Master of Undeath 5e D&D Character Build
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2019
- Master of Undeath 5e D&D Character Build
Nerdarchy delves into the necromancer arts with this 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons character build. Look at some unusual choices for this one. We use Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica for this one making it not an Adventurers League Legal 5e D&D character build.
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Hella good vídeo Brothers
Hi nerdarchy I have a question do you characters use the standard array for stats or do you roll them? Keep up the great work always look forward to your videos
First I love the idea. However, realized a few issues. In order to create Wights, one needs to use create undead as an 8th level spell slot, which wizards do not get until level 15. This character only has 14 levels of wizard. An then of course when a simulacrum dies it turns back into snow and melts instantly.
@@ysraylive this character has 9th level spell slots as it is two full spell casting classes together, therefore up-cast the spell to 8th level
That race can not be use to create a PC nor a NPC in the program I use. So I made a Variant Human with Perceptive Feat and ITN/WIS AIS's.
Finger of Death, or how I started my undead horde and a hospice center in one go.
"Not saying I'm a bad guy or anything but this hoard of zombie rats I have may or may not have started the plague."
It was actually fleas that started the plague
So Plague Tale?
A bard who plays some heavy metal music in a graveyard raising dead just screams fun to me!
Necro bard is fun to play, though I was a gnome with bagpipes
“The College of Metal and Bones”
I believe you'd go with the 3.5 prestige classes dirge bard
Just skelitons hand banging out of the grave is fun as the rize they back up your music with their own
being a druidic character i would argue that this character doesnt have to be evil, especially if you flavor the zombies into something like clickers, where its a fungal zombification
Big bad evil guy clue number 103: the simulacrum is in a locked shed yelling at his zombies to go away because he can’t recast animate dead
I’ve always liked the idea of a bard necromancer who is animating dead to play in his hand, but I can get behind a mushroom druid
Now, all we need is an undead race.
Revenant is a UA race I believe.
I like the "news, views, and homebrews" tagline in the beginning, but I must admit I have seen very little news and homebrew content from this channel. Of what I've seen that comes up in my recommended is character builds, dm tips, and similar things, and I think "news, views, and homebrews" only vaguely applies to this.
Don't get me wrong. I've LOVED your guys' content from very early on from back when it was you guys in front of a very low resolution camera and a very loud intro. I love the new production value and the new scripted intros and skits. I love the content. Keep it up.
The only thing is that tagline in the intro that I feel doesn't quite apply so much anymore.
What if instead of raising undead creatures, raises dead plants to life.
That just restores life to plants….
Thank you Dave and Ted so much!!! I've been waiting for a minute for this. I asked for this for awhile and you said ok and I really appreciate it. Thanks you so much!!!
Just a suggestion for all who are reading. 17 lvls in Necromancy Wiz/ 3 lvls in Pact of the Chain Warlock, Dealer’s choice on Patron. You can have 7 Simulacrum’s before your Simulacrum’s run out of spell slots assuming they copy themselves, you have an Imp as your familiar and get Voice of the Chain Master, and now you can have your big bad command his armies of dead from across the realm and have his other Simulacrum’s be the bosses along the way. And he can’t make more so he doesn’t destroy the ones that have been created and the other Simulacrum’s are out of their spell slots. Enjoy.
This seems like one of the best dungeon refresh villians ever. So many cleared dungeons suddenly refilled with undead to occupy the forces of good.
Maybe the local villain finds out his dungeon staff all died to adventurers. So, in order to quickly bolster his ranks, he contracts the services of a local Spore druid. In return for a cut of whatever profit the villain intends to get.
Or the druid finds the dungeon empty of all but corpses, and says, "what are you talking about? It's not empty at all." Snaps his fingers. Moans are heard throughout the dungeon. "Not anymore."
Definitely Campaign Villain material, the recurring simulacrum being an opponent the party runs across multiple times, eventually coming across a more recent simulacrum of the necromancer (who is aware of the party by this point) being more prepared for their intervention. Also a neat way of having a growing power scale for your big villain and not have it feel ham-fisted or OP as the campaign goes on
I like the idea of the necromancer making copies of itself and send it to attack different nations from a far. I say though that one of his copies goes rogue realizes that it being used and makes the necromancer lose his mind and cant cast spells anymore. Now the copy takes over without the fear of being destroyed from the making of another copy. The party now has to go against the copy or find a way to restore the evil necromancer's mind to destroy its copy.
