What to buy for the BBEG (Jeff, don't look at this please)

[Corlon]

Okay guys, I have a cleric 3 / wizard 3 / true necromancer 4 that I'm trying to buy equipment for.

So far I've got a periapt of wisdom +2 and headband of intellect +2, but what else should I give him? I'm thinking I'll need to pump up his armor, but since he's a wizard the arcan spell failure gets in the way.

he gets 16k gp, 8 of which is already used up by the periapt and headband, what else do you think I should get him?

 

[Sithobi1]

you could get lots of small bonuses, ie ring +1, bracers +1

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

(I'm assuming you're playing 3.0?)

- material components for his animated skeletons and zombies and created ghouls
- equipement for his animated undead (nothing fancy, but a weapon, armor and shield for everyone)
- a scroll of haste if the character cannot cast the spell himself
- amulet of natural armor
- cloak of resistance
- potions of healing and of defensive spells (invisibility) so you can use your spell slots for offensive spells.

I'd drop the stat boosting item for your class that doesn't get +1 spellcaster/TN level, and trade it for an amulet of health. You probably have really poor hp.

The necromancer probably has a lot of spells that are accessible to her to pump her AC (mage armor, shield, protection from good, etc.)

That's about it.

AR

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

You could also prepare a couple of Glyph of Warding (200gp) trapped boxes that you give to the ghouls (assuming they're commanded). The boxes are trapped with Inflict * Wounds spells so that the ghouls may cure themselves in a fight.

AR

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Give him the Craft Wondrous Item feat, if you can afford it. It'll make your equipment costing a little easier.

 

[Corlon]

Well, as to whether we're playing 3.0, that's a complicated answer.

We've been playing 3.0 since I started dnd, and we've started changing to 3.5 sort of one rule at a time, currently we've changed haste, harm, and some other spells. Using the 3.5 arcane prestige classes, so the TN has essentially level 6 cleric level 6 wizard, with on practiced spellcaster feat to give the wizard (well specialist necromancy) caster level 10 (1d6+5 rays of enfeeblments, 10d6 fireballs, full magic missles, etc.). I've used up all of his feats on various things that pump up his undead (two from corpsecrafter, the presence feats), as well as the ones spent on practiced spellcaster and the requirement for TN (spell focus [necromancy]). These use up pretty much all of his feats. Scrolls are a good idea, and some money spent on the components is already done. I believe it's something like 1000 for everyone.

Oh, and one quick question: animate dead says the caster can't raise more than 2HD per caster or control more than 4HD per caster, but in other spells such as "Ghoul Gauntles (Libris Mortis pg 66)" it says "No matter how many ghouls you generate with this spell, however, you can control only 2HD worth of undead creatures per caster level (this includeds undead from all sources under your control)"

Is the 2HD cap only on the ghouls from the spell, the parentheses make it sound like you can only control 2HD per caster level of anything. Is the 4HD specific to only animate dead or what?

 

[Sithobi1]

the 2HD/ caster level just means if you have 2HD/caster level or more, you cannot control the ghouls you make

 

[Tessarael]

As a DM, I allow robes to be enchanted as armor to give an armor bonus. Robes have 0% arcane spell failure and give no armor bonus (unless enchanted).