This is a guide to making a fun to use level 18 skelly summoner in public games and a viable dueling character as well.BasicsRush the necro to hell with all skill and stat quests completed.
Do not do anya quests
You can hire a merc if you choose, but this is generally bad mannered in a gm duel so ask the opposition first.
SkillsKeep in mind there is different preferences to this, but this is a generally good balanced build.1 Raise skeletal mage
1 Clay golem (optional)
1 Golem mastery (optional)
1 Amp
Max Raise skeleton
Rest into Skeleton mastery
GearIm not going to set in stone what gear you should use other than the requirements, because there are plenty of unique variations.Helm- 1 summoning circlet with mods of your choosing (life and rep never hurts)
Armor- You can decide what to use here
Wand- At least 1 summoning skills/3 raise skeleton
Shield- At least 3 raise skeleton head (aim for 1 summoning/3raise/3mastery)
Boots- Cow king boots
Belt- You can decide what to use here
Rings- You can decide what to use here
Amy- 1 summoning amulet with mods of your choosing (life and rep never hurts)
Switch wand- 1 pnb/ 3 bone armor wand
Switch head- 1 pnb/ 3 bone armor head (Get what you can though)
MercenaryThe type of mercenary you hire is up to you, they all have pros and cons.
Most beneficially in my opinion would be a act 2 mercenary for its auras.
Nightmare a2 mercs cannot proc their auras do to a glitch so go with normal.
A normal act 2 offensive merc will give you blessed aim, defensive will give you defiance, and combat will give you prayer
Most useful here in my opinion is blessed aim, because the more your skeletons hit, the more they can lock up your enemies. Defense is useless since your opponents attack rating will pierce through even this slight gain.
After your mercenary is set and geared, the easiest way to proc his aura is to go to cold plains and have him hit 5-10 monsters.
Mercenary GearTo level your mercenary to 18 so he can use level 18 gear, simply enter public games with 5+ people and kill things in canyon of magi and tombs until you are close to leveling, then make a hell game and die several times
until your xp bar is at zero and repeat until your merc reaches level 18 (should take 3 games max).
Helm- Ebugged crown helm with either def/ed jewels or maxers.
Armor- many options here. Twitch/stealth/ebugged AA with defense/ed jewels/Goth or ancient with Max jewels.
Wep- Any high range wep that has either high damage, or 6 sockets with all defensive/ed or max jewels in it.
StatsStrength- Enough to wear highest piece of equipment
Dexterity- Enough for max block
Vitality- Rest here
Energy- Nothing here
Dueling StrategyBasics***The one big downside to skeletons at level 18, is they have zero resistance. I do not advice dueling any pure casters.
Casting iron maiden on any character that does physical damage while instantly kill them if they try to attack and kill more than 3-4 skeletons.
If you want to use iron maiden (from a wand or stated) ask first
If you want to use your mercenary while dueling a good mannered lv 18 duel ask first.
Never run while dueling a ranged attack character or melee character (this lowers your block %)
Do not use bone wall unless you think you can effectively corner your opponent with it without casting more than 2 on screen.
Never switch to your bone armor side during the duel, or you will kill off 3-4 of your skeletons
Generally try to follow after your opponent in most duels sometimes walking ahead of them to keep your skeletons running in front as well.
PaladinsChargers- Walk in circles and rig-zag around your skeletons, but stay close so the charger does not get hits on you and instead gets caught in your skelly field.
Zealers- If you cast iron maiden on any zealer its almost a sure win, however most would consider this gm so this brings us into gm melee dueling with a skellymancer;
Melee duelingIn order to meet gm melee dueling rules and regulations, you must stand next to your opponent and not move, you must not cast iron maiden, and you cannot recast bone armor clay golem, or skeletons during the duel.
That being said, your only defense is life and defense in this duel. With enough its possible to tank a character long enough for your skeletons to win the duel for you.
DruidsFissure- Don't duel it
Mauler- All around a good duel but again, abide by the gm melee rules as stated above.
Sorceress's The only sorc i would recommend trying to duel is a zeal sorc, other than that your out of luck.
BarbariansBvc- This is a duel of moving strategically. Try to run into the walk way of your opponent rather then follow as bvc's are usually faster opponents.
Conc barb- General melee duel
Throw barb- This is one of the more difficult ranged duels, as they have the ability to attack from afar and stay out or range of your skeletons. This is where your golem comes in. Try to get the thrower attacking you and while he is thinks he is attacking you, walk behind your golem and try to get a jav to hit it, in tern slowing the opponent down. Dont dwell over getting this edge as its difficult at times. After this its the same duel as the bvc but still a tough one.
NecromancersSkellymancer!- This is basically a epic showdown of who has the stronger army. Using confuse on your opponents armor is bad mannered. Your best best here is to stay behind the skeletons and just wait it out, recasting amp over the opponents army.
Pnb necro- Dont recommend dueling this either, as your skeletons will die off in 2 - 3 bone spears
AssassinsTraps- Sometimes you will find that traps do not do much damage if the assassin is a hybrid, so try the duel and see how it works
Physical hammer sin- Not a hard duel at all since their ph gets caught on the skeletons and its generally hard to lock with so many skeletons.
Blade fury- Blade fury can be a hard ranged duel as well, since bf has a high damage potential so try to run down your opponent as fast as possible since bf has a rather long animation to start casting.
AmazonBowas- This is another hard duel to win, try to stay close the the zon and keep your skeletons in range.
PUBBING!In my opinion, a summon necromancer shines the brightest in public games with random people trying to attack an army of skeletons that, even a single skeleton alone, is more damaging than themselves.
Here is a fun tactic to try with this character:
AFK Town guardingGet your entire army together, then go out to the blood moor and stand roughly half a screen away form the entrance.
After this, cast amp at the front of the town and you will see your skeletons bunch up in a spot!? (Is there a way to control where they bunch up you ask?) Why yes there is!
To control where your skeletons bunch up and guard, move in the direction of the entrance a few steps, then stop. Try casting amp and swinging your wand again and you will see them move.
Repeat this until they are as close the the town entrance without actually entering it.
After this, hold down right click (casting amp or iron maiden) and while in a windowed screen, drag the mouse off screen then let go of click and drag it back over your body.
You should now be casting amp or another spell of your choice over your body constantly, and even if you run out of mana you will regenerate it and keep recasting.
Why do this you ask? Most pubs will try to run out of town and around your army and into you, if they succeed and do manage to start hitting you, you will have caste a spell on them and your army will finish the rest.
A good option to regen your mana for quicker re-casts is a crafted belt with high % mana regeneration and manald rings
This character is meant to have fun with, so have fun!This post was edited by ]GS[ Controller on Nov 21 2011 04:16pm