Couldn't we just make Create Water a 1st level spell?
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I was thinking something along the same lines. Allowing players to pick any two skills of their choice seems a bit dull and dry; pairing skills can place a character in a position of having some talent in a skill they wouldn't normally use. The option you've presented retains the feel of the old feats but trims page space.
Honestly, while I do like the Wild Soul's summoning abilites, an overall better choice for the theme you've chosen is the Beguiler (Player's Handbook 2), particularly is you choose to play a Grey or Sun Elf (gnome make excellent Beguilers too, particularly as a lead-in to Shadowcraft Mage). Broad skill list with plenty of skill points, lots of charms and illusions, and useful class abilites. The tight-focus spell list might chafe with you a little but it isn't terrible (better than the Warmage's list, personally). Consider a 1-lvl dip into Mindbender (Complete Arcane) to make the most of Advanced Learning. A lot of people underate bards, too, which would also fit your theme, though I'd definately be aiming at levels in Lyric Thaumaturge (Complete Mage) and/or Sublime Chord (Complete Arcane).
I've been following the development of this film pretty closely, and so far I'm cautiously optimistic. It won't be *exactly* as Alan Moore wrote it of course but you'd be niave to think it would be. There are changes, omissions and additions but Zack Synder does seem to 'get' the themes of Watchmen. Dave Gibbons has been involved in the project from the beginning and seems very positive about it.
Sounds kind of like the "spirit guide" concept like in Star Trek Voyager or the current season of Heroes (Matt Parkman). Or maybe kind of like Irish dude from Braveheart. I'm not up to speed on this season's Heroes yet, but who was the 'spirit guide' in Braveheart? I haven't seen that movie in over a decade. But it's good to see we both think on the same lines... the divine companion needs to be a bit meatier and actually be something the player or character can interact with :)
Hey folks. Looks like my next character will be a Paladin-Sorcerer gish, and I've been contemplating using the sorcerer's 'divine companion' alternate class feature from Complete Champion. For those who aren't familiar with it, it replaces your familiar and allows you to convert arcane spell levels into either a self-heal or self-warding effect. It's actually not a bad little trick. Unfortunaely, why the feature description is quite clear on how the divine companion works, it isn't very clear on what it *is*. It's described only as a 'spirit creature' that is 'invisible and intangible' and that it 'exists outside reality and cannot be affected by spells, spell-like abilities, or any sort of antimagic effect or dispel check'. There's nothing more than that; no stat block, no fluff, not even an example. This gives me a bit of a conundrum for a group of players and GM who care very much about character and story. So what I'd liek to know is how any of you would approach the divine companion. It's a spirit, sure, but is it intelligent? Can it communicate with it's host sorceror, or with other characters? Can it 'do' anything beyond converting spell energy? All I can come up is with an Obi-wan Kenobi-esque entity (ie it's intelligent, knowledgeable, and can be seen when it wants to be, but even this presumes much much more that what is actually described). How would you go about 'fluffing' your divine companion?
Probably a very basic question but it pays to be certain on these things... does the effect of the Tongues spell cover written language as well? The spells states the recipitent can understand the language of "any intelligent creature", but description only discusses spoken language.
I just adore the Styes. I have the two Dungeon issues that features adventures in the Styes, but I've never had a chance to run them - my group plays do infrequently lately odds we'll all have to quit long before the characters are a high enough level. But I just love the creepy, flavoured horror those two adventures provide.
Those HR series books rocked. It's a real shame we'll never see sourcebooks like those for the current edition of D&D.