Circle of Spores can be good. They use plants (like mushrooms or moss) to animate instead of Arcane magic or enslaved souls. They recycle your corpse by feeding parasitic plants. (Half-Life)
let's just ignore that mushrooms are closer related to animals than to plants
I pictured the zombies kinda like the creatures in The Last of Us video game
I have to admit this is a very intriguing build that I haven’t thought of before.
For good reason I'd think. It's ridiculous that a druid is raising dead
This is interesting because the Villan of the campaign I'm running Is an Elf druid master of undeath and his wife a former paladin that he raised as a Death Knight after they were betrayed and killed.
Great job, I actually was trying to build a necromancer but didn't know how I wanted to go with it. You guys help me greatly.
A route you could had gone thith is Chaotic Natural. The necromancer could be someone to show others that death is part of life and should be treated with respect, that is till there on that battlefield where they make undead to kill there foes.
Warlock patron the undying might not give as much power but thematic would be good.
After watching this video you guys have inspired me. Take your Cantrip Master and Merge with this Simulacrum BBEG. Sure you have to get access at least 1 lv7 slot but built correctly you could totally have a BBEG that sends out its simulacrum with a wide variety of unlimited cantrips to foil the protagonists
Being a spore did you could also follow Zuggtmoy. And you are creating the corpses needed to fertilize the fungi.
Yep, not naturally evil. Yes Zuggtmoy is evil, but Necromancers aren't and going under the thought process that you're creating the undead to help fertilize the Fungi. Also, as a Circle of the Spore Necromancer, you could [with DM approval] go with the Undead aren't using the dark arts but are being brought to life via the Fungi. Sort of taking the "Ophiocordyceps" [aka the Fungus that turn Ants into Zombies] & giving it a twist.
When a simulacrum dies it reverts to snow and melts, no body left behind. Still fun, but the party would figure it out pretty quickly
I've got a villain very similar to this, if you've seen True Detective season 1 you'll get where this is going. Evil lich/druid was bound to protect a sacred grove (A Baelnorn for those familiar) as his people left to raise an army to retake their ancient home. Now those elves are long dead and the Baelnorn has been abandoned and gone more malignant as the centuries passed. The forest has been empty for years, until footfalls of new creatures ring out in the stillness of the forest. Axes begin to bite at the edge of the forest, and the slumbering evil at the heart of the wood is awake once more twisted by whispers from Karkosa.
Really cool idea for a character!
Haha that link @2:15 with Mercer and Colbert. "Ooo check out that beyond-goodness" "you got that right"
For a second there I thought it was guy and boy did I feel silly
RE Simulacrum:
1) The Simulacrum is formed from ice or snow, and presumably returns to that state after dying. So an adventuring party would probably tell pretty quickly that something is up.
2) Remember, while a Simulacrum cannot regain spell slots, it does regain _Class Features_ . Features such as Wildshape, the Spore Druid's alternate wildshape Symbiotic Entity, the Halo of Spores (letting them do necrotic damage to anyone near them), and (most importantly) their Fungal Infestation. So even when the Simulacrum runs out of spell slots, they can still make undead minions from their fallen enemies, and can still use spores or Cantrips (like Chill Touch or Shilleleigh) to produce the necessary corpses. They are, by no means, harmless or incapable of necromancy. Combine this with the fact that they can still cast rituals, and they have plenty of options.
So awesome!
I like the combination of Spore Druid with Hexblade Warlock. Both level 6 abilities allow him to curse a enemy that die near him. This way he can force the enemy's body AND soul to fight for him.
when a simulacrum dies it turns back into ice/snow so there wouldnt be a body left, i mean theres gm/dm fiat but thats what the spell says
And like Highlander, There can only be one.
Hey Ted & David, cool video! I already made this druid. But now I'm going to change his race, thanks to you guys. Im working on a one-shot low-level of cultists. I made a couple of changes, shape shifting I gave him Violet Mushroom & Swarm of Insects. Zuggtmoy is the deity. If you give him or her speak with plants (im using a talisman that gives him SwP twice aday) use the Yellow Musk Creeper as an allie. They make up to 6 yellow musk zombies.
Thanks Ted, David & have a great day.
