necromancer items/feats for an undead army

[Mahar]

so I am running a LN dread necromancer/ death domain cleric of Weeja that is going to become a true necromancer from libris mortis. I am thinking of mainly focusing on having an army of undead minions and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good magic items (other than basic staff, wands, and the rod of undead mastery) or feats (other than the corpsecrafter series) of have looked through a bunch of the 3.5 books but cant find much (necromancer discrimination) and was just wondering if I over looked something in the books or if anyone knew of any good 3.5 books to look through other than libris mortis.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Spellstitched template in CA can be added to intelligent undead:


Spellstitched creatures can be created only by a wizard or
sorcerer with the Craft Wondrous Item feat and of sufficient
level to cast the spells to be imbued within the undead’s
body. The creation process takes a number of days equal to
the Wisdom score of the undead creature being spellstitched
(so a minimum of 10 days) and requires the expenditure of
1,000 gp for carving or tattooing materials in addition to 500
XP × the undead creature’s Wisdom score.

[Bonzai]

There is a crown in the Realms that gives you the ability to turn/rebuke as 10th lvl cleric. If your DM let's it stack, great. If not then it's more fodder.

There is a rod in libir mortis that adds to your numbers, but you have to keep holding it to maintain control.

Charm Undead from Librir Mortis gives you pseudo control over intelligent undead, and control over non intelligent undead.

Pale Master can pretty much give you infinite fodder if you have enough time.

Read the Haunt Shift spell in Libir Mortis. It lets you turn undead into haunting presences and bind them into an object or place. If you worry about transporting your controlled undead, use this spell and bind them to a pebble or copper piece. You can then pokeball them out a few times a day. You can use it on uncontrolled undead as well, just keep them in an extrademensional container. Then you can hand grenade them at the living, let them manifest, and attack as they will.

[Doctor Despair]

Grabbed a bunch of these from a Google Doc I keep. Hope it's helpful :smallsmile:


Lifesight is valuable as it's very hard to protect from and foils most stealth

To have an undead, your bread and butter is going to be Command Undead. Chain Spell is an invaluable metamagic to that end, and three levels of Incantatrix will let you apply it much more frequently. Extend Spell is also of use for Command Undead.

Metamagic reducers (like Residual Metamagic) are also invaluable for getting more Chain Metamagics out there.

Dread Necromancer casting is unique in that they automatically know all the spells of any level they are able to cast. Versatile Spellcaster lets you sacrifice two spell-slots to cast one spell of a higher level. Depending on the DM, that may be enough to automatically learn spells of the next level (earlier than you normally would). With that said, adding Heighten Spell both qualifies you for Incantatrix and makes it much more difficult to argue you don't get that advanced casting earlier.

Two levels in Pale Master get you Animate Dead as an SLA 1/day. This means you now no longer have to spend valuable WBL to create your undead; you get one each day for free! Keep making them until you hit your HD limit, then start using Command Undead on the oldest ones before you make more to grow your army.

The Rod of Undead Mastery is affordably by level 8 WBL and doubles the amount of undead you can control.

The Ring of Lesser Desecration is also an invaluable resource for raising up an army and buffing your creations. It's affordable by level 5.

Sickening Grasp/Fortify Spell/Grell Alchemy can be valuable for pumping your caster level for various purposes.

False Theurgy with Heighten Spell can help you disguise your spells fairly effectively which may be needed for RP reasons depending on the campaign.

If your DM is willing to use the taint rules in this campaign, if your wisdom is low enough and your charisma high enough, you also become eligible for two bonus feats immediately upon becoming an undead creature. Score!

Mother Cyst is a hugely thematic feat and adds a bunch of spells known. Even if you have no interest in using it to spy on, control, and terrorize on the living, it gives you access to a new, stealthy undead creature (that can create more undead creatures): the Skulking Cyst!

Being evil and worshipping an Elder Evil (Attropus is an appropriate one) grants you a bonus Vile feat at level 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20.


