid splash (+10 ranged touch), detect magic, disrupt undead (+10 ranged touch), ghost sound (DC 17), ray of frost (+10 ranged touch), touch of fatigue (+10 melee touch, DC 17)
E Executioner thread spell, U Undead thread spell
Threads Benighting, Blight, the Executioner, Shadows, the Undead
Abilities Str 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 25, Wis 22, Cha 8
SQ eldritch weaving (cast Undead thread spells at level +1, spontaneously cast Undead thread spells, increase DC of Undead thread spells +1, freely silence or still 3rd level or lower Execution thread spells, freely silence or still 6th level or lower Undead thread spells)
Feats Combat Casting, Craft Staff, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Improved Turning, Still Spell, Silent Spell, Thread Focus* (undead)
Skills Concentration +24 (+28 casting defensively), Craft (alchemy) +26, Decipher Script +26, Diplomacy +14, Knowledge (arcana) +26, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +26, Knowledge (religion) +30, Spellcraft +32 (+34 with scrolls), Use Magic Device +18 (+22 with scrolls)
Possessions combat gear, bracers of armor +8, ring of protection +5, cloak of resistance +5, headband of intellect +6, periapt of wisdom +6, ring of freedom of movement, phylactery of undead turning, lavender and green ioun stone, orange ioun stone, pearly white ioun stone, +1 ghost touch quarterstaff, masterwork dart, 87 gp
Spellbook all prepared plus 0–detect poison, read magic; 1st–color spray; 2nd–blindness/deafness; 3rd—halt undead; 6th—create undead; 8th—create greater undead; 9th—soul bind
Cloud of Night (Su) Ethan creates a billowing mass of wispy, inky tendrils that fill a 20-foot-radius spread at any point within 60 feet. Creatures within the cloud which fail a DC 26 Fortitude save are blinded for as long as they remain inside and for 1d4 rounds after leaving. A creature that makes a successful save cannot be blinded again by the same cloud of night. The effect lasts 1d6 minutes. If the cloud blinds a creature with a gaze attack, its gaze attack does not function until its sight returns. In addition, the cloud has a 50% chance to automatically negate gaze attacks if line of sight between the creature with the gaze attack and the attack's subject passes through any part of the cloud. Check separately for each creature subjected to the gaze attack. The cloud has a 50% chance to automatically suppress any magical light effect. If the source or point of origin for the light effect lies within the cloud, the light effect is completely suppressed while the cloud lasts, while if the source or point of origin for the light effect lies outside the cloud, the light effect's area does not into extend into or past the cloud. Check once per effect.
Lesser Shadow Form (Su) Upon invoking this power, Ethan becomes immune to poison and critical hits, and gains a +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks in areas of weak or dim light (anything less than direct sunlight or a daylight spell) for 1d4+1 rounds.
Ray of Nausea (Su) As sickening touch, except that this power produces a ray up to 60 feet long that causes nausea in the target creature for 1d4+1 rounds.
Resist Fear (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 35 against magical fear effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular fear effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular fear effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows.
Rebuke Undead (Su) Ethan can rebuke undead as 15th level cleric.
Resist Death (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power in order to gain spell resistance 35 against magical death effects for 1d6 minutes. Only Ethan benefits from the resistance, which applies to only one use of any particular death effect. If this power fails to protect Ethan against a particular death effect, he is still entitled to any saving throw that effect normally allows. This power also allows Ethan to avoid death, such that any attack that would reduce him to 0 or fewer hit points has a 50% chance to reduce him to 1 hit point instead. If the attack deals more than 50 points of damage, Ethan does not need to make the required Fortitude save against death by massive damage. Regardless of how many daily uses of this power he normally has, Ethan can avoid death only once per day.
Shadow Form (Su) Upon invoking this power, Ethan and all his gear become partially incorporeal for 1d4+1 rounds or until dismissed. Ethan loses all benefits from his armor and natural armor bonuses, though his AC bonuses from size and Dexterity, deflection bonuses, and armor bonuses from force effects or ghost touch armor still apply. Ethan can fly at a speed of 30 feet (perfect maneuverability) and his land speed increases by +30 feet. Physical attacks against him have a 50% miss chance, though magical effects work normally, and Ethan's own physical attacks and magical attacks that rely on touch fail 25% of the time. While in shadow form, Ethan can move through (but not see through) solid objects. However, for each 5 feet of solid material he passes through, there is a 50% chance that Ethan is shunted off to the nearest open space, taking 1d6 points of damage per 5 feet so traveled.
Sickening Touch (Su) At the Ethan's touch, any aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider must make a successful DC 26 Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4+1 rounds.
Touch of Fatigue (Su) At Ethan's touch, any living creature must make a successful DC 26 Fortitude save or become fatigued for 1 minute. Touch of fatigue does not stack with itself, but if the fatigued subject undertakes any action which would normally cause fatigue or receives another magical fatigue effect (such as the waves of fatigue spell), he becomes exhausted for the balance of the power's duration.
Vampiric Fortitude (Su) As a free action, Ethan can invoke this power to gain damage reduction 5/silver, fast healing 2, and resistance to cold and electricity 10 for 1d6 minutes. The following types of attacks and effects have a 25% chance of failure when used against Ethan: physical ability damage (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), critical hits, magical death effects, death from massive damage, energy drain, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, and stunning. If the above attacks or eff ects fail, the eldritch weaver suffers no harm from the effect (though area effects still work normally against other creatures in the area). If a critical hit fails against Ethan, he still takes normal damage from the attack.