Building a wizard necromancer.

[druid91]

So I'm looking for some advice on building a wizard necromancer PC.

I'm planning on Being specialist necromancer, removing illusion and enchantment.

As well as taking the Skeletal minion ACF.

Starting level is 4th.

1200gp but no magic items.

So far I'm looking at...

1: Wizard, Skeletal minion, scribe scroll, Improved initiative
2: Wizard
3: Wizard, Brew potion
4: Wizard

For spells I was thinking summon undead I-II, control undead, and other than that I'm open since I want this guy to survive in a world that hates magic in general, let alone necromancy.

[copakindred]

You lose out on a lot of good spells taking out illusion. Being an invisible minion-master is one of your better options, actually. Try taking out Evocation instead. Remember that many of those powerful defensive illusions can be cast ON your minions as well!

Never use control undead, always use command undead.
Take UMD and get a wand of inflict light wounds to repair your favorite minions after combats.

Use any alternate undead creation abilities you can to get the most bang out of your buck. Consider Corpsecrafter (libris mortis) rather than brew potion, and get the gravechill feat from the same book that gives your undead free cold damage immediately after.

Pick up Undead Torch, it's a huge damage dealer.

Remember that one BIG undead (hydrahydrahydrahydra!) is better than seven little ones.

Barding. You have more than one body to put magic armor on, don't be shy about picking up a bag of holding and some magic barding for your fast-healing +str +hp, 7 attack with cold damage, skeletal hydra minion.

[Dante & Vergil]

Evocation actually can benifit Necromancers by talking Utter Cold Spell (Complete Arcane), which makes your spells deal half cold and half negative energy, and if you create skeletons over zombies, skeletons being immune to cold damage, your blasting spells can heal you undead instead of hurting them for +0 metamagic. It's not necessary to go this route but it is an idea. You'll have to wait until you get two more feats as Uttercold Spell requires Energy Substitution (Cold).

[Nich_Critic]

Bonus points if you also get cold immunity/resist and negative energy heal (Tomb tainted soul?), and then cast walls of fire around the battlefield that you and your skeletons can dance in to regain health.

edit: Energy substituted and uttercold walls of (ice) fire, of course.

[Hyfigh]

Illusion, through the use of the shadow spells, can mimic any evocation spell. I don't care if some of the spells are useful, you should still ban the school because you can still cast the spells through the Illusion school. Order your undead to fail their will save.

[Undercroft]

Another potential options is nab 2 levels in pale master (from libris mortis) to get Animate Dead as a SLA.

This means no needing to pay 25g per HD of undead made. This equates into being able to create masses of pathetic little skeletons without sinking tons of gold into these expendable minions. You'd need to grab corpsecrafter and destruction retribution feats to make the most of this option though, since then your expendable (and free of gold cost) skeletons detonate in little negative energy explosions when they're destroyed.

Also ditto with the above, ban evocation and keep illusion. You could use illusions to disguise your minions as normal-looking bodyguards while in town.

[Hyfigh]

Taking the appropriate Undead creation feats can also make those weaker skeletons pretty potent.

[druid91]

Another potential options is nab 2 levels in pale master (from libris mortis) to get Animate Dead as a SLA.

This means no needing to pay 25g per HD of undead made. This equates into being able to create masses of pathetic little skeletons without sinking tons of gold into these expendable minions. You'd need to grab corpsecrafter and destruction retribution feats to make the most of this option though, since then your expendable (and free of gold cost) skeletons detonate in little negative energy explosions when they're destroyed.

Also ditto with the above, ban evocation and keep illusion. You could use illusions to disguise your minions as normal-looking bodyguards while in town.

The thing with illusion is it's pretty hit or miss, If it works it works, if it doesn't you wasted a slot.

As for disguising my minions as bodygaurds.... Well I don't plan on keeping a full battalion with me, just one, and a halfway decent disguise check, A mask, along with heavy armour and sufficient covering should keep him from being discovered, as well as making him look awesome.

[Hyfigh]

The thing with illusion is it's pretty hit or miss, If it works it works, if it doesn't you wasted a slot.

I strongly disagree, but it's your build.

[Keld Denar]

Equip all of your skellys with bows. They don't need to be expensive composite bows, you make up for quality with quantity!

Pew pew pew!

[druid91]

Current sheet, Critique welcome (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=295844)

[Dante & Vergil]

Wow, those are some painful looking stats. What does your group use to determine stats, and how long does your group intend for this game to last.
I ask these things because those stats are low enough by rolling-for-stats standards that the DMG says to allow a reroll, and 13 in your casting stat at level 4 is going to be inpossible to keep up with the requirement of casting your higher leveled spells, because, if this game uses normal stat gain of 1 point every 4 levels, you will gain 4th level spells at level 7 and to cast spells requires 10+Spell level to cast, which you will not meet until level 8 when you get your next stat increase. If possible, ask your DM for a reroll or similar for your stats.

[Divide by Zero]

Even disregarding the Dex score, that's, what, 17 point buy? Unless this is intentionally a really low-power game or something, I'd ask the DM if you can fix that.

[druid91]

Even disregarding the Dex score, that's, what, 17 point buy? Unless this is intentionally a really low-power game or something, I'd ask the DM if you can fix that.

I could ask for another... though that 13 in int should be a 14... I always forget to add in ability increases.

ButI already did one reroll, and that came out as straight elevens, except one seven.

[Divide by Zero]

See, this is why I always use point buy. A single set of rolls that you can do very little about which determines the power of your character for the entire game is just unfair.

[Optimator]

Arcane Thesis: Ennervate.

[Coidzor]

Why are you Brewing potions? :smallconfused:

[HalfDragonCube]

I could ask for another... though that 13 in int should be a 14... I always forget to add in ability increases.

ButI already did one reroll, and that came out as straight elevens, except one seven.

Umm... Reroll again. And check that the dice aren't loaded or something.