Skulking Cyst

https://i1.wp.com/dmdave.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/skulking-cyst.jpg?resize=656%2C300&ssl=1

Small Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12 (26 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 natural), touch 15, fl atfooted 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/–2
Attack: Intestine loop +6 melee (1d4 plus attachment)
Full Attack: 2 intestine loops +6 melee (1d4 plus attachment)
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach, blood drain, spell-like abilities
Special Quality: Blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., inescapable craving, resistance to fi re 5, undead traits, +2 turn resistance
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con -, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Climb +15, Hide +23, Listen +11, Move Silently +19, Search +8, Spot +11, Tumble +7
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or concentration (3–9)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

The horrible creature walking into view is a mass of free-roaming intestines, flaccid organs, and a few odd rib bones. Dragging behind it like a dead weight is a lolling, maggot-ridden humanoid head.

A skulking cyst is disgorged from the rotting corpse of a living creature, born of a necrotic cyst that eventually kills its host (see the necrotic cyst spell, page 68).

A skulking cyst prefers shadows and dark corners, only revealing the horror of its form when it strikes lone victims from hiding. Though often cloaked in the detritus of a previous victim, the skulking cyst’s true “heart” is a 1-foot-diameter spherical sac that contains fluid and semisolid necrotic flesh, which slowly undulates as if in a mockery of breath.

A skulking cyst does not speak, but it understands Common and the languages its fleshy carapace originally spoke in life.

COMBAT
A creature of shadows, a skulking cyst prefers to launch attacks on lone victims from dark ceilings and sewer grates.

Attach (Ex): If a skulking cyst hits with an intestine, it latches onto the opponent’s body. An attached skulking cyst has an AC of 15.

Blood Drain (Ex): A skulking cyst drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage in each round it remains attached. Once it has drained 7 points of Constitution, it uses its necrotic cyst spell-like ability. After that, it drops off and attempts to skitter away into a shadowed corner or other hidden location.

Inescapable Craving: A skulking cyst has an inescapable craving (see the Undead Metabolism section in Chapter 1) for blood, which it satisfi es by using its blood drain ability.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—darkness; 1/day— necrotic cyst (see page 68). Caster level 3rd.

Skills: A skulking cyst has a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently (already calculated into the statistics above).


Being Necropolitan lets you infinitely heal yourself out of combat with your Charnel Touch class feature.

Magic Blooded is a great template for a Dread Necromancer who is also a Necropolitan, as the undead type grants you immunity to mind-affecting things, so the wis hit doesn't hurt very much

Evolved Undead can give you a bunch of stats and fast healing for LA+1.

Spell-Stitched is super, super strong, but arguably turns your character into an NPC. Much like the Half-Golem template, Spellstitched doesn't have an LA, meaning it may not be suitable for players, even though the mechanism to get the template is described in-game. As it's up to DM fiat, don't expect many DMs to let you have it unless the rest of the party are going to be playing hyper-optimized tier-1 classes.

Unseeley Fey, if your DM allows it, is another LA+0 template for a charisma buff.

Draconic is an LA+2 template that grants +2 charisma. Not bad value.

Phrenic is an LA+2 template that grants +4 charisma, a bunch of scaling psionic abilities as SLAs, and spell resistance of HD+10. One of the strongest templates out there if you don't mind the LA hit.

For races, human or Strongheart Halfling get a useful bonus feat. Changeling is great for hiding the fact that you are Necropolitan; add Racial Emulation to detect as humanoid instead of Undead to all the undead-pinging spells and features. Lesser Aasimar is an LA0 option to get a +2 to charisma; Death-Touched is an LA+1 option to get +4 to charisma. Being a half-giant would let you apply the Primordial template for a big bonus to charisma, too.

Depending on how your DM runs Bloodlines, a Greater Fey Bloodline could be worth taking


Non-Epic Spells/Effects that Create Undead

Negative Energy Effects - Wights the next night
Mother Cyst series - Skulking Cyst
Undeath After Death - Target loses 2 con and, when it dies, reanimates as a crypt spawn.

