I'm playing a level 8 Illuminan Wizard, I've gone for the int skill boosting sigil and the feat to boost that to a +3 to all int skills.
Master of Knowlage from Heroes of Horror for a +1 to all knowlage skills.
Right now all knowlage skills, barring psionics, are a healthly +14. So any tips to boost it up a little more?
can you adjust it to something else?
what books are allowed?
can you play any races?
any Templates?
need more info
I'm playing a level 8 Illuminan Wizard, I've gone for the int skill boosting sigil and the feat to boost that to a +3 to all int skills.
Master of Knowlage from Heroes of Horror for a +1 to all knowlage skills.
Right now all knowlage skills, barring psionics, are a healthly +14. So any tips to boost it up a little more?
My suggestion would be trying to aim for Urban Savant (Cityscape)-- not only will that give you 6 skill points per level (very useful for maxing out knowledge skills), but you also get a bunch of knowledge based abilities. If you go this route and can get your DM to allow them to work for urban savant, I would consider trying to grab the Archivist feats from Heroes of Horror that expand the types of creatures your abilities work on as well.
You might also want to pick up the Knowledge Devotion feat if you ever expect yourself to be making attack rolls. If not, then don't worry about it. Finally, you could also consider the Collector of Stories skill trick out of Complete Scoundrel.
And, of course, keep in mind that your familiar gets to use your skill ranks as well, so you get to make a second roll (with a lower bonus) on every roll so long as you have one.
If your character isn't in play already, as carnivore alluded, you can actually get into Urban Savant after 5th level, incidentally. Your party will appreciate it when you make a knowledge (local) check and proceed to rattle off the base attack bonus, AC, and combat related feats of the blackguard they just ran into.
1)If you aren't in play, start with a level of Cloistered Cleric for extra starting skill points, three domains (including Knowledge), and turning.
2)Take a level of Binder, go into Anima Mage, bind Dantalion for +8 to all Knowledge checks. If you aren't in play you can use early entry cheese and be halfway to where you need to be. If you are already in play you won't get it for a while, but will get there eventually and will have some really useful alternate abilities in the process.
Masterwork tools give +2 circumstance bonus, only 50 gp a piece.
I didn't see it mentioned yet, but for two skill points you can grab the Collector of Stories skill trick. +5 for identifying monsters is probably worth the investment. Edit: Balthanon mentioned it before, but definitely go for it.
Otherwise, Magic of Eberron has Ancient Knowledge - not quite as good but it can be useful.
Until you can get the Scrolls of Uncertain Provenance, a favourite of mine, you can make do with the Tome of Worldly Memory (MIC) for 1.5k.
I want to keep with Illuminan, I play Gnomes alot and I love the little critters to bits. But I wanted to try a diffrent race for once. I still wanted to have knowlage though the roof though =3
I'll look into the Unban Servant, that sounds interesting.
Any more help is greatly apresiated n.n
If you can research spells, try nabbing Lore of the Gods (Complete Champion) as an arcane spell.
Omen, you old scoundrel, you stole the words from my keypad.
Anyway, Tome of Worldly Memory is an excellent idea as well. Also, I remembered it gave a sacred bonus, but apparently that is not the case. Too bad.
Now there are early entry shenanigans. Talk to your DM first to make sure they're okay.
Precocious Apprentice at first level and Improved Binding at third level could let you enter Anima Mage at fourth level. So you could go Wizard 2/Binder 1/Anima Mage 5 to start, if you can fit the feats in. No Dantalion yet, but a couple more levels of Anima Mage would get you there.
However, you need a metamagic feat to enter the class, too. So only humans or strongheart halflings can do this. Unless your DM allows flaws.
If you can't have flaws, you could go Wizard 1/Binder 1/Wizard +2/Anima Mage 4. Just take your metamagic feat at first level and Improved Binding at third. Again, the DM has to let that count as entry. They should, since it's considerably less questionable than Precocious Apprentice.
Spiral_rider_h: Or you could start as a Binder, take Improved Binding, Extend Spell and Sanctum Spell at first level with flaws, take Wizard 1 after that and get into Anima Mage at level 3. As in Binder 1/Wizard 1/Anima Mage 1.
Heh, that seems more questionable than Precocious Apprentice to me. Crazy RAW.
Hey, if your DM will let you do that, go for it!
Spiral_rider_h: Or you could start as a Binder, take Improved Binding, Extend Spell and Sanctum Spell at first level with flaws, take Wizard 1 after that and get into Anima Mage at level 3. As in Binder 1/Wizard 1/Anima Mage 1.
