Thanks for any and all suggestions and have a good one!
What pH do you want this buffer to be at, by the way? I'm assuming you want to remain around 7.0?
Second,
to Dandu; that was funny.Third, a couple of actual suggestions that are laying around the CO boards for buff-centric types.
From Dr. Rocktopus' Warweaver Guide:
Human Favored Soul 4/Church Inquisitor 1/Exalted Arcanist 1/War Weaver 5/Spellguard of Silverymoon 4/Sacred Exorcist 1/Incantatrix 4
1) Sanctum Spell, Magical Training, Precocious Apprentice (retrained to Combat Casting after 6th), Consecrate Spell
3) Purify Spell
6) Enlarge Spell
9) Extend Spell
12) Persistent Spell
15) Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell)
17) Repeat Spell
18) Practiced Spellcaster (Favored Soul)
20) Bonus Metamagic Feat
From "Finish What You Started" in my own sig:
Forest Gnome Battle Domain Wizard 5/Ruathar 3/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7
1) Scribe Scroll, SF (Illusion)
3) SF (Abjuration)
5) Craft Wand
6) GSF (Abjuration), MWP (Shortbow)
9) SkF(Spellcraft)
12) GSF (Illusion)
15) Reach Spell
18) Dazzling Illusion
There are a couple metric TONS of builds around the CO boards for casters, many of which have a 'party buffer' theme. This guide is quite helpful in that regard.
There are a bunch of cool Ruby Knight Vindicator builds out there with White Raven / Devoted Spirit maneuvers, along with divine buffs, that might be nice. That's more of a gish thing though.
On the arcane side, the capstone on Complete Arcane will let you put roving Antimagic Fields on your dudes. Extraordinary Spell Aim can prevent the field from affecting them....
Cause, seriously?
All divine lists -> OMGWTFBBQ?!?!!!!
Second,
And hopefully informative as well.
To OP: If you want to go Bard, you get a few good buffing spells, the ability to go War Weaver, and you can boost Inspire Competence to impressive levels, or go Dragonfire Inspiration for massive energy damage.
Bards can get into War Weaver, but at that point I think we've put a turbocharger on a horse and buggy.
I mean, Focused Transmuters/Conjurers can get into War Weaver too.... as can Elven Generalists with Hummingbird familiars and that ability that doubles the bird init bonus to +8.
Incantatrix would work well for a buff caster, by level 12 one's Spellcraft checks start reaching Persistent Spell range with a little bit of help.
Thanks for the ideas btw with the archivist and such, ill be looking through my books now about checking all that out and such. Thanks for the help so far I appreciate it (kinda hard for me to replace an Ultimate Magus being about to cast a chained fly or chained displacement on the fly)
Then I thought about maybe a Wizard 5/Incantrix 10/War Weaver 5 possibly...only thing I wasn't sure about is with the incantrix ability to enhance a spell with a metamagic feat without increasing its spell slot if I could do that with using the weave to buff everybody, so I could basically use a free metamagic ability a day to give everyone in the party some persistant spell and not have to rebuff or anything like that down the road.
In a word, yes.
In three, yes, you can.
Thanks for the ideas btw with the archivist and such, ill be looking through my books now about checking all that out and such. Thanks for the help so far I appreciate it (kinda hard for me to replace an Ultimate Magus being about to cast a chained fly or chained displacement on the fly)
Actually, that's precisely what a war weaver replaces. It should be a mostly unnoticeable switch. More in a titch.
I would like to know, precisely, the overall power level of the campaign.
In the campaign about 25% of the monsters we will be fighting are a special breed of undead, and the final battle apparently is a rank 1 deity that has a 3 page spread of abilities (oh what fun awaits :D ).
Oh wait, this is age of worms?
God help you, but you've come to the right place.
If you don't like algernon, I've been tinkering with a spellsinger build. Possibly that might suit you. Let me finish it off.
Wizard 3\War Weaver 5\Spelldancer 1\Spellsinger 1\Sublime chord 1\ Ultimate Magus 9
Unless I'm completely stupid, this should get you 9th level weeeezard spells and 8th level sublime chord spells, along with full weaver, two means of alternative casting for your meta-magic, and a little bit of bardic action to boot. There's always a chance I'm completely stupid though, and I go cross-eyed looking at the table for ultimate magus anyway, so, wotcha, as they say.
It will also give you a weird and entirely unnatural sublime chord casting level. Crucially, you will also get arcane fusion lesser and greater, as well as arcane spellsurge in a way that's usable. You might even be able to snag triadspell with some trickery.
