Best CA feat [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best CA feat [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
incubus
11-24-04, 11:55 PM So, what do people think the best CA feat is?

My personal faves are chain spell and dragon breath (is that the one? The one that lets you turn spell slots into 2d6 damage/spell level cones).

Gain familiar seems pretty neat too, as do the "get a bunch of 0 level spells" feats.

And I mean good feats in terms of both existing and new characters - for instance chain spell is a good one to add to an existing character, whereas for gain familiar, you might need to structure a PC around it to get much out of it.
The Lone Drow
11-25-04, 12:13 AM Double wand wielder is absolutely a must for Artificers. :)
m15a
11-25-04, 12:18 AM i think the one that gives you an extra ray sounds good. double damage for +2 spell levels. (plus the option of hitting two opponents.)
The Lone Drow
11-25-04, 12:19 AM Battle Caster is also pretty awesome.

A Fighter/Bard/Sublime Chord with that can cast in a mithril fullplate with no ASF. Spellsword who? :D
Tealgorthian
11-25-04, 01:06 AM I love the Lord of the Uttercold, Born of Three Thunders and the other in that chain, along with Split Ray, the 0 level stuff, and chain spell :)

I just love most of the books. I'm a mage junkie.
catharz
11-25-04, 01:47 AM My favorites are Extra spell, Extra slot, Innate spell, Craft contingent spell, Chain spell, Cooperative spell, Delay spell, Energy admixture, Explosive spell, Fortify spell, Nonlethal substitution, Repeat spell, Sanctum spell, Split ray, Transdimensional spell, and Twin spell.

Oh wait, those are the feats from other books which have been reprinted without any sort of update :eek:

But seriously, I really like the Mage slayer chain, and the caster level reduction was a good change from Minis HB. I also like Arcane mastery, which is like spell penetration but four times better.
Tempest Stormwind
11-25-04, 01:54 AM I love the Lord of the Uttercold, Born of Three Thunders and the other in that chain, along with Split Ray, the 0 level stuff, and chain spell :)

I just love most of the books. I'm a mage junkie.

Second vote for Born of Three Thunders and similar feats. I like +0 level metamagics, and these add kick as well as the usual character-tailoring flavor I like in feats like this.

My other favorites are the themed spell-like feats, like Communicator (well, maybe not so much that one, but you see the feats I meant). I like many of my characters to have just a touch of magic about them. I'm thinking about altering Hyperconcious' Latent Psi feats along these lines, to make them, you know, not suck.
Ramses III
11-25-04, 02:17 AM I'm with Catharz on my 3 favorites: Mage Slayer, Explosive Spell, and Arcane Mastery. AM is great for both Spell Resistance and dispel checks. Explosive Spell -- all of your area damage spells can knock opponents down now. HOT! And I love playing both Wizards and Fighters, so I love the edge that the Mage Slayer chain gives my melee characters when dealing with casters.
ronyon
11-25-04, 03:39 AM Is Gain Familier for arcane casters only, or could a divine caster use it too?
Kyamsil
11-25-04, 04:38 AM The Mage Slayer chain of feats is pretty strong. The reduction in caster level is a nice way to balance the feat somewhat (it's way better than the epic counterpart "Spellcasting Harrier"). However, the typical barbarian that hates magic or any character concept like that one will not be affected at all (and they would be the ones most inclined to take them).

The Arcane Master seems pretty strong when combined with Spell Penetration & Greater Spell Penetration for a total fixed amount of caster level+14. That should be enough to surpass the SR of most creatures of an appropiate CR for your level.

Extra Edge is pretty good for a typical warmage.

Practiced Spellcaster seems to be the way of making multiclass spellcasters a better looking option.

Draconic feats are good. They would improve greatly a sorcerer (would it be a good idea giving draconic feats to a sorcerer like the wizard gets bonus metamagic/item creation ones?I've always thought that the sorcerer seems sub-par in comparison to other classes like wizard, warmage or psion.)

Lots of cool metamagic feats but 90% of them are reprints from various other sources, so nothing that impresses me much.
incubus
11-25-04, 07:19 PM The reduction in caster level is a nice way to balance the feat somewhat (it's way better than the epic counterpart "Spellcasting Harrier").

Really? I thought it was a terrible balance. If you're a caster, you won't get much out of threatening other casters anyway, and if you're a non caster, it has zero effect. The only real impact it has is stifling creative builds.
Mucknuggle
11-25-04, 08:31 PM Hmm...I just got a new idea for a cool vow of poverty, anti-magic build. Too bad I have finals until December 21st, otherwise I would have done a bit of research and typed it up.
The Simbul
11-25-04, 09:01 PM I like Precocious Apprentice, since it makes all of my 140+ 1st and 2nd level Wizard followers a hell of alot more potent when it comes to casting Epic Ritual spells.

