Need Help with first gestalt char, main caster, Dread Necro//wiz

[evil-minded-hamster]

[krusk]

Wizard 3/master specialist 10/archmage 5/something cool 2// Dread Necro 8/Walker in the waste 9/Something cool 3.

On the wizard side, I actually recommend anything but necromancer, for optimization reasons. For obvious flavor reasons, take necromancy.

You get full wizard, and 19 dread necro, but can make mummies. If you decide to become a lich, take the 10th level. If not oh well. If you don't become undead ever, take tomb tainted soul for free unlimited healing. If you do give in and become undead, take it and retrain it out when you do.

On the wizard side, something that lets you cast in light armor is not a bad investment. Take it for some of those "Something cool" levels.

Good race- Human, or something with an int bonus.

Stats- Int>Cha>Con=Dex>Wis>Str unless you plan to be in melee with those skeletons. Then Int>Cha>str=dex=con>wis = Way to mad to bother.

[JaronK]

Hi there,
 We are only two players and a DM. The other guy is something like rouge/fighter//barbarian (i.e. Mr. Meatshild) so I want to be the main caster with a necro twist:

What do you think about a Wizard // Dread Necromancer ?

Stat issue:  Wizards are Int based, Dread Necromancers are Cha based.  That's something to avoid if you can.  You might consider using the Necromancer Wizard variant in Unearthed Arcana, and then going Necromancer Wizard//Archivist instead.  Archivists have a little need for Wisdom, but they're mostly Int based.

What is a good Race?

Human is the default answer.  Kobold if you want to be cheesy as heck.  There's a variant of Dwarfs that gives an Int bonus that could be fun if you wanted to go into Runesmith.

JaronK

[snakeman830]

If you go Necromancer on the Wizard side, Unearthed Arcana/SRD has an ACF that gives another +2hp/HD to your undead.

[AndyJames]

Dread Necro has a problem getting into Walker in the Waste, namely divine spellcasting.

Always, always use the same stat. Wizard//DN is bad. Also, two classes with restricted spell lists is bad (e.g., Warmage//DN). Try Sorcerer//DN or Wizard(Focused Specialist Necro)//Beguiler.

In general, Clerics make better Necros than arcane casters (you will note that most of the best spells in the DN list are spells Clerics get).

If I were you, I'd go with Cleric/Walker in the Waste // Monk/Druid/Sacred Fist/Shiba Protector. Melee, some battlefield control, Wis based, DMM goodness. Plus you are a CaDzilla. What more can you ask for?

[krusk]

Dread Necro has a problem getting into Walker in the Waste, namely divine spellcasting.

Doh. I guess you could pull some shenanigans, and try to get some domains, but thats probably a lot more work than is worth it.

[evil-minded-hamster]

On a slightly related note.
I am comparing necropolitan with some other undead templates. In the Book of Vile Darkness i found the "bone creature" (p184).
It looks to me like it has all the qualities of the necropolitan (except automatic healing, and control resistance) but it has a whole bunch more features (immunity to cold, +2AC, +4 DEX!, claw attacks, and free weapon finesse on one weapon). as far at i can see NO Level adjustment.

am i missing something?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Yes.  If it doesn't have a listed level adjustment (or the level adjustment is "--"), you can't play it.

[CantripN]

Stranger with Burning Eyes could be fun. It's a TOME class, but it's not broken, especially compared to Incantatrix. Very fun to play, I expect, and I'd love the chance to do that someday.

But really, what sort of power level should we aim for? Do you want hordes of Undead following you around, or just powerful magic? Do you want to blast things? Control the Battlefield? Buff? All of those? More?

[Widow]

Seeing as Dragon magazine is allowed and you are playing a dread necromancer, I am going to have to mention my favorite PrC from dragon #280.

