Varnae
I have little experience with Necromancers. My first, Quincy, used skeletons: an Overlord or Skeleton Master or whatever you call that build. Trouble was, once I had enough skellies to be effective, the game became boring. I never had to do anything. I'd enter a new area, watch them all fight, maybe cast a curse or a Corpse Explosion (if I felt like it), then raise up replacement minions, grab the treasure, and move on. Others may like that kind of play, but I found it genuinely dull, and quit before I even reached Andarial. The second, Yorick, used Bone Spear and Bone Spirit from behind an Iron Golem. He was a lot more fun, but playing him was about the same as playing a junior-grade Sorceress. My meager explorations of the class leave plenty of room for other viable approaches. Let's avoid the "piles of minions" strategies, though I may find room for a golem. The ranged spells are also out. He'll do his own killing, by hand; the only melee skill is Poison Dagger. Hmm... I haven't used poison much, with any character. The Necromancer is supposed to be a great poisoner; this looks like a good opportunity to give poison a shot. For skills, Poison Dagger is a must, for the attack rating bonus if nothing else. The damage looks pretty low, but poison charms should help. The Necro is a fragile thing to be in melee range, so Bone Armor is called for. My curse of choice will be Lower Resistance -- another level 30 skill, but I'll limp along until then. If I use a golem at all, it will be a Fire Golem, and my merc will be an Act III Sorcerer. Since Poison Immune monsters are fairly common, some back-up damage source is called for: either Corpse Explosion or the Decrepify curse and a big whacking implement. No reason not to try both. What are Necromancers? Priests of Rathma (whoever Rathma is) come from an underground city hidden in the most distant swamps. The order seems more philosophical than religious, striving for understanding of what is, not an ideal that might be. The consummate Necro is pragmatic, content with the power provided by the dead and unconcerned with infernal or celestial power. Beyond good and evil, the Necromancer stays in balance and is immune to the Hellish temptations that plague lesser mortals (at least in theory). The Prime Evils are now loose, and Necromancers are trying to rid the mortal realms of all outside interference once and for all. Heaven is willing to keep out of the mortal world, but Hell was never so principled and must be ejected by force. Personally, what might my Necro be like? His main weapon is poison, possibly backed up with explosions. From what I've learned watching forensic detective shows on A&E, poisoners and bombers share some elements of their "typical" psychological profiles: a high intelligence and education, meticulous habits, a great deal of patience, above-average ability with lying and deception, and a passive-aggressive personality with just a hint of cowardice. In a nutshell, everything a Necromancer would aspire to. For a name: Varnae, after the third most famous undead monster in history... or is he fourth by now?
Epilogue
SourceThis is the fifth part of Stony's Grand Tour, written between 31 January 2003 and 3 July 2003, and originally posted in the Diabloii.net Single Player Forum. While almost all original posts are long gone, Vesper, one of our Community Members, contacted him and was given the original documents, and permission to reproduce them at the Amazon Basin. |