Woden Finklestein's page

I'd like to take a very controversial position here and side with the stat block generator. The stat block generator is back engineered alien technology and it doesn't make mistakes. If someone is wrong it has to be us. We don't even fully understand the stat block generator yet or it's awesome power.

I posted a fun build at the end of the other Theurge thread linked to at the top. I won't repost here because 1) There is a link at the top. 2) I think we aren't supposed to be redundant in threads. and 3) I think we aren't supposed to be redundant in threads.

Sweeet...

Requirements
Spells: Able to cast 2nd-level divine spells and 2nd-level arcane spells.

My understanding is that Spell Like Abilities do not count as Spells and cannot be used to meet the prerequisite for the prestige class.

I've had several fun builds with this. Of course you don't have to take it as soon as possible. You could wait till your fifth level Wizard Feat and be off a couple caster levels or whatever class feature you want to grab from the class tree before switching.

One of my builds was a Sorcerer (fey)/Oracle(Waves)who was a pirate on the Inner Sea. It takes an extra level of each class to qualify but both are CHA based casters so you can jack that skill up for bonus spells and higher saves. This guy was surprisingly adequate in combat as well. I referred to him as a "second line" fighter and gave him a Long Spear so he could stand behind tanks and threaten the same squares. I went ahead and sprung for Extra Revelations to get more Oracle features while advancing in Theurge. Sure I gave up other feat options but it's always a choice and I liked how this guy turned out.

With spontaneous casting for both lists I could really just pick whatever spell I wanted. Quicken spell of course let's you cast two spells. And if you play through tenth level of Theurge and get Spell Synthesis you can theoretically cast three spells in a round. A quickened spell followed by a Divine spell simultaneous with an Arcane spell.

One of my tricks was the Water Sight Revelation which allowed me to see through mist or fog combined with Obscuring Mist (Or at 14th Level Cloud Kill and a necklace of adaptation.) Poke and move with the Long Spear. It was a blast.

I also had a +2 con bonus, Toughness and was a half elf adding hit points for two preferred classes to help make up some wherewithal.

Of course Detect Good and Evil would be great in real life. It would have solved many problems in my life right up front. I probably would have had two fewer marriages. It makes the subjective nature of good and evil more difficult in the game world though because you cast a spell and get a yes or no answer. I went through a phase during the 3.5 era of answering that spell with more description often listing virtues or vices. Detect evil: "You know that the man you see before you has greed in his heart and hatred." Detect Good: "The woman standing before you is both virtuous and chaste. She is both patient and kind." That worked pretty well for avoiding a yes/no response to detection spells. If they had cleric levels or other levels that provided an "Aura of Evil" or "Aura of Good" I would just say absolutely evil or good.

Opposing ideologies and philosophies of good. King Richard saw himself as good and fighting for God. Saladin saw himself as good and fighting for God. They did eventually come to a peace agreement but fought many battles against each other before that. Good characters who have rigid ideologies and are not open to other ideas often come into conflict. Of course in the real world Good and Evil are morally relativistic and not absolute. For instance the Holy Inquisition sees itself as Good while a protestant on the wrack might see it as Evil. In our fantasy worlds it is easier to have an absolute "good" and an absolute "Evil". But it doesn't have to be that way. Even Good Gods can disagree and as long as you follow your Gods ideology you would be considered "Good" by your God.

If Abadar see's the building of a mighty merchant fleet to serve the greater good of civilization his followers might run into conflict with the followers of Ketephys who protect the trees being cut down to build the fleet. Their opposition is not because one is lawful and one is chaotic it's because of the difference between what each of them sees as Good, righteous, worthy.

It's true to say that these folks are more likely to solve their problems with diplomacy than evil characters but strongly held ideologies can be powerful motivators. If the followers of Abadar have already cut down several acres of "sacred" forest you will also have motivators like outrage and horror and injustice to deal with. For Abadar the outrage and injustice might be standing in the way of progress. How dare those backward Elves delay the construction of my fleet and attack unarmed lumber jacks!