Heh, that seems more questionable than Precocious Apprentice to me. Crazy RAW.
Hey, if your DM will let you do that, go for it!
Oh yes, this is not indeed suitable for games ran by a DM with a heart condition. I did this with a Binder 1/Cloistered Cleric 1 in one game, using the divine adaptation of Anima Mage. It was a high-powered game as you might imagine.
Oh yes, this is not indeed suitable for games ran by a DM with a heart condition. I did this with a Binder 1/Cloistered Cleric 1 in one game, using the divine adaptation of Anima Mage. It was a high-powered game as you might imagine.
I could imagine. Especially since you used to vestige metamagic to Persist stuff like Divine Power and Righteous Might or Holy Star.
Heh, allowing that adaptation is nuts.
Oh yes, this is not indeed suitable for games ran by a DM with a heart condition. I did this with a Binder 1/Cloistered Cleric 1 in one game, using the divine adaptation of Anima Mage. It was a high-powered game as you might imagine.
I could imagine. Especially since you used to vestige metamagic to Persist stuff like Divine Power and Righteous Might or Holy Star.
Heh, allowing that adaptation is nuts.
With Rods of Extension even, more buffs per day. Righteous Might wasn't for me though, I didn't do melee. I think I persisted Draconic Polymorph (Spell domain, Zceryll vestige made me an outsider, so I turned into a Planetar, but of course did not get the casting. Even I have my limits!), Greater Mirror image, Greater Blink (also via Spell domain, Extend rods for the win, although the spell didn't work in Sigil), Greater Blink, Greater Blindsight and Divine power. Then of course Mass Conviction, Superior Resistance, Magic vestment and the works. With Mindsight, blindsight, good perception skills, amazing miss chance, loads of contingencies, Haures' etherealness, excellent AC, awesome saves and high initiative I was quite invulnerable. Interestingly enough, the DM was creative enough to challenge us time after time after time.
For more binder goodness: community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...
I'll look into the Unban Servant, that sounds interesting.
Any more help is greatly apresiated n.n
Urban Savant is page 100 of Cityscape in case you have trouble finding it-- there isn't a prestige class section in the book, so you need to go digging a bit.
Another option, if you want to mix magic systems a bit without losing caster levels, would be to pick up Truespeak and the Evolving Mind feats. There is a first level utterance that allows you to gain a +5 on any skill check (universal aptitude) and a 2nd level utterance that grants you a +10 unnamed bonus on a knowledge or lore check (hidden truth).
Mind you, it's a three feat investment at least (Truename Training, Utterance 1 Feat, Utterance 2 Feat) plus skill points and the DCs to affect yourself are ridiculous (starting at DC 31 for the first time of that day and adding +2 each time you use it), but you might be able to get your DM to give you a bit of leeway on the DCs. At 8th level, you should have 11 ranks + 6 Int + 4 (for yourself), so you need to roll a 10 to use it on yourself and can only do so 5 times before it's no longer possible. And it gets harder at higher levels (though there are magic items to help). It's an option though and the +15 from using both utterances will be hard to beat.
You can dip Cloistered Cleric to get turning, or you can go into Sacred Exorcist later if you have the right alignment.
Wizard/Anima Mage is great as well, of course.
If you can research spells, try nabbing Lore of the Gods (Complete Champion) as an arcane spell.
Omen, you old scoundrel, you stole the words from my keypad.
Well, we're quits because you stole the Scrolls from under me. ;)
Precocious Apprentice, Improved Binding, extend spell, persistent spell, Favored (League of Eyes), whatever else
Wizard 2/Binder 1/Anima mage 7/Urban savant 7/Anima Mage 3
Precocious Apprentice, Improved Binding, extend spell, persistent spell, Favored (League of Eyes), whatever else
That's not bad at all. Only one level (Binder) do you not have all knowledges in-class. Only loses one caster level, and all saves are above +6 by level 20.
It's biggest weakness is it is a tad low on feats, it only gets 3 more, or 4 more if human. But Binder gives it all the item creation, and whatever other weird stuff is useful, and those other 3 feats can be spent on whatever. Could do some stuff with your familiar community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758... or get some more metamagic, or take some of the cost reduction stuff for magic items brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.p... and be the party's crafter. Or all of the above, in some combination.
Just caught something with that build (can't believe I forgot, either): You'd have to be allowed at least one Flaw to make that work. Rock wants to play as an illumian, so no human bonus feat to work with.
Also, for curiosity's sake... what spells would a non-gish arcane caster Persist? I know there's some defensive stuff (mage armor/resistance spells, to name a couple), but higher level versions have either hour/level durations or already last twenty-four hours. I haven't really done research myself on that subject.
