I NEED suggestions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTimePost
Big__Chops

09-09-04, 05:52 PM
Ok I am playing an elf in the iron kingdoms campaign setting. I am a mage/ Elvish Paragon and im lvl2/3 but here goes the thing. I am eternally plauged my horrable luck.

I have fallen into a river and lost my spell book,followed by being held captive and being unable to locate my second spell book after my escape....Worst of all we were fighting a "dreg" (shamen/king??) of sorts and I was able to be the one to affect our partys escape however it cost me MY RIGHT HAND!!!!

It was lost to a most unfortunate turn of fate with a critical hit and i am crazy poor as we (myself and the other 2 players one is a ranger approx lvl6, and our cleric also approx lvl 6) constantly get captured or lose our gear running for our life and need to always replace lost/ruined gear.

I am finding the whole casting spells with out a somantic componant to be RESTRICTIVE to say the least. Any ideas??? im open to suggestions and ideas.
Vanigo

09-09-04, 06:52 PM
Actually, you can cast spells with somatic components as long as you have at least one free hand. As long as your remaining hand is empty, you can cast just fine.

Also, backup spellbooks. And maybe put some ranks in a craft or profession skill to make some money during downtime.
Big__Chops

09-09-04, 07:00 PM
I will have to take a look at the rules again as I am new to 3.5(im an old 2nd ed vet lerning some new tricks) and discuss the matter with my DM as that fact has escaped my attention and I am not sure if this is just a ruleing on his part or just a continuation of MY natural assumption.

AS for the back up Spell books that does get costly and as previously stated I am constantly being robbed of vital gear through terrable rolls on my part and cruel twists of fate. I will however attempt to do it just based on the principal that it would be unlikely that my spell book AND the copy will both suffer some terrable fate at the same time.

As for the profession skill do you have any tips as our cleric is constantly being hunted and so we arent around 1 place for long....thus I'm not sure what profession would be most useful to a person ALWAYS running.
Duvanok

09-09-04, 08:17 PM
It was lost to a most unfortunate turn of fate with a critical hit and i am crazy poor as we (myself and the other 2 players one is a ranger approx lvl6, and our cleric also approx lvl 6) constantly get captured or lose our gear running for our life and need to always replace lost/ruined gear.

Constantly getting captured and or losing your gear as you are running for your lives? Sound like the matter is completely out of your hands. You might want to talk to your DM and ask him to tone it down a bit for the sake of the groups enjoyment.
Count Arioch the 28th

09-09-04, 08:50 PM
I have a recomendation, take Spell Mastery feat. That makes it so you don't need your spellbook to prepare a certain number of spells. (you pick, it's 3 + int modifier, if I'm correct.)

You won't have all your options, but at least you can have some spells if you lose your equipment.
Big__Chops

09-09-04, 08:54 PM
I can understand how one would get that impression but collectively we are our own worst enemy.

For example our cleric is our "ambassador" as she knows more languages than the rest of us but her social skills are terrable, our ranger although very capable seems unable to take initative, he is entirely the reactive type. MY wizard/paragon is prone to the WORST dice rolls at the WORST times and has a low wisdom so I play it as a insatiable curiosity to try EVERYTHING ONCE (think kender ie tass in the dragonlance chronicles) and cant seem to leave things well enough alone.

As for the DM he has done LOADS of home work and generated several "random event tables" some with good,some with bad,some mediocre, and some with a mix and has us roll for our own fate. It just seems that Murphys law has taken over our lives. Hopefully we survive long enough to get powerful and then have fewer worries in this area. On the plus side we introduced a new PC so that might help.
Gedrin

09-10-04, 04:08 AM
Well, I'm not sure what to do about the spellbooks, but the hand, you might want to go to a merciful/healer diety's temple and offer to do a service in exchange for the regeneration of your hand.

It does sound pretty rough to have lost your gear more than once by 6th level. At that rate, you're going to have a rough time acumulating enough wealth to even provide for backup equipment.
Big__Chops

09-10-04, 10:21 AM
Yeah I was considering the same idea to get the hand back however our cleric has us involved in a "save the world" sort of thing. Her goddess is "giveing her visions" about the end of all natural life on the planet so we are raceing against time to "save every one who will listen" plus her church has declared her a "heritic" for her "false visions" so the hound us relentlessly but as soon as we get done with that(provided we survive) I do intend to find a generous church to get the hand replaced.

