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View Full Version : True Necromancer help... yeah, I'm a slow learner



wormwood
2010-01-22, 10:18 AM
So, in a campaign I played quite some time ago, I played a true necromancer. The build was a straightforward wizard 3/cleric 3/true necro 10 when we ended the campaign. Toward the end I hated the character for all the lost spell levels.

Anyway, I'd like to build a true necromancer that doesn't suck AS bad. I was thinking of using wizard and archivist to get some Int synergy for casting stat. That leaves a couple of requirements out, though... Rebuke Undead and the Death domain. Are there any classes out there I can take a 1 level dip in to pick those up that might work better with an archivist/wizard than a cleric level? Is there a feat or alternate class feature that will let me pick up a domain as an archivist/wizard?

Best I've come up with so far is wizard 1/archivist 3/cleric 1/mystic theurge 10/true necromancer 5. That gives me 8th level wizard spells and 9th level archivist spells at level 20. The cleric level is just kinda dead weight, though.

suggestions?

mikej
2010-01-22, 10:23 AM
Have you ever considered Dread Necromancer [HoH] ?

wormwood
2010-01-22, 10:24 AM
Yep, sure have, and if i actually played in a campaign I would likely play that instead. This is more of a thought exercise on how I could have made my previous character not suck. Well, not suck as badly.

HCL
2010-01-22, 10:35 AM
Yep, sure have, and if i actually played in a campaign I would likely play that instead. This is more of a thought exercise on how I could have made my previous character not suck. Well, not suck as badly.

Cleric or Dread necro. Dual progression does not work well for a necromancer at all.

Optimystik
2010-01-22, 10:45 AM
Cleric or Dread necro. Dual progression does not work well for a necromancer at all.

Dual progression works fine. True Necros problem is that it isn't dual progression for too many of its levels.

If it was 14/14 per side, or even 13/14, it wouldnt be so bad. but 12/14 means losing 4 CL over the course of your career, barring you from 9ths and slowing your progression to 8ths.

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-22, 11:10 AM
Dread Necromancer 1/Wizard 3/Ultimate Magus 10/True Necromancer 6

Needs Southern Magician or that Dragon Mag feat to work, but fits the bill.

Cleric version:

Cleric 3/Wizard 1/Mystic Theurge 2/True Necromancer 14


Needs Precocious Apprentice and Focused Specialist trick (for the school you need on the Wizard's side, which should be Conjuration if I remember TN's requirements correctly).

HCL
2010-01-22, 11:12 AM
Oh actually I should mention ur priest, that would help a lot. Also, Pale Master

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-01-22, 11:42 AM
Early entry shenanigans could allow you to mix Mystic Theurge with True Necromancer and get 9th level spells in one class by level 20. If the standard early entry cast-X-level-of-spells tricks won't work make it a female half-drow and use Yathrinshee from PGtF page 187. Use Precocious Apprentice to get Spectral Hand and the PH2 spontaneous domain casting variant with Versatile Spellcaster to get Animate Dead at Cleric 3. Go something like Wizard 1/ (Cloistered) Cleric 3/ Yathrinshee 3/ True Necromancer 5/ Mystic Theurge 8, for 17th level Cleric and 16th level Wizard spellcasting at level 20. Yathrinshee only requires two specific spells, not general spells of X level, so that early entry trick should work if others fail.

Starscream
2010-01-22, 11:48 AM
Well, Dread Necromancer is an arcane class, so you could always just go cleric/dread necro/true necro.

Still probably not as good as pure cleric or pure dread necro, but a DN gets some actual class features, including additional uses of Rebuke Undead. Might be the best way to stack up the rebuke attempts and control a whole army.

Optimystik
2010-01-22, 11:55 AM
Early entry shenanigans could allow you to mix Mystic Theurge with True Necromancer and get 9th level spells in one class by level 20. If the standard early entry cast-X-level-of-spells tricks won't work make it a female half-drow and use Yathrinshee from PGtF page 187. Use Precocious Apprentice to get Spectral Hand and the PH2 spontaneous domain casting variant with Versatile Spellcaster to get Animate Dead at Cleric 3. Go something like Wizard 1/ (Cloistered) Cleric 3/ Yathrinshee 3/ True Necromancer 5/ Mystic Theurge 8, for 17th level Cleric and 16th level Wizard spellcasting at level 20. Yathrinshee only requires two specific spells, not general spells of X level, so that early entry trick should work if others fail.

Precocious Apprentice and similar tricks explicitly work with TN, because it requires one specific spell on either side rather than the standard "spells of X-level."

Don't use Yathrinshee - They lose yet another caster level from the outset, and a TN build can't afford to do that.