So, as you probably guessed from the title, I'm looking for help with a character idea, the basic concept of which is based on the images below: So, essentially, a necromancer who can raise armies of the dead with a cursed sword. I was wondering if there was a class or multiclass that would be best suited to this idea. I was thinking of going with either a Hexblade Warlock or a Bladesinger Wizard and grab all the necromancy spells (and/or invocations in the case of the warlock) but perhaps there are other, better suggestions out there. I would love to hear what you guys think!
I totally forgot that Oathbreaker Pally has Animate Dead and can control undead with their Channel Divinity, lol. Death Domain Cleric sounds like it may be a winner though; it has proficiency with martial weapons so wielding a sword shouldn't be too much of a problem. And if I recall correctly, the subclass makes for a fairly decent necro too.
Another idea is artificer. It also works well with your intelligence skill/scores so you are not competing with intelligence with charisma and strength like a Paladin. (correct me if i'm wrong but i even think you might be able to use you intelligence modifier when you attack with a magic sword you have created or infused INSTEAD of your other stats and the same with the armor requirements of strength disappear for your magic armor.) The idea is you create undead AND your cursed sword? You are a creator who uses their darker powers to infuse their armor and sword. Also if you get the armor infused with your artificer you will have some decent AC (I think one of my character ideas they got this dip and with heavy armor my wizard artificer got to ac of 19 at lvl 5....and thats not with the use of shield spell), which is pretty nice for a wizard.....you also get a healing spell which wizards typically don't have access to (cure wounds). Depending on what you pick for infusing you could have higher stats for your armor and/or sword. If you are not wanting to be in melee with your undead and just focus on being a wizard/summoner main you could always save the gold from the armor and use it on spells and just have made a cursed sword as your "staff". I have played around with the idea of this very idea. Creating a necro wizard who dips some levels into artificer.
Another idea is artificer. It also works well with your intelligence skill/scores so you are not competing with intelligence with charisma and strength like a Paladin. (correct me if i'm wrong but i even think you might be able to use you intelligence modifier when you attack with a magic sword you have created or infused INSTEAD of your other stats and the same with the armor requirements of strength disappear for your magic armor.) The idea is you create undead AND your cursed sword? You are a creator who uses their darker powers to infuse their armor and sword. Also if you get the armor infused with your artificer you will have some decent AC (I think one of my character ideas they got this dip and with heavy armor my wizard artificer got to ac of 19 at lvl 5....and thats not with the use of shield spell), which is pretty nice for a wizard.....you also get a healing spell which wizards typically don't have access to (cure wounds). Depending on what you pick for infusing you could have higher stats for your armor and/or sword. If you are not wanting to be in melee with your undead and just focus on being a wizard/summoner main you could always save the gold from the armor and use it on spells and just have made a cursed sword as your "staff". I have played around with the idea of this very idea. Creating a necro wizard who dips some levels into artificer.
Dipping into artificer sounds like it could be an interesting idea. Funnily enough, I once played a Battle Smith for a Ravenloft one-shot where (with my DM's permission) their Steel Defender was more of a Frankenstein's Monster-style flesh puppet made up of stitched-up corpse pieces. I suppose I could do a similar thing with this character idea but as a class dip before going full necro, maybe?
Flavouring my "staff" or arcane focus as a cursed sword could be an interesting way to go, as well. Something to think about, at least! :)
Hexadin definitely seems to fit the bill, more than Battle Smith/Wizard, IMO. Warlocks make surprisingly good Necromancers, since their spell slots come back every Short Rest. This, paired with Oathbreaker, definitely drives home the more occult nature of such a necrotic sword.
As a bonus, you can take things a step further, by going Reborn: A true Paladin and Champion of good in your former life, the blade you salvaged from your final foe was also your death sentence, and your eternal curse. The next time you opened your eyes, you were in a coffin, buried six feet underground. Scrabbling towards the surface, you eventually managed to escape your grave, although the further you strayed from that plot of land, the weaker you became, until you could barely crawl. After returning to the headstone that bore your name, and reaching back down into your former Final Bed, the all-too-familiar blade you pulled out of the hole caused you to realize why you couldn't stray too far; It wasn't that you couldn't leave the location where you were buried. You just couldn't leave the sword, which was buried with you. Its infernal power sustains you now, and though you still cling desperately to the path of the Light, your undead fate will forever be eclipsed in shadow...
...Worse yet, the blade's started to whisper things to you. Strange things, that nobody else can hear. It demands far more than the souls of mere mortals...
Hexadin definitely seems to fit the bill, more than Battle Smith/Wizard, IMO. Warlocks make surprisingly good Necromancers, since their spell slots come back every Short Rest. This, paired with Oathbreaker, definitely drives home the more occult nature of such a necrotic sword.
