Arcane Tradition
Notes from the Nails: tales abound of master necromancers and their right-hand-monsters. Now you, too, can build an undead horror of your very own!
School of Flesh Sculpting
While other wizards use necromantic magic to gain power over death, you have always been more fascinated with the workings of unlife. Through years of experimentation, you have learned not only how to make zombies and bind them to your will, but also to preserve, train, and improve them far beyond the usual, meager abilities of the run-of-the-mill shambler. Perhaps one day, you will even learn to ignore the scornful looks and upturned noses of your more… conventional colleagues.
Zombie Minion
Starting when you choose this tradition at 2nd level, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a single zombie. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare oils and incenses, you call forth a spirit from beyond the veil to possess the corpse of a medium humanoid. This monster uses the statistics for a zombie. When complete, your zombie minion awakens and gains all the benefits of your Minion’s Bond ability. You can have only one zombie minion at a time.
If your zombie minion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to unlife. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of a further 25 gp worth of material components, you recall your minion’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return a zombie minion to unlife in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its corpse.
If you use this ability to return a former zombie minion to unlife while you have a current zombie minion, your current minion crumbles to dust and is replaced by the restored companion.
Minion’s Bond
Your zombie minion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The minion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your minion acts on its own.
Your zombie minion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your minion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a zombie minion also adds its proficiency bonus to its damage rolls. The zombie minion is immune to effects that would turn or destroy undead, thanks to the strength of their connection to you.
Your zombie minion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws.
For each level you gain after 2nd, your minion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your minion’s abilities also improve. Your minion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your minion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Your minion shares your alignment, and you are free to determine its personality traits and flaws. Your minion shares your ideal and its bond is always: “the wizard who created me is my unquestioned master in all things.”
Leathery Hide
Beginning at 6th level, your zombie minion’s hide becomes tough and leathery. Its AC cannot be less than 14 and it gains resistance to lightning damage.
Additionally, your minion is immune to damage from spells you cast of 3rd level or lower.
Zombie Warrior
At 10th level, your zombie minion gains proficiency with all simple and martial melee weapons and has one attunement slot that it can use to attune to a magical item.
Ultimate Minion
When you reach 14th level, you begin to tinker with your minion, customizing it to suit your tastes. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of gold dust, you can improve your minion with one of the following upgrades. A zombie minion can only have one of these at a time, but it can be reconfigured through another 8 hours of work and 50 gp of materials.
Agile Hunter. The minion’s base walking speed is increased to 40 feet and it can take the Disengage action as a bonus action.
Multiattack. The minion makes two attacks on its turn.
Regeneration. The zombie regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point. If the zombie takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the zombie’s next turn.
Zombie Mage. The minion gains the Magic Initiate feat. It uses half your wizard level and its own ability score for spellcasting.
Changelog: 5/9/17: Ultimate Minion: Zombie Mage: Uses half your wizard level
