Best Choices For Necromancer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best Choices For Necromancer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
mists_cloud
03-03-07, 02:52 AM I have recently been building a Necromancer, but I need some tips and spell selection, feats, items, any other things.

Much appriciated.:D
JulesCARV
03-03-07, 04:34 AM Well, the best necromancers are generally clerics of whichever god or religion handles that sort of thing in your setting.

In default D&D/Greyhawk, that would probably mean Nerull or Wee Jas. In Eberron, the Blood of Vol is a solid choice. As for other settings... not so sure.

If you have access to Libris Mortis, then tomb-tainted soul could be good, since you can heal yourself with your spontaneous inflict wound spells. LM's Corpsecrafter-type feats are also nice.

With Complete Divine, there are always the ol' Divine Metamagic tricks that are good for all clerics.

If you're going core only, there aren't many feats that are good for a necromancer per se, particularly one of the "animate zombies, ghouls, and such" type (as opposed to the "save or die" type, who benefits from spell focus, spell penetration, etc), although extra turning (rebuking) and improved rebuking will generally help get any undead under control, and of course there are feats that can help you in general, if not with necromancy in particular. For instance, you might take point blank shot and precise shot to be able to hang back and shoot with a crossbow while your minions mix in up hand-to-hand. Item creation feats like Craft Wondrous Item are always good.

What books do you have?
mists_cloud
03-03-07, 04:44 AM I have practically all of them apart from dungeonscape and magic compendium.

yes, but the problem is that i'm CG, and I suppose it'd be good to have a crossbow, then i could make it a spell storing one, and plant death spells in them, What type of familiar? I'm looking for a strong one.
Thiez
03-03-07, 07:35 AM By 'Necromancer', do you mean a Wizard Specialist? If so, what schools did you drop?
obrysii
03-03-07, 08:46 AM Dread Necromancer makes the best undead-summoning necromancer type.
Karish
03-03-07, 09:33 AM I agree with obrysii. Dread Necromancer is personally what I'd consider the way to go.

Otherwise, I would make a hybrid Cleric of <death god/dess> and Wizard (Necromancer). Figure out which spells in the Wizard list you either will not be using or can replace with cleric spells, and prohibit yourself in those. I personally take off abjuration and use part of my cleric list for defense magic, then nix enchantment because I rarely if ever need that sort of magic with how I work.

Going with the Cleric/Wizard mix, I would suggest writing up all your necromancy spells ASAP. Clerics should grab rebuke undead, negative energy stuff, and beef up with cure spells (replaced by inflict as needed) and defense spells, then move up to your clerical necromany at a slower rate.

Note: If you can get the Repose Domain, get it. Death Domain, get it. Both can be useful in one way or another, from personal experience. In addition, look into becoming undead, so you can remove cure spells from your list for other protection/necromancy spells.
stackmachine
03-03-07, 10:34 AM another good option, if u go for long-term-builds would be like this:

build 6 levels of warlock with focus on necromany-related invocations like reaving aura, frightfull blast, the dead walk (animate dead), voracious dispelling...

take in between those warlock levels 3 levels of a cleric for turning, inflict spells + summon undead spells, combination with tomb-tainted soul is a very good suggestion, i agree there.

now u qualify for the prestigeclass eldrich disciple: u ll have stacking levels in warlock + the divine class with more spells coming, stacking levels for turning and a decend bang by your eldrich blast all day with no need for crossbows and such. add some invocation like fell flight and u can dominate the field from above while your minions are doing the rest.

one tactic could be to use corrupting blast (which reduces the targets will-saves) and bring on the mummies with their fear-aura . :)

if u go for minions, concider the corpse-crafter, destruction retribution and augment summoning and u ll have created REAL monsters, that explode with negative energy when destroyed, hence healing you and the rest of your gang.

