[Epic] Help me build a Necro...

My players need not read any further!
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For an Epic level campaign I'm designing, I need a 60th level Necromancer.

This being has been around for at least 2 millenia, of indeterminate sex. (Nobody alive has actually ever knowingly meet the "Bone Necromancer") The being can cast both Arcane and Divine spells, and controls a large swathe of countryside, and what was once a major city. This being is Lawful Evil, and is the last humanoid on the continent who actually remembers anything pertaining to the time before the "Great Cataclysm" which dowsed the stars, darkened the sun and caused a major "Dark Age", from which Humans are only now emerging.

So what should such a being possess in the way of feats and abilities? What Prestige classses? Anything from FR (all), ELH, MotP, PHB, BoVD, and the splat books goes.

Well, I guess 20 Wizard (or Necromancer) / 20 Cleric / 5 Archmage /15 combined levels of Tome and Blood or Defenders of the Faith PrC's

For feats, obviously Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, and Epic Spell Focus in Necromancy. The Demilich template? Someone this powerful has Abominations serving them.

BTW, why does it need to be sooo high level? I 40th level character would eat all the high level characters from Piratecats and Sepulchraves and everyone else's story hours combined?

OTOH, any character from Upper_Krust's campaign would eat that necromancer for breakfast. Speaking of U_K, it's been a bit since I last read him.

Though I'm normally loath to counsel it, try the True Necromancer. At non-epic levels, it's awful due to delayed spell progression. Yet due to the fact you've got cleric and necromancer levels anyway, it might be worth a shot.

Wizard 20, cleric 20, true necromancer 10, pale master 10.

Feats: Spell Focus necromancy
Greater Spell Focus necromancy
Augment Summoning*
Extra Turning x many

* summon undead spells 1 - 9


Epic Feats: Undead Mastery
Zone of Animation
Planar Turning

Possibly Half Fiend and/or Shadow(from MotP) templates.


Don't have the BoVD yet or I'd include stuff from that. I was actually devising an epic level necromancer myself just recently
This is a necro with the ability to raise armies of undead at a whim.

tleilaxu said:

Well, I guess 20 Wizard (or Necromancer) / 20 Cleric / 5 Archmage /15 combined levels of Tome and Blood or Defenders of the Faith PrC's

For feats, obviously Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, and Epic Spell Focus in Necromancy. The Demilich template? Someone this powerful has Abominations serving them.

BTW, why does it need to be sooo high level? I 40th level character would eat all the high level characters from Piratecats and Sepulchraves and everyone else's story hours combined?

Click to expand...

I was looking at generally more specific ways of combining the various PrC's. In fact, progression in 20 levels of Wizard and 20 levels of Cleric is redundant with many of those PrC, if you view it purely from a Spell Level aquisition PoV. And from the view of gaining Epic Feats, you suggestion supposes that Epic Level feats are less interesting than PrC abilities.

How do you value the PrC abilities contra the loss of Bonus Epic feats? Perhaps I should create new feats with those abilities instead? More thought into how to achieve the various PrCs. This places strains on the Feats available. Thus I decided not to do Archmage, as the loss of two feats (secondary Spell Focus, and Skill Focus) put a real cramp in my Necro's style.

I'm leaning toward Hierophant for the "Blast Infidel" ability, together with True Necromancer (combine total character level when casting Necromancy spells).

The reason the charcater needs to be soo high level? This is an Epic Level Campign world, designed to last for years, not just a one off. One of the main purposes is to have enemies/allies that are so out of reach, that you can't really defeat them by direct confrontation. Without going into too much detail on the campaign, there are a large number of VERY powerful threats present in the campaign. In order to successfully "defeat" them, will require clever play, and political conniving, as well as manipulation, for the PC's to achieve their goal.

I want a campaign that holds together logically, so that the emperor is protected by a unit of fighting men who aren't going to be a push-over for the first 22nd level peanut that comes calling. Similar to the Praetorian Guard, or Beef-Eaters. That kind of thing.

