(3.5 D&D) Dread Necromancer Question

[Coidzor]

I've looked over the heroes of horror entry on Dread Necromancers and saw no mention of the starting gold of a Dread Necromancer, not even to base it off of one of the other base classes.

So... What should I do for starting gold?

Edit: Also, what is the limit on number of undead that can be "Commanded" via Rebuking Undead?

And does Heighten Turning (up to doubling one's class level for purposes of rebuking check) actually increase the HD of the undead one can rebuke and command?

[Hat-Trick]

I've noticed that on a few classes. I googled it and found someone who'd posted the starting gold for multiple classes. Can't remember where it was now.

[Duke of URL]

My general rule is to give it the same starting gold as the PHB class that it's most similar to, when it's not specified. In this case, Sorcerer.

[Erith]

Since the dread necro can use light armor and 1 martial weapons we actually use starting gold as a bard in my group

[Coidzor]

Any other takes on this situation? I was originally going to take the bard so I could get a longbow and studded leather and a club and hope I didn't starve, but I remembered that a lot of comparisons were made to Sorcerer in the materials I'd been going over, so I figured I'd play it safe without any confirmation.

[KillianHawkeye]

Edit: Also, what is the limit on number of undead that can be "Commanded" via Rebuking Undead?

It works exactly the same as the Cleric's ability to rebuke undead. The limit on commanded undead is your effective Cleric level in total HD.

And does Heighten Turning (up to doubling one's class level for purposes of rebuking check) actually increase the HD of the undead one can rebuke and command?

Heighten Turning cannot increase the maximum HD of a turned/rebuked undead, which is capped at your effective Cleric level +4. The feat is designed to merely increase the chances of rolling one of the higher results on the table.

Unfortunately, Heighten Turning has no effect on whether a rebuked undead is rebuked or commanded, since that has nothing to do with the result of your turning check. The determining factor is your effective Cleric level vs. the undead's HD. If your level >= 2x the undead's HD, it is commanded (or destroyed if you are a Cleric who turns instead of rebukes).

Note: The Dread Necromancer's effective Cleric level for the purposes of rebuking undead is equal to your class level. A multiclass Cleric/Dread Necromancer would rebuke undead as a Cleric whose level is equal to the level of both classes combined.

[Coidzor]

It works exactly the same as the Cleric's ability to rebuke undead. The limit on commanded undead is your effective Cleric level in total HD.

Ahh, thank you. I'd missed that in all the skimming I was doing to do a rush job.

Alright... I was wondering about that, due to the fact that the way I'd read the Heighten Turning description it seemed like it was a way to temporarily double one's cleric level for purposes of commanding undead at the cost of losing any undead previously commanded if the new number went over the normally controllable HD limit.

[KillianHawkeye]

Alright... I was wondering about that, due to the fact that the way I'd read the Heighten Turning description it seemed like it was a way to temporarily double one's cleric level for purposes of commanding undead at the cost of losing any undead previously commanded if the new number went over the normally controllable HD limit.

Where are you getting that feat from? The one I read was 3.0 (from Faiths and Pantheons, I think) since I just Googled it. That version allowed you to add a number (up to your Cleric level) to your turning check and subtract the same number from your turning damage, making it essentially like a reverse Power Attack for turning. You simply gained a greater chance of affecting the highest possible HD of undead at the cost of affecting fewer total HD.

If you are using a different feat called Heighten Turning, then that part of my response won't be applicable to you.

[Coidzor]

Basically I misread it when I was first going over it.

Hmm. I believe it was Libris Mortis. Upon rereading it, I found it was pretty much what you said. Not sure how I got confused now. x.x

[KillianHawkeye]

Ah, Libris Mortis! I don't know why I didn't check there. Lazy, I guess.

Yeah, it's pretty much the same as it was in 3.0, except for the added note about using your effective Cleric level if you're not an actual Cleric. Oh well, glad I could help!

[kamikasei]

Unless you're going to be in a very wealth-limited game, first-level starting gold isn't worth stressing over. I'd suggest giving them starting gold as a Beguiler, being a pretty close match conceptually, which means Fighter/Paladin/Ranger starting gold - surprisingly high, actually.