Your knowledge, can I borrow it.

[Diomeneus]

Alright so I want to make a 'raise a -ton of strong skeletons' cliche necromancer. I have some good leads on which books to do my research in (libris mortis obviously). But I was hoping you guys could tell me which books I should be looking in to enhance the character.

I have access to the following books

Magic of Eberron
Arms and Equipment Guide
Book of Challenges
Book of Fiends I
Book of Fiends II
Complete Adventurer
Complete Arcane
Complete Divine
Complete Psionic
Complete Warrior
Defenders of the Faith
Deities & Demigods
Draconomicon
Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5
Eberron Campaign Setting
Epic Level Handbook
Expanded Psionics Handbook
Faiths of Eberron
Fiend Folio
Five Nations
Frostburn
Heroes of Battle
Heroes Of Horror
Libris Mortis, The Book of the Undead
Lords of Madness
Magic of Eberron
Monster Manual I
Monster Manual II
Monster Manual III
Monster Manual IV
Planar Handbook
Player's Guide to Eberron
Players Handbook I
Players Handbook II
Races of Destiny
Races of Eberron
Races of Stone
Races of the Dragon
Savage Species
Spell List Exalted Deeds
Spell List Vile Darkness
Stormwrack
Sword and Fist
The Assassin's Guide to Poisons
Tome and Blood - Sourcebook for Wizards and sorcerers
Unearthed Arcana
Weapons of Legacy

 

[Kwitchit]

One idea: the Uttercold Assault Necromancer. Cast spells metamagiced with Lord of the Uttercold (CArc) into the middle of the combat between your skeletal horde and the enemy. Half of the damage is ignored by the skellies, the other half heals them!

Bonuses with this trick:
If you need other Undead, getting them with Summon Undead (LM) and Beckon the Frozen (Frostburn) helps.

Destructive Retribution (LM) means that an Undead which gets killed heals those around it.

Tomb-Tainted Soul (LM) makes all these negative-energy effects heal you.

Or just take a look at this thread here

 

[Pale Master]

K's necromancer thread is definitely required reading.

Are you trying to make an "optimized" skelemancer or is flavor more important than results?

If you're going for optimized, conventional wisdom is that clerics are better for undead hordes than arcane casters. Dread necros are good too. If you want a literal horde, take Undead Leadership (from Libris Mortis) if your DM allows it (I wouldn't, and I'm a sucker for necros).

If you prefer quality over quantity in your skeletal minions, I recommend raising either fire giants or (if you can find 'em) red dragons of whatever age category your CL can stand. Immunity to cold + immunity to fire is nice.

I would also take the corpsecrafter feat (again from Libris Mortis) - the others in that chain are nice, but not essential.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There is a Feat in Libris Mortis- Fell Animate, as I recall- that reanimates anyone you kill with your spells as undead under your control.

With the right spell selection, it gets nasty.

 

[Slapzilla]

MMII has a little something for skellies that lets them cast a few spells. Can't find mine or I'd be more specific.

 

[Pale Master]

Fell Animate makes zombies. Skeletons can be spellstitched (rules are in Complete Arcane, maybe elsewhere) and benefit as much as you would expect from being able to cast True Strike.