just my two copper...
JulesCARV
03-03-07, 01:18 PM Well, if you're going to be chaotic good, I guess that nixes my ideas, since clerics make the best necromancers when they rebuke undead (requires being neutral or evil) and can cast [evil] spells. I suppose a sorcerer or wizard would work. Since it seems like non-evil necromancy (which excludes undead minions) is mainly focused on "save or become weaker or die" style, then boosting your necromancy saves with spell focus and maybe greater spell focus might be good. Dread Necromancer, of course, doesn't allow CG alignment, so I suppose you'll just have to be a wizard-necromancer or a sorcerer-necromancer. I suppose you could be a clerical necromancer too, using spells like inflict wounds, harm, slay living, etc, but I think that if you don't want to be an evil undead-animator type, arcane necromany might be slightly more flexible. I'm not expert, though.
Karish
03-03-07, 04:42 PM Going with a good necromancer is an interesting challenge. My standards typically make me LN or TN, because of my personal views on death and the concept of the undead, but considering it, you would have to go with a straight Wiz or Sor.

I personally would take Sorcerer in this case, and look into create a robe that acts with a +1 protection bonus and gives an effect identical to the undead controlling property some armors have. It would cost as much as the +1 undead controlling aspect of the armor, but not the price of any kind of masterwork armor. Skull Mask might help, too.

The concept of undead command with good necromancers is typically that they do not. However, this can be altered. Let us say evil undead are in question. Imprisoning an undead by making it have to obey you is like how medieval prisons capture and imprison living people, except that you would also be forcing them to go under a process of atonement for wickedness by making them work for the good guys. Mindless undead, such as zombies or skeletons, lack intelligence, and regardless of what the 3.5 change says they cannot have alignment because that requires the ability to think. These cannot do so, and are quite literally soulless, mindless bodies, which only act because the necromancer places their will inside the undead. If the body was used with consent or as punishment for evil acts, it is permissable.

