General Dread Necro advice

[RobbyPants]

I'm looking to run a Dread Necromancer in a solo 3.5 game soon.  Because it's a solo game, and I don't have to stand up side to side by any PCs, I'm not looking for balls to the walls optimization.  That being said, if an option looks fun enough, I might consider a caster level loss.

General stipulations:
Figure starting at level 1, but possibly higher (probably not higher than 3rd level).  The guy needs to be playable from 1st level.

The game will likely cap at 10th to 15th level.

At this point I don't want to play an undead character due to campaign reasons, baring further clarification from the DM.  So, no necropolitan at this point.

Probably no Leadership/Undead Leadership.

Sources:

Heroes of Horror
Libris Mortis
PHB II
Complete Mage
Complete Arcane
Complete Divine
Complete Champion
Complete Warrior
Spell Compendium
Book of Vile Darkness
Possibly part of Unearthed Arcana (flaws and traits almost for sure)

Ideas so far:
I've read K's guide to necromancy so far.  I'm thinking of human as the race and figuring on Tomb Tainted Soul as a given.  I like the low-level melee possibilities of the class and may likely take Weapon Finesse at 3rd level (or 1st if I can talk the DM into changing the prereqs to Dex 13+).  I haven't put much thought into it beyond that, other than that I'd like to pick up some undead with Rebuking until 8th level, and then start Animating a respectable hoard.

I will PrC out after 8th level, but I'm not really set on any specific PrCs.  Divine Oracle looks promising (at least the first several levels), as do the first 4 levels of Fate Spinner.  The free Animating from Pale Master is enticing, but that flat out dead level is holding me back.


TL;DR:
What are your suggestions on PrCs and feats? What have you found that's fun to play?  This doesn't have to be a super powerful character, as I'm looking for fun and interesting as much as effectiveness.  As a solo character, I'd like to be able to handle a lot of different things.


Thanks in advance! [/b]

[Aktariel]

Play a wizard. Especially in a solo campaign, you will be much more flexible and powerful than a Dread Necro.

Of course, the one thing Necro's do very well is "Minions" even without Leadership, and the flavor is nice, so I can see the attraction.

[RobbyPants]

Part of the class choice is because I played a wizard not too long ago, and I'm finishing up with a Druid right now. If I were to change the class choice, I'd probably lean toward Cleric.

Still, I'd like to stay Dread Necro, just to try one.

[CatharzGodfoot]

Play a dread necro, it looks fun.

It's too bad Blood Magus has such shitty entry requirements. If you can come up with a way to fake them, Dread Necro 8/Blood Magus 4/Fate Spinner 4 would be bad ass.

Mindbender 1 is a classic dip from the same book, because everyone loves telepathy.

[Archmage]

The Fiend-Blooded, also in HoH, is a great class, but it requires you to take a couple of shitty feats. In exchange, you lose no caster levels and get to add some spells known to your list, which is flat-out awesome for obvious reasons.

Rainbow Servant from Complete Divine is amazing if you can convince your DM to agree with the text-trumps-table interpretation that grants the class full spellcasting benefits. You don't have to set feats on fire and you gain spells, though the campaign will probably end before you get the capstone that adds the entire cleric spell list to your spells known. You gain some domains, though. Consider reflavoring it if necessary--the book explicitly suggests picking some other supernatural creature and altering the abilities. I was going to write up a version based on nightshades for a dread necromancer I played, but the campaign didn't get that far.

[CatharzGodfoot]

You know, an Aztec-flavored necromancer that follows 'good' but does it by cutting peoples' hearts out and animating their corpses would be pretty fuckin' rad.

[For Valor]

You know, an Aztec-flavored necromancer that follows 'good' but does it by cutting peoples' hearts out and animating their corpses would be pretty fuckin' rad.

stolen.

[RobbyPants]

It's too bad Blood Magus has such shitty entry requirements. If you can come up with a way to fake them, Dread Necro 8/Blood Magus 4/Fate Spinner 4 would be bad ass.

That might work if the DM allows me to cheese that I was killed and rezzed in my backstory. Somehow, I don't think the designers intended for that, though.

Mindbender 1 is a classic dip from the same book, because everyone loves telepathy.

I thought about that. I'll have to give the skill list a look through and see what I'd need for an Int score to pull that off as a human.

The Fiend-Blooded, also in HoH, is a great class, but it requires you to take a couple of shitty feats. In exchange, you lose no caster levels and get to add some spells known to your list, which is flat-out awesome for obvious reasons.

I looked at Fiend-Blooded too. The first 9 levels are awesome. I'd just have to see if I could get him to drop the Knowledge(the Planes) requirement down to 4 ranks. It should probably be that way anyway, seeing as how the PrC was designed for sorcerers, and sorcerers don't have that skill.


Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[PhaedrusXY]

It's too bad Blood Magus has such shitty entry requirements. If you can come up with a way to fake them, Dread Necro 8/Blood Magus 4/Fate Spinner 4 would be bad ass.

That might work if the DM allows me to cheese that I was killed and rezzed in my backstory. Somehow, I don't think the designers intended for that, though.

Mindbender 1 is a classic dip from the same book, because everyone loves telepathy.

I thought about that. I'll have to give the skill list a look through and see what I'd need for an Int score to pull that off as a human.

The Fiend-Blooded, also in HoH, is a great class, but it requires you to take a couple of shitty feats. In exchange, you lose no caster levels and get to add some spells known to your list, which is flat-out awesome for obvious reasons.

I looked at Fiend-Blooded too. The first 9 levels are awesome. I'd just have to see if I could get him to drop the Knowledge(the Planes) requirement down to 4 ranks. It should probably be that way anyway, seeing as how the PrC was designed for sorcerers, and sorcerers don't have that skill.


Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Knowledge Devotion adds 1 knowledge skill as a class skill forever, and it's other benefits are also decent. I used it to enter the Stranger with the Burning Eyes PrC on one of my characters. Otherwise, I'm not sure how sorcerers are supposed to enter that obviously sorcerous PrC either, as they don't get Know: Rel as a class skill.

[ubernoob]

Otherwise, I'm not sure how sorcerers are supposed to enter that obviously sorcerous PrC either, as they don't get Know: Rel as a class skill.

Dread necromancers get know:religion and spontaneous casting of magic jar.

[Quantumboost]

Otherwise, I'm not sure how sorcerers are supposed to enter that obviously sorcerous PrC either, as they don't get Know: Rel as a class skill.

There are supposedly feats that add skills as class skills.