So my group is starting a new game, what is known about it is: it will be going to highish levels and the focus of plot will be conquring/refounding the remains of the old Thassilonian Empire. So far the group is: an Alchemist (Bomb focused), a Paladin (Masachistic Tank), a Cavilier (ride-by lance charging) as well as two others who haven't decided yet. In my varoius other games I'm going straight up caster(blaster) in one and Bard(buffs) in another so I wanted to avoid that, but with all of the history and lore surrounding the Runelords and thassilon I wanted to play an arcane character, so I settled on Eldritch Knight. Now I know that this prestige class isn't exactly the greatest in the world, but I'll only be down 2 casting levels from full caster, and will have more options than a caster would, so I think it will work out alright, but I would apreciate a loo-over of the build to make sure I'm not doing something really dumb.
(This is going to be statted out to 16th level, without gear)
Hunam Ranger 1 / Wizard (Thassilonian Necromancer) 5 / Eldritch Knight 10
STR: 16 (+2 from Levels)
DEX: 14
CON: 12
INT: 20 (racial +2, +2 from levels)
WIS: 10
CHA: 8
feats:
1: Toughness
1: Power Attack
3: Combat Vasting
5: Arcane Strike
5: Craft Wonderopus Item
6: Weapon focus: Longsword
7: Spell focus Necromancy
9: Quicken Spell
11: Arcane Blast
11: Weapon Specialization: Longsword
13: Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
15: Spell Penetration
15: Improved Critical: Longsword
I'm not sure about arcane blast, I may be replacing it with spell penetration, and then pick up G> Spell penetration at 15th.
Any advice would be apreciated.
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Are you married to the idea of using a melee weapon? I feel a ranged build works better with the Wizard/Eldritch Knight. I would also suggest Fighter(for the bonus feat) as your single level dip instead of Ranger.
Also, have you considered a Magus instead of an Eldritch Knight. I have personally played both and for a melee focused build I would probably choose Magus to be able to wear some armor.
If you want to play melee Eldritch Knight I would choose a weapon with a higher crit range which is finessable such as a Kukri. You will need to pump Dex a bit in order to have competitive AC and Relfex saves. In addition a Light weapon such as the Kukri allows you to switch to Pirahna strike instead of power attack. The agile weapon enhancement would be great if allowed. Then i would dump Arcane Blast and pick up Improved Crit giving you a 15-20 crit range to synergize with Spell Critical from Eldritch Knight.
Not a big fan of Combat Casting.
As melee I would suggest a bit more Con. Below is an example of the more Dex/Con focused stat build.
STR 12
DEX 18 (+2 level)
Con 14
INT 18 (+2 race, +2 level)
WIS 10
CHA 8
Are you married to the idea of using a melee weapon? I feel a ranged build works better with the Wizard/Eldritch Knight. I would also suggest Fighter(for the bonus feat) as your single level dip instead of Ranger.
Also, have you considered a Magus instead of an Eldritch Knight. I have personally played both and for a melee focused build I would probably choose Magus to be able to wear some armor.
If you want to play melee Eldritch Knight I would choose a weapon with a higher crit range which is finessable such as a Kukri. You will need to pump Dex a bit in order to have competitive AC and Relfex saves. In addition a Light weapon such as the Kukri allows you to switch to Pirahna strike instead of power attack. The agile weapon enhancement would be great if allowed. Then i would dump Arcane Blast and pick up Improved Crit giving you a 15-20 crit range to synergize with Spell Critical from Eldritch Knight.
I do want to stick with a melee weapon. I have played a magus, but frankly I don't want to be a blaster with this character. I will likely have some damageing spells, but the Magus list is way too restrictive for me. I had considered going the dex route, but decided in favor of using a weapon I can 2 hand for extra power attack damage when I choose to attack, and can be weilded in 1 hand for when I cast a spell with my off hand and want AoOs. With the str method I' at 1d8+15 for 2 handed PA, with the dex build I'd be down a feat for weapon finesse and only at 1d8+12, assuming an agile weapon. I supposed the attack would be 2 higher, as well as AC so it is worth considering. Out of curiosity if your proposed build went with piranha attack and agile weapons, why still have a 12 STR?
Oh, and I went with Ranger because I feel at only 1 level the +2 REF, the +2 vs humans, the sack of extra class skill options and ability to use divine wands outweighed the 1 bonus feat.
