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Building an Undead Master
This build uses only the rules in the
Player's Handbook to create a character that evokes the Undead Master kit from the 2e
Complete Necromancer's Handbook
Class. Wizard. Undead Masters are necromancers first and foremost. Their ideal spell list culls from Necromancy, Enchantment, and Conjuration, though they are Necromancers in origin (though you can also consider Enchanter or Conjurer, if that route fits your ideal more closely). Despite this, you might want to consider Enchantment as your arcane tradition, as the effects of that tradition allow you to control and manipulate undead and fiends with more variety than a necromancer can. For your initial cantrips, consider
Chill Touch and
Friends to be among the most iconic. To evoke the fiendish angle, consider for your third cantrip a spell like
Acid Splash,
Fire Bolt, or
Poison Spray - all things the wicked outsiders adore. For your first six spells, the front-runners should include
Charm Person,
False Lifeand
Ray of Sickness.
Find Familiar can also be important, as it gives you your first fiendish minion (minor though it is). You might also consider
Unseen Servant, which can easily be conceived of as conjuring an undead or fiendish spirit to do your bidding. Given that you'll be cavorting with creatures of the netherworld quite frequently,
protection from evil and good can also reflect your command over those beings. Arguably, your
most iconic spells won't really come on-line until you reach higher tiers of power - consider spells such as
detect thoughts (2nd level),
suggestion (2nd level),
animate dead (3rd level),
magic circle (3rd level),
banishment (4th level),
phantasmal killer (4th level),
planar binding (5th level),
create undead (6th level),
mass suggestion (6th level),
finger of death (7th level),
dominate monster (7th level),
trap the soul (8th level), and
gate (9th level).
As an interesting alternative, consider Warlock. Though the iconic Undead Master is a wizard, there is a lot of thematic overlap with a 5e warlock sworn to the Undying (from the
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide). The Pact of the Chain can give you an imp or quasit familiar even as you serve the undying, and you have a spell selection that covers most of the spells you'd be interested in as an Undead Master, including, at low levels, essentially the same spell list as our low-level wizard has. A Warlock - being unable to learn many Wizard spells - may also reinforce the idea of Undead Masters being very specialized and unable to tap certain schools of magic. As you gain levels, keep an eye out for spells that reinforce your theme, such as
suggestion (2nd level),
hypnotic pattern (3rd level),
magic circle (3rd level),
banishment (4th level),
contact other plane (5th level),
create undead (6th level),
plane shift (7th level),
dominate monster (8th level), and
astral projection (9th level). Invocations you may want to keep an eye on include
dreadful word,
fiendish vigor,
gaze of two minds,
minion of chaos,
voice of the chain master, and
whispers of the grave.
Ability Scores. As a wizard, your suggested starting ability scores as an Undead Master using the standard array are: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 14. Undead Masters prefer to let their minions do their heavy lifting for them, and few would accuse them of being truly wise or restrained, but they are exceptionally clever, and have a wealth of personal confidence (sometimes, a bit too much). As a warlock, consider the following instead: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 15. These Undead Masters are truly powerful personalities, though they still prefer to let their minions do their fighting.
Background and Skills. The iconic Undead Master has a great degree of expertise on undead and fiends, with no small amount of research going into magic in general or the ancient history often carried along with their corpses. The Religion skill can cover a knowledge of undead, fiends, and the netherworlds. History can cover much of the ancient history, ancient languages, and heraldic lore an Undead Master may acquire. Finally, Arcana covers spellcraft, knowledge of psirits, and the fundamentals of astrology. Fortunately, all of these skills appear on both the Wizard and Warlock skill lists, so your background choice is mostly a matter of which one of those you'd prefer to get from that source rather than your class. Acolyte can represent an Undead Master schooled in religious lore, which fits nicely for their knowledge of the netherworld (an Acolyte of a demon cult or a death god would be quite understandable). Noble can be an interesting twist: it certainly fits with the Undead Master's opulent tastes, and it rewards that high Charisma with Persuasion proficiency. Sage, of course, is a clear choice for anyone delving into ancient knowledge.
Alignment & Goals. Don't be Good - your core identity revolves around creating undead and consorting with fiends, and you won't be welcome in any campaign with a bright line between the heroes and the villains. You're an anti-hero at best, one who maybe came to oppose the same nefarious forces your party faces through more personal and self-interested means. You don't need to be evil, but you certainly are comfortable warping souls, controlling minds, and getting power from fiends, all of which often produces an irresistible temptation to nefarious acts. Perhaps in your instance it does not, but don't be surprised if angry mobs and righteous paladins don't appreciate your nuance.
When considering your goals, you might consider the story of Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undead. Stepped in both death and demon-summoning, perhaps you found your initial training within that cult - or within a rival cult. Fighting against Orcus may be an important part of your character's history or a necessary goal for their future. You may even ally with that demon prince, using his power to fuel your own fight for something perhaps not
quite as apocalyptic as his own designs.
Equipment. Undead Masters appoint themselves richly, and they appoint their minions with no less ostentation. Value may matter just as much as raw function for you, so be sure to splurge on fine robes, fine meals, and fine lodging. For this reason, the dagger is likely your preferred weapon, as it is more valuable than most simple wooden staves. But, a gold-leafed, jewel-encrusted staff would certainly be more appealing than a simple dagger as well!
Feats (Optional). You don't require much in the way of feats to get your concept off the ground, but there is one that is worth mentioning:
Inspiring Leader can be useful to bestow your undead and fiendish minions a bit of additional resilience.
What You're Missing. The abilities of older-edition clerics to control undead and outsiders was significantly greater than your abilities. High-level spells like
dominate monster,
planar binding, and
create undead might not be quite enough or early enough to exert the control you'd like, even with the Enchanter's enhancement. Abjurations like
protection from good and evil and
magic circle might not quite shore it up enough. Consider the following feat as an optional rule to add such an effect to the game:
Master of the Netherworld
Prerequisites Charisma 11
You've found an answer to the deepest of mortal questions: "Where do we go when we die?" You've found that the answer isn't always something pleasant - infinite screaming hells and the oblivion of negative energy await most souls. You've dealt with the creatures who live there, who draw their powers from these dead worlds, and you've even bound some to your service. You command the respect of the inhabitants of this life of suffering beyond life. You gain the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, Religion, or History
- As an action, you can speak words of dark magic. Each undead and fiend that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. If a creature fails its saving throw, it is charmed by you for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. Once you use this action, you must finish a short or long rest to use it again.
- You learn to speak Abyssal and Infernal.
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