Arcane Necromancer


Advice


For various RP reasons I've decided to build a human wizard necromancer for a campaign I'm playing in. I realize a wizard isn't the most efficient necromancer but it's what I've got to work with so I'm trying to make the best of it. I'm starting at level 3 with 20 point buy for abilities. Here is what I have so far:

Human Wizard, Necromancer specialist with the Undead variant, opposed schools are Abjuration and Enchantment.

Base stats are as follows:
STR: 7
DEX: 14
CON: 12
INT: 18 (20 w/ the +2 racial bonus)
WIS: 8
CHA: 12

I didn't dump charisma since it helps with Command Undead but perhaps 12 is too much?

For feats I was thinking of taking Combat Casting (given that so many Necro spells are touch it seems like this might be worth taking?), Improved Initiative, and Spell Focus (Necromancy). At level 9 I was thinking of taking Opposition Research (Abjuration). I looked at the Skeleton Summoner feat but it kinds of feels like a waste of a feat for just the ability to apply a skeleton template to Summon Monster I and III.

For a familiar I'm on the fence between a scorpion for the +4 init or a raven for RP purposes.

My goal is for the character to have the feel and creepiness factor of a necromancer without completely killing my ability to provide utility to the group.

Does anybody have any recommendations on how I can improve this build or perhaps I'm going in the wrong direction entirely? Please keep in mind that the character will be a human wizard and I realize it's probably the poorest mechanical choice for a necromancer. I'm looking for any feedback I can to salvage as much utility as I can. Input is greatly appreciated.

Sovereign Court

Though it's a 3.5 Handbook, I found this guide: ( http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872726/Revised_Necroman cer_Handbook ) immensely useful when I was in a period where I played nothing but necromancers.

You're going to want the Charisma -- command undead is ridiculously useful.

Liberty's Edge

You are going to be a little MAD with needing the Cha. I would also drop int by 1 just so you don't get a negative to your will save with the wisdom, or alternatively bump the cha a little more. You won't start with the +5 to int, but do you really need that at first level? Probably not, and a simply stat increase at 4 gets you back there.

One other recommendation is if this is a home game asking your DM about running a cleric who THINKS he is a wizard...

Sczarni

Alcomus wrote:

You are going to be a little MAD with needing the Cha. I would also drop int by 1 just so you don't get a negative to your will save with the wisdom, or alternatively bump the cha a little more. You won't start with the +5 to int, but do you really need that at first level? Probably not, and a simply stat increase at 4 gets you back there.

One other recommendation is if this is a home game asking your DM about running a cleric who THINKS he is a wizard...

Necromancy is full of spells that force saving throws, so starting with a +5 to Int would be quite useful indeed. And Will is a wizard's good save-- will -1 be that bad?

Wizards tend to be fairly light on feat demands, so there's time to take Iron Will later if you're worried about Will saves. Most of the nasty stuff that you need to make Will saves against doesn't come up until higher levels anyway.

My recommendation is to take a Craft feat. At 25gp per HD of the undead you want to create with Create Undead, being a necromancer can get expensive. If you can save some gold by crafting gear instead of buying it, so much the better. Taking a Craft skill could also be useful for scaring up extra gold when needed.

Speaking of skills, Charisma is important for more that just Channel Energy. You'll need it for your Bluff, Intimidate, or Disguise checks when dealing with NPCs who may be wary around the undead.


Silent Saturn wrote:
My recommendation is to take a Craft feat. At 25gp per HD of the undead you want to create with Create Undead, being a necromancer can get expensive.

I thought Create Undead was 50 gp per HD?


If it's allowed, get Blood Money for all of your undead raising needs.

Edit: Though it could be a little dangerous with low strength I suppose.

Edit 2: Actually, nevermind, at 50 GP/HD being the most expensive (I think?), it shouldn't be that bad. In most cases, you probably wouldn't need more than 1 or 2 points of damage or some more at much higher levels perhaps.

Shadow Lodge

dot


Note that necromancers will have no problem helping the rest of the party. You are a potent debuffer (starting at first level spells with cause fear, progressing to blindness/deafness at second level, and owning the debuff world with fear and enervation at fourth level). You rarely kill people directly in battle (even vampiric touch is ridiculously low damage compared to Mr. Beatstick the vanilla greatsword fighter -- and he gets to do it every round!), but once you start cursing people they won't be killing your allies.

And you still have powerful access to buff spells and control spells, a vast number of which are from conjuration or transmutation schools. Don't drop them. ;) Buff your friends, debuff your enemies, and collect the corpses when it's all over.

If you want to animate undead, be sure your party is cool with it and that it won't cause mobs of random locals to show up with pitchforks and torches, but otherwise it's a great way of getting enemies to expend their effort re-interring bones while your party profits. And don't forget command undead, the nice second-level spell that makes mindless undead your mindless slaves -- I don't think you really need the channelling ability to command undead, unless you're facing lots of low-level ones.

