Post/Author/DateTime	Post
AnonymousRobot 01-23-06, 10:10 PM	I'm joining my first group soon (though I have some experience with the game, DM'd a group for a few sessions before school got in the way) and I'd like to play as a gnome illusionist. It's probably going to be a party of 4 or 5 people, and I'm likely to be the only spellcaster in the group. Is it impractical to specialize in illusion if they're relying on me for magic? I love the character type but the illusion school seems rather limited and with underpowered spells to be forced to take one each level. Is there something I'm missing here, or do I just need to be more creative? Should I just be unspecialized?
Molitor 01-23-06, 10:25 PM	I wouldn't specialize. If you are going to be the magical "glue" that helps to hold a party together, it would be unwise to specialize. I've had more fun playing normal wizards. BUT, if you would have more fun playing an illusionist then so be it. It's about the fun.
xvthreetwoonevx 01-23-06, 10:41 PM	A Gnome Illusionist with the Shadowcraft Mage PrC along with...two others that gave a bonus to Shadow spells, I forget the names, poke around the CO boards, can actually be pretty potent. Though Specialization is generally a bad idea, i'd recommend getting rid of Enchantment and Necromancy if you're going that road, they have the least amount of crucial spells.
AnonymousRobot 01-23-06, 10:52 PM	A Gnome Illusionist with the Shadowcraft Mage PrC along with...two others that gave a bonus to Shadow spells, I forget the names, poke around the CO boards, can actually be pretty potent. Though Specialization is generally a bad idea, i'd recommend getting rid of Enchantment and Necromancy if you're going that road, they have the least amount of crucial spells. You actually only have to give up enchantment. It's not giving up schools that I'm worried about, it's being forced to take an illusion spell each level. I just wish they were more powerful. They start out good at low levels and then the spells get progressively worse, it seems.
Nom 01-23-06, 11:15 PM	As bizarre as it sounds, I find one very effective way to play an illusionist is to be a divination specialist. You only have to give up 1 school (not two), and any illusionist who can't find a use for 1 (free) divination spell per spell level isn't trying.
Sieylianna 01-24-06, 05:54 PM	I'm joining my first group soon (though I have some experience with the game, DM'd a group for a few sessions before school got in the way) and I'd like to play as a gnome illusionist. It's probably going to be a party of 4 or 5 people, and I'm likely to be the only spellcaster in the group. Is it impractical to specialize in illusion if they're relying on me for magic? I love the character type but the illusion school seems rather limited and with underpowered spells to be forced to take one each level. Is there something I'm missing here, or do I just need to be more creative? Should I just be unspecialized? By the only spellcaster do you mean arcane caster? Or don't they have anyone with healing magic either? You should try to talk to the other players and see what sort of game the GM runs. There could be a reason that no one else plays a spellcaster. Likewise, illusion magic is highly suscpetible to DM fiat, so I'd find out how illusions work in his world before committing. Ed
Thubby 01-24-06, 10:33 PM	illusions can actualy be more hurtfull than fireball, scintilating pattern, with empower, effects 36 hd!!! besides, major image of the tarasque will scare most enemies to submission. illusions are only underpowered if you dont have the imagination to use them. they are made vague for a reason. there is nothing that stops you from taking those oh so important arcane spells like burning hands, fireball, etc. also, the shadow effect spells (shadow evoc/conj) are all illusions, this makes you even more flexible. if you or they are realy miffed at your illusionness, spell mastery on your favorites, and prep the spell "they" think they need you to have. also, arcane spellcasters, or any class for that matter, can be done without. ive had healerless parties, fighterless parties, rogueless ones too, it just means you have to do things a bit different. an illusionist might be "underpowered" in the normal sense, but you manipulate the world, u set the terms, you might not fling the flaming death, but that encounter never happened because of your globe of invisibility, followed by a phantasmal killer (not an attack on your part). illusionist are wierd for a reason, they HAVE to think outside the box, and their spells work their, where an evoker might not, but his box is his power
Izax19 01-24-06, 10:41 PM	I know from experience that a low level illusionist can be very powerful fs used creatively. While escaping from the local city guards, our group mage (only 3rd level) used an Illusion spell (silent image if I remember correctly) to mimic a decent-sized dragon when they rounded the corner. Although the guards were hesitant to believe it at first, a properly placed Burning Hands at the first guard to approach made them very reluctant to approach and bought us plenty of time to escape.