My Character is a Human Enchanter 3 / Master Specialist 6
Prohibited Schools: Evocation(Can be mimicked with Shadow Evocation if necessary) and Transmutation
(relevant) Feats:
Spell Focus (Enchantments, Necromancy)
Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Endurance, Enduring Life(LM), Lasting Life(LM)
(House rules for feats every odd level, thus ># of feats)
Since our DM ruled that Black Tentacles (sor/wiz4) is too powerful and has essentially banned it (technically it's still usable, but every time we ever face an arcane caster, so long as I'm still using it, he will spam it, so... banned)
I'm looking for alternative battlefield control options to supplement my Enchantments and Necromancy.
Point me to a thread here on the boards already discussing this or throw out any options you can think of fitting my distinctions. I have a pretty decent knowledge of the source materials, but I figure there's bound to be some things I haven't thought about yet.
Pretty much any source material other than BoVD and BoED is allowed, though if it's not PHB/PHB2 or SPC it must be approved first.
thanks in advance,
-Dannar
Silent Image has oblique control uses, for example making an illusion of a wall or mist, then informing your allies that it's false. Your enemies are unlikely to interact with the illusion, and if they spend actions doing so, you've accomplished your purpose.
I also recommend fogs/clouds and a bunch of monstrous spiders from low-level summon monster spells. They have tremorsense and can throw webs through fogs and clouds. Getting a couple of foes entangled for the costs of a 1st level spell isn't too bad.
Wizardly Transmutations
My players hated my Sorc BBEG who could spam Acid Fog. Stinking Cloud is a fun option at a lower level and won't hurt your undead minions.
Level 2: Web, Glitterdust
Level 3: Fog Cloud, Stinking Cloud
Level 4: (Barring Tentacles) Solid Fog
Also: Don't ban Tranmutation. It's clearly the 2nd best school. (some would argue 1st) Drop Necormancy or Abjuration instead.
Level 1: Grease
Level 2: Web, Glitterdust
Level 3: Fog Cloud, Stinking Cloud
Level 4: (Barring Tentacles) Solid Fog
Also: Don't ban Tranmutation. It's clearly the 2nd best school. (some would argue 1st) Drop Necormancy or Abjuration instead.
I was well aware that Evocation and Transmutation are the top 2 schools of magic, it's specifically why I made those two schools my prohibited schools. I wanted to do something different.
*EDIT* I should have said Evocation and Transmutation are two *STAPLES* of wizardry, everyone and their brother knows them, and what they do. Not many people have truly seen a master Enchanter/Necromancer work truly frightening effects from behind the scenes...
As many people have pointed out, Evocation is probably the weakest school of magic simply because it's all destruction, no finesse.We already have a Sorceress "evoker" so the only spells we really miss are the transmutation spells, but thats not a huge loss to us.
I've done the specialist thing before, banning necromancy and illusions, etc... but I've always wanted to play a Enchanter/Necromancer, and specifically prohibit the two "staples" of wizardry.
I was well aware that Evocation and Transmutation are the top 2 schools of magic, it's specifically why I made those two schools my prohibited schools. I wanted to do something different.
We already have a Sorceress "evoker" so the only spells we really miss are the transmutation spells, but thats not a huge loss to us.
I've done the specialist thing before, banning necromancy and illusions, etc... but I've always wanted to play a Enchanter/Necromancer, and specifically prohibit the two "staples" of wizardry.
Evocation isn't anywhere near the top school of magic in 3.5; Conjuration regularly steals Evocation's lunch money and gives it a wedgie.
Evocation isn't anywhere near the top school of magic in 3.5; Conjuration regularly steals Evocation's lunch money and gives it a wedgie.
Fair enough. I think that's mainly why I'm looking for ideas from Illusion/Conjuration to help out in the middle of a battle.
My Enchantments/Necromancy are more geared towards when we are city-crawling and really NEED to Obi-Wan that guard into letting us through the gate, etc...
Oh... and the 11-headed hydra with the +3 will save doesn't stand a chance against my DC 23 Charm Monster...
Sculpt spell is a metamagic I've found to be incredibly useful. Sculpt a glitterdust and you have 4 glitterdusts, a decent sized cone, a line, or a sphere of glitterdust, all with far more area covered than the original 10 ft cube. Enemies will be failing will saves occasionally, making some of those battles rediculously easy. Sculpt spell shines when you use it on fog clouds, freezing fog, glitterdust, grease, and most other area effect spells. And all for just a low low metamagic cost of +1 to the spell level.