As to persistent spells, I'm really not the one to ask, but I've heard others talk of Persistent Wraithstrike Wands and such... The implications are endless, wonderful, and totally worth the feats (also expands on the mild party buffing role from urban savant).
Unless there's a variant to trade Scribe Scroll for a metamagic feat, you don't get the bonus metamagic until level 5/10/15/20.
And if there is, that's awesome. Point me to it.
I get 1 flaw for the current build. But after looking over the vast majority of this crazy stuff I may scrap Illuminan and go Human to get this to work =3 Thanks for all the help you lot n.n This is going to be a fun charrie to play.
Hahahaha, welcome to CO, Rock. It's what we do.
So, human with one flaw?
Again, all of this would assume your DM is cool with Precocious Apprentice qualifying as being able to cast a second-level spell and Improved Binding allowing you to bind second-level vestiges
Wizard 2/Binder 1/Anima Mage 7/Urban Savant 7/Anima Mage 3
Level 1 - Precocious Apprentice, Extend Spell (human bonus feat), Scribe Scroll (wizard bonus), Persistent Spell (flaw bonus feat), Flaw: Murky-Eyed or Vulnerable
Level 3 - Improved Binding
Level 6 - Master of Knowledge or Open Minded. (Spend the points for real ranks in Knowledge skills, or maybe to make up stuff you had to forego to max your knowledges)
Level 9 - Favored (League of Eyes)
Level 12, 15, 18 - A metamagic feat of your choosing, unless you are going to just go the buffing route. Improved Initiative or Open Minded are always good, too.
However, while writing all this up, I came up with a second option for you: War Weaver. Oh yeah. Vestige Metamagic with Persistent Spell + your eldritch tapestry? Hey, if it'll work, it adds some nice utility:
Wizard 2/Binder 1/Anima Mage 5/War Weaver 5/Anima Mage 5/Urban Savant 2
Level 1 - Precocious Apprentice, Extend Spell (human bonus feat), Scribe Scroll (wizard bonus), Persistent Spell (flaw bonus feat), Flaw: Murky-Eyed or Vulnerable
Level 3 - Improved Binding
Level 6 - Enlarge Spell
Level 9 - Favored (League of Eyes)
Level 12, 15 - Open Minded (for reasons listed above) or anything really.
Level 18 - Favored (League of Eyes)
That takes some of the theme away, but I love the idea of a Persisted Draconic Might on all your allies for an entire day at the cost of a fifth level spell slot at level eleven. Lose an additional caster level, but that makes a total of two, which is permissible for what you get in my opinion.
I never noticed anima mage has no level restriction on the metamagic... TY CO
I was thinking first level was a free feat, like on psion, for some strange reason.War Weaver is probably better all in all, but it does lose a caster level, and take the focus off the knowledges angle a little bit... almost better to just find a couple of 1 level dips than to take urban savant at that point. Mindbender anybody?
It's always nice to telepathically impart your incredible knowledge to your companions, who surely would love to hear a dissertation on the mechanisms of aboleth breading cycles... Pumped directly into their brain... With illustrations...
It's always the little things that i forget
War Weaver is probably better all in all, but it does lose a caster level, and take the focus off the knowledges angle a little bit... almost better to just find a couple of 1 level dips than to take urban savant at that point. Mindbender anybody?
It's always nice to telepathically impart your incredible knowledge to your companions, who surely would love to hear a dissertation on the mechanisms of aboleth breading cycles... Pumped directly into their brain... With illustrations...
Ahhh man.... this. A THOUSAND TIMES this.
That takes some of the theme away, but I love the idea of a Persisted Draconic Might on all your allies for an entire day at the cost of a fifth level spell slot at level eleven. Lose an additional caster level, but that makes a total of two, which is permissible for what you get in my opinion.
The restrictions on Persist on the one hand (personal or fixed range) and the Tapestry on the other hand (non-personal) make them not too compatible.
War Weaver is worth entering and finishing as soon as possible (so W 5/WW 5 for me since I avoid early entry "tricks") ; it's simply a different build IMO.
That one is going to be going in the files for when I get around to playing a war weaver.
I never noticed anima mage has no level restriction on the metamagic... TY CO
You might want to run this past your DM as well-- when I run a game, for instance, I don't allow metamagic spells to break the existing spell cap, regardless of whether it is free or not.