As for the spell memorization thing our DM has been generous and told me that I can recall my first level spells with out a spell book from memory (based on the idea that they are rudimentary spells) but I cant do that with second level and higher (and that works out because I have yet to aquire a second level spell)

I also fear I may have given the idea that our DM is being ruthless or blood thirsty. Trust in the fact that I always had the option to find my gear when captured. Its just that our ranger decided to start blowing up support colomns in a cave with powder kegs that happend to house our gear and the tribe of "dreg" as the dreg are his favored enemy.

The only time my gear was lost and I couldnt get it back was when I failed a Dex check(or balance skill or what ever) crossing a wet log bridgeing a gap over a river. As such I see that as my fault as I rolled for my Dex check(or balance skill or what ever) and my DM rolled a random # of items to be swept away by the river and rolled random Items from my backpack so that was just murphys law hiting me in the face.
jnrhayz

09-10-04, 11:46 AM
Something I would like to remind you of is that in 3.5 Favored enemy is not hated enemy. It is just a race that you study to become better against.

I had a hard time with that and my current character. I always remember it as hated enemy. Right now I am playing a Elf Ranger with Elf and Orc as his favored enemy. (Hunts down Drow, criminals, and orcs)

As for losing stuff, you might consider a change to sorcerer. You don't have a lot of levels yet, but I don't know your stats.

Also, maybe have a special (waterproof) case built for your spellbook and use magic to keep it sealed.

Seems like just lots of bad luck. Hopefully that will turn around.
eudas

09-10-04, 11:53 AM
Sounds like a pretty fun campaign. :)

Spell Mastery isn't a bad idea, just try to be careful and find yourself some high-rolling dice. ;)

Oh, and check with the DM about the Somatic thing... I would imagine that some spells would use only one-handed gestures (short spells mostly) whereas longer-casting-time spells might use two-handed gestures. It all depends on how "realistic" you want to get with it. For example, if you go with what I outlined above then maybe you could cast a spell with "Somatic" and "standard action" casting time with just 1h, but a spell with "Somatic" and "full round action" casting time might require 2h so you wouldn't be able to cast that one.

Other than that... unless you're super lawful maybe stealing some **** to buy more equipment (or just stealing new equipment) might be in order. :)

eudas
Darkwin6

09-10-04, 12:51 PM
As for the spell memorization thing our DM has been generous and told me that I can recall my first level spells with out a spell book from memory (based on the idea that they are rudimentary spells) but I cant do that with second level and higher (and that works out because I have yet to aquire a second level spell)

You get two spells for free every time you level.
Phrennzy

09-10-04, 12:56 PM
You can cast one handed.

I'd replace the lost hand with a hook or an enchanted dagger. Cool.
Big__Chops

09-10-04, 01:37 PM
I know I am supposed to get spells every time i level but I have only leveled as a wizard 1 time and that was the first new level I got so I picked 2 new first level spells and the DM told me I can get more free spells (because paragon adds a bonus to effective level) after I get my spell book back in order and can take some time to study. As it is the church is hounding us night and day and we barely get time to eat and sleep.

As for the idea for the new appendage I like the idea of an enchanted dagger and all but the thing is my character is being played as sort of absent minded and alot like a kender(wisdom of 9 being the reason). That in mind im just as likely to forget and use it so scratch an itch on my neck or aZZ or something as I am to put the nifty idea to good use. Plus useing a dagger or hook as a hand makes climbing things, ie ropes,trees,cliffs to be more difficult.
Vanigo

09-10-04, 04:42 PM
So, whose idea was it to have the cleric recieve these visions? If it was the DM's, that really is a little overboard. It's hard to see a good-aligned church sending hundreds of agents to hunt down and kill a cleric who's just a little misguided. A corrupt church might do it, but it's got to be a lot harder for corruption to spread when everyone knows when a cleric is corrupt because he stops getting spells. It's also rather bizzare that the god would send visions of the coming apocalypse to some random low-level adventuring cleric rather than, say, every cleric who worships him. Seems to me that you're probably blaming yourself for something that is partially the DM's doing.
jnrhayz

09-10-04, 04:50 PM
It's also rather bizzare that the god would send visions of the coming apocalypse to some random low-level adventuring cleric rather than, say, every cleric who worships him. Seems to me that you're probably blaming yourself for something that is partially the DM's doing.

If you have ever read R.A. Salvatore's books dealing with clerics you wouldn't find this so odd. The cleric quintet? is about a nobody cleric becoming the most dominate in his religion. The Demon awakens book is similar (I have only read the first one), but different magic system.

