I need help picking items. Here's my build:
LN Strongheart Halfling Druid 2/Focused Conjurer 1
Feats: SF (Conjuration) [1st], Augment Summoning [flaw], Improved Initiative [wiz bonus], Apprentice (Spellcaster) [halfling bonus], Practiced Spellcaster (Wizard) [3rd]
STR 7 DEX 14 CON 12 INT 16 WIS 16 CHA 11
Heading toward: Druid 3/Conjurer 3/Mystic Theurge 2/Arcane Heirophant 10/MT +2 (my dm put the kibosh on early entry, I'm forced to take at least 3 levels of a class).
I'm not sure what spells & items to pick. I have WBL for level 3 (2700) and I only get my starting wizard spells (I'll get more in-game).
My thought for the spellbook was:
Mage Armor
Grease
Benign Transposition
Wall of Smoke
Enlarge Person
Nerveskitter
Any suggestions on items, or for the spellbook?
Feats: SF (Conjuration) [1st], Augment Summoning [flaw], Improved Initiative [wiz bonus], Apprentice (Spellcaster) [halfling bonus], Practiced Spellcaster (Wizard) [3rd]
My thought for the spellbook was:
Mage Armor
Grease
Benign Transposition
Wall of Smoke
Enlarge Person
Nerveskitter
Any suggestions on items, or for the spellbook?
I thought that Scribe Scroll was the Bonus feat that you got at Wiz1, not your choice of feats? Is your Imp Init a houserule or am I misremembering?
Shield is slightly better than Mage Armor, due to its ability to negate Magic Missile. Speaking of which, why isn't MM on there? What are your prohibited schools?
I recommend getting armor for your animal companion. Barding can really extend the early game lifespan of your pet, especially since it will be weaker than normal due to multiclassing.
Except that Arcane Heirophant turns it and your familiar into one big ball of fun. His familiar companion should be just fine (once he gets it).
Except that Arcane Heirophant turns it and your familiar into one big ball of fun. His familiar companion should be just fine (once he gets it).
Perhaps I should have bolded the phrase 'early game'. Yes, his companion familiar will be fine, but for those five levels he goes through before hitting Arcane Heirophant, that level three druid's animal companion will be a mighty fine target for the sundry MM beasties with Cleave and the like. While not as detrimental to the character as losing a familiar, it still puts a bit of a damper on the party when they have to wait on the druid a full 24 hours to replace the badger with another one that will likely get killed in the next fight.
Rather tough to hit level 9 when you have to stop every other day to find another raccoon
I thought that Scribe Scroll was the Bonus feat that you got at Wiz1, not your choice of feats? Is your Imp Init a houserule or am I misremembering?
I believe he's using the variant in Unearthed arcana that gets fighter feats.
Shield is slightly better than Mage Armor, due to its ability to negate Magic Missile.
Mage armor lasts 1 hour/level, so he may be able to benefit from one casting in multiple encounters.
Basically, you end up with a zoo of beast.
The 2 animal companions (wizard and druid) and those you summon :-).
Also Arcane Heirophant should advance both companions, if I understand the description correctly.
Except that Arcane Heirophant turns it and your familiar into one big ball of fun. His familiar companion should be just fine (once he gets it).
Perhaps I should have bolded the phrase 'early game'.
Yeah, I did miss that. Sorry.
Shield is slightly better than Mage Armor, due to its ability to negate Magic Missile.
Mage armor lasts 1 hour/level, so he may be able to benefit from one casting in multiple encounters.
I had forgotten about the duration difference. And the fact that MA is a Conjuration spell.
Except that Arcane Heirophant turns it and your familiar into one big ball of fun. His familiar companion should be just fine (once he gets it).
Perhaps I should have bolded the phrase 'early game'. Yes, his companion familiar will be fine, but for those five levels he goes through before hitting Arcane Heirophant, that level three druid's animal companion will be a mighty fine target for the sundry MM beasties with Cleave and the like. While not as detrimental to the character as losing a familiar, it still puts a bit of a damper on the party when they have to wait on the druid a full 24 hours to replace the badger with another one that will likely get killed in the next fight.
Rather tough to hit level 9 when you have to stop every other day to find another raccoon
How much does barding for a riding dog cost? I'm not sure where to look.
And, with my early entry being nerfed I won't get the companion/familiar fun until level 9... at which point I'll have two 3rd level minions.
How would Familiar Companion work with two animal companions?? It seems weird to me...
How much does barding for a riding dog cost? I'm not sure where to look.
And, with my early entry being nerfed I won't get the companion/familiar fun until level 9... at which point I'll have two 3rd level minions.
How would Familiar Companion work with two animal companions?? It seems weird to me...
Barding costs x2 for Medium animals, and x4 for Large animals.
Familiar Companion IIRC essentially merges your druidic animal companion and your familiar into one magic beast of awesome, allowing you to use Druid+Wizard+AH to determine the cool goodies your suddenly useful pet gets.
Upon becoming an arcane
hierophant, you must dismiss your familiar, if you have one.
(You do not risk losing XP for doing so.) You may retain any
one animal companion you already possess.
