A Total Tool
Necromancy is odd. It’s often presented just like any other wizard school or subset of spells, but it’s pretty darn evil. What with animating the dead and soulless minions and all. Yet, what keeps most gamers away from necromancy is not the tinge of evil but the gold piece requirements of the spells. Black opals ain’t cheap.
I’ve always wanted to try and build a “white necromancer”. Someone who uses necromancy for purposes of balance, employing life as much as death, and being ostensibly good. The fight fire with fire build, who doesn’t create undead. I think this idea comes from earlier editions, when healing spells and things like raise dead were necromancy spells, channeling life not death. But good necromancers are not well supported in most game systems and most necromancy spells just end up being eeeeevil, to say nothing of the inefficiency of fighting undead with necrotic energy.
The term “evil” as used here seems to be referring to the spells per se, not to the end you put them to use. Consider a village which has been plundered by raiders, with another wave of pillagers expected to be coming soon.
Would it be evil to raise the corpses of slain townsmen so they can help protect their beloved ones once again? Consider that this would spare the lives of other defenders. Also, once battle is over you can easily dispose of remaining undead under your control, since they don’t strike back.