The Most Powerful D&D Necromancer Build (2024)

Necromancy is an evocative magical archetype across all fantasy, including Fifth Edition. The image of a villain, or even a hero, leading a vast horde of undead soldiers is as compelling as it is terrifying. For player characters, exploring the quandaries of utilizing often-considered taboo magic like Necromancy can provide many interesting roleplay scenarios as well. There are several ways to bring the Necromancer fantasy to life in D&D 5e, with the concept spanning multiple classes in a way few other playstyles do.

From Wizards to Clerics, there are options for nearly every spellcasting class to either dabble or fully immerse themselves in the practice of Necromancy. D&D 5e players are spoiled for choice with classes that can weaponize the dead in some capacity. However, some potential build choices stand out above the rest. The best class, species, feats, and spells can spell the difference between a fledgling Necromancer and a mighty Commander of the undead.

Updated on July 10, 2024, by Jeremy Devoe: With Necromancers continuing to be a popular role for players to have their characters take on, and D&D 5e stepping into its newest phase with the 2024 5e Core Rules Revisions, we wanted to update this article to provide additional guidance on the various options which can lead to the most effective Necromancer builds.

Necromancer Build Summary

The Most Viable Class Choices Available for a Necromancer Build

A Player Looking to run a Necromancer has Four Solid Class Options to Select as a Foundation for their Character

For players looking to heal themselves with Necromancy spells on kill, buff any undead they create and raise more dead with each cast of Animate Dead spell, as well as the ability to wrest direct control of powerful undead beings by level 14; the Wizard's School of Necromancy subclass is the way to go. This D&D 5e's Arcane Tradition for the Wizard most closely resembles the classic idea of a Necromancer, able to raise an army of undead and cast foul magic at their foes. Additionally, at level 10, School of Necromancy Wizards become resistant to Necrotic damage and cannot have their maximum hit points reduced through any means, which is more common of a detriment than players may believe.

The is another effective Necromancer character build. It's an unconventional choice, in that it doesn't get Animated Dead until level 9, as Paladins cap off with fifth level spells and have a reduced number of total spell slots overall. However, with the Paladin's Channel Divinity feature at level 3, an Oathbreaker Paladin can attempt to control undead found while adventuring so long as their CR is lower than the Paladin's level. On top of that, the Oathbreaker Paladin gets Aura of Hate, which increases the melee weapon damage rolls of every ally within a 10 ft radius (30 ft at level 18) by the Paladin's Charisma modifier, meaning any undead minions within that radius will hit harder, only limited by how many allies can fit into the Aura's radius.

Dungeons and Dragons: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything introduced D&D 5e players to the Circle of Spores Druid, which grants the class the Animated Dead spell at level 5 and also grants a unique way for a Druid to raise undead. At level 10, a Circle of Spores Druid can use a reaction to reanimate any small or medium creature that dies within 10 ft of the Druid for one hour or until it perishes otherwise. The reanimated creature uses the same stat block as a Zombie and is raised with a single hit point remaining, but they can be healed by other means. The Circle of Spores Druid can use this feature a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier per long rest, allowing them a quick and relatively free way to raise undead while maintaining their spell slots.

offer another great option for players looking to build a strong Necromancer. With access to spells like Raise Dead and Create Undead, the Death Domain Cleric can muster a sizable undead force, with many support spells from the Cleric spell list that can be used to heal or buff those undead minions and allies alike. Death Domain Clerics are encouraged to fight alongside their undead, with other subclass features like Channel Divinity: Touch of Death and Divine Strike granting additional necrotic damage to melee and weapon attacks respectively. This is further supported by the Inescapable Destruction feature at level 6, which allows a Death Domain Cleric's Necrotic damage to ignore resistance to Necrotic damage.

