How do necromancers survive, exactly?

[CleverUsername123]

(deleted)

[Steve]

can you maybe act like it?

How old does when need to act when they're playing a fantasy game?

Anyway, looks like you're breaking the Rules, so straight to jail with you and don't pass go!

[Hoihe]

So, in general, how do necromancers, evil summoners and the like survive on surface in general?

It just occured to me that for someone whose primary power rely on summoning obviously evil KoS creatures things are going to be very difficult. Especially on early level, where one LG zealot can easily steamroll them.

Here's another reason, based on your last comment "one zealot to steamroll them."


If I see an evil PC doing obvs evil acts, I'm more likely to HiPS and go the other way or long way around?

Why?

3 reasons:
A: I bloody hate PvP and want none of it, barring perhaps a P&P styled rollplay.
B: Even if I liked it', it'd be madness in terms of DM and PM spam. Only person I reliably PvP'd with as Evil vs Good was Mrieder, and he's an OOC friend of sorts so there was some strong mutual trust already.
C: I certainly don't appreciate getting "ganked." Assuming others feel the same and you know the good ol' "do unto others what you wish to be done unto you."

[Korchas]

As someone who actually attempts his best to play a sensible necromantress, I can assure you, raising the dead does not make everyone auto-KoS you.
I've been caught with some type of undead minion or minions thrice, and two times it resulted in them being immediately dropped by my toon and getting a very elaborate lecture on why I shouldn't do it after passing a bluff check that it was totally an emergency thing and I'd never do so otherwise.
The third time, the Cleric in question deided to drop dead the undead and then ask my character if she knew where that mummy came from. Which I was INSANELY grateful for.
Otherwise, I merely use Necromantic spells and tend to get into a lot of arguments regarding the validity of it, which is tiresome, but not murderous.
So, ultimately, I think the argument of people ganking you doesn't hold in perspective, as nearly no one likes killing others without some RP around it on this server. Leaving you PLENTY of outs.

That said, I'm not a cackling-insane, constantly undead-slinging dark-robed lass, so maybe I'm just better at hiding than I think.

[Deathgrowl]

The main instrument of necromancers isn't undeads. It's save vs death spells and ability/energy damage.

You don't HAVE to use undeads. I get that it's fun to be edgy-evil-mwahaha-undead-maker (I play one myself, although he's not very edgy), but you're not forced to use those summons in particular. In fact, when you have friends, you may well just ignore summons altogether, as the AI is so utterly crap. Better spend your spells on buffing your PC allies or attack magics.

How to survive when using undeads though? Pick your location well. Upperdark has already been suggested. I'm playing a drow and have been mostly there. But you can also play surface races there. Otherwise, if you're a palemaster and your undeads aren't actually part of your prepared spells, but rather SLAs, you can still use them decently in a party with PC allies.

It is always important to note that wizards are best as "overlords". You aren't going to be fantastic solo. Ever (that is, unless you're a gish). But you will give a party a very significant edge by controlling the battlefield and enhancing your allies/companions/minions. For an evil wizard, minions is just the obvious way to go.

So necromancers (and other obvious evils, such as thaumaturges using devils or demons) survive by having allies or ensuring they are alone.

[NeOmega]

As someone who actually attempts his best to play a sensible necromantress, I can assure you, raising the dead does not make everyone auto-KoS you.
I've been caught with some type of undead minion or minions thrice, and two times it resulted in them being immediately dropped by my toon and getting a very elaborate lecture on why I shouldn't do it after passing a bluff check that it was totally an emergency thing and I'd never do so otherwise.
The third time, the Cleric in question deided to drop dead the undead and then ask my character if she knew where that mummy came from. Which I was INSANELY grateful for.
Otherwise, I merely use Necromantic spells and tend to get into a lot of arguments regarding the validity of it, which is tiresome, but not murderous.
So, ultimately, I think the argument of people ganking you doesn't hold in perspective, as nearly no one likes killing others without some RP around it on this server. Leaving you PLENTY of outs.

That said, I'm not a cackling-insane, constantly undead-slinging dark-robed lass, so maybe I'm just better at hiding than I think.

ivedone the same. some of my chars could cate less about undead, ive also had chars bluff check, by screaming, "help, there is a skeleton in here!"

honestly, my surface necro is a PvP bait character. it was built to fight. (and has won and lost a few).

[electric mayhem]

It's an interesting thought one has whilst having a quiet drink in the evening.


Currently the server realm is mostly filled with outwardly portrayed good to neutral people, whom frown on evil people and their practices.
Read as : "I'm a good/lawful/neutral/meddler and am here to lecture you on your evil ways, and explain to you why you should be good and don't do that again"... sound familiar?