Animate Dead - 2x caster HD of skeletons or zombies that count against the 4 x caster HD limit. No duration.
Animate Dread Warrior - 3hd+humanoid corpse, no more than your own, killed within the last ten days, becomes Dread Warrior (Unapproachable East). No limit, no duration.
Animate Legion - As animate dead, but they don’t count against the limit -- and aren’t actually under your control -- and only last 1 round/level. Bad.
Bodak’s Glare - SoD that, if it fails, spawns a free-willed Bodak a day later.
Create Undead - creatures powerful undead, such as: ghouls, ghasts, mummies, and mohrgs, scaling with caster level as on a table in the phb. Created undead are NOT under the control of their creator, but you may attempt to command the undead as it forms. The spell must be cast at night.
Create Greater Undead - as create undead, but makes: shadows, wraiths, spectres, and devourers, scaling with caster level on a table in the phb.
Field of Ghouls - Radiate 30-foot emanation for 1 round/level. All creatures with fewer than 0 hp that fail their saves die and rise as ghouls under your control indefinitely. These creatures count towards the normal 2hd/caster level control limit.
Ghoul Gauntlet - touch attack, fort save, or else the victim takes 3d6 of damage every round until, at 0hp, they become a ghoul. This ghoul is under your control indefinitely, and counts towards your HD limit.
Oath of Blood - targets a living creature who has recently taken on a geas or similar spell. If the creature dies before completing it, oath of blood reanimates him as an undead creature to complete it (see: create undead)
Seed of Undeath - fort save negates. Plant a negative energy kernel in a subject. If it dies within 1 day/level, it rises as a zombie under your control the next round. You can have a number of HD animated with this spell = your HD, and it counts against your HD limit for controlling undead.
Plague of Undead - No duration, turns all creatures in close range into zombies or skeletons (max HD = 4x caster level). Counts towards 4HD/caster level limit for control. Follows rules for Animate Dead.
Skeletal Guard - create X skeletons from X finger bones. Their HD for turning = your caster level. They count towards your HD limit for control. You can create 1/caster level. These skeletons try to stay within 60 feet of you, and they are forever loyal.
Summon Undead I: Conjure an undead creature from the level 1 list (Ghostwalk) for 1 round/level. Does not count towards your HD limit.
Summon Undead II: Summon from the level 2 list, or 1d3 from the level 1 list.
Summon Undead III: See II, adjust up.
Summon Undead IV: See II, adjust up.
Summon Undead V: See II, adjust up.
Proper State - turn a willing incorporeal humanoid undead creature into a ghost. If its previous class/race is unknown, it takes on your race and warrior levels = HD. If its previous info is known, it becomes a ghost of its former self. Its HD cannot exceed its HD as an undead.

