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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 8385848" data-attributes="member: 50987">A necromancer sorcerer, eh?  I think I can pull that off.First, you're going to need some good necromancy-flavored ingredients:  you can't bake a chocolate cake without chocolate, after all.  So let's start with some necro-spiced Race and Background options.[Spoiler=Race]Race:  I think that Humans are the creepiest option (ever walked into a convenience store after midnight? spent any time at all on Tinder or eHarmony?  babysat a six-year old?).  I suppose that Drow or Tiefling would also work, since they are the token EdgeLords of the game (and most necromancers are also edgelords). A talented player could really go to town with a Kenku's mimicry ability and creep out everyone at the table, and a Tabaxi could have some really cool "black cat" superstition vibes.  But I'm gonna stick with my first choice, Human.[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Subrace]Subrace:  The variant human would be the better option here, for the added feat (and another opportunity for added spooky flavoring).  The baseline human is still a good choice, but my mind's made up.  So let's pick two spooky Skill proficiencies (I dunno, Religion for all of those funerary rituals, and Stealth for all that skulking around in the dark.)  And we need a good spooky feat, something that evokes images of dark rituals and dark magic and dark clothing...I'm torn between Ritual Caster and Magic Initiate.  Let's pencil in Magic Initiate for now, but reserve the right to change our minds.[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Background]Background: I like to use the Custom background option.  Let's start with a spooky, creepy name for it:  Gravedigger.  Yeah, that's the stuff.  That's a theme that we can build on!  Earth and death and bodies and graveyards and bodysnatchers and why didn't WotC include this in the PHB in the first place?Now, let's pick "any two skills," and remember, we're aiming for the ones that a creepy gravedigger would need.  Let's go with Athletics (for all that shovel-work) and Medicine (he's probably a bit too familiar with anatomy, know what I mean?)Next, we pick "a total of two tool proficiencies or languages."  This guy is probably really handy with Taxidermy Tools (because taxidermy is creepy as hell), and let's pick the Shovel because well, gravedigger.  A shovel is a tool, after all, and you never know when you might need to be proficient with a shovel.  Like when you're swinging one at a zombie's head.Next up: we choose a Feature from any of the other Backgrounds.  I like the Researcher feature of the Sage (good mad-scientist vibes, a gravedigger who likes to steal corpses and experiment on them), and I like the Shelter of the Faithful feature of the Acolyte (for the necromancer who lives on the church grounds, tending the graves and pretending to be a faithful member of the parish.)  Let's go with Acolyte.Finally, we adjust our starting equipment.  Obviously, a gravedigger would need to be able to dig at night, so let's start him off with a Shovel, a Pickaxe, and a Lantern.  He's a member of the parish, too, so let's give him a Holy Symbol, some vestments, a set of common clothes, and a creepy trinket...maybe a cremation urn full of soil.[/SPOILER][Spoiler=Class]Class:  the point of this challenge is to make a necro-Sorcerer, so we're going with Sorcerer.   But which subclass?[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Subclass]Subclass: The Draconic option is the best one, if you don't mind re-skinning it.  Start with White dragon, then replace all instances of the word "Dragon" with "Undead" in the descriptions...<s>Draconic</s> Undead Ancestor, <s>Draconic</s> Undead Resistance, <s>Draconic</s> Undead Presence, the flavor text ("Your innate magic comes from <s>draconic</s> undead magic that was mingled with your blood or that of your ancestors.  Most often, sorcerers with this origin trace their descent back to a mighty sorcerer of ancient times who made a bargain with a <s>dragon</s> lich or might even have a <s>dragon</s> vampire parent.  Some of these bloodlines are well-established in the world..."), and so on.But I don't want to work that hard, so I'm going with Shadow Magic, from Xanathar's.  It's got all of the spooky graveyard vibes you need, and a couple of pretty good buffs.[/Spoiler]Okay, we've gathered and measured our ingredients.  Now let's preheat the oven to 6th level, and start cooking![Spoiler=Stats]Ability Scores:  Rolling stats with the 4d6 method, because that's the way you are supposed to do it, all other methods are optional rules and we don't use them at my table.  But whatever, to each their own.  However you acquire those stats, I'd arrange them in the following order:Charisma > Dexterity > Strength or Wisdom > Wisdom or Strength > Constitution > IntelligenceObviously we want the highest in Charisma and the second-highest in either Wisdom or Dexterity, because that's what the Internet tells me is "teh most aswesome LOL!!!1."  The Internet also tells me that Strength and Intelligence are "useless" for "every character oh my god why doesn't WotC fix them," but a weak-muscled gravedigger doesn't make sense to me.  So I'd tank Intelligence, not Strength.[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Proficiencies]Armor:  None.  This is what Mage Armor, Shield, and Armor of Agathys are for, yes?Weapons: Mister Graves (I've decided his name is Mister Graves) is proficient with daggers, darts, slings, quartertaffs, and light crossbows.  None of these scream "necromancer" to me, except maybe the quarterstaff or the dagger, so I guess they'll have to do. A generous DM might allow Mister Graves to wield his shovel as a weapon, and since he's proficient with shovels he wouldn't have to deal with it being an improvised weapon. It would be up to the DM, and it might not fly (I'd probably make it a two-handed, heavy weapon that deals bludgeoning or slashing damage, but that's just one DM's opinion), so best not to count on it for your build.  