I actually have a Wizard/Urban Savant/Mindbender in one of my home campaigns that has worked out rather well. He ended up taking an arcane version of Thrallherd as well, but that was because the character changed focuses.
ironically "I know EVERYTHING. Knowlage build help"
isn't helped by any of the suggestions so far ... edit post #1 advanced maybe
( I couldn't resist, bad me, I misspell lots of stuff too )
The warweaving stuff is alittle away from the build, but it's somthing I'll keep in mind for another one I'm hoping to play =3
I'm sorry, I simply must point out the irony of this thread title: it is spelled knowledge
I knew it'd be mentioned eventually. Kinda glad it took until now. hehe
I'm sorry, I simply must point out the irony of this thread title: it is spelled knowledge
It was pointed out by aDMg two days ago (not that anybody would miss it in the first place) ; your reading skills are lacking, professor. ;)
I'm sorry, I simply must point out the irony of this thread title: it is spelled knowledge
It was pointed out by aDMg two days ago (not that anybody would miss it in the first place) ; your reading skills are lacking, professor. ;)
Had I read the thread at all and not simply the title you would be quite right.
Since we're being concise I feel obligated to point out that there is no need for a space between a parenthesis and a semicolon.
Rydi123 has a great point, however, that many people don't know or cannot be bothered to follow such rules. YMMV.
/hijack
( I couldn't resist, bad me, I misspell lots of stuff too )
Yeah, quite a few internationals have showed up around here, over the years.
And heck, the CO-board of all places, should have the most amount of Far Realms leakage, of anywhere.
Wait ... what ?
Since we're being concise I feel obligated to point out that there is no need for a space between a parenthesis and a semicolon.
Ha, if all that's wrong with my posts is the typography then I shall feel quite content. Thanks for the tip though.
(I'm a non-native speaker and my native language uses different typographic rules ; it's taken me a looong time to force myself not to insert a space before ?s and !s when I write in English! The semicolon will have to wait a few more years.)
Rydi123 has a great point, however, that many people don't know or cannot be bothered to follow such rules. YMMV.
Since we're hijacking, is that sentence good written English? "has a point that" sounds... not wrong, but strange to me. "in that" would seem better to me, however heavier it may be. But I'm always learning...
And since we're talking about rules, one shall read a thread before posting in it - that's only good Netiquette. Argg, sorry, couldn't resist. ;)
Rydi123 has a great point, however, that many people don't know or cannot be bothered to follow such rules. YMMV.
Since we're hijacking, is that sentence good written English? "has a point that" sounds... not wrong, but strange to me. "in that" would seem better to me, however heavier it may be. But I'm always learning...
"In that" would be correct, I believe. Or leaving out "that" entirely and using a semicolan for something more fluid. "Rydi123 has a great point, however; many people don't know or cannot be bothered to follow the rules."
Overall, I think it's worthwhile to occassionally point out grammatical errors-- if only to prevent a slide back into netspeak and other atrocities against language. ;) (I was going to say "the English language", but I suspect they exist in other languages as well.)
And for those who are speaking a second language, it seems like more often than not there is appreciation for corrections (though likely not excessive amounts). I know if I were attempting French or Japanese, I would want to be corrected if I were routinely making errors.
Of course, the amusing thing is that it frequently seems like someone who speaks a second language well knows the grammatical rules better than a native.
And BTW, this thread was supposed to be about "Knowledge build", not languages...
I try to stay away from the short hand and net speak all the same n.n
I'll keep the Anima Mage idea for my next IRL game =3 It should be with a DM who likes to screw up over with obscure knowlage skills n.n
Well thanks to all of you. I've managed to bump all my knowledge skills up to a nice +19 at level 8. I know I could bump it up even more with the Binder stuff. But It goes against the feel of this particular charrie.
I'll keep the Anima Mage idea for my next IRL game =3 It should be with a DM who likes to screw up over with obscure knowlage skills n.n
What did you end up going with, for curiosity's sake?
Master of Knoledge feat from Heroes of Horro +1 to all knowledge skills
The Scrolls of Uncertain Provenance, I'll be using that alot in these type of builds from now on.
Nymps kiss for the extra skill points, which is what I needed to bring all the skills to 5 ranks for the synergy bonus. I'm looking to get into Loremaster at level 10, should have enough feats/skill points to do it. So I can Lore the hell of out subjects as well.
I will use the anima build for the next one though.
Also, for the Nymph's Kiss feat, you might want to watch the prerequisite-- you need to maintain an "intimate" relationship with a fey creature. (Not exactly a downside, really, but it's something people seem to ignore.
It's one of the reasons the BoED got the mature label too.)The DM wasn't allowing city scape. Shame but I'll defantly use that one if I can next time.