undead army 3.5

[Half-orc Bard]

I want my next character to have a lot of undead. I also want to be able to buff them up, but I can't choose between wizard,evil cleric,or mystic surge. Which is the best choice?

[TroubleBrewing]

Wizard. Almost no contest.

[Marriclay]

Wizard. Almost no contest.

wrong. Wizards are better at the spirit side of necromancy. your best best is to make a dread necromancer, as, once they hit level 8, they are the skeleton horde platform, with bonuses that nobody else can match to all of their undead.

for everything you want to know about the care and raising of undead, read this (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5584.0)

and also, if you can't swing dread necromancer, at least take cleric with the deathless domain

[Jack_Simth]

I want my next character to have a lot of undead. I also want to be able to buff them up, but I can't choose between wizard,evil cleric,or mystic surge. Which is the best choice?
Depends a little on level.

A Cleric-8 can, in theory, have an uncapped horde of undead slaves: Command a wight. Instant control of the leader, who controls the rest.

Even if you don't go that route, though, there's another reason for the Cleric: Animate Dead is a 3rd level spell - suitable for making into an oil. Give the oil of animate dead to followers, have the followers apply the oil. You tell the followers what to do, the followers tell your undead squads what to do. Everyone goes home happy (except the enemy).

A Sorcerer, however, can use Chain Spell and Extend Spell on Command Undead (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandUndead.htm), and get a LOT of them under temporary command that way.

[Set]

Dread Necromancer then Cleric, IMO.

A Wizard-Necromancer has to wait two more levels to Animate Dead, and doesn't get a command / rebuke pool, putting him in distant third place as an option.

Undead Leadership can help any of these to have some extra flunkies, as well, and if you feel like cherry-picking some Domains, you can gain the ability to rebuke creatures with the Fire subtype, which includes some undead, doubling up on the rebuke limits.

There are an abundance of ways to boost one's effective Cleric level for Turning/Command purposes, starting with the Improved Turning feat, and including the Phlactery/Amulet of Undead Turning and some other stuff listed in the various guides to Turning / Clerics / Necromancy. The second post in the guide linked upthread (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5584.0) lists three such items that would allow someone with only a single level of Cleric to command a 5 HD undead (granted, you won't be able to afford that stuff, but start with Improved Turning and pick them up as you go).

[OldTrees]

if you can't swing dread necromancer, at least take cleric with the deathless domain

Wrong. Necromancers, especially with the focused specialist variant, control more undead than Clerics (excluding Chain Spawning Techniques).

Invest in the Command Undead spell.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Cleric or dread necromacner nuff said, The wizard's one advantage is access to the disguise undead spell.

One thing to keep in mind is, DON'T piss off your DM and fellow players by having a big army during an en counter. When your turn takes more then everyone else combined its not cool.

For my evil cleric I never took more then two big beefy undead minions into an encounter. Such as my zombie skullcrusher ogre and a skeletal wartroll. One of them had class levels before death but that just meant higher base scores no additional HD. I had a few other things on stand by like the skeletal razorboar and a wraith I rebuked but I tried to take only two with me at a time for the sake of being decent.

It may be better to focus on quality then a quantity that will bog down encounters. Keep the bulk of your army on guard duty.

[Marriclay]

It may be better to focus on quality then a quantity that will bog down encounters. Keep the bulk of your army on guard duty.

Heh, yeah, but say you get yourself a pair of fire-giant skeletons. not only are they immune to both fire and cold, they can probably dish out more damage than the party barbarian if they're fighting the same monster.

however, you have to keep in mind that undead raising requires a generous DM. sure, if there's an established place where giants live, you can probably go wandering around you meet one, but otherwise it's what the DM drops in front of you that you have to use, and nothing else. there isn't, after all, a chart for bodies/level

[OldTrees]

Once you get high enough level you could always use Polymorph any Object to create corpses.

Some note I took on creating large but finite armies.
Short Guide to large finite Undead Armies (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154158)

[Runestar]

Heh, yeah, but say you get yourself a pair of fire-giant skeletons. not only are they immune to both fire and cold, they can probably dish out more damage than the party barbarian if they're fighting the same monster.


You mean there are better choices for animate dead than hydras? :smalltongue:

[Foryn Gilnith]

Is Mystic Theurge (with early-access) not worth considering?

[Darklord Xavez]

Is Mystic Theurge (with early-access) not worth considering?

Dread Necromancer 3/Cleric 3 (domains: death/whatever)/Mystic Theurge 10/whatever else you want 4.
-Xavez

[Ferrin]

Dread Necromancer 3/Cleric 3 (domains: death/whatever)/Mystic Theurge 10/whatever else you want 4.
-Xavez

Ehm, no, you don't get the key ability why Dread Necromancers can command so many undead, not to mention that mystic theurge sucks without early entry tricks. Also; mystic theurge doesn't advance Rebuke Undead.