Wizards options in a dead magic zone?

[Goladar]

I'm a neutral good 16th level wizard and my dm won't let me cast create undead. What are my options for minionmancy?

ETA: We're playing Anauroch:Empire of Shade. We've found out(through Contact Other Plane) that Alustriel Silverhand(possessed by Mystra) is being held somewhere in the Anauroch. We also know that the entire Anauroch is currently a dead magic zone.

Sources:Complete Mage, Arcane, Divine, Champion, Masters of the wild, Draconomicon, Defenders of the faith, BoED, FRCS, PGTF, magic of faerun, and champions of valor, Unapproachable East, Lords of Madness, Champions of Ruin, MIC, Shadowdale:Scouring of the land, BoVD, Heroes of Battle

[nettle3305]

The easiest solution is to take 3 levels of Cleric and grab the Initiate of Mystra feat. Southern Magician too if your DM insists that Initiate of Mystra applies only to divine spells. This is probably not optimal, so YMMV. On the other hand, you're still a wizard with access to level 9 spells.

[The Vagabond]

Whelp, in a Dread magic zone, your character should get into the spirit of things: Buy some black makeup, some dark worn jeans, and some chains, and perhaps grow out his beard. Style it fabulously, and begin carrying around evil staves. This will result in the dread magic zone believing you to be dreadful, and will accept you as a citizen. Then you implement public safety and sanitation standards, and begin to improve the lives of the citizens. Sneak outside of the dread magic zones, and begin summoning unicorns and butterflies, and see if you can contain them into boxes. Silently deploy these boxes into various strategic places. Run a festival, then have the fun break loose, and begin throwing pixie dust to purge the dread from the people, and make the populous happy. By the end of the year, the dread magic zone should be dreadfully sad, and will leave to greener pastures.

Though, yeah, in Anti magic Fields, cough up some gold to summon some outsiders to work for you. Otherwise, just do some quick google searches, and you should find something.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Look in Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood for devices, and craft yourself a few device runestaves of various very useful and versatile spells (including polymorph and summoning/calling spells, teleport, and so on). Now you can use the runestaves (and one or more fuel cells of your choice) to convert your spell slots into nonmagical spells.

[Goladar]

Look in Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood for devices, and craft yourself a few device runestaves of various very useful and versatile spells (including polymorph and summoning/calling spells, teleport, and so on). Now you can use the runestaves (and one or more fuel cells of your choice) to convert your spell slots into nonmagical spells.

Ravenloft is not an available sourcebook.
I only have one day to prepare.
Complete mage, arcane, divine, champion
Masters of the wild, Draconomicon, defenders of the faith, book of exalted deeds, FRCS, PGTF, magic of faerun, and champions of valor.

[nettle3305]

Ravenloft is not an available sourcebook.
I only have one day to prepare.
Complete mage, arcane, divine, champion
Masters of the wild, Draconomicon, defenders of the faith, book of exalted deeds, FRCS, PGTF, magic of faerun, and champions of valor.

Well, scratch the Initiate of Mystra advice then. I don't know of a good way to get summons/animated creatures in a dead magic zone. I'd go the planar binding route.

[Zanos]

Animate Dead and Planar Binding will work. Call in some angels.

Grab some scrolls of Invoke Magic.

Cry.

[MisterKaws]

Can't you just buy a martial scroll and IHS that planar trait away?

[ryu]

Can't you just buy a martial scroll and IHS that planar trait away?

By RAW? Totally. Don't know if his DM will let it fly though.

[Goladar]

Can't you just buy a martial scroll and IHS that planar trait away?

Maybe. I'll have to see if my dm goes along with it. We're playing Anauroch: Empire of Shade, so i think it's part of the plot.

[nettle3305]

Maybe. I'll have to see if my dm goes along with it. We're playing Anauroch: Empire of Shade, so i think it's part of the plot.

Please tell me if you run the IHS idea. Because that will be the first DM I've ever heard of let someone IHS away a planar trait.