Also, creating sentient undead would not be a problem. Given you are making them, your own life force is the catalyst to make their "life", and their alignment will be identical to your own. So you're making good undead, not evil ones. Generally, you would also be the type like an "animal rights activist" for undead. Wear a button that says "Ghouls are people too." and things like that.
Tempest Stormwind
03-03-07, 05:16 PM This tells you everything you need to know. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=599129)
mists_cloud
03-04-07, 06:38 AM I'd like to also have a dragon as a familiar but it seems to not suit the class, my dm is willing to let me have the blackguard's 'familiar', would that be a wise choice?
also, what would be the best race?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mists_cloud 03-03-07, 02:52 AM	I have recently been building a Necromancer, but I need some tips and spell selection, feats, items, any other things. Much appriciated.:D
JulesCARV 03-03-07, 04:34 AM	Well, the best necromancers are generally clerics of whichever god or religion handles that sort of thing in your setting. In default D&D/Greyhawk, that would probably mean Nerull or Wee Jas. In Eberron, the Blood of Vol is a solid choice. As for other settings... not so sure. If you have access to Libris Mortis, then tomb-tainted soul could be good, since you can heal yourself with your spontaneous inflict wound spells. LM's Corpsecrafter-type feats are also nice. With Complete Divine, there are always the ol' Divine Metamagic tricks that are good for all clerics. If you're going core only, there aren't many feats that are good for a necromancer per se, particularly one of the "animate zombies, ghouls, and such" type (as opposed to the "save or die" type, who benefits from spell focus, spell penetration, etc), although extra turning (rebuking) and improved rebuking will generally help get any undead under control, and of course there are feats that can help you in general, if not with necromancy in particular. For instance, you might take point blank shot and precise shot to be able to hang back and shoot with a crossbow while your minions mix in up hand-to-hand. Item creation feats like Craft Wondrous Item are always good. What books do you have?
mists_cloud 03-03-07, 04:44 AM	I have practically all of them apart from dungeonscape and magic compendium. yes, but the problem is that i'm CG, and I suppose it'd be good to have a crossbow, then i could make it a spell storing one, and plant death spells in them, What type of familiar? I'm looking for a strong one.
Thiez 03-03-07, 07:35 AM	By 'Necromancer', do you mean a Wizard Specialist? If so, what schools did you drop?
obrysii 03-03-07, 08:46 AM	Dread Necromancer makes the best undead-summoning necromancer type.
Karish 03-03-07, 09:33 AM	I agree with obrysii. Dread Necromancer is personally what I'd consider the way to go. Otherwise, I would make a hybrid Cleric of <death god/dess> and Wizard (Necromancer). Figure out which spells in the Wizard list you either will not be using or can replace with cleric spells, and prohibit yourself in those. I personally take off abjuration and use part of my cleric list for defense magic, then nix enchantment because I rarely if ever need that sort of magic with how I work. Going with the Cleric/Wizard mix, I would suggest writing up all your necromancy spells ASAP. Clerics should grab rebuke undead, negative energy stuff, and beef up with cure spells (replaced by inflict as needed) and defense spells, then move up to your clerical necromany at a slower rate. Note: If you can get the Repose Domain, get it. Death Domain, get it. Both can be useful in one way or another, from personal experience. In addition, look into becoming undead, so you can remove cure spells from your list for other protection/necromancy spells.
stackmachine 03-03-07, 10:34 AM	another good option, if u go for long-term-builds would be like this: build 6 levels of warlock with focus on necromany-related invocations like reaving aura, frightfull blast, the dead walk (animate dead), voracious dispelling... take in between those warlock levels 3 levels of a cleric for turning, inflict spells + summon undead spells, combination with tomb-tainted soul is a very good suggestion, i agree there. now u qualify for the prestigeclass eldrich disciple: u ll have stacking levels in warlock + the divine class with more spells coming, stacking levels for turning and a decend bang by your eldrich blast all day with no need for crossbows and such. add some invocation like fell flight and u can dominate the field from above while your minions are doing the rest. one tactic could be to use corrupting blast (which reduces the targets will-saves) and bring on the mummies with their fear-aura . :) if u go for minions, concider the corpse-crafter, destruction retribution and augment summoning and u ll have created REAL monsters, that explode with negative energy when destroyed, hence healing you and the rest of your gang. just my two copper...
JulesCARV 03-03-07, 01:18 PM	Well, if you're going to be chaotic good, I guess that nixes my ideas, since clerics make the best necromancers when they rebuke undead (requires being neutral or evil) and can cast [evil] spells. I suppose a sorcerer or wizard would work. Since it seems like non-evil necromancy (which excludes undead minions) is mainly focused on "save or become weaker or die" style, then boosting your necromancy saves with spell focus and maybe greater spell focus might be good. Dread Necromancer, of course, doesn't allow CG alignment, so I suppose you'll just have to be a wizard-necromancer or a sorcerer-necromancer. I suppose you could be a clerical necromancer too, using spells like inflict wounds, harm, slay living, etc, but I think that if you don't want to be an evil undead-animator type, arcane necromany might be slightly more flexible. I'm not expert, though.
Karish 03-03-07, 04:42 PM	Going with a good necromancer is an interesting challenge. My standards typically make me LN or TN, because of my personal views on death and the concept of the undead, but considering it, you would have to go with a straight Wiz or Sor. I personally would take Sorcerer in this case, and look into create a robe that acts with a +1 protection bonus and gives an effect identical to the undead controlling property some armors have. It would cost as much as the +1 undead controlling aspect of the armor, but not the price of any kind of masterwork armor. Skull Mask might help, too. The concept of undead command with good necromancers is typically that they do not. However, this can be altered. Let us say evil undead are in question. Imprisoning an undead by making it have to obey you is like how medieval prisons capture and imprison living people, except that you would also be forcing them to go under a process of atonement for wickedness by making them work for the good guys. Mindless undead, such as zombies or skeletons, lack intelligence, and regardless of what the 3.5 change says they cannot have alignment because that requires the ability to think. These cannot do so, and are quite literally soulless, mindless bodies, which only act because the necromancer places their will inside the undead. If the body was used with consent or as punishment for evil acts, it is permissable. Also, creating sentient undead would not be a problem. Given you are making them, your own life force is the catalyst to make their "life", and their alignment will be identical to your own. So you're making good undead, not evil ones. Generally, you would also be the type like an "animal rights activist" for undead. Wear a button that says "Ghouls are people too." and things like that.
Tempest Stormwind 03-03-07, 05:16 PM	This tells you everything you need to know. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=599129)
mists_cloud 03-04-07, 06:38 AM	I'd like to also have a dragon as a familiar but it seems to not suit the class, my dm is willing to let me have the blackguard's 'familiar', would that be a wise choice? also, what would be the best race?