Toning down a T1 caster

[Baxter Konrad]

Planning ahead for when I can hopefully play my wiz/clr/true nec character, The people I play with favour classes like Rogue, Ranger or Scout. In general, they aren't big on casting.

I don't want to be robbing them of purpose or hogging the limelight, and given their preference for mundane combat I don't want to dominate every battle either.

So, any tips on how to make sure an Evil necromancer / cleric of Necrul can command the power of life and death without overshadowing the others?

[DMVerdandi]

Planning ahead for when I can hopefully play my wiz/clr/true nec character, The people I play with favour classes like Rogue, Ranger or Scout. In general, they aren't big on casting.

I don't want to be robbing them of purpose or hogging the limelight, and given their preference for mundane combat I don't want to dominate every battle either.

So, any tips on how to make sure an Evil necromancer / cleric of Necrul can command the power of life and death without overshadowing the others?

No archery
As little trap finding as possible
No sneak attacking?
IDK, those classes aren't really all that much.

That true necromancer build is going to curb your power enough. You will be fine.

[nedz]

What's your actual build ?
I.e. How many levels of Wiz, Cleric etc.

Alternatively:

Play a Dread Necromancer (T3) and load up on Arcane Disciple feats (T+?)

[atemu1234]

I gave my group's Necromancer a magic collar that made him follow the commands of the party. But he agreed to it beforehand.

[Crake]

I gave my group's Necromancer a magic collar that made him follow the commands of the party. But he agreed to it beforehand.

Fanatic's Collar by any chance?

[Necrovosh]

Planning ahead for when I can hopefully play my wiz/clr/true nec character, The people I play with favour classes like Rogue, Ranger or Scout. In general, they aren't big on casting.

I don't want to be robbing them of purpose or hogging the limelight, and given their preference for mundane combat I don't want to dominate every battle either.

So, any tips on how to make sure an Evil necromancer / cleric of Necrul can command the power of life and death without overshadowing the others?

As is often true for full casters, use buffs and battlefield control. Don't kit out your skellie and zombo with high damage, ranged weaponry (no matter how tempting the skeleton archery barrage) but instead use them as mobile walls and grapplers. Buff the team with your many, many low level spell slots. Use one powerful undead, make it a melee combatant, and pour your cash into equipping it with hindering/defensive gear (it's cheaper to replace a skeletal lion or ghoul than to rez an ally) while you focus on cursing, debuffs, and dark control magic and weird divinations (augury with intestines, ray of enfeeblement and the like.)

[Grod_The_Giant]

That true necromancer build is going to curb your power enough. You will be fine.
Largely this. Don't use early entry tricks, and being a level or two behind on spells will do a lot to help weaken you. You might even go a step further and do sorcerer/favored soul, so you can limit your spell lists more. (Hint: direct damage and weak debuffs when you need offense, and party buffing is always acceptable)

[atemu1234]

Fanatic's Collar by any chance?

Nope, completely homebrewed.

[Rebel7284]

You are unlikely to overshadow your teammates for very long with True Necromancer.
If you ever do, make sure to focus on buffing and battlefield control to make the battle easier for everyone else instead of winning it yourself.
I feel the quote below is very accurate.

From: http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1049211

Top Ten Reasons True Necromancers Are Bad

1. At 14th level, you are five caster levels behind in both classes, so if the party Fighter took Leadership, and his cohort got Leadership, he’d actually be bringing more Necromancy to the table than you. As a fighter.
2. You have to take the Death Domain as a Necromancer Cleric, which is a waste of a Domain Slot when you are trying to be good at Necromancy.
3. In the early levels, you postpone your access to Animate Dead by 4 levels.
4. At 8th level a True Necromancer can create, but not control Ghouls. A Cleric at that level can control but not create Ghouls. Guess which is better? At 11th level, the True Necromancer gets the ability to control Ghouls, and the Cleric gets the ability to create them, so there’s no point at which this is advantageous.
5. The only unique ability of the True Necromancer class is unimpressive. Desecrate is a great spell, but it’s also a second level spell.
6. True Necromancers eventually get a bonus to Rebuking – at 17th level they have a +1 bonus to their Rebuking level. But at 7th level they have a 3 level penalty to their Rebuking level. So at low levels when rebuking is good they can’t use it, and at high levels when Rebuking doesn’t matter they don’t care.
7. True Necromancers are always going to have underwhelming Save DCs. Between MAD and the fact that they are often forced to use spells that are 3 spell levels lower than what the single-classed casters can use, they’re going to be out enough Save DC that it shows. A lot.
8. As a True Necromancer you have all the disadvantages of both a Cleric (the gods can take away all your spellcasting at any time), and a Wizard (you have Arcane Spell Failure, preventing you from wearing good armor). Also, your BAB and HPs stink when compared to a Cleric.
9. Control pools from Animate Dead actually don’t accumulate between your two classes. It’ right in the spell, if you cast the spell it considers all undead you control from all castings of Animate Dead, not just your Arcane or just your Divine castings of the spell. Some people say differently, and some even quote CustServ, but when was the last time you won an argument with your DM using the line "some guy on a board said that CustServ told him....."?
10. There is almost no synergy between Cleric and Wizard Necromancy. Any synergy you desperately want to find could be replicated by just taking the Apprentice feat at first level and having some Use Magic Device. Get yourself a couple of Wizard Scrolls or something. It’s a better buy than setting 5 caster levels on fire. Smart cookies can even get the right spell effects off monsters for free, no less.