Spells to Enhance, Improve, or Otherwise Utilize Undead

Awaken Undead - permanently grant intelligence to your undead. They gain armor and weapon proficiencies, and ex abilities they had in life, and get some turn/control bonuses.
Disguise Undead - for 10 min/level, you can make an undead look as if it were a different creature (only visual). This is a glamer. Creatures get a save to recognize it as an illusion if they touch the creature or otherwise interact with it.
Door of Decay - enter an undead you control and teleport to another undead you control within 100 miles per caster level.
Halt Undead - forces 3 or fewer undead creatures immobile for 1 round/level. Mindless undead get no save.
Haunt Shift - turns 1d4 HD/level (no creatures of HD9+) of corporeal and incorporeal undead into “haunting presences” (page 6 Libris Mortis) Tied to unattended object (tiny - huge size) or location until the object or location’s destruction. Magic items get a save (DC 10 + ½ undead HD + undead cha mod). Haunting undead can see/hear up to 60 ft away, but have no blind sight. Cannot be turned, rebuked, or destroyed while presence is immaterial. Normal vulnerabilities do not apply to presence. Undead of fewer than 5 HD get one haunt mode, while 5HD+ get 2 (impermanent home or poltergeist). Sentient undead can speak, but often choose not to, and characters might make a DC 15 intelligence check to notice something is “off.”. Impermanent home: the presence can take corporeal or incorporeal form a number of times per week = to the undead HD. This manifests anywhere in the location, or adjacent to the object, and can stay there for minutes = HD. It is a move action to return to the presence status. While in physical form, it can do everything normally and can be destroyed, but most return to the presence if threatened with destruction. Poltergeist: if an object has parts that move, like a wagon, clock, or crossbow, the presence can control the movement at a speed up to the undead’s speed. An undead with 10HD and cha = 17 or higher can animate an object, but cannot animate an object with a higher CR than its own. If the undead is haunting a location, they can animate a number of objects equal to its HD at one time. There is a procedure for exorcising a presence, without which the presence is more or less immune to most effects.
Revive Undead - raise an undead creature destroyed by hitpoint loss within 1 day/level. The animating spirit must be free and willing to return. It loses one level or HD; if it is 1st level, it loses 2 Cha instead.
Speak with Dead - talk to the corpse (not the spirit) and ask 1 question/2 caster levels.
Undead Lieutenant - Empower one target undead of 5 int or higher to command the other undead in your control. They obey the lieutenant as if it were you. You can give orders normally, however, that override the lieutenant.
Vile Death - summon a fiend spirit and bind it to a corporeal undead creature. It gets the fiendish template (notably getting smite good, damage reduction, cold/fire resist, spell resistance of HD +5, and int becomes 3 or higher. The creature is independent of you and starts indifferent towards you.

Spells to Aid in Controlling/Coraling Undead

Blackwater Taint - mimics a desecrate area for 1 round/level, also healing undead, damaging living, and dealing negative levels, which can spawn Wights.
Command Undead - for 1 day/level, makes an undead creature friendly, allows charisma checks to force it to do things it wouldn’t normally do, and totally control mindless undead.
Control Undead - 1 min/level, commanding 2hd/level of undead creatures within an area
Crown of the Grave - for 1 hour/level, you can issue one-word orders to undead creatures as per the command spell once every 10 rounds. This is NOT mind-affecting. You can discharge the spell to gain a +4 to turn or rebuke undead attempts.
Desecrate - affects a 20-foot area and makes it negative. -3 profane penalty to turn checks, undead get +1 profane bonus to attacks, damage, saves, hp per HD. Effects are doubled if the area has an altar, shrine, or permanent fixture dedicated to your deity or higher aligned power; if it has an altar or something similar to a DIFFERENT deity/higher power, it curses the area, cutting off its connection to that power, but does not double the effects Casting animate dead in the area allows you to create double the normal amount of undead. This counters consecrate.
General of Undeath - add caster level x 10 to the HD limit for controlling undead for 1 day/level
Touch of the Graveborn - Touch spell. Deal 10d6 damage with negative energy (one use/3 levels before ending). Targets with negative levels take 1d6 strength drain (for negate). Undead creatures touched must make a will save or be subject to control undead for 1 round/level. This spell can only control 1 undead at a time, and undead with HD of more than 2x your caster level are unaffected.

[Segev]

so I am running a LN dread necromancer/ death domain cleric of Weeja that is going to become a true necromancer from libris mortis. I am thinking of mainly focusing on having an army of undead minions and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good magic items (other than basic staff, wands, and the rod of undead mastery) or feats (other than the corpsecrafter series) of have looked through a bunch of the 3.5 books but cant find much (necromancer discrimination) and was just wondering if I over looked something in the books or if anyone knew of any good 3.5 books to look through other than libris mortis.

The Mother Cyst feat and its Necrotic line of spells has been mentioned, but I will emphasize how good it is to have victims be at -2 to save against all necromancy spells, the ability to explode victims to infect others, and the suggestion-like effect on a successful save that becomes utter enslavement on a failed one.

But for early game, I recommend the following:

Precocious Apprentice: command undead
Chain Spell
Extend Spell
Acquire at least four Slaymates

Command undead gives you 1 day/level of control over a mindless undead, which doesn't even get a save. Against intelligent undead, they get saves, and it's "merely" a Charm-like effect, but it's still really good; lots of undead have weak-ish Cha scores, so you can still get them to work with you. Note that it's one undead no matter how many HD, which allows you to keep your HD control cap for swarms or other things.

