D&D 5E How would you use Skeletons/Zombies in combat to make them more interesting.

[FormerlyHemlock]

As for the Chickens . . . that is brilliant. I could probably get Muffin to eat them after doing this as well.

On a further tangent, I have to add here: the one time I got to try this trick as a PC, the campaign never got far enough for me to actually ever cast Vampiric Touch on a chicken... but just the fact that I HAD this string of chickens following me around just in case added immeasurably to the comedy of the campaign. One time after a minor disaster (burned down a friendly NPC's house) we were all standing around the ruins watching it burn (plus some were-rat corpses also in the fire), and I decided that my PC, Hathaway, who was a taciturn and kind of autistic sort of fellow, was going to wordlessly pick up one of the chickens and toss it in the flames, intending to eat it afterward. The comedy effect I intended was that you can't actually just toss a live chicken in a fire without preparing and get edible chicken meat out of it. The comedy effect I got was that everyone interpreted this as a passive-aggressive gesture of frustration on my part, taking our failure out on the chicken by burning it alive.

So, what I meant to say, "I'm kind of hungry, guess I'll cook something" was perceived more as, "Take THAT, inoffensive fowl!" and everyone busted up laughing.

Chickens also make handy bribes and decoys for various kinds of savage monsters who might otherwise like to eat PCs.

I highly recommend a flock of chickens for any aspiring Necromancer. Muffins sounds good too.

 

[LegionError121]

OMG I LOVE THIS STUFF

First of all I have Autism so I say to you "Congrats" and "I hope it wouldn't of offended me" Doesn't matter though as everyone is somewhere on the Spectrum, it's just a case of "why" for the offensive tropes

Second How did you get chickens to follow you? Were you perhaps a Gnome?

Also I understand as to what you mean My party came across a "Necromancy Detector" recently and for it to work without it focusing on me I had to leave the building and they thought my character was having was upset



On a Side note: Our DM doesn't tell us what Items are called even if I use Identify on it, we can only interpret what it does The only case we get to find out about an items name is if an NPC tells us

 

[Shiroiken]

The biggest use in combat I can see is to take advantage of "as an Action" items: Acid, Alchemist's Fire, Ball Bearings, Caltrops, Healer's Kits, Holy Water (ironic), Hunting Traps (reusable!), Oil, Potions of Healing (REALLY obnoxious and may get nixed), and Tinderbox, not to mention magic items. The Help action is also very obnoxious. A moderately good option (assuming your party is cool with this), is to have them move to block enemies and only take the Dodge Action, allowing the party to use ranged attacks (most monsters don't have a ranged attack).

They are awesome for exploration. You have a single one stay 60' or so ahead of the party (just in the edge of vision). When it triggers a trap, not only will you know there is a trap, but you should see the trigger as well. This includes things like doors, chests, and anything else that is an obvious potential hazard. The cost of them is much less than the potential effects on a PC, so go nuts!

My personal favorite, is the fact that you'll never need servants again! They can cook your food, help you dress, do your laundry. all at the cost of a spell slot and some mental effort for the commands. If you ever do need a specialist, such as a tailor (skill use), you can call one of your skeletons by a name, implying he was your previous tailor

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Second How did you get chickens to follow you? Were you perhaps a Gnome?

No, I just put them on a little leash, one chicken tied to the next to the next, and I would hold the leash when necessary. Also, I tended not to sweat it too much if the chickens wandered off on their own.