Help with a necromancer, plz and ty

[Chaos018]

hello, people, :). Though I would ask you guys since you all seem much friendlier than my other sites. Friend is running Red Hand of Doom gestalt campaign. I died so I gotta do the big re-roll. My former character was an artificer 6//wizard 6. I believe I have finally chosen a necromantic dead army of heck route through....maybe a cleric of Afflux (deathbound, undeath domains)//dread necromancer. But I wanted to ask you guys for advice.

How would I build such a PC? I get 11k (I think, that was for lv5 when we started so I've got no idea for lv6 but that amount being minimum in gold for magic items and supplies. My stats that I rolled (4d6 with him front of me mind you, reroll 1s for this DM) were 17,16,17,16,18,15 so I won't be naught for good stats, :). Cha is most certainly getting that 18 since that is the stat I would need maxed for full effect for necromancy.

Feats? Race choice recommendations? Flaw choices (1:1 extra up to 2 with this DM)? Magic Item selection? Dunno how prestige classes work but hey, I am still new more or less. I could and am researching but other opinions are great to have, I think.

Race options I know human is definitely one....cuz well, extra feat is ALWAYS good PERIOD.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Use Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric), it's extremely fitting for a Cleric of Afflux.

Say you started out not worshiping any particular deity, be neutral aligned, and choose to channel positive energy via Cleric. Take the Spontaneous Domain Casting ACF in PH2 instead of spontaneously casting cure spells. You now have two separate pools of uses for Turn Undead (via Cleric) and Rebuke Undead (via Dread Necromancer), all of which you can use to fuel divine feats. Extra Turning and similar abilities will apply to both pools of uses equally, thus giving you double the benefit for each one gained. Become evil aligned if desired and start worshiping Afflux after 1st level, and your choice to channel positive energy via Cleric cannot be changed.

Human is good, but consider Lesser Aasimar from PGtF, it gets all of the standard Aasimar traits but it's Humanoid instead of Outsider and has no level adjustment. Take the Necropolitan template from Libris Mortis, it makes you an undead creature, but you still keep the benefits of being Human/Aasimar/whatever, and your DN touch attack can be used to heal yourself. If gained during play it costs you a level, but many characters have some sort of level loss in their backstory and still enter play at the same level as any other character would have. Say you were made a Necropolitan by an 8th+ level Dread Necromancer who had the entire Corpsecrafter line of feats from LM, and also in the area of a Desecrate spell with an evil altar present. That will give you +4 HP/level, +4 Str and Dex, +4 initiative, +10 ft. land speed, +6 total turn resistance, +2 natural armor, etc. As an undead creature you're immune to penalties to your physical ability scores, so start out venerable age for +3 Int, Wis, and Cha for no drawback.

You'll probably want to keep Dread Necromancer single-classed and take prestige classes to advance your Cleric casting. Dread Necromancer's Undead Mastery ability counts your class level instead of your caster level for Animate Dead, so you want as many levels in that as possible. Starting out say you visited the Frog God's Fane detailed in Complete Scoundrel to get the feat Skill Focus: Knowledge: Religion for 2,000 gp instead of spending a feat on it. Start out Cleric 5/ Paragnostic Apostle 1// Dread Necromancer 6, future levels should be four Divine Oracle and then ten Contemplative, along with more Dread Necromancer. Your Paragnostic Apostle ability should be See Through the Veil.

Definitely start with two flaws, I'd get Hot-Blooded (Dragon 324, automatically fail fort saves for cold environment effects (undead are immune), take +2 damage from effects that deal cold damage), and Insomniac (Dragon 328, you can still sit awake for 8 hours of 'rest' and still recover your spells, being undead makes its drawbacks irrelevant). Your feats should include Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, Divine Metamagic: Persistent, and Versatile Spellcaster. Versatile Spellcaster is in Races of the Dragon, it allows you to spend two spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, which means it will give you spontaneous access to the entire Cleric spell list via Dread Necromancer spell slots, as well as early access to the next higher level of the Dread Necromancer spell list. Consider spending extra feats on the Corpsecrafter line in LM, or maybe pick up Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) because every character should have it. Craft Rod at 9th level is highly recommended so you can make your own Nightsticks (LM).

Starting items should include a Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC), Talisman of Undead Mastery (MIC), Shax's Indispensible Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101), and whatever else you think you'll need.

[Drynwyn]

You could also consider taking a bloodline- bloodline levels on the non-DN side will still raise your caster level by RAW.
For your 5th level Advanced Learning spell, take Animate Dread Warrior.
Spellstich this into in undead with a sufficiently high wisdom- you will probably have a high enough score as a cleric.
Divine Metamagic: Fell animate will save a lot of money on material components.
If you want, take some other DMM feats and nightsticks, nightsticks, nightsticks.
7,400 gp, +4 turn/rebuke undead attempts daily. No slot. Stacks.

[gorfnab]

Necromancer Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5584.0)

[hex0]

Duskblade//Dread Necro 5
Ur-Priest//Dread Necro 1

Would be my choice.