Sczarni

hobbes1020 wrote:
Silent Saturn wrote:
My recommendation is to take a Craft feat. At 25gp per HD of the undead you want to create with Create Undead, being a necromancer can get expensive.
I thought Create Undead was 50 gp per HD?

Turns out you're right, it is 50gp/HD. Well, then, my Craft advice is even more appropriate than I thought it was!

Luckily, with your Int you should have no trouble putting a few points into a Craft skill as well as Bluff/Disguise to hide your creations from the angry mobs.


So, what's wrong with using a wizard as a necromancer? I mean I remember a correctly focused cleric is better. But do you really believe it's so much better to disregard a wizard?


FireCrow wrote:
So, what's wrong with using a wizard as a necromancer? I mean I remember a correctly focused cleric is better. But do you really believe it's so much better to disregard a wizard?

I've been doing a lot of reading on this and the general consensus seems to be that if you're looking to play a true necromancer that mechanically the wizard is weakest. Cleric, oracle, and witch are all recommended over the wizard.


Wizards make perfectly good necromancers -- they're a very flexible full spellcasting class. Hard to go wrong. You'll be very capable at it,and you'll have a lot of other things to do as well. There's a lot of very good necromancy spells that don't involve undead.

Divine casters and some witches are better at animating undead, but "worse animator than a cleric" leaves a whole lot of room before you sink to "horrible idea"!


also think about taking the leadership feat and getting a cleric cohort built with necro in mind.


In my group a player plays an Human Wizard with the Archetyp Thassilonian Specialised (or whats called - its from Inner Sea Magic).
He dumped Str and Dex, Int should be as high as possible, Con and Cha second (He startet with: Str 8,Dex 7, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 15 or something like this). Don´t forget to make your wizard at least 35 (for age modifier). Cha is espeacially useful for the Command Undead Feat!

Look for an item that desecrates an area (your undead will thank you alot).
Use the Subschool Specialisation in the APG (Undead) to bolster your undeads.

Use the skeleton and Zombie templates to their fullest. Try to keep your CL as high as possible (more HD to animate). Take a trait that enhances CL for one spell (animate dead) and maybe thassilonian runes (the feat) for necromancy, so you can animate as 2 levels higher.

Use bloody (skeleton) and fast (zombie). It doesn´t count against your control hd. So it would be a waste if you don´t apply that. Sure its costy, but you won´t get a better minion!


I personally love the Gravewalker Witch archetype. Based on your stat distibution, it might be good as well to know that your hexes will be hard to save against as well.

Necromancy has a lot of useful touch spells but with 12 Con, you may not be able to make the most out of them. The gravewalking witch has an aura that grows in level which allows you to cast touch spells on anyone in the aura. You also get to try and control undeads within it without needing a spell slot.

All in all, I think its one of the best contender choices out there for a necromancy based character looking to support his group. Hexes such as healing makes for a quick heal at first, slumber can wreck encounter, Cackle/misfortune can help with creatures that have a high save, you get to keep your familiar but the spell list may require a bit more imagination.


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May I suggest taking the Experimental Spellcaster feat? If your GM allows it, the word Undeath is superior in almost every way to Animate Dead.


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So a thread necro of a thread about necromancers, well played.


Shub-Niggurath's cousin Al wrote:
May I suggest taking the Experimental Spellcaster feat? If your GM allows it, the word Undeath is superior in almost every way to Animate Dead.

What is that feat?

It seems interesting. Could you link it?


Near the bottom.

Oh... what the hey...

PFSRD wrote:

Experimental Spellcaster

Despite casting spells, you dabble in the art of wordcasting.

Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells.

Benefit: Select one class that grants you the ability to cast spells. You can now use the slots from that class to cast a limited number of words of power spells. Add all of the target words to your spell list and your spellbook, familiar, or list of spells known. In addition, add the boost meta word and one effect word of any level you can cast in the chosen class.

Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each additional time you select this feat, add two effect or meta words to your spellbook, familiar, or list of spells known.

Edit: ...oh my. You're right, Shub-Niggurath's cousin Al. Undeath (death) is free AND lower level. AWESOME.

Silver Crusade

This guide should help as well.

/pub.

Not sure how to rename a link, but is goes to a google docs file.


Dhampir (or human/half-elf/half-orc/scion-of-humanity-aasimar with racial heritage) cruoromancer wizard (necromancer[undead]).
huge bucket, FCB is stellar, all around great for building an undead army.

you can either play vanilla and juggle your onyx like a proper person, or take experimental wordcaster for the (componentless standard action) undeath word as stated above--note that undeath wordspell DOES NOT interact with desecrate, which means if you want similar buffs you'll need the undead master feat--the only case i find that breaks from brewer's guide to undeath's suggestions.

otherwise, buy scrolls of desecrate (or a voidstick--ignore the second effect it's a colossal waste of money, its the instant all-day free desecrate you want), get a 'reliquary' weapon/shield/armor (+150g, acts as a 'permanent altar' for desecrate)

also, read that guide. it will save you and your DM much headache and paperwork.

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