In the realm of Baldur’s Gate 3, where arcane arts clash with the forces of evil, the necromancer emerges as a formidable force. This enigmatic figure commands the undead, harnessing their ghastly powers to manipulate the battlefield. To unlock the true potential of the necromancer class, meticulous planning and a mastery of the dark arts are essential. This guide will delve into the nuances of creating the ultimate necromancer build, empowering you to dominate the shadows and command an army of the undead.
When embarking on your journey as a necromancer, your choice of race and background will lay the foundation for your character’s strengths and weaknesses. Races such as the Drow or Tiefling possess innate abilities that synergize well with the necromancer’s toolkit. Similarly, backgrounds like the Hermit or Acolyte provide additional proficiencies and skill bonuses that can enhance your necromantic prowess. As you progress through your levels, carefully consider your feat selections. The War Caster feat, for instance, allows you to cast spells while wielding a weapon or a shield, giving you greater versatility and survivability on the battlefield.
The necromancer’s spellbook is their most potent weapon, containing a plethora of spells designed to manipulate the undead and inflict debilitating effects on their foes. Spells such as Animate Dead and Create Undead form the core of the necromancer’s arsenal, allowing them to summon and control an army of undead minions. Ray of Sickness and Inflict Wounds are invaluable for dealing damage to enemies, while Bless and Healing Word provide support to your allies. Additionally, spells like Dissonant Whispers and Fear can disrupt enemy formations and control the flow of battle. By carefully selecting your spells and mastering their effects, you will unleash the full potential of the necromancer class and become a formidable presence on the battlefield.
Raising the Army from Below
Necromancy in Baldur’s Gate 3 grants the power to command the undead, raising an army of loyal and formidable servants. This guide focuses on optimizing the necromancer build to maximize the effectiveness of your undead horde.
Summoning and Reanimating the Dead
As a necromancer, you possess various spells to summon and control undead creatures. The key to a successful army lies in utilizing these spells efficiently. Cantrips like Toll the Dead and Chill Touch provide reliable damage while debuffing enemies. For summoning, Animate Dead and Create Undead are essential. The former raises a single skeleton, while the latter creates a more powerful zombie or skeleton warrior.
Optimizing Your Dead Army
Every good necromancer knows that a well-rounded army is a formidable one. Here are some tactics for maximizing the effectiveness of your undead minions:
**Skeletons vs Zombies:** Skeletons excel at ranged attacks, while zombies are better in melee. Match their abilities to the situation.
- High Dexterity for accuracy
- Can equip ranged weapons
- Good for taking down ranged enemies
- Higher Strength for melee combat
- Can grapple and restrain enemies
- Good for engaging in melee
| Undead Type | Advantages |
|---|---|
| Skeletons |
|
| Zombies |
|
**Positioning:** Position your undead strategically to maximize their potential. Keep skeletons in the backline, protected from melee attacks. Place zombies in the frontline to absorb damage and engage enemies.
**Buffs and Debuffs:** Use spells to enhance your undead army and weaken your enemies. Bless or Death Ward increases their durability, while Inflict Wounds or Hold Person debuffs foes.
The Art of Summoning and Controlling
Understanding Necromancy
Necromancy grants the power to manipulate life and death, giving the necromancer control over undead minions. Proficiency in necromancy enhances the effectiveness of these summons, allowing them to inflict greater damage and withstand more harm.
Mastering Summoning
Summoning undead creatures is a crucial aspect of necromancy. Necromancers can conjure Skeletons, Zombies, and Wights, each with unique abilities and strengths. Understanding these creatures’ strengths and weaknesses is essential for tactical dominance.
Controlling the Horde
Necromancers possess the ability to command their undead minions, directing their attacks and movements with ease. By mastering this skill, necromancers can orchestrate complex strategies, overwhelming their opponents with a relentless tide of undead.
Empowering Undead Minions
Necromancers can bolster their undead minions through various means. By casting spells such as Bless and Aid, they can enhance their resilience and combat prowess. Additionally, equipment imbued with necromantic energy, like the Bone Staff, can further empower these undead servants.
| Bone Staff | Benefits |
|---|---|
| +1 to Necromancy skill | |
| +1d4 bonus to Necromancy cantrips | |
| Ring of Necromancy | Benefits |
| — | — |
| +1 to Necromancy save DCs | |
| +2 to Necromancy skill checks |
Necromantic Mastery: Commanding the Undead
As a necromancer, you possess an uncanny ability to command the undead, bending them to your will and harnessing their dark powers. This section explores the intricacies of necromantic mastery, empowering you to unleash the full potential of your undead minions.
Unleash the Power of Darkness
Necromancers wield a diverse arsenal of spells and abilities that allow them to control, enhance, and empower their undead minions. From summoning skeletal warriors to commanding fearsome wraiths, you can tailor your undead army to adapt to any situation.
Command the Undead
At your disposal are potent spells such as “Animate Dead” and “Create Undead,” which bestow life upon corpses, transforming them into your loyal thralls. These undead minions can be equipped with items and commanded to execute specific actions, making them invaluable tools in both combat and exploration.
Enhance Your Undead Minions
Beyond summoning, necromancers possess the ability to enhance their undead minions, granting them greater strength, durability, and special abilities. Spells like “Vampiric Touch” and “False Life” empower your minions to drain the life force of their enemies, while “Armor of Agathys” provides them with temporary damage immunity.
