How to Raise an Army of the Dead?

[James McMurray]

There's also the spell Genereal of Undeath (various WotC sources incuding IIRC MoF and Ghostwalk) that skyrockets your level limit for controlling undead.

The incorporeality limitation is definitely new to 3.5.

 

[MerakSpielman]

From Dragon #309 - the "War Issue":

Animate Undead Legion

Necromancy [Evil, War]
Level: Clr 4, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Long (400' + 40' / level)
Area: Corpses within a 60' radius burst.
Duration: Concentration (up to 1 minute/level)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None

You cause all bones or corpses within the spell's radius (including those buried underground to a depth of up to 10 feet) to rise as undead skeletons or zombies. Up to 25 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level can be created in this manner. These undead do not count toward your control limit for commanding undead through the rebuke undead ability or through spells such as animate dead. Normally this spell is cast on a graveyard, burial ground, or battle site to maximize the number of available bodies.
Any undead created by this spell that move out of its range are instantly destoryed. Likewise, when the spell ends, all undead created by it are instantly destroyed.
Material Component: An iron crown studded with black onyx gems worth 3000gp, blus one 10gp onyx for every undead creature created by the spell.

This has limited usefullness, but could be pretty cool.

 

[LoneWolf23]

Cohorts. Lots of necromancer cohorts.

How do you get multiple cohorts, you ask? Simple, I say.

Get one with the Leadership feat.

Pick up the Pale Master PrC, and get an undead vassal -- go for one of the sentient types, like a Vampire, and make sure he has levels of cleric or wizard (as preferred).

Pick up the Dragon Cohort feat (from Draconomicon), get a wee bairn of a chromatic dragon, and make sure he has Sorceror levels, and knows the Animate Dead spell.

OR maybe, depending on the necromancer in question ... I've been told of a Prestige Class, I forget which book it's from, called Dread Master or the like. Lots and lots and LOTS of cohorts.

If they were all, say ... clerics of the deity of Undeath and Carnage that you, yourself, are a high priest(ess) of ... hehehe ...

Sounds like a simple way to handle it, and it makes sense as well. Necromancer Cleric/Wizards become the officers in this Army of the Undead, creating and commanding the undead troups and using their magic to support them in battle...

 

[Grazzt]

I never knew that too, until one of my players pointed out my wight could not pass through walls

Wights can't pass through walls at all; they are not incorporeal. (Wraiths are however.)

 

[The Forsaken One]

I never knew that too, until one of my players pointed out my wight could not pass through walls

Muhahaha

 

[pawsplay]

Here's a notion. Create a Wondrous Item, say, a crown or something, that casts Animate Dead 2/day with a caster level 12. Give it to a cohort. If you're level 12, you've now got a total of 96 HD of undead, which is not a bad start.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Wights can't pass through walls at all; they are not incorporeal.

Like to see your character tell my frost giant wight that it can't pass through the wall it's just smashed into itty bits of rubble

 

[Stalker0]

Ah, but you haven't taken the next logical step.

You order the first wight to execute the following instructions.

1. Create half a dozen wights*.
2. Order each of these wights to obey commands given them by me, Bob the Necromancer.
3. Give them these three instructions.

Problem with this is the same though, sure the new wights follow the command to follow you, but their not "compelled" to follow you... meaning if the first wight does then all the magical compulsion is gone, and all the new wights go crazy. They don't follow the orders of their master because they don't have to anymore.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Problem with this is the same though, sure the new wights follow the command to follow you, but their not "compelled" to follow you... meaning if the first wight dies then all the magical compulsion is gone, and all the new wights go crazy. They don't follow the orders of their master because they don't have to anymore.

That's why you periodically send earlier generations back to hide in your Impregnable Fortress of Solitude. If only the current generation is in your active army, then their deaths in battle don't have any follow-on effect.

It's also why I added the "wraiths work better" note, because they do a much better Impregnable Fortress of Solitude than wights.

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

Folks you don't need epic level feats to create armies of undead. Just one simple true ritual. Trust me. City of the Dead will make LOTS of necro-fiends happy.