Help building a nonstandard Dread Necromancer.

[Widow]

I like the idea with the Sylph and the minimal LA idea, and the dread necro isn't really a requirement (a cha-based spontaneous spellcaster is the requirement), BUT

What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species? Any flavour of Celestial or Vampire.

If there is any way for me to achieve the above (Half-Fiend Sylph, for instance), I'm cool with it.

I did not add a template to the slyph since it is an outsider (not sure if that was close enough for a celestial), but you can easily add the 1 level of the half-fiend class.  Did you check out the link?  You can take a single level of the half-fiend level break down and exit it to never return.  That would be the best option if it was allowed.

There is also a thread around here with a list of creatures with natural spell casting that might be helpful.  For instance the gloura is a great race (7hd +2 LA) that has 7 levels of bard spell casting.

As for the vampire Illitiad, that actually works too.  The LA adds up to +12 if my math is correct, you can drop all the LA and just stick with the HD.  I suggested the single level of half-fiend to meet racial requirements, which would leave you with 4 HD and 5 levels to sink into Illithiad savant.  If you get to pick something to eat before you start, always pick a Legacy Champion and eat is +8 level progression ability in a class of your choice (hmm, more illithaid savant).

My personal non-caster favorite would be a fiend of possession.  Play a full blown succubus for free and jump right into FoP, or go with an abyssal Skulker (2 HD +2 LA) and pimp that out with bonus HD or take bloodlines if able.

Overall the extra HD paired with racial spell casting is just too good to pass up.

Edit: If psionics are availabe, the illithiad version found in the expanded psionics handbook is a level 8 telepath in place of the spell/psionic-like abilities they normally get.

Half-fiend 1 LA/ 7 LA Illithiad/ 4 HD Illithiad// 4 Hit Die Illithiad/ 3 Illithiad Savant/2 Thrallherd

Eat a full level Legacy Champion (which a character in this system could complete by level 10 due to all the extra HD) and add 7 effective levels to Illithiad savant and 1 to thrallherd.  Spend 27,500 gp on a true res and repeating adding more levels to thrallherd.  Or if the DM wont let you pick something to eat before starting, take an abyssal stalker legacy champion thrall with thrallherd (2 HD/ 2 LA +8 bonus HD/ and take 8 levels of Legacy Champion for your 8 class levels).  You could still eat him twice granting you +12 class progression (7 for Illithiad savant/ 5 for Thrallherd) and still have room to eat more stuff later.

[Sachiru]

Hmm. I like the Succubus concept. How would you suggest that I build it? Also, what are its benefits?

[Widow]

Hmm. I like the Succubus concept. How would you suggest that I build it? Also, what are its benefits?

Try looking at the Fiend of Possession handbook of mine.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7518.0

All your entry requirements will be covered by the free 12 levels of Succubus.  Then if you still like the warlock, maybe:

Warlock 2/Bloodline 1/Binder 1/ FoP 1/Bloodline 1/ FoP 5/Warlock 6/ Hellfire warlock 3

For the bloodline you can pick vampire to cover all of your bases.  Use necromantic energy focus weapon to energy drain with the weapon you are possessing.

If you want spell casting, maybe go FoP 6/Divine Crusader 1/ Contemplative 6/ Divine Champion 4/ Heirophant 3

The divine crusader progression gets 9th level spells over 10 levels, but the spells only come off of one domain.  Contemplative will add 2 more domains and the divine champion will give you 1 more.  Heirophant will grant you divine reach and 2 bonus metamagic feats.  You would end up with a caster level of 14+4 from practiced spellcaster.  There is also a dragon mag feat called Custom Domain that lets you pick what spells are on your domain list.  Ur-Priest would work well too, but I thought for some reason your creation rules said no evil, did I miss read that?

I sure I can come up with something better after work, but check out the handbook if you want to play a Fiend of Possession.

[Sachiru]

Oh, thought that was a caster build.

I'm specifically looking for a magic-spammy caster build. One that can get a ton of metamagic feats, and (ab)use the Magic in the Blood feat.

[Benly]

Can you go over 12 and push the excess racial HD into your "proper" levels? If so, consider a rakshasa that progresses into sorcerer (or, well, sorcerer PrCs more likely). It'll push two racial HD into your actual levels, but outsider HD are pretty good especially when they come with full sorcerer casting - you'll have +5 caster levels on top of those, unusually beefy DR and SR, kickin' stats and some very nice special abilities. They're already fiendish-themed, too.

[Widow]

Ah, here is the list of creatures will spell casting.  I am not sure if they are all caster level equal's HD, but they might be useful.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5514.0

I think the slyph has the best ECL to caster level ratio, even with a level of Half-fiend.  But you might find something else you like.  A pharium or dragon would also be neat, but both of those have to go up age categories if you add HD to them.

