We are playing Reign of Winter and our DM is giving us a free Coven Hex if we all play a witch. I have decided to play a gnome gravewalker witch with a one level dip into seige mage wizard. My idea is to have a small army of undead moving around a large canon or catapult while I control it from a tiny hut or something. It seems like it would be both amusing and unique in its play experience, and sense the undead will primarily be used as slave labor and not direct combat. It shouldn't slow down encounters like most army of undeads.
I plan on taking the feats Charnel Soldiers and stealth synergy
My questions.
1. Am I correct in thinking that with an army of undead, our stealth should be through the roof?
2. What schools can I do without, keeping in mind it's only 1 level. (1 for sure is necromancy as my witch is already covering those spells.)
3. What are some must have feats?
4. What are some must have items?
5 anything else.
First thing I'll say is that this is probably style over substance, and animating a big dumb beast of a monster will probably give you better damage output than having minions operate a siege engine.
I have decided to play a gnome gravewalker witch with a one level dip into seige mage wizard.
You're way better off just waiting until 5th level and expending the necessary feats to get the Siege Engineer feat. A level of spellcasting progression is significantly more valuable than two feats. Being able to stand 30 feet away from your siege engine isn't as helpful as it sounds when you're not a melee character anyways.
I plan on taking the feats Charnel Soldiers and stealth synergy
Do keep in mind that Stealth synergy only adds modifiers and lets you all share the highest roll. Ranks are not modifiers, meaning that your undead will not improve in stealth as you level up. This combo will work at low levels, but it will go obsolete eventually. Also it doesn't help with hiding the siege engine itself.
First thing I'll say is that this is probably style over substance, and animating a big dumb beast of a monster will probably give you better damage output than having minions operate a siege engine.
I have decided to play a gnome gravewalker witch with a one level dip into seige mage wizard.You're way better off just waiting until 5th level and expending the necessary feats to get the Siege Engineer feat. A level of spellcasting progression is significantly more valuable than two feats. Being able to stand 30 feet away from your siege engine isn't as helpful as it sounds when you're not a melee character anyways.
I plan on taking the feats Charnel Soldiers and stealth synergyDo keep in mind that Stealth synergy only adds modifiers and lets you all share the highest roll. Ranks are not modifiers, meaning that your undead will not improve in stealth as you level up. This combo will work at low levels, but it will go obsolete eventually. Also it doesn't help with hiding the siege engine itself.
As I said, this is sub par. But should also be a viable build. Also I will be hiding (with a decent stealth check) a good distance away from said engine in case an enemy caster decides to fireball it.
Which I should have a plus 24 from 6 improved initiatives.
Does anyone have any advice on how to benefit my build?
Anyone?
Which I should have a plus 24 from 6 improved initiatives....are you saying that you plan to take the Improved Initiative feat six times?
no, with the charnel soldiers feet, I can combine all bonuses from all those who have stealth Synergy and I'll take the best roll from myself and 6 skeletons, then myself and band of skeletons add it all together and share the same stealth score. Since i am a small creature, plus i have skill focus stealth. It will be best of 7 rolls plus 31 points. So if my best roll of 7 d20 is only a 7 then our stealth would be a whopping 38. If i cast invisibility on one of my skeletons, that is another plus 20 fir a total of 58!
Undead armies are very stealthy. If you have a river next to you.
That is an additional +8 for a cover bonus
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Also I will be hiding (with a decent stealth check) a good distance away from said engine in case an enemy caster decides to fireball it.
Which I should have a plus 24 from 6 improved initiatives.
A) Improved Initiative doesn't add to stealth.
B) Even if it did, you couldn't stack multiple copies of the same bonus. You'd only benefit once.C) Stealth Synergy only works if your companions are actually making a stealth check. If they don't have cover, they can't make a stealth check and you cannot take the result of their roll.
no, with the charnel soldiers feet, I can combine all bonuses from all those who have stealth Synergy and I'll take the best roll from myself and 6 skeletons, then myself and band of skeletons add it all together and share the same stealth score
You share the same stealth modifiers, not the same stealth score. Everyone still uses their own ranks, which for mindless skeletons is 0.
