hawkeyethesane wrote:I had some questions about the Pale Master abilities, like what each technical bonus translates to for the character.
The Pale Master prestige class shows up in two of the pen-and-paper source books:
Tome and Blood: A Guidebook to Wizards and Sorcerers and
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead.
Neverwinter Nights 2 appears to use the class as described in the former book, which is intended for D&D 3rd Edition. (The main change in
Libris Mortis and D&D 3.5 Edition is that the caster level progression for Pale Masters becomes +1 every level except first level, as opposed to +1 every other level).
As such, here is the write up from
Tome and Blood, on the Pale Master prestige class:
PALE MASTER
"The dead aren't so bad once you get to know them."
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 but refuse to give up their arcane craft completely. Enter the pale master, who draws on a font of special lore that provides a macabre power all its own.
Many pale masters still end up supplementing their arcane power with levels of divine magic. The mixture of "pale lore" and clerical abilities to sway, create, command and destroy undead can be a potent one.
NPC pale masters head special strike groups comprising lesser undead, supplemented as needed with more powerful, summoned undead. Sometimes they serve or act in collusion with powerful evil characters, such as true necromancers or divine spellcasters with Death as one of their domains. Wherever pale masters go, undead follow. Often it is difficult to tell a pale master from the undead that he surrounds himself with.
Hit Die: d6.
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a pale master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any nongood.
Knowledge (Religion): 8 ranks.
Feat: Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]).
Spells: Ability to cast arcane spells of 3rd level or higher.
Special: The candidate must have spent three or more days locked in a tomb with animate undead. This contact may be peaceful or violent. A character who is slain by the undead and later raised still meets the requirement, although the resulting level loss may delay compliance with other prerequisites.
CLASS SKILLS
The pale master’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int, exclusive skill), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2+Int modifier.
CLASS FEATURES
All the following are class features of the pale master prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Pale masters gain no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day: At every second level gained in the pale master class, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a pale master, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Bonemail: The pale master has an instinctive feel for bone and can craft necromantic armor composed of interlocking bones. His appreciation for all things dead allow him to wear the bonemail like a second skin -- that is, natural armor, which does not interfere with arcane spellcasting. Only pale masters gain any benefit to Armor Class from wearing bonemail.
At 1st level, the bonemail grants a +2 natural armor bonus to its wearer. At 4th level, the pale master's mastery over this unusual medium allows him to move more naturally within the armor, granting him a +4 natural armor bonus. Finally, at 8th level, the pale master becomes a true bone artisan, receiving a +6 natural armor bonus from his bonemail. These increased bonuses are the result of greater expertise in wearing the armor, so bonemail created by a higher-level pale master confers only the natural armor bonus appropriate to the wearer's level.
Animate Dead (Sp): At 2nd level, the pale master begins to exercise control over the undead. Once per day as a spell-like ability, he can use animate dead without need of a material component. Levels of this prestige class count as caster levels for this purpose. All other level restrictions of animate dead still apply. For example, a 6th-level sorcerer/2nd-level pale master can only animate up to 8 HD of undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can only control up to 16 total HD of undead created using this ability at one time.
Darkvision (Ex): At 3rd level, the dark begins to lose its mysteries to the pale master, who gains darkvision with a 60-foot range. This is an extraordinary ability. If he already has darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
Summon Undead (Su): On reaching 4th level, the pale master can summon two undead creatures twice per day as a supernatural ability. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The undead appear at the beginning of the pale master’s next action, at a point he designates (and can see) within 60 feet, and they act immediately. The pale master may verbally direct the undead to attack, not attack, attack particular enemies, or perform other actions. Summoned undead remain for 1 round per caster level, after which time they disappear (sooner if destroyed in combat). Summoned undead do not count against the pale master's HD total for controlling undead with his animate dead ability (see above).
Deathless Vigor: At 5th level, the pale master's body becomes more akin to the undying flesh of those creatures he associates with. The character gains +3 hit points as though from the Toughness feat.
Undead Graft: At 6th level, the pale master gives into necrophagic urges too terrible to verbalize. He cuts off his arm and replaces it entirely with an undead prosthetic, which may be completely skeletal or preserved flesh stitched in place like that of a flesh golem. Regardless of its composition, the limb grants a +4 inherent modifier to the character's Strength. Additionally, the undead graft allows him to use up to two of the following touch attacks per day. These are supernatural abilities, and he can use the same one twice in one day. A touch attack that misses does not count against the daily limit.
Paralyzing Touch (Su): A living foe hit by the pale master's touch attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 1d6+2 minutes (elves are immune).
Weakening Touch (Su): A living foe hit by the pale master's touch attack takes 1d6 points of temporary Strength damage. A creature reduced to Strength 0 dies.
Degenerative Touch (Su): A living foe hit by the pale master's touch attack receives one negative level. The Fortitude save to remove the negative level has a DC of 14.
Destructive Touch (Su): A living foe hit by the pale master's touch attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 14) or take 1d6 points permanent Constitution drain.
Commanding Touch (Su): If the pale master makes a successful touch attack against an undead foe with HD equal to or less than his caster level, it comes under his command for a number of rounds equal to his caster level. When the duration expires, the undead creature returns to its former allegiance, if any. The newly controlled undead can still be turned.
Tough As Bone (Ex): On reaching 7th level, the pale master takes on yet more qualities of an undead being. He gains immunity to stunning and is unaffected by subdual damage.
Graft Upgrade: At 8th level, the pale master becomes more skilled in the use of his undead graft (see above). All touch attacks using the graft receive a +2 competence modifier on the attack roll. Additionally, the pale master can use its supernatural abilities three times per day.
Summon Greater Undead (Su): At 9th level, the pale master may summon one powerful undead creature once per day as a supernatural ability. The pale master's caster level determines the type of creatures he can summon, as noted below. If desired, he can summon two less powerful undead in place of the highest-level undead available (for example, instead of one vampire, he could summon two mummies or spectres).
Deathless Mastery: On reaching 10th level, the pale master is now a scion of the deathless arts. His body becomes partly mummified, and he is no longer subject to critical hits. Moreover, he gains access to the pale master touch using his undead graft (see below) and can call on the powers granted by the prosthetic four times per day.
The pale master is now served constantly by an undead vassal with total HD no greater than his caster level (including levels of this prestige class). He chooses an undead type from those he can personally animate or summon, and it obeys his every command. The vassal gains +4 turn resistance (which stacks with any turn resistance it already possesses but not with the +4 turn resistance of summoned undead). The vassal's HD do not count against the pale master’s HD total for controlling undead (see above).
Deathless Master Touch (Su): A living foe of size Large or smaller hit by the pale master's touch attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 17) or die. A slain creature automatically animates 1 round later as though with the pale master's animate dead ability (see above) and is under his control. Undead created using this power do count against the pale master's HD total for controlling undead.
So, in short, you are indeed manipulating your body with magic and with mad experimentation, in order to become more and more corpsified.
Bone skin was originally bonemail, in the source material. The natural AC bonus is removed entirely in 3.5 Edition (though it is replaced with "Undead Armor Affinity").
A level 10 pale master would not look human.
That said, it is important to note that pale masters are not undead. They retain their Constitution scores, and do not change to subtype undead. They cannot be turned, destroyed, or rebuked.
