[Necromancing the Stone]

according to this http://thaypw.org/showthread.php?tid=2031, Liches must have the brew potion feat and a caster level of 11.

My question is, do levels in Palemaster count toward this? Secondly, do bard levels count (it only enumerates sorcerers, wizards, and clerics)?

Palemaster would seem like an obvious precursor class to full lichdom, but mechanically, palemaster does not provide caster levels.

This may be a moot question, as if you are going to be a lich, taking PM levels would be the Redundancy Department of Redundancy (maybe).

Thanks in advance for putting up with totally noobish questions.