As always, the price for my help is a campaign diary, so consider your options wisely.
I was trying to find a way to change the shape or something similar for an initiate of the seven fold veil warding so it could somehow be spread across the weave as a protectionary measure of sorts for the whole party but couldn't figure how to do that with the books I have on hand...just thought I would throw that out there if it would be possible
Also Dr_Rocktopus have you been through the age of worms? Sounds like you have. I would definently be greatful if you could suggest an age of worms badass caster/buffer build without using a bard, I would definitely do a CO Diary for sure...probably will do one anyways.
I'm sort of a noob for 3.5 just to let you all know, I was in a 16 man group playing 2nd ed. dnd for about 5 years before this and within the last year have just started to play 3.5 on and off switching between dnd and star wars campaign. Thanks again for all the help!
Also Dr_Rocktopus have you been through the age of worms? Sounds like you have. I would definently be greatful if you could suggest an age of worms badass caster/buffer build without using a bard, I would definitely do a CO Diary for sure...probably will do one anyways.
I'm sort of a noob for 3.5 just to let you all know, I was in a 16 man group playing 2nd ed. dnd for about 5 years before this and within the last year have just started to play 3.5 on and off switching between dnd and star wars campaign. Thanks again for all the help!
I actually am almost exclusively a GM, and as a result know almost every GM in town. Two of my close friends have run some or all of the age of worms line. It is basically freaking awesome, but it can be very hard in places.
Wizard/War Weaver/Incantatrix is basically one big fat angry combo-meal waiting to happen to someone else's face. Clear it with your GM, make sure he or she knows what it does, how, and why. I really enjoy that particular line up, but it's definitely extremely powerful. Remember, you can't fight the gamemaster.
If you'd like another flavor of caster, I am a huge fan of druids, as are most other people on these boards. We don't talk about them a lot, because trying to optimize them basically boils down to painting go-faster strips on an F-22.
Also, bards can be obscenely powerful, so don't discount them. There's a class called sublime chord that hopefully you looked up or were already familiar with... it's basically Bard++. There's also the dragon-stuff-things-whatever bards who do 21d6 damage a turn, every turn, of sonic damage. In a cone. Ow.
Let's get into a lot more detail about what you want to do with your character. Preferably this will include some specific spells you like the sound of, a list of the other party members with some description of how they're played, and a bit of info on starting gold. For now, though, I need a solid description of what you want to do, and why.
As for shaping the wardings, no can do. It's powerful enough as is, honestly. Iot7V is pretty much wonkers, particularly if you use the abrupt jaunt variant for weeeeeeeezards. Makes it functionally impossible to murderboat you.
Right now the group consists of a Shapechange varient Druid who has just finished off Nature's Ally PrC and rarely ever casts a spell that I have seen, almost like he forgets about them lol (our tank atm), and we also have a Tibbit Rogue/Swashbuckler with that feat that lets sneak attack continue to increase while going up Swashy (he pretty much relies on doing sneak attack dmg through crit's with the telling blow feat), and our Shugenja. The Shugenja is I believe an air specialist or that was the element chosen or something like that (not familiar with that class) and she pretty much heals and throws a lightning bolt or two out there when she has nothing else to do.
The money I'll have access to will be the amount a 12th lvl character gets from the DMG table (can't seem to find it, sorry bout that) and the rule about only being able to buy up to 1/4 of total gold on a single item will apply.
Sorry bout not coming up with specific spells, I seem to build a character around a sort of theme or goal in mind then go from there, but currently still don't have a really solid idea for this character....I'm not the kind of player to make characters on the fly, I sorta like to take time with it :D
Oh ya forgot to ask where are the rules for counter-casting? Can't seem to find em, thanks for the help!
Likewise, normally the concentration check to keep a spell is:
10 + Spell Level + Damage dealt.
You can see how that might be made difficult. There are various tricks to help reduce those DCs, but most of them basically don't affect getting shot in the head with a orb of force.
Also, bards can be obscenely powerful, so don't discount them. There's a class called sublime chord that hopefully you looked up or were already familiar with... it's basically Bard++. There's also the dragon-stuff-things-whatever bards who do 21d6 damage a turn, every turn, of sonic damage. In a cone. Ow.
I prefer the bard that adds that 21d6 sonic damage to everyone of their allies attacks, including their own attacks, then proceed to kick some butt.
Flurry? Dervish? Fun to be had?
Is there a way to combine flurry and dervish, by the way?
EDIT: Oh yeah, there's that feat that makes unarmed attacks slashing. And unarmed attacks are light... Fun times.