Help filling out my build

[Silex]

First and foremost, no ToB, ToM or Book of Dragon Magic; flaws are allowed and templates and Dragon Mag material must be DM approved.

With that out of the way, here is the build for my next character, and as the title implies, I could use suggestions and advice for finising it out.

Race: Strongheart Halfling

1: Dread Necromancer: Mother Cyst; Tomb Tainted Soul; Spell Focus: Necromamcy; Fell Drain; Flaw: ???; Flaw: ???
2: Dread Necromancer:
3: Dread Necromancer: Fell Frighten
4: Dread Necromancer: * Advanced Learning: Kelgore's Grave Mist
5: Dread Necromancer:
6: Dread Necromancer: Practical Metamagic: Fell Drain
7: Dread Necromancer:
8: Dread Witch:
9: Dread Witch: Black Lore of Moil
10: Dread Witch:
11: Dread Witch:
12: Dread Witch: Practical Metamagic: Fell Frighten
13: Dread Necromancer: * Advanced Learning: Aura of Terror
14: Nightmare Spinner:
15: Nightmare Spinner: Arcane Disciple : Pride
16: Nightmare Spinner:
17: Nightmare Spinner:
18: Nightmare Spinner: Unknown Feat
19: Unknown Class:
20: Unknown Class:

I have read the necromancy handbooks, as well as the fear handbook. My DM is allowing me a spellstiched slaymate (the character's 8 year old daughter) as well.

I just need help filling in the gaps where I have unknown selections. Any other suggestions are also welcomed :) thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice!

[Gildedragon]

Flaws:
Noncombatant, Insomniac OR Restricted Sorcery (Evocation and one other)

Template:
Spark

Traits (2 of these 3)
Spellgifted: Necromancy
Focused
Abrasive

[Silex]

Flaws:
Noncombatant, Insomniac OR Restricted Sorcery (Evocation and one other)

Template:
Spark

Traits (2 of these 3)
Spellgifted: Necromancy
Focused
Abrasive

Lol, while I love that, DM is not allowing traits. Not entirely sure as to. Why. As for the flaws, I know that noncombatant is in UA, but am not familiar with the other. Is it also in UA? I am also not familiar with the Spark template.

[Gildedragon]

Lol, while I love that, DM is not allowing traits. Not entirely sure as to. Why. As for the flaws, I know that noncombatant is in UA, but am not familiar with the other. Is it also in UA? I am also not familiar with the Spark template.
Insomniac: Dragon 328
Restricted Sorcery: Dragon 327
Spark: Dragon 306 (aka magic blooded)

[Silex]

Insomniac: Dragon 328
Restricted Sorcery: Dragon 327
Spark: Dragon 306 (aka magic blooded)

Thanks, I will run the template and flaws by my DM. However, we may have to tinker with the template to balance it a bit more.

Any suggestions on the last 2 character levels or for the unselected feat?

[Gildedragon]

didn't spot the missing feat: acquire familiar
What sort of role or character concept are you gunning for?

[Norin]

Have you considered the Fearsome Necromancy feat?
It could aid you in fear escalation as long as you open with getting the target Shaken through the feat, as far as I understand.

[jiriku]

Like most necromancy/fear-based characters, you have a huge undead/construct-shaped hole in your offensive capabiilty. Unless you can fill this hole through gear or fellow party members (and don't mind being neutered in fights against those opponents), I might consider front-loading your metamagic feats into the empty 1st-level slots and using the newly-emptied mid-level feat slots to take Extra Spell and acquire 1 or 2 surgically-chosen spells intended to broaden your capabilities against such threats. Ectoplasmic web and wall of chains would be good battlefield control options (both 3rd level). Melf's unicorn arrow or orb of force are good attack spells.

[ILM]

Like most necromancy/fear-based characters, you have a huge undead/construct-shaped hole in your offensive capabiilty.
Doesn't Dread Witch take care of that?

