Ideas for a Mage in a Snow-bound setting - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 skarlett_spyder Jan 18, 2009 18:57:52	So I'm playing another wizard in a cold, frostburn-like setting, and could use some suggestions for what to do next. Below is the idea that I had so far, but I want to get some suggestions from the CO boards before I commit to anything else. So far I'm a a Gray Elf Wiz 4 with the generalist wizard variant. Most official sources are allowed, but there are some limits on this campaign. No dragon for one, and this is a LOW magic item setting, meaning we'll either be finding it randomly or the city's major spellcaster (soon to be me) will have to make them. I'd thought to go into the Frost Mage (thought that was a natural choice, mechanics and RP wise), and I have the feats Improved Initiative (via flaw), Snowcasting, and Frozen Magic. Any suggestions on future feat choices, spell selection (especially since I recently got to 4th level and have yet to pick my 2nd level spells.), etc? I thought Web + Kelgore's Grave Mist or some equivalent would make a nice combo. What say you?
#2 Kerrus Jan 18, 2009 19:28:12	Fire. Or specifically heat. In a snow based setting, heat is something that you'll probably need outside of racial optimization. It also gives you a lot of creative options- especially if the land is effectively made out of ice. You can melt it, you can use line effects to cut it, and you can generally drop the ground out from underneath your enemies. That said, for heat spells, you're probably looking for two things. The first is range- the farther away you are from the spell going off, the less chance you have of getting caught in the aftereffects. The second is shape. You're going to want AoE spells, of course, but the two best shapes will probably ones ranged bursts (spherical spell area) and line spells, for drilling through ice. If your GM is a passing grade at basic physics, there might be a reward for specializing with freezing and heat. If you've run into stone and rock, well, freeze, heat, freeze heat, repeat until you're through. Though if the GM decides that's just not going to work then you'll need another method. Most of my ideas are centered on ways to use the environment to your advantage- and less on actual specific spells and feats. Something that could be interesting is Winter Lightning. IRL winter lightning kills scads of people, and that's with the knowledge of the internet at our fingertips. A medieval setting, even in a frostburn style arctic, I rather doubt many things will be resisting lightning. In addition, you might ask your GM if the sudden bolt of lightning from the sky casts a reflection off the snow (like, you know, real life) and provides any bonus effects, like dazzling. He can always say no, but it's in the cards as far as flavour goes. Snow really is one of the best sources of naturally high albedo. Other then that, hmm.
#3 emansdrawkcab Jan 18, 2009 21:28:12	When you say "low magic", do you mean scrolls to add to the spellbook are also going to be hard to come by? If so Collegiate Wizard it up. EDIT: This feat needed to have been taken at first level. And you're 4th already, so unless your DM is lenient, this won't be of much use.
#4 skarlett_spyder Jan 18, 2009 22:20:58	Yeah, collegiate wizard is out. What I mean by low magic is that the group members are all of part of a frontier like settlement deep in this frozen setting - former (and descendents) of escaped slaves that have taken a small part of the territory. There is hardly metal for weapons, let alone magic. I'm one of only a few mages in the whole place, and I believe that right now I believe that I'm the highest, if not next to the highest level. Any scroll or potion bought is double the price, metal weapons are scarce and cost double or triple, etc. Most of the things we've acquired over the course of our first adventure have been bartered or given away for the good of the settlement.
#5 winternacht Jan 19, 2009 2:07:28	Piercing Cold is a must-have, if you stay with cold magic, because there will be cold-subtypes everywhere. In this case FIRE is, of course, an alternative ;).
#6 skarlett_spyder Jan 19, 2009 11:59:51	Looked at that, then remembered that the Frost Mage gives Piercing Cold as a bonus feat at it's 4th level, so I'd be getting it at my 9th level, which is when I probably would have picked it up normally anyway.
#7 skarlett_spyder Feb 26, 2009 18:05:49	Reviving this thread to see if any else has any more Ideas. I've been thinking of picking up Sculpt Spell at 5th level, or Spell Substitution (fire). Then going straight Frost Mage.
#8 unundindur Feb 27, 2009 3:26:07	What about elemental savant to make all spells into fire/cold? That could help if you have a lot of feats that modify all fire/cold spells. The feat wild cohort combined with the alternate ability "elemental cohort" could give you a fire elemental, which would be very conveient in 100s of situations. Its constant heat, its a "get through everything" and a damage dealer all in one.
#9 m0bius Feb 27, 2009 4:27:34	Energy Substitution, then Energy Admixture would be fairly devastating. Embody Energy (Fire) if you have a third feat to burn off, or Precise Spell (I think...) to turn AoE into touch, if your DM allows some of the more balanced 3rd party/Homebrew. Being able to perform an electric/fire touch against ice-loving monsters would be devastating. Barring either of those, Arcane Devotion is always nice, to pick up some usually un-takeable cleric spells: Healing if you lack a cleric, or Winter to pick up the Cold res 5.
#10 carnivore Feb 27, 2009 5:18:39	if you can redo your feats, ..... try this: Gray Elf Wizard 4 Feats: Bloodline of Fire(Regional)(Flaw) Scribe Scroll 1st lvl: Snowcasting 3rd lvl: Firey Burst(Reserve) this alone gives you +3 CL Fire spells..... in a Cold Setting... notice this: Cold Subtype: A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. at 5th lvl: Searing Spell Searing Spell Searing Spell[Metamagic](Sandstorm) Benefit: A searing spell is so hot that it ignores the resistance to fire of creatures affected by the spell, and affected creatures with immunity to fire still take half damage. This feat can be applied only to spells with the fire descriptor. Creatures with the cold subtype take double damage from a searing spell. Creatures affected by a searing spell are still entitled to whatever saving throw the spell normally allows. A searing spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level.
#11 skarlett_spyder Feb 27, 2009 6:42:30	Bloodline of Fire is probably out since the games already begun, but I LOVE the idea of adding Fiery Burst and Searing Spell to the mix - that would make me quite versatile, not only for damage spell (which I seldom use) but also for battlefield control. Since I already have Frozen Magic, is there any reason why I wouldn't just go into Frost Mage at 6th (assuming I just pick up Searing Spell at 5th and Fiery Burst at 6th)?
#12 innabinder Feb 27, 2009 7:06:34	1st lvl: Snowcasting +1
#13 carnivore Feb 27, 2009 8:06:36	Since I already have Frozen Magic, is there any reason why I wouldn't just go into Frost Mage at 6th (assuming I just pick up Searing Spell at 5th and Fiery Burst at 6th)? great .... go for it.... :D

