Building a necromancer

[Rezby]

So I plan on creating a character who basically uses this (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3310.0) build. Thinking of going down Archivist/Dread Necro/Master of Shroud. Flaws will be allowed. DM gives 1 LA for free.

What would be a good race for that? Also I'd welcome to any suggested feats or alternative builds to get a powerful necromancerish character.

EDIT: We're starting the game at level 7.

I'm also taking Leadership and having an Artificer Cohort who is going to use the Clone trick (http://web.archive.org/web/20070717224238rn_1/boards1.wizards.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-554668) to basically win at crafting forever.

Question: Can someone who is already a Cohort take Leadership? Cohort is basically your second PC, and I don't recall any RAW rules against such. My DM's a pretty chill guy, he's not going to ban even the most ridiculous of things (although too cheesy will get you partykilled in my group faster than my exalted thri-keen monk could use Mind Blast).

[JoshuaZ]

Feytouched would probably be good since they get a bonus to charisma. Can be found here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a).

[HunterOfJello]

Tier System for Templates (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7044.0)

Magic Blooded is a +0 template from 3.0 that gives +2 cha, -2 wis among other things.

Dark Creature is usually favored by beguilers, dunno if a dread necro would benefit from it as much.


*edit*

also, http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php is a good website that has templates indexed (click on the link for 3.0 on the left to find Magic Blooded)

[Rezby]

Those are nice. Definitely going to add the Magic-Blooded template since its 0 LA and it trades my nigh-useless Wis for my one actually used ability, Cha. (woo SAD)

Considered going with Illumian from Races of Destiny, or maybe an Azurin or Duskling from Magic of Inarnum (though I'm not that familiar with the whole Essentia system, is it worth it for my build?) I don't know much about this, what do you guys think?

I'm also a relative newb at 3.5, so I'd appreciate, it if you guys also gave the sourcebook where you got the race from as chances are, I don't know that off the top of my head.

Edit: Dark looks nice, but not nice enough for a +1 LA. I'm comparing LA given here to a Feral template, which gives me not too shabby stats (though that -4 int hurts me right in the skills) and Nat armor and Fast healing and +10 speed. Also claws for if I ever decide to just start trolling my DM and having my necromancer just bloody charge.

[Dusk Eclipse]

How about a magic blooded aasimar? You get +4 Cha and +0 Wis.
also some good immunities you are an ousider so you are immune to some spells and you also get martial weapon proficiencies and some AWESOME RP posibilities.

A celestial descendant that took the path of necromancy?

Edit: Aassimar is the MM I and in the SRD.

[Rezby]

Aasimar is nice, but I don't think its that nice.

[HunterOfJello]

An Aasimar who was corrupted and infused with magic somehow would be pretty cool.

That'd be:

Magic Blooded Aasimar (descended from a Good Outsider)
+0 Wis
+4 Cha
Medium Size
• 30’ Movement
• Level Adjustment +1
• Outsider (native)
• Acid, Cold, & Electricity Resistance 5
• Daylight (1/day) at Character level.
• +2 Racial bonus on Listen & Spot checks
Low-Light Vision.
+2 Racial bonus on Spellcraft checks & the skill can be used
untrained.
+2 Racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks & the skill can be
used untrained.
Gain the following spell-like abilities at Character level.
- Detect Magic, 1/day.
- Nystul’s Magic Aura, 1/day.
- Nystul’s Undetectable Aura, 1/day.
- Read Magic, 1/day.
Favored class becomes ‘Sorcerer’.

Aasimar would be found on Monster Manual pg 209 or Races of Destiny pg 92 or here (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Races.pdf). And Magic Blooded is from Dragon Magazine 306 pg 64 or here (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.0Index-Templates.pdf).



Aasimar lean heavily toward Good. Magic Blooded lean toward Chaotic.

So a book of opposite alignment would make you naturally lean towards Lawful Evil, which would work well if you worship Wee Jas or Vecna like most Necromancers.

[FlamingKobold]

For extra fun, make it lesser aasimar for no level adjustment. Unless there's LA buyoff, in which case you're fine with a +1.

[Rezby]

Do you guys think a Feral Magic-Blooded Lesser-Aasimar would be a good racial build? Or is there a better opportunity?

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I hope this monstrosity isn't being unleashed on an unsuspecting and unwitting GM who was expecting normal characters...

[Rezby]

Nah, Michael's used to my mini-munchkining. Our players are Jay and James, who play a melee class tank and a ranger, I always forget which. There's connor, who either exploits psionics for all the dickery he can, or the pixies permanent greater invisibility racial ability (he basically has to roll a 13 to get a crit, assuming AC 25 (which is roughly average for our CR 7 party). And finally Stephan, who plays the funniest he can be (snowball, the awakened psionic domestic housecat. Then a hydra. Then a half-dragon.) I played a fire hobgoblin, then a feral VoP mind flayer class-race, then a feral VoP thrikeen monk.

Stephan just killed the evil wizard overlord, and thus now has control over all the undead in the area, and basically the world. He's also evil aligned. I think michael's new plot is going to be have the rest of the party try to beat stephan.

This is what happens when the DM doesn't try very hard at being a DM.

[Ravens_cry]

*edit*

also, http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php is a good website that has templates indexed (click on the link for 3.0 on the left to find Magic Blooded)
Now I want to play a Fleshvigor Necropolitan that looks like a victorian version of Charlie (http://www.thezombiehunters.com/cast.php#7) from 'Zombie Hunters'
Cold and austere, with grey skin that seems a bit to tautly stretched over his frame, and a habit of cleaning up after battle.

[Rezby]

I decided to go with a Magic-Blooded Feytouched (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a). Was this a bad idea/was there a better one (ie was there a template I could have taken had I been a lesser aasimar)?

EDIT:

Scratch that. Fire-Souled (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Templates.pdf) Magic-Blooded (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.0Index-Templates.pdf) Lesser Celadrin (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Races.pdf). Lesser is from page 190 of Player's Guide to Faerun. Its a template/variant in that it takes away the LA of any Planetouched (RAW) by making them subject to both hold/dominate/whatever person spells and banishment spells. Unless you're doing PvP, people aren't going to assume that you're an outsider and cast banish on you.

My starting stats are going to be 8 Str, 16 Dex, 12 Con, 10 Int, 10 Wis, and 24 Cha, after racial modifiers, if you use the 'standard array' my group has been using of 16, 14, 14, 12, 10, 8.

EDIT EDIT: I failed my reading check. Archivists use Int, not Cha, as their casting stat.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: So Its a Dread Necromancer/Cloistered Cleric/Master of Shrouds. I'mma ask the DM tomorrow if I can play an arcane version of the prestige class so I can completely drop the cloistered cleric via rebuilding.