The True(ly Useless) Necromancer

[Depravity]

A creepy little build for creepy little people

This, this is what happens when I have little sleep and spend far too much time running in circles to farm up trap components. It bears little relation to its namesake, beyond the flavor of "A wizard can dance with the dead, but it really takes a cleric to understand them". I got beaten to the punch here, but this one is a bit better fleshed out.

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As of 10/24/10, stacking failed during testing. This is officially a dead build barring some manner of Deus Ex Dev.
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Disclaimer:* This is not an "optimal" build in any way shape or form. If you're looking for something that will make puggers hug you or show off your e-peen, this is not the build for you. You can leave now. For those of us who can take an idea and run with it (possibly giggling in a manner indicative of controlled substances/one of the more amusing forms of insanity), I present an idea.
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Disclaimer the Second: Sorc +% capstone didn't work, and I have a suspicion % stacking is what's keeping the sorc Elemental Savant PRE from showing up. Until somebody confirms % boosts like this will stack, I'd heavily recommend not building this. Really, don't do it.
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Wiz 13/Cler 7 - Pale Master II/Radiant Servant I

Starters, 32 point Human:
Str 10 - 2pts - I loves my loot, I needs some muscles to carry my loot.
dex 10 - 2pts - Meh, I likes my reflex saves and my stealth. This is where I'd put the last two points if picking up sneaky skills.
con 14 - 6pts - You like HPs? I like HPs
int 16 - 10 pts - You need this, just too expensive to push to 18
wis 14 - 6 pts - I'd go cleric early levels, so wisdom for sake of early casting ability, plus some SP
cha 12 - 4 pts - You're going to want some for turns, +2 tome nets you divine might prereq for a more battlemagey build
2 pts left over, salt to taste or adjust for race
For 28 pts, drop the dex and just run with it. Although if you only have 28 points, this is probably not the best build for you, as I assume you're fairly new.

Feat total - 10
Wizard 10 - 3 wiz bonus feats
Regular character - 7 feats

Required Feats:
Spell Focus Necromancy
Greater Spell Focus Necromancy
Empower Healing

Good Idea Feats:
Maximize
Empower
Heighten
Extend
Toughness - dual purpose: You have more fleshy HP goodness, and access to lich form

Other possibilites:
Insightful Reflexes
Quicken - This guy is built for distance, really. I also tend not to take this and rely on twitch skills/concentration ranks to see me through.
Halfthing Dragonmarks - a bit of extra healing, moving you more towards "backup healer"
Enlarge - I know everybody hates this one, but I'm very fond of charming from out of aggro range**, and it gets you more shots w/ necrotic ray before a target closes
Wizard Past Life - If running off a TR, this helps with your lower DCs
Augment Summons - works well with charms, hirelings, and actual summons (like some skellies you can pull out of thin air)

Things Pale Master II gets you:
Necrotic Ray - Turn HPs into damage at a distance
Optional beefiness/immunities courtesy of undead forms
Negative Energy Spells +35% damage
Negative Energy SPells +6% to crit

Cleric 7 gets you:
Inflict (X) wounds to heal your undead buttocks
Positive/Negative +30% damage
Positive/Negative +6% crit
Positive/Negative + 0.25 crit multiplier
Access to some lovely 4th level clerical buffs

Radiant Servant gets you:
Regenning turns-
Heal Bursts when fleshy/for fleshies (incidentally refilling your HP bar for more necrotic rays) or
Divine Might if undead and beating on things or
DVs to hand out to your fellow casters

Assuming things stack, and yes that is a big assumption, that ends up being +65% damage, 12% crit and a 1.75 multiplier. Compared to a regular Pale Master, you'll have less base damage on necromantic effects, but a better modifier, crit more, and crit harder. Some of the various bard/ranger/paladin/cleric builds can take two healing enhancement lines, but they don't stack. I'm hoping that prestige enhancements occupy a separate "channel" so they stack somehow (if, heavens forbid, it's multiplicative, that's about a +75%).

