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Ultimate Character Creation: The Necromancer

Tags: #Character Build Knight  #Character Build Necromancer  #Character Build Mage  #Character Build Mods  #Roleplaying  #Ordinator  #SE Rank:Novice  #Trekster 
  • November 8, 2018

    Introduction:

    This is the third installment in the Ultimate Character Creation Guide and this time we will be looking at the Necromancer. It is a fabled class, a character obsessed with death or, at the very least, adept at commanding undead forces. They live between the world of the living and the dead, wielding strange necrotic power. For this one I borrowed from popular fantasy concepts and Elder Scrolls lore. Unlike DnD, which provides little insight on Necromancy, Elder Scrolls is teeming with dark magick and the Ordinator perk mod provides a variety of ways to play this class.

    Be sure to check out my other class guides: the Barbarian, the Knight, the Paladin, and the Cleric :)

     

     

    Class Description: 

    Reclusive and dangerous, these spell casters are often seen as evil but, as you will find, that is not always the case. Raisers of the dead and students of necrosis, Necromancers occupy various alignments but their work is always viewed skeptically by outsiders. Their practices are taboo or forbidden and this often finds them cast out by society or shunned altogether. Necromancers are not dissuaded by dark magick and delve into practices and rituals that other mages avoid.

    The Necromancer is a reanimator of the undead, a lord of abomination and black death. They often work as loners, and their only companions are usually the zombies they raise from certain death. Necromancers have varied beginnings - they could be a mage who became obsessed with forbidden magick, a gravedigger who practices macabre rituals that one day go too far or they might have a history in medicine and experiment on cadavers. Whatever their backstory, Necromancers raise the undead to fight for them. They reanimate corpses, spread plague and disease and some even build their own personal skeleton army.

     

    The Source of the Necromancer’s Power: 

    Necromancers become a conduit of negative or dark energy, but not before communicating with the dead or a force from the other side. In this way, all Necromancers gain their abilities by opening a gateway between the living and the dead. This is called a Seance Ritual and it is the source of their power. 

    A Necromancer may be involved with a Seance Ritual accidentally or on purpose. They may belong to a circle of mediums who routinely attempt to communicate with the other side, it could be that they’re a tomb raider and they tamper with an enchanted casket, branding them with something sinister, or perhaps they’re a mage’s apprentice conducting research and in their readings they utter a forbidden spell, marking them with necromantic evil.

    Seance Rituals are successful only when dark forces communicate back. This can happen a variety of ways - by cursing/blessing the medium with immortality, by mysteriously granting them powerful dark magick or by commanding them to build an undead army. Dark forces are mysterious and their motives are hardly quantifiable. A Necromancer may have tried to bring back a loved one from the void and instead they unearthed a deathly plague. Or maybe they offered someone as a sacrifice and get branded with dark magick, fated to carry the power of necromancy with them forever. Regardless the origin, it all starts with the Seance Ritual.

     

     

    Creating the Necromancer:

    Backstory

    The first thing to consider in creating your Necromancer is what their backstory will be. Consider what significant events have happened in their life to lead to this moment. What’s their relationship like with death? Do they refuse to accept that someone they loved has died? Maybe they are increasingly fascinated with the macabre and wish to command its power. What is their personality like? How do they feel about their necromantic abilities? Are they thrilled by them or burdened by the need to uncover more, delving deeper and deeper into the darkest magicks known to man? Think about your character’s alignment (from lawful to chaotic, good to bad and, of course, neutral). What master do they serve, if any, and what is their goal beyond just combat? Discover these things and more before choosing your breed of Necromancer.

    Seance Ritual

    Necromancers get their ability from a link with the forces of death. Reflect on your character’s Seance Ritual and the surrounding circumstances. This is the source of their power and the most important moment in a Necromancer’s life, for better or worse. They may have been forced into a ritual unwillingly or they may have sought out their power. Discover the nature of your character’s power and how they plan to use it now.

    Darque Path

    Not all Necromancers are created equal. They vary greatly in their abilities, talents and tendencies. Some are exquisite builders and craft the perfect skeleton army - this is the Bone Lord. Then there’s the Death Knight, a once honorable fighter who bears a deathly curse, scourging the living and surrounding himself with a zombified horde. Finally there is the Dread Mage, a spell-caster of the darkest, most unspeakable kinds of magick. They push the limits of what is possible, terrifying all who look upon them, visiting people in their dreams and reanimating corpses to aid in their pursuits.

