Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Franco Un-American 04-14-07, 02:43 AM	A somewhat simple build based on a home campaign character, using rays (specifically scorching rays) to deal massive damage. Grey Elf Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. Int is for skill requirements, and the fact that a third first level spell is a huge help early on. Scout 1: Skirmish +1d6, Trapfinding, Rapid Reload/Empower Spell at 6th Evoker 1: Scribe Scroll, Summon Familiar Evoker 2: Practiced Spellcaster Evoker 3: Intelligence 21 Evoker 4: Unseen Seer 1: Skirmish +2d6, Metamagic School Focus, retrain Rapid Reload Unseen Seer 2: Advanced Learning, Silent Spell Unseen Seer 3: Divination Spell Power +1, Intelligence 22 Unseen Seer 4: Skirmish +3d6, Elven Spell Lore Unseen Seer 5: Advanced Learning, Guarded Mind Unseen Seer 6: Divination Spell Power +2 Unseen Seer 7: Skirmish +4d6, Intelligence 23, Twin Spell Unseen Seer 8: Advanced Learning Unseen Seer 9: Divination Spell Power +3 Unseen Seer 10: Skirmish +5d6, Split Ray This is simple enough, fire metamagic'd scorching rays (or sonic rays, at later levels) at things and keep moving. I've heavily debated switching ESL and Twin, but I'd hate to be burned by fire resistance. Thoughts?
Zanzibax 04-14-07, 06:59 AM	A somewhat simple build based on a home campaign character, using rays (specifically scorching rays) to deal massive damage. Grey Elf Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. Int is for skill requirements, and the fact that a third first level spell is a huge help early on. Scout 1: Skirmish +1d6, Trapfinding, Rapid Reload/Empower Spell at 6th Evoker 1: Scribe Scroll, Summon Familiar Evoker 2: Practiced Spellcaster Evoker 3: Intelligence 21 Evoker 4: Unseen Seer 1: Skirmish +2d6, Metamagic School Focus, retrain Rapid Reload Unseen Seer 2: Advanced Learning, <<snip>> This is simple enough, fire metamagic'd scorching rays (or sonic rays, at later levels) at things and keep moving. I've heavily debated switching ESL and Twin, but I'd hate to be burned by fire resistance. Thoughts? Energy Substitution (anything except fire)
Lupo 04-14-07, 07:18 AM	A somewhat simple build based on a home campaign character, using rays (specifically scorching rays) to deal massive damage. Grey Elf Str 6, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 8. Int is for skill requirements, and the fact that a third first level spell is a huge help early on. Scout 1: Skirmish +1d6, Trapfinding, Rapid Reload/Empower Spell at 6th Evoker 1: Scribe Scroll, Summon Familiar Evoker 2: Practiced Spellcaster Evoker 3: Intelligence 21 Evoker 4: Unseen Seer 1: Skirmish +2d6, Metamagic School Focus, retrain Rapid Reload Unseen Seer 2: Advanced Learning, Silent Spell Unseen Seer 3: Divination Spell Power +1, Intelligence 22 Unseen Seer 4: Skirmish +3d6, Elven Spell Lore Unseen Seer 5: Advanced Learning, Guarded Mind Unseen Seer 6: Divination Spell Power +2 Unseen Seer 7: Skirmish +4d6, Intelligence 23, Twin Spell Unseen Seer 8: Advanced Learning Unseen Seer 9: Divination Spell Power +3 Unseen Seer 10: Skirmish +5d6, Split Ray This is simple enough, fire metamagic'd scorching rays (or sonic rays, at later levels) at things and keep moving. I've heavily debated switching ESL and Twin, but I'd hate to be burned by fire resistance. Thoughts? why "practiced spellcaster" for ONE level without spellcaster progression?? seems a waste somehow. (ok, found it, for compensating the unseen seer caster level decrease, but see below) as a grey elf you can use a bow, so what for do you need "rapid reload"? which is of little use for a scout's "skirmish" anyway? why not "point blank" and later "precise shot", even with high dex, and for touch attacks, you often want to avoid the -4 for firing into melee. wouldn't a reserve feat like "acid splatter" or "invisible needle" gain more out of your skirmish damage? and these would not be affected by the unseen seer caster level decrease ;). ciao martin m.
Mommy was an Orc 04-14-07, 08:07 AM	You don't cast 2 divination spells - you need Arcane Disciple to bypass that and you can't get 4 ranks in Know(Religion) until 5th. Scout 1/Warmage 7/Unseen Seer 7 works a lot better because of that. Or take Well-Read at 1st.
copper_wyrmling 04-14-07, 02:51 PM	You don't cast 2 divination spells - you need Arcane Disciple to bypass that and you can't get 4 ranks in Know(Religion) until 5th. Scout 1/Warmage 7/Unseen Seer 7 works a lot better because of that. Or take Well-Read at 1st. Uh... he's basing it off evoker (i.e. wizard). Not warmage. That's also why he can include elven spell lore (allowing sonic scorching rays). The divination spells are not an issue.
cycloptic_squirrel 04-14-07, 07:50 PM	I've heavily debated switching ESL and Twin, but I'd hate to be burned by fire resistance. It'd delay your skirmish advancement, but you could always dip back back to the fifth level of evoker for the bonus feat. That'd also put split ray at 12th. After that the Evoker 6th might be something to consider at level 14 or 15 for the BAB and saves.