Keep the videos coming
@Nerdarchy
A few things: sorry to correct, but A.) Simulacra melt into water upon death (I know this had already been pointed out, but whatever), and you can't recast to create multiple simulacra, as recasting kills existing ones - thus, the phrasing "any current active duplicates" suggests that if your simulacrum casts the simulacrum spell, his simulacrum (and that one's simulacrum, and so on) will die, too, meaning each one in the chain could only have one copy; B.) the 6th level Spores circle feature requires you to be within 10 feet upon death (essentially melee range), which contradicts the whopping 14 levels taken in Wizard, the one class hardwired to stay out of melee combat; C.) The evil githyanki are the ageless ones due to their residence on the unchanging Astral Plane who must send their young to the Material Plane to mature - the githzerai live on the chaotic, unstable plane of Limbo, and thus are subjected to the ravages of aging (meaning they don't secretly send any young to grow up in our Material Plane, because they age as normal).
I'll end with a question: if your simulacrum (made as a copy of your character) copies itself with the Simulacrum spell, then uses Finger of Death to create a zombie, and then dies, is that zombie free to roam, or is it loyal to you as you are identical to its master?
im gonna use this for great evil and break my dm. thank you
The necromancer kills each simulacrum to raise as a wight. Maybe eventually one of the Simulacrums knowing this approaches the party. "Help me. I want no part of this. I want to livea n d would help destroy my master to become a real Gith"
@@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410 doh
My ultimate necromancer would also get demiplane, and would just fill as many demiplanes as he could with zombies to unleash them wherever he wants to. If you stuff them in you can probably fit a couple hundred zombies in a single demiplane, and if you don't control them it doesn't really matter cause you just open the door and run away. Though it would take a lot of prep time for something like that. Unfortunately the druid multiclass of this build keeps you from getting 8th level spells.
You guys rock
I went to sleep to “Save or Dice”; had some weird dreams!
I love your videos. Been watching them for months now. I really enjoy your builds.
Can you do the best non damage dealing build??? It means the character can heal, buff, curse, control, defend, support, etc but will NEVER do any type damage and still be effective in battles.
I got this idea from one of the World of Warcraft Challenges. (It's to get the max level without killing.)
You could also make a Death Knight build going Pallock 6 levels Oathbreaker Paladin/14 Undying Lock. Your Channel Divinity is Control Undead, you get Create Undead thanks to Lock, and you can reattach limbs thanks to 14th level Lock skill. Meaning not only do you have zombie minions, but you are also an unsheathing dead man walking
I used to play a class called the death mage in some book for 3.5 and it was basically a necromancer/druid combo I'll have to make something similar to this build for my next game I play
I'm hoping you gentlemen do more character builds that don't necessarily conform to Adventurers League rules
Undying warlock, it’s not the strongest but it’s really cool in terms of having that undying feel
Druid's Circle of the Spore seems like fun. I think my Death Domain Cleric will multiclass into Druid at some point.
well, you could multiclass into oathbreaker paladin level 7 for the ''buff undead aura''
I liked this idea as a villan the best. throw in some dragons in the mix that are protecting the villans gold hordes and i like it!
Why would a dragon protect a necromancer's loot? The dragon would probably just eat the mecromancer and take his loot, just saying.
@@SageSchispell roll a perception check....
I dig the videos, but the table always kill me, lol! Super wobbly
Githzerai do a great job blending into normal Prime Material societies. :P
I mean, if your society already has Elves, goblinoids, Tieflings, Tabaxi, Tritons, and Dragonborn, are the common people really going to notice the Gith?
Speaking of Necromancy... Do you consider the spell "Magic Jar" viable? Would a deep-dive into that spell be worth your time? Stuff like how it's used, character(player or NPC) concepts that might put it to use or take advantage of it? Just a thought - no worries either way. Thanks for another great vid, guys! Cheers
Divine Soul Sorc can gain cleric's Animate Dead and Create Undead spell, definitely something I want to play one day. Although, their metamagic doesn't improve those spells at all.
Distant spell does wonders for clerics touch spells. 30ft range inflict wounds or contagion comes too mind.
Kinda wanna make a Bardic necromancer now.
come to think of it for ad&d 2e/2.5e, I JUST thought of a druid/necromancer build
When Simulacrum dies it turns back to snow that melts, unless they kill the big bad from range they might have a good idea that it was a clone of some kind...
