So I've got a blank check...

[MrRigger]

Or at least that's what I've been told. I'm playing a solo campaign (level 10 Necropolitian Dread Necromancer) with a character I built for a different campaign. That one fell through, but my buddy is running this one for that character. Now the other campaign started me off with gimped WBL, having only level 9 Wealth on a level 10 character. But anyway, what I'm here for.

At the end of the last conversation (we play via Skype), my character was in the City of Shade (in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Anauroch Desert), a metropolis with more than 25,000 people run by a cadre of spellcasters with the Shade Template. So even if it isn't quite the magic mart Sigil might be, it's still not bad. The current plot hook is that my character was just hired by a baron to track down a cure for vampirism for the baron's son, apparently hidden away somewhere in the Spine of the World. Intellectually, my character is skeptical, but there was a whole thing with a legend about the cure, and it was a tragic story, and it's the current plot hook, so I'm not going to fight it. Sounds like it could be interesting.

Apparently the baron has already sent teams out to search for this cure, and one team found something, though they all died to "something unseen and magical", so I was hired to deal with that guy, and "whatever magical counter measures there might be". When I told him I would have a list of what items wouldn't be strictly necessary but highly suggested, he gave me a semi-blank check to take care of things. I don't want to break the game, I don't want to destroy WBL, but I am nearly 11th level (already past it by XP gain since I've solo'd quite a few CR appropriate creatures, but I level by DM fiat) and I'm still mostly operating with a 9th level character's wealth. This is compounded by the fact that when I originally did itemization for this character, I was in a much more rounded party, containing an Arcane Heirophant and a Crafting Wizard, so I was free to spend pretty much all my starting wealth on undead related items (because that is the focus of my character, undead). However, now that it's a solo campaign, I need to be much more rounded, so I'm looking for some items that would be good preventive measures. Since it was mentioned that the guardian was unseen, I'm already picking up a Wand of See Invisibility for my UMD Imp familiar, and I'd like to pick up a pair of Boots of Big Stepping for the caster level boost to my Teleport spells and the 1/day get out of danger free card. But I'm coming to the Playground for any other suggestions.

Current Items Owned:

Rod of Undead Mastery
Ring of Lesser Desecrate
Minion's Coffin
Vest of Resistance +2
Amulet of Wisdom +2
Cloak of Charisma +2
Phylactery of Undead Turning
Bag of Holding Type I
+1 Mithral Breastplate
Disguise Kit
Masterwork Composite Longbow w/10 arrows
+1 Chain Shirt (on one of my zombies)
Masterwork Greatsword (on same zombie)
Headband of Intellect +2 (currently in bag cause I don't have space to wear it)
Ring of Protection +1
Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (why I haven't smashed this yet I don't know)
Wand of Bull's Strength (37 charges)
2 sections of 50 foot rope
writing supplies
map of the southern lands (2 years old and won't help me in the Spine of the World)
cooking ware

MrRigger

[Mr.Smashy]

You should really invest in a Hewards Handy Haversack, to include alot of the mundane items.

Couple things to think of:
Spell component pouches are waterproof. It says so specifically in the description text. Place your tindertwigs in one of these. Keeps them safe and dry.
Crushed chalk can substitute for flour or other powder to help see invisible creatures. And it can also help you mark your way in a dungeon.

Pitons, Climb kit
Steel Mirror-see around corners.
Feather tokens.....Dear god can a variety of these things save your life someday. and most are dirt cheap too.
Adamantium Dagger. Used to break into things people dont want you in.
Acid, Alch Fire, Univ Solv, Delver Acid, anything else Alchemical. Holy Water for use against evil crap, and the other three (opposed alignment here) waters. Scrolls of Awaken Undead, Enervation, (insert awesome spell here), So you don't have to do it with your own spells.

You literally need to be a one man party. Hoping you took Tomb Tainted Soul so you can constantly heal yourself with some Charnal Touch Mozzerella.

[MrRigger]

Didn't take Tomb Tainted Soul, but I'm a Necropolitian, so I'm undead, meaning that would a redundant feat. Apparently the previous group sent out to find it were non-magical in nature (which is why I was called in, to deal with the magic) actually found the clearing the cure is supposed to be in, so it can apparently be done without spells. Supposedly. If the fluff is correct.

MrRigger

[Daftendirekt]

I'm confused why an an undead necromancer with undead minions needs cooking ware.

[faceroll]

Being undead covers a lot of bases (breathing underwater, dealing with poison, sleep, etc), but you're going to want a method of flying. There's a list of items on these forums of really great items you should have. Maybe someone has a link for it?

[MrRigger]

I'm confused why an an undead necromancer with undead minions needs cooking ware.

They were part of the loot (along with the rope and map) found in a camp that had been slaughtered by a Gray Render (now one of my zombies). And I don't want to be caught in a situation where I have to take a -2 penalty to my Profession (gourmet chef) roll for improvised tools. Every plus counts, or dire things could happen.

