RobotRobotI
First Post
I'm playing a Cleric, and I want her to be a necromancer of sorts. But I'm starting to think that controlling undead just won't be worth the effort.
As a cleric, I'm incapable of creating undead until level 5. At that point, I'm able to start creating skeletons... which are generally going to be 1 HD creatures (assuming they're raised from basic humanoids), so they'll find themselves dead pretty quickly. On the upside, I can have twenty of them; on the downside, who really wants to figure 20 skeletons per round?
Beyond Animate Dead, you have the Create Undead spells... which require a Rebuke to control, as I understand it. (are there any alternatives to this? How do arcane casters control undead created in this manner?)
This means that I could have, at, say, level 11, when I gain access to Create Undead (a sixth level spell), a single 11 HD undead controlled by virtue of Rebuke Undead and something like 44 skeletons or zombies. Now, I could split that 11 HD creature into several less powerful underlings, but I can only issue one command to a Commanded undead per round (as it's a standard action.) I *believe* I can give an order to *all* of the Skeletons from Animate Dead, but I might be misinterpretting this. If so, then 44 skeletons are all pretty much useless.
For some reason, this is just coming across as pretty worthless in my mind. 44 Skeletons sounds cool until you realize that a single fireball from a level 11 caster could destroy most, if not all, of them.
When I created my cleric, I had pictured her with two or three undead enforcers; but as it is, I can't reasonably do this without hurting her effectiveness. Is the limit of the usefulness of undead-raising ability going to be just keeping a single undead (at my HD) with me?
Is there a way to take on an undead Cohort, then, so I don't have to constantly find new things to Create Undead on?
Sorry if this is all a bit mangled, I have trouble putting my thoughts together clearly and coherently when posting. Thanks for your time.
As a cleric, I'm incapable of creating undead until level 5. At that point, I'm able to start creating skeletons... which are generally going to be 1 HD creatures (assuming they're raised from basic humanoids), so they'll find themselves dead pretty quickly. On the upside, I can have twenty of them; on the downside, who really wants to figure 20 skeletons per round?
Beyond Animate Dead, you have the Create Undead spells... which require a Rebuke to control, as I understand it. (are there any alternatives to this? How do arcane casters control undead created in this manner?)
This means that I could have, at, say, level 11, when I gain access to Create Undead (a sixth level spell), a single 11 HD undead controlled by virtue of Rebuke Undead and something like 44 skeletons or zombies. Now, I could split that 11 HD creature into several less powerful underlings, but I can only issue one command to a Commanded undead per round (as it's a standard action.) I *believe* I can give an order to *all* of the Skeletons from Animate Dead, but I might be misinterpretting this. If so, then 44 skeletons are all pretty much useless.
For some reason, this is just coming across as pretty worthless in my mind. 44 Skeletons sounds cool until you realize that a single fireball from a level 11 caster could destroy most, if not all, of them.
When I created my cleric, I had pictured her with two or three undead enforcers; but as it is, I can't reasonably do this without hurting her effectiveness. Is the limit of the usefulness of undead-raising ability going to be just keeping a single undead (at my HD) with me?
Is there a way to take on an undead Cohort, then, so I don't have to constantly find new things to Create Undead on?
Sorry if this is all a bit mangled, I have trouble putting my thoughts together clearly and coherently when posting. Thanks for your time.
