Neon lights, thumping beats, and impeccable fashion are the calling cards of necrodancers, spellcasters that saw the potential for animate dead to create the greatest troupe of backup dancers of all time. A necrodancer’s minions don’t shamble aimlessly, but instead move in perfect rhythm with one another, busting fresh moves and in turn empowering their master through choreography.
Footloose
Starting when you choose this ambition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics and Performance skills if you don’t already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.
Additionally, you gain proficiency with the rapier, scimitar, shortsword, and whip.
Backup Dancers
At 3rd level, each of your thralls gains the ability to take the Dance action, which allows it to dance until the start of its next turn. When one or more of your thralls are dancing, you gain a number of benefits shown in the Backup Dancers table. You also gain a special bonus to your Armor Class, attack rolls, damage rolls, Charisma (Performance) checks, and saving throws called a Backup Dancers Bonus. Your Backup Dancers Bonus starts as a +1 and increases as you gain additional dancers.
Charnel Groove
Also at 3rd level, your touch confers the need to dance. When you hit with a Charnel Touch attack and expend 5 or more points, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be compelled to dance until the end of your next turn. A creature that can’t be charmed automatically succeeds on this saving throw. For the duration, the target must use all its movement to dance without leaving its space and has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws.
Necrodancer Spells
When you choose this ambition at 3rd level, you learn additional spells as noted in the table below. Each of these spells counts as a necromancer spell for you, but doesn’t count against the number of necromancer spells you know.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Nothing |
| 2nd | Nothing |
| 3rd | Irresistible Dance |
| 4th | Nothing |
| 5th | Nothing |
Graveyard Tango
Starting at 6th level, you can spend 5 points from your Charnel Touch pool as a bonus action to bestow your grace and style on an ally. Choose a willing creature other than yourself that can see or hear you to gain your Backup Dancers Bonus until the start of your next turn.
Disco of the Dead
Beginning at 10th level, your minions groove outside the bounds of space and time. Whenever one of your thralls takes the Dance action, it enters the Ethereal Plane until the start of its next turn. While ethereal, the thrall is still faintly visible in a blur of disco lights.
| Backup Dancers | Backup Dancers Bonus | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | You can use your bonus action to take the Disengage action. |
| 2 | +1 | You can use your bonus action to take the Dash action. |
| 3 | +2 | You can use your bonus action to make one melee weapon attack. |
| 4 | +2 | You can take two bonus actions on your turn instead of one, as long as both bonus actions are different and granted to you by this subclass. |
| 5 | +3 | When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. |
| 6 | +3 | Attacks made against you have disadvantage. |
Lichdom: Thriller
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of necromancy and transformed yourself into a lich. You appear ageless, with smooth, alabaster skin, and boast an uncanny grace and rhythm. You gain the following features in addition to the Lichdom feature:
Dance-Off. You can use your action and expend 20 points from your Charnel Touch pool to magically challenge up to ten creatures you can see within 60 feet of you to an impromptu dance competition. A creature that can’t be charmed is unaffected. Make a Charisma (Performance) check. Each creature you challenge must succeed on a contested Charisma (Performance) check or take 8d6 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and doesn’t have disadvantage.
Moonwalk. You and each of your thralls are always under the effect of the spell freedom of movement.
Smooth Criminal. Your Dexterity and Charisma scores become 20 if they were lower.