The characters thirst for power would ultimately lead it to transform into a vampyre or lich.
You could have the simulacrums make more of them selves
I was actually making a drow necromancer for a Ravnica game and this is perfect timing. I really forgot all about the spore druid abilities and was going to go cleric instead but this seems much more fun.
Spore Druids are not that great for Druids , but they are a lot of fun. Also Druids are strong so the subclass not being that strong is still awesome
@@conradkorbol I'm not really worried about how powerful the class or subclass is. I'm bigger on roleplay and choices that fit with the character. As a drow necromancer who literally raised fungus in the undercity all her life this makes alot more sense that the level or two of cleric and necromancer. Too me the fun and theme are far more important than dominating combat or dealing massive damage. Either way this will be my first time ever playing a druid, and I've been playing since 3.5.
Alisaris I wasn’t talking about dominating in combat
The subclass is weak in all the pillars of d and d. I am letting you know as soemeone who really likes the class for role play as well. It is super fun, but lots of people claim they don’t care and then have less fun as a result of not caring.
@@conradkorbol Thank you then and I apologize, unfortunately I am used to people just going "its not strong enough so why would you" kind of argument and I assumed that was your angle.
I personally have never liked druids, the wild shape feature annoys me so I have always avoided it. I prefer just using magic so the ability to use wild shape for something else allows me to feel like I am not wasting a feature. I don't even like using transformation magic as a wizard/sorcerer so to have a class based on something similar just rubs me entirely the wrong way.
I am coming in as a level 5 and whether I go full 6 levels into druid like they recommend I don't know, I might just do four and the rest wizard but either way I don't plan on staying there for very long.
Another possible race is Yuan-ti Purblood.
Dark Druid.
Did it in 2nd edition.
I'm currently trying to create a level-based spell that seizes control of pre-existing non-sentient undead will the caveat of "releasing" their souls after such and such period but haven't figured out how to balance it for players just yet.
Early squad up
Baulder's Gate 3 coming!
I'm playing a spore druid right now. I have one level of wizard and might take a second but want mostly druid for the better HP from spore wild shape and boosting my damage bonuses.
Are their rules that differentiate if the thing you're animating is large sized or small? I feel like a zombie giant should have better stats than a human zombie.
Yes there are, however, the GM can allow zombie/skeletal versions of the creature you animate. Just watch the CR rating you allowed to do.
Circle of spores us al legal if you are playing in that realm .sorry was think it was wayfinder's guide to eberron
Vedalken would have been so off flavor... In MTG they are all engineers and biomancer types (rarely messing with dead flesh but rather mutating existing creatures). Glad you went with Gith
If you still wanted to play a Vedalken Necromancer, I doubt Druid, or even Simkc would be the best choice. There is another guild that Vedalken are in: Izzet. Now, what would a necromancer be doing in Izzet? Well, what if the dead are seen as broken automations to you? Perhaps you combine the arts of fleshcrafting and machinery to make the perfect creation? It has been said that the Izzet know no bounds in how far they will go for science, but this idea is probably much better suited for an evil character. And if they a villain, perhaps eventually they will continue their ambitions on still living creatures, to "enhance" them?
still waiting for a death knight build
I prefer the demon summoner builds vrs undead hordes.
About both a demon summoner and a necromancer, this is possible with wizards and warlocks..
@@paulturbo7563 Summoner is better for Warlock Hexblade Chain pact overall. Honorable mentions to animals/Fey with Shepard druid and the sheer variety of summons for conjurer wizard.
@@merrickmiller1224 Ok, thanks for the advice.
Can you do an armored rogue build that is adventures league legal
Where is the D&D cartoon episodes?
The abuse of the Simulacrum spell reminds me of Mr. Sinister from X-Men.
Simulacrum is brutal. I'm playing a lvl18 Lore Bard Lightfoot, that is 2 into Feyloc so they can push up to 40ft with EB. The extra Inspiration Die and double max level Eldritch Blast is awesome. I took Find Greater Steed, too, for two Peryton allies
I could make so many more, but I dont want my friends to hate me lol
@@ashenwuss1651 *the quasit named Shia on your shoulder* : Do it! DO IT!
@@dragonmaster613 It'll be my endgame...
... part of my endgame
Warforged blight/rot druid?
