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Choco
2010-08-05, 09:26 AM
So I am trying to come up with a decent necromancer cleric, and was wondering how I can get him to be the best possible necromancer a cleric can be. Really the main issue I am seeing is that even at level 20, the most powerful (based on HD) undead you can command is 10hd since you have to have double the HD of the target undead to command it. So yeah, what are all the ways a cleric can improve his necromancy?

hamishspence
2010-08-05, 09:38 AM
Desecrate spell + altar for high level animated dead.

Draconomicon for skeletons and zombies with no hit dice cap, and no doubling of hit dice in the case of zombies (must be dragons)

With the right domain, Polymorph Any Object can be abused to turn the corpse of a dragon into the corpse of another, much more powerful dragon of the same age.

Profit.

Ilmryn
2010-08-05, 10:03 AM
Or, if you are not afraid of some cheese:

1. Use aforesaid tricks (deathbound domain and desecrate) to get lots of HD you can animate.
2. Get some Candles of Invocation, or hire someone to cast gate for you.
3. Gate in two powerful outsiders with opposed alignments.
4. Let nature run its course.
5. Animate the corpse of the loser, dismiss the winner.

Used as it is, it gives you a powerful skeleton without quite climbing Pun-Pun's ladder, however more cheese is possible. Since HD is the only limit on whether you can gate in/animate a creature, infinite template stacking is possible. Instead of just summoning any old balor, you can summon an paragon psedonatural dragonkin balor. Since "there is always a bigger fish" this is entirely doable.

Maerok
2010-08-05, 10:23 AM
Well you don't have to control all of them. Just build them and aim them at your foes when the situation calls for it.

There are spells and such to augment your control capabilities. But Cleric 20 can do anything well so necro shouldn't be a problem.

Choco
2010-08-05, 11:05 AM
Well you don't have to control all of them. Just build them and aim them at your foes when the situation calls for it.

How could I reliably/safely do that? The problem with the Create Undead spells is they create powerful, intelligent undead that are not under your control. If the DM is feeling unusually brutal that day they can make all the undead I just created turn on me. Not like I am worried for my (un?)life or anything, just that it would be a waste of many resources if that happened.

DwarvenExodus
2010-08-05, 11:29 AM
Necromancers Handbook, 3.5 edition (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872726/Revised_Necromancer_Handbook)

Choco
2010-08-05, 11:32 AM
Cool, I'm gonna have to check that out when I get home. Blocked at work...

iDM
2010-08-07, 06:14 PM
Mystic theurge. Have him worship a god that gives death as a domain and make the wizard levels necessary to qualify for being a mystic theurge specialized Necromancer levels.

Marnath
2010-08-07, 06:26 PM
I don't remember what book it's in, but Dread Necromancer can control lots and lots of undead, i think.