So, the DM is probably just taking ideas from various sources and making them his. Like most DM's do. Also, they are the player characters and that has to count for something.
Big__Chops

09-10-04, 05:54 PM
Yes it was the DM's doing to have the visons and they are "true" visions as best as we can tell. She had the visions and then started recieveing
"stigmata" like injurys. The high preists were angry/jelous that such a "lowly" member might be worthy of the goddesses attention. So far the first part of the vision has come to pass. So they are trying to destroy us/her to prevent religious upheval. They are inturpreting the events as something the party is doing to try to corrupt the "true worshipers" and take them from the church...something they dont take kindly to.
Vanigo

09-10-04, 10:31 PM
Yes it was the DM's doing to have the visons and they are "true" visions as best as we can tell. She had the visions and then started recieveing
"stigmata" like injurys. The high preists were angry/jelous that such a "lowly" member might be worthy of the goddesses attention. So far the first part of the vision has come to pass. So they are trying to destroy us/her to prevent religious upheval. They are inturpreting the events as something the party is doing to try to corrupt the "true worshipers" and take them from the church...something they dont take kindly to.
I'm surprised they're still getting their spells, what with them trying to kill their own deity's chosen messenger to the world out of petty jealousy and spite. You might want to ask the DM if he's thought about this. It's possible that they aren't getting spells anymore, and are therefore unlikely to stay in power for much longer. Seems more likely that they'd stop and atone once their god's displeasure became apparent, though.
Big__Chops

09-10-04, 11:51 PM
Not sure to be honest all i know is that the goddess is the one responsable for the visions. That and its quite likely that the goddess intends for there to be certan hardships...however I have the impression that its not church clerics themselfs hounding us so much as mercs and hired assassins. Most likely they could send them and then ask for forgiveness after they have been sent but you bring up some valid points.

I truthfuly havent even met any of the clerics of her order but a druidic advisor to her father (a follower of the same goddess) did find me annoying and punished me accordingly.I wouldnt sit still so she did tangleing vines on me. :| needless to say i stayed put. I can get the answers to my questions to the DM later as he and i work together tomorrow.

You all have brought up many good points and i appreciate that because I am VERY new to 3.5, As in i dont even have the core books. I do have the core books for 3.0 though ;)
trapspringer

09-11-04, 04:02 PM
Spell mastery, gimp knife (A&E guide). you may want to consider multi-classing into Battle Sorcerer. This would give you a lot of spells per day, given that you would have some wizard spells and some sorcerer spells, some good combat ability, and the ability to cast at least some spells with out a book.

You would want to focus on spells which allow no save and have effects not hugely dependent on your level. Ray of enfeeblement, true-strike, mage armor, sheild, mount, and tensors floating disk all come to mind.
Big__Chops

09-11-04, 10:10 PM
Spoke with the DM who pointed out much to his humor that I could always cast with just the one hand. I just never tried it empty handed <DOH!!!!!!>

I Did get the chance to start him considdering a rig of some sort(straps and buckles and such) to make my long sword my other hand as a temporary fix to the missing hand(plus I would look sooooo wicked cool) untill I am able to get a new hand. My original hand was lost during the escape of the cave-in of the dreg cave.I had previously said I was against the idea but I am warming up to it especially as my way is a TEMPORARY attachment.

I have already purchased a special hand crossbow that was modified to be useable(includeing reloadable) with 1 hand and have had great sucess with true strike (except against that DEATH JACK, OH THE HORROR). I have no real need of the sorcerer level as I only have first level spells. The DM ruled that they are so simple and I have studied them so many times that I need no book for my first level spells. I also hapen to have an affective level 4(or 5) wizard as I have 2(or 3,I forget) levels of elvish paragon but I am interested in suggestions for what spells I should try to lay my hands on in the coming levels so that way I might be even more affective.
Big__Chops

09-13-04, 11:39 PM
I found out I have 5 levels. 3 in Elvish Paragon(max) and 2 in wizard. I am going to play on thursday most likely. The DM doesnt award XP till the End of each session and we handle the levels and such at the beginning of each session . I am most likely going to have to deal with another level on thursday. I will prolly add the level to wizard unless some one can point out another Class to add the level too and WHY. Im interested in what the collective thinks. Also thinking of my missing hand. Not sure if i should do that weapon attachment thing or should I do it fugative style (the one armed man did it)??