Best 1st lvl utility spells :) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best 1st lvl utility spells :) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Emir
07-08-05, 06:39 PM Anyway, I'm posting for one of my players...

He's a Greatsword Fighter guy...

And let's say he's thinking of taking a level of Wizard or Sorcerer...

What would be his best choices ?

He's got two spell to choose as known, since he's prolly going with Sorcerer...

Maybe Skittish Nerves (+5 Iniciative, 1 min/lvl) and maybe...

Feather Fall ?

Anyone ?

by the way, he's a 15th lvl Ftr
Board_Rider
07-08-05, 06:45 PM I would recommend Shield. Get that +4 to AC. Others that would help could be Enlarge Person, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Weapon and True Strike.
Ilikan Holyaxe
07-08-05, 06:51 PM Magic weapon and True strike definitly
Wookie1120
07-08-05, 07:32 PM I might recommend true strike and feather fall. they are both good spells to have around, and neither requires a somantic component, so he wouldn't have to worry about spell failure from his trusty Plate mail(or whatever armor).
Jaid
07-08-05, 07:43 PM true strike is best stored in a wand IMO, but that's just me.
CryoSilver
07-08-05, 08:59 PM Obscuring Mist, Protection from Evil, Expeditious retreat.
Dragonsblood
07-09-05, 04:10 AM I hope your fighter doesn't wear heavy armor. You're remembering arcane spell failure right?
was_fired
07-09-05, 04:21 AM If you do wear armor go for spells which lack somatic components like: true strike (V, F) and feather fall (V).
BW0222
07-09-05, 11:28 AM Enlarge person.
tarkin
07-09-05, 12:36 PM True Strike is in general Worthless, except in very rare circumstances. Effectively, you lose an attack this round to get an attack next round that will certainly hit. But any fighter worth his salt should be hitting every other roudn anyway.

It becomes worthwhile only in combination with other thigns like Power Attack, or maybe as a prep before you release the ambush.

Enlarge Person on the other hand is a HUGE boost for lots of character builds.

If you use any of the following: reach weapon fighter, Grapple, Bull Rush, Disarm, Overrunn, Sunder, Trip, Monk Unarmed strieks, then Enlarge Person is a NECCESARY spell.

Also, if your will save is low, you might consider getting Protection From Evil.

Charm Person can also be remarkable usefull in non-combat situations.

For unarmed fighters, Chill Touch is a must have.

For Rogue type sorcorers, Obscuring Mist is a must have
Board_Rider
07-09-05, 01:13 PM Protection from evil is only a good spell if you do not wish to attack those you are warded against. Once an attack is made the spell doesn't work against the creature attacked...so remember that.
I will stand by my Shield spell and Enlarge Person offers. Just got to get around the spell failure.
Some others:
Alarm: Good for your watches. May give you a round or two to get stuff ready.
Complete Arcane
Orb Spells: Decent range to give you a range attack before entering melee.
Fists of Stone: Slam attack and a +6 Str...gotta love that.
Complete Adventurer
Critical Strike:d6 extra damage, double crit range, +4 to confirm. Only 1 round but can be killer.

There are others and these are but a few. Good luck.
journeyman777
07-09-05, 07:58 PM Alter Self is a great choice. (I just remembered it's lvl 2 so this might not help you much, but I'll leave it up anyway.)

Pros: It can give a humanoid +6 Nat armor that stacks with items (Troglodite), +5 nat armor and Swim Speed 60 (Sahuagin), +5 nat armor 2 claws and a bite (Lizardfolk; great if he gets disarmed or sundered), and that is just some of the better forms. If you have access to Races of Destiny, turning into a skulk will net you a +8 Move Silently and + 15 Hide. The best part is that all these forms can make full use of your normal gear (except Skulks, you can only wear light armor if you want to benefit from their racial skill bonus) If you are a type other than humanoid, more powerful options may be available.

Con: You still need a way around Arcane Spell Failure. Sudden Still Spell from Complete Arcane can do the trick once per day, but you would be better off taking a few levels of Spellsword and wearing mithral armor.

