D&D General A paladin just joined the group. I'm a necromancer.

[Dausuul]

To be frank, a hunger to kill the living is a feature of most creatures’ sustenance practices.

Well, sure, except that in the case of skeletons and zombies it has nothing to do with sustenance. They don't need to kill the living, they just want to.

 

[Maestrino]

I'd just play it like you're The Odd Couple.

"Would you quit smiting my minions? It's a lot of work to make those!"
"I would if you'd quit leaving them in the kitchen!"

 

[Todd Roybark]

they just want to.

Again, so do cats, and Killer Whales, and Homo Sapiens Sapiens, and a host of other creatures IRL.

Humanoid zombies have around a 3 INT. Skeletons have a 6 Int which is Ape level.

Zombies are just stuck in a cycle of eating, not much intention there. Skeletons are supposedly smarter. In 5e Skeletons have a Lawful Evil alignment. So, as in prior editions, skeletons tend to follow orders.

Historically, skeletons have often been ran as just standing around, after control has been lost.
Now, in 5e, it might be fair to have a murderous rampage result..this is at DM’s discretion.

Having a skeleton in full robes (to mask it’s scary appearance), deliver food to the sick during a plague...is that evil?

That Angel, that just turned an entire city to salt, (including infants and toddlers), over a differing view point regarding sexual behavior, seems pretty evil to me.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Oh save us from the Sparkling Skeleton Brigade. Bad enough they tried to ruin vampires, but now we have to hear about those poor skeletons with hearts of gold, whose skeleton mothers loved them, and how for the love of a mortal girl and some vapid pop psychology, they gave up their lawful evil skeleton ways......

Convince the player to play an oath of the crown or a redemption paladin whose goal is to convince you through sweet reason to give up your evil ways (plenty of time after you both hit level 20). or better yet, oath of tyranny (no reason to let the serfs be free after they are dead) paladin. Your party already has a necromancer, you are all going to the Lower Planes eventually, might as well have fun on the way...

 

[Eltab]

Paladins no longer are required to be Lawful Good, and should not (as a courtesy to you and the other players) be played as Lawful Stoopid or Stoopid Good.

What is the other player's character concept? You may not have to worry - if he is a 4e Avenger under a pseudonym, or a Paladin of Tyranny / Fear, he can work with your necromancer to fight the Greater Evil. (Presuming of course your goal is not "become the aforesaid Greatest Evil.")

 

[DaLich]

I know it's an old cliche, but this mess happened to me. I was all set to go with a necromancer. My guy was raising dead, the campaign was running smoothly, and then a buddy joined up at level 6. He wanted to roll a paladin.

What's the best way to make the two play nice in the same party? Is there a mechanical solution to the problem? Alternatively, how can I circumnavigate his ire?

Relevant comic.

So long as you can keep it necro vs. paladin and not you vs. buddy you'll be fine in whatever you both decide. Once you cross that line - and it's very, very easy to cross, the table will degenerate into miserable, unfun, dickish, naughty word.
- and that's my best George Carlin.

Hook wise, if he's a paladin of "not giving a lot of Fs", then don't worry. If he is by law and the light, no matter what, simply tell the DM that there is some major evil power at work. Ridding the world of this power is the single goal of the paladin - as valhalla to warriors. To get through the "door" of this evil beings tower, you need to unlock things - things which are written in necromantic bone script (whatever that means). Your necro is the only one that can read such things.

 

[Shiroiken]

I know it's an old cliche, but this mess happened to me. I was all set to go with a necromancer. My guy was raising dead, the campaign was running smoothly, and then a buddy joined up at level 6. He wanted to roll a paladin.

I have to ask: what edition? From 4E forward, paladins can be of any alignment, no longer bound by Lawful Good (often played as Lawful Stupid). In such a case, the player should play a paladin that has less of an issue with undead.

 

[Marandahir]

And then we get this incredibly relevant Unearthed Arcana!

While Summon Undead Spirit specifically summons a Neutral Evil undead spirit to join the fray (and one that is friendly to you and your allies, even if they're sworn to destroy Undead! – try to crack open that chestnut haha), the other new Necromancy school spell is Spirit Shroud, which can summon GOOD spirits of the dead to protect the summoner.

There are many way to play your Necromancer character without being evil and at odds with the Paladin. There are many ways to play this Paladin without being so Lawful Stupid that they kill your Necromancer.

Use your best judgement, and work with your party to make a story that makes sense.

Even if you don't want to make it easy on yourselves (they are playing a Paladin after all - morality tests are a common part of the character trope), you might talk with the DM and the other player to purposefully sow the conflict to a breaking point later down the line – maybe the Paladin or the Necromancer becomes a villain because they're so at odds with the rest of the party at that point, and once the big face-hell turn boss fight happens, you or the Paladin's player roll up a new character to replace them.

 

[Weiley31]

I know it's an old cliche, but this mess happened to me. I was all set to go with a necromancer. My guy was raising dead, the campaign was running smoothly, and then a buddy joined up at level 6. He wanted to roll a paladin.

What's the best way to make the two play nice in the same party? Is there a mechanical solution to the problem? Alternatively, how can I circumnavigate his ire?

Relevant comic.

Cue the Odd Couple music.

 

[Weiley31]

And then we get this incredibly relevant Unearthed Arcana!

While Summon Undead Spirit specifically summons a Neutral Evil undead spirit to join the fray (and one that is friendly to you and your allies, even if they're sworn to destroy Undead! – try to crack open that chestnut haha), the other new Necromancy school spell is Spirit Shroud, which can summon GOOD spirits of the dead to protect the summoner.

There are many way to play your Necromancer character without being evil and at odds with the Paladin. There are many ways to play this Paladin without being so Lawful Stupid that they kill your Necromancer.

Use your best judgement, and work with your party to make a story that makes sense.

Even if you don't want to make it easy on yourselves (they are playing a Paladin after all - morality tests are a common part of the character trope), you might talk with the DM and the other player to purposefully sow the conflict to a breaking point later down the line – maybe the Paladin or the Necromancer becomes a villain because they're so at odds with the rest of the party at that point, and once the big face-hell turn boss fight happens, you or the Paladin's player roll up a new character to replace them.

Your Necromancer can also be a practitioner of either White or Grey Necromancey.