That said:  Mister Graves will definitely be keeping his eyes peeled for a Mattock of the Titans...Tools: None, which is B.S.  But alas, rules are rules.  We have to stick with what we've got from our background.Saves: Constitution and Charisma.  Pretty good for a necromancer theme, yes?Skills:  Choose two from the list; Mister Graves will go with Arcana and Intimidation because dArK rItUaLs and sPoOkY ViBeS.[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Feat]Magic Initiate feat:  About that feat at 1st level?  We went with Magic Initiate, so it gives us access to 2 cantrips and a 1st level spell.  There are lots of good choices depending on the style of character you want to run, and I think that Mister Graves here would go with the warlock's spell list:  I choose Toll the Dead and Chill Touch for the cantrips, and Armor of Agathys for the 1st level spell.[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Spell Selection]My 6th level necromancer knows 5 cantrips.  He also knows 7 spells, and up to 2 of them can be 3rd level.  And sure, we want the spooky...but we also want the useful.  So to that end, we want a good mix of offense, defense, and utility.Defense:  we already have Armor of Agathys from the Magic Initiate feat, and you never want to turn down Mage Armor and Shield. Offense:  we already have Toll the Dead and Chill Touch cantrips from the Magic Initiate feat.  So let's add Green-Flame Blade for melee attacks, and pick up Enemies Abound for messin' with peoples' minds.  Erupting Earth fits the "gravedigger" vibe too, so let's throw it on the list.  And obviously, Magic Missile. Utility:  Message can be played up really creepy, making people hear voices and stuff, and Mage Hand is good for making candles float around empty rooms and such.  Prestidigitation is my go-to for minor effects, too, so let's put that on the list.  Misty Step is the best for getting out of tight spots (like open graves).  Darkness is a quick and easy debuff, and we get it free from the Shadow Magic subclass.  And Maximilian's Earthen Grasp is a good multi-purpose spell that can grapple, block, attack, etc., and it fits the "gravedigger" vibe (but I almost gave him Shadow Blade, which he would obviously reskin to be a hand-shovel instead of a sword.)So:Cantrips:  Chill Touch[SUP]B[/SUP], Green-Flame Blade, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Toll the Dead[SUP]B[/SUP]Level 1: Armor of Agathys[SUP]B[/SUP], Mage Armor, Magic Missile, ShieldLevel 2:  Darkness[SUP]B[/SUP], Maximilian's Earthen Grasp, Misty StepLevel 3: Enemies Abound, Erupting Earth[/Spoiler][Spoiler=Shadow Sorcerer?]Eyes of the Dark:  Mister Graves has Darkvision 120', and learns the Darkness spell for free.  And best of all, he can cast it by spending 2 Sorcery Points instead of a spell slot...and if he does, he can see through the darkness normally.  This is a big deal.Strength of the Grave: Mister Graves is harder to kill than most; he's allowed a Charisma save to avoid dropping to 0 hit points most of the time (radiant damage and critical hits excepted).Hound of Ill Omen:  I like the idea of a gravedigger being able to summon a snarling, terrifying dire wolf. All the better if you describe it as having a gaunt, skeletal body and glowing red eyes. You know, to fit the theme.[/SPOILER][Spoiler=Metamagic]Metamagic: it really doesn't matter which metamagic abilities Mister Graves decides to go with, since his 6 Sorcery Points will be used to cast his Darkness spell every time he rolls for initiative.  But just in case, let's grab Quickened Spell and Twinned Spell, to get a little extra mileage out of that Toll the Dead.[/SPOILER][SPOILER=ASI at 4th Level]Remember that Ritual Caster feat I was salivating over?  Let's grab it at 4th level.  The Sorcerer doesn't get to cast Ritual spells like some of the other spellcasters do, so this will help fill in that gap and add another layer of versatility.  How, you ask?  Well this will give us access to two, 1st level spells with the Ritual tag, sure, but the real benefit here is that it will let us scribe ritual spell scrolls, to pad out our necromancer's spell library.So!  Mister Graves picks Find Familiar and Identify off of the Wizard's spell list, and then starts shopping at every bookstore and scribe shop in town for the rest of his natural life.  He casts the Find Familiar spell, and summons himself an appropriately spooky animal with it (I'm thinking a screech owl, a black cat, or a raven.)  He names it Mort.[/SPOILER][SPOILER=Finishing Touches]Equipment:  A gravedigger needs a good shovel and a good lantern, and this one in particular needs a good taxidermy kit and a laboratory.  A crossbow would be wasted on him, and probably most of the other starting equpment...he should probably spend his money on more important things like ritual scrolls, poisons, alchemical preparations, and magical items.  And I'd pick up an iron hand-bell for him for his Toll the Dead cantrip, and start thinking of pithy one-liners he could use at the table..."for whom my bell tolls," etc.Oh, and you'll need a character sketch, like maybe one of these.[ATTACH=full]142940[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]142942[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]142943[/ATTACH][/Spoiler]There.  One necromancer, with only levels of sorcerer."But he can't create undead!" you might say.  And I would reply, "I know, right?  He's completely unique!"  And then you might then say "But a necromancer has to be able to create undead to be considered a necromancer," and I'd say something like "in Diablo II maybe, but that's not a D&D rule and you know it," and then we'd start quarreling about expectations.  And all the while, Mister Graves would be out behind the churchyard, digging our graves.</blockquote>

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