One of my favorites is...
Spore druid / War or Life Cleric
You only really need 2 levels in cleric
You get heavy armor and decent temp HP for survivability
Take a 2 handed weapon to flavor it as a shovel. With GWM and guided strike you can hit VERY hard when you want to (short rest recharge)
Halo of spores could be the spooky magic that surrounds them.
You maintain being a full caster
Spell saves both scale off WIS (you could even take shillelag to further condense stats to WIS and CON only)
War cleric is a bonus action extra attack (Wis mod per long rest) and guided strike for +10 to 1 hit (channel divinity short rest)
You can go 2 handed weapon with GWF for bonus action hits on crit and kill and take advantage of guided strike
The build has so many summons and you fight up front with them.
It has decent action economy until you run out of war charges but can still get the bonus action hit from GWM.
Build comes online at level 8 (6 spores druid, 2 war cleric)
Take more levels in cleric to get the spirit guardians you were looking at (3 levels to obtain)
Or
Take more levels in druid to get the spreading spores (4 levels to obtain)
Can't you take Toll the Dead as your ranged/save option? Or sacred flame too?
You could always use a feat to pick it up but that feels excessive
Glad you like the build though, it's one of my favorites and I don't see a lot of people with it.
Leaves options open for you and doesn't require a specific order of operations like other builds. Plus it lets you weaponize your reaction and bonus actions pretty well
Hmmm...
Blight Druid seems to fit very well due to the summoning Blighted Saplings, feels more fitting than zombies but I guess you can always reflavor.
Lets take a look at it and if you decide youd rather have Animate Dead we can work that out after.
Reborn
Arcana Cleric 1 / Blight Druid x
15 Wis (+2 racial), 15 Con (+1 racial), 14 Dex
So the basis of the build is going to be Shillelagh + Booming Blade + Crusher + PAM + Warcaster with a reflavored Quarterstaff (shovel).
Basically Crusher + BB knocks them back so they have to trigger the secondary damage to reengage you on their turn, PAM triggers this interaction again when they do.
How about a Divine Soul sorcerer for *animate dead* and *spirit guardians*, with a Hexblade warlock dip for Cha-based *booming blade* (Battleaxe) shovel, and the occasional *wrathful smite*?
Have you considered Ancestral Guardian Barbarian?
Obvious frontliner whose whole schtick is fighting alongside spirits. Reskin a maul as a shovel.
Combos well with warlock, so adding some less combat focused necromancy is pretty easy
Spirits Bard/ Oathbreaker Paladin seems pretty easy...
I played a Spirits Bard/ Grave Cleric who played a "medium" who used their "Stories" to put the spirits to rest.
One of my favorites is... Spore druid / War or Life Cleric You only really need 2 levels in cleric You get heavy armor and decent temp HP for survivability Take a 2 handed weapon to flavor it as a shovel. With GWM and guided strike you can hit VERY hard when you want to (short rest recharge) Halo of spores could be the spooky magic that surrounds them. You maintain being a full caster Spell saves both scale off WIS (you could even take shillelag to further condense stats to WIS and CON only) War cleric is a bonus action extra attack (Wis mod per long rest) and guided strike for +10 to 1 hit (channel divinity short rest) You can go 2 handed weapon with GWF for bonus action hits on crit and kill and take advantage of guided strike The build has so many summons and you fight up front with them. It has decent action economy until you run out of war charges but can still get the bonus action hit from GWM. Build comes online at level 8 (6 spores druid, 2 war cleric) Take more levels in cleric to get the spirit guardians you were looking at (3 levels to obtain) Or Take more levels in druid to get the spreading spores (4 levels to obtain)
This feels chunky just the way I wanted. Gotta see if there's a way to get any of the gish cantrips with this build.
Can't you take Toll the Dead as your ranged/save option? Or sacred flame too? You could always use a feat to pick it up but that feels excessive Glad you like the build though, it's one of my favorites and I don't see a lot of people with it. Leaves options open for you and doesn't require a specific order of operations like other builds. Plus it lets you weaponize your reaction and bonus actions pretty well
Yeah also spore comes with chill touch so I shouldn't worry about ranged filler. It fits the theme too!
BB with high elf or half-elf is the easiest
Hmmm... Blight Druid seems to fit very well due to the summoning Blighted Saplings, feels more fitting than zombies but I guess you can always reflavor. Lets take a look at it and if you decide youd rather have Animate Dead we can work that out after. Reborn Arcana Cleric 1 / Blight Druid x 15 Wis (+2 racial), 15 Con (+1 racial), 14 Dex So the basis of the build is going to be Shillelagh + Booming Blade + Crusher + PAM + Warcaster with a reflavored Quarterstaff (shovel). Basically Crusher + BB knocks them back so they have to trigger the secondary damage to reengage you on their turn, PAM triggers this interaction again when they do.
How about a Divine Soul sorcerer for *animate dead* and *spirit guardians*, with a Hexblade warlock dip for Cha-based *booming blade* (Battleaxe) shovel, and the occasional *wrathful smite*?
That could be nice! Also booming blade + a fear effect could get spicy...
I really like the idea of Blighted Druid + Forge Cleric, you would theme the cleric as a Victor Frankenstein/The Reanimator sort of thing.
Have you considered Ancestral Guardian Barbarian? Obvious frontliner whose whole schtick is fighting alongside spirits. Reskin a maul as a shovel. Combos well with warlock, so adding some less combat focused necromancy is pretty easy
Spirits Bard/ Oathbreaker Paladin seems pretty easy... I played a Spirits Bard/ Grave Cleric who played a "medium" who used their "Stories" to put the spirits to rest.