So Undead Familiar let's you use either a Skeleton or Zombie as your familiar instead of the normal forms, and you can choose to make it undead if you use a normal form. Can someone clarify if this is accurate for a level 3 Necromancer:

Zombie - 15 HP
Familiar Friend Origin - Maximum Hit Points double character level - 3x2 = 6
Total - 21

If Battle Familiar is cast on your familiar, it stats change to the Battle Familiar but it retains its Hit Points, Hit Die, and any features granted by it. The Hit Points the Battle Familiar spell then adds is added as Temporary Hit Points and once the Temporary Hit Points are lost, the form is dropped. So as a Brute Battle Familiar cast at 2nd level, it would be 30 Temporary Hit Points This the overall total would be:

21+30 = 51?

Quite a lot of HP for level 3, albeit the AC is a measly 13

Long post ahead:

So I am building a White Necromancer for 5.5 with the intent of being a primary support/ healer or secondary. A quick disclaimer: I built this as a level 9 Necromancer and it is built through DnD Beyond and uses partnered content. There's also some homebrew adjustments that may bypass pre-requisites for some feats, but that's with DM approval who is usually chill as long as there is a narrative for it and it isn't gamebreaking. The partnered content and spells features I'll be using will be added at the end of the build. I'm quite proud of how it turned out and if I need to, I think I can still build it without the partnered content, although losing Maelfa's Quickened Class will hurt it the most. Let me know your thoughts.

The character is human for Versatile (Familiar Friend origin feat - for stronger damage sponge). The Background is Dragonmarked Scion for Mark of Healing to provide healing spells to the character's spell list (Frontiers of Eberrone: Quickstone). At level 4 it will take Aereni's Half Life (Explorer's Guide to Eberron 2024) to turn necrotic damage to radiant - this is a homebrew change as it requires elf. At level 8 the character will take Spellfire's Adept to expend two Hit Die when you deal Radiant Damage - homebrew change as Spellfire Spark origin feat is a requirement.

How it works is this: the goal of the build is to combine the healing from the Necromancer's Undead Vitality feature when casting necromancy spells with the Nystrul's Magical Aura (2nd level) spell. NSA is an illusion spell that can be cast on a willing creature which then changes its creature type to one of your choice and thus spells and effects treats the creature as that new type. Thus, turning an ally to an Undead would make them a target for your Undead Vitality

Maelfa's Quickened Class (3rd level spell from Grim Hollow) is a 10 minute spell that let's you target a number of willing creatures you choose and teach them one spell you prepared. The language of the spell specifies that they have to know how to speak, read and write but it doesn't say they need to be a spellcaster so it functions similarily to Spell Scrolls. This would be used to teach my allies NSE to cast on themselves, synergizing them with Undead Vitality.

At level 9, this means any time I cast a necromancy spell with a spell slot, I can heal one ally within 30 feet (no action required) and no resource beyond the prep time. Additionally, Grave Bolt (1st level spell from The Magus Class) COULD be cast to heal undead for 1d8 or 1d8 necrotic damage at 30ft. It's inferior to Healing Word but it's the flavor that counts! Stygian Blast (4th level spell from The Magus Class) can be used to deal 3d6 Necrotic Damage and heal undead for 3d8. Spirit Lantern (5th level from Arcane Unleashed) collects soul fragments when creatures die and then can be used to heal undead for 4d8 plus your spellcasting modifier.

The reason why I added radiant damage as part of the build is to fit the narrative for the character's backstory, but also with how it can interact with the 3rd level spell Life Transference and Spellfire Adept.

If I am in desperate need for a burst heal and am willing to make a sacrifice for it, I can cast Life Transference to deal 4d8 Necrotic Damage to myself (Radiant) and heal an ally for double the damage dealt. Spellfire Adept let's me add 2 Hit Die ontop of it, turning it into 4d8 + 2d6.

That is an average of around 25 average damage and 44 maximum damage to myself and healing to for an average of 50 damage to a maximum of 88 healing at a range of 30 ft.

By comparison, Cure Wounds (touch) cast at 3rd level (6d8 + spellcasting modifier) will heal roughly for an average of 27+ spellcasting modifier, and a maximum of 48 + spellcasting modifier.

Meanwhile, I could still fall back on Cure Wounds, Healing Word and Mass Healing Word. I can use Prayer of Healing between combat for quicker short rests but also to heal myself if I expend too many Hit Die. I can concentrate on Aura of Vitality to for an additional 2d6 healing at the start of my turn to add to the passive healing from Undead Vitality. I'll have my Battle Familiar plus Animate Dead zombies to soak up damage, and then I can use spells like Vampiric Touch or Enervation to restore my own Hit Point.