Chain command undead gets you your caster level plus 1 undead with a single casting. Admittedly, this is a 5th level spell slot.
Extend Chain command undead doubles the duration, so now you can cast it half as often to maintain control over the CL+1 undead you're using it on. This frees up more castings of it on other days to get still more minions with it. Admittedly, again, this is now a sixth level spell slot.

Now, here's what the Slaymates do for you: Their Pale Aura (Su) ability makes any necromancy spell prepared within it reduce the cost of metamagic by 1. Four of them means you're now able to get the +4 levels from Chain and Extend gets Chain Extend Command Undead down to 2nd level, which you can once again cast out of your single 2nd-level spell slot thanks to Precocious Apprentice.

If your DM won't let you just say you start with all of those Slaymates, you should spend time gathering info, making K:Religion checks, and otherwise researching to find likely places to find one. They're naturally created when a child's death is caused by the betrayal or neglect of a guardian, so you can look for signs of that (especially in particularly "undead-prone" regions), and keep a command undead ready to launch to nab one.

When the little tyke is willing to trust you thanks to the spell, you prepare the next day's command undead with Extend Spell, using the Slaymate's aura, and recast it on him. Now you have 2 days. This is where it gets tricky: you can find a second Slaymate and alternate castings, but you're still down 1 from what you need to add Chain, let alone the 2 more you'd need for both Chain and Extend.

You can either just keep an eye out for an opportunity, or you can shrug and just use Extend command undead on the one Slaymate, and on anotehr undead of your choosing. It may also be possible, with the help of the one or two slaymates already charmed by your spell, to simply convince two others to join your little band. It takes some role-playing, and you probably want to use the spell to ensure their positive feelings for you over the long term, but it's not necessarily required. Just be sure to treat them well.

By level 2, Extend command undead will last for 4 days, so you can easily have 4 Slaymates just by casting that spell. Once you have even three of them, you can cast chain command undead on one day, then prepare and cast it on three other undead on the next. Get that fourth Slaymate, and now you're really in business: Chain Extend command undead at 2nd CL gives you 3 undead per casting, with 4 days' duration. That's one Slaymate and 2 other (probably mindless) undead each day, or all three Slaymates on one day and other undead on other days.

This will get you a very effective means of building up a small cohort of minions even at low level. Yes, you'll need to do research and FIND undead already made to enslave this way, but it's a good start, nevertheless.

[Doctor Despair]

...
But for early game, I recommend the following:

Precocious Apprentice: command undead
Chain Spell
Extend Spell
Acquire at least four Slaymates

...

If your DM won't let you just say you start with all of those Slaymates, you should spend time gathering info, making K:Religion checks, and otherwise researching to find likely places to find one. They're naturally created when a child's death is caused by the betrayal or neglect of a guardian, so you can look for signs of that (especially in particularly "undead-prone" regions), and keep a command undead ready to launch to nab one.

...

It's always bothered me that there's no way to create Slaymates, which is why I didn't mention it. :frown: I feel like if you're the sort of player who's knowledgeable enough and optimizing enough to know Slaymates exist and want one, you're the sort of player a DM wouldn't be willing to hand out Slaymates to (as the minionmancy is probably already getting overwhelming to deal with), making them either a boon for a newer low-op player dipping their toes into the Blackwater Taint pool, or an NPC-only buff for campaigns where the party doesn't have dedicated necromancers. I wish there was a spell effect to create it...

[mostlyharmful]

Always remember, pants full of black sand.

[Segev]

It's always bothered me that there's no way to create Slaymates, which is why I didn't mention it. :frown: I feel like if you're the sort of player who's knowledgeable enough and optimizing enough to know Slaymates exist and want one, you're the sort of player a DM wouldn't be willing to hand out Slaymates to (as the minionmancy is probably already getting overwhelming to deal with), making them either a boon for a newer low-op player dipping their toes into the Blackwater Taint pool, or an NPC-only buff for campaigns where the party doesn't have dedicated necromancers. I wish there was a spell effect to create it...