Note: My examples are from MM1 and RoD, other sourcebooks may give you even better options.
journeyman777
07-09-05, 08:05 PM Protection from evil is only a good spell if you do not wish to attack those you are warded against. Once an attack is made the spell doesn't work against the creature attacked...so remember that.

Only applies to its 3rd function. Specifically, summoned creatures you attack are no longer prevented from attacking you. The AC bonus and protection from mind control remain regardless of your actions (this even applies against the summoned creatures; attacking them does not cost you your AC bonus against them (assuming they are evil/good/law/chaos/whichever you are protected from).
CryoSilver
07-09-05, 08:47 PM I've found Protection from Evil to be extremely useful at times. Our party once had to fight some demon or another at level 1 (our Dm was a little harsh, since it was a one session campaign) and it summoned 10 dretches. We were all gonna die before I realized "hey, they can't touch me, and if I fill the whole doorway, they can't get past me either." So I stood in the door while the enlarged dwarf fighter tore up the demon and then tok down the dretches over my head with a long spear.

And being immune to possession is certainly worthwhile for a 1st level spell.
Dragonsblood
07-10-05, 01:58 AM I probably wouldn't bother with True Strike. That's more of a ray helper than anything. I'm going to go along with some of the others and say Enlarge Person and Prot from Evil are your best bets.

Hopefully this fighter uses a high Dex and Mithril Shirt for AC and not something like Full Plate, however.
Mikemyers64
07-10-05, 02:17 AM hold portal most definatly. in our last quest, we went into a fortress under invisiblity. long story short we were on the inside of the keep and the evil dwarfs tried to bash the door down, but couldnt because of Hold Portal. I waited for more to try to break down the door and BAM fireball through one of the arrow slits. They never saw it coming. :D
journeyman777
07-10-05, 07:29 AM long story short we were on the inside of the keep and the evil dwarfs tried to bash the door down, but couldnt because of Hold Portal
Why didn't they just deal damage to it? The spell only adds 5 to the break DC and locks the door.

At lv 15, the stuff he's dealing with should have no trouble dealing enough damage to destroy the entire door in one or two hits. Besides, most CR 15 foes don't live in places with doors anyway.
Dracspero
07-10-05, 09:07 AM Gotta concur with True Strike and Featherfall for heavy armour type.

True Strike is not to be discounted simply because it uses a round to cast. Especially for a THW fighter. Cast True Strike then next round power attack for full. For 15th level fighter that's +30 damage. A very conservative estimate of his bonus damage normally might be +10, for a total 2d6+40 damage.

Featherfall, of course, is only usefull when you need it, but then it's VERY usefull. Having the spell frees up a ring slot for something more powerfull.

With only one level of sorcerer (let me guess, he's planning on going Dragon Disciple?) it's not like his spell-casting will be a major factor (especially in a 15th level campaign). The biggest advantage of grabbing that level (imo) is being able to use wands and staves (staffs?). Heh, and a familiar with half your hit points.

If I were to suggest any other 1st level spell (PHB only, don't have the other books) it might be Endure Elements, simply because it has a 24 hour duration. But THAT might be better in a wand.

On a side note, there is a feat in one of the other books (can't remember which or what it's called) that lets you take 10 on caster level checks. For someone who dabbles in a level of sorcerer or wizard, this would allow you to automatically succeed in casting spells from scrolls with a caster level of 10 or less.
Purkake
07-10-05, 03:21 PM True Strike is not to be discounted simply because it uses a round to cast. Especially for a THW fighter. Cast True Strike then next round power attack for full. For 15th level fighter that's +30 damage. A very conservative estimate of his bonus damage normally might be +10, for a total 2d6+40 damage.

True strike only works for your NEXT attack not your next round of next attack action ;)

And you can't power attack with a light weapon ;)
IceFractal
07-10-05, 04:59 PM Light weapon? He's using a greatsword. Enlarge Person is quite good, as is Protection from Evil, mainly for the immunity to mind-control. If you're wearing heavy armor then stick to True Strike and Feather Fall for the lack of ASF.
Purkake
07-10-05, 05:35 PM Yees, now I see. Must have misread the THW as TWF, oh well.
Mikemyers64
07-11-05, 01:42 PM Why didn't they just deal damage to it? The spell only adds 5 to the break DC and locks the door.