[Jack_Simth]

I'm a neutral good 16th level wizard and my dm won't let me cast create undead. What are my options for minionmancy?
Simulacrums (Healing is pricey, so get things with hard-to-bypass regeneration; Crystal Trolls will be good for you, as very little can deal deal sonic damage in a dead magic zone)
Greater Planar Binding (Healing is tricky, so get critters with alignment-based regeneration: Planetars, Horned Devils, Ice Devils, and Pit Fiends fit the bill and are within reach of Greater Planar Binding, pick something to taste; a Ghaele in globe form is particularly interesting - it's incorporeal and thus difficult to hurt without magic, but it's not an undead and doesn't wink out in a standard AMF, yet it has an Ex at-will ranged touch attack....)
Buying pets (assuming you have Handle Animal, which is unlikely)
Hirelings
Purchased Constructs (no time to Craft them). They'll be hard to fix up, though.

[Goladar]

Simulacrums (Healing is pricey, so get things with hard-to-bypass regeneration; Crystal Trolls will be good for you, as very little can deal deal sonic damage in a dead magic zone)
Greater Planar Binding (Healing is tricky, so get critters with alignment-based regeneration: Planetars, Horned Devils, Ice Devils, and Pit Fiends fit the bill and are within reach of Greater Planar Binding, pick something to taste; a Ghaele in globe form is particularly interesting - it's incorporeal and thus difficult to hurt without magic, but it's not an undead and doesn't wink out in a standard AMF, yet it has an Ex at-will ranged touch attack....)
Buying pets (assuming you have Handle Animal, which is unlikely)
Hirelings
Purchased Constructs (no time to Craft them). They'll be hard to fix up, though.

Sounds good. I'm making a tarrasque and I'll be trying to convince a planetar to join me. Thanks for the advice!

[Jack_Simth]

Sounds good. I'm making a tarrasque and I'll be trying to convince a planetar to join me. Thanks for the advice!... you've got a caster level of 24 in a 16th level game that'll last the casting time of Simulacrum? There's a few ways to do that, but do watch your optimization level: If you overshadow your fellow players too badly, it interferes with their fun, and that's a bad thing.
Can't you just buy a martial scroll and IHS that planar trait away?A Martial Script is still a magic item, which means you can't use it on a dead magic plane in order to get the IHS to get rid of the dead magic trait....

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Sounds good. I'm making a tarrasque and I'll be trying to convince a planetar to join me. Thanks for the advice!If you can manage the casting time in the time you have available (see: scroll of wish to emulate a casting of simulacrum), ask the DM to allow access to the Arms & Equipment Guide for one item: the shrink collar. That way, your tarrasque is Small size but keeps all of the rest of its goodies, such as its high Str score.

[Goladar]

... you've got a caster level of 24 in a 16th level game that'll last the casting time of Simulacrum? There's a few ways to do that, but do watch your optimization level: If you overshadow your fellow players too badly, it interferes with their fun, and that's a bad thing.A Martial Script is still a magic item, which means you can't use it on a dead magic plane in order to get the IHS to get rid of the dead magic trait....

I don't tend to use my spells to end encounters by myself. I use bfc to lock the bad guys down for our martials and use walls to protect the squishys and keep the BGs in smaller groups, so no one thinks I'm particularly powerful.

Where does it say that Martial Scripts are magical? I didnt see that when i read the entry.

I will be using a scroll of Wish to cast Simulacrum.

Sadly, a shrink collar is magical and will not work in the dead magic zone.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Create Crawling Claw and Create Darkenbeast both create instantaneous minions, but they're both evil spells. Darkenbeast is also removed in sunlight. Both are found in Monsters of Faerun.
Create Lantern Archon (CoV) works, and it's Sanctified so any prepared caster can use it, but it's basically just Lesser Planar Ally.

