Spell Immunity! What's the best way to shrug off those pesky spells?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


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Theory-crafting, here. I wanted to build a melee sorcerer/wizard around Antimagic Field, but it felt pretty weak. Superstitious-based Bloodrager primalist + untouchable rager also looked appealing, but I think there's a more efficient way to maximize the spell resistance potential: Enlightened (Iroran) Paladin Drow with the Noble Spell Resistance and Eldritch Heritage (Fey) feat trees.

Noble Spell resistance gets you almost as much SR as an Untouchable Rager (11+HD), Improved Spell Resistance feat gets you to 13+HD, Scorned by Magic trait reduces caster level checks against you by 1, Fey Magic from Eldritch Heritage allows you to reroll spell resistance checks at will and Aura of Perfection lets you roll a third time and use the higher of the two rerolls. That's almost a guaranteed save against SR - the paladin's Grace makes sure your saves are crazy high against spells that don't check against SR.

Offensively, the build is pretty lackluster, but as a self-healing, spell-immune tank, I think this would be a really fun build. There's a lot of thematically appropriate stuff that would lend itself toward role playing, too -- "evil" Drow becomes enlightened and makes it a personal quest to combat evil spellcasters.

Side note: Is Scaled Fist still a legit monk archetype? Would it be worth the two-level dip to pick up Flurry, Stunning Fist and that questionable Cha-to-AC stacking?


Just checking - does Bloodsworn Retribution's +5 blanket morale bonus apply to caster level checks against SR? If so, this guy will be untouchable.

Dark Archive

Untouchable primalist dwarf with the destined bloodline.
Take steel soul feat. Glory of old trait. Fate's favored trait.
Level 8, trade out certain strike for superstitious and something else.

Now you've got a scaling morale bonus to saves, a static +5 v.s. spells, SLAs, and poisons, a scaling luck bonus to saves and AC, and spell resistance as above.


Scaled Fist is awesome, and appears to be legit w/ both Chained and Unchained Monks, though it's probably not worth it as a dip.

The build I would go with is a Drow with 2 levels of Paladin, followed by advancing as a Scaled Fist Unchained Monk to 12th level. At that point, pick up Diamond Soul w/ a Ring of Ki Mastery so that you can generate 12 rounds SR 10 + Monk level. What's great about this build is if you combine it with Abundant Step and Dimensional Agility, in the first round you can raise your SR, Dimension Door to adjacent to the caster, and smack them with a Stunning Fist attempt. Further, the build is not so feat starved or anything that you wouldn't be able to build an otherwise competent combatant when not fighting spell-casters.

Although Ectar's build has some great defenses, but I fail to see how it's supposed to deal with some of the most basic of caster defenses, and ultimately offense is the best defense against a caster.

Traits: Scorned By Magic, Sound Mind


Anonymous Warrior wrote:

Scaled Fist is awesome, and appears to be legit w/ both Chained and Unchained Monks, though it's probably not worth it as a dip.

The build I would go with is a Drow with 2 levels of Paladin, followed by advancing as a Scaled Fist Unchained Monk to 12th level. At that point, pick up Diamond Soul w/ a Ring of Ki Mastery so that you can generate 12 rounds SR 10 + Monk level. What's great about this build is if you combine it with Abundant Step and Dimensional Agility, in the first round you can raise your SR, Dimension Door to adjacent to the caster, and smack them with a Stunning Fist attempt. Further, the build is not so feat starved or anything that you wouldn't be able to build an otherwise competent combatant when not fighting spell-casters.

Although Ectar's build has some great defenses, but I fail to see how it's supposed to deal with some of the most basic of caster defenses, and ultimately offense is the best defense against a caster.

Traits: Scorned By Magic, Sound Mind

Isn't sticking with monk for Diamond Soul a little redundant with Drow when you can get much higher SR with Noble Spell Resistance? I do like the abundant step pickup, though.

Prompted a new turn for me, however. What about Cavern Sniper 1 / Zen Archer 3 / Enlightened Paladin 16? I like sticking with Paladin for the spells, better LoH and, most importantly, Aura of Perfection at 11. Going as an archer seems like it'll help with offense and mobility and being able to cast unlimited deeper darkness and faerie fire as a swift action each round is awesome. Only thing you lose is the Divine Bond that sticks with your unarmed strikes, which feels a little wasteful. Maximize Cha and Wis.

And I feel like the saves with a massive Charisma score and Grace will be significantly higher than the Dwarf rager.


I think I goofed up. The Fey Magic ability wouldn't let me reroll caster level checks AGAINST me, would it? That was sort of the crux of the build and using Aura of Perfection to double down on it. The GM would be rolling for caster level checks on the NPC's attack, so that isn't subject to Fey Magic, right? Just your own checks against others' SR? If so, that sorta kills my mojo.


Yeah, it's basically impossible without accessing abilities that force others to make re-rolls to do what you're wanting to do.

There are ways to do that ... going on memory, most of those are Mythic. At least insofar as being able to do so LOTS of times per day.

Dark Archive

Also, be sure your GM is okay with you taking improved spell resistance, considering it's a 3pp feat AND a monster feat.


Ectar wrote:

Untouchable primalist dwarf with the destined bloodline.

Take steel soul feat. Glory of old trait. Fate's favored trait.
Level 8, trade out certain strike for superstitious and something else.

Now you've got a scaling morale bonus to saves, a static +5 v.s. spells, SLAs, and poisons, a scaling luck bonus to saves and AC, and spell resistance as above.

Exactly this.

Another good option...

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/inquisitor/archetypes/inquisit or-archetypes-paizo/spellbreaker/

Dwarven Spellbreaker

(1) Hardy, with Steel Soul and Glory of Old (+5 racial bonus on saves vs spells)
(2) Strong Willed (Roll twice for will saves against mind affecting effect and pick the highest!)
(3) Defense Against Magic (Pick a spell school and get bonus saves against it)
(4) Impervious (Remember that spell school you chose? You are now immune to it. As a swift action you can make your friends immune to it to)

------------------------------------

Dwarven Witch Killer Slayer
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/slayer/archetypes/paizo-slay er-archetypes/witch-killer-slayer-archetype/

(1) Hardy as above
(2) Supersitition and other rage powers that work constantly
(3) Bonuses when fighting wizards

I especially like the Witch Killer Slayer build. Because you don't need to rage for superstition, you always have the benefit. So at lvl 12 for example, the dwarf is getting a static +10 on all saves against magic. That's crazy good.


there's an inquisitor archetype that becomes entirely immune to a school of magic of your choosing at level 20 cuz thats not at all a long term investment.

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