At lv 15, the stuff he's dealing with should have no trouble dealing enough damage to destroy the entire door in one or two hits. Besides, most CR 15 foes don't live in places with doors anyway.
they were CR 3 dwarf fighters, they just broke through the first door and charged the second. both of which were also reinforced by a wooden barricade.
CaoSlayer
07-11-05, 02:00 PM If you just wants to use true strike and feather fall, a wizard it is various times a better class because you are going rarely to use feather fall more than once and the scribe spell of the wizards makes out the lack of spellcasting per day, you can have plenny scrolls of very useful level 1 spells, like the mencionated shield if you are using a thw or grease for trying to disarm the BBEG or deny the enemie´s dex bonus (they needs 5 ranks in balance for advoiding this).
Dracspero
07-11-05, 07:18 PM But casting from a scroll is still subject to ASF if the spell has somatic components. I'll admit, though, that a level of wizard adds more versatility than the sorcerer (of course), but at the sacrifice of usefullness during a fight (and being able to spontaneously cast Featherfall should not be underrated for someone who wears heavy armour).
CommanderFalken
07-11-05, 08:26 PM You should take a level or two of Warmage (CArc). You get no spell failure in Lt armor (med or hvy with the battle caster feat) and lots of blaster-caster spells.
Just my :twocents:
Vallah
07-17-05, 06:15 PM A couple of things to consider here: The key thing to remember is to play to your strengths and use magic to enhance your fighter abilities (spells like enlarge and shield work well). It's no use casting offensive spells like magic missile and fireball, if you do you will not be using your fighter levels to their full potential and you will never compete with a single class mage -so don't try.
Still spell is great for ignoring arcane spell failure.
The practiced spellcaster feat (from complete arcane page 82) is well worth a look too (I seem to recall a magic ring that did something similar but can't remember where).
Prehaps the biggest advantage to multiclassing is the ability to cast spells from scrolls (miscast chance is not a major problem). There are loads of great spells for a ftr/ mage at higher levels (mirror immage, bulls strength and haste are just the tip of the iceberg). hope some of this helps you :)
Muddball
07-17-05, 06:28 PM also, on power attack, you can't add +20 damage, as you can only raise it to the maximum of your base attack. :P
Vaelan
07-17-05, 07:12 PM True strike only works for your NEXT attack not your next round of next attack action

And you can't power attack with a light weapon
He's using a greatsword and he could just use True Strike for situations where he'd only get one attack anyway. Or he could just hope to roll 20s on his later attacks.

You should take a level or two of Warmage (CArc). You get no spell failure in Lt armor (med or hvy with the battle caster feat) and lots of blaster-caster spells.
He is a level 15 Fighter. The spells he gains from a level or two of Warmage aren't going to be useful.

also, on power attack, you can't add +20 damage, as you can only raise it to the maximum of your base attack. :P
Sure you can. If you use a two-handed weapon, you can take -10 to hit and get +20 to damage.
MSW
07-18-05, 05:15 PM Silent Image is a great 1st level spell that can have many uses, including hiding the party behind illusionary terrain if needed. It lasts as long as the caster concentrates on it.

Feather Fall is a great spell since you can cast it out of turn and onto other people. great if your fighter/mage is always in the front in dungeons, but equally as effective if the rogue slips while disarming a pit trap.

Mount is a nice utility spell, since you can summon a riding horse for 2 hours, which will get you away from the BBEG much better then Expedious Retreat will.

Ray of Enfeeblement is a good spell right at level 1 for a melee fighter. If you get a decent roll, you can reduce the opponent's attack roll by -3 and their damage by -3 to -4 (for 2 hand weapons). It's also has no save, so it will work against lots of creatures at all levels.

Grease comes in handy as a utility spell. Don't forget to cast it on yourself or a team mate in a grapple or Evard's Black Tentacles for a +10 to the escape check.