If necromancy isn't an option you're rather limited in what you can do.
Constructs would normally be the go-to option, but that takes time. Months in fact, which you don't have. Also lots of money for combat-effective constructs, especially without your spell support.
Simulacrum is not only expensive, it's also hard to find a target that will still be combat effective when reduced to half HD.
So Greater Planar Binding is probably your only reasonable option. Trying to get something useful in an AMF could be a challenge though, most outsiders rely a lot on their (Su) abilities and SLAs.

Being a gish would let you at least do something, but i suppose retraining is out too? A:EoS is certainly the campaign where you want to be a Jade Phoenix Mage.

Another option would be to take Shadow Weave Magic, if you have the wisdom necessary without magical boosts (since it's unlikely you worship Shar), because the Dead Magic trait here only affects weave users.

The last option is to load up on alchemical items. Shax's Indispensible Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)) might help a little, but you're basically a level 16 commoner with a bag full of tricks. It's better than plinking away with your crossbow, but not by much.

[John Longarrow]

If you can afford it, a 11 HD gold dragon effigy is only 27,000.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Look through some of the alchemical guides and start stocking up on tons of alchemical items, especially things such as dust eggshell grenades, thunderstones, and tanglefoot bags. I'm not sure of it 100%, but I think there's an item called a gnome calculus that can launch alchemical items much, much farther than you could otherwise manage in a dead magic zone, so pick one of those, too.

If your Craft (Alchemy) skill is reasonably high, make sure you produce plenty of alchemical items on your own, and remember that only spellcasters can make alchemical items (for whatever reason), so it's still right up your Diagon Alley.

[edit] Sorry, the calculus is in the A&EG, too. :(

GNOME CALCULUS
- ARMS AND EQUIPMENT GUIDE (3.0)
Exotic Ranged Weapon
Cost: 50 gp
Damage: Per ammo
Critical: -
Range Increment: 50'
Weight: 2 lb
Type: -
Ammo: Flasks
This oversized sling is made to fire flasks filled with liquid. Common ammunition includes acid, alchemist’s fire, and other alchemical substances. Alchemical ammunition deals damage according to its properties, but it gains the range increment of the gnome calculus.

[Goladar]

Create Crawling Claw and Create Darkenbeast both create instantaneous minions, but they're both evil spells. Darkenbeast is also removed in sunlight. Both are found in Monsters of Faerun.
Create Lantern Archon (CoV) works, and it's Sanctified so any prepared caster can use it, but it's basically just Lesser Planar Ally.

If necromancy isn't an option you're rather limited in what you can do.
Constructs would normally be the go-to option, but that takes time. Months in fact, which you don't have. Also lots of money for combat-effective constructs, especially without your spell support.
Simulacrum is not only expensive, it's also hard to find a target that will still be combat effective when reduced to half HD.
So Greater Planar Binding is probably your only reasonable option. Trying to get something useful in an AMF could be a challenge though, most outsiders rely a lot on their (Su) abilities and SLAs.

Being a gish would let you at least do something, but i suppose retraining is out too? A:EoS is certainly the campaign where you want to be a Jade Phoenix Mage.

Another option would be to take Shadow Weave Magic, if you have the wisdom necessary without magical boosts (since it's unlikely you worship Shar), because the Dead Magic trait here only affects weave users.

The last option is to load up on alchemical items. Shax's Indispensible Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)) might help a little, but you're basically a level 16 commoner with a bag full of tricks. It's better than plinking away with your crossbow, but not by much.

I can rebuild a little, but I'm not willing to completely change who my character is. She's a Wizard, loves being one, and that's the end of it.

Any [Evil] spells are out also. DM says [Evil] spells are inherently immoral acts(But Dominate X, Fleshshiver, and Binding are OK!).

Shadow Weave Magic is a possibility. I captured a SW magic user and have it's items available for study. It all depends on the nature of SW magic. Would a worshiper of Mystra use the Shadow Weave? I'd also have to buy an item of Wisdom +3.