The Necromancy...
anyone who has heard of the last of us will know where you guys are going immediately
*I always thought it odd that that warlock is one of the weakest options for Necromancy .*
*Note , I might make my own master of undead video someday .*
*Note : when killing a simulacrum , they don't leave a corpses .*
Why is being a Necromancer evil? You’re recycling.
Exactly, there's good ways to use Necromancy (Skeleton laborers), but enchantment is definitely the most Evil one of the bunch. How do you make mind control morally just
Why no paladin love when talking about class
I thought you can only have one simulacrum at a time. If you cast it again the first one is destroyed.
Right or wrong??
Right. Creating a new one destroys your active one.
ebberons Mark of making human gets a + 2 to int :p
We had a player doing this build who ended up getting possessed and therefore killing the party. He wants to rebuild it, I want to make something that can get his character under control again or subdue him without killing him. Advice on a build that can do that that'll have no issue with a necromancer in the party? We like keeping peace in the party.
Aaaaaand my brain in a jar villain has a different build now.
Mwhahaha...cough...ehem.
You know that we are now of an age when most comments deplore your characterization of necromancers as evil. I harken back to a different time when Presidents could not lie without being called out, when evil was associated with entirely self-serving motives. I guess the whole means vs. ends argument has been lost in twitter and facebook posts.
Too bad you dont have the ability to wild shape as a raven. Could show up as a dire wolf. A giant black hound with an army of undead. Add to that simulacrum, and the hound ends up being the actual necromancer
yewaaasshh
I have been trying to crit hit that subscribe button but my rolls suck! May I have Inspiration?
20th level Wood Elf Moon Druid. #NeverDieEver
you didn't update that you are now charging for builds
or did i miss a vid again
I missed ticking the box for pay what you want. It's fixed now.
-Nerdarchist Dave
hOla, soY el delfin maChO!1!
Que
guess what this bu9ild is adventure league legal now!
I would love if the character died and became a hollowed one so you would be an undead controlling undead
Sim-You-Lack-Rum
You're welcome
I don't know if this pertains to me alone, but a lot of my adventurers leage will allow some illegal content just for funs sacke
Or you can simply be a human variant and get the pluses you need + a feat. Yes, this is an optimiser talking. Also, where did you get the alchemist supplies proficiency?
While I do like feats I think they are bit overrated compared to the asi. For this build it would of worked with keen mind, observant, and linguist.
Alchemy supplies came from folk hero.
Nerdarchist Dave
@@Nerdarchy the human variant gets +1 feat for -1 in a stat. With point buy you can get 15 int, 15 wis and put +1 in both and have two 16s.
@@Ragatokk And if you take the Resilient feat, you get +1 to a third stat AND proficiency with its saving throw!
@@underAtack Yup, resilient is a really good feat.
Whomever came up with that "circle" has a fundamental misunderstanding on what a druid is and stands for
The concept is cool but the mechanics of it are pretty meh. The 6th level spores ability isn’t a necromancy spell so it doesn’t interact with the 6th level necromancy abilities. And the spore ability requires you to be within 10’ of the enemy and the build has crap physical stats. It puts the character too close to the front.
Just as a point of contention.... Why is this video posted under the AL Legal Build playlist if this build is NOT AL legal? 1:00
Umm... Oops. Miss click.
Nerdarchist Dave
I build a sorlocl based on necromancy.
I can create 120000 undead in 24 hours
anyone know of a good build that makes a very evil medic? uses charisma and healing to interrogate people, but he just loves torturing others. fools people into thinking that he's a caring healer that detests violence, but he just hates getting sweaty and prides himself in trapping his prey, not giving them the pleasure of fighting to the death.
Miner Moleman lore bard does this well
Oh, point buy system.
-walks away and vomits-
The 1 hp zombies that last an hour are really bad, I see no reason to go druid at all.
Necromancers aren't inherently evil. It is the way they both use the power of necromancy as well as the function of that power. It is no different then being a cleric that heals, as all things in magic have polar opposite like light and darkness, yin and yang, necromancy isn't evil and neither is lifemancy good. To destroy is to create, to create is to destroy. This might not make sense, but trust a guy who has read over 400,000 chapters of Wuxia/Xianxia novels and let me tell you necromancy can benefit the hell out of someone. The only arguable point on it being evil is religious bias as well as morals.