Post/Author/DateTime	Post
stargate525 04-10-06, 03:50 PM	Well recently my friend got an idea to have us try an all spellcaster adventure party from level one. Now we're talking spellcaster as PRIMARY, so clerics and paladins are out. I know we have a human sorceror, an artificer of currently unknown race, and two more people who haven't made a character yet. I'm looking for tips and suggestions to... you know... survive past level 2.
EternalZzyx 04-10-06, 04:23 PM	make sure you work together, and play to each other's strengths, summon monsters/undead, use the spell compendium, and keep opponents far away...
Wuggadad 04-10-06, 05:23 PM	I hope you at least allow a Cloistered Cleric. No melee ability, but decent skills and access to the Knowledge Domain. Party needs meat shields. Summoned creatures, buffed familiars, animal companions, undead or elementals controlled by Rebuke. One good thing about the party is that nobody is going to be a 20' movement can't run away guy. Those always bite because while the rest of the party _could_ run away, they don't because they feel they have to stick by Captain Target. lol And magic users prefer a few successful and profitable combats rather than random skirmishes.
Draco Strang 04-10-06, 09:59 PM	If you've got an artificer and a sorceror, might I suggest a few specialist wizards? Not only are they sweet for flavor, but the two can nicely complement each other if each is created with the other in mind. Just imagine A conjurer and illusionist working in concert...... :plotting:
Ashok_Lal 04-10-06, 10:42 PM	You have to have a cleric. Thay are primery spell casters.
DaemeonBlack 04-10-06, 10:48 PM	You might want to try Healer from Minatures Handbook or Favored Soul from Complete Divine becuase you will need a healer, or you are going to have a hard time surviving anything.
Good Agnostic 04-11-06, 12:49 AM	Absolutely a Cleric. And, if it's allowed, a (true neutral) True Necromancer.
Mist of Shadows 04-11-06, 12:55 AM	One good thing about the party is that nobody is going to be a 20' movement can't run away guy. Those always bite because while the rest of the party _could_ run away, they don't because they feel they have to stick by Captain Target. lol What are you talking about? We ran happy knowing that we were faster then bob the dwarf.
Lina_Inverse 04-11-06, 01:10 AM	Clerics are primary casters being that they have 9th level spells, as are druids. Being primary melee is a seperate thing. Where as artificers are -not- primary spellcasters, since they dont even -have- 9th level spells. Your party means a golem, you all die. No raise dead, no hitpoints, no healing. You shall serve as nothing more than amusement.' Oh as for survival, Concentrate on initive and high save DCs, anything else is superflousus.
Mist of Shadows 04-11-06, 01:38 AM	Actually I have found that the best casting group isn't totally a casting group. There is a cleric/wizard/mt enough said. A rogue/wizard arcane trickster or something of that nature. The artificer isn't so bad but better to have one as a cohort or hireling. A warlock is a rather nice blaster type of character. they can also be a great item crafter. A arcivist makes a good caster as well. You can do a all caster group it just takes a different type of outlook on things and different jobs. Don't be afraid to hire meat shields or make them or summon them.
Nytmare 04-11-06, 02:28 AM	We had a really well oiled all specialist wizard party going through the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. The hardest part was surviving the first four levels, but after that, we mopped up. We had an illusionist, a conjurer, and a diviner. The primary strategy was all about getting away from problems, supplemented heavily with a lot of divination and hit and run tactics. The illusionist went the charismatic bs-artist route. The conjurer was a fierce subscriber to the school of augmented huge fiendish centipedes and Evard's black tentacles. The diviner did a lot of empowered False Lives till he hit 7th level. My suggestion would be to focus, more than anything, on defense and on just plain avoiding fights. Sheild, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist, and Expeditious Retreat would be my top picks, followed up by Color Spray for offense. Magic Missle is for mages who don't want to make it to level 2. Daze is a life saver. Illusions are the Swiss Army knives of spellbooks. Survival is all you want, bits and pieces of XP will get you there eventually. Thinking your way around problems is so much more important with an all spellcaster party, especially an arcane one. I've done an all cleric group as well, but their abilities allowed for a much more well rounded group.
