As their name suggests, necrotic healers focus much of their energy on healing. Many of their healing abilities center on taking others’ pain into themselves in order to negate it. Necrotic healers tend to be caring, compassionate, and self-sacrificing individuals.
The necrotic healer is an archetype of the necromancer class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The necrotic healer mainly focuses on DEX for combat, and WIS for his class features and spells.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Class Skills, Spellcasting, Bone Commander, Bolster. 2nd – Necromancy Talent, Undead Body. 3rd – Lifetap. 4th – Unholy Fortitude. 5th – Fear Aura. 7th – Cheat Death. 8th – Unlife Healer. 9th – Miasma. 10th – Unholy Protection. 11th – Undead Mastery. 12th – Master of Undeath. 13th – Death’s Kiss. 16th – Destruction Retribution. 20th – Lich Transformation.
Alignment
Any, although most necrotic healers are good.
Class Skills
A necrotic healer adds Heal to his class skill list, but loses Linguistics.
Wise Necromancer (Ex)
The necrotic healer uses his Wisdom modifier for the purpose of necromancer class features and spells that use his Charisma modifier.
Healing Magic
A necrotic healer can draw healing spells from the white mage spell list in addition to his normal spell list, using his Wisdom for all spells’ effects, but loses access to Dark-line spells (Dark, Dark II, Dark III, Dark IV, Darkra, Darkga), Animate Dead and all Summon Undead spells.
Bone Healer (Su)
At 1st level, a necrotic healer can summon a specialized bone commander, the bone healer. This ability otherwise works like the standard necromancer’s bone commander ability.
Bone Healer
STARTING STATISTICS
Size: Medium; Speed: 30 ft.; AC: +1 natural armor; Attack: 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 14, Con –, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14; Primary Ability Scores: Dexterity, Wisdom; Secondary Ability Score: Charisma; Special Qualities: darkvision (60’), DR 5/bludgeoning, gains a MP pool, cantrips, and spells as a white mage of the same level as its hit dice (see below).
Table: Bone Commander's 3/4th MP Progression
| Level | Base MP | Spell Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | 1st |
| 2nd | 4 | 1st |
| 3rd | 4 | 1st |
| 4th | 5 | 2nd |
| 5th | 6 | 2nd |
| 6th | 8 | 2nd |
| 7th | 8 | 2nd |
| 8th | 10 | 3rd |
| 9th | 13 | 3rd |
| 10th | 16 | 3rd |
| 11th | 16 | 3rd |
| 12th | 20 | 4th |
| 13th | 24 | 4th |
| 14th | 29 | 4th |
| 15th | 29 | 4th |
| 16th | 34 | 5th |
| 17th | 39 | 5th |
| 18th | 45 | 5th |
| 19th | 45 | 5th |
| 20th | 51 | 6th |
This ability modifies and replaces bone commander.
Rebuke Death (Su)
Also at 1st level, as an immediate action, a necrotic healer can stop a living creature within 30 feet from dying by healing it for 1d4 hit points plus 1 for every two necromancer levels he possesses. He can use this ability only on a creature below 0 hit points, even if the creature would normally die from the amount of hit point damage. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier.
This ability replaces bolster.
Talents
A necrotic healer loses access to the following necromancy talents: Animate Dead, Armed Undead, Defile, Desecration Zone, Mass Bolster, Master of Atrocities, Quick Bolster, and Undead Familiar. But gains access to the following white mage talents: Effortless Healing, Familiar, Healing Hands, Healing Spell, and Vigor.
White Magery (Su)
At 2nd level and every five necromancer levels thereafter, the necrotic healer may choose Healing Mastery or Increased Healing white mageries (maximum of 2 per). This ability applies only to spells that he casts as a necrotic healer, not to those he might have by virtue of levels in another class.
This ability replaces undead body.
Transfer Wounds (Su)
Starting at 2nd level, an necrotic healer learns how to transfer wounds with but a touch. As a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, a necrotic healer may touch a target and heal it for 1d6 points of damage. The necrotic healer suffers the same number of points of non-lethal damage (up to the amount the target is actually healed). At 4th level and every 2 levels thereafter, the damage healed to the target and non-lethal damage taken by the necrotic healer increases by 1d6. A necrotic healer may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier. A necrotic healer may not use this ability upon himself.
This ability replaces a necromancy talent gained at 2nd level.
Soothing Touch (Su)
By touching a creature, a necrotic healer of 3rd level or higher can relieve the creature of one minor condition. A necrotic healer’s touch can remove the fatigued, shaken, sickened, or staggered conditions by transferring the condition to himself.
At 9th level, a necrotic healer can also remove the blinded, exhausted, nauseated, or deafened conditions in addition to the conditions listed above.
The necrotic healer must suffer the full effects of the condition transferred for 1d3 rounds or for the condition’s original duration, whichever is shorter. These effects cannot be reduced or negated in any way. If multiple conditions affect a targeted creature, the necrotic healer chooses which condition to remove. A necrotic healer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier.
