My group likes to make it so Animate Dead gives the necromancer an extra zombie for each spell slot used. So two zombies at 3rd level, and 3 extra zombies for each slot over 3rd. The necromancer should be the king of the undead, and one extra zombie isn’t cutting it!
That's actually a cool idea. I'd always just had them wear the random armor the group finds, but if they die I have to track that. Mage armor would make them easily disposable, thanks! Also inspiring leader for more hp
we do mention the mummy lord @9:35 (which is the strongest monster from the Monster Manual that you can zombuddy, but he does get advantage on the save) There is a monster called a Nightwalker (from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes) that is CR20 undead with 6 int (so no advantage) that is the best (currently) potential target (mentioned @8:50) Thanks for watching!
Grim harvest is strong but complicated. It becomes more useful if the spell you use to drop a creature has an ongoing effect. This allows you to potentially heal multiple times with the same spell. It has the chance to “proc” on each turn in combat. This is an important distinction between per round. Also requires only use, not casting which allows opportunity for multiple uses per individual casting. The boosted healing factor from necromantic spells is hard to take advantage of with the few spells available in the category. Very strong dip if multiclassing with a high level death domain cleric. Strong dip with an Eldritch knight fighter too, upcasting shadow blade can do a lot of damage and heal you quite a bit if upcast it.
I feel like necromancy is not itself an inherently evil magic. I know that it used to be, but I reckon it's the wielder not the tool that dictates the morality. I like the idea of playing a grey necromancer, but I can easily see how some party members may not like a rotting corpse following is along, doing all my menial tasks.
I was thinking when I get change to roll new character which might still take few years Chaotic Good (CG) Human Necromancer who's back story is that his father and granfather and so on have practiced necromancy and they share the family sacred after you get your kids, in other words you share your studies to your kids after you have grandkids :D So the Family tradition as it is said wont die because you never got children . . . Then the idea is that they practice in the family necromancy only for good, raising the death to fight in battle and after wards burying the dead and honoring their after life or using talk with dead to say the death child or parents last words and stuff like that - chaotic comes from necromancy and good from good heart :3 imo cool and non-original idea but I like it ^_^ keeping it simple with no horrible backstory . . . You could twitch this and say you are falleng angle or devil (Aasimar or thiefling) and as you try to "resurect" someone you accidentally turned them to zombies and don't realize you are doing it wrong :D also having half-orc be CG using necromancy for good where he prefers to rice orcs as zombies and everyone else as skeletones thinking he is doing the good thing . . . and other similar things...
I like neural as mine. My character was looking into life force & understanding life/death/undeath to undo a curse on his terminally ill/cursed sister. He finds a solution but has a breakthrough (level 6) with undead cannon fodder, using it as a means to take in hits for the team rather than putting friends/family in danger. Waste not. Justice in service. Spare those close from harm and ill. Don't like it? Tough sh*t.
Inured to death has a niche benefit when used with the Xanathars spell “create Homunculus”. The spell gives the ability for you to spend up to half of your hit die and add your constitution modifier to each roll. The number is used to temporarily increase your homunculus max hitpoints and also to decrease your own maximum. Since your maximum cannot be decreases, you can ignore the decrease and just beef up your homunculus. It’s not undead, but it’s still pretty cool.
Everbody gangsta, 'till the necromancer shows up with 100 zombies.
I really like the Necromancy spells cuz they can be flavored really well. Great video by the way
My group likes to make it so Animate Dead gives the necromancer an extra zombie for each spell slot used. So two zombies at 3rd level, and 3 extra zombies for each slot over 3rd. The necromancer should be the king of the undead, and one extra zombie isn’t cutting it!
Playing a necromancer now. 1 lvl away from casting animate dead but already having fun as my goth/doctor wizard.
Y'all are just so precious. I'm currently on a binge of this playlist.
Take Mage armor for spell mastery for improved ac for your undead horde
That's actually a cool idea. I'd always just had them wear the random armor the group finds, but if they die I have to track that. Mage armor would make them easily disposable, thanks! Also inspiring leader for more hp
The Mummy Lord is the strongest Int 11 or lower monster you can make a Zombie Buddy.
we do mention the mummy lord @9:35 (which is the strongest monster from the Monster Manual that you can zombuddy, but he does get advantage on the save) There is a monster called a Nightwalker (from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes) that is CR20 undead with 6 int (so no advantage) that is the best (currently) potential target (mentioned @8:50) Thanks for watching!
Inured to undeath was pretty cool
Grim harvest is strong but complicated. It becomes more useful if the spell you use to drop a creature has an ongoing effect. This allows you to potentially heal multiple times with the same spell. It has the chance to “proc” on each turn in combat. This is an important distinction between per round. Also requires only use, not casting which allows opportunity for multiple uses per individual casting.
The boosted healing factor from necromantic spells is hard to take advantage of with the few spells available in the category.
Very strong dip if multiclassing with a high level death domain cleric.
Strong dip with an Eldritch knight fighter too, upcasting shadow blade can do a lot of damage and heal you quite a bit if upcast it.
I feel like necromancy is not itself an inherently evil magic. I know that it used to be, but I reckon it's the wielder not the tool that dictates the morality. I like the idea of playing a grey necromancer, but I can easily see how some party members may not like a rotting corpse following is along, doing all my menial tasks.
Astoshan
I was thinking when I get change to roll new character which might still take few years Chaotic Good (CG) Human Necromancer who's back story is that his father and granfather and so on have practiced necromancy and they share the family sacred after you get your kids, in other words you share your studies to your kids after you have grandkids :D So the Family tradition as it is said wont die because you never got children . . .
Then the idea is that they practice in the family necromancy only for good, raising the death to fight in battle and after wards burying the dead and honoring their after life or using talk with dead to say the death child or parents last words and stuff like that - chaotic comes from necromancy and good from good heart :3 imo cool and non-original idea but I like it ^_^ keeping it simple with no horrible backstory . . .
You could twitch this and say you are falleng angle or devil (Aasimar or thiefling) and as you try to "resurect" someone you accidentally turned them to zombies and don't realize you are doing it wrong :D also having half-orc be CG using necromancy for good where he prefers to rice orcs as zombies and everyone else as skeletones thinking he is doing the good thing . . .
and other similar things...
It really depends on your party. If you are in party of good characters then you’re evil, but if it’s an evil party you’re neutral
I like neural as mine. My character was looking into life force & understanding life/death/undeath to undo a curse on his terminally ill/cursed sister. He finds a solution but has a breakthrough (level 6) with undead cannon fodder, using it as a means to take in hits for the team rather than putting friends/family in danger.
Waste not.
Justice in service.
Spare those close from harm and ill.
Don't like it? Tough sh*t.
I’m building a necromancer in a one shot rn.
Inured to death has a niche benefit when used with the Xanathars spell “create Homunculus”.
The spell gives the ability for you to spend up to half of your hit die and add your constitution modifier to each roll. The number is used to temporarily increase your homunculus max hitpoints and also to decrease your own maximum. Since your maximum cannot be decreases, you can ignore the decrease and just beef up your homunculus.
It’s not undead, but it’s still pretty cool.
I thought about that too but wizards don’t get I believe.
Great video :) Necros are so popular in rpgs and this nailed it thank you.
Are you guys going to do Rune Knight?
Ooh... that 2nd level one goes with the fiend warlock thing, right?
Did you plan on releasing this on Halloween?
It actually wasn't planned. It just worked out that way! Thanks for watching!