Shield is good for a +4 AC during combat.

I'd probably recommend Wizard rather then Sorcerer, since having the Scribe Scroll feat for free would really help for this one level splash. Also you could get more spells through adventuring or buying 1st level (cheap) spells. So the limitation of fewer spell slots gets offset because you can scribe your spells into scrolls and use them as needed. With a decent INT score, you can have all 0 level spells, and 4-5 1st level spells in your book to start. Scribe them into scrolls and never go without.
Timlagor
07-18-05, 05:34 PM Buy an Animated Shield instead.

Feather Fall is good. You might look at the Swft spells too -not sure what you can get at lvl 1 here but there must be something nice.
Oakspar77777
08-01-05, 06:10 PM True Stike is a must, since it will let you maximize things like Power Attack for huge damage when you need it. Also note that Cleave (and Great Cleave) attacks that come off of a True Strike attack KEEP that True Strike bonus (whether it is to hit, or extra damage).

Feather Fall is nice, especially if you use a flying mount, but falling damage is not that much (avg for a max fall is only 70). Chances are you can soak it and keep going.

Shield is nice, for the extra 20% miss chance, especially since you are not running with a normal shield.

Enlarge Person and Expeditious Retreat are the second and third best choices. Enlarge Person will do tons for your damage, adds reach (which goes good with your True Stike-Great cleave of doom), and has a decent duration. Expeditioss Retreat makes a good Expeditous Charge. That extra 30' is going to put you are 50', which makes for a 100' charge (which will reach just about anything you need to). St up Flanks, circle arround to kill spellcasters, etc.
ccubed
08-01-05, 08:30 PM I know the OP was mentioning taking a level of Wizard or Sorcerer, but with all this talk of Enlarge Person and Protection from Evil, a one level dip in Cleric seems vastly superior to me. No Arcane Spell Failure; 2 Domain Powers; Turn/Rebuke Undead which opens up Divine Might and Shield access; spontaneous healing (if good or neutral); +2 to Fort and Will saves instead of just Will with Sorc/Wiz.

Unless you intend to fight in light or no armor and REALLY want a Familiar, I don't see a one level dip in Sorc/Wiz being a better option than Cleric. Of course, the OP could have been intending for later access to Gish type PrCs or something, but if all you are looking for is a couple of good 1st level utility spells, you're not going to do much better than Cleric 1.

Edit: And if you really want True Strike you can get it from the Fate or Elf domains listed in Player's Guide to Faerun. This may technically be Forgotten Realms material, but Sean K. Reynolds has a list HERE (http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/we/greyhawkdeities.html) that expands those Domains to the Greyhawk realm, so I don't see it being such a big deal to export the expanded Domains to other campaign settings.

And hell, you could always take the Magic Domain and be able to use those Wands of True Strike previously mentioned in the thread.
Timlagor
08-02-05, 10:10 AM I think the idea was to get into Dragon Disciple...

True Strike does NOT carry over into Cleave -the True Strike text supercided the Cleave text which actually only refers to BAB anyway (clarified in latest FAQ I think but it was already clearly the intent)
Keenath
08-02-05, 10:28 AM True Strike and Shield are combat spells, not utility spells.

Floating Disk, Disguise Self, Silent Image, Jump, Feather Fall, Magic Weapon... those are utility spells (and Magic Weapon verges on combat).

Featherfall is probably the best 1st level utility, followed by either Silent Image or Floating Disk. Never underestimate the effectiveness of the Silent Image "I Am A Wall" trick.