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

skarlett_spyder

Jan 18, 2009 18:57:52

So I'm playing another wizard in a cold, frostburn-like setting, and could use some suggestions for what to do next. Below is the idea that I had so far, but I want to get some suggestions from the CO boards before I commit to anything else.

So far I'm a a Gray Elf Wiz 4 with the generalist wizard variant. Most official sources are allowed, but there are some limits on this campaign. No dragon for one, and this is a LOW magic item setting, meaning we'll either be finding it randomly or the city's major spellcaster (soon to be me) will have to make them.

I'd thought to go into the Frost Mage (thought that was a natural choice, mechanics and RP wise), and I have the feats Improved Initiative (via flaw), Snowcasting, and Frozen Magic.

Any suggestions on future feat choices, spell selection (especially since I recently got to 4th level and have yet to pick my 2nd level spells.), etc? I thought Web + Kelgore's Grave Mist or some equivalent would make a nice combo.

What say you?

Kerrus

Jan 18, 2009 19:28:12

Fire. Or specifically heat. In a snow based setting, heat is something that you'll probably need outside of racial optimization. It also gives you a lot of creative options- especially if the land is effectively made out of ice. You can melt it, you can use line effects to cut it, and you can generally drop the ground out from underneath your enemies. That said, for heat spells, you're probably looking for two things. The first is range- the farther away you are from the spell going off, the less chance you have of getting caught in the aftereffects. The second is shape. You're going to want AoE spells, of course, but the two best shapes will probably ones ranged bursts (spherical spell area) and line spells, for drilling through ice.

If your GM is a passing grade at basic physics, there might be a reward for specializing with freezing and heat. If you've run into stone and rock, well, freeze, heat, freeze heat, repeat until you're through. Though if the GM decides that's just not going to work then you'll need another method.

Most of my ideas are centered on ways to use the environment to your advantage- and less on actual specific spells and feats. Something that could be interesting is Winter Lightning. IRL winter lightning kills scads of people, and that's with the knowledge of the internet at our fingertips. A medieval setting, even in a frostburn style arctic, I rather doubt many things will be resisting lightning. In addition, you might ask your GM if the sudden bolt of lightning from the sky casts a reflection off the snow (like, you know, real life) and provides any bonus effects, like dazzling. He can always say no, but it's in the cards as far as flavour goes. Snow really is one of the best sources of naturally high albedo.

