Help me with my Dread Necromancer.

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the_unthinkable
1st Level
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Sandy, UT

Help me with my Dread Necromancer.

Post by the_unthinkable »

I know there are handbooks out there with help with this, but my DM lets me use stuff from the Tome series and I wanted help with that. The stuff that I'm using are Body Assemblage and Whispers of the Otherworld. I used Whispers to create 3 shadows and after some sessions of having them attack the enemy from below the ground, my DM is now banning the use of Incorporal Undead. He gave me two options; 1) Get rid of the shadows and retrain the feat and skill points, or 2)I can keep them until they are destroyed, but I can't create any more, and he'll let me retrain the feat and skill points. I'm going to pick 2, but I wanted help as to what to retrain into. I'm a "Lesser" Aasimar Necropolitan Dread Necro 7 just incase you wanted to know.
Also I noticed a lot of the prestiege classes in the Tome of Necromancy are kind of hard to get into as a Dread Necromancer. The one in particular I want to go into is the Widow Queen. I was wondering if some kind soul out there could do a rewrite for the entry requirements for a Dread Necromancer to get in easier. I would also ask the same for the other Necromanic Prestiege classes, if possible. Thanks in advance. :mrgreen:
Last edited by the_unthinkable on Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Quantumboost
Knight-Baron
Posts: 968
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Quantumboost »

I don't have much practical experience with the Dread Necromancer, but I'll do what I can.

Widow queen qualifications: Unless DNs for some reason don't get Knowledge (arcana) in-class (in which case you can switch it out for Knowledge (religion)), the biggest hurdle here seems to be web. You could switch this out for another 2nd-level (or even 3rd or 4th) spider-themed spell on the DN's class list. Alternatively, if there isn't such a spell, you can grab web itself with Advanced Learning or Attune Sphere (Dominion).

That would end up looking like this:
Prerequisites:
Feats: Path of Blood, A Feast Unknown
Skill: Knowledge (Arcana or Religion) 9 ranks, Diplomacy 4 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks
Spells: Must be able to cast 3rd level Necromancy spells, the spell vampire touch, and either web or <insert spider-themed Dread Necromancer spell here>.


As for switching the necromancy feat: If you're going for Widow Queen, the thing to swap Whispers out for is set (Path of Blood or A Feast Unknown). Actually, even if you aren't, having a posse of infectious undead isn't the worst idea.

Since you're an Aasimar, Greater Teleport and Wings of Evil might be worth a look as utility if you don't want to go for "moar undead plz".
Last edited by Quantumboost on Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Username17
Serious Badass
Posts: 29894
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Username17 »

Incorporeal Undead are problematic if your enemies are supposed to include giant gorillas and shit. Nothing without actual magic weaponry in sword, spell, or breath form can do dick about them. That being said, an incorporeal undead who attacks from a wall or floor gets cover but they can still be attacked. And an incorporeal critter that hides behind a wall is basically worthless because they can't see or hear through solid objects. Be that as it may, banning the use of incorps is entirely understandable if the PCs are supposed to give a single rat's ass about opponents who don't have +1 weaponry or better.

As for Widow Queen, I don't really see the problem. You can get in with the Sense Motive and Diplomancy as cross classed, and you're a Charisma caster so that wouldn't be a terrible plan in any case. Or you can get those as class features by any of a number of means. The Path of Blood requires that you be 5th level, but you can take it as your 6th level Feat. A Feast Unknown has ludicrously easy prerequisites and you can take it at third. Which leaves you really with only one requirement of any difficulty: getting web onto your spell list.

That's available again by any of a number of methods. Anything from getting yourself one of those Sorcerer Pearls to taking an Apprenticeship. Or bugging out into a Fiend Blooded deal. Or you can take Attune Sphere for the Dominion Sphere. Whatever.

Point is, it requires a fairly reasonable expenditure of skill points and two or three feats for a character that has three feats. You can get into Widow Queen just by reaching out and taking it.

-Username17
SunTzuWarmaster
Knight-Baron
Posts: 948
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by SunTzuWarmaster »

Yea, having incorporeal undead at level 6 is pretty much a "you can no longer use monsters from the monster manual now" to a DM. Seriosuly, like 1 in 10 have a decent way of dealing with this tactic.

As for getting Web, I would recommend a custom domain with your DM. Honestly, if that is the direction that you want to go it should be easy. Declare yourself a worshipper of Lloth, and take some custom Spider Domain. The fact that http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dn ... ain&alpha= doesn't have Web is actually annoying enough that many people have made alternate versions ( http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Alternativ ... ic_Domain) ).
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