Another Player's Innocent Mistake...

[Kesnit]

My long-time gaming group just started up a 3.5 game. (We normally play nWoD.) One of the other players rolled up a True Necromancer from Libris Mortis. (He loves the class.) He didn't use any early-entry tricks, so is a Wizard3/Cleric3/TN2, making his caster level in WIZ and Cleric both 4.

He's running a minionmancer with liberal use of create undead. (He took Deathbound as his second domain, along with the required Death.) I just realized he's running his undead army wrong. (At least, I think he is. I admit I'm not overly knowledgeable. There may be a trick I'm missing, though I admit I cannot find it.) Rather than using his Caster Level to determine the HD of undead he can control, he's using his Character level. (He said as much when he was explaining how his army works.) This wouldn't be an issue, but his "big pet" undead is a 19 HD thing - which is 7 HD over what he should be able to control. (CL4*3 from Deathbound gives 12 HD. He also has 5 1-HD skeletons, to round out the 24 HD he thinks he can control.) He isn't using desecrate as part of his calculation, since (1) he cannot cast animate undead as either a Cleric (LVL 3 spell) or a Wizard (LVL 4 spell), and (2) he asked the DM about the HD of monsters we killed with the thought of raising them, and is not mentioning desecrate when doing his calculations.

I honestly believe this mistake is unintentional. I've played in games with him for years, and while he is the kind to milk every bit of power possible, he isn't the kind to outright cheat.

Personally, I don't have a problem with him accidentally overpowering himself. (Of course, I'm running a Psion 8. Based on our first game, I'm probably the most powerful PC in the party of 5.) He's also specifically said that he doesn't intend to whip out the 19-HD monster unless the party is in serious danger of wiping. On the other hand, I'm not the one who will be overshadowed by his mistake. That "honor" falls to the Fighter 8 (who has never played 3.5 before and whose character was built by me and another player) and the Duskblade 8 (who I suspect did try to cheat by using an LA+2 class without accounting for the LA, until I brought it up while she was building).

The DM won't catch the mistake. She admits the players have more experience in 3.5 than she does, and is relying on us to be honest about what our PCs can do. And again, I really don't think he is intentionally cheating; I really believe it's an honest mistake. (I also admit there may be more to his build than I am aware of, that allows his undead army to be based on character level, not caster level.) More, the player in question is one of my best friends, and was the best man in my wedding. The last thing I want to do is make it look like I am trying to weaken him so my psion can shine.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can approach this, without making it seem like I'm accusing him of cheating?

[KorbeltheReader]

If you really don't think it was intentional, can you not just bring it up next time you see him? I mention mechanics mistakes to other players sometimes. As long as you have a good rapport with them and don't treat them like they're cheating, people usually take it fine. D&D is a complicated game, and it's easy to screw up something like class level vs. character level if you're not an old hand at it.

[Talar]

, and it's easy to screw up something like class level vs. character level if you're not an old hand at it.

Even then you'll probably make some mistake even after playing the game for over a dozen years (like me, I make mistakes all the time still, it really is just that complicated in some situations)

[Darrin]

Is everyone in the game having fun? Are the DM and players OK with having a 19HD beatstick and have adjusted their playing style accordingly?

If yes, then there's no problem here. Just treat it as a house rule and play on.

[Zanos]

How is he creating these undead? Create Undead is a sixth level spell.
He could be using Command Undead to take control of an undead creature for 1 day per CL. Notably this offers no save for mindless undead and is 2nd level on the wizard spell list, so it's not impossible to get a very large army with Command Undead. You could even command undead a creature and then make more undead with your animate pool. I just don't understand how he's actually animating them.

EDIT:True Necromancer gets create undead as a SLA at second level. It can only be used to make Ghouls, and they are not automatically under his control. He needs to read the description of his abilities.

[Owl Prowler]

He's playing a True Necromancer. He's already gimped his character to the point that the number of undead he can control is the least of your DM's concerns. If you feel the need bring it up with him outside of the game, so that he knows about it the next time he rolls up a True Necromancer that's fine, but in the context of the game you're playing there's nothing to gain from outing his mistake except for making his already weak character weaker.

Is it acceptable for the party to have a 19 HD minion? A minion that they would have anyways if it weren't for the True Necromancer being a terrible class? Then there's no reason to punish the player for picking a suboptimal choice.