There was a recentish Dragon article on poisob making... I can't recall which issue unfortunately, mine are on loan to a friend... but it covered the ins-and-outs of making poisons. The Complete Adventurer and Arms & Equipment Guide both have detailed rules on creating poisons, but even without those books you could just use the standard craft rules. 1) The skill you need is Craft (poision making). Your DM might allow you to use Craft (alchemy) instead though, given that it's the skill you use to identify a posion with the Detect Poison spell. Also check with your DM if he/she wants to handle the "harvesting" of poisons from dead creatures or plants; if they go with the idea they might ask for a Survival check to "extract" the neccesary glands. 2) Poison descriptions and costs are on pg 297 of the DMG. You can use the standard craft rules from those values given there, though the Adventurer/A&EG rules are a little more realistic. 3) If you want to make big use of poisons, the Poison Use ability (which is not available as a feat) is very useful to have. You can get it with Assassin and Blackguard PrCs, though both require you to be evil. I've had DMs 'stretch' the Assassin class to neutral PCs before though, yours might be willing to do the same. 3) If you can't get Poison Use, pick a race with a racial immunity or resistance to poisons. Dwarfs are probably your best bet; even the standard dwarf gets +2 vs poison. Deep Dwarves increase this bonus to +3 and Duergar are completely immune (though they have a +1 LA). 4) If all else fails, consider playing a rogue/druid instead. Druids get the Poison spell at 5th level and have a bunch of stealth-enhancing abilites and spells. Hope all that helps.
To be frank I've never regarded lightning bolt as being in any way inferior to fireball; both have their uses. Fireball can hit a larger number of targets but lightning bolt can be aimed more precisely if you want to avoid hitting party members (which you do). But if you really find fireball that much better than lightning bolt, there was a great little optional rule presented in an issue of Dragon magazine (can't remember which). Instead of centering your spread and burst spells on a corner, you pick a target square, then roll a d4 to randomly determine which corner the spell emanates from. That random variable makes spread and burst spells a little less reliable and nicely reduces the kind of "precision bombing" effects we often get with fireball spells.
It's a start. Thanks for your feedback. I'm thinking of taking this spell for a sorcerer PC I'm hoping to play, but unfortantely the spell description is so close to Wall of Dispel Magic and yet so frustratingly vague at the same time. Cheers anyway!
Prismatic Mist isn't in the Spell Compendium, but there are a number of other new Prismatic and colour-themed spells. The Mist might be feom Complete Mage, I don't know. I was attempting to build a character along the same concept not long ago. I would recommenc investigating the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil PrC from Complete Arcane, if you have it. The pre-reqs are pricey but the abilities it grants are very nice indeed.
I am creating a halfling Rogue with Two-Weapon Fighting and Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Shuriken) and I was wondering if I could use TWF to throw two shurikens at a time? It would seem like this would work but I wanted to get everyone's input on it. Is this covered somewhere in one of the rulebooks? I think I vaguely remember something about it in the RAW. It would seem like this would work but I wanted to see if there is a prexisting rule for this before I go about creating a house rule. Actually, the Quick Draw feat isn't required for shuriken as they're considered ammunition for purposes of drawing. A weapon thrown from an off-hand would only recieve half your strength bonus to damage, as with any off-hand attack. If it doesn't hurt hid build to much, I strongly suggest the OP look at the Master Thrower PrC from Complete Warrior. Two possible class abilities, namely Sneaky Shot and (if you have low Strength) Palm Throw might suit his character well.
Just a query regarding the spell Dispelling Screen (Spell Compendium pg 67, I believe it was also printed in Tome and Blood as Otiluke's Dispelling Screen). The spell description states that "spell effects not operating on creatures or objects cannot pass through the screen". Does anyone know exactly what this means? Does the screen block line of effect? Would it halt a fireball spell, for example, or cause it to detonate prematurely?. If a spell has a target, and it targets a creature or onject on the opposite side of a dispelling screen, would it be considered to be "operating" on that target and this not blocked by the screen? Would a summoned creature be able to pass through the wall? Finally, aside from its visual manifestation and the fact that it cannot affect attended magic items, how does this spell differ from the 5th-level Wall of Dispel Magic?
You know, I hadn't actually thought about that. I'm too used to playing wizards and clerics. With the focus on abjuation spells, defensive magic would be one sub-theme, while "colour" and "light" being to other. Since most spells that deal with colour or light are offensive in nature that probably showhorns me into being a 'blaster'-type caster as well. Thanks for th tips on Color Spray. I always did like the look of it, but it didn't occur to me how effect it could be. Cheers guys!