Although it does require a caster level check on the part of the apprentice, I could easily create a permanent area-effect Epic Spell that gives bonuses to caster level checks to those within its area, or just research the reverse of Mystra's Miasma (Sor/Wiz 9, PGF, all effected get -4 penalty to CL checks)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
incubus 11-24-04, 11:55 PM	So, what do people think the best CA feat is? My personal faves are chain spell and dragon breath (is that the one? The one that lets you turn spell slots into 2d6 damage/spell level cones). Gain familiar seems pretty neat too, as do the "get a bunch of 0 level spells" feats. And I mean good feats in terms of both existing and new characters - for instance chain spell is a good one to add to an existing character, whereas for gain familiar, you might need to structure a PC around it to get much out of it.
The Lone Drow 11-25-04, 12:13 AM	Double wand wielder is absolutely a must for Artificers. :)
m15a 11-25-04, 12:18 AM	i think the one that gives you an extra ray sounds good. double damage for +2 spell levels. (plus the option of hitting two opponents.)
The Lone Drow 11-25-04, 12:19 AM	Battle Caster is also pretty awesome. A Fighter/Bard/Sublime Chord with that can cast in a mithril fullplate with no ASF. Spellsword who? :D
Tealgorthian 11-25-04, 01:06 AM	I love the Lord of the Uttercold, Born of Three Thunders and the other in that chain, along with Split Ray, the 0 level stuff, and chain spell :) I just love most of the books. I'm a mage junkie.
catharz 11-25-04, 01:47 AM	My favorites are Extra spell, Extra slot, Innate spell, Craft contingent spell, Chain spell, Cooperative spell, Delay spell, Energy admixture, Explosive spell, Fortify spell, Nonlethal substitution, Repeat spell, Sanctum spell, Split ray, Transdimensional spell, and Twin spell. Oh wait, those are the feats from other books which have been reprinted without any sort of update :eek: But seriously, I really like the Mage slayer chain, and the caster level reduction was a good change from Minis HB. I also like Arcane mastery, which is like spell penetration but four times better.
Tempest Stormwind 11-25-04, 01:54 AM	I love the Lord of the Uttercold, Born of Three Thunders and the other in that chain, along with Split Ray, the 0 level stuff, and chain spell :) I just love most of the books. I'm a mage junkie. Second vote for Born of Three Thunders and similar feats. I like +0 level metamagics, and these add kick as well as the usual character-tailoring flavor I like in feats like this. My other favorites are the themed spell-like feats, like Communicator (well, maybe not so much that one, but you see the feats I meant). I like many of my characters to have just a touch of magic about them. I'm thinking about altering Hyperconcious' Latent Psi feats along these lines, to make them, you know, not suck.
Ramses III 11-25-04, 02:17 AM	I'm with Catharz on my 3 favorites: Mage Slayer, Explosive Spell, and Arcane Mastery. AM is great for both Spell Resistance and dispel checks. Explosive Spell -- all of your area damage spells can knock opponents down now. HOT! And I love playing both Wizards and Fighters, so I love the edge that the Mage Slayer chain gives my melee characters when dealing with casters.
ronyon 11-25-04, 03:39 AM	Is Gain Familier for arcane casters only, or could a divine caster use it too?
Kyamsil 11-25-04, 04:38 AM	The Mage Slayer chain of feats is pretty strong. The reduction in caster level is a nice way to balance the feat somewhat (it's way better than the epic counterpart "Spellcasting Harrier"). However, the typical barbarian that hates magic or any character concept like that one will not be affected at all (and they would be the ones most inclined to take them). The Arcane Master seems pretty strong when combined with Spell Penetration & Greater Spell Penetration for a total fixed amount of caster level+14. That should be enough to surpass the SR of most creatures of an appropiate CR for your level. Extra Edge is pretty good for a typical warmage. Practiced Spellcaster seems to be the way of making multiclass spellcasters a better looking option. Draconic feats are good. They would improve greatly a sorcerer (would it be a good idea giving draconic feats to a sorcerer like the wizard gets bonus metamagic/item creation ones?I've always thought that the sorcerer seems sub-par in comparison to other classes like wizard, warmage or psion.) Lots of cool metamagic feats but 90% of them are reprints from various other sources, so nothing that impresses me much.
incubus 11-25-04, 07:19 PM	The reduction in caster level is a nice way to balance the feat somewhat (it's way better than the epic counterpart "Spellcasting Harrier"). Really? I thought it was a terrible balance. If you're a caster, you won't get much out of threatening other casters anyway, and if you're a non caster, it has zero effect. The only real impact it has is stifling creative builds.
Mucknuggle 11-25-04, 08:31 PM	Hmm...I just got a new idea for a cool vow of poverty, anti-magic build. Too bad I have finals until December 21st, otherwise I would have done a bit of research and typed it up.
The Simbul 11-25-04, 09:01 PM	I like Precocious Apprentice, since it makes all of my 140+ 1st and 2nd level Wizard followers a hell of alot more potent when it comes to casting Epic Ritual spells. Although it does require a caster level check on the part of the apprentice, I could easily create a permanent area-effect Epic Spell that gives bonuses to caster level checks to those within its area, or just research the reverse of Mystra's Miasma (Sor/Wiz 9, PGF, all effected get -4 penalty to CL checks)