Again, this is not a standard "know your role" character. It doesn't really come into its own until about level 19, where it's got self powered necrotic rays available. I'd go cleric early, so I'd have self/party healing capabilities to see me through the roughness that would be everything up to level 19. Take a spell focus:enchantment early on, swap it out later, and make things fight for you as much as possible. Alternately, level up as a wizard, buy some +X hearts of wood, and swap out levels.

Skill wise, I'd stress concentration and diplomacy (since clerics get it at full ranks) as ways to make sure you can cast in a mess. Move Silently, Hide, Spot, so your not-so-good at fighting self can avoid fighting. A few ranks in jump for sake of hitting the magical 40. Pumping Int, you'll have plenty of points to play with.

If I you want to shoehorn monk in, Divine Power for BAB and Lich for Inflict Wounds (presumably boosted/critting) on unarmed attacks and some extra HP might make for a bizarre little battlemage. Realistically, it would be best paired w/ a good intimitank, but heavily boosted inflicts on every swing could make up a considerable amount of damage (if anyone has tried punching things with a lich-form PM, let us know if things like maximize work on those hits). Unfortunately, that would cost you wiz 13, 7th level arcane spells (including some nice finger of death action), and a DC on offensive arcane spells. In exchange, anything that's been intimidated so you can wail on it relatively safely is going to get just plain messed up. Would want more dex, weapon finesse, and a TWF feat or two. On the plus side, subtle spellcasting would cover the main source of your damage - inflict wounds spells.

Problems are going to include spell resistance and lower (2 points from spell levels, 1 from not-capped int) DCs. If you're willing to do the grindy, a triply reincarnated wizard w/ three cleric past lives would help - no spell pen feats needed thanks to wiz lives, and the cleric lives add to web DCs. Webbing everything, firing up death aura, and handing out hugs is definitely an option.

Races
Human: This guy would love an extra feat, versatility helps if going stealth (+skills) or undead boxer (+hit, +damage), healing amp makes you even more self-sufficient
Drow: This is one of the rare times I would seriously consider drow. The Int boost helps with build points/DCs/SP, Cha is actually useful for turns and divine might, and if staying back lower HPs aren't as much of a problem
Halfling: Empower Healing, Maximize, Empower and a pocketful of 'free' healing spells. What's not to love? Except the feat starvation. Good for the stealth route too, with bonuses and a racial enhancement line.
Warforged: Not a favorite for me. Lots of fleshling healing love makes the much vaunted repair spells less useful, and undead form (granted, very late in the build) covers a lot of the immunity angles. Cha hit cuts into your bankroll of turns.
Elf: If you really really really want to. 6 AP buys you a pocket resurrection, and....that's about it.
Dwarf: No. Beards do not help here. Take your axe and go play somewhere else.


* One of the few times in my adult life I really thought about using a "blink" tag. Sometimes it is appropriate.
** Watching the one beholder in Threnal get devoured by the oozes stationed around it because it can't turn its anti-magic cone on its own charmed (do beholders have a) butt? Priceless.

[richieelias27]

One major problem with this build: All inflict wounds spells have a save for half damage. You still roll that save when healing yourself and your DC is going to suck hard.

*edit: nevermind, I see you already factored in DC loss from spell levels*

[Ezeikeiel]

I believe Pale master and Radiant servant are both prestige enhancements and unless it has been changed recently you can only obtain 1.

i dont get why your con doesnt drop to 0 when becoming undead

[ekniff]

I believe Pale master and Radiant servant are both prestige enhancements and unless it has been changed recently you can only obtain 1.

i dont get why your con doesnt drop to 0 when becoming undead

never had such a rule. you can only take 1 from each class, that's all.

[Reos]

Having Inflict wounds is nice, but a PM can heal himself just fine with Negative Burst spell. Seems like you'd be better off just going PM all the way if you're just splashing caster with caster.

[richieelias27]

I believe Pale master and Radiant servant are both prestige enhancements and unless it has been changed recently you can only obtain 1.

i dont get why your con doesnt drop to 0 when becoming undead

Major reason: Pale masters are not undead. Undead form is not fully undead.

Minor reason: Zero CON kills you as a player character in DDO.