totem necro build

Hi community!

Obviously I rolled templar yet I have a few questions about my build.

I'm going for a totem necro build with the idea that my character itself will be a buff-/debuffer (seeing as dual totem restricts you from doing damage yourself). meanwhile I want to spawn many minions that will explode when killed (minions instability) and have 2 totems shoot the crap out of everything ^^
at least that's the big picture.

build roster:


now for my questions:

totems:
are totems affected by spell crit? (aka is 'doom cast' worth it?)
can they cast faster with the 'spell cast' passives?
does the spell do more dmg with % increased dmg passives (eg: 6% increased lightning dmg)

minions:
minions explode for 33% of max HP in fire dmg when killed. does % increased fire dmg passives add up to this number?


that's all for now ;)

You have to understand that getting 111 Skill Points is possible, but it would take you months and months to achieve it. It's more practical to use 60-70 points, 80 max.

All your three questions for Totems, the answer is yes. And if I remember correctly Minion Instability does fire damage, but doesn't increase with Increase Fire Damage, so don't bother taking it (I could be wrong with this).

I also noticed you don't have any Dex. So those support skills you want to use, Fork, LMP/GMP, Chain even some Curses, you won't be able to use without Dex equips.

You also need to pick one spell for your Totems, either Ice Spear, which is safer, or Spork, which is a tad bit more dangerous but the Shock will help your Minions do more damage.

Lastly you must pick which is your 'core' build. Using Totems for the majority of damage and using Minions as a shield, or using Minions for Damage and the Totems as a bonus.

Looking at your build you took some unnecessary stuff. For example, you took Shock Duration AND Chill Duration, you just need one. And I don't think you will need Avoid Cast Interruption considering you won't be near the monsters when you cast your Totems/Summons. Also, if you're going to rely on MI, then don't take Necromantic Aegis. I could list more, but it would take too long.

If you decide to use Summons as your primary damage, then I suggest you take the Spork (Spark + Fork) build to augment your Minion's Damage.

This is the shortest path to all the Minion Nodes



As you can see, it already uses 50 points. 57 if you take the Curse Nodes. This leaves you with 20-ish points left over.

With this build, 85 points, your Spork Totems won't be doing any noticeable damage but you have a 20% Chance to Shock Enemies and a 60% increase in Shock Duration. It should be enough for your Summons to kill everything in a few hits. You can also see that it lacks survivability. You hardly have any Life increase if any, and no ES nodes. If you must take Survivability, take the Armour and Energy Shield Increase near the bottom of the Templar, and above the Totem Nodes. You will also have a lot of Mana problems.



EDIT: Forgot to say that Ice Spear destroys corpses. So Summoning Zombies will be harder.

If you decide to take Double totems as your main build and using Minions to augment your damage, then I suggest you take the Ice Spear build. This is much safer since you will freeze enemies while having your Minions as a meat shield. You will need Ice Spear and LMP/GMP. You might want to get Faster Speed Casting and Reduce Mana gems for this too.

Now, going to the Totem nodes require a bit more planning, since the shortest path isn't always the best path to take. This is what I came up with getting the Totem nodes and the Curse nodes.



This should be your final build, or similar to it.



It uses a bit more points than the previous build, and didn't take any survivability nodes. It shouldn't matter though considering you will Freeze anything that moves. It also has a lower Speed Cast so you might want to consider getting a Support gem to fix it. You will also have mana problems with this build. If you want to be more defensive, then take Breath of Rime so when enemies unfreeze they become chilled. Then you can take more Armour/ES or Health.

Extra note: Getting Clarity helps your Mana problem and getting Discipline gives your Minion's ES. If you decide to get Auras then get the 3 nodes, Buff Effect and Inner Force between Templar and Witch.

allright, thx for the input
yes I knew 111 points wasn't realistic, that's why it's theoriecrafting.