It is true there is no way to create a Playmate without DM acquiescence. However, if you're willing to go full evil and work at it, a you can get one unless the DM is actively refusing to allow them. And if he is going to do that, that is something to discuss with him ahead of time.

For going full evil, we know how they spontaneously arise. Find guardians of children and bribe them to abandon or slay those kids. If possible, get them to do so in areas you know are high in negative energy or otherwise prone to spontaneous animation of undead.

Do this enough and a number of Slaymates will eventually arise. Make sure the kids don't know you arranged their guardians' betrayals, and present yourself as a protector or aid in vengeance, if needs be. Hit them with Command Undead as soon as is practical so they interpret everything you do in the best possible light, and work on treating them well and in a way that earns their trust even when the spell isn't on them.

But again, if the problem is that the DM does not want you to have them, then you probably shouldn't be playing that character in his campaign.

[ShurikVch]

Feats:
Mastery of the Dead (Player's Guide to Eberron): make a Ghost of a creature killed by your [death] effect, which would obey you for 1 round per CL, then disappear
Master Of Undeath (Complete Mage): you can decide the animated Undead don't count to your control pool limits; it would still obey you - for a number of days equal to your CL (and then - become hostile)

Feats from Dragon magazines:
#298
Undead Legion: +4 to HD limits of Animate Dead spell for both control and animation; +2 to HD limits of Rebuke Undead for both turning check results and total amount of controlled
Greater Undead Legion: as above, but +8 for Animate Dead, and +4 for Rebuke Undead
Desecrated Animation: +2 turn resistance
Improved Animation: +1 HD, and +1 on attack and damage rolls
Animation Mastery: undead created via Animate Dead or Create Undead spells always have max hp (i. e. 12/HD) and additional +2 turn resistance; required aforementioned DA and IA, and Knowledge (religion) 12+

#312
[Metamagic] feats:
Fell Energy Spell ‐‐ Numerical bonus granted by spells increases by +2 for undead
Song of the Dead ‐‐ Mind‐affecting spells work normally against intelligent undead

#342
Initiate of Wee Jas -- your Rebuke Undead would allow you to cure damage for Undead (1d6 per 2 levels of Cleric); also, adds Disguise Undead to your spell list


It's always bothered me that there's no way to create Slaymates
Shrouds of the Unholy (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20021031x) is able to create them

[Zanos]

Make sure the kids don't know you arranged their guardians' betrayals, and present yourself as a protector or aid in vengeance, if needs be. Hit them with Command Undead as soon as is practical so they interpret everything you do in the best possible light, and work on treating them well and in a way that earns their trust even when the spell isn't on them.
Few printed settings would require you to deliberately engineer these circumstances. Child abuse or neglect that leads to death would be relatively common in basically any setting that features serious conflict.

But as long as we're 'child murderer' tier Evil, no reason to bother charming them. Their powers do not require their consent or even them to be conscious, and they are pathetically weak. Chain them up, cut their limbs off, permanently reduce their mental or physical ability scores to 0 to disable them, dump a temporal stasis on them, yada yada yada. Hell, they aren't even that big and they can't do anything other than bite. You could just put them in a cage and muzzle them.

Real necromancers don't keep up charades to earn the trust of CR 2 minions with 12 strength and 4 hit dice.

[Segev]

Few printed settings would require you to deliberately engineer these circumstances. Child abuse or neglect that leads to death would be relatively common in basically any setting that features serious conflict.

But as long as we're 'child murderer' tier Evil, no reason to bother charming them. Their powers do not require their consent or even them to be conscious, and they are pathetically weak. Chain them up, cut their limbs off, permanently reduce their mental or physical ability scores to 0 to disable them, dump a temporal stasis on them, yada yada yada. Hell, they aren't even that big and they can't do anything other than bite. You could just put them in a cage and muzzle them.