When I'm playing a Wizard, I always take Featherfall and Silent Spell. A second level slot for a purely mental immediate action to save against falling... that's really very good. (I'm slightly paranoid ever since I got paralyzed and dropped off a tower. Luckily, I un-paralyzed halfway down...) Besides, Silent Spell makes it much easier to cast on the sly.
Dracspero
08-02-05, 11:35 AM There are two fundamental questions that need answering before advice can be given: 1) what kind of armour will the character be wearing, and 2) how much of a "dip" will he be taking (1 level dip or enough to get 2nd level spells)?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Emir 07-08-05, 06:39 PM	Anyway, I'm posting for one of my players... He's a Greatsword Fighter guy... And let's say he's thinking of taking a level of Wizard or Sorcerer... What would be his best choices ? He's got two spell to choose as known, since he's prolly going with Sorcerer... Maybe Skittish Nerves (+5 Iniciative, 1 min/lvl) and maybe... Feather Fall ? Anyone ? by the way, he's a 15th lvl Ftr
Board_Rider 07-08-05, 06:45 PM	I would recommend Shield. Get that +4 to AC. Others that would help could be Enlarge Person, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Weapon and True Strike.
Ilikan Holyaxe 07-08-05, 06:51 PM	Magic weapon and True strike definitly
Wookie1120 07-08-05, 07:32 PM	I might recommend true strike and feather fall. they are both good spells to have around, and neither requires a somantic component, so he wouldn't have to worry about spell failure from his trusty Plate mail(or whatever armor).
Jaid 07-08-05, 07:43 PM	true strike is best stored in a wand IMO, but that's just me.
CryoSilver 07-08-05, 08:59 PM	Obscuring Mist, Protection from Evil, Expeditious retreat.
Dragonsblood 07-09-05, 04:10 AM	I hope your fighter doesn't wear heavy armor. You're remembering arcane spell failure right?
was_fired 07-09-05, 04:21 AM	If you do wear armor go for spells which lack somatic components like: true strike (V, F) and feather fall (V).
BW0222 07-09-05, 11:28 AM	Enlarge person.
tarkin 07-09-05, 12:36 PM	True Strike is in general Worthless, except in very rare circumstances. Effectively, you lose an attack this round to get an attack next round that will certainly hit. But any fighter worth his salt should be hitting every other roudn anyway. It becomes worthwhile only in combination with other thigns like Power Attack, or maybe as a prep before you release the ambush. Enlarge Person on the other hand is a HUGE boost for lots of character builds. If you use any of the following: reach weapon fighter, Grapple, Bull Rush, Disarm, Overrunn, Sunder, Trip, Monk Unarmed strieks, then Enlarge Person is a NECCESARY spell. Also, if your will save is low, you might consider getting Protection From Evil. Charm Person can also be remarkable usefull in non-combat situations. For unarmed fighters, Chill Touch is a must have. For Rogue type sorcorers, Obscuring Mist is a must have
Board_Rider 07-09-05, 01:13 PM	Protection from evil is only a good spell if you do not wish to attack those you are warded against. Once an attack is made the spell doesn't work against the creature attacked...so remember that. I will stand by my Shield spell and Enlarge Person offers. Just got to get around the spell failure. Some others: Alarm: Good for your watches. May give you a round or two to get stuff ready. Complete Arcane Orb Spells: Decent range to give you a range attack before entering melee. Fists of Stone: Slam attack and a +6 Str...gotta love that. Complete Adventurer Critical Strike:d6 extra damage, double crit range, +4 to confirm. Only 1 round but can be killer. There are others and these are but a few. Good luck.
journeyman777 07-09-05, 07:58 PM	Alter Self is a great choice. (I just remembered it's lvl 2 so this might not help you much, but I'll leave it up anyway.) Pros: It can give a humanoid +6 Nat armor that stacks with items (Troglodite), +5 nat armor and Swim Speed 60 (Sahuagin), +5 nat armor 2 claws and a bite (Lizardfolk; great if he gets disarmed or sundered), and that is just some of the better forms. If you have access to Races of Destiny, turning into a skulk will net you a +8 Move Silently and + 15 Hide. The best part is that all these forms can make full use of your normal gear (except Skulks, you can only wear light armor if you want to benefit from their racial skill bonus) If you are a type other than humanoid, more powerful options may be available. Con: You still need a way around Arcane Spell Failure. Sudden Still Spell from Complete Arcane can do the trick once per day, but you would be better off taking a few levels of Spellsword and wearing mithral armor. Note: My examples are from MM1 and RoD, other sourcebooks may give you even better options.