So it really doesn't matter if you had one or two animals, you only get to keep one.
Except, what if I've given up my familiar for an animal companion? How would the class feature work then?
From the class description
"In addition, your animal companion (if any) gains many of the abilities that a familiar
would normally possess. You add your arcane hierophant class level to your arcane
spellcasting class level, and determine the Intelligence bonus and special abilities of your animal companion accordingly ..."
so, according to my reading of the text, i would say AH advances both animal companions you have. They are now called animal familiar, but are in fact just boosted animal companions.
By RAW, you would have to dismiss one animal companion you own. First paragraph of the ability in question says:Upon becoming an arcane hierophant, you must dismiss your familiar, if you have one. (You do not risk losing XP for doing so.) You may retain any one animal companion you already possess.
So it really doesn't matter if you had one or two animals, you only get to keep one.
Except, what if I've given up my familiar for an animal companion? How would the class feature work then?
From the class description
"In addition, your animal companion (if any) gains many of the abilities that a familiar
would normally possess. You add your arcane hierophant class level to your arcane
spellcasting class level, and determine the Intelligence bonus and special abilities of your animal companion accordingly ..."
so, according to my reading of the text, i would say AH advances both animal companions you have. They are now called animal familiar, but are in fact just boosted animal companions.
Noob, you (like me) obviously missed a very important part of what Shadow posted. The ability description clearly states that you can only keep one.
Yeah, I checked it, and the PHB says: Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a wizard may know any number of spells.
But, that makes you overpowered.
So my houserule applies: 2x (yes, I just changed it) your spells/day is your spells known. Adding spells is only allowed when at the guild (and your master is too) or when finding another way.
After some clarification, that apparently means that I am limited to twice my total spell slots (including bonus spells) as spells known... and that I don't get to add spells to my spellbook automatically upon leveling, but instead have to wait until we get back to the Guild so I can copy them from my mentor that I got with the Apprentice (Spellcaster) feat.
Um... what do I do? I'm now a worse sorcerer.
I'd suck it up and run with it - but FORCE him to give you enough consequence-free downtime to actually do your spell research and copying. Also remind him that you can copy spells from scrolls and should be able to do this in the field if time permits. Work with him rather than trying to overpower him.
And, remind him that he's going against quite a bit of playtesting with this change. (There was a similar optional rule in 2e that was dropped from 3e for a reason!). Thus, he should be open to changing things if it doesn't work out.
And, remind him that he's going against quite a bit of playtesting with this change. (There was a similar optional rule in 2e that was dropped from 3e for a reason!). Thus, he should be open to changing things if it doesn't work out.
I'll second this; I played with this variant back in 2e, and it was... difficult. Not impossible, because the DM made sure we were able to back to town on a regular basis, but still difficult.
A few variations to his rule that you might ask him to consider:
1) Ask if you can get ONE free spell when you level. If not, he limits you far, FAR more than any other character. Fighters get +1 BAB automatically when they level, rogues get +1d6 every other level (and are bottom heavy on other class features), clerics get more spells/day AND know all of them automatically, etc... Plus, a caster unable to get new spells doesn't feel like he leveled up at all.
2) Ask if he's going to require training before levelling for all PCs, or just you. If he's going to nerf everyone, it will still suck harder for you, but at least it will suck for everyone.
3) Ask if he'll allow you to do your training at other guilds, especially if he's going to be sending you on far-flung adventures. (If I were him, I would be totally ok with this, and even limit access for certain spells at certain guilds.)
Ask him if 2x your Int bonus = maximum spells known/level is fairer. At a 28 Int, that tops you out at 18 spells known...but by then you'll be an archmage, and should know plenty of spells.
Also, remember to count your Int bonus for spells castable for spells known if he restricts you to the lower number. You'll still be getting 10 spells/level, which is an impressive number.
You should at the very minimum get one free spell when you gain access to a new spell level, so that if you level up during an adventure you can use the slot for something new and cool. Otherwise, you may have to learn metamagic just to stay busy.
Mage armor is better long term then shield, but bracers of armor replaces mage armor at some point, although its not very cost effective. If you do get a set of bracers, Shield then stacks on top of it.
Keep in mind that you're going to be very underpowered until level 7 when your Animal Companion suddenly becomes full powered+. I suggest Practiced Spellcaster to at least let your casting level stay even for one of your classes. Focus on buffs for your Animal Companion, support spells, and no-save battlefield control. You'll be getting a metric ton of spells, but unless you can bring all that casting power to bear, it really doesn't mean a whole lot.
I might even recommend the Arcane Theurge Wiz/Sorc combo class. It's easier to enter, and one of the very cool things it can do is use spell slots from one side to pay for metamagic costs for spells from the other. In other words, using Sorc slots to pay for Quickened Spells, which lets you get off more spells per round then you normally would...and brings your whole arsenal into play.
The problem with the Theurgic classes is making use of all those spells. You have so many options that will just NEVER get used, it's often better just to drive for raw power and stay in one class, then have all the useless versatility but less power.
==Aelryinth