Request for assistance building a gestalt 5th level Dread Necromancer

[Jasper1972]

Hi all,

First post here. I looked at the character build thread, but it looks like it died out, so I thought I'd post here. Still, I'll use the format they outlined, as it seemed like a good one.

Q.1. Could you please give me suggestions for a gestalt 5th level dread necromancer/(not sure)?
Books: No restrictions, so long as they're WOTC 3.5
Race: Nothing with a level adjustment
Class: Dread Necromancer looks cool, but I can't decide on the other half
Ability Scores: 32 point buy
Alignment: LN
House Rules: DM says we're gonna be low on magic items for the campaign, so I can't rely on a "Rod of blah" to boost my undead minions.
Concept: The rest of the party is probably gonna be good, so I'll be the black sheep of the party (definitely the only Tomb-Tainted Soul - I'm assuming this'll be my first feat). We're playing resurrected champions who have been brought back at diminished power. I'm thinking about an arrogant Lich lord, who has his alignment switched from LE to LN due to being brought back from the dead (the restoration of his soul). Something like if Azalin were suddenly reborn, only with a conscience.
Other: This character will most likely be played through level 20, perhaps beyond, but not sure. So I'd also love some advice on where to go with him after 5th level. Pale Master? True Necromancer?

Finally, I'm looking to double-dip, as it were, on my good stats. Assuming that Dex and Cha are both high, what other classes rely on just those two that would be a good boost. Bard with the Requiem feat? Hexblade (though that requires dipping into Int, and Str)? Straight up Sorcerer?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :smallsmile:

[Malicte]

Maybe not the most optimal thing, but Bard with Requiem, or PrCing into Dirgesinger are both fun and useful.

Also interesting is a Warlock. Thin about it: Pile on the corpsecrafter feats from Libris Mortis, take the 'The Dead Walk' Invocation, to animate every body you can find, for free, once per turn. Even if it's not permanent (which may sit a little better with your good-aligned party), the undead created this way are still just as strong as any other, and even more likely to die, exploding for multiple d6s of negative energy damage, also healing you, if you happen to be nearby.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

First off, if you plan on playing at or beyond level 20, DO NOT PrC out of True Necromancer. At level 20, you get a +4 LA template FREE.

Bard is not a bad choice. He's got a lot of skills that could be handy, and the spell list is widely divergent from your True Necromancer spell list. Requium to be able to affect your undead minions with your bardic music.

Hexblade or Duskblade are both solid choices, as they both bring your full BAB.

But if you want to get really really nasty? Crusader. It's healing is not a Conjuration (healing) effect, so it doesn't harm you, even with Tomb-Tainted. From there you can go into all kinds of interesting things.

Oh, here's a better idea: True Necro//Bard4/Crusader16. Take Requium and Song of the White Raven. Obliterate everything in your path.

[Khatoblepas]

Dread Necromancer 20//Warlock 5/Sand Shaper 1/Walker in the Waste 10/Escalation Mage 4

OR

Dread Necromancer 20//Warlock 6/Sand Shaper 1/Walker in the Waste 10/Paladin of Tyranny 2/Monk 1

18th Level Invocations, 20th level Dread Necromancer casting, Dry Lich template, and lots of tasty new spells for you. (You might need Arcane Disciple (Sand or Thirst) to get into WiTW) You gain a d12 hit die with Cha to HP (which is better than the Lich template.), full turning progression, and you only need a couple of feats to make it work. And with CL18 invocations, you can have an Uttercold Blast which heals your skeletons. You can also make Salt Mummies. 75% fortification helps against rogues who can crit undead.

Escalation Mage is just gravy. Replace it with whatever if you wish, but I like it.

Retrain, Embrace/Shun, or Reform away Tomb Tainted Soul once you're undead.

If you're willing to slip back into LE and don't want Escalation Mage, consider Paladin of Tyranny. -2 to saves, Cha to Saves, along with Fear Aura is awesome. A level of Monk (or a Monk's Belt) and Ascetic Mage is a must also. You don't want to be in melee when you have all those meatshields doing it for you!

[mabriss lethe]

by 5th level, you can afford and "survive" transformation into a necropolitan, so you could already be playing an undead with no LA and the ability to get up to CL 20 just like any other mortal class all while keeping those tasty undead immunities and the like (plus all your HD become d12s). You have to find a way to become living/breathing again in order to complete your lich transformation at 20. As a side note, it frees up a feat slot because Tomb-Tainted soul is now obsolete for you. all it costs is gold and XP (you'd start out a bit behind the others, but that would be quickly remedied.

For your other half of the gestalt:

Binder: Better HD than dread necro(not an issue if you go necropolitan) , an extra good save (fort and will) A degree of Charisma synergy, A wide variety of useful powers that scale well with level. Lots of flexible options that isn't covered in the necromancy school. Many of them passive effects, meaning that you don't have to waste that most valuable of gestalt resources with the class, actions.

TOB Initiators (any): All have good or better HD than the dread necro, i can't remember the saves off the top of my head, but you should be able to squeak an extra save or two out of the mix at the very least. They'll be solid choices if you plan on slugging it out in melee at any point. Those stances and counters are rather nice things to have when you're in the thick of things.

Warlock: Charisma and Dex synergy, both of which should be pretty high in a dread necro, no real change in saves or HD (very good choice for a necropolitan) Gives you a handful of At-will abilities that dread necro can't net you. (flight springs to mind.) There's not a whole lot of extra book-keeping involved, so you'd be able to streamline you character a bit. It makes the action go by much faster when you don't have so many resources to manage. I'd avoid The Dead Walk. Sure, it's a cool idea, but you can already summon and create undead that can be walking bombs if you take the corpsecrafter line. Pick up either Fell Flight or Flee the Scene instead. Mobility of self is more useful than another ability that gives mobility to corpses. Going Dread necro//Glaivelock would be a pretty nasty gestalt. Pick up soulreaving aura for extra kicks and go to town.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

The more I think about Warlock, the better it looks. Glaivelock is good for melee, with things like Flee The Scene, Fell Flight, and Retrobutive Invisibility for good defense. It's not as good as Crusader as far as increasing melee ability, but not bad.

Don't bother with Necropolitian. You have everything you need out of it with Tomb Tainted Soul, and don't screw you out of your template later on.