Wizard Path: The Necro-Engineer
Category: World Building and Concept Design
After years of digging in graveyards, Necro-Engineers have become quite adept at sawing through bones, sewing flesh together, and attaching all of this to each other through the clever use of gears, screws, staples, and thread. They have departed from the traditional realm of necromancy, in favor of a hands-on “crafting” approach to their magic. Experts in seamsters’ kits, they use a combination of masterful Necromancy and crafty engineering to imbue dead flesh and bone with a supernatural unlife, creating terrifying minions. With these minions under their control, Necro-Engineers can chill in the background, allowing their horrible abominations to handle whatever messes present themselves, wading in only when battlefield wounds need a bit of “touching up.”
Seamstress Kit – Includes multiple needles, spools of sinew-thread, staples, bloodied bandages, and a bonesaw.
Fleshmold Savant
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your masterful ability with needle and thread to heal wounds. As an action, you can touch (and poke and prod and stitch and sew) one creature and expend one spell slot to heal an amount of hitpoints to that creature equal to 1d8, plus 1d8 per spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 9d8 at 9th level. You gain proficiency in Seamstress kits
Fleshworks Minion
Beginning at 2nd level, you can form a disgusting minion of flesh, bone, gears, nuts and bolts, requiring the expenditure of at least a 1st level spell slot. The creature is completely under your control. If it didn’t have a name in its pre-life, you should name it. It’s kind of like a pet in that regard. Creating the minion requires using your Seamstress kit and a supply of corpse parts (typically feet, eyes, fingers, and other horrible “components”) to build the flesh and bone body of your minion. You must expend a spell slot to transform it from dead and rotting flesh into an obedient necropet. Once you have expended a spell slot to bring your zombomination to life, you may not regain that slot until the minion is “disassembled” or destroyed. You can fully heal it to full hit points using your Seamstress kit during a short rest.
The minion acts on your turn, though it doesn’t take actions unless you command it to do so. You may expend your move or action to mentally command the minion to move or act in a way in which it is capable. You may expend your reaction to allow it to make a reaction if it is capable.
The supernatural connection to your minion is taxing, and you may not magically summon nor command any creatures while your minion is active.
Add your proficiency bonus to your minion’s saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Your minion obeys your commands to the best of its abilities. On your turn, you may verbally command it to move, and you may use a bonus action to have your Minion use Disengage, Dodge, or Help actions (but not attack).
When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your minion can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your minion must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, use your spell attack modifier for the roll.
Fleshworks Minion
Tiny Undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 11
Hit Poits: 6 (1d8+1)
Speed: 20ft, Climb: 20ft
STR 10 (+0), DEX 10 (+0), CON 12 (+1), INT 3 (-4), WIS 6 (-2), CHA 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned, frightened
Senses: darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 8
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but cannot speak
Actions
Carry. The minion can pick up and carry or drop a single object weighing up to 5 pounds.
Weaponized Minion
At 6th level, your minion becomes a bit stronger, and you must use at least a 3rd level spell slot to sustain him. You are able to necromechanically attach the weaponized flesh of another being to your minion. It could be flailing tentacle, it could be a stinger, it could be an axe hand, or whatever you can think of. The weapon does 1d6 damage, and has a damage type of either piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning, based on what type of weapon it is.
You may use a bonus action to have it attack once per round. Add your proficiency bonus to your minion’s attack rolls and damage rolls, as well as any saving throws and skills it is proficient in.
Your minion has also grown in size (or had a lot of rotting mass added to it, anyway). It is now small (instead of tiny), and a bit sturdier.
Fleshworks Minion 2.0
Small Undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 13
Hit Poits: 14 (3d8+3)
Speed: 30ft, Climb: 20ft
STR 14 (+2), DEX 10 (+0), CON 12 (+1), INT 3 (-4), WIS 6 (-2), CHA 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
Condition Immunities: poisoned, frightened
Senses: darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 8
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but cannot speak
Actions
Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: The minion attacks with the horrible appendage you sewed to it. Its attack bonus is 2 + your proficiency bonus, it has a range of 5’, the damage type is appropriate to the weapon you crafted to it (ie, a stinger would be ‘Piercing’), and the damage is 1d6+2.
Carry. The minion can pick up and carry or drop a single object weighing up to 25 pounds.
Corpse Empathy
Beginning at 10th level, your connection to animated piles of corpses is second-nature. You gain advantage on Intelligence checks relating to understanding undead.
You’ve spent your adventuring time well (though some would disagree) – you have found a magical version of the weapon appendage! You’ve ripped off the original, useless, non-magical appendage and have instead attached a magical one. Choose from the table below to see what type of magical disgustingness you’ve added to your minion’s weapon.
Your corpsebuddy has also grown in size and strength again. Because of this, he now costs at least a 5th level spell slot.