MrRigger

[grarrrg]

I'm confused why an an undead necromancer with undead minions needs cooking ware.

He's an adventurer on an adventure.
OF COURSE he needs cooking ware.

Just as Mr. Gamgee...

[JaronK]

Since you're already Necropolitan, there's a ritual you can do that costs a small amount of money and experience and gives you the ability to teleport short distances at will, at a cost of con damage and a little hitpoint damage. You're immune to the first and can easily heal the second, so that could really help. It's called the Ritual of Shadow Walking, costing 2kexp and 500gp.

JaronK

[MrRigger]

I don't think I've heard of that one before. What book is it in?

MrRigger

[Kol Korran]

i don't have any books which include the dread necromancer, so some of what i might say may sound silly, but here are some thoughts:
- wands of inflict light wounds (or the opposite of lesser vigor) to heal you and your zombies.
- potions or partially depleted wands of various utility spells: exp retreat, fly, haste, comp lang, speak with dead, stone shape invisibility and the like. a wand of shield's faith does wonders to keep your zombies up and about.
- eye of improvisation from MIC gives you a +5 to any skill once a day. costs about 1000. i think it's worth it.
- where do you keep your zombies? you mentioned a grey render zombie. that must be hard to hide. (DO you hide your zombies? in FR i'd imagine quite a few clerics after necromancer's hide).i suggest to either invest in a bigger bag of holding or, if you can afford it- a portable hole.

btw, given your list of items, you're way more than 9th level WBL. i got to 32,000, and that is only from the items i know.

good luck with your game! :smallsmile:

[JaronK]

I don't think I've heard of that one before. What book is it in?

MrRigger

Lords of Darkness.

JaronK

[MrRigger]

i don't have any books which include the dread necromancer, so some of what i might say may sound silly, but here are some thoughts:
- wands of inflict light wounds (or the opposite of lesser vigor) to heal you and your zombies.
- potions or partially depleted wands of various utility spells: exp retreat, fly, haste, comp lang, speak with dead, stone shape invisibility and the like. a wand of shield's faith does wonders to keep your zombies up and about.
- eye of improvisation from MIC gives you a +5 to any skill once a day. costs about 1000. i think it's worth it.
- where do you keep your zombies? you mentioned a grey render zombie. that must be hard to hide. (DO you hide your zombies? in FR i'd imagine quite a few clerics after necromancer's hide).i suggest to either invest in a bigger bag of holding or, if you can afford it- a portable hole.

btw, given your list of items, you're way more than 9th level WBL. i got to 32,000, and that is only from the items i know.

good luck with your game! :smallsmile:

Yes, I am hiding my zombies, they are stored in my Minion's Coffin (which can carry 18 corporeal undead, carried around by the most humanoid one (a Githyanki zombie) which is posing as a mute bodyguard hidden by a good Disguise score on my part. I don't think Lesser Vigor has a negative energy counterpart, but I don't think Lesser Vigor is positive energy either, so it might work just as well on undead as living creatures. I'm not sure, I'd have to check the description to be sure. However, I have Charnel Touch as a class feature, which means I have unlimited free out of combat healing (1d8+1/four class levels negative energy on a touch attack), so healing is largely covered for me and mine. And my Imp has fast healing and DR, so as long as it doesn't go charging into combat (not particularly likely), it should be fine as well. As for how I managed to get everything from the Disguise Kit up (the rest has been loot, just not overly useful loot) with 9th level WBL, well, like I said, I originally constructed the character to play in a group with a crafting wizard (technically it was going to be an effigy master) with the feats to cut costs for time, money and xp, so I had him craft the some of the items for me. Though yeah, I suppose I'm a lot closer to the recommended WBL than I thought.

And thanks JaronK, I'll have to look it up.

MrRigger

[Strife Warzeal]

If you haven't had a chance to look up how lesser vigor works, it works by giving fast healing 1 for 10+CL (max 5) rounds. I'm not sure how fast healing works for undead.

[Alleran]

Lords of Darkness.

JaronK
I skimmed through LoD, but didn't spot it. You're sure that's the book the ritual is in?

[MrRigger]

I hate to say it, but I don't see it either. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun, but when I did a text search in my PDF copy, I got no search results for "Ritual of Shadow Walking".

MrRigger

[Mr.Smashy]

Didn't take Tomb Tainted Soul, but I'm a Necropolitian, so I'm undead...
MrRigger

Didn't see this part. Srry.

Something else you might want to try and nab would be something that allows you to desecrate. Being undead and all good clerics would be a bane if your DM was that nasty.

[MrRigger]

He's not particularly nasty, though it's certainly a possibility. However, the Ring of Lesser Desecration grants Desecrate 3/day for six hours apiece. It's not perfect, but it's a lot cheaper than the Ring of Greater Desecration.

This is the link with the full description of the ring. Dead Life (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20021031x)

MrRigger