Non undead using necromancer

[Yamatohekatsue]

I'm wondering if there is a way to optimize grim harvest as a 2nd level necromancer, without focusing on creating undead and instead deal damage with necromancy spells to reap more life with grim harvest.
I know that warlocks would be a good choice for there spell slots restoring after short rest
But what about a cleric of death
Or an oathbreaker paladin?
My end game is a person who slings negative energy and heals himself, with not having to create undead so wizard would be a dip class at most

[JackPhoenix]

Death Cleric. Channel Divinity adds pretty massive necrotic damage to melee attack. Vampiric Touch is meh spell, but it heals you for half the amount of necrotic damage caused. Combine with Fallen aasimar, even if their stats aren't ideal for cleric/wizard multiclass. Level 3 VT will cause 3d6 + your character level necrotic damage per touch, heal you for half ot that, you can use CD to add another 5+(twice cleric level) necrotic damage (and heal for half of that). If the target dies, you regain 9 hp on top. Gimmick, but nice. And you ignore resistance to necrotic damage with Death Cleric.

[Yamatohekatsue]

So should it be a 2 lvl wiz 18 lvl cleric?
And what would be better wiz first or cleric

[Man_Over_Game]

It'd definitely have to be a Cleric of Death, abusing things like Inflict Wounds, due to the fact that the Wizard generally isn't going to be in a position to need health at the same time that they want to deal damage.

Generally Wizards need to focus on dealing damage or surviving, not both at the same time, so the extra armor and HP of a Cleric is really going to help here. Additionally, you'll eventually be able to double your Necromancy spells, which means you'll be able to regenerate that much HP.

I'd also tack on the Tough feat at some point, just to have that extra bulk. Things like Shield and Absorb Elements are going to be your best friends. Lastly, to get more last-hits in, consider War Caster as a means of casting spells instead of attacking. It also means you'll be able to cast more spells while wielding a shield (like Shield or Absorb Elements).

[Yamatohekatsue]

It'd definitely have to be a Cleric of Death, abusing things like Inflict Wounds, due to the fact that the Wizard generally isn't going to be in a position to need health at the same time that they want to deal damage.

Generally Wizards need to focus on dealing damage or surviving, not both at the same time, so the extra armor and HP of a Cleric is really going to help here. Additionally, you'll eventually be able to double your Necromancy spells, which means you'll be able to regenerate that much HP.

I'd also tack on the Tough feat at some point, just to have that extra bulk. Things like Shield and Absorb Elements are going to be your best friends.

What I'm hoping to do is I know the life transference spell seems like a trap for me I was wanting to use it as well and basically instead of being like a classic necromancer I would seem more like a blood mage

[Man_Over_Game]

What I'm hoping to do is I know the life transference spell seems like a trap for me I was wanting to use it as well and basically instead of being like a classic necromancer I would seem more like a blood mage

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of support for using Life Transference. Because of how it's written, mitigating the damage in any way results in less healing done. The only real way to abuse it is with something like Regeneration or some source of massive temporary hitpoints. Even resistance to Necrotic damage (which Necromancer Wizards get) would cut the healing of the spell in half.

There's no real support for a blood mage in 5e as of yet.

However, there is something that works similarly to that: Warding Bond.

Using something like Divine Soul Sorcerer or Life Cleric, you can use Warding Bond to redirect damage to yourself and then heal yourself. Divine Soul would be able to twin Warding Bond and increase healing on themselves with their Empowered Healing feature, and the Life Cleric can use Heavy Armor Master to mitigate the damage they receive to last longer without healing.

[Rukelnikov]

Cleric of death is awesome for a non undead using necro, better than the wizard necro IMO.

Do Death5/Necro2/DeathX

That way you have Necro fluff from the start and don't delay Spirit Guardians. By the nature of SG, you will be regaining HP periodically. Not having Plate means you are 1 below in AC if you get 14 Dex, but you have Shield, so you should be good.

[Yamatohekatsue]

See I didn't know that and I may look into that