As a bonus, you can take things a step further, by going Reborn: A true Paladin and Champion of good in your former life, the blade you salvaged from your final foe was also your death sentence, and your eternal curse. The next time you opened your eyes, you were in a coffin, buried six feet underground. Scrabbling towards the surface, you eventually managed to escape your grave, although the further you strayed from that plot of land, the weaker you became, until you could barely crawl. After returning to the headstone that bore your name, and reaching back down into your former Final Bed, the all-too-familiar blade you pulled out of the hole caused you to realize why you couldn't stray too far; It wasn't that you couldn't leave the location where you were buried. You just couldn't leave the sword, which was buried with you. Its infernal power sustains you now, and though you still cling desperately to the path of the Light, your undead fate will forever be eclipsed in shadow...
...Worse yet, the blade's started to whisper things to you. Strange things, that nobody else can hear. It demands far more than the souls of mere mortals...
...It demands an army.
I. LOVE. THIS. BACKSTORY!
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Hi there!


So, as you probably guessed from the title, I'm looking for help with a character idea, the basic concept of which is based on the images below:
So, essentially, a necromancer who can raise armies of the dead with a cursed sword. I was wondering if there was a class or multiclass that would be best suited to this idea. I was thinking of going with either a Hexblade Warlock or a Bladesinger Wizard and grab all the necromancy spells (and/or invocations in the case of the warlock) but perhaps there are other, better suggestions out there. I would love to hear what you guys think!
A Death Domain Cleric or an Oathbreaker Paladin seems as if they would work well. Hexblade warlock also seems like a good idea.
I totally forgot that Oathbreaker Pally has Animate Dead and can control undead with their Channel Divinity, lol. Death Domain Cleric sounds like it may be a winner though; it has proficiency with martial weapons so wielding a sword shouldn't be too much of a problem. And if I recall correctly, the subclass makes for a fairly decent necro too.
Another idea is artificer. It also works well with your intelligence skill/scores so you are not competing with intelligence with charisma and strength like a Paladin. (correct me if i'm wrong but i even think you might be able to use you intelligence modifier when you attack with a magic sword you have created or infused INSTEAD of your other stats and the same with the armor requirements of strength disappear for your magic armor.) The idea is you create undead AND your cursed sword? You are a creator who uses their darker powers to infuse their armor and sword. Also if you get the armor infused with your artificer you will have some decent AC (I think one of my character ideas they got this dip and with heavy armor my wizard artificer got to ac of 19 at lvl 5....and thats not with the use of shield spell), which is pretty nice for a wizard.....you also get a healing spell which wizards typically don't have access to (cure wounds). Depending on what you pick for infusing you could have higher stats for your armor and/or sword. If you are not wanting to be in melee with your undead and just focus on being a wizard/summoner main you could always save the gold from the armor and use it on spells and just have made a cursed sword as your "staff". I have played around with the idea of this very idea. Creating a necro wizard who dips some levels into artificer.
Dipping into artificer sounds like it could be an interesting idea. Funnily enough, I once played a Battle Smith for a Ravenloft one-shot where (with my DM's permission) their Steel Defender was more of a Frankenstein's Monster-style flesh puppet made up of stitched-up corpse pieces. I suppose I could do a similar thing with this character idea but as a class dip before going full necro, maybe?
Flavouring my "staff" or arcane focus as a cursed sword could be an interesting way to go, as well. Something to think about, at least! :)
Hexadin definitely seems to fit the bill, more than Battle Smith/Wizard, IMO. Warlocks make surprisingly good Necromancers, since their spell slots come back every Short Rest. This, paired with Oathbreaker, definitely drives home the more occult nature of such a necrotic sword.
As a bonus, you can take things a step further, by going Reborn:
A true Paladin and Champion of good in your former life, the blade you salvaged from your final foe was also your death sentence, and your eternal curse. The next time you opened your eyes, you were in a coffin, buried six feet underground. Scrabbling towards the surface, you eventually managed to escape your grave, although the further you strayed from that plot of land, the weaker you became, until you could barely crawl. After returning to the headstone that bore your name, and reaching back down into your former Final Bed, the all-too-familiar blade you pulled out of the hole caused you to realize why you couldn't stray too far; It wasn't that you couldn't leave the location where you were buried. You just couldn't leave the sword, which was buried with you. Its infernal power sustains you now, and though you still cling desperately to the path of the Light, your undead fate will forever be eclipsed in shadow...
...Worse yet, the blade's started to whisper things to you. Strange things, that nobody else can hear. It demands far more than the souls of mere mortals...
...It demands an army.
I. LOVE. THIS. BACKSTORY!