Stealth Synergy is still a great feat, but you seem to be attributing vastly more power to it than it actually has.
I cant believe my brain made that connection. Your right. My plan was to give them a bonus to stealth.
I like when I speak there is an unintentional 50% chance stupid comes out.
Ok, so i will be buying cloaks of elven kind i guess.
Your right abiut the ranks. But i will only be investing 1 point into it. So the difference is marginal.
I will still end up with a good stealth roll and score.
Ok, so i will be buying cloaks of elven kind i guess.
You could only benefit from one. The Cloak of Elvenkind adds a +5 circumstance bonus that everyone can share thanks to Stealth Synergy. Adding more Cloaks of Elvenkind won't stack. You get to share those modifiers, but it's still a circumstance bonus so it wouldn't stack.
Hmmm. I think the dm is going to allow it. In this case, he is reading all and interpreting as all.
While it seems that you have made your selection on a witch, if the others need some ideas, the Paragon Hags and Occult Covens product from Zenith Games has a lot of great ideas. The one thing that really struck me was a hag/coven members ability to spread spells amongst their covenmates, making them incredible buffers. Assuming your GM allows it, your party members might find some interesting choices or a good idea that might push them over to considering an all witch party if they were on the fence.
For your concept, the others seem to have covered the bases. I can understand how a gnome might be fascinated with a siege engine and making a crew for it (rather than just the giant undead beast). Making them stealthy is probably going to be tough without magic, and then, as pointed out, getting the siege engine moved around and concealed. invisibility sphere would probably serve you the best. That would cover the crew (and yourself if you wanted to be close). You'd need a straight invisibility for the siege engine (assuming it's less than 100 pounds per caster level). Of course, it would end when they start attacking (for them and the engine). You could remain invisible as long as stick to buffing or directing the siege attacks. Of course, when you attack you could use your tiny hut as you planned to conceal the exact location of yourself, crew, and the siege engine.
We do have 3 others who are going to be a winter witch, White haired witch, and a kineticist witch.
If I make the seige engine, then cast invisibility on it, cast permanency on it, what happens once the seige engine fires? Will it stay invisible? Will it become visible, then after short time go invisible? Will it become visible, and stay visible?
I also plan to cast blend with surroundings on one of the skeletons and have them remain still.
Pizza
What 4 schools would best be left alone. Keeping in mind that I will only be taking one level as a wizard. And some of the spells are duplicated by witch.
I I was thinking about giving up evocation, but floating disk is so useful.
I want to keep abjuration for the defensive spells, divination for true strike.
Right now, I am thinking transmutation, enchantment, conjuration, and necromancy.
Caster level of 9 at 750 lbs.
What 4 schools would best be left alone.
Since you're only taking one level of Wizard, it really doesn't matter that much. It's going to represent a very tiny fraction of your total casting abilities.
I I was thinking about giving up evocation, but floating disk is so useful.
Pretty much outclassed by the Mount spell, which lasts longer and has a higher carrying capacity. A light horse can carry up to 690 lbs within the limit of its heavy load. The floating disk does have some utility in that it cannot be attacked, by being limited to 100 lbs means you'll often run into circumstances where the item you want to move is too heavy.
I want to keep abjuration for the defensive spells
The duration will be too short, lasting only 1 minute. Shield and Protection from Evil certainly aren't useless, but at 1 minute duration it'll be tricky to prebuff with them.
Right now, I am thinking transmutation, enchantment, conjuration, and necromancy.
Conjuration is a bit mixed as a choice. On the one hand it has a lot of overlap with the Witch list, but on the other hand the spells it does have are some of the least dependent on caster level so they'll get the best value out of those weak slots (Grease, Obscuring Mist, Mount, Expeditious Construction, and Unseen Servant). The others, I'd agree, are pretty passable if you're stuck at CL 1 and have the Witch list.
Dasrak you sold me on mount vs. Disk. Unless anyone convinces me otherwise, I'll go with enchantment, necromancy, evocation, and transmutation.
I assume your GM is overlooking the hag requirement or has it covered in some other way?
He is looking other way