Necromancy Suggestions

[The Beggar]

If I remember right the death domain avatars were never meant to be tanks, or even really viable in combat due to balance issues. What they had been set up as was RP flavor, which is why some of the differing death domain clerics summon different avatars that are not undeath related.

A cleric having a free summon outside their normal spell slots and that acts like a familiar would just be too unbalancing in my opinion.

As to the other stuff, I can't comment, except to say what I've seen undead animating clerics be able to do was pretty darn exceptional (and probably the reason they got a bit of a nerf).

[MrGrendel]

This was fixed with the new domains with renewal i believe.

Repose domain. But yes. Kelemvor no longer receives death domain and thus no more servant of kelemvor avatar. Which was an outsider btw iirc.

A cleric having a free summon outside their normal spell slots and that acts like a familiar would just be too unbalancing in my opinion.

Heh. Does that say more about domain abilities or the current state of familiars?

[The Answerman]

A cleric having a free summon outside their normal spell slots and that  acts like a familiar would just be too unbalancing in my opinion.

I don't know... every cleric has their 'perks', and the death domain doesn't have very much besides the death domain avatar.  I mean, look at what some of the other domains get by comparison.

[Nightshadow]

Death Domain gives Phantasmal Killer, a useful spell, but not great, and Enervation is kind of laughable, though a nice debuff, but the chance of death is only good against people up to 4th level, and really you're better off with Slay Living.

[MrGrendel]

To be fair, PhK is a bit above a "utility spell."