The Eldrich Master (EM) gets:

Add EM level to all arcane classes when determining the effectiveness of spells such as damage, range, duration, and targets.  This not an actual spell level increase so it stacks.
Every 3 levels you get a bonus metamagic feat and a spell slot one level higher than you can currently cast (plus a spell known if you dont have a spell of that level known)
Every 4 levels you get another classes spell list added to your own
Other stuff like bonus spells known if you have a spells known list and the ability to know when ever someone says your name on that plane.

So mixed with you dread necromancer which automatically knows all the spells on its list, it gets pretty fun.  My favority Beguiler or Dreadnecro build is the following:

Dread necro 20//Bard 4/Cleric 1/Eldrich Master 4/Dweomerkeeper 1/Sublime Chord 1/ Dweomerkeeper 9

Go with a good to neutral deity that will let you pick turn undead and get rebuke undead from the dread necro. Play a silverbrow human for the dragonblood subtype.
Mercantile (your pick)
Extend Spell
Persistent Spell
Alternative Spell source (Dragon Compendium)
Divine Metamagic Persistent Spell
Easy Metamagic: Persistent Spell (Dragon Compendium)
Spell Focus Transmutation
Ability Enhancer (Dragon Compendium)
Practical Metamagic: Persistent Spell
Fell Energy Spell (Dragon Compendium)
Still 1 open

Spells: Now I would pick the cleric spell list, this will allow your Dread necro to cast any dread necro and cleric spells spontaneously off of Cha.  You will also have 1-3 bard spells (using the bonus spell slot on the bard) from bard and your sublime chord will be able to pick from Bard/Cleric/Sorc 4-9. 

Buffs: The dweomerkeeper will grant you 4 supernatural spells a day to mix with persistent and extend for 8 48hour buff spells.  Persistent spell will also only have an adjustment of +4 if you go with both easy metamagic and practical metamagic.  Buff spells that are transmutation will have all of their ability bonuses bumped by 2 points with the ability enhancer feat and fell energy spell will boost all buff bonuses by +2 if you are undead (late game or level 7 kiss of the vampire spell persistent).

Caster Level: Your caster level for all arcane classes is your sublime chord level (effectively 10) plus the levels in one other arcane class (dread necromancer 20) netting you a caster level of 30 at level 20.  You also get another +4 effectiveness from the EM.

Cha Boosting spells:
Inner Beauty (Fiendish Codex I: Transmutation) boost of +4 Cha and +4 Dex sacred.  Requires you to be good which can done with Holy transformation lesser (Spell compendium).
Snowsong (frostburn: Illusion)" +4 moral bonus to Cha.
Nixie's Grace (Spell Compendium) +8 Enhancement bonus to Cha plus others
Devil's Ego (Fiendish Codex II) +4 profane bonus to Cha (not on your list, you will need miracle or some other way to get it)
Visage of the Deity Greater (Spell compendium) +4 unlisted bonus to Cha, plus bonuses to all other stats.

Those are all 2-4 points higher with ability enhancer and fell energy spell.

Alternatively you could take the Bard 4/ Cleric 1 and trade it in for Bard 1/Cleric 1/Marshal 1/Battle dancer 1 (Dragon Compendium)/ Spell Theif 1

Marshal will grant you an aura to add your Cha mod to overcome SR.
Battle Dancer grants Cha to ac like a monk bonus.
Spell Theif is wrong with the Master Spell theif feat which lets you add all your arcane spellcaster levels together.  It is wrong since they are all set at 30 with the sublime chord.

Another alternative build if you want to focus on the Eldrich Master:

Dread Necromancer 20//Cleric 1/ Base Classes 4/Eldrich Master 8/Heirophant 5/Eldrich Master 2

Cleric to keep the alternative sourced spell feat and take versatile spell caster to be able to use two of your top slots to cast a spell one level higher than normal.  This will allow you to enter the Hierophant at level 14 for 5 bonus metamagic feats.  Take the 9th level of EM at level 19 to get a spell slot one level higher than you can normally cast, which in this case would be a 10th level slot for the Dread necromancer.

Sorry for the fast type up, just to give you some ideas.