    Pull from your character’s backstory, their Seance Ritual and their personal talents. Consider these things carefully before choosing their Darque Path.

     

    Now that you’ve constructed your character’s backstory, you’re ready to begin! Choose a Darque Path from ONE below.

    The Bone Lord

    The Death Knight

    The Dread Mage

     

    They often start as a physician, a medical assistant or an archeologist digging up old bones. However their fascination with the undead begins, Bone Lords are expert osteologists. They are skillful at building biped hordes, piece by piece. These Necromancers search for the finest bones to patch together their own skeleton frankensteins. They’re mad scientists but their work is important. They will certainly test their patchwork slaves in the field. Bone Lords are always adding to their numbers, dispatching their fine specimens against the critics of their work.

     

    Gameplay

    Playing the Bone Lord correctly hinges on the usage of the “Bone Collector” perk from Ordinator. It provides an entire branch of the Conjuration tree where your Bone Lord gets increasingly better at patching together skeletons. Eventually you will be able to create a large number of them and your skeleton followers will be your primary offensive. The Bone Lord can wear light armor but often opts for robes and protects themself with Mage Armor AKA flesh spells. The Bone Lord will reanimate undead as well but their primary focus is unlocking the “Bone Collector” ability and searching for bones to craft their army.

    The Bone Lord’s primary spells will be raising the dead, Bound Sword and Flesh Spells. They will be reanimating undead as a means to supplement their more important skill; their skeleton army. The Bone Altar is their most important means of controlling undead forces. Summoning a Bound Sword after activating a flesh spell will be an important tactic before entering the fray, allowing your skeletons to be frontlines attackers while you pop in and out of battle as you wish, healing your undead companions at will. Allow them to thrive in all situations. It is your wish to prove their might and silence your critics. You’re not a “mad scientist”, you are a genius! Share your creations with the world and take what’s rightfully yours.

     

    Bone Lord Skills

    Conjuration

    Alteration OR Light Armor

    Restoration

    Enchanting

    One-Handed

     

    Bone Lord Starting Setup

    (a) Bound Sword Spell & Raise Zombie Spell
    (b) Necromancer robes OR leather armor
    (c) Necromantic Healing Spell



     

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    A dark champion of death. Bearing a curse, the Death Knight is forever doomed to walk amongst the living, a blight on mankind. A once-righteous warrior whose death fell into the wrong hands. The Death Knight was a noble fighter in a past life, but now they wander the realm in limbo, commanding a dark power they gained by crossing death’s door - but the powerful forces weren’t done with them yet! Now zombies rise in their wake and they plague humanity with their curse and disease.

     

    Gameplay

    The Death Knight is an infected fighter, a plague of death and pure might. They may be a cursed mortal or a full blown lich, depending on your backstory. The Death Knight approaches his playthrough with any spells that reanimate corpses or raise up zombies. They cannot help it, the undead will flock to their aid. It goes without saying that the Ritual Stone is a must for ANY of these sub-classes, and the Death Knight is no exception.

    The Death Knight is the most versatile when it comes to offensive combat. They can unleash the horde, smite foes with their greatsword or unleash the power of the plague on unfortunate foes. The latter is made possible by the Necromanticon, Chalice of Tears and Plague Doctor perks through the Ordinator Restoration Tree. These perks are only afforded to the Death Knight who uses them to learn plague spells and spread disease. Use them heavily in your playthrough. Like typical Knights, this character will work on Smithing and Heavy Armor skills to supplement his playstyle.

     

    Skills of the Death Knight

    Conjuration

    Restoration

    Two-Handed

    Heavy Armor

    Smithing

     

    Death Knight Starting Setup

    (a) Steel Armor & Ancient Nord Greatsword
    (b) Dark Hood
    (c) Raise Zombie Spell

     

     

     

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    They may have been an undertaker or a scholar of forbidden texts. They are reanimators who wield the darkest, most frightful magick imaginable. The Dread Mage is a puppet master of dark forces, a lord of horror and nightmares. They strike fear into the hearts and minds of their foes, condemning their enemies to a damning fate. They are master spell-casters allowing nightmares and undead slaves to do their bidding.