Fantastic stuff Saern... exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. Though prismatic spray is actually an evocation spell, not illusion... :) Yes, attempting the Initiate as a sorcerer is bound to be fraut with problems, unused spells perhaps being the biggest of them, but I'm game for a little challenge. We don't yet use PHB2 in our games so my options are limited, but the Spell Compendium helps out a great deal. Your idea of using Metamagic, and Extend Spell in particular, was one I hadn't thought of and it's one I think I'll try out. On the topic of spells, Color spray seems a great little spell at low levels, but doesn't it run out steam past about level 5 or so? To be honest I haven't used it in the current edition of the game. I'm guessing you've had good success with it?
OOhhh! I really like that! I never played that game, but I may just go pick up a few cards and check out the artwork. Wait, what am I saying, I have a 13 year old boy with a kazillion of those cards, I'm gonna go raid his room! Honestly... the quality of some of that artwork is the reason I even play the game. As a player I'm pretty terrible!
Yeah... the inspiration I got for this character was from a Magic the Gathering card, whch you can see here. Just feel in love with it first sight. (Art by Michael Komarck. Credit given when credit due!)
and I thought I was the only one who tried charming the DM... ;) I know sorcerers can be frustrating as heck to play, I played on years ago, but I'm tired of just playing wizards and clerics (the party roles I often find myself lumped with). But I don't mind a bit of challenge. I like your Draconic idea. I thought of using the Draconic Heritage feats from Complete Arcane but with the requirements for the PrC I'm going for I won't really have enough feats to spare. On a side note... I often use artwork or in rarer cases miniatures as inspiration for my characters... more than once have I played a PC based soley on a piece of art or potrait. Does anybosy else do this too?
Hey folks. I've been planning out my next PC and I think I'd like to try a sorcerer for a change, and I'd like to try for the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil PrC from Complete Arcane (pg 44). I know wizards are strictly supperior to sorcerers, especially for a requirement-heavy PrC like the Initiate, but I've played plenty of those lately and I'd really prefer something different. I haven't picked a race yet, nor what feats to grab first, so i'm open to sugestions there. The class requirements make me think human, but I love playing gnomes and halfings for their quirks. I'd like to know what all your prefered choices would be. I'm also going to need help selecting my spells so as to meet the class rather hefty requirments (for a sorcerer, anyway). I'd like to know what your favourite abjuration spells are, hopefully with out having to "double up" on effects too much (ie, not taking multiple spells that all create a simllar effect). I'd like to embarce the PrC's sub-theme of "colour" magic too, but hopefully without compromising effectiveness too much. So in short - what races make good sorcerers, and are there other PrCs I should look out for that compliment the Initate of the Sevenfold Veil?
The sourcebooks I'l be using are the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, Complete Arane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior and the Spell Compendium. Cheers!
Well I can't help but be somewhat livid about losing access to the best D&D content produced (I'm not the kind of person who buys online content), I'll try to bide my rage for a few minutes and ask some constructive questions :P Presumably the Pathfinder series are being written by in-house writers - ie, people who have worked with Paizo in the past. This would mean Paizo would no longer be accepting submissions from new writers, correct? If that's not the case, will submission guidleines for Pathfinder be made availabe?
I think I'll be designing myself a salad golem for my next adventure.
Well, I imagine Lavinia might have something to say about the party exhuming her recently deceased brother, though I'm sure the party would be able to convince her that it's absolutely neccesary. Best solution is to think of a creative way to get rid of Vanthus's body. How about: * The party arrive at the graveite, only to find it's been dug up as if by some tremendous apelike beast... and Vanthus's remains are gone. * The grave is intact, in fact appears completely undisturbed. But the body simply gone. * They dig up the body, but when they cast the spell, it ignites in mysterious flames and turns to ash - laughing all the while (remember the Isle of Dread is aysterious place... the normal rules of magic don't have to apply). * The spell seems to function normally at first, giving you a great oppurtunityto do a little creepy foreshadowing of events to come. But then the body unexpectedly animates, and attacks the party, crumbling into dust when destroyed.
It may be a moot point in most cases, but casting Mage Armor or your plate-wearing fighters isn't utterly pointless. Unlike other armor bonuses, Mage Armor isn't ignored by incorporeal touch attacks, making it very useful when fighting shadows, wraiths and other incorporeal undead. |