In my last session, we went 7 encounters without resting, and the two spellcasters were completely tapped for magic (except for Scorching Ray and Magic Missile Wands, but we're facing Drow... SR issues...). So, having nothing to do (except for my Quasit going in to grapple the enemy spellcaster, which was hilarious), I cast Invisibility and the Silent Image, targeting where the entire party was, making 3 images of each party member (ala Mirror Image). So, for a 1st level slot, I duplicated a 2nd level spell for the entire party (although the caster made its Will save after casting a Dispel Magic on the area having interacted with it, despite not making the CL check, but hey, I'll trade 3rd level slots for 1st level slots any day of the week!).
Yeah, Silent Image is king, in many, many situations.
Fair enough. I think that's mainly why I'm looking for ideas from Illusion/Conjuration to help out in the middle of a battle.
My Enchantments/Necromancy are more geared towards when we are city-crawling and really NEED to Obi-Wan that guard into letting us through the gate, etc...
Oh... and the 11-headed hydra with the +3 will save doesn't stand a chance against my DC 23 Charm Monster...
Illusion Spells are primarily defensive in nature, with Mirror Image (Assuming your DM doesn't allow Silent Image to be abused) and Invisability being the best.
Most of the Conjurations I normally use I listed in my other post. Can you be more specific about what you're looking for in terms of spells? What do you want to be doing that you're not currently in combat?
Many of your statments about schools seem kinda uniformed.
General Order of Stength/Schools to ban:
1. Conjuration
2. Transmutation (Very close with Conjuration)
3. Illusion
4. Abjuration
5. Necromancy (Very close again with Abjuration)
6. Enchantment
7. Evocation
If you're looking to play the most optimized caster, Enchantment and Evocation would be the usual banned schools.
If you're looking to do something different.... Banning Evocation is what basically every optimized specalist does. It's not off the wall in any way.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong in anyway, it's just not exactly optimized or extremely different.
Enchanter's Handbook
and
Trentmonk's Guide to Necromancy Spells
and
Trentmonk's Guide to Enchantment Spells
On the BC spells:
BC spells in those schools - Fear, Deep Slumber, Sleep... Although you might be able to trick things up a bit...
I'd take Chain Spell to use on your Charm Monsters (boo-yah - that's ultimate B). Best if you can use some metamagic cost reducers, though. Also works very well on a handful of Necromancy spells.
Another idea - get [electricity] or [sonic] damage on one of the "Waves" spell (Waves of Fatigue, Waves of Exhaustion), then apply the Born of Three Thunders feat to it to be able to knock back enemies (combines well with Widen Spell). Essentially, its a variation of the classic Wizard Nuke (this might require more feats, too).
You really can get more from Conjurations, though.
Hope this helped; sounds like a fun/funky character!
Forums seemed to suggest I hadn't posted my previous message.
wait what?
also
Evocation isn't anywhere near the top school of magic in 3.5; Conjuration regularly steals Evocation's lunch money and gives it a wedgie.
it does more than that it takes out ak-47's and semi-automatic machine guns and kills it burns it pee's on it's ashes and throws them into the sea, then it takes the sea and throws it into the nine hells.
EDIT: then for good measure it does the same thing with it's family and it's neighbors family (and it's neighbors them selves)
it does more than that it takes out ak-47's and semi-automatic machine guns and kills it burns it pee's on it's ashes and throws them into the sea, then it takes the sea and throws it into the nine hells.
EDIT: then for good measure it does the same thing with it's family and it's neighbors family (and it's neighbors them selves)
And then salts the land. Of everyone that evocation every knew or loved.
Evocation requires spending lots of resources to bring down a target since rare is the time you can kill or incapacitate a significant threat with a direct damage spell or two. You have allies to deal damage while you alter reality in your favor with spells like slow (PWNAGE against non-casters), haste (up your party's damage per strike), web (they aren't moving short of a tremendous Balance check or freedom of movement), or any image spell (make them think you conjured something very nasty like a golem, great wyrm gold dragon, or prismatic sphere).
In second edition, Evocation rocked because the save-or-suck spells worked too rarely to be viable. In 3.5, Evocation mostly sucks because you can't stop threats quickly enough.