arcane hireophant [Archive] - Wizards Community

arcane hireophant [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
lvl1_commoner
11-15-07, 11:20 AM My DM says that the arcane hireophant class is way to powerfull and broken, but i cant see how..
(it has a weak BaB and bad saves, wich i think makes it less powerfull)
goawayugh
11-15-07, 11:53 AM I can't think of a dual casting PrC that is broken. You're already gimping your character by multiclassing full casters.
vorpo
11-15-07, 12:06 PM I agree with goawayugh. It's not overpowering.
Salick
11-15-07, 12:34 PM Opposite perspective:

Dual casting classes such as mystic theurge give up 3 caster levels from one class to gain 13 caster levels for another class. Seems like a good deal to me.

Arcane Heirophant is considered one of the most powerful prestige classes in my group mainly due to the ability to share wizard and druid spells with your companion (helped by the companion spellbound feat) this equals rampageing animal of doom.

I am devils advocate for this topic but please note that I almost always play these classes (last character was an anima mage, before that Ultimate Magus,etc...)
teshen
11-15-07, 12:38 PM It's got an average base attack, combines the benefits of an animal companion and familiar making the resulting creature much more capable, especially with buffs, advances wildshape, has full casting once you're in, and may have decent hit points for a caster but I may be wrong on the last one...

It's not a broken class... no more than anything else with druid as a base is overpowered... :rolleyes:

You are basically giving up three or four levels of druid (behind three/four caster levels, good fort save, and a few special features) to get thirteen arcane casting levels... If you look for things with good synergy or early entry, like possibly the battle sorcerer variant or a race that gets trackless step, it gets really mean.

So in a system that already has the druid and the cleric, no, its not overpowered compared to them... Just overpowered to everything that isn't a cleric or druid.

I just had a strange thought... Druid 6/Battle Sorcerer 2/Abjurant Champion 2/Arcane Heirophant 10 with natural spell and possibly obtain familiar to get the most out of your familiar companion... It's not optimized by any stretch of the imagination... but it's interesting.
betrayor
11-15-07, 02:10 PM Would Arcane Hierophant and Mystic Theurge stack for the purpose of spellcasting?If yes wouldn't that mean that this character could cast both 9 level Wizard spell and 9 level Druid spells?
teshen
11-15-07, 02:18 PM Would Arcane Hierophant and Mystic Theurge stack for the purpose of spellcasting? . . . Yes. They would.

But there are other ways to get 9th level spells out of two casting classes.
lvl1_commoner
11-15-07, 02:23 PM Yes.. a lvl 3 wizard/3 druid/10 arcane hireophant/4 mystic theurge casts lvl 9 wizard and lvl 9 druid spells, wild shapes like a lvl 13 druid and has an awsome companion familiar...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
lvl1_commoner 11-15-07, 11:20 AM	My DM says that the arcane hireophant class is way to powerfull and broken, but i cant see how.. (it has a weak BaB and bad saves, wich i think makes it less powerfull)
goawayugh 11-15-07, 11:53 AM	I can't think of a dual casting PrC that is broken. You're already gimping your character by multiclassing full casters.
vorpo 11-15-07, 12:06 PM	I agree with goawayugh. It's not overpowering.
Salick 11-15-07, 12:34 PM	Opposite perspective: Dual casting classes such as mystic theurge give up 3 caster levels from one class to gain 13 caster levels for another class. Seems like a good deal to me. Arcane Heirophant is considered one of the most powerful prestige classes in my group mainly due to the ability to share wizard and druid spells with your companion (helped by the companion spellbound feat) this equals rampageing animal of doom. I am devils advocate for this topic but please note that I almost always play these classes (last character was an anima mage, before that Ultimate Magus,etc...)
teshen 11-15-07, 12:38 PM	It's got an average base attack, combines the benefits of an animal companion and familiar making the resulting creature much more capable, especially with buffs, advances wildshape, has full casting once you're in, and may have decent hit points for a caster but I may be wrong on the last one... It's not a broken class... no more than anything else with druid as a base is overpowered... :rolleyes: You are basically giving up three or four levels of druid (behind three/four caster levels, good fort save, and a few special features) to get thirteen arcane casting levels... If you look for things with good synergy or early entry, like possibly the battle sorcerer variant or a race that gets trackless step, it gets really mean. So in a system that already has the druid and the cleric, no, its not overpowered compared to them... Just overpowered to everything that isn't a cleric or druid. I just had a strange thought... Druid 6/Battle Sorcerer 2/Abjurant Champion 2/Arcane Heirophant 10 with natural spell and possibly obtain familiar to get the most out of your familiar companion... It's not optimized by any stretch of the imagination... but it's interesting.
betrayor 11-15-07, 02:10 PM	Would Arcane Hierophant and Mystic Theurge stack for the purpose of spellcasting?If yes wouldn't that mean that this character could cast both 9 level Wizard spell and 9 level Druid spells?
teshen 11-15-07, 02:18 PM	Would Arcane Hierophant and Mystic Theurge stack for the purpose of spellcasting? . . . Yes. They would. But there are other ways to get 9th level spells out of two casting classes.
lvl1_commoner 11-15-07, 02:23 PM	Yes.. a lvl 3 wizard/3 druid/10 arcane hireophant/4 mystic theurge casts lvl 9 wizard and lvl 9 druid spells, wild shapes like a lvl 13 druid and has an awsome companion familiar...