Dread Necromancers

Another reader question!

This one asks:

Hypothetically, a PC Dread Necromancer (found in Heroes of
Horror, p. 84) takes the whole Corpsecrafter feat chain (found in
Libris Mortis p. 25, 25, 25, 26, 27, and 28.). What would happen when he achieves 20th level and becomes a Lich.
Would he:
A. Get all the benefits of the corpsecrafter feats, seeing as he is
now a self-crafted Undead.
Or
B. Just be a normal Lich.

I had to run down to my local bookstore for this one because I, unfortunately, do not own a copy of Heroes of Horror. I was able to find the book though and worked out a solution (kinda).

My knee-jerk response was to say no because the Corpsecrafter feats all only apply to undead created through the casting of a necromancy spell. After browsing the description of the Dread Necromancer and its class features, I feel fairly confident in my no. However, I could see a DM legitimately ruling that they do apply. The fact is, the description of the Dread Necromancer's level 20 transformation is vague. According to the text, the character simply undergoes a transformation into a lich. So, by a very basic reading of the rules, the feats wouldn't apply because there are no spells involved. The player simply poofs into a lich.

But, for a more role-play based explanation of the class feature, a DM may require a ceremony/ritual/sacrifice/etc. that may or may not be considered a "necromancy spell". Of course, even then, it's entirely up to the DM whether or not the corpsecrafter feats apply, but this does leave the possibility.

So, to summarize: According to the rules as written- B. Just be a normal Lich.
With some interpretation- Possibly either.

Thank you for playing, come again! :)

Tags: corpsecrafter, dread necromancer, lich, heroes of horror, libris mortis, Dungeons and Dragons, D&D, D20