Making a cleric necromancer

[Zellsantal]

For the up coming game me and the party start out at level 20 and as kings and queens of our own kingdoms and we basically dislike each other to the point we gone to war. All army's come met up to a place called "The Desalation" a place where a war happened and with all the magicl energy going off at once created a magical nuke on this land and killing many who had powerful magic and magical abelites over two thousand years ago. Each of the party member starts out with a relic that fit for our class and build and it was used to help get the kingdoms they have. Also starting off with 50,000 gold worth for what ever items we want.

The DM given me a bit more detail of what he's doing so I know a bit more then the rest of the part but only the starting point. So after the gather it would seem history is about to repeat itself as our arms start to charged forward only to be stopped by a flash of light. Once the light fades the party would find themselves suddenly level 4 and the land they are in that was "The Desalation" which was to be a dead plans is now a lush forest. They would find out (not sure how yet) that they went back in time just before the event happed. Most of our items are gone and so our relics. Being what we know might happen either we the party work together to either find a way back in our own time or stop the "The Desalation' from happening or else we might end up dead.

Yes is an odd game set up but sounds like fun to me. Out of our party there is three others besides myself and the way it sounds it will be an evil campaign because one wants to go Blackguard paladin with a Deadpool like personality, another a wizard who love to blow stuff up which would be the first time I seen her play as one while the other party member haven't decided yet.

For this I wanted to try something for a good while and now have the chance to do it. I'm wanting to play a Half minotaur template (not sure what other race to go with it) cleric necromancer. I like to make a Lick King from WoW but just more into undead army's rather then just make the world into undead. He still likes the living but just thinks undead is more useful if that make sense? I am thinking I play a cleric then go bone knight for seven levels. Roll be more like a tank, using spells to heal, buff and make undead. I also thought of using the Divine Magician Variant to make my own domain. For staring stats its 16 ,14, 12, 12, 10, 10.

However I will say I never done the necromancer before but I feel would be a lot of fun. So that said I am up to hear other suggestions. I looked up online and seems like Cleric is more the way to go but I like to hear everyone else's input before I fully decide and also I have some questions.

1. Is there a feat that able me to add another Domain, so if I did the Divine Magician would I be able to have two custom list?

2. Ok you know how on WoW that you can make undead that have the abelites they had in life, so by raw how can I raise dead to the point that they would retain their skills and abilities? Like have mages who can cast spells, maybe make my own death knights ect.

3. For stats I am thinking of having using a 12 for STR, because of size and template I should get a +12 giving me +24 STR while putting the 16 on WIS becomes 20 after template and 14 on CHS or should I swish it to have 30 STR and 12 WIS which becomes 16 after template?

4. I have thought to go Human or orc but not sure if there is another race to go with the template that would be better? Really I rather it be a normal one because don't want to put more LA then I already have.

5. Oh and as a player how would you feel being a 20th level character with 50k worth of crap only to turn back into a level 4 with hardly any of it? lol Just a fun question and nothing more on this one.

[Afghanistan]

1. Is there a feat that able me to add another Domain, so if I did the Divine Magician would I be able to have two custom list?

No.


2. Ok you know how on WoW that you can make undead that have the abelites they had in life, so by raw how can I raise dead to the point that they would retain their skills and abilities? Like have mages who can cast spells, maybe make my own death knights ect.

Animate Dread Warrior from Unapproachable East. It is a Sorc/Wiz spell. Get it with Divine Magician.


3. For stats I am thinking of having using a 12 for STR, because of size and template I should get a +12 giving me +24 STR while putting the 16 on WIS becomes 20 after template and 14 on CHS or should I swish it to have 30 STR and 12 WIS which becomes 16 after template?

You're going to want as much Wisdom as humanly possible if you are going to be a Cleric. You have magic to bolster your strength score if you want.


4. I have thought to go Human or orc but not sure if there is another race to go with the template that would be better? Really I rather it be a normal one because don't want to put more LA then I already have.

Human is the best race in the entire game, with a near tie with any other race that gives a bonus feat at level 1 and has a LA of +0.


5. Oh and as a player how would you feel being a 20th level character with 50k worth of crap only to turn back into a level 4 with hardly any of it? lol Just a fun question and nothing more on this one.

Out of game, I'd feel that this is a relatively irksome way of firing off the game, but I'd suck it up and make it my In game goal to research the Famlicide spell and cast it on whoever elected to attack my power base.

[Oberron]

1. Is there a feat that able me to add another Domain, so if I did the Divine Magician would I be able to have two custom list?

2. Ok you know how on WoW that you can make undead that have the abelites they had in life, so by raw how can I raise dead to the point that they would retain their skills and abilities? Like have mages who can cast spells, maybe make my own death knights ect.