Earning/creating a staff of the Archmage means you have just joined the fraternity of Archmages. Those below you are mere magelings, dabblers, and practioners of arts they do not comprehend.

And this Arch-necromancer plays a vital rolê in the history and future of this campaign. The Empire has fought against the Bone Necromancer (BN) once before, (approx 1600 yrs ago). It lost a whole city to BN's army of undead. Since then, both sides have honoured the truce.

Al said:

Though I'm normally loath to counsel it, try the True Necromancer. At non-epic levels, it's awful due to delayed spell progression. Yet due to the fact you've got cleric and necromancer levels anyway, it might be worth a shot.

Click to expand...

I'd say so, as total character level counts when casting Necromancy spells. That is, a 20 Cleric/ 20 Wizard/20 True Necro casts Necromancy spells as a 60th level spell caster. And Necro-spells is what we want to be using

My idea so far is:¨

Clr 5/ Wiz 5/ True Necro 45/ Hierophant 5.

OR

Clr 1/Wiz 5/Shadow Adept 14/True Necro 35/Hierophant 5.

One problem being the lack of WotC support for the Epic True Necromancer. But continuing an Epic PrC would gain you more Bonus Epic Feats.

Aaron L said:

Wizard 20, cleric 20, true necromancer 10, pale master 10.

Feats: Spell Focus necromancy
Greater Spell Focus necromancy
Augment Summoning*
Extra Turning x many

* summon undead spells 1 - 9


Epic Feats: Undead Mastery
Zone of Animation
Planar Turning

Possibly Half Fiend and/or Shadow(from MotP) templates.


Don't have the BoVD yet or I'd include stuff from that. I was actually devising an epic level necromancer myself just recently
This is a necro with the ability to raise armies of undead at a whim.

Click to expand...

Thanks Aaron. Hadn't considered Augment Summoning. The others were on my wishlist. I hadn't really thought of templates, but I'll avoid the obvious undead ones, I think. Shadow sounds right.

How did your Epic Necro go? Details please! I need all inspiration and bad ideas I can get!!!

Hi all!

Zappo said:

OTOH, any character from Upper_Krust's campaign would eat that necromancer for breakfast. Speaking of U_K, it's been a bit since I last read him.

Click to expand...

...be careful what you wish for Zappo mate!

Something to contemplate would be that giving him cleric levels means he has to have a god. Yet at 60th-level there could be friction between such a powerful character and his deity; wary of the necromancers power.

Incidently if the Necromancer was 2029 years old he could plausibly be 63rd-level. Given at least +1000 EXP/Year from adventuring/research

As for whom he could defeat:

60th-level character is equal* to:

x2 41-48 ECL opponents
x4 33-36 ECL opponents
x8 25-28 ECL opponents
x16 19-20 ECL opponents

*equal to means CR+4 above the party average.

Upper_Krust said:

Hi all!



...be careful what you wish for Zappo mate!

Something to contemplate would be that giving him cleric levels means he has to have a god. Yet at 60th-level there could be friction between such a powerful character and his deity; wary of the necromancers power.

Incidently if the Necromancer was 2029 years old he could plausibly be 63rd-level. Given at least +1000 EXP/Year from adventuring/research

As for whom he could defeat:

60th-level character is equal* to:

x2 41-48 ECL opponents
x4 33-36 ECL opponents
x8 25-28 ECL opponents
x16 19-20 ECL opponents

*equal to means CR+4 above the party average.

Click to expand...

Greetings!

Indeed, I have considered this friction, and it is there in the background. Something VERY disastrous has occured to this realm during the Great Cataclysm... Something that frightens even the Bone Necromancer... Most of his latest research has been into this very area!

There are others of similar power level, but as to their nature... I'd post more background but I fear to spoil the surprise. If any were interested, I could post my campaign notes, once they progress beyond the rough draft.