journeyman777 07-09-05, 08:05 PM	Protection from evil is only a good spell if you do not wish to attack those you are warded against. Once an attack is made the spell doesn't work against the creature attacked...so remember that. Only applies to its 3rd function. Specifically, summoned creatures you attack are no longer prevented from attacking you. The AC bonus and protection from mind control remain regardless of your actions (this even applies against the summoned creatures; attacking them does not cost you your AC bonus against them (assuming they are evil/good/law/chaos/whichever you are protected from).
CryoSilver 07-09-05, 08:47 PM	I've found Protection from Evil to be extremely useful at times. Our party once had to fight some demon or another at level 1 (our Dm was a little harsh, since it was a one session campaign) and it summoned 10 dretches. We were all gonna die before I realized "hey, they can't touch me, and if I fill the whole doorway, they can't get past me either." So I stood in the door while the enlarged dwarf fighter tore up the demon and then tok down the dretches over my head with a long spear. And being immune to possession is certainly worthwhile for a 1st level spell.
Dragonsblood 07-10-05, 01:58 AM	I probably wouldn't bother with True Strike. That's more of a ray helper than anything. I'm going to go along with some of the others and say Enlarge Person and Prot from Evil are your best bets. Hopefully this fighter uses a high Dex and Mithril Shirt for AC and not something like Full Plate, however.
Mikemyers64 07-10-05, 02:17 AM	hold portal most definatly. in our last quest, we went into a fortress under invisiblity. long story short we were on the inside of the keep and the evil dwarfs tried to bash the door down, but couldnt because of Hold Portal. I waited for more to try to break down the door and BAM fireball through one of the arrow slits. They never saw it coming. :D
journeyman777 07-10-05, 07:29 AM	long story short we were on the inside of the keep and the evil dwarfs tried to bash the door down, but couldnt because of Hold Portal Why didn't they just deal damage to it? The spell only adds 5 to the break DC and locks the door. At lv 15, the stuff he's dealing with should have no trouble dealing enough damage to destroy the entire door in one or two hits. Besides, most CR 15 foes don't live in places with doors anyway.
Dracspero 07-10-05, 09:07 AM	Gotta concur with True Strike and Featherfall for heavy armour type. True Strike is not to be discounted simply because it uses a round to cast. Especially for a THW fighter. Cast True Strike then next round power attack for full. For 15th level fighter that's +30 damage. A very conservative estimate of his bonus damage normally might be +10, for a total 2d6+40 damage. Featherfall, of course, is only usefull when you need it, but then it's VERY usefull. Having the spell frees up a ring slot for something more powerfull. With only one level of sorcerer (let me guess, he's planning on going Dragon Disciple?) it's not like his spell-casting will be a major factor (especially in a 15th level campaign). The biggest advantage of grabbing that level (imo) is being able to use wands and staves (staffs?). Heh, and a familiar with half your hit points. If I were to suggest any other 1st level spell (PHB only, don't have the other books) it might be Endure Elements, simply because it has a 24 hour duration. But THAT might be better in a wand. On a side note, there is a feat in one of the other books (can't remember which or what it's called) that lets you take 10 on caster level checks. For someone who dabbles in a level of sorcerer or wizard, this would allow you to automatically succeed in casting spells from scrolls with a caster level of 10 or less.
Purkake 07-10-05, 03:21 PM	True Strike is not to be discounted simply because it uses a round to cast. Especially for a THW fighter. Cast True Strike then next round power attack for full. For 15th level fighter that's +30 damage. A very conservative estimate of his bonus damage normally might be +10, for a total 2d6+40 damage. True strike only works for your NEXT attack not your next round of next attack action ;) And you can't power attack with a light weapon ;)