[Benly]

Ah, here is the list of creatures will spell casting.  I am not sure if they are all caster level equal's HD, but they might be useful.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5514.0

I think the slyph has the best ECL to caster level ratio, even with a level of Half-fiend.  But you might find something else you like.  A pharium or dragon would also be neat, but both of those have to go up age categories if you add HD to them.

Sylph has a good ratio, but with 12 ECL free it's less about finding a race with a low HD:CL ratio and more about finding the most bang out of those 12 ECL - sylph is good, but I'm not sure it's as good as higher-ECL races would be in this context, if that makes sense.

Personally I like rakshasa because its SR explicitly scales up with added class levels, and is extremely high to start with. But that's just me.

[Sachiru]

Click here for the image.

That's basically the concept I'm trying to build.

Thinking about a Radiant Half-Celestial Sylph Sorceress. Is that viable/good? Or is there any other template that makes you a Celestial and adds CHA, without the hefty +4 LA?

[vilenatas]

You only get radiant if you are getting 12 total for hd/la as that puts you at 12 right there.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Lesser aasimar / half-celestial transition gets the LA down to +3.

[Sachiru]

Lesser aasimar / half-celestial transition gets the LA down to +3.

Nice. That leaves me 8 HD, assuming I take Radiant. However, I like the sylph a tad more, since it gives me bonus sorcerer levels.

[Widow]

Lesser aasimar / half-celestial transition gets the LA down to +3.

If the transition class was allowed, then the half-fiend would also be allowed since they are both in the same web right up, but the lack of comments on a single level of the half-fiend transition class makes me think it is also out.

Ah, here is the list of creatures will spell casting.  I am not sure if they are all caster level equal's HD, but they might be useful.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5514.0

I think the slyph has the best ECL to caster level ratio, even with a level of Half-fiend.  But you might find something else you like.  A pharium or dragon would also be neat, but both of those have to go up age categories if you add HD to them.

Sylph has a good ratio, but with 12 ECL free it's less about finding a race with a low HD:CL ratio and more about finding the most bang out of those 12 ECL - sylph is good, but I'm not sure it's as good as higher-ECL races would be in this context, if that makes sense.

Personally I like rakshasa because its SR explicitly scales up with added class levels, and is extremely high to start with. But that's just me.

The SR is actually very cool, but you would just end up getting hit with more SR free spells.  I am not sure the SR, slightly better stats, and DR are worth 7 additional levels compared to a slyph equal spell casting, small size (great for spell casters), and improved invisibility at will.  Especially since neither are fiends/celestials and still need template/template class levels for these purposes.  With 7 LA, I think I could also find some templates that would grant more than the bonuses the rakshasa give.

If you are going for the most stuff, the sharn wins hands (and alot of them) down even with a template.  The Abyssal Drake (which is a demon/wyrvern/dragon mix) comes in at 10 HD and +5 LA for a very decent Huge war beast.

Click here for the image.

That's basically the concept I'm trying to build.

Thinking about a Radiant Half-Celestial Sylph Sorceress. Is that viable/good? Or is there any other template that makes you a Celestial and adds CHA, without the hefty +4 LA?

I think you are out of luck on lower LA templates that officially make you an fiend or celestial, unless you do the creature templates, but that really limits your base creature type and is still a +2 LA.

[Sachiru]

Nah, Radiant Half-Celestial Sylph is fine. With Magic in the Blood and Sorcerer Spellcasting, it's magical spell spam.

[Sachiru]

One query. Since I have 9 levels to play with, should I go sorcerer, or simply advance the Sylph's HD?

[Widow]

One query. Since I have 9 levels to play with, should I go sorcerer, or simply advance the Sylph's HD?

I am not sure if Radiant is worth it though since Celestial Sylph is an ECL of 12 alone, but stick with HD until you can PrC.  After 2 extra HD, you could jump into Aberration Champion if you like the full BAB.  Incantrix would be another nice choice, just depends on what you are looking for. 

[Sachiru]

Do I get feats if I stick with HD?

Also, I'm taking the Magic in the Blood feat, which increases number of times an SLA can be cast, so I need all the SLAs I can get. Sylph effective Sorcerer Spellcasting level is Sylph HD +4, so, if I advance it, I get caster level of 13th.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Phrenic is a great way to get SLAs (well, PLAs, which are practically speaking the same thing).  Half-fey is also decent.

[Sachiru]

Phrenic is also LA +3, similar to Radiant.

Half-Celestial is mandated by the DM.

EDIT: What feats may I take?

[jameswilliamogle]

Phrenic is +2 LA.

[Sachiru]

Phrenic is +2 LA.

Oh, sorry, didn't read that. However, DM dislikes psionics heavily, and Radiant gives +6 cha, so...