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I think the EK capstone may be a trap. Since it uses swift actions you can't use it with Arcane Strike, and since you can't control when it triggers you can't rely on it. You give up Arcane Strike in the hope that you'll get a free spellcasting action. It also has problems with an Arcane Armor Training build. The feats you want for your first 15 levels don't work well with the capstone.
I agree, but if the you are putting a full 10 levels in you should be able to make the most benefit from the capstone. If you feel the capstone is not worth having then I would say to stop at 7 levels EK and 1 level Fighter(8 effective fighter levels for greater weapon focus).
I do want to stick with a melee weapon. I have played a magus, but frankly I don't want to be a blaster with this character. I will likely have some damageing spells, but the Magus list is way too restrictive for me. I had considered going the dex route, but decided in favor of using a weapon I can 2 hand for extra power attack damage when I choose to attack, and can be weilded in 1 hand for when I cast a spell with my off hand and want AoOs. With the str method I' at 1d8+15 for 2 handed PA, with the dex build I'd be down a feat for weapon finesse and only at 1d8+12, assuming an agile weapon. I supposed the attack would be 2 higher, as well as AC so it is worth considering. Out of curiosity if your proposed build went with piranha attack and agile weapons, why still have a 12 STR?Oh, and I went with Ranger because I feel at only 1 level the +2 REF, the +2 vs humans, the sack of extra class skill options and ability to use divine wands outweighed the 1 bonus feat.
The 12 STR is to allow you to carry more than a light handkerchief without hitting medium load.
I can see where you might want the extra REF, but with a DEX build it is not as important. The 1 level Ranger dip does not give you a caster level for using divine wands. Ranger's do not have a caster level until 4th level(unless using some archetype which alters spellcasting) and a Ranger's caster level is four less than the characters Ranger level.
At higher levels the class skill bonus starts to mean less. At lower levels some traits can give you specific skills as class skills which should be enough.
I think the EK capstone may be a trap. Since it uses swift actions you can't use it with Arcane Strike, and since you can't control when it triggers you can't rely on it. You give up Arcane Strike in the hope that you'll get a free spellcasting action. It also has problems with an Arcane Armor Training build. The feats you want for your first 15 levels don't work well with the capstone.I agree, but if the you are putting a full 10 levels in you should be able to make the most benefit from the capstone. If you feel the capstone is not worth having then I would say to stop at 7 levels EK and 1 level Fighter(8 effective fighter levels for greater weapon focus).
I do want to stick with a melee weapon. I have played a magus, but frankly I don't want to be a blaster with this character. I will likely have some damageing spells, but the Magus list is way too restrictive for me. I had considered going the dex route, but decided in favor of using a weapon I can 2 hand for extra power attack damage when I choose to attack, and can be weilded in 1 hand for when I cast a spell with my off hand and want AoOs. With the str method I' at 1d8+15 for 2 handed PA, with the dex build I'd be down a feat for weapon finesse and only at 1d8+12, assuming an agile weapon. I supposed the attack would be 2 higher, as well as AC so it is worth considering. Out of curiosity if your proposed build went with piranha attack and agile weapons, why still have a 12 STR?Oh, and I went with Ranger because I feel at only 1 level the +2 REF, the +2 vs humans, the sack of extra class skill options and ability to use divine wands outweighed the 1 bonus feat.
The 12 STR is to allow you to carry more than a light handkerchief without hitting medium load.
I can see where you might want the extra REF, but with a DEX build it is not as important. The 1 level Ranger dip does not give you a caster level for using divine wands. Ranger's do not have a caster level until 4th...
I agree with the STR and DEX points but...
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin(say ranger). The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Also spot on on the caster level but unless you want to use staves instead of wands it's not even an issue. Wands use the CL of the creator, usually the minimum needed to cast the stored spell.
[edit for clarification]
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I agree with the STR and DEX points but...
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin(say ranger). The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Also spot on on the caster level but unless you want to use staves instead of wands it's not even an issue. Wands use the CL of the creator, usually the minimum needed to cast the stored spell.
The problem with what you are suggesting is that it opens the door for any character with a one level dip to cast up to 4th level spells of the class they dip. For example imagine a Fighter who took a single level of Wizard which can now cast 4th level Sorcerer/Wizard spells. Is it reasonable to have near full BaB, plate armor, fighter feats, d10 HD, etc. AND casting 4th level spells. In addition you could buy a Wand at a level lower than would normally be allowed and cast