IceFractal 07-10-05, 04:59 PM	Light weapon? He's using a greatsword. Enlarge Person is quite good, as is Protection from Evil, mainly for the immunity to mind-control. If you're wearing heavy armor then stick to True Strike and Feather Fall for the lack of ASF.
Purkake 07-10-05, 05:35 PM	Yees, now I see. Must have misread the THW as TWF, oh well.
Mikemyers64 07-11-05, 01:42 PM	Why didn't they just deal damage to it? The spell only adds 5 to the break DC and locks the door. At lv 15, the stuff he's dealing with should have no trouble dealing enough damage to destroy the entire door in one or two hits. Besides, most CR 15 foes don't live in places with doors anyway. they were CR 3 dwarf fighters, they just broke through the first door and charged the second. both of which were also reinforced by a wooden barricade.
CaoSlayer 07-11-05, 02:00 PM	If you just wants to use true strike and feather fall, a wizard it is various times a better class because you are going rarely to use feather fall more than once and the scribe spell of the wizards makes out the lack of spellcasting per day, you can have plenny scrolls of very useful level 1 spells, like the mencionated shield if you are using a thw or grease for trying to disarm the BBEG or deny the enemie´s dex bonus (they needs 5 ranks in balance for advoiding this).
Dracspero 07-11-05, 07:18 PM	But casting from a scroll is still subject to ASF if the spell has somatic components. I'll admit, though, that a level of wizard adds more versatility than the sorcerer (of course), but at the sacrifice of usefullness during a fight (and being able to spontaneously cast Featherfall should not be underrated for someone who wears heavy armour).
CommanderFalken 07-11-05, 08:26 PM	You should take a level or two of Warmage (CArc). You get no spell failure in Lt armor (med or hvy with the battle caster feat) and lots of blaster-caster spells. Just my :twocents:
Vallah 07-17-05, 06:15 PM	A couple of things to consider here: The key thing to remember is to play to your strengths and use magic to enhance your fighter abilities (spells like enlarge and shield work well). It's no use casting offensive spells like magic missile and fireball, if you do you will not be using your fighter levels to their full potential and you will never compete with a single class mage -so don't try. Still spell is great for ignoring arcane spell failure. The practiced spellcaster feat (from complete arcane page 82) is well worth a look too (I seem to recall a magic ring that did something similar but can't remember where). Prehaps the biggest advantage to multiclassing is the ability to cast spells from scrolls (miscast chance is not a major problem). There are loads of great spells for a ftr/ mage at higher levels (mirror immage, bulls strength and haste are just the tip of the iceberg). hope some of this helps you :)
Muddball 07-17-05, 06:28 PM	also, on power attack, you can't add +20 damage, as you can only raise it to the maximum of your base attack. :P
Vaelan 07-17-05, 07:12 PM	True strike only works for your NEXT attack not your next round of next attack action And you can't power attack with a light weapon He's using a greatsword and he could just use True Strike for situations where he'd only get one attack anyway. Or he could just hope to roll 20s on his later attacks. You should take a level or two of Warmage (CArc). You get no spell failure in Lt armor (med or hvy with the battle caster feat) and lots of blaster-caster spells. He is a level 15 Fighter. The spells he gains from a level or two of Warmage aren't going to be useful. also, on power attack, you can't add +20 damage, as you can only raise it to the maximum of your base attack. :P Sure you can. If you use a two-handed weapon, you can take -10 to hit and get +20 to damage.
MSW 07-18-05, 05:15 PM	Silent Image is a great 1st level spell that can have many uses, including hiding the party behind illusionary terrain if needed. It lasts as long as the caster concentrates on it. Feather Fall is a great spell since you can cast it out of turn and onto other people. great if your fighter/mage is always in the front in dungeons, but equally as effective if the rogue slips while disarming a pit trap. Mount is a nice utility spell, since you can summon a riding horse for 2 hours, which will get you away from the BBEG much better then Expedious Retreat will. Ray of Enfeeblement is a good spell right at level 1 for a melee fighter. If you get a decent roll, you can reduce the opponent's attack roll by -3 and their damage by -3 to -4 (for 2 hand weapons). It's also has no save, so it will work against lots of creatures at all levels. Grease comes in handy as a utility spell. Don't forget to cast it on yourself or a team mate in a grapple or Evard's Black Tentacles for a +10 to the escape check. Shield is good for a +4 AC during combat. I'd probably recommend Wizard rather then Sorcerer, since having the Scribe Scroll feat for free would really help for this one level splash. Also you could get more spells through adventuring or buying 1st level (cheap) spells. So the limitation of fewer spell slots gets offset because you can scribe your spells into scrolls and use them as needed. With a decent INT score, you can have all 0 level spells, and 4-5 1st level spells in your book to start. Scribe them into scrolls and never go without.