     

    Gameplay

    Dread Mages aren’t just masters of the undead, they’re masters of fear and all things terrifying. With perks like Dream Thief and Dream Charm they will invade their victims minds as well. They affect their foes even while they sleep, as the Dread Mage is a waking nightmare. Wielding shock magick, they are not without offensive might. They can use shock spells to boon their undead minions as well (Shock to Life perk). People should fear all the Dread Mage can accomplish on the field of battle, a versatile mage who utilizes fear spells to thin the herd, let their zombies chase them down, and will use shock spells to finish people off. They also enchant their gear and are accomplished enchanters overall.

    Flesh spells and Necromantic healing round out their magickal skills on the battlefield, in the Alteration and Restoration schools respectively. These talents provide support to their zombie army as well as themselves. When playing this type of Necromancer, think of yourself as a walking horror villain; a creature of horrific and nightmarish appearance. You will raise the undead, invade dreams, spread fear and command shocking, frightening destruction spells that strike terror and death onto those around you.

     

    Skills

    Conjuration

    Illusion

    Destruction

    Alteration

    Restoration

    Enchanting

     

    Dread Mage Starting Setup

    (a) Black Magic Robes OR Necromancer Robes
    (b) Sparks Spell & Raise Zombie
    (c) Ghostwalk Spell OR Pale Shadow Spell

     

     

     

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    Mods

    Apocalypse - An important mod for the addition of spells and the allowance for more Conjuration, Illusion, Destruction, and Restoration spells more than anything. These builds rely heavily on Conjuration and will utilize the addition of spells in the playthrough as detailed in each sub-classes Spell List.

    Ordinator - Imperative for the "Bone Collector" and "Bone Altar" perks which allow for a character like the Bone Lord, who builds an undead army rather than raising it. Ordinator also allows for the "Necromanticon" perk for the Death Knight, who will be aided by the powers of plague and deathly disease. The Dread Mage benefits overall, especially in regards to the "Dream Thief" branch of the Illusion tree which allows this terrifying mage to enter people's minds while they sleep and charm them to his cause or just to be a nightmare forever in their minds. Cannot say enough how important this mod is, not just for perks but for the spells and abilities it adds, lending itself so well to a Necromancer class playthrough.

  • November 9, 2018

    Damn Trekster, I have to say that this might be the best of the three guides yet (despite my undying love for Clerics :P). The little differences in the presentation work quite well with this guide and it just generally runs a lot smoother. I also like how each Sub-Class creates a totally different playstyle and build, it's something that shines through a lot more in this guide because the three are completely different.

    Anyway, oh wait before I head off with a like I did want to leave two quick recommendations. The first is just my recommendation that you link directly to each guide at the end (or beginning or whatever) and the second is for this one in particular, just making the spell levels a bit clearer. At the moment it can be a bit hard to pick out the Novice-Master designators so maybe throwing underlined/bolded text in there might work?

  • November 11, 2018

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    Damn Trekster, I have to say that this might be the best of the three guides yet (despite my undying love for Clerics :P). The little differences in the presentation work quite well with this guide and it just generally runs a lot smoother. I also like how each Sub-Class creates a totally different playstyle and build, it's something that shines through a lot more in this guide because the three are completely different.

    Anyway, oh wait before I head off with a like I did want to leave two quick recommendations. The first is just my recommendation that you link directly to each guide at the end (or beginning or whatever) and the second is for this one in particular, just making the spell levels a bit clearer. At the moment it can be a bit hard to pick out the Novice-Master designators so maybe throwing underlined/bolded text in there might work?

    thanks dragonborn, always appreciate your input :) I definitely meant to put those links in, thanks for pointing that out.

     

    Be sure to check out my new addition, the Knight 

  • February 3, 2019

    nice guide, currently playing a bonelord right now, was just wondering what standing stone you recommend, i'm using the Aurora Standing Stone Mod, thinking either

    Ritual, for constant reanimate while not being offensive myself, or

    Atronarch, for cheaper stronger spells, but Magicka only replenishes when leaving combat

  • Member
    March 15, 2019

    I always love a good necromancer build and this is amazing. It also reads like a D&D class build and that just makes me love it even more.

  • November 5, 2019

    i love this build. I am currently playing a Nord Death Knight but im a bit confused as to what you mean when you say Dark Hood

  • November 5, 2019
    Nevermind coc qasmoke knows all i have it time to emjoy