Good majority... evil minority...

But what if it was the other way around.

Evil majority, good the minority.
Where people could freely run around with undead, openly practice pickpocketing, thieving, lying, murdering etc etc.
And the "good" people, whom summon angels, or greet people nicely of the morning, or freely explain their entire life story to someone they literally just bumped into on the road 2 minutes before; were shunned, outcasted and ultimately downtrodden.

That would be a very interesting social experiment.

[NegInfinity]

But what if it was the other way around.

Evil majority, good the minority.
Where people could freely run around with undead, openly practice pickpocketing, thieving, lying, murdering etc etc.

That's underdark. Roll an Underdark race and see how it is.

For DND take on evil societies, I believe libris mortis described necropolitans and theorized on societies where undead are acceptable.

And the "good" people, whom summon angels, or greet people nicely of the morning, or freely explain their entire life story to someone they literally just bumped into on the road 2 minutes before; were shunned, outcasted and ultimately downtrodden.

That would be a very interesting social experiment.

Antoher issue is that "evil can be nice". Basically, an evil individual will still have a few things they care about, possibly along with friends or loved ones.
TvTropes had few takes on it as well, for example:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... ockVillain

For evil that is not nice, well, there are things like some sort of orc warbands.

[V'rass]

Surviving is simple... dont do it in public unless you know the people dont care, and if people start to suspect you dont give them any evidence they can use to come after you.

[Skyrizen]

so how the hell do u RP a Paladin coming across someone standing there with his undead minions?

make a frowny face look to the left and go "ah that building has quite nice architecture i think ill go over there and admire it "

XD

[NegInfinity]

so how the hell do u RP a Paladin coming across someone standing there with his undead minions?

make a frowny face look to the left and go "ah that building has quite nice architecture i think ill go over there and admire it "

XD

You capture them and bring them to authorities. Or at least attempt to do that.

Avoiding confrontation due to OOC concerns ("I don't like pvp"), especially when your character is honor-bound to fight all evil does not sound like the right idea to me.

If your character is saintly type and not zealous type, then you attempt to turn the necromancer away from their dark ways.

[Korchas]

so how the hell do u RP a Paladin coming across someone standing there with his undead minions?

make a frowny face look to the left and go "ah that building has quite nice architecture i think ill go over there and admire it "

XD

You capture them and bring them to authorities. Or at least attempt to do that.

Avoiding confrontation due to OOC concerns ("I don't like pvp"), especially when your character is honor-bound to fight all evil does not sound like the right idea to me.

If your character is saintly type and not zealous type, then you attempt to turn the necromancer away from their dark ways.

Pretty much that. If you're the nicest Paladin on the face of the planet, you wreck the Undead and then sit the Necromancer down (if necessary, by force) to give them an exhaustive, 4-hour-lecture on why Undead are soulless evil and he should repent.
The average 8 hours, 7 days a week paladin would turn the Necro over to the authorities.
The overzealous type that LOVES his duty would wreck him along with the Undead before going to the tavern to judge people for drinking.

[Flasmix]

Survival as in, survival of the species?

... ... Okay, well, when a mommy necromancer and a daddy necromancer love each other very much... ... Whew, never thought I'd have to give the Kobolds and the Goblins speech on the forums.

[Fury_US]

It's an interesting thought one has whilst having a quiet drink in the evening.


Currently the server realm is mostly filled with outwardly portrayed good to neutral people, whom frown on evil people and their practices.
Read as : "I'm a good/lawful/neutral/meddler and am here to lecture you on your evil ways, and explain to you why you should be good and don't do that again"... sound familiar?

Good majority... evil minority...

But what if it was the other way around.

Evil majority, good the minority.
Where people could freely run around with undead, openly practice pickpocketing, thieving, lying, murdering etc etc.
And the "good" people, whom summon angels, or greet people nicely of the morning, or freely explain their entire life story to someone they literally just bumped into on the road 2 minutes before; were shunned, outcasted and ultimately downtrodden.

That would be a very interesting social experiment.

Been there, done that. It was called Skullport (1st go round), and it is a memory I want to scrub out of my head.

[Deathgrowl]

Underdark is evil with low good presence. Soubar has been a hub (although it has diminished some recently) for the same.

Other than that, I don't agree it's a highly good-leaning server in terms of player character population. Most seem happy to associate with the obviously evil characters, just as much as they would associate with the good ones. There are even a few good alinged ones that are disturbingly apologetic for the obvious evils.