Empowering Your Undead Army
To master necromancy, it is essential to understand the various abilities and spells that enhance your undead minions. The following table summarizes some key powers:
| Spell | Effect |
|---|---|
| Vampiric Touch | Undead minions drain life force from enemies, healing themselves. |
| False Life | Provides undead minions with temporary hit points. |
| Armor of Agathys | Grants undead minions temporary damage immunity. |
| Animate Dead | Summons undead skeletal minions from corpses. |
| Create Undead | Creates a more powerful undead minion with enhanced abilities. |
Necromantic Cantrips
Cantrips are an essential part of any necromancer’s arsenal, providing a wide range of versatile options. Toll the Dead is a reliable damage-dealing cantrip that scales with character level, while Chill Touch allows you to inflict disadvantage on an enemy’s next attack roll. Inflict Wounds is a powerful healing spell that can also be used to damage undead creatures.
Necromantic Spells
As you level up, you will gain access to a vast array of necromantic spells that can devastate your enemies and empower your undead minions. Raise Dead allows you to resurrect a fallen ally as an undead creature, while Animate Dead grants you control over multiple corpses. Vampiric Touch is a powerful attack spell that also heals you for each hit, while Finger of Death instantly kills a single target.
Necromantic Feats
Feats can further enhance your necromantic abilities, providing you with additional benefits such as increased damage, improved defenses, or new abilities. The Necromancer feat grants you proficiency in necromancy spells and advantage on saving throws against them. The Tomb-Tainted Soul feat allows you to gain temporary hit points when you kill an undead creature, while the Undying Servitude feat grants you permanent control over an undead minion.
Necromantic Invocations
If you choose the Warlock class, you will gain access to invocations that can further enhance your necromantic powers. The Mask of Many Faces invocation allows you to disguise yourself as any humanoid creature, while the Relentless Hex invocation grants you an additional bonus to damage against a single target. The Tomb of Levistus invocation allows you to create a portal to the Shadowfell, summoning undead minions to your aid.
Necromantic Rituals
Rituals are powerful spells that require a longer casting time and consume costly material components. The Create Undead ritual allows you to create a single undead creature, while the Soul Cage ritual traps the soul of a slain creature within a gem. The Speak with Dead ritual allows you to communicate with the spirits of the deceased, gaining valuable information or insight.
Undead Minions
As a necromancer, you can control and command undead minions to fight by your side. These minions can be created through spells, rituals, or feats, and they provide a valuable source of support and damage output. Undead minions are typically immune to certain conditions, such as poison and disease, making them formidable opponents.
Roleplaying Tips
When roleplaying a necromancer, it is important to embrace the character’s dark and mysterious nature. Necromancers are often seen as outcasts and feared by society, so it is important to develop a backstory that explains your character’s motivations and goals. Be sure to flesh out your character’s personality and quirks, and remember to have fun with it!
Mastering the Necromantic Arts
Understanding the Necromancer Class
Necromancers wield the power of death, commanding the undead and manipulating life forces. They excel at controlling the battlefield, debuffing enemies, and resurrecting fallen allies.
Choosing a Race
- Drow: +2 Dexterity, innate spellcasting abilities, and resistance to darkness
- High Elf: +2 Intelligence, proficiency in Arcana, and resistance to charm
- Tiefling: Inherent bonus to Intelligence, fire resistance, and darkvision
Background and Skills
Consider backgrounds that provide proficiency in Arcana, such as Guild Artisan (Undertaker) or Hermit. Skills to focus on include:
- Arcana
- History
- Religion
- Perception
- Intimidation
Feat Selection
- Magic Initiate (Necromancy): Access to additional necromancy spells, such as Ray of Sickness and Chill Touch
- Spell Sniper: Increase the range of necromancy cantrips
- War Caster: Maintain concentration on spells while wielding weapons
Spellcasting
Necromancers possess an extensive spell list, including:
- Cantrips: Toll the Dead, Chill Touch
- 1st Level: False Life, Ray of Sickness
- 2nd Level: Darkness, Spiritual Weapon
- 3rd Level: Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch
- 4th Level: Blight, Death Ward
Utilizing Undead Minions
Animate Dead and other spells allow necromancers to summon and control undead minions. Leverage their abilities to:
- Harass enemies with ranged attacks
- Provide tanking and damage mitigation
- Flank opponents for advantage
Enhancing Necromantic Power
8. Feats and Magic Items: Several feats and magic items can synergize with a necromancer’s abilities:
- Necromancer’s Amulet: Grants advantage on necromancy ability checks
- Staff of the Necromancer: Increases the power and duration of necromancy spells
- Feat: Grave Touched: Resistance to necrotic damage and additional necrotic damage on attacks
- Feat: Ritual Caster: Expands the necromancer’s ritual spellcasting capabilities
Best Necromancer Build in BG3
The Necromancer is a powerful class in Baldur’s Gate 3, specializing in summoning, controlling, and damaging undead creatures. To optimize your Necromancer, consider the following build:
**Race:** Half-Elf or Drow for increased Charisma and other useful bonuses.
**Class:** Necromancer
**Stats:** Focus on Charisma as your primary stat, followed by Dexterity for initiative and AC.
**Skills:** Choose skills like Persuasion, Insight, and Arcana.
Cantrips:
- Chill Touch
- Necrotic Blast
Spells:
- Animate Dead
- False Life
- Vampiric Touch
- Create Undead
- Ray of Sickness
Feats:
- Spell Sniper
- War Caster
Equipment:
- Quarterstaff or Wand
- Leather Armor
- Necromancer’s Kit
People Also Ask
What is the Best Race for a Necromancer?
Half-Elf and Drow provide bonuses to Charisma, which is essential for a Necromancer.
What Spells Should I Take?
Animate Dead, Create Undead, and Vampiric Touch are core spells for summoning and controlling undead.
What Equipment is Best?
A Necromancer’s Kit grants advantage on rolls related to undead creatures.