Other then that, hmm.

emansdrawkcab

Jan 18, 2009 21:28:12

When you say "low magic", do you mean scrolls to add to the spellbook are also going to be hard to come by? If so Collegiate Wizard it up.

EDIT: This feat needed to have been taken at first level. And you're 4th already, so unless your DM is lenient, this won't be of much use.

skarlett_spyder

Jan 18, 2009 22:20:58

Yeah, collegiate wizard is out. What I mean by low magic is that the group members are all of part of a frontier like settlement deep in this frozen setting - former (and descendents) of escaped slaves that have taken a small part of the territory. There is hardly metal for weapons, let alone magic. I'm one of only a few mages in the whole place, and I believe that right now I believe that I'm the highest, if not next to the highest level. Any scroll or potion bought is double the price, metal weapons are scarce and cost double or triple, etc. Most of the things we've acquired over the course of our first adventure have been bartered or given away for the good of the settlement.

winternacht

Jan 19, 2009 2:07:28

Piercing Cold is a must-have, if you stay with cold magic, because there will be cold-subtypes everywhere. In this case FIRE is, of course, an alternative ;).

skarlett_spyder

Jan 19, 2009 11:59:51

Looked at that, then remembered that the Frost Mage gives Piercing Cold as a bonus feat at it's 4th level, so I'd be getting it at my 9th level, which is when I probably would have picked it up normally anyway.

skarlett_spyder

Feb 26, 2009 18:05:49

Reviving this thread to see if any else has any more Ideas. I've been thinking of picking up Sculpt Spell at 5th level, or Spell Substitution (fire). Then going straight Frost Mage.

unundindur

Feb 27, 2009 3:26:07

What about elemental savant to make all spells into fire/cold? That could help if you have a lot of feats that modify all fire/cold spells.

The feat wild cohort combined with the alternate ability "elemental cohort" could give you a fire elemental, which would be very conveient in 100s of situations. Its constant heat, its a "get through everything" and a damage dealer all in one.

m0bius

Feb 27, 2009 4:27:34

Energy Substitution, then Energy Admixture would be fairly devastating. Embody Energy (Fire) if you have a third feat to burn off, or Precise Spell (I think...) to turn AoE into touch, if your DM allows some of the more balanced 3rd party/Homebrew. Being able to perform an electric/fire touch against ice-loving monsters would be devastating.

Barring either of those, Arcane Devotion is always nice, to pick up some usually un-takeable cleric spells: Healing if you lack a cleric, or Winter to pick up the Cold res 5.

#10

carnivore

Feb 27, 2009 5:18:39

if you can redo your feats, ..... try this:

Gray Elf

Wizard 4

Feats:
Bloodline of Fire(Regional)(Flaw)
Scribe Scroll
1st lvl: Snowcasting
3rd lvl: Firey Burst(Reserve)

this alone gives you +3 CL Fire spells..... in a Cold Setting... notice this:

Cold Subtype: A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

at 5th lvl: Searing Spell

Searing Spell

Searing Spell[Metamagic](Sandstorm)
Benefit: A searing spell is so hot that it ignores the resistance to fire of creatures affected by the spell, and affected creatures with immunity to fire still take half damage. This feat can be applied only to spells with the fire descriptor.
Creatures with the cold subtype take double damage from a searing spell. Creatures affected by a searing spell are still entitled to whatever saving throw the spell normally allows. A searing spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level.

#11

skarlett_spyder

Feb 27, 2009 6:42:30

Bloodline of Fire is probably out since the games already begun, but I LOVE the idea of adding Fiery Burst and Searing Spell to the mix - that would make me quite versatile, not only for damage spell (which I seldom use) but also for battlefield control.

Since I already have Frozen Magic, is there any reason why I wouldn't just go into Frost Mage at 6th (assuming I just pick up Searing Spell at 5th and Fiery Burst at 6th)?

#12

innabinder

Feb 27, 2009 7:06:34

1st lvl: Snowcasting

#13

carnivore

Feb 27, 2009 8:06:36

Since I already have Frozen Magic, is there any reason why I wouldn't just go into Frost Mage at 6th (assuming I just pick up Searing Spell at 5th and Fiery Burst at 6th)?

great .... go for it....

:D