Pale Master

Pale Master

Description: Necromancy is usually a poor choice for arcane spellcasters. Those who really want to master the deathless arts almost always pursue divine means. However, an alternative exists for those who desire power over undead, without losing too much of their arcane power. Enter the pale master, who draws on a font of special lore that provides a macabre power all its own.

Hit Dice: 1d6

Proficiencies: None

Skill Points: 2 + Int mod

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft armor, Craft trap, Craft weapon, Heal, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move silently, Persuade, Spellcraft

Primary Saving Throw(s): Fortitude, Will

Base Attack Bonus: +1/2 levels

Requirements

Alignment: Non-Good

Base Attack Bonus: Any

Classes: Wizard 3, Sorcerer 3, or Bard 3

Factions: Mystral Ascendancy

Feats: None

Race: Any

Skills: None

Spellcasting: None

Special Abilities and Feats

Level	Feat(s)
1	Bone Skin
2	Animate Dead
3	Darkvision
4	Summon Undead
5	Deathless Vigor
6	Undead Graft I
7	Tough as Bone
8	Undead Graft II
9	Summon Greater Undead
10	Deathless Master Touch Deathless Mastery

Bonus spells

Upon reaching odd-numbered pale master levels, the pale master gains new spells per day as if he/she had also gained a level in his/her highest caster class (bard, sorcerer or wizard).

However, the PM does not learn any new spells through this ability. Therefore, bards and sorcerers can only make use of spell slots which are of a higher spell level than that provided by their highest casting class through the use of meta-magic, while wizards can memorize spells for higher level spell slots from scrolls.

Epic Pale Master

Epic Feat Progression: 3

Epic Feats: Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Epic Energy Resistance, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Improved Combat Casting, and with 15 or more PM levels, you also get access to Epic Spell: Dragon Knight, Epic Spell: Greater Ruin, Epic Spell: Hellball, Epic Spell: Epic Mage Armor, Epic Spell: Mummy Dust, and Epic Spell: Epic Warding.

Notes

Change as of 3/8/16:

• Pale Master levels count as half when determining whether the player's arcane class should receive access to the next level of spells.

• 10 Wizard and 13 Pale Master levels give 10 + 13/2 = 16.5 rounded up = 17. Wizards gain access to level 9 spells at class level 17, so the player could cast level 9 spells if they had metamagic spells or learned scrolls that fit under spell level 9.

• The last arcane class leveled is the class that receives the bonus to class levels when leveling up in Pale Master. This makes it possible to have some Pale Master levels apply to one class, and other Pale Master levels to apply to another class. Keep track of this.

• Say you level, from 1, in this order: Wiz, Sorc, Sorc, Sorc, Wiz, Pale Master, Sorc, Pale Master, Pale Master.

• Upon leveling the first time in Pale Master, you will receive 1 PM level/2 rounded up = 1 class level bonus to Wizard, giving you a calculated class level of 2 + 1 = 3, thus access to level 2 spells for Wizard.
• The second Pale Master level follows suit, you will receive 1 PM level/2 rounded up = 1 class level bonus to Sorcerer, giving you a calculated class level of 4 + 1 = 5, thus access to level 2 spells for Sorcerer.
• After taking the final third Pale Master level, it will be applied to Sorcerer, and the class level calculation becomes 4 (base sorc levels) + 2 PM levels/2, so still 4 + 1 = 5 calculated class levels, and you still have access to level 2 spells for Sorcerer.

• Pale Master levels add 1/2 to 'caster levels'. So, when determining duration of spells, damage of spells, or breaking spell resistance, cut your PM level in half when counting modifiers.

Change as of 10/12/09:

• Effectively lowering AC from Pale Master's Bone Skin from +2 to +1 at Pale Master levels 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28. So for example a character with 10 PM levels should lose 3 AC, and one with 28+ PM levels should lose 8 AC.

Change as of 6/14/07:

• Pale Master will now become EVIL upon taking first PM level.
• Pale Master gains 50% Divine Vulnerability and 25% Fire Vulnerability at tenth PM level. (Note: Damage from many sources ignore immunities and vulnerabilities. This includes, but isn't limited to: Divine Might, Divine Wrath, Terrifying Rage, Job Tokens, and War Cry.)

• Pale Master is the unique Prestige Class of the Mystral Ascendancy.
• Pale Masters receive an additional permanent +5 hit points from Deathless Vigor for every five levels gained.
• Pale Masters receive an additional use per day for Undead Graft for every 3 levels gained.
• Pale Master's summons are affected by Spell Focuses in Necromancy, not Conjuration.
• Pale Master's Bone Skin increases by +1 every four levels past Level 8.
• Summons Altered, see Summons Guide