Timlagor 07-18-05, 05:34 PM	Buy an Animated Shield instead. Feather Fall is good. You might look at the Swft spells too -not sure what you can get at lvl 1 here but there must be something nice.
Oakspar77777 08-01-05, 06:10 PM	True Stike is a must, since it will let you maximize things like Power Attack for huge damage when you need it. Also note that Cleave (and Great Cleave) attacks that come off of a True Strike attack KEEP that True Strike bonus (whether it is to hit, or extra damage). Feather Fall is nice, especially if you use a flying mount, but falling damage is not that much (avg for a max fall is only 70). Chances are you can soak it and keep going. Shield is nice, for the extra 20% miss chance, especially since you are not running with a normal shield. Enlarge Person and Expeditious Retreat are the second and third best choices. Enlarge Person will do tons for your damage, adds reach (which goes good with your True Stike-Great cleave of doom), and has a decent duration. Expeditioss Retreat makes a good Expeditous Charge. That extra 30' is going to put you are 50', which makes for a 100' charge (which will reach just about anything you need to). St up Flanks, circle arround to kill spellcasters, etc.
ccubed 08-01-05, 08:30 PM	I know the OP was mentioning taking a level of Wizard or Sorcerer, but with all this talk of Enlarge Person and Protection from Evil, a one level dip in Cleric seems vastly superior to me. No Arcane Spell Failure; 2 Domain Powers; Turn/Rebuke Undead which opens up Divine Might and Shield access; spontaneous healing (if good or neutral); +2 to Fort and Will saves instead of just Will with Sorc/Wiz. Unless you intend to fight in light or no armor and REALLY want a Familiar, I don't see a one level dip in Sorc/Wiz being a better option than Cleric. Of course, the OP could have been intending for later access to Gish type PrCs or something, but if all you are looking for is a couple of good 1st level utility spells, you're not going to do much better than Cleric 1. Edit: And if you really want True Strike you can get it from the Fate or Elf domains listed in Player's Guide to Faerun. This may technically be Forgotten Realms material, but Sean K. Reynolds has a list HERE (http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/we/greyhawkdeities.html) that expands those Domains to the Greyhawk realm, so I don't see it being such a big deal to export the expanded Domains to other campaign settings. And hell, you could always take the Magic Domain and be able to use those Wands of True Strike previously mentioned in the thread.
Timlagor 08-02-05, 10:10 AM	I think the idea was to get into Dragon Disciple... True Strike does NOT carry over into Cleave -the True Strike text supercided the Cleave text which actually only refers to BAB anyway (clarified in latest FAQ I think but it was already clearly the intent)
Keenath 08-02-05, 10:28 AM	True Strike and Shield are combat spells, not utility spells. Floating Disk, Disguise Self, Silent Image, Jump, Feather Fall, Magic Weapon... those are utility spells (and Magic Weapon verges on combat). Featherfall is probably the best 1st level utility, followed by either Silent Image or Floating Disk. Never underestimate the effectiveness of the Silent Image "I Am A Wall" trick. When I'm playing a Wizard, I always take Featherfall and Silent Spell. A second level slot for a purely mental immediate action to save against falling... that's really very good. (I'm slightly paranoid ever since I got paralyzed and dropped off a tower. Luckily, I un-paralyzed halfway down...) Besides, Silent Spell makes it much easier to cast on the sly.
Dracspero 08-02-05, 11:35 AM	There are two fundamental questions that need answering before advice can be given: 1) what kind of armour will the character be wearing, and 2) how much of a "dip" will he be taking (1 level dip or enough to get 2nd level spells)?