Fleshworks Minion 3.0
Medium Undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 15
Hit Poits: 28 (5d8+5)
Speed: 30ft, Climb: 20ft
STR 16 (+3), DEX 10 (+0), CON 12 (+1), INT 3 (-4), WIS 6 (-2), CHA 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic, necrotic
Condition Immunities: poisoned, frightened
Senses: darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 8
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but cannot speak
Actions
Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: The minion attacks with the horrible appendage you sewed to it. Its attack bonus is 3 + your proficiency bonus, it has a range of 5’, the damage type is appropriate to the weapon you crafted to it (ie, a stinger would be ‘Piercing’), and the damage has increased to 1d8+3 + whatever magic effects you’ve chosen from the table below.
Frightful Presence. This thing is fucking scary. Anyone who is not an ally of you or your teammates, and is below your level, when encountering your minion for the first time (or in combat, starts its turn within 10 feet of your minion), must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + prof + int bonus) or be Frightened for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus. Once those rounds have passed, the person is immune to being Frightened again by the same minion (but if you build a new one, the person will again be subject to it).
Carry. The minion can pick up and carry or drop a single object weighing up to 50 pounds.
| Table of Terrible Magical Enhancements for your Weaponized Minion | |
| Arcane | The edge/tip/whatever of the weapon glows with a soft blue light. A guttural voice speaks a whispered curse in a forbidden language with each successful attack. Add 1d6 Force damage to successful attacks. |
| Blistering | The flesh of the weapon is covered in burning, oozing blisters. Much of the skin is charred. Add 1d6 Fire damage to successful attacks. |
| Buzzing | The weapon hums with electricity and the the hair on the weapon flesh stands up. Add 1d6 Lightning damage to successful attacks. |
| Caustic | The flesh of the weapon is covered in a greenish, steaming liquid that never dries. Add 1d6 Acid damage to successful attacks. |
| Cerebral | The flesh of the weapon is covered in indecipherable script and the occasional blinking eyeball. Add 1d6 Psychic damage to successful attacks. |
| Frigid | A soft, freezing mist emanates from the weapon, and the flesh is covered in goosebumps. Much of the skin looks frostbitten. Add 1d6 Cold damage to successful attacks. |
| Rotting | The skin of the weapon is in a state of perpetual decomposition, with sagging skin and exposed bone. Add 1d6 Necrotic damage to successful attacks. |
| Shiny | The weapon glows with a soft whitish-yellow light, and is accompanied by a low hum that sounds eerily like a chorus of angels (granted, they’re probably singing a condemnation of your terrible abomination, but whatever). Add 1d6 Radiant damage to successful attacks. |
| Venomous | The weapon is covered in the fangs of snakes and with every strike, makes a hissing sound. Add 1d6 Poison damage to successful attacks. |
META: You can recast your corpse dude every day to change his magical ability. Just make up an in-game reason why you do this and how it affects the magical ability. (ie, “I have a bag filled with pseudo-emballed, not-quite-rotting limbs, and every morning, I rip off the previous one and attach a new one.” NOTE: Your GM may make you keep a list of parts you’ve acquired.)
Corpse Champion
At 14th level, your minion has become the biggerest, betterest, and strongerest it’s ever going to be. It now takes at least a 7th level spell slot to keep his stinking, rotting dead parts from falling apart.
Your minion (Corpsitron) is so attuned to your movements, speakings, conditions, and magicks, that it knows when the best time to strike would be. That time is anytime you are in the precarious position of casting a spell. When you use your action to cast a spell, you can command captain zombieface to attack twice as a bonus action, instead of once.
Fleshworks Minion 4.0, a.k.a. CORPSITRON
Large Undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 17
Hit Poits: 39 (7d8+7)
Speed: 40ft, Climb: 20ft
STR 18 (+4), DEX 10 (+0), CON 12 (+1), INT 3 (-4), WIS 6 (-2), CHA 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons, and poison, psychic, necrotic
Condition Immunities: poisoned, frightened
Senses: darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 8
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but cannot speak
Actions
Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: The minion attacks with the horrible appendage you sewed to it. Its attack bonus is 4 + your proficiency bonus, it has a range of 10’, the damage type is appropriate to the weapon you crafted to it (ie, a stinger would be ‘Piercing’), and the damage has increased to 1d10+4 + whatever magical enhancements you gave it from the table above.
Foul. Your mass-of-diseased-flesh of a pet is now so large and putrid it emits a terrible odor at all times. Any creature other than long-time allies (because I guess they’ve gotten use to it?) of you that starts its turn within 5 feet of your minion must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of your minion for 1 hour.
Frightful Presence. This thing is fucking scary. Anyone who is not an ally of you or your teammates, and is below your level, when encountering your minion for the first time (or in combat, starts its turn within 10 feet of your minion), must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + prof + int bonus) or be Frightened for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus. Once those rounds have passed, the person is immune to being Frightened again by the same minion (but if you build a new one, the person will again be subject to it).
Carry. The minion can pick up and carry or drop a single object weighing up to 250 pounds.
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