Level 6, huh?
Wizard 1-5/
Agent of the Grave 1
And finish Agent of the Grave before going back into Wizard...
Hmm, well, Elf can start with the Indurstrious Urbanite and Overwhelming Magic alternative racial features... that will give you two free Spell Focus feats... one of which has to be Spell Focus Conjuration, but the other is up to you to choose (probably Necromancy). Gnomes can get Fell Magic, which helps with Necromancy, too.
Let's just run with that aforementioned Industrious Urbanite, Overwhelming Magic Elf...
20pt buy (w/ racials):
10,12,12,19,12,10
Traits:
(region) Paragon of Speed
... +2 Initiative
(magic) Magical Knack
... +2 CL for Wizard (max = HD)
Undead Master Wizard
1. Arcane Bond/Corpse Bond
... Dagger (Necromancer's Anthame)
1. Arcane School/Necromantic Focus
... Conjuration
1. Opposition Schools
... Enchantment
... Illusion
1. Command Undead 3+Int/day
1(class): Command Undead
1(race): Spell Focus Conjuration
1(race): Spell Focus Necromancy
1(level): Improved Initiative
2.
3(level): Augment Summons
4. Stat Bump: Int +1 (20)
5. Reanimator
5(level): Undead Master
Agent of the Grave
6./1. Inspired Necromancy
6./1. Lich's Touch
6./1. Unholy Fortitude
At 6:
BAB +2
Base Saves +2/+1/+5
CL 5 (6 w/ trait), 3rd level spells
Continue through Agent of the Grave 5, then go back into Wizard. I think that should do pretty well. I have heard that Undead Master Wizard is best played without using Necromancy as your focus School. Use summoning as well as Necromancy, and you should be able to maintain quite the army... pollute the battlefield with your minions.
Without going down the rabbit hole of multiclassed Mystic Theurge Necromancers... I think your Wizard will do just fine. Agent of the Grave is necessary, though, for anyone serious about Necromancy.
PS. Wear a pirate hat.
Tiefling Necroccultist Occultist
1: Implements 1 (necromancy), necromantic bond
2: Implements 2 (abjuration)
4: Shift focus
5: Ghostly horde
6: Implements 3 (illusion)
Feat :Combat Casting, Soulbound Puppet (necromancy),Spell Focus: Necromancy, Aegis (abjuration), Bouncing Spell, Energy Shield.
If your goal is to create a veritable zoo of beefy undead minions, I would suggest Juju Oracle with Spirit Vessels revelation for 6HD per caster level for your animate dead bucket.
Go something like this:
Go Dual Cursed Oracle if you want, but not required.
lvl1Oracle1 Spell Focus (Necromancy), Revelation: Undead Servitude
First Bucket: Undead Servitude
Max HD Undead = your Level, which atm is 1HD
lvl2O2
lvl3O3 Spell Specialization (Lesser Animate Dead), Revelation: Spirit Vessels
lvl4O4
lvl5O5 Feat: Varisian Tattoo (Necromancy), if you go Dual Cursed, pick Any Revelation you want here.
lvl6O6 (Now you get Animate Dead, Switch Spell Specialization to Animate Dead)
Second Bucket: Animate Dead
Animate Dead Bucket should be CL9 x 6HD = 54HD, and no single Undead can be greater than 18HD, a single Undead created in a Desecrate can be 36HD
Undead Servitude Bucket should be 6HD.
lvl7AotG1 Undead Master
Undead Servitude is now 11 HD
Animate Dead Bucket should be CL10 x 6HD + 6HD(AotG1) = 66HD, a Single Undead from Animate Dead can now be 28HD, or 56HD if animate it in a Desecrate.
Your Max HD for Animate Dead gets counted Twice for each level of AotG you take, so instead of 6HD/level, it's now 12HD/level for these next 5 levels of AotG.
lvl8AotG2
lvl9AotG3 Heighten Spell
Why Heighten? Because you don't want your Command Undead spells to fail, and sometimes you have to ensure that with taking higher level slots.
lvl10AotG4
lvl11AotG5 Extend Spell, use Secrets of Death to pick up Command Undead from the Wizard/Sorc list
Third Bucket: Command Undead
Start preparing multiple Heightened Extended Command Undead spells as 3rd, 4th, and 5th level spells each day, and cast it on every Undead you can create/find. Your Extended Command Undead lasts 3 days/level, so recast it on them as it falls off. It should last 33 days starting now, so get a metric butt ton of Undead and keep recasting it on them as soon as the spell duration expires, otherwise they'll attack you and you might have to destroy them. And this causes sad Necromancer noises. You can also use this spell to pick up anything that goes "over" your Animate Dead bucket.
Your Undead Servitude bucket is now 15HD.
Your Animate Dead bucket is now 14CL x 6HD + 30HD(AotG5) = 114HD, a single Undead can be 36HD, or 72HD if you animate it in a Desecrate.
lvl12O7 Any Revelation
lvl13O8 Any Metamagic Feat
lvl14O9
lvl15O10 Spell Perfection (Animate Dead)
Undead Servitude is 19HD
Animate Dead Bucket is now 21CL x 6HD = 126HD max, a single Undead can be 50HD, or 100HD if you animate it in a Desecrate.
Extended Command Undead now lasts for 45 days.
All of your Animate Dead casts are based upon your Caster Level, so these above numbers are based on class abilities and feats alone, and not items. Get an Orange Prism Ioun Stone and Prayer Beads of Karma to boost your CL, and these numbers will all go up.
As far as a simple equation for figuring out how big and beefy you can make a single undead with Animate Dead, it's:
[(Caster Level + 4Undead Master)x2] x2 again if Desecrate
If you want to get froggy with the multi-classing and slightly nerf your early/mid game, you can go Oracle4-->Wiz3-->MysticTheurge3-->AgentOfTheGrave5-->MT8 and this is how you end up being the best necromancer ever. But it doesn't start getting awesome until level 10-11 ish
If you want to get froggy with the multi-classing and slightly nerf your early/mid game, you can go Oracle4-->Wiz3-->MysticTheurge3-->AgentOfTheGrave5-->MT8 and this is how you end up being the best necromancer ever. But it doesn't start getting awesome until level 10-11 ish
And this is the exact rabbit hole I was referring to. Lol.
1(race): Spell Focus Conjuration
1(race): Spell Focus Necromancy
Where does the second race bonus feat come from?
I greatly apricated all of the advice so far, and any other words of wisdom that can be provided is always welcome.
Illustrious Urbanite: City elves have a remarkable ability to combine magic harmoniously with their surroundings. They gain Spell Focus with conjuration, illusion, or transmutation spells as a bonus feat. When casting spells of this school, the elves can choose to have the spell leave undamaged any building or structure that would normally be affected. This racial trait replaces keen senses. PPC:HotS
Overwhelming Magic: Some elves obsess over the fundamentals of magic, training for decades to add layers of potent spellwork before they ever begin practicing true spells. This builds a foundation that makes their magic increasingly difficult to resist. These elves gain Spell Focus as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces elven magic and weapon familiarity. Source PZO9280