Most of the items on Shaxs list aren't from approved sources so I'll have to check item by item.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Shadow Weave Magic is a possibility. I captured a SW magic user and have it's items available for study. It all depends on the nature of SW magic. Would a worshiper of Mystra use the Shadow Weave? I'd also have to buy an item of Wisdom +3.
No, a worshipper of Mystra would definitely not use the Shadow Weave. And an item of Wisdom +3 wouldn't work in the dead magic area, unless it's a shadow weave item.

There aren't really many options left then. If you can somehow get the requirements for Initiate of Mystra that would be ideal. According to Dragon Magic:

Any character of a class that must select a deity and that uses the cleric spell list for spellcasting can treat his level in that class as if it were a cleric level for the purpose of qualifying for an initiate feat. For example, a favored soul (see Complete Divine) who had chosen Bahamut as his deity and who had reached 3rd level could select the Initiate of Bahamut feat. The character would then gain the benefit of the feat and would add the given spells to his favored soul spell list. Since the favored soul casts from a limited list of spells known, he still must add those spells to his spells known list as normal to cast them.
So that's either 3 levels of Cleric/Archivist/Favored Soul or 10 levels of Rainbow Servant to qualify.

You could use the ritual rules in Savage Species to use Wish and change into a race that gets racial casting that qualifies.
A Loredrake Wyrmling Steel Dragon would work and has probably the lowest racial HD/LA you're going to find, but Loredrake is from Dragons of Eberron so probably not allowed.
It will cripple your casting in any case.

The only thing left is Invoke Magic, but restricted to 4th level and lower spells and at 1,000gp a pop that's really not enough for ECL 16.

[Nifft]

When all else fails: Crossbow.

But seriously, I kinda hope the IHS martial script works. Even if it won't remove the planar trait from the plane, perhaps it can remove the planar trait from YOU for a span of time. That would at least allow self-buffs.

[Jack_Simth]

Where does it say that Martial Scripts are magical? I didnt see that when i read the entry.Tome of Battle, page 147, lower-left corner, line beginning "Identifying Scripts" - it also gives their aura information for associated initiator level.
I will be using a scroll of Wish to cast Simulacrum.Spell duplication still requires you abide by the duplicated spell, which includes caster level limits. A stock scroll of Wish is going to be CL 17, which puts the cap at a 35 HD base critter (for a 17 HD simulacrum), not a 48 HD base critter (for a 24 HD simulacrum). That's still a Wyrm Black, Ancient Red, Wyrm brass, or Ancient Silver... quite potent, although hard to repair in the field.

[Eldariel]

First, yeah, stack up on useful mundane avoidance items. You can craft Alchemy yourself if needed. Second, nonmagical effects continue to exist. This includes the mentioned:

Animate Dead - It's an [Evil] spell but casting one isn't gonna cause you to fall as long as your causes are just. As a Wizard, you aren't prevented from casting opposite alignment spells, unlike with Clerics. Yeah, getting a manyheaded Zombie Hydra would be pretty damn good. You could Scry'n'Die a few 10-headed ones, Animate it and get back in the thick of things. Skeleton Hydras are pretty good too, particularly Pyrohydras as they'll be immune to both, fire and cold. Either way, Hydras get to attack with all heads after movement making them superb undead minions. Draconomicon has rules for high HD Zombie/Skeletal Dragons which are really powerful so if you can find a deceased larger Dragon (perhaps your party has slain one), that's enough. A single Gargantuan Zombie Dragon would easily be able to carry your whole party; the primary advantage Zombie Dragons have is that they keep their Breath Weapon (though that doesn't work in a Dead Magic Zone anyways) and there is no HD limit on them unlike with normal Undead. Alternatively, you could just use Limited Wish to duplicate Animate Dead; it wouldn't be an Evil spell so there you go.

You could always create an undead lieutenant and Spellstitch [Complete Arcane] it so it can handle your Animation needs and you don't need to cast any more Evil spells. Just note, any Command Undead spells you are using will cease to function so you'll need direct control of some kind. That also sidesteps the costs as Spell-Like Animate Dead has no material components.

