Build idea-Frozen Necromancer

[Endless Twilight]

Got this idea from Warcraft, to be honest, when I considered if it was possible to make a character in DnD that approximated the characteristics of a Warcraft-style lich. I was kind of surprised to learn that not only was it possible, it might even make a powerful character build for those who like the flavor. I'm not sure if there's some sort of standard format for build ideas, but I'll try my best:

Classes: Dread Necromancer/Sorcerer/Wizard (doesn't really matter) + Frost Mage (Frostburn)
Feats: Snowcasting, Frozen Magic, Energy Substitution (Cold), Lord of the Uttercold. Optional (might need flaws to get enough feats): Spell Focus (Conjuration)/Augment Summoning/Beckon The Frozen, or Tomb-Tainted Soul

I've seen build ideas for necromancers using and abusing Lord of the Uttercold before, but when I was reading through Frostburn, it struck me that the Frost Mage might synergize quite well with a necromancer. The class itself is full casting progression and adds a number of spells to your list free of charge (none of them great, but ah well), and yields miscellaneous perks, but the feature that interested me here was its capstone ability that gives you the Cold subtype. Not a full-blown type change, but adds the subtype. This makes Lord of the Uttercold start to look very interesting, especially if you've taken Tomb-Tainted Soul: you're impervious to the cold damage and are healed by the negative energy, allowing you to get in on the action along with your minions. If you have enough feats for Beckon the Frozen, it just gets better-your undead get the Cold subtype, too, letting them share in the fun.

Frost Mage also grants Piercing Cold as a bonus feat, which this setup could use with impunity if you want to for some reason-the feat description seems to state that while PC can bypass standard immunity to cold, monsters with the actual cold subtype are still immune, so you and your minions would be unaffected if you wanted to catch enemies in the spells as well.


Not sure how effective this build actually is, compared to others, but if you ever wanted to see what a WC Lich would play like in DnD, this is as close as you're likely to get.

[Echoes]

Going hardcore cold-specialized is one of the best ways to boost save DCs. Be a dragonblood race (Silverbrow Humans rock) and take Draconic Aura (Cold), which gives you a scaling +1-+4 to the DCs of all your cold spells. Follow that up with Cold Focus, Greater Cold Focus, Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus and the icemail armor from the Far Corners of the World article and you're looking at a +10 to the DCs of all your Cold Necromancy (or whatever school you choose Spell Focus for) spells.

You're right about it being very flavorful and a great way to represent the WC3-style lich effectively in D&D. If only there was a decent spell to emulate Frost Nova .

[Akalsaris]

Very nice build idea

I recently worked on a similar theme (though very different build) for a character I'm going to be playing this summer.  The setting is that the characters start at 1st level and are cultists of the Lich King in the prelude to WC III.  I made my character as an ex-conjurer from Dalaran who became a fanatical worshipper of the Lich King, obsessed with charming people into joining his cause - and turning those people into shades. 

In my case, I went for the WC III iconic wizard who summons a ton of water elementals, and used the Water Devotion feat to emulate that.

Build:
[spoiler]Human Cloistered Cleric 2/Conjurer 1/MoS X

Feats:
Hmn 1: Spell Focus Conj.
Char 1: Elemental Summoner
Cleric 1 bonus: Water devotion
Cleric 1 bonus: Knowledge devotion
Wiz 2 bonus: Aug. Summ.
Char 3: Beckon the Frozen
Mos 4: Extra Turning

ACFs: trade familiar for abrupt jaunt, trade scribe scroll for augment summoning, go focused conjurer, possibly trade cleric for cloistered cleric depending on stats, trade water and knowledge domains for the devotion feats.[/spoiler]

Ps. The Warcraft RPG has Frost Nova - it's a 3rd lvl spell that mimics fireball, only its a 10" spread around you and opponents who fail their fort save are slowed (like slow) for 1d4 rounds.  Pretty powerful dual-threat evocation really.