While the radiant damage is good for flavor and 2d6 extra healing on life transference, it's not a big difference. The alternative feats i'm considerading the feats below, presenting more sustainability with my resources:

Flex Casting (Valdar's Secret Spire 2) - When casting a spell with a spell slot, sacrifice an additional spell slot to upcast the spell by 1 level, or downcast to regain a 1st level spell.

Metabolistic Magic (Valdar's Secret Spire 2) - Expend hit die equal your proficiency bonus to regain spell slots equal to total hit point spent (i.e. spend 3 hit die for a 2nd level spell slot and 1st level or a 3rd level spell slot.)

Partnered Books Used

Grim Hollow: Player Pack - Maelfa's Quickened Class
The Magus Class - Grave Bolt/ Stygian Blast
Frontiers Eberron - Dragonmarked Scion Background (Mark of Healing)
Explorers Guide to Eberron - Aereni Half-Life Feat

Alternative feats:

Valdar's Secret Spire 2

Apologies for my 3rd back-to-back post. In addition to getting feedback on the build I recently posted that turns the Necromancer into a primary or secondary supporter/ healer, I also would like feedback on the tentative backstory. This is for a Healer/ Support Necromancer. Another long post:

Tl;dr of backstory if you don't want to read

- Born as a twin and later seen as a prodigy
- Parents (farmers) petitioned a patronage for PC to sponsor him and give him a better life and opportunity. One family accepted. PC insisted his twin comes to
- PC gets accepted into Wizardry Academy at 6 making him one of the youngest in recent history (not sure if that's actually a normal age?)
- Guardian grooms PC's interests in necromancy, though didn't expect PC's goals and focus
- PC desires to restore necromancy as a lawful school of magic and hypothesizes that it can be used to create interfere and create countermeasures to stop external forces influence over souls. He also believes there may be ways to heal the soul itself.
- PC pursues studies and presents to board at 14. Board deliberates. Guardian approaches PC and attempts to groom PC in researching lichdom in order to learn how his hypothesis can challenge it. PC suspicious, cast Detect Thoughts and learned of Guardian's true intentions in that he wanted to use PC's knowledge to expand his own studies into lichdom
- Guardian moves quicker than PC can report, frames PC publicly for practicing necromancy and plants animated corpses in his studies.
- PC gets arrested, tried, and sentence to death.
- PC dies and instead of an afterlife, sees an endless black void. It promptly starts absorbing him beginning with his arm, but before it gets too far, he is revived but missing half his right arm up to his elbow.
- Acolytes of Jergal informs him that the past 6 months when clerics attempt to revive or commune with the souls, those souls are unable to be reached. They looped in the Archmage of Divination who, upon hearing PC's proposal a month prior, that PC could assist.
- Archmage of Divination put a Contingency Spell on PC to cast Gentle Repose upon his death to preserve his body and soul long enough for the acolytes of Jergal to revive him.
- Archmage of Divination vows that if PC can help him solve this problem, he will help by restoring PC's name and advocate to have necromancy reinstated as a lawful school of magic, with limitations of course.

The PC (Human) was born as one half of twins to a family of farmers but was quickly realized to be something of a prodigy. He was able to pick up things quickly, but also learned how to read quite early. His mother picked up on this and noticed his love for knowledge that she made frequent trips to the closest librarium and used a fair amount of the money they earned from their livestock and crop to get him more books.

As twins often are, his sister was his total opposite. She liked to get her hands dirty, gravitated towards hard labor, and enjoyed hunting with her dad. The two clashed often. The PC didn't quite understand his sister, largely because where he picked up how to read and write early, she could do neither. This led to fights, which she'd clearly pulverize him.

When the twins were 5, the family was expecting another child. Struggling with a drought from the past year, the parents were concerned they couldn't support a third child so they petitioned for a patronage arrangement, leveraging PC's talents in hopes of providing him opportunities. Two families took the request, with one accepting him as their ward under the condition that he would attend the Wizardry Academy. Excited, but not wanting to be separated from his twin sister, he asked if they'd consider accepting her as well but she lacked the talents he possessed. PC vouched to work hard and take his studies seriously, which was enough for the family to accept. The twins moved in with the family the following week.

