My biggest consideration here is feat allowance and graining access to Signature Spell: Silent Illusion. Please share your thoughts on the following two builds and help me figure out which is the better route to take. Please do note that the base class is a Domain Wizard with a custom domain that has Miracle in it so there is no real need to take the Arcane Disciple feat.
Also assume that this is a Middle Aged Illuminian Wizard with the Krau and Aesh sigil and two flaws.
STATS:
STR: 10 (11-1), DEX: 8 (9-1), CON: 16 (17-1), INT: 19 (18+1), WIS: 13 (12+1), CHA: 18 (17+1)
Option 1:
Domain Illiminian Wizard 5/ Mindbender 1/ Shadowcraft Mage 3/ Heartfire Fanner 1/ Sublime Chord 1/ Ultimate Magus 9
Option 2:
Domain Illiminian Wizard 5/ Mindbender 1/ Prestige Bard 1/ Shadowcraft Mage 3/ Sublime Chord 1/ Ultimate Magus 9
What's the difference between the two?
OPTION ONE will only break spell casting progression for 1 level and gain the benefits of the Heartfire Fanner class (default level 5 Bardic Music and a song that grants allies a bonus feat), allowing us to gain all the prerequisites for Sublime Chord (primarily Bardic Music) without stopping spell casting progression. The problem with this build is that the prerequisites for Heartfire Fanner require that we learn two useless feats, feats that could have been used to gain Arcane Mastery and Signature Spell: Silent Illusion for some awesome versatility (prepare nothing but utility spells and cast Silent Illusion to fuel Shadow Illusion spontenously). This build actually has two free slots that it can use for the feats, the only thing is that they come in at ECL 18 and 20, much too late for me.
OPTION TWO will force us to lose two spell casting progression levels in order to fulfill the Bardic Music requirement for Sublime Chord, our Bardic Music level will not be as high as when we took Heartfire Fanner nor will we get his awesome feat granting song. On the upside, we free up those two feats that will allow us to learn Signature Spell: Silent Illusion and gain some versatility on the whole at a meaningful time in the character's development.
So far, feat progression looks like this:
ECL 1 (3) Heighten Spell, Earth Sense, Extend Spell
ECL 3 (1) Earth Spell
ECL 5 (1) Spell Focus: Illusion
ECL 6 (1) Skill Focus: Perform (Heartfire Fanner Prereq)
ECL 9 (1) Negotiator (Heartfire Fanner Prereq)
ECL 12 (1) Residual Metamagic
ECL 15 (1) Improved Sigil (Krau)
ECL 16 (1) Persistent Spell
ECL 18 (1) (Free)
ECL 20 (1) (Free)
Would like to hear some recommendations for the last two feats
Regardless of what route we take, the build is always going to have the following benefits:
- Able to cast 9th level evoc/conj spells via Shadow Illusion from a 8th level slot. Could be lowered if we use the Easy Metamagic exploit
- Awesomely high caster level due to various spells, Improved Krau, and Earth Spell
- Capable of persisting a good number of spells via synergy between Augment Casting (UM class ability), Residual Metamagic, and Shadow Illusion used to mimic a Miracle Spell.
Everyday, I intend to have the following spells persisted through the aforementioned synergy:
----- Necrotic Empowerment
----- Draconic Polymorph into something with huge Str, Bite of the Werebear (Great since we have Aeshkrau)
----- Arcane Spellsurge
----- Nixie Grace
----- Swords of Darkness (made awesome by our jacked up caster level)
----- Wraithstrike, Aspect of Bahamut, and Tenser's Transformation (On familiar)
----- Fly or some way to fly around with some amount of soil beneath your feet to fuel Earth Spell
So, what does CO think? Which route should I take?
Also, would like to ask for some help concerning a trick I'm trying to pull off.
Trick One: Was taking a look at the spell Energy Transformation Field and was thinking that it would be awesome if the field could follow me around wherever I go. So was thinking of casting it into something that creates extrdimensional spaces, like say, a Permanent Familar Pocket spell and just keeping the lid of the container open. That way, the space where the field is planted still follows me around. My question is, (1) would this work? and (2) How would Energy Transformation Field function with an Illusion spell that requires the caster to give shape to the illusion first? (3) Based on the answer to the second question, could I shape the illusion and use it to fuel Shadow Illusion?
Trick Two: Was trying to figure out a way to trick Planar Bubble into emulating the characteristics of the Plane of Shadow for free quazireality and free maximized spells. The problem is, I don't want to have to rely on the Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis. Was thinking of using a combo of Fiend Form + Draconic Polymorph to turn my Familiar into a native of the plane, but I think there are better uses for it, such as polymorphing it into an Aspect of Bahamut on steroids or use Fiend Form + PoA to polymorph it into a native of Dal Quor for what effectively amounts to persistent Time Stop via planar bubble.
Thanks in Advance, C:D
A humble mage with aspirations of the apocalyptic persuasion
How long do you intend to run this campaign, and what level do you start at? Thats important things to consider if you're comparing earlier feats to late ones.
He's going that far for the feat. Master Specialist requires Spell Focus to get into, and at level 3 gives Greater Spell Focus, and Skill Focus: Spellcraft at level 1.
Whoops. :embarrass
if your DM allows any race to do it .... great
Elves can qualify for Sublime Chord easily with Sorceror... and Spellsinger..., but make sure you take the Feat: Arcane Preparation... that way you can say your Sorceror levels are Prepared, and Sublime Chord are Spontaneous for Ultimate Magus.... if your DM allows it ;)
:D
Elves can qualify for Sublime Chord easily with Sorceror... and Spellsinger..., but make sure you take the Feat: Arcane Preparation... that way you can say your Sorceror levels are Prepared, and Sublime Chord are Spontaneous for Ultimate Magus.... if your DM allows it
Sounds interesting. I'm just not sure it'll fly with my DM. He's already kind of a little hesitant letting me play this build given that I used an early qualification exploit in it. Also, I was trying to look for a way of entering Sublime Chord that will not require me to burn two feats on Heartfire Fanner Prereqs so that I can get Signature Spell. Spell Singer still requires me to take Skill Focus: Perform as well as Improved Counterspell.
On the bit with Gnomes, I'm following the suggestions for adaptations in RoS which states that the race need not be restricted to Gnomes and can be made to include any cabal of illusionists. What better race than Illuminians since they live in the Plane of Shadows and engage in a whole lot of espionage (meaning lots of stealth and illusions). Thinking about it, Illuminian seemed more appropriate for this class than Gnome.
How long do you intend to run this campaign, and what level do you start at? Thats important things to consider if you're comparing earlier feats to late ones.
I'm think we start at level 5, as my DM hates mucking about too much in lower levels. The campaign will probably run all the way to level 20 with a chance to enter a few levels of epic depending on how we play it.