[Endless Twilight]

I checked the rules, and if I'm reading them right, the Necro-whatever/Frostmage build is especially suitable to mimic a WC lich if you actually go and turn into a lich-by my reading, you the frozen skin and cold subtype during the lich transformation, so now you're not just a gaunt, semi-skeletal spellcaster: you're coated in ice, too. Maybe apply permanency to an energy-subtituted [cold] Uttercold wall of fire in a corner of your office, and you've even got your own little healing spa...

[jameswilliamogle]

Becoming a Lich generally stinks, though.  Perhaps there's a different way to go about it?  Walker in the Waste is a great alternative.

Something like
Cleric 5 / WitW 10 / Frost Mage 5 (or reverse the PrCs, whichever you want for flavor).

For Frost Nova (I just read the description; I've never been a big WoW person, though I do like MMOs in general), you could do a Chilling Tentacles with Signature Spell, for example to make it look frosty.

[Endless Twilight]

I prefer FM 10 in this setup, both for flavor and effect-you get increasing amounts of cold resistance as you take levels in FM, but only gain the cold subtype and attendant immunity, which is what drew me to this idea, as the 10th level capstone of the class. Remember to get energy immunity via eclectic learning or some such, though-the cold subtype does come with the con of taking 50% extra damage from fire spells.

For the becoming undead, I'd imagine becoming a Necropolitan could work, though all you really need to get the synergy from this and Uttercold is Tomb-Tainted Soul.

[Caedrus]

I do agree with the previous sentiments that Cold & Undead synergise well.

I also really like the flavor of it.

I recently had a chance to build a BBEG with this theme in mind. Most of it has been covered, but may I suggest:

For those looking at the Divine side of things, the spell Chill of the Grave (SC46) is just awesome. At CL10, you have a Ray Spell (easily split) that inflicts 4d10 cold damage. Oh, and there's no saving throw. Uttercold & Split it, and it's rather nasty. Hell, it's nasty by itself.

Oh, and get yourself a Slaymate!

Necropolitan is a fine option as well.

Hope this helps.

C.

[Anklebite]

To emulate a frost nova, all you really gotta do is toss out a sculpted cone of cold followed by a quickened slow 

[Akalsaris]

Or cast the damned Frost Nova spell I mentioned earlier, yeesh =P

[Straw_Man]

  Most builds (here anyway) use WotC only material. Third party material which WoW RPG falls under is used only if at the OP's request, and exhibition or theoretical builds never use them to my knowledge. Even Dragon mag. stuff is often used as optional material. And thats why people are trying to emulate F.N. instead of using the WoW RPG one 

Cheers!

[RobbyPants]

Well, there always is spell research, which also has to get past your DM.  But, at least if you have something printed on which you're basing it (3rd party or not), you might have a better chance of getting DM approval.

[Akalsaris]

  Most builds (here anyway) use WotC only material. Third party material which WoW RPG falls under is used only if at the OP's request, and exhibition or theoretical builds never use them to my knowledge. Even Dragon mag. stuff is often used as optional material. And thats why people are trying to emulate F.N. instead of using the WoW RPG one 

Cheers!

Oh, I understand that well enough.  My own build earlier is actually completely illegal within the Warcraft RPG, since cleric and conjurer are not legal base classes (and it uses an Eberron feat as well...), but I had a specific goal within the warcraft lore that I wanted to accomplish using printed resources, and sadly the warfraft RPG has very little content for people who want to play from the Scourge perspective. 

But in this case we're talking about trying to mimic content for which there is already 3rd party support - and which mimics the spell's effect more effectively than anything suggested here so far.  It just seems silly to me to do so.

On a nitpicky sidenote, the spell I mentioned is from the Warcraft d20 RPG, which is distinct from the WoW d20 RPG in that it focuses on the transition between Frozen Throne and WoW.  Different core books, etc.