Shaggy_Shaggs 04-11-06, 04:34 AM	I've been thinking over an all spellcasters party for awhile now. I think a fun party of four would be Spirit Shaman, Favored Soul, Wizard, and Healer. You've got two versatility guys, a dedicated buffer, and a dedicated medic. Face roles are covered, knowledge is covered, item construction is covered, and the Healer comes with a free tank later on. Might be even more fun if you went all spellcaster PCs and all of them later gaining cohorts that match them in some way. Spirit Shaman: Barbarian - the wild men Favored Soul: Paladin - the holy rollers Wizard: Swashbuckler - the geniuses Healer: Warmage - the army vet superspecialists
cambric 04-11-06, 07:46 AM	Been there! As long as the DM is cool with it, you can do it. Don't listen to people who say: Your party means a golem, you all die. No raise dead, no hitpoints, no healing. You shall serve as nothing more than amusement. OR You have to have a cleric. Thay are primery spell casters. No healing?? Are there not healing potions around? As for golems, there are tricks that can be used, but that's having a DM that is being nasty. The toughest part: Staying alive until 6-8th levels, then you'll do fine. Buy up healing potions! Spells: Dimension Door and teleport will be your 'escape' route. Gasous form to get into almost any room...tiniest of cracks, your in! Resting? Rope trick!! Between 4 spell casters, and if they work together, they all have it and all cast it when you need it. You have a 'safe' resting place. You don't 'need' any class, if the DM is working with you and not against you. I currently have one group with no cleric...there are undead, but they wisely choose not to go on that mission, focusing instead on Orcs, Goblins, Giants, even a dragon. They have healing potions, scrolls, and wands. It can work...have a great time with it! As someone suggested, make sure you spread your spell selection around. Share out your spells and there's very little you can't do!! As long as the DM is willing to accept it and wants it, you'll have a great time. Remember: Spells that keep the foes at a distance! Make sure if they can work their way too you, you have an escape route: Dimension door, fly, etc... use spells that slow them down: Slow, obviously, Black Tenticals, Web, etc...keep them away from and get them together, then fireball them. Even at low levels, plan out your spells between all of you and just take your time. You probably won't level as fast, because you will need to rest more often, but so what! IF all of you are enjoying it, it's a great adventure. I've done it, I have a group doing it, and so I refuse to listen to people who say, "You have to have <insert class> or you will die." BULL!! Is it 'nicer' to have them, sure! But if everyone accepts an all mage/sorcerer party, more power to you! (No pun intended, but you will have so much power if you can survive the beginning levels!) Cam
stargate525 04-11-06, 03:58 PM	The toughest part: Staying alive until 6-8th levels, then you'll do fine. Buy up healing potions! Spells: Dimension Door and teleport will be your 'escape' route. Gasous form to get into almost any room...tiniest of cracks, your in! Resting? Rope trick!! Between 4 spell casters, and if they work together, they all have it and all cast it when you need it. You have a 'safe' resting place. You don't 'need' any class, if the DM is working with you and not against you. I currently have one group with no cleric...there are undead, but they wisely choose not to go on that mission, focusing instead on Orcs, Goblins, Giants, even a dragon. They have healing potions, scrolls, and wands. It can work...have a great time with it! As someone suggested, make sure you spread your spell selection around. Share out your spells and there's very little you can't do!! As long as the DM is willing to accept it and wants it, you'll have a great time. Remember: Spells that keep the foes at a distance! Make sure if they can work their way too you, you have an escape route: Dimension door, fly, etc... use spells that slow them down: Slow, obviously, Black Tenticals, Web, etc...keep them away from and get them together, then fireball them. Even at low levels, plan out your spells between all of you and just take your time. You probably won't level as fast, because you will need to rest more often, but so what! IF all of you are enjoying it, it's a great adventure. I've done it, I have a group doing it, and so I refuse to listen to people who say, "You have to have <insert class> or you will die." BULL!! Is it 'nicer' to have them, sure! But if everyone accepts an all mage/sorcerer party, more power to you! (No pun intended, but you will have so much power if you can survive the beginning levels!) Cam Thank you, this is the sort of stuff I was looking for. I know I took some defensive spells, and mirror image I've got, (or will get asap). Alot harder to hit three of me. As for the cleric thing, I'm just spitting out what the DM told me.
ZUL_HELLBRINGER 04-13-06, 11:20 PM	I'm currently running a similar campaign. All characters had to be an elf with a spelcasting class (no barbarian, fighter, ranger, rogue, paladin). The group consist of: -Cleric6/paladin2/hospitalier4 -Bard11 -Druid11 -Cleric7/Barbarian1/Rogue3 -Sorcerer6/Fighter1/Eldritch Knight4 -Cleric3/Wizard3/Mysthic theurge6 -Conjurer12 Yes there are fighting classes but they took it after 5 levels of spellcasting classes and they had side quest to get them. At firstt level, i had to work with my players for them to survive and still have challenging encounters. More puzzles than combat and monsters that you don't need to just kill to get pass them. At the point they are now, i'm not restraining myself anymore. They encountered an aboleth wizard 10 and prevailed, but still they fleed in front of a horde of low-level orc barbarian. With low AC and diversified magic, i'm having the time of my life. It's easily the best game i've DM since my all dwarves campaign in a honeycomb asteroid traveling the spheres. So my advices to get the most out of this concept: -Ban only core fighting class including the monk and the rogue for lower levels. -If they want those class at higher level, make them work and pay for it. -Since my first game of this campaign had only three players (conjurer, bard, wizard who became mystic theurge), i made an adventure about getting the 3rd prize for the Elven Idol contest in which the bard was trying to get in, from some remote farmland with minor menace. They had to fight a fiendish raven who was animating scarecrows and a rabid horse who had the prize around his neck: a bronze bell who was alerting the farmers when it came close so they could lock the doors. The challenge was to find and herd the horse more than fighting it.
Vaelan 04-13-06, 11:56 PM	Your party means a golem, you all die. No raise dead, no hitpoints, no healing. You shall serve as nothing more than amusement. There are many spells that are capable of harming a golem, even within the core rulebooks.
stargate525 04-14-06, 01:17 AM	Your party means a golem, you all die. No raise dead, no hitpoints, no healing. You shall serve as nothing more than amusement.' Thing is, the people I play with have an... interesting... method of dealing with difficult creatures. Dropping a drydocked ship onto a dragon and playing submersible ram chicken with a krken to name two examples. If our party meets a golem, we'll most likely drop it into a portable hole or something, then bring it out later and deal with it.
Whitewolfe 04-14-06, 09:47 AM	So you say you guys will be first level? Take sleep, color spay, charm person, and some summoning, summon monster I lasts like one round, you really don't need healing, in my opinion, hell if you play smart and know when to cast close, medium, and long range spells you guys should thrive.
taradusis 04-15-06, 02:26 PM	1 stay close to home base till 2nd lev.2 cash in the empties-kill enemies with armor and weapons that you can use to equipe mercanaries .3 pool all your money and buy wands to blast with and potions to heal with.4 if offered a job try to get front money 5 try to earn money in town,read and write letters,sell spells,cast spells,join body guards on daily basis....etc.GOOD LUCK :)