Real necromancers don't keep up charades to earn the trust of CR 2 minions with 12 strength and 4 hit dice.
Depends on the "real necromancers" level. Remember that I am proposing a build that arguably gives you reasonable minion any at level one, and certainly does so by level 2.

as long as you don't mind hunting down undead to enslave rather than making them. Though Fell Animate with four Slaymates lets you prepare 0-level Fell Animate Bleed, which is a cantrip that does one hp to a creature below 0 hp (I think it is a 3.5 spell, anyway). If you time that right, that's the last hp needed to kill the critter and now it animates as your minion! You can then use the rest of this to exceed your HD cap.

[Biggus]

so I am running a LN dread necromancer/ death domain cleric of Weeja that is going to become a true necromancer from libris mortis. I am thinking of mainly focusing on having an army of undead minions and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good magic items (other than basic staff, wands, and the rod of undead mastery) or feats (other than the corpsecrafter series) of have looked through a bunch of the 3.5 books but cant find much (necromancer discrimination) and was just wondering if I over looked something in the books or if anyone knew of any good 3.5 books to look through other than libris mortis.

DMG: Undead Controlling armor property, Circlet of Persuasion

Ghostwalk: Blood of Orcus and Flesh of Orcus (magic items) and Divine Energy Focus (feat)

MIC: Reliquary Holy Symbol, Scepter of the Netherworld, Mace of the Dark Children, Talisman of Undead Mastery

Underdark: Rod of the Dead

Planar Handbook: True Unholy Symbol (under class tools, p.71)

Also, I don't think anyone's mentioned the Undead Torch spell from SpC, it can massively increase your undead's damage output. SpC doesn't list spells for Dread Necromancers, but if it's in play this one is extremely fitting for them.



Shrouds of the Unholy (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20021031x) is able to create them

Would require a generous DM to allow that, given that under its prerequisites are "animate dead, create undead, or create greater undead as appropriate".

[ShurikVch]

Would require a generous DM to allow that, given that under its prerequisites are "animate dead, create undead, or create greater undead as appropriate".
If you don't noticed, magic items are not always doing what their prerequisite spell do
For example, take Horned Helm (Magic Item Compendium): it required Haste, but does it Haste? No, it doesn't.

However, this still would require a generous DM - because non-generous DM would ban it for "being too OP": ability to create "any Undead, period" is hilariously powerful, and, potentially, not just "campaign-wrecking", but even "setting-wrecking" (depending on the kind of Undead which will be created).
Still, gentlemen's agreement can resolve it without bans and book-throwing

[Doctor Despair]

ability to create "any Undead, period" is hilariously powerful, and, potentially, not just "campaign-wrecking", but even "setting-wrecking" (depending on the kind of Undead which will be created).

Brb, raising the Aspect of Attropus from the corpse of this kitten

[Segev]

Brb, raising the Aspect of Attropus from the corpse of this kitten

Meowlothoth reigns!

[Biggus]

If you don't noticed, magic items are not always doing what their prerequisite spell do
For example, take Horned Helm (Magic Item Compendium): it required Haste, but does it Haste? No, it doesn't.

The relevant words are "as appropriate". If it's not replicating those spells, how would you know which one is appropriate?


However, this still would require a generous DM - because non-generous DM would ban it for "being too OP": ability to create "any Undead, period" is hilariously powerful, and, potentially, not just "campaign-wrecking", but even "setting-wrecking" (depending on the kind of Undead which will be created).


That too. There are undead with CRs up to at least 26...

[Mahar]

Wow that is a lot of stuff I did not know about from items and spells and the fact that we have people willing to kill children in the thread:smalleek: thank you guys for all this info for my necromancer it is one of my favorite types of character to play in any game and I am happy that I will make my DM rue the day he let me play a LN necromancer which funny enough has to constantly heal the party.
For the Lich King!

[Particle_Man]

One suggestion. You want an army of undead minions but could I interest you in an underwater navy of undead minions? They don't need to breathe, after all.

Also too bad you are going for LN Wee Jas follower, or I would suggest you somehow get a bard cohort and get Thriller dance going. :smallbiggrin: