Help creating an unusual character

[zioth]

Concept: He believes that he can redeem the souls of evil people by forcing their bodies to fight for good causes. This is a good character who raises the dead. This is an epic campaign (level 26).

The build I'm currently considering is Dread Necromancer 11 / Warlock 3 / Paragnostic Apostle 4 / Eldrich Theurge 8. He'll do a lot of Animate Dead, Control Undead and Rebuke Undead. His cohort (from Leadership) will probably be a vampire or lich.

Any suggestions on the build?

How can I get a bigger spell list? Arcane Disciple only gives me domain spells related to my deity (I'm assuming I can get away with death-related domains, and maybe one other). A domain staff will be useful. Extra Spell might do it, depending on DM interpretation.

Any advice on equipment? I'll probably be starting with 450k-600k gold, which I know is WAY below the expected wealth by level. I also get a free +5 inherrent bonus to one attribute, and I have the Ancestral Relic feat, which I'm thinking of using on a ring.

Should I make him undead (necropolitan)? There are some nice benefits, but True Ressurection won't work (one character has Ignore Material Components), and undead don't get a lot of hit points (an 18 CON wizard gets as many HP as a lich).

How do I maximize Rebuke Undead?

I want this character to be good. Really good. I want it to be obvious, looking at him, that he's good. A holy aura would be nice. Angel wings would be good too, especially if he's undead. Obvious holy armor or other equipment would also be good, if there's something that's actually useful in addition to being holy.


Thanks for your help!

[Waker]

Well, one thing I feel is important to note is that Dread Necromancer's can't have a Good alignment, gotta be either Neutral or Evil.
As for increasing your spell list, you could take levels in Sandshaper or you could try the always popular Rainbow Servant PrC. The Servant would also grant you Wings, though it wouldn't advance your Turning/Rebuke at all, but the access to Cleric spells might just make up for it.
Alternatively, you might consider taking the Arcane Disciple feat and choose the Summoner Domain so that you could take the Malconvoker PrC. That way you could cast Summon Undead without any change in your alignment, not to mention that the Unrestricted Conjuration allows you to simultaneously summon Good outsiders, the Planar Binding spells being added to the spell list certainly doesn't hurt.

[Malroth]

You could start as Chaotic neutral but have a revalation about the nature of good and change your ways at lv 12 one atonement spell quest in the backstory later and your build works as listed.

[zioth]

Well, one thing I feel is important to note is that Dread Necromancer's can't have a Good alignment, gotta be either Neutral or Evil.

Not if I finish taking DN levels and then switch alignment. I think I have DM approval anyway.


As for increasing your spell list, you could take levels in Sandshaper or you could try the always popular Rainbow Servant PrC.

Interesting. 10 levels would add ALL cleric spells to my spontaneously cast spell list. That's very powerful, even if I'd lose four caster levels and ten Rebuke levels. I like the wings too.


Alternatively, you might consider taking the Arcane Disciple feat and choose the Summoner Domain so that you could take the Malconvoker PrC.

Interesting, but summons are pretty wimpy at epic levels. Undead are too, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for flavor.

[Waker]

Summons are fairly weak, but as I said, you also gain access to Lesser, Normal and Greater Planar Binding, without Alignment restrictions. The fact that you can create a large variety of undead and summon even more Outsiders or Undead to your side isn't terrible.
If you did go the Rainbow Servant route, have a look at the Bone Knight from Eberron's Five Nations. It's a 9/10 casting class that progresses Rebuke Undead, grants some more Undead creation abilities as well as specialized armor and weapons. Or if you do actually get your Alignment changed, you could see if you are interested in the Prestige Paladin from Unearthed Arcana.

[nedz]

Any reason for the Warlock / ET path ?
(What do you get from this that you want ?)
You could just Cleric / MT ?
This would add a couple of domains, though RS would get you higher level cleric spells.
You are obviously not interested in the Epic DN stuff, or even DN post 11.

If you truly want to be GOOD then some exalted PrC might be in order, though I'm struggling to find any which might be relevant to this character concept.

[zioth]

Any reason for the Warlock / ET path ?

Not really. It's just fun, and ET lets you pile invocations onto ray spells, which DN is pretty good at. Warlock gives me a few extra things to do, and fills in some spells I wouldn't get otherwise, like Fly. Also, I've wanted to play a warlock for a long time, but I don't want to step on another player's toes.



You could just Cleric / MT ?

I've thought of that. Even straight cleric is probably more powerful than my build, and Cleric/Sorc/MT or Cleric/DN/MT isn't bad. Not sure why I'm not going that route. :)



You are obviously not interested in the Epic DN stuff, or even DN post 11.

DN doesn't really have any scaling abilities that will carry over to epic level, except for the touch attacks, which I probably won't use, and the number of controlled undead. It didn't seem worth it.


If you truly want to be GOOD then some exalted PrC might be in order

I should have mentioned that BoED is a banned book. I'd definately be looking through that book if I could.

[Cog]

Interesting. 10 levels would add ALL cleric spells to my spontaneously cast spell list. That's very powerful, even if I'd lose four caster levels and ten Rebuke levels. I like the wings too.
Worth noting is that the errata for Complete Divine (as well as for most/all other books) contains the standard rule that text trumps table - and Rainbow Servant's text calls it full casting progression. That might be a little too strong, but it's a good negotiating point with your DM; it'd still be a good PrC at, say, two spellcasting levels lost.

[Talionis]

Malconvoker from Complete Scoundrel has a lot of things that would be helpful. It definately has that feel of Good guy using Evil guys to defeat Evil guys.

Something else to think about is ways to buff up your minions to a level where they can affect an Epic level game. You may need to give them magic items.

[Malroth]

undead secondary casters and epic spellcasting is your friend You can pull of a lot of stuff with 30 lv 17 secondary casters providing 9th lv slots for your epic spells

[zioth]

Thanks for all the advice! Here's the build I'm considering now:

Paladin 2/Dread Necromancer 8/Rainbow Servant 10/Bone Knight 5/Paragnostic Apostle 1

This has: Arcane 19 (CL 23 with feat), Rebuke 16, access to cleric spell list (my group will likely make me learn cleric spells from scrolls before I can add them to my list)

The rebuke level is pretty low, even with magic items (no Nightsticks allowed), and being 3 short on caster level is going to hurt. At least I now have access to Assay Resistence, and I can get Greater Spell Penetration.

Here are the feats I'm considering. I have three bonus feats in this campaign:

Battle Caster – Can't be a Bone Knight without this feat (stupid Medium armor!)
Practiced Spellcaster
Versatile Spellcaster
Leadership
Metamagic: Chain
Metamagic: Empower
Consecrate Spell: Just because it would be fun to cast Consecrated Animate Dead.
Rapid Metamagic (CM)
Metamagic: Quicken+4
Spell Penetration
Greater Spell Penetration
Epic Leadership
Epic Spellcasting or Improved Metamagic


Here are the feats I wasn't able to work in. Any suggestions on what to replace?

Metamagic: Persist
Divine Metamagic (persist)
Residual Magic (CM)
Metamagic: Split Ray
Spell Focus (necromancy)
Greater Spell Focus (necromancy)
Metamagic: Heighten
Metamagic: Sculpt
Improved Turning
Extra Turning



Any suggestions on the new build?