Another character that I have been considering, is an undead animating necromancer. I'm planning on using this mostly for PbP so I don't have to worry about slowing down the table while I figure out the stats for a Bloody Owlbear Skeleton or whatever.
I don't want to be too exclusively focused on animate dead though. If the party has a paladin or cleric of Pharesma in it, I'm not going to be a jerk and animate in front of them. But there are lots of other useful spells. I can always buff if nothing else.
Seems like Dread Gnome would be the classic race to use as far as what is PFS legal.
I'm not sure what class though. Most that I have seen are wizards, but animate dead comes later for them. Cleric lets you channel to heal your undead, but then you start to want all your abilities to be good. There's also the oracle of bones and undead bloodline sorcerer.
Remember that PFS has the limitation that you can't carry your undead over from one scenario to the next (bummer). You have to animate something found during the scenario. What have you seen to work out well or not so well in PFS style play?
chirp
Really? No one has an opinion on which class makes a better necromancer?!?
Clerics make good necromancers. Desecrate to improve them.
Careful in PFS, I believe undead do not carry from one adventure to the next, so this can get expensive. Necromancy does have a lot of nice other spells though. Ray of enfeeblement, false life, vampire touch etc.,
Likely the best Necromancer is an Oracle with the Juju mystery.
Note this revelation-
Spirit Vessels (Su): You can channel wendo spirits into lifeless bodies, reanimating them to aid you. When using the animate dead spell, you can control 6 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level rather than 4 HD. In addition, any zombies or juju zombies you create using animate dead, create undead, or similar spells possess maximum hit points.
Other revelations improve your necromancy as well.
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Careful in PFS, I believe undead do not carry from one adventure to the next, so this can get expensive...
Absolutely true. So I will have to be careful about not wasting too much money on them.
Likely the best Necromancer is an Oracle with the Juju mystery....
Unfortunately, Juju mystery is not PFS legal.
Ok, been playing around with several builds.
I think I could make the most powerful animating necromancer using a neutral cleric of the Whispering Way. However, that leaves me having to worship a pretty hideous deity/philosophy. I certainly can role play that out, but I'm not sure how much I would enjoy it long term.
The arcanist and wizard animators are certainly quite powerful and probably has the best non-animating necromancy spells. Won't have to deal with a real icky deity. But can't really animate until about halfway through his career. So seems to be kinda losing the focus.
The Sorc animator just didn't seem to work out that well to me. (Except as a dip and bloodline for the arcanist.)
The Oracle of Bones animator seems like the best be so far. I can start with an (admittedly weak) undead servant right at first level. Get the other primary animating abilities almost as quick as the cleric. The particular spells and magic items are just a quick rough cut. Don't get too hung up on those. I am certainly open to suggestions on changing those.
Female gnome oracle 11 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 42)
N Small humanoid (gnome)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+8 armor, +2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 102 (11d8+44)
Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +13; +2 vs. illusions, +2 bonus vs. fear and despair, +2 vs. spells or effects that use negative energy or cause negative levels, +2 vs. spells or effects that cause ability damage, drain, or penalties, +2 trait bonus vs. charm and compulson
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee quarterstaff +6/+1 (1d4-3)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +18)
. . 3/day—touch of fatigue (DC 20)
. . 1/day—bleed (DC 14), chill touch (DC 15), detect poison, touch of fatigue (DC 14)
Oracle Spells Known (CL 11th; concentration +18)
. . 5th (5/day)—breath of life (DC 22), mass inflict light wounds (DC 25), khain's army (DC 25), slay living (DC 25), telekinesis
. . 4th (7/day)—air walk, blessing of fervor[APG] (DC 21), fear (DC 24), inflict critical wounds (DC 24), communal protection from energy[UC]
. . 3rd (8/day)—animate dead, blindness/deafness (DC 23), dispel magic, inflict serious wounds (DC 23), prayer, speak with dead (DC 23)
. . 2nd (8/day)—lesser animate dead[UM], desecrate, false life, inflict moderate wounds (DC 22), levitate, minor image (DC 19), communal protection from evil[UC], silence (DC 19), unliving rage[ACG]
. . 1st (8/day)—bless, cause fear (DC 21), decompose corpse[UM] (DC 21), inflict light wounds (DC 21), liberating command[UC], ray of sickening[UM] (DC 21), sanctuary (DC 18)
. . 0 (at will)—bleed (DC 20), create water, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 17), guidance, mage hand, mending, purify food and drink (DC 17), read magic, stabilize
. . Mystery Bones
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Statistics
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Str 5, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 24
Base Atk +8; CMB +4; CMD 16
Feats Command Undead, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Necromantic Affinity[ISWG], Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration, Undead Master[UM], Varisian Tattoo[ISWG]
Traits birthmark, magic is life
Skills Acrobatics +2 (-2 to jump), Bluff +11, Craft (alchemy) +5, Diplomacy +11, Disguise +11, Heal +5, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +17, Perception +12, Ride +3, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +15, Stealth +20, Use Magic Device +8
Languages Common, Gnome, Hallit, Sylvan
SQ eternal hope[APG], oracle's curse (haunted), revelations (armor of bones, raise the dead, spirit walk, undead servitude)
Other Gear quarterstaff, amulet of natural armor +2, belt of mighty constitution +2, cloak of resistance +5, handy haversack, headband of alluring charisma +4, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, 865 pp
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Special Abilities
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Armor of Bones +8 (11 hours/day) (Ex) +8 AC.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Eternal Hope (1/day) +2 save vs. fear and despair. 1/day, reroll a 1 rolled on 1d20.
Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy) +1 to the Save DC of spells from one school.
