In two weeks ill be starting a new campaign, I've decided on playing a necromancer, however I don't know exactly how to start it.
We will be starting from level 1 and I know at that level, at best, you're basically running around looking for undead that are already created to take control of. But what is the best route to take to becoming a great necromancer? Cleric, oracle, wizard, sorcerer, or witch?
We normally don't get past mid levels so that alone got me leaning more towards cleric and oracle and away from wiz./sor. But I've also heard some good things about the witch that I haven't looked into at all.
The cleric archetype undead lord is what im looking into now, simply because the class starts out with one minion, but does anyone else have any better ideas?
If you want undead minions, then you want to be a cleric. You get Animate Dead as a 3rd level spell (As opposed to wizards/sorcerers getting it as a 4th level spell). Witches and oracles don't get Animate Dead.
You can allow channel negative energy, which lets you heal your minions (take Selective Channeling so you don't harm your party members as well), and you can also take the Undead Command feat.
The Undead Lord archetype does seem to be good for a minion-oriented necromancer. The only drawback is it requires you to choose the Death domain, and you lose your second domain. But you get a free minion, the Command Undead feat for free, and are really good at healing undead (all undead, including yourself if you happen to be undead.)
Play a Dampir and you can heal yourself with the negative energy.
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Personally, I don't think a witch will fit the stereotype of necromancers. I mean, wiches are good, but mostly as party debuffers. They cackle and have an evil eye and cook children for dinner, but they don't raise undead armies.
I suggest an Oracle. More specifically, a Haunted Oracle of Bones, follower of Pharasma. Kinda a "grey" necromancer. Or a Juju Oracle cursed with Tongues (Abyssal).
Raise skeletons at 1st level? Check. Abilities and spells to control life and death? Check. Coolness factor due to having spirit souls around you all the time? Check.
As a GM, I like when players are more interested in the flavor than in optimizing and min-maxing their characters. And an Oracle lets you have lots of flavor.
Actually, you must choose to harm, or heal, not both, no matter what type of energy you channel. Selective channel is still useful when you want to harm enemies, but not allies, a first pick for clerics. I suggest a neutral deity so you can grab Versatile Channeler.
Negative Energy Affinity: Dhampires are alive, but reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead—positive energy harms it, negative energy heals it.
Channel Energy (Su)
A good cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric of a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric can cast spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
Actually, you must choose to harm, or heal, not both, no matter what type of energy you channel. Selective channel is still useful when you want to harm enemies, but not allies, a first pick for clerics. I suggest a neutral deity so you can grab Versatile Channeler.Negative Energy Affinity: Dhampires are alive, but reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead—positive energy harms it, negative energy heals it.
Channel Energy (Su)
A good cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric of a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric can cast spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
Channel Energy (Su)
A good cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships an evil deity)channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric of a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric can cast spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
Channel Energy (Su)A good cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships an evil deity)channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric of a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric can cast spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
So a cleric either channels positive or negative. However positive heals living or damages undead, etc.
A dampir is healed like an undead by negative energy that is intended to heal undead.
Good try, but you missed the point.
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric.
So even channeling negative energy, you only ever harm living creatures, or heal undead creatures. You don't do both at the same time. (Something I had forgotten, as I don't play Pathfinder)
So even channeling negative energy, you only ever harm living creatures, or heal undead creatures. You don't do both at the same time. (Something I had forgotten, as I don't play Pathfinder)
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric.
Correct.
I think that, if you wish to play a necromancer, don't focus on the whole necromancy thing.
My (and oddly enough my group's ) favorite wizard was a necromancer whom I roleplayed as an autistic savant (magic items and stat topped at 22) who was capable of producing volumes of hard information. The dm would allow me to read stat block descriptions for cities, monsters, and persons of fame/interest.
His con stat was so low that I was taking a -3 penalty on health every level. effectively dying as the game progressed. thusly, he had no ill will towards others, but very interested in prolonging his life via the dark arts.
I made no untoward actions, implied that i was anything else but a mal-adjusted wizard, and the magic I was using was always vs. the monsters and bad guys.
Unfortunately due to another player with a very short attention span and patience level, he blew the ambush we were attempting, and my guy received the business end of a spiked chain. due to the level we were facing, he ate a one-shot-kill and went on before he could ever 'bloom'.
the general plan was, due to several 3rd party sources(3.5 e) the character was planning several variants, like one of the players waking from unconsciousness with necromantic grafts, animating recently dead characters, and eventually making himself the scourge of the party to become 'immortal'.
The Witch with a plague patron gets the most important undead spells:
Plague: 2nd—detect undead, 4th—command undead, 6th—contagion, 8th—animate dead, 10th—giant vermin, 12th—create undead, 14th—control undead, 16th—create greater undead, 18th—energy drain.
The Gravewalker witch even gets animate dead at 6th level.
On top the gravewalker gets the Aura of desacration and a special ability that lets her control undead at first level.
So I think my first choice would be the witch.
For an animating necromancer go Undead Lord Cleric, you get a minion from level one, get Command Undead for free, can heal your minions with negative energy (and yourself at 8th level). For a nasty combination to the "blasting" option of channel negative, worship Urgathoa, take the
feat: Shatter resolve fro Faiths of Corruption, now every time an enemy fails a save versus your channelled energy they are shaken for a number of rounds equal to the dice of damage they have just taken, do it again to make them frightened instead.
Juju Oracles can animate up to 6x their level in undead, plus their zombies get maximum hit points.
Gravewalker Witches get a number of nifty abilities, if you don't mind waiting a few levels.
For the dubuffing and general snuffing-out-of-life caster, it has to be the Necromancer itself. Grab an Athame (from the APG) now you can pretty much spontaneously cast all you necromancy spells as you see fit.