Build:N/any Minion Bomber

Traditional necromancer minion bomber: Create minions that serve as...
 * (a) a meat wall, body blocking foes and drawing attention away from party members and more valuable allies,
 * (b) carriers of [[Death Nova@19], dealing respectable amounts of armour ignoring area damage and inflicting poisoned condition (4 pips degeneration/8 health loss per second) and
 * (c) a way to trigger various effects, such as interrupts on dazed characters (i.e. inflicted with [[Technobabble]) or physical damage packages for [[Mark of Pain].

Useful in all areas of the game that aren't devoid of corpses. Should not be combined with a communing ritualist prot (1/2).

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Necromancer/any DeathMagic=12+1+3 SoulReaping=12+3][Aura of the Lich@19][Animate Bone Minions@19][Animate Shambling Horror@19][Death Nova@19][Masochism@17][Optional][Optional][Optional][/build] Variable skill slots:
 * Damage
 * – use on foes that deal area damage. Should almost immediately kill any foe attacking a bunch of minions.
 * Energy Management
 * Utility
 * – heal minions inbetween fights.
 * – faster creation of minions and [[death nova@19] distribution.
 * – interrupt casters and apply the dazed condition. For its duration all spells will be interrupted if the target is hit with an attack (i.e. by minions).
 * – heal minions inbetween fights.
 * – faster creation of minions and [[death nova@19] distribution.
 * – interrupt casters and apply the dazed condition. For its duration all spells will be interrupted if the target is hit with an attack (i.e. by minions).

Equipment
Weapons:
 * 40/20/20 death magic.
 * High energy set death magic.
 * Shield set: "Let the Memory Live Again" spear of defense with a shield of fortitude.

Armor
 * 1 bloodstained insignia on boots, gloves, or headpiece.
 * 4 minion master's insignias on the remaining armour pieces.
 * Rune of superior vigor.
 * 2 runes of vitae.

Usage

 * Maintain [[masochism@17] to boost your attributes.
 * Maintain [[aura of the Lich@19] to further boost death magic, but avoid unnessecarily killing off existing minions.
 * Raise minions with [[animate bone minions@19] and [[animate shambling horror@19].
 * In combat distribute [[death nova@19] on minions that area likely to die.

Counters

 * Lack of exploitable corpses.
 * Too many minions in the team increasing the health sacrifice of blood of the master to critical levels.
 * Holy damage or general area damage killing the minions before you can apply death nova, especially [[Ray of Judgment].
 * [[Consume Soul], [[Spiritual Pain], [[Holy Spear] and [[Banishing Strike].

Exemplary Video
Battle for Lion's Arch.