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Necromantic Affinity You resist necromantic effects and heal as if undead
Raise the Dead (11 HD, 2/day) (Su) Summon a 11 HD Bloody Skeleton, Fast Zombie, Skeleton, or Zombie to serve you.
Spell Focus (Necromancy) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spirit Walk (11 rounds, 1/day) (Su) Become invisible and intangible and move in any direction, but can only move.
Undead Master Animate and command more undead
Varisian Tattoo (Necromancy) Spells from chosen school gain +1 caster level.
Let me know your thoughts.
Here is one of the Best guides ever.
I personally love the Wizard class and think it does a fine job as a necromancer. Access to both forms of Command Undead goes far as Undead is a common enemy. Grab those up and kill things...reanimate the killed things...rinse and repeat.
Also the guide IS PFS specific. So enjoy that as well.
Wow, that is a better guide than the others I've seen. Hmm... I may have to give wizard another look.
Wow, that is a better guide than the others I've seen. Hmm... I may have to give wizard another look.
Defiantly, The Author loves the Necromancy like I do. My favorite school of magic. Many of his combos are really nice. I'm a fan of Magic Jar + Animate tactics.
I think the guide is hilarious too...lots of good humor.
I prefer Arcane bond over the familiar myself...I love making me Half priced ring of Invisibility. Also the 1 extra spell on demand from your books is Utility that I like having on hand (Haha get it? Its a ring...its on hand...hehe). I know the wand wielder Familiar is the stronger option but it is also the more costly option. But the Item does allow 1 more of your highest level spells. I think of the silver bullet for the day.
Yeah, I would probably also pick the bonded item.
Which opposition schools did you pick?
Yeah, I would probably also pick the bonded item.
Which opposition schools did you pick?
Always:
Enchantment- I would rather buy scrolls of Heroism and I never miss anything else the school has to offer. Most do not work to buff your undead anyways.
Take your Pick:
Evocation- You can get "Blast" spells from Conjuration.
Divination- A little rougher start but most the spells do better on scrolls anyways. As well as being of more use in your downtime. The only downside is taking up 2 slots for detect magic...big whoop after levels 2+. Not going to kill you at all.
If you feel bad about giving up either Divination or Evocation then pick it back up with opposition study Later. But Enchantment is easily the best throw away school.
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Yeah, I would probably also pick the bonded item.
Which opposition schools did you pick?
Always:
Enchantment- I would rather buy scrolls of Heroism and I never miss anything else the school has to offer. Most do not work to buff your undead anyways.
Take your Pick:
Evocation- You can get "Blast" spells from Conjuration.Divination- A little rougher start but most the spells do better on scrolls anyways. As well as being of more use in your downtime. The only downside is taking up 2 slots for detect magic...big whoop after levels 2+. Not going to kill you at all.
If you feel bad about giving up either Divination or Evocation then pick it back up with opposition study Later. But Enchantment is easily the best throw away school.
I followed that guide when I created my Wizard (Necromancer). I love Necromancy, it is also my favorite school. I would not take Enchantment as an opposition school in PFS because Feeblemind is so good. I have taken many BBEG out of the fight on round one using Feeblemind.
I took Illusion and Divination as my opposition schools. Since I do not mind losing an extra 0-level spell slot to have Detect Magic. A strong spell I would recommend if you are worried about not animating around Paladins and Clerics of Pharasma is Boneshatter. Lots of damage and the ability to exhaust is nice, it is also a Fort save so good for use against the Divine caster types ( I tend to Feeblemind arcane casters.)
As a note, I took a familiar. In the early levels having an extra +4 initiative was key to survival. At level 7 I got a certain improved familiar from a boon that uses my wand of Ill Omen to make my debuffs better.
Many times I find Animate Dead less useful then using the Command Undead channel ability to take some nasty undead. So I would recommend getting the Improved Channel and Quick Channel with a decent Cha.
I followed that guide when I created my Wizard (Necromancer). I love Necromancy, it is also my favorite school. I would not take Enchantment as an opposition school in PFS because Feeblemind is so good. I have taken many BBEG out of the fight on round one using Feeblemind.Yeah, I would probably also pick the bonded item.
Which opposition schools did you pick?
Always:
Enchantment- I would rather buy scrolls of Heroism and I never miss anything else the school has to offer. Most do not work to buff your undead anyways.
Take your Pick:
Evocation- You can get "Blast" spells from Conjuration.Divination- A little rougher start but most the spells do better on scrolls anyways. As well as being of more use in your downtime. The only downside is taking up 2 slots for detect magic...big whoop after levels 2+. Not going to kill you at all.
If you feel bad about giving up either Divination or Evocation then pick it back up with opposition study Later. But Enchantment is easily the best throw away school.
Feeblemind is a 5th level spell and hardly worth the wait...by Level 9 you could easily take opposition research to gain back the School. Yes feeblemind is a great spell verses Arcane casters. But like most Enchantments it is an All or nothing effect. Unlike a good majority of necromancy spells which have a effect even if saved against.
But I could not agree more with a decent CHA and Undead master + improved Channel. Very good ability as I have seen many undead minions roll poorly on the save and get grabbed up.
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Likely the best Necromancer is an Oracle with the Juju mystery.
Note this revelation-
Spirit Vessels (Su): You can channel wendo spirits into lifeless bodies, reanimating them to aid you. When using the animate dead spell, you can control 6 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level rather than 4 HD. In addition, any zombies or juju zombies you create using animate dead, create undead, or similar spells possess maximum hit points.
Other revelations improve your necromancy as well.
What book is that mystery in?
Wow, that is a better guide than the others I've seen. Hmm... I may have to give wizard another look.
Though there is still some disagreement, according to what I have read the fast zombies and bloody skeletons suggested in the guide are not PFS legal.