3. For stats I am thinking of having using a 12 for STR, because of size and template I should get a +12 giving me +24 STR while putting the 16 on WIS becomes 20 after template and 14 on CHS or should I swish it to have 30 STR and 12 WIS which becomes 16 after template?

4. I have thought to go Human or orc but not sure if there is another race to go with the template that would be better? Really I rather it be a normal one because don't want to put more LA then I already have.

5. Oh and as a player how would you feel being a 20th level character with 50k worth of crap only to turn back into a level 4 with hardly any of it? lol Just a fun question and nothing more on this one.

1. Not that I know of but I'm sure there is a cleric variant that gives you another. what domains do you have now or are thinking of?

2.there are several feats that can buff your undead depending on what sources you can use there is a feat called grave born warrior that let's you give your undead you raise any feat they can use but they count as one HD higher for your control limit. There is also the spell awaken undead. There are also variant undead you can use too.

4. Extra feat from human is always a good thing since depending on how you want to undead will use up a lot of feats.

As for buffing undead or yourself if you become oNE I have a small guide on a feat called fell energy spell but it's from dragon magazine

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?586132-Fell-Energy-Spell-For-the-copperpinching-Necromancer-wanting-buff-undead

[Zellsantal]

1. Not that I know of but I'm sure there is a cleric variant that gives you another. what domains do you have now or are thinking of?

Like I put down before I want to make my own list of spells for the domains, some of the other ones just didn't feel like they give me what I want and their abelites most of them are once a day which not seem worth it.

Not sure about the Fell energy thing but I will think about it.


Animate Dread Warrior is something I will consider now just wondering is there one for casters and would this work with cropsecraft?

Otherwise thanks for the info but it does raise a new question I forgot to ask.

6. What feats would be good for this? I was either going to do the cropsecraft stuff or more the DDM Persistent Spell type of build though not sure if I will have the turning attempts for it. Other wise what else do you guys recommend? Also would DDM Presistent Spell work when making scrolls and if so would the effects be free when making the scroll?

[haplot]

Doesn't cloistered cleric give you the extra domain of knowledge and all knowledge skills at the expense of combat expertiese?

As for creating undead that has abilities in unlife as had in life, what about wights, ghouls and vampires?

If going cleric, I would recommend pumping Wis and Cha. Wis for spells, and cha for bolstering undead with turn/rebuke attempts, alignment willing. Also cha for the undead leadership feat, which IMO one of the go to feats for having an undead army that can actually do stuff.

As for other race, I personally would recommend NOT going orc coz of the -2 wis, -2 cha, (and -2 int) an daylight sensitivity.

Personally I don't like the sound of the actual scenario, but its up to you what game you like playing in. I don't like the sound of it coz of it implies god hammer time a go go. I could of course be wrong on that score

[Oberron]

Animate Dread Warrior is something I will consider now just wondering is there one for casters and would this work with cropsecraft?

Otherwise thanks for the info but it does raise a new question I forgot to ask.

6. What feats would be good for this? I was either going to do the cropsecraft stuff or more the DDM Persistent Spell type of build though not sure if I will have the turning attempts for it. Other wise what else do you guys recommend? Also would DDM Presistent Spell work when making scrolls and if so would the effects be free when making the scroll?

Nothing for caster liq
ke animate deadwarrior for caster and yes it works with corpsecrafter.

As for feats, I like to use the following corpsecrafter, heightened strength, heightened agility, graveborn warrior.

The last 3 are from dragon magazine as well but easily balanced. The two heightened Stat feats give undead you create a +4 str or +4 dex respectively that stacks with corpsecrafter. And grave born warrior gives a feat which is very useful since you get to pick the feat. Power attack or one of the martial feats that gives your undead a martial maneuver(give them a stance)

Dmm persist is good as well since you can buff yourself too but it depends what you are going to persist.

[Thurbane]

1. Is there a feat that able me to add another Domain, so if I did the Divine Magician would I be able to have two custom list?

Check out the Lists of Stuff (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?454553): there are many ways to pick up extra domains.

Two of my favorite ways are a dip into the Contemplative (Complete Divine) or Divine Disciple (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting) prestige classes. Both have pretty easy entry reqs.


2. Ok you know how on WoW that you can make undead that have the abelites they had in life, so by raw how can I raise dead to the point that they would retain their skills and abilities? Like have mages who can cast spells, maybe make my own death knights ect.

As well as the suggestions above, there is the Bone Creature and Corpse Creature templates (Book of Vile Darkness): both can be created with Create Undead or Create Greater Undead (depending on HD), and retain most of the abilities they had while alive.