Necromancer or Evil Cleric for undead master ?

[MoonZar]

Hello,

I wonder wich character do u prefer to control and use undead.

Evil cleric or a Necromancer and i want to know if possible why do u prefer one beside the other ?

I'm refering to DND 3.5 Edition with only the players handbook.

Thanks You

MoonZar

 

[Telperion]

Evil Clerics are best.
There are also some very nice PrCs in Hollowfaust: City of the Necromancers that go a long way towards creating a proper necromancer.

EDIT: Rebuking gives you more control over undead without having to expend any spells. You can also combine this class ability with spells. As I recall Clerics are better at creating undead anyway...

 

[Li Shenron]

I think 3.5 gave Necromancers something more than they had in 3.0, but Clerics still win.

 

[Telperion]

Yeah, they get Control Undead at level 2. I think that was it...

 

[LizardWizard]

Negative energy (not necessarily evil) cleric all the way.
Although Necromancy has been largely improved in 3.5, a cleric is still much more effective as an undead master, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I don't like undead anyway ;p

 

[LoneWolf23]

Take a Necromancer Wizard, and give him the Command Undead Necromantic Feat, and he can rebuke and command undead as a cleric of half his character level, rounded down, and without any unholy symbol.

Only risk is that you must make a Necromantic Energy check every time you use it, DC 10, with caster level and Int bonus applying to your roll. If you fail, you gain a Negative Energy Side Effect such as Stench of Death or Animal Terror, which mark you as a Necromancer.

...All from Necromancy: Beyond the Grave, a Mongoose Publishing Encyclopedia Arcane sourcebook, now available in a collected volume.

 

[Li Shenron]

Take a Necromancer Wizard, and give him the Command Undead Necromantic Feat, and he can rebuke and command undead as a cleric of half his character level, rounded down, and without any unholy symbol.

Only risk is that you must make a Necromantic Energy check every time you use it, DC 10, with caster level and Int bonus applying to your roll. If you fail, you gain a Negative Energy Side Effect such as Stench of Death or Animal Terror, which mark you as a Necromancer.

...All from Necromancy: Beyond the Grave, a Mongoose Publishing Encyclopedia Arcane sourcebook, now available in a collected volume.

IIRC there is an automatic failure on natural 1s for the use of necromantic feats, which means that you get a side effect at least every 20 rebuke/command attempts, and IISRC they are all cumulative. Overall a large risk on the span of a character's lifetime.

 

[Elrik_DarkFury]

I think that a cleric serves better at the mecanics part of the game (more related spells-turn/rebuke undead etc.) and in lower character levels.A wizard is more appealing to me in highter levels and u get to see more wizards-necromancers than clerics in fantasy books and stories..

_____________
The Wizard

 

[MDSnowman]

On this thread of thought I was wondering if anyone remembered the issue of Dragon that had the class combos for Necromancers... I seem to recall a Fighter/Necromancer/Pale Master combo geared toward controlling as many undead as possible, but I can't find it to save my life.

 

[Necropolis]

HI

If you are looking for a very cool Necromancer core class and 3 other prestige classes for necromancers, you should check the upcoming book, the lords of the night: Zombies from bottled imp games.

I think you will find the best Necromancer class there as it cool and original.

www.bottledimpgames.com