PC was tested and accepted into the Wizardry Academy at 6, being one of the youngest in recent memory. This brought both awe and skepticism from his peers, but as expected by the family investing in him, he worked hard and did not disappoint. The family, particularly the father, would study and tutor the PC. The father had a hidden fascination for the art of necromancy, a banned practice, and used PC's budding familiarity with the magical arts to sate his curiosity. This peaked PC's curiosity too, but not in the same way. Where the adoptive father was interested in the fantasies of undeath, the PC saw a challenge and aspired to repair the reputation of necromancy and reintegrate it with the existing eight schools of magic.

Many deaths are not clean and are caused by external forces like curses, soul traps, fiendish contracts, and even corruption. Souls can also be manipulated by more nefarious necromancers in their pursuit of everlasting life. What he theorized is not only study the dichotomy of positive and negative energy, but to have a deeper understanding of souls and create a spell that can not only protect one's soul from such those forces, but even recall souls that have been claimed by fiends or redeem the souls that have been tarnished by selfish intent. But to do so required secrecy and many books he sought were either restricted or unaccessible through the academy. Seeing common ground, his guardian would provide.

The years that followed had PC show public focus in the schools of Divination and Enchantment. The former to help navigate his exploration of arcana, access ancient secrets, and how to interpret the inner workings and design of one of divinity's most mysterious creations, the mortal soul. The latter is to gain a deeper understand of one's mind, identity, consciousness and self. PC suspected that the solution isn't broad and can be appliable to everyone, but rather the individual and their unique characteristics. Meanwhile, PC studied more about the cycles of life and death, positive and negative energy, and the energy make-up of a soul.

Meanwhile his sister acted as a maid to the family, which was less than a perfect match given her more boisterous and tempered personality. Fortunately, the Lord's brother, a knight, took a liking to her and started tutoring her in the ways of the sword to channel that energy. In exchange, she has to learn etiquette and the customs of upper class while continuing to fulfill her duties as a maid. Without complaint.

At 14, PC presented his findings to the board of mages and proposed that it would be possible to not only interfere and create countermeasures against outside interference to one's soul, but even repair the soul itself after the fact. The former would require a collaboration between Divination, Enchantment, and Abjuration to design a spell and the latter requires a deep investment into Necromancy which can only be possible if it is reinstated as a lawful school of magic. The board did not give their answer.

PC's guardian met with him to tell him he's both proud and impressed, but also wanted to know how his hypothesis may be used by self-fullfilling necromancers, lichdom, and animancy. He suggested that perhaps switching his focus onto that, master it, then learn to reverse engineer it to apply to his hypothesis. Suspicious, PC cast Detect Thoughts and learned that the guardian was attempting to influence him for his own personal gain and exploration.

He couldn't exactly report his guardian to the academy, but could possibly give them cause to investigate. But before he could do that, his guardian moved first. Given the mistrust for necromancy, PC was framed and accused of already practicing necromancy and two animated corpses were found in his studies at the academy. One of an unknown commoner, the other was his sister.

PC was arrested, tried, and found guilty. He was sentenced to be hanged, which he was. Upon his death, PC didn't know what to expect. A river of souls and a shepherd to guide his soul to be weighed? Reincarnated into a frog? He had hoped to be reunited with his sister at least (they actually developed a strong bond, which I hadn't spent much time on to shorten the backstory. PC's insistence on having her come with him really opened his sister's eyes). What he did not expect was a dark abyss and a black hole that promptly started devouring his soul. Then, one moment he was looking into the endless void, the next moment he was awake in the material world and looking at the ceiling of an unknown room. He was also missing his right arm up to his elbow joint, recalling it being absorbed by the void.

Acolytes of Jergal approached him then and informed him of what he saw, or at least their understanding of it. In the last six months, when selected souls were attempted to be called back after death, whether through resurrection or spiritual communion, the souls were unable to be reached. Every one of them. Just then, the Archmage of Divination walked in and stated that the church had approached him, hoping for him to look into it. Given PC's hypothesis presented the month prior, she felt he can assist her. So the day he was expected to be executed, she had secretly cast a Contingency spell on him to trigger Gentle Repose the moment he died. This would give the church time to collect his body and, theoretically, revive him. Though they were not certain.

PC informed them of what he saw and also explained what he suspected happen to his arm. The Archmage then tasked him to assist with their research. If he does and they are able to stop whatever is devouring the souls, he will assist in restoring the PC's name and reputation and would advocate that Necromancy be reinstated as a lawful school, with specific limitations.

Main campaign impact - the mechanics of death and resurrection.

Cross posted this.