This ability replaces lifetap.
Healer’s Pulse (Su)
At 4th level, as a free action, a necrotic healer may project a healing pulse to all allies within 30 feet, granting fast healing 2 for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier. This fast healing increases by 2 at 11th level and then again by 2 at 18th level. The necrotic healer may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier.
This ability replaces unholy fortitude.
Life Bond (Su)
At 5th level, a necrotic healer may create a bond between himself and another living creature within 90 feet as a standard action. He may have one bond active per necromancer level and only one bond per creature. Each round at the start of the necrotic healer’s turn, if the bonded creature is wounded for 5 or more HP below its maximum HP, the bonded creature heals 5 HP and the necrotic healer sacrifices 5 of their own HP (this sacrifice cannot be mitigated). This bond continues until the bonded creature dies, the necrotic healer dies, the distance between them exceeds 90 feet, or the necrotic healer ends it as an immediate action. If he has multiple bonds active, he may end as many as he wants as part of the same immediate action.
This ability replaces fear aura.
Healer’s Touch (Su)
At 7th level, a necrotic healer who utilizes transfer wounds heals the target an additional number of hit points equal to his necromancer level.
This ability replaces cheat death.
Enhanced Healing (Su)
At 8th level, all of the necrotic healer’s cure spells are treated as if they were empowered, increasing the amount of damage healed by half (+50%). This does not apply to damage dealt to undead with a cure spell, and it does not stack with the Empower Spell metamagic feat.
This ability replaces unlife healer.
Necromancer’s Sacrifice (Su)
Beginning at 9th level, when an ally within 60 feet is hit by an attack or fails a saving throw, a necrotic healer can, as an immediate action, magically transfer the resulting wounds and/ or effects to himself instead of the target. The necrotic healer is affected as if he was hit by the attack or failed the saving throw and takes all the damage and suffers all of the adverse effects of doing so. Any resistances or immunities the necrotic healer has are applied normally, but he cannot otherwise reduce or negate the damage or effects in any way. If this ability is used against an effect that also targets the necrotic healer or includes him in its area, the necrotic healer suffers the effects for both himself and the target he spared, potentially taking damage or suffering other consequences twice.
A necrotic healer may use this ability once per day at 9th level and one additional time per day for three every additional necrotic healer level (twice per day at 12th level, three times per day at 15th level, and four times per day at 18th level).
This ability replaces miasma.
Efficient Transfer (Su)
Starting at 10th level, the necrotic healer learns to more efficiently transfer wounds from those he has a life bond with to himself. Once per round, he can use his transfer wounds ability as a swift action by spending two uses of it. If he casts a healing spell with a normal casting time of 1 swift action on his turn, he can use it as a free action that round instead (this still consumes two uses of his transfer wounds ability). Regardless of whether he uses this ability to use transfer wounds as a swift action or a free action, he can only use this ability once per round.
This ability replaces unholy protection.
Necrotic Transfer (Su)
At 11th level, a necrotic healer can transfer some of his life essence to another living creature. As a standard action, when a necrotic healer touches a subject, he can sacrifice an amount of his own HP equal to 10 + his Constitution score + his necromancer level. Those hit points are then immediately transferred to the creature touched. These HP heal the subject but cannot raise the subject’s HP higher than its normal HP total.
This ability replaces undead mastery.
Divine Seal (Ex)
Beginning at 12th level, a necrotic healer can increase the potency of his next healing spell as a swift action, so long as the casting time of the spell is 1 standard action or less. The next healing spell the necrotic healer casts heals for half again as many hit points. He can use this ability once per day and every four levels thereafter, he gains an additional use.
This ability replaces master of undeath.
Divine Veil (Su)
At 13th level, when a necrotic healer uses Divine Seal, his next healing spell not only heals for double, but also removes 1 negative status effect chosen by the necrotic healer.
This ability replaces death’s kiss.
Protective Aura (Su)
At 16th level, the necrotic healer can, as an immediate action, emit a 30-ft. aura that protects against death effects for a number of rounds per day equal to his necromancer level + his Wisdom modifier. Living creatures within this area are immune to all death spells, death effects, energy drain, and effects that cause negative levels. This protective aura does not remove negative levels that a creature has already gained, but the negative levels have no effect while the creature is inside the protected area. These rounds need not be consecutive.
This ability replaces destruction retribution.
Master of Life and Death (Su)
At 20th level, a necrotic healer becomes a true master of life and death. Once per round, he can cast bleed or stabilize as a free action. If he is brought to below 0 HP, he automatically stabilizes and gains Fast Healing 2 until above 0 HP. He becomes immune to all death spells and magical death attacks. Ability damage and drain cannot reduce him below 1 in any ability score.
This ability replaces lich transformation.