Ideal Species & Background Options For A Necromancer Build

While a Wide Pool of Species can Certainly Work Well, Each Necromancer-Inclined Subclass Has an Ideal Option

Variant Human and Custom Lineage are top-tier choices for any D&D 5e character, extending to any Necromancer a player wishes to build. A free feat lets a Necromancer character get one of their ideal feat choices locked in before the first session and both species let the player pick which Ability Scores they want to increase. The main choice between Variant Human and Custom Lineage is deciding whether the player wants their Necromancer character to have an extra skill proficiency with Variant Human or the option for Darkvision through Custom Lineage. As such, if not taking Custom Lineage to play a specific species, players should opt for Variant Human so their Necromancer can gain proficiency in a skill related to their Spellcasting ability.

for more Necromancers who plan to focus primarily on spellcasting and avoiding up-close danger. At-will flight without using resources or Concentration is a powerful boon for any character, with the only caveat being that it doesn't work with medium or heavy armor. Fairies also get access to the Druidcraft cantrip initially, Faerie Fire at level 3 and Enlarge/Reduce at level 5. Both of these spells can be cast one per long rest without expending spell slots, but can also be cast with them once their one-per-long rest uses are up. Faerie Fire and Enlarge/Reduce each offer a way to grant a player's controlled undead support in combat and are just as effective at supporting the player's other allies too.

Kobold is an unconventional species choice that is surprisingly synergistic with a D&D 5e Necromancer build, particularly for more melee-oriented Necromancers. This is primarily due to its Draconic Cry feature, which gives allies advantage on their attacks for an entire round against enemies within 10 ft of a Kobold that used Draconic Cry. Not only is there no save associated with this feature, but there is also no limit to the number of incoming allied attacks that can benefit from it. With a Kobold able to use this a number of times equal to their proficiency modifier per long rest, a Kobold Necromancer can greatly increase the accuracy of all of their undead minions and allies up to twice a day at level 1, and up to six times a day by level 17.

Background choice is more open-ended for a D&D Necromancer build, especially with custom backgrounds available, not least due to the wide array of classes it can encompass. Acolyte is a good choice for its Religion and Insight proficiencies, ensuring the character knows about the undead they are raising or creating. Hermit is a fine alternative to Acolyte which also offers proficiency in Religion, but gives proficiency with Medicine instead of Insight. Sage offers Arcana and History proficiencies, which can help identify Necromancy-related items and uncover other information about various undead creatures. The faceless background is useful for Necromancers who would rather associate their Necromancy with an alternate Persona, which can be useful in campaigns where the practice is particularly taboo.

The Best Necromancer Spells for DnD 5e

While Raising and Controlling the Undead Is at the Forefront, There are Necromancy Spells of Many Functions to Consider

• While not all of these spells are available directly to each class which can specialize in Necromancy, there are other means by which a character can gain access to their usage, like with Spell Scrolls or Spellwrought tattoos, among other methods.

Spells that raise or create undead are, of course, essential for any build. Animate Dead is a staple D&D 5e Necromancy spell, creating either a skeleton or a zombie that is under the caster's control for 24 hours unless they expend another spell slot to cast Animate Dead again, which can be used to reassert control for another 24 hours, up to 4 creatures at the spell's initial level of 3. Two additional undead can be created and have their control continued per level of the spell cast above third level. This spell is a Necromancer's primary method in undergoing the process of amassing their undead forces.

Create Undead is a higher-level variant of Animated Dead that allows a D&D 5e Necromancer to produce Ghouls, with similar restrictions and control methods as Animate Dead. Ghouls have a paralysis effect on their claw attacks, which, despite only being a DC 10 Constitution check, can eventually catch any creature that doesn't have an absurdly high Constitution saving throw modifier. Summon Undead is a third-level spell that allows the player to summon an Undead Spirit which can come in one of three forms; Ghostly, Putrid or Skeletal. Each form alters what traits and attacks the Undead Spirit comes equipped with, while higher levels of the spell increase the potency of the spells used by the Undead Spirit, which remains summoned for 1 hour at all levels unless concentration is broken.