[jiriku]

I'm not sure I see your reasoning. How does dread witch help?

[Norin]

I'm not sure I see your reasoning. How does dread witch help?

...bypassing immunity to Fear?

[Cosi]

Dread Witch's 4th level class feature (Greater Master of Terror) gives you the ability to ignore fear immunity of anyone with HD < Level + 4.

Also, the Dread Necromancer's undead minions should be at least fairly effective in a fight against Undead or Constructs, even if Fear abilities aren't.

Maybe take Arcane Disciple if you're really worried, or buy a custom runestaff. Buffing or BFC seem like decent fallbacks.

[Silex]

Have you considered the Fearsome Necromancy feat?
It could aid you in fear escalation as long as you open with getting the target Shaken through the feat, as far as I understand.

Hmm, that is actaually a pretty tasty feat!

[Silex]

didn't spot the missing feat: acquire familiar
What sort of role or character concept are you gunning for?

It is a sort of hybrid, focusing mostly on fear stacking, with a bit of minionmnacy to help smooth out some encounters.

I will already have a familiar from DN 7 (Ghostly Visage), so maybe the improved familiar feat?

[Urpriest]

It is a sort of hybrid, focusing mostly on fear stacking, with a bit of minionmnacy to help smooth out some encounters.

I will already have a familiar from DN 7 (Ghostly Visage), so maybe the improved familiar feat?

I don't think you want Improved Familiar, the Visage is already pretty great. Metamagic School Focus might be worthwhile, since you already have the relevant Spell Focus, though I'm not sure whether you've already mitigated your metamagics enough that it won't be worth it.

[Silex]

I don't think you want Improved Familiar, the Visage is already pretty great. Metamagic School Focus might be worthwhile, since you already have the relevant Spell Focus, though I'm not sure whether you've already mitigated your metamagics enough that it won't be worth it.

Between the slaymate and both practical metamagic feats that I took, it mitigates the increased cost completely (spell level increase of 0).

[ExLibrisMortis]

Two levels in a paladin variant can get you charisma to saves, which is very tasty defensively. You'll need Practiced Spellcaster to shore up your CL, but that will also compensate for the CL lost at Dread Witch 1 and Nightmare Spinner 1.

Another good option is Horned Harbinger, from Faiths and Pantheons, again with Practiced Spellcaster. It add your charisma modifier to your caster level for animate dead, and get that ability as SLA, saving you some gp on onyx. You'd be able to control about 12 * 32 = 364 HD worth of undead at level 20, with 30 charisma.

[Silex]

Two levels in a paladin variant can get you charisma to saves, which is very tasty defensively. You'll need Practiced Spellcaster to shore up your CL, but that will also compensate for the CL lost at Dread Witch 1 and Nightmare Spinner 1.

Another good option is Horned Harbinger, from Faiths and Pantheons, again with Practiced Spellcaster. It add your charisma modifier to your caster level for animate dead, and get that ability as SLA, saving you some gp on onyx. You'd be able to control about 12 * 32 = 364 HD worth of undead at level 20, with 30 charisma.

Now both of those suggestions are something to think about! Anyone else have other good suggestions?

[jiriku]

Dread Witch's 4th level class feature (Greater Master of Terror) gives you the ability to ignore fear immunity of anyone with HD < Level + 4.

Also, the Dread Necromancer's undead minions should be at least fairly effective in a fight against Undead or Constructs, even if Fear abilities aren't.

Maybe take Arcane Disciple if you're really worried, or buy a custom runestaff. Buffing or BFC seem like decent fallbacks.

Point taken. But an 11th level class feature doesn't help for the first 10 levels of the game. It doesn't help for beefcake undead that have piles of hit dice. It doesn't help against golems that are immune to magic.

The minions are a solid approach, but most undead get their potency from necromantic special abilities that are ineffective against non-living creatures. I've seen DN's just spin their wheels against a high-HD undead foe because they and their minions didn't have anything useful to contribute.