Mommy was an Orc 04-14-07, 08:01 PM	Uh... he's basing it off evoker (i.e. wizard). Not warmage. That's also why he can include elven spell lore (allowing sonic scorching rays). The divination spells are not an issue. Whoops...ignore that. One of my favorite basic builds :) I've gotta then point out the big issue - no CWI at 3rd. In 597, you can start converting cash immediately towards stat items(Int, Con), bracers of armor and vest of resistance. And Pearls 1 with a little luck on access.
Franco Un-American 04-15-07, 01:20 AM	Ok, let's see here. The reason I use rapid reload and a crossbow at low levels is because of the 6 strength. Penalties to attack and damage with this build are bad, especially at the levels where this will matter most. PB/Precise could work, and would be useful, but I'd have to rearrange some stuff. A reserve feat is a very good idea, actually. I'll see what I can pick up. I may end up switching to human to fit this all. As for CWI, believe me, I wanted it. The build is so feat starved in it's early levels, though, that I just can't figure it in. In the end, this build needs so little for basic equipment (vest, headband, gloves, and pearls) that it probably won't be necessary. Bracers of Armor aren't that great when you have greater mage armor available. Oh, and would anyone have suggestions for banned schools? Enchantments certainly gone, but my other usual suspects are MIA . Abjuration has greater mage armor, conjuration has the orbs, divination is unbannable, necromancy has enervation, ray of enfeeblement, and others, illusion has invisibility and displacement, and transmutation has oodles of good stuff.
Hariman 04-22-07, 02:22 AM	Please note: Unseen Seer decreases the caster level of all schools EXCEPT divination. So practiced spellcaster offsets THAT quite well.
katrick 04-27-07, 01:13 PM	Take Split Ray earlier and you can get 12d6 at 7th with your practsed or maybe 6th haven't seen the Unseen Seer Definately PBS and Precise. Evoker ups the caster level right? so you get the fourth ray earlier with Split so 16d6 at 9/10? Ocular Ray from Lords of Madness Access is out there, three ray spells per round.
Alpha_Nerd 04-27-07, 01:26 PM	Split Ray Enervate destroys high-level casters.
Landale 04-27-07, 03:30 PM	The reason I use rapid reload and a crossbow at low levels is because of the 6 strength. Penalties to attack and damage with this build are bad, especially at the levels where this will matter most. PB/Precise could work, and would be useful, but I'd have to rearrange some stuff. True, but are you just taking RR for the one extra ranged attack that you'll get in your character's life? It really won't do much good at low levels, as far as I can see. You may as well take a 5 foot and reload using your move action if you're just hoping to use it at low levels. I could be wrong, of course. I usually am, but I don't see the need for RR. PB/Precise is invaluable, imho, especially if you're going to be a ray shooter. If you can work them in, do it. I know you'll be making touch attacks, but I've seen it happen so many times where that -4 for shooting into melee caused the wizard to miss a crucial touch attack that would have killed the bad guy, and instead the wizard gets his face smashed in that round. It's always tear-jerking to see the wizard go down. Please, think of the party, don't make us sad. :D
Franco Un-American 04-27-07, 03:40 PM	RR is there precisely so I can move at least 10 ft./rd, activating skirmish. That extra d6 at APL 2 can be a real lifesaver, believe it or not. I'm pretty much convinced to take Split a bit earlier. For scorching rays empower is usually better (except, for this build, at level 6), so that's staying as an early keeper. I'll probably switch to a human base, and I'll pull Unseen Seer back a bit to get the extra bonus feat from Evoker 5. This allows me to grab both Empower and MMSF at level 6, and simultaneously retrain out RR for PrS. I'll look around for something to give me more feats without cutting my CL back. I could drop 1 UsS lvl for fighter. Any thoughts?
lostpike 04-27-07, 05:18 PM	This build could be soo much better with the Snow Elf instead of grey elf. No con loss, gain in dex and lose cha while still getting an 18 int.
copper_wyrmling 04-27-07, 05:31 PM	This build could be soo much better with the Snow Elf instead of grey elf. No con loss, gain in dex and lose cha while still getting an 18 int. Changing to snow elf effectively gives +2 Str / Con, -2 Int / Cha. Since Str and Cha are both pretty much irrelevant to the build, it comes down to Con vs Int. Personal preference, but I'd go with Int over Con on a pure caster (then again, my human ray-sorceress had starting Con 12 - I value Con less than most people). EDIT: And yeah, MwaO has a good point. If you drop the grey elf's Int to 18 then the six points can be used to boost Con to 14 and Str to 8: you get identical stats to the snow elf except with +2 Cha.
Mommy was an Orc 04-27-07, 07:12 PM	This build could be soo much better with the Snow Elf instead of grey elf. No con loss, gain in dex and lose cha while still getting an 18 int. Except that doesn't really work - you're spending 6 points to raise your Int from 16 to 18, when it only takes the Grey Elf 4 points to raise his Con from 12 to 14...
Landale 04-28-07, 02:37 PM	Ahhh, thank you for the clarification on that. I keep forgetting about Scout's skirmish ability.