There are also more esoteric options for undead-creating that a Necromancer can use, the following two of which must deal a killing blow to activate their undead-creating effects. Negative Energy Flood does 5d12 Necrotic damage, and if the target dies because of this damage, they become an uncontrolled zombie on the spot. However, if this spell targets an undead creature, it instead gives them temporary hit points equal to half the result of the same 5d12 roll. On the other hand, Finger of Death is a seventh-level spell that deals 7d8 + 30 Necrotic damage and turns slain humanoid targets into a permanently controlled Zombie. This can become a terrifyingly effective way of amassing a sizable zombie horde with the right conditions at play.

Oathbreaker Paladins in D&D 5e will absolutely want to pick up Crusader's Mantle, as although its damage type is radiant, its delivery method notably increases the overall damage input of the undead under their control. In particular, for one minute under concentration, the Paladin produces a passive aura with a 30 ft radius that increases the damage of all allies within the radius by 1d4 radiant damage on hit with a weapon attack. This also includes the Paladin themselves, whose Aura of Hate subclass feature stacks with the aura created by Crusader's Mantle. For Concentration spells, other Necromancers will want to look to Evard's Black Tentacles, which could restrain creatures caught within the 20 ft of difficult terrain it creates, granting advantage on attacks against them to any of the Necromancer's undead minions or allies.

The Best 5e Feats for Necromancer Characters to Make Them More Effective

Many of the Best Feats for Necromancers Work Across all of Their Class Possibilities

Resilient is a D&D 5e feat that will help give any Necromancer class a nice bonus to their durability. Proficiency in Constitution saving throws makes it far easier to maintain Concentration, which quite a few useful Necromancy spells require for their usage, even beyond those already mentioned. Additionally, this comes with a +1 Ability Score Increase that matches the saving throw proficiency the player chooses with the feat, which in this case, would be Constitution. This can be utilized in rounding out an odd Constitution Ability Score and further increase the size of the modifier for their Constitution saving throw.

for spellcasters, as it gives them advantage on Constitution saving throws that are specifically made to avoid losing concentration. It also allows spellcasters to perform the somatic components of their spells while holding weapons or shields in hand. Furthermore, when prompted to make an Attack of Opportunity, War Caster lets its user cast a spell with a time of one action that applies to a single target instead of taking the attack action against the creature that triggered the Attack of Opportunity. While every Necromancer can gain great benefit from these bonuses, Oathbreaker Paladins in particular greatly enjoy the ability to hold a weapon and shield while still being able to cast.

Inspiring Leader requires a score of at least 13 in the character's Charisma Ability Score to take, but it is a worthy investment for any D&D 5e Necromancer. Inspiring Leader allows the player to spend 10 minutes inspiring their allies, which mechanically results in the player choosing six friendly creatures that they can see to gain temporary hit points equal to the player's level + their Charisma modifier. While this can help a Necromancer's party members ahead of a vital fight, its primary use is to enhance the durability of six of the Necromancer's undead minions. Early on, this is huge as it essentially buffs an entire party of undead troops, and later when it can be used to top off the larger and more important undead that a Necromancer wishes to keep in the fight for longer.

Alert may seem an unusual choice for a Necromancer build in D&D 5e, but it fulfills a clear goal. A +5 to Initiative makes it highly unlikely for any undead to go ahead of the Necromancer controlling them. This allows the Necromancer to buff their horde or debuff their enemies ahead of time, highly increasing the chances that the first turn taken by said horde will be more effective. This benefit of Alert comes alongside additional effects that make Alert a generally valuable feat to have. These include preventing the Necromancer with Alert from being surprised so long as they're conscious, while also negating the advantage on attacks from creatures that the Necromancer does not see.

Dungeons and Dragons

A fantasy roleplaying tabletop game designed for adventure-seekers, the original incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons was created by Gary Gygax in 1974.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

January 26, 1974

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast , TSR Inc.

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson

Player Count

4-8 Players Recommended

Age Recommendation

12+

Length per Game

3 hours +

Expansions

Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition