Are Necromancers good at low-mid lvls?

[Kirion]

I'm starting in a 3rd lvl game and was wondering how a Wizard Necromancer would fare at the 3-7ish range. We've got a paladin, spell druid, wizard, and monk. My idea is that at levels 5+ I can start animating zombies to help soak up damage in the frontlines, but that doesn't start for 2 more levels. Is the strategy good?

[MaxWilson]

I'm starting in a 3rd lvl game and was wondering how a Wizard Necromancer would fare at the 3-7ish range. We've got a paladin, spell druid, wizard, and monk. My idea is that at levels 5+ I can start animating zombies to help soak up damage in the frontlines, but that doesn't start for 2 more levels. Is the strategy good?

Necromancers are very good starting at level 6. Before that they are good like any other wizards, and can provide crowd control (Web, Hypnotic Pattern) and mobility/rec just like any other wizards. But level 6 is where they really take off--if, that is, you're prepared to deal with the social ramifications, and if your party accepts that they're going to be hanging around corpses all the time. (Le smell!)

For extra fun, buy your zombies chain mail armor and shields. AC 8 => AC 18.

Skeleton archers are generally better than zombies though because they can focus fire more easily while the PCs and zombies tank.

[Corran]

I'm starting in a 3rd lvl game and was wondering how a Wizard Necromancer would fare at the 3-7ish range. We've got a paladin, spell druid, wizard, and monk. My idea is that at levels 5+ I can start animating zombies to help soak up damage in the frontlines, but that doesn't start for 2 more levels. Is the strategy good?
If the paladin is not already set on the oathbreaker stuff, then it is your solemn duty to try and corrupt him. Oathbreaker's aura of hate will play well with your undead minions. Plus it will be fun to try and turn him evil, from an rp perspective.

[MaxWilson]

If the paladin is not already set on the oathbreaker stuff, then it is your solemn duty to try and corrupt him. Oathbreaker's aura of hate will play well with your undead minions. Plus it will be fun to try and turn him evil, from an rp perspective.

The chief problem with the Oathbreaker's aura is that it works only on melee weapon attacks, and the best kinds of undead attacks are made with arrows. There's a huge difference between a platoon of skeletons shooting 200 HP of arrows per round, vs. a squad of zombies lumbering clumsily towards the enemy every round and getting in everyone's way. Moreover, you can disperse the skeletons to make them resistant to AoEs like Turn/Destroy Undead, but melee zombies are inherently vulnerable to AoE.

Undead hordes are kind of a mid- to low-level thing anyway. By the time you hit 13th to 15th level you'll have mostly transitioned to Planar Binding and/or undead Wights and hobgoblins under Mass Suggestion and/or Geas. You'll still be using some skeleton archers (because why not? they're cheap) but you don't want to focus too much on optimizing the archers.

At my table, the paladin is more likely to "corrupt" the Necromancer than the other way around. (Not that the Necromancer minds. He likes and respects the paladin.) He's a good influence on everyone.

[Kirion]

I don't foresee any real problems at the table with necromancy. I plan on playing my character more neutral, trustworthy, and helpful to the group. Yeah, maybe he's playing with fire summoning unholy abominations for "good" causes, but I won't play him up as a moustache-twirling villain. I spoke with the druid and his character won't like the practice but we're going with an "old friends, we tolerate each others' practices" sort of deal, like Magneto and Xavier when they are on friendly terms.

The paladin is vengeance and should have no problems whatsoever with using evil to fight evil.


At my table, the paladin is more likely to "corrupt" the Necromancer than the other way around. (Not that the Necromancer minds. He likes and respects the paladin.) He's a good influence on everyone.

Tell your Necromancer to stay strong! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J06XxIM6CsA)



The only bummer for me is that I don't get what I want to be doing for 2 more levels. We already have a wizard (not necro) so I don't want to be stepping on her toes until then.

[Corran]

Maybe this isnt what you are looking for, but did you consider playing a death cleric? That way you wont step on what the wizard does, and you will be able to do the undead minion thing you want (not as well as a necromancer though). You would offering a significant help to the paladin as well, as it seems he will be under heavy fire with the current group composition.

[JackPhoenix]

This thread reminds me of this: http://imgur.com/gallery/6yxLL

[MaxWilson]

The only bummer for me is that I don't get what I want to be doing for 2 more levels. We already have a wizard (not necro) so I don't want to be stepping on her toes until then.

Warning: theorycraft below since I've never gotten to have multiple (cooperating) wizards in the same party before.

Having two wizards in the same party is great! It means you won't be starved for spells, provided you're both willing to share. There are also some cool combos that only work if you have two wizards to concentrate separately, e.g. use a Web to trap enemies inside of a Stinking Cloud while you kill them from range. The Stinking Cloud will prevent them from using their actions to break free, and the Web will prevent them from using their movement to escape the Stinking Cloud.

Obviously this is even better if you have a dozen skeletons filling them with pointy arrows the whole time, but it's not bad even before that.

[LordVonDerp]

But level 6 is where they really take off--if, that is, you're prepared to deal with the social ramifications, and if your party accepts that they're going to be hanging around corpses all the time. (Le smell!)
.

Undead don't smell.