The Ultimate List of Tips and Tricks for Necromancers in Dungeons and Dragons 5E
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Want to make new friends?
Tired of losing your minions in fights and want to make them beefier?
Trying to do your part to reduce, reuse, and recycle?
Need someone to listen to your horrible puns without complaint?
Then consider the path of the Necromancer!
A well played Necromancer can be a force to be reckoned with in any campaign. While many, many, many have gone before you, the Necromantic arts can pave the way to riches and power if done properly.
We’ve assembled the best list of tips to making the most of your friends from of other grave robbers adventurers such as yourself. Continue reading our Necromancer guide below to get a leg up on the competition.
Protection
These Dungeons and Dragons Necromancer tips focus on how you can use your friends to protect you and and make them beefier.
Set off Traps
An oldy but a goody, have them move in front of you to set off traps. Getting more paranoid? Have them use a ten foot pole too…
Bodyguards
Have them provide cover from unwanted missile fire and barbarians attempting to apply their axes directly to your forehead by having a group of zombies (tk cross out) new friends stand around you.
Make Friends and Influence People (Inspiring Leader Feat)
They surely won’t survive the onslaught of arrows, spells and steel for long without additional protection. It takes a bit of time, but Inspiring Leaders (the feat) can help bolster your minions friends morale and stay in the fight longer. Remember, if you have lots of friends you can give a speech to a new group every 10 minutes.
Armor and Shields
In your travels, you’re sure to dig up some additional armor. Chain mail? Bah! says the dwarf. So suit up your friends in shields and armor from your adventures. This will help them stick around a little longer. Also, it can be useful in more “social’ situations like villages and cities. A hood and some perfume might be useful as well.
Combat
Should your party have a disagreement with another group, you may need to lead your friends into battle.
Face towards enemy
Another useful thing is to arm a bunch of them with bows and arrows; if they are a little spread out then it can be problematic for the enemy. If your party is able to do things that help your friends gain advantage, these can really help as well. Faerie fire? Yes please.
Nets
Your army of darkness can also throw nets and incapacitate the enemy, which can be problematic.
Come Bearing Gifts
Have them carry loads of lamp oil or other gifts that may distract or otherwise occupy the other side during heated negotiations!
Shoving and Grappling
They are great tactics to have your cold friends try to knock foes to the ground or give em a big ol hug. Your barbarian friend will certainly raise a pint of grog in your honor at the next tavern for holding someone down. Have a zombie giving them a bear hug? Well, if you’ve filled them with lamp oil or some other combustible they may regret their poor choices. This tactic is also useful if you need to take prisoners alive….although why I can’t image as Speak with Dead is usually more pragmatic.
Retreat/Terrain Control
Need to advance to the rear? Don’t like the enemy holding a piece of terrain, or other control related thing? Your friends can give you a hand and make sure you’re able to make that pressing appointment somewhere else…
A HELPing hand
Does your Rogue need some friends so they feel more effective? Barbarian like some help? Remember, your friends can HELP others. You might be surprised exactly how many…..indiscretions….the party will tolerate if they see your retinue of doom as an asset.
Advanced planning
Remember you give give them general orders before a battle. During combat isn’t the time.
Grave’s Friends
Remember, once dead you’re not bothered by poison, so any spells or things that involve poison won’t harm them. Stinking Cloud, Cloud Kill and others won’t bother them. Bear hugs in poison gas, my favorite!
Utility
We’ve discussed a lot of how your friends can help you survive and conquer, but what about the other 5 minutes of your adventuring day? Here is how you can make the most of your friends.
Carry your supplies
After you’ve gathered all your loot it’s certainly a drag to carry it yourself. Your new friends can ease your burdens!
Easy transport
Ok, so, this isn’t probably what you think, but if you have friends, and there’s a sign on the tavern door that says “No Zombies Allowed” you can just shove em into your Bag of Holding or other extra dimensional holding device until they are ready to come out and play again. Some particularly amenable DM’s will let you shove them in whole... this becomes important once you’ve grown in power and have a lot of friends you’ll need to leave behind otherwise.
Transport for You
Nothing says luxury like being carried about in a palanquin!
Class Abilities and Spell Selection
We’ve focused largely on how your friends can help you, but let’s not forget that you are still a master of the magical arts! These Dungeons and Dragons Necromancer tips are sure to help you make the most of your particular set of skills.
Grim Harvest
This is a great ability, but to make the most of it you’ll want to focus on ending things every turn, instead of all at once. A great spell for this is Evard’s Black Tentacles, as the damage is done to a creature at the start of it’s turn. Remember how we said your friends could use terrain? They could help stop an enemy from leaving a space filled by this spell!
Fire Shield
It's a great spell for this as well. Not only do they potentially die, but it’ll let you make the most of this.
Tend the Rabbits
Now, let’s talk about a horrible thing for a moment. We’ve talked about how your friends can help carry supplies, right? Well, what if they also carried along chickens or rabbits? If these were to accidentally be thrown, by your friends on each of your friends turns, into the area of your tentacles it’s possible that you’d feel refreshed, correct? This has an added bonus of making additional bones for you to use!
(We’re pretty sure that most DM’s would allow this to work a maximum of ONE time, so, choose wisely. )
Vampiric Touch
In a pinch, you could also use your friends as “batteries” and heal from them. Since they’d be willing participants the attack role wouldn’t even be needed. And if you kill them then you get more healing!
Multi-Classing
If your DM permits, you may also consider worshipping the appropriate god of life for a brief while, thereby maximizing your healing!
Dwarves and Dark Elves
With medium armor proficiency, and grim harvest, an armored dwarven necromancer might be a mighty foe! A dark elf, with access to faerie fire and being naturally charismatic may also be interesting grave friends.
In Conclusion
In Conclusion, being a Necromancer can be a fun experience. For you at least. Maybe others, but most importantly you. We've discussed strategies for helping your friends stick around longer, how they can lend a hand in combat, and tips and tricks for spell usage to make the most of your awesome powers.
If you liked this Necromancer guide for Dungeons and Dragons, please share it with your friends, and comment below! We're looking to resurrect stories of how you've done things as a necromancer.
-Huzzah!
Ted
10/10. This Tips Guide is Awesome. Would raise dead again!
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