Planar Binding - Lots of mighty Outsiders exist that could easily handle basically anything in a Dead Magic Zone. Binding some to your bidding, for example for the duration of your stay in the Dead Magic Zone, is a perfectly reasonable way of going about this. You are level 16 so you have Moment of Prescience which you can use to autowin the servitude Charisma-check against basically anything.

Constructs - You could always just pick up Craft Construct and build a big Golem in a fast time plane or something. Those tend to do pretty well when magic is removed form the equation, particularly something like a Shadesteel Golem [Monster Manual 3] with its built-in flight and stealth. But a Greater Stone Golem or in general, any large Goelm would be more than capable of handling most things. Crafting them the oldfashioned way can be difficult but using magic to buff the checks and cheat the prices, you can get around a tad of that.

Simulacrums - While you mostly want to use them for support and casting, they can fight, if poorly. You should only use them here in an emergency; they're comparatively expensive (if built the fair way) and most of their power comes from Supernatural and Spell-Like Abilities. But if you pick ones with good Extraordinary Special Attacks (e.g. creatures of the Cloaker-family, including Cloaker Lord from Monsters of Faerun and Shadowcloak Elder from Lords of Madness - their Moan is a Will-targeting Extraordinary Special Attack) can give you interesting options that are hard to acquire otherwise in a non-magical environment and consequentially, ones that things rarely protect themselves from (or indeed, even have the means to fight) in a non-magical environment.


You could also take over a superior body with the Magic Jar shuffle (essentially, switch to body A, cast Magic Jar again, terminate first Magic Jar while you're in the second Jar, return, terminate second Jar, become body A) or a consumable of True Mind Switch [Psionic power]. That would give you the physical traits needed to perform in such an environment.

[John Longarrow]

OP, important relevant question, how long will you be in a dead magic zone, for what purpose, and what do you expect to encounter?

[DarkSoul]

Get some planar allies to come with you, ideally something with divine casting. Then do some more research on those shadow weave items, specifically on how they're activated.

[Goladar]

OP, important relevant question, how long will you be in a dead magic zone, for what purpose, and what do you expect to encounter?

1. No idea.
2.To rescue Alustriel Silverhand(Currently possessed by Mystra)
3. Presumably Sharrans, Zhents, and Shadow Weave Users(along with anything else that might be in the Anauroch).


First, yeah, stack up on useful mundane avoidance items. You can craft Alchemy yourself if needed. Second, nonmagical effects continue to exist. This includes the mentioned:

Animate Dead - It's an [Evil] spell but casting one isn't gonna cause you to fall as long as your causes are just. As a Wizard, you aren't prevented from casting opposite alignment spells, unlike with Clerics. Yeah, getting a manyheaded Zombie Hydra would be pretty damn good. You could Scry'n'Die a few 10-headed ones, Animate it and get back in the thick of things. Skeleton Hydras are pretty good too, particularly Pyrohydras as they'll be immune to both, fire and cold. Either way, Hydras get to attack with all heads after movement making them superb undead minions. Draconomicon has rules for high HD Zombie/Skeletal Dragons which are really powerful so if you can find a deceased larger Dragon (perhaps your party has slain one), that's enough. A single Gargantuan Zombie Dragon would easily be able to carry your whole party; the primary advantage Zombie Dragons have is that they keep their Breath Weapon (though that doesn't work in a Dead Magic Zone anyways) and there is no HD limit on them unlike with normal Undead. Alternatively, you could just use Limited Wish to duplicate Animate Dead; it wouldn't be an Evil spell so there you go.

You could always create an undead lieutenant and Spellstitch [Complete Arcane] it so it can handle your Animation needs and you don't need to cast any more Evil spells. Just note, any Command Undead spells you are using will cease to function so you'll need direct control of some kind. That also sidesteps the costs as Spell-Like Animate Dead has no material components.

Planar Binding - Lots of mighty Outsiders exist that could easily handle basically anything in a Dead Magic Zone. Binding some to your bidding, for example for the duration of your stay in the Dead Magic Zone, is a perfectly reasonable way of going about this. You are level 16 so you have Moment of Prescience which you can use to autowin the servitude Charisma-check against basically anything.

Constructs - You could always just pick up Craft Construct and build a big Golem in a fast time plane or something. Those tend to do pretty well when magic is removed form the equation, particularly something like a Shadesteel Golem [Monster Manual 3] with its built-in flight and stealth. But a Greater Stone Golem or in general, any large Goelm would be more than capable of handling most things. Crafting them the oldfashioned way can be difficult but using magic to buff the checks and cheat the prices, you can get around a tad of that.

Simulacrums - While you mostly want to use them for support and casting, they can fight, if poorly. You should only use them here in an emergency; they're comparatively expensive (if built the fair way) and most of their power comes from Supernatural and Spell-Like Abilities. But if you pick ones with good Extraordinary Special Attacks (e.g. creatures of the Cloaker-family, including Cloaker Lord from Monsters of Faerun and Shadowcloak Elder from Lords of Madness - their Moan is a Will-targeting Extraordinary Special Attack) can give you interesting options that are hard to acquire otherwise in a non-magical environment and consequentially, ones that things rarely protect themselves from (or indeed, even have the means to fight) in a non-magical environment.


You could also take over a superior body with the Magic Jar shuffle (essentially, switch to body A, cast Magic Jar again, terminate first Magic Jar while you're in the second Jar, return, terminate second Jar, become body A) or a consumable of True Mind Switch [Psionic power]. That would give you the physical traits needed to perform in such an environment.

Animate sounds like a possibility as long as my DM doesn't decide that I'm Evil. What do you recommend for a lieutenant?

Planar Binding is a go. We'll see if I can convince some angels.

Asking my DM about buying constructs.

I'm currently simulacruming a Tarrasque.

She's not comfortable with discarding her current body, so Magic Jar is out.

ETA: If i did animate dead, wouldn't they be vulnerable to an evil cleric turning them against me?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

ETA: If i did animate dead, wouldn't they be vulnerable to an evil cleric turning them against me?Turning/Rebuking is a Supernatural Ability, so that can't happen in a dead magic zone.

[Goladar]

Turning/Rebuking is a Supernatural Ability, so that can't happen in a dead magic zone.

Does a cleric of Shar use the Shadow weave to Turn/Rebuke?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Does a cleric of Shar use the Shadow weave to Turn/Rebuke?I think (but am not certain) that only spellcasting is affected by using the Shadow Weave.

Hmm. Miracle patches holes in the Weave where dead magic zones are. Have you considered performing shadow miracles (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5638.0)? You can patch holes in the Weave using your cantrips.

Or you could become a wizard/psion/cerebremancer, since Personal-range psionics functions in a dead magic zone.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Does a cleric of Shar use the Shadow weave to Turn/Rebuke?
No. Shadow Weave Magic only affects magic and magic items, not supernatural abilities. Also clerics without the feat use the Weave as normal, even if they worship Shar.



Hmm. Miracle patches holes in the Weave where dead magic zones are. Have you considered performing shadow miracles (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5638.0)? You can patch holes in the Weave using your cantrips.

Or you could become a wizard/psion/cerebremancer, since Personal-range psionics functions in a dead magic zone.
The dead magic zone in question is being actively created by a Sharran ritual. It doesn't destroy the Weave, just suppresses it. There's nothing to repair, you have to stop the ritual.
Shadow Weave Magic and SWM items function normally there, as does psionics.

So really, it's probably the worst campaign ever to play a non-gish, non-psionic theurge wizard who doesn't qualify for Initiate of Mystra. Especially if you worship Mystra and so can't take SWM because of fluff.
That aside Miracle only repairs a 30ft area per casting.
Since this DMZ involves most of the Anauroch iirc that doesn't really help, especially since you'd need to start at the edge (can't cast inside) and your targets are somewhere in the middle.

[Calthropstu]

Going to have to agree with what others have said, planar binding is definitely the way to go here. Might have to fork out a bit of gold, but if you are calling servants of mystra, the nature of your quest should provide bonuses to negotiations.

Another alternative, if you have the cash, is to BUY a golem already made. A golem tied to a control amulet should do the trick.

Yet another alternative is to grab the leadership feat.

Since undead are not an option, I suggest dominate. Dominate person should do the trick. If your diplomacy is good, a charm monster spell should also work. Tongues + charm monster + diplomacy will get you very very far.

A divination to find a dragon loyal to mystra and a good diplomacy check should get it to come with you willingly.

If you can locate an artifact that can cast spells, that would also work. A staff of the magi, for examle, would still work in a dead magic zone.

If you can pull off a scroll of dominate monster, that is also an option.

Other mions can be had through other means.

[Goladar]

Going to have to agree with what others have said, planar binding is definitely the way to go here. Might have to fork out a bit of gold, but if you are calling servants of mystra, the nature of your quest should provide bonuses to negotiations.

Another alternative, if you have the cash, is to BUY a golem already made. A golem tied to a control amulet should do the trick.

Yet another alternative is to grab the leadership feat.

Since undead are not an option, I suggest dominate. Dominate person should do the trick. If your diplomacy is good, a charm monster spell should also work. Tongues + charm monster + diplomacy will get you very very far.

A divination to find a dragon loyal to mystra and a good diplomacy check should get it to come with you willingly.

If you can locate an artifact that can cast spells, that would also work. A staff of the magi, for examle, would still work in a dead magic zone.

If you can pull off a scroll of dominate monster, that is also an option.

Other mions can be had through other means.

I have about 75kgp. I can afford a store golem, but are there any other good choices under 75k?

As for planar binding, are Ghaele and Planetar the best [Good] choices in a dead magic zone?

Wouldn't Dominate and Charm be suppressed in a DMZ?

[Jack_Simth]

As for planar binding, are Ghaele and Planetar the best [Good] choices in a dead magic zone?I was mostly looking at core... if you want to go book diving, you're welcome to it, but I picked those based on 'You probably won't need to heal them'. The Ghaele can't shift forms in the Dead Magic Zone, but both are it's natural form, so the DMZ doesn't suppress it... and an incorporeal is really hard to harm in a DMZ; it'll pretty reliably do 4d12 damage/round to your enemies (+11 ranged touch, twice, for 2d12 each). The Planetar will get hurt, but alignment-based regeneration in a DMZ can really only be overcome by a shortish list of creatures; it'll hit a little less reliably (has to deal with full AC), but will be dealing more damage - in a DMZ, that Full Attack line would be "Masterwork greatsword +21/+16/+11 melee (3d6+10/19-20)" - and it has a reasonably useful set of combat feats, plus reach, natural flight, and reasonable senses (+23 Spot, Listen, Search, and Sense Motive), as well as a little stealth capability (Hide / Move Silently of +17/+21). They're decent bruisers, and as Mystra is Neutral-good, you can likely find both in her service (note: Use Magic Circle against Chaos or Law; do NOT use Magic Circle Against Good).
Wouldn't Dominate and Charm be suppressed in a DMZ?Yes, yes it would.

Edit: Oh yes, and as a Planetar does not have any weapon-specific feats, you may want to consider picking up a Large Masterwork Guisarme or three for it; a Large creature with a Reach Trip weapon is fairly good at making things not get to you.

[Eldariel]

Animate sounds like a possibility as long as my DM doesn't decide that I'm Evil. What do you recommend for a lieutenant?

Well. To Spellstitch a creature capable of using Animate Dead itself, it needs 15+ Wisdom. The more HD it has, the higher its caster level so any high HD 15+ Wisdom creature would suffice. If you want something capable of autonomously commanding them, you'll either need to gain control of a creature that's natively intelligent, or Awaken (Awaken Undead is a spell in Spell Compendium) something you've Animated. For general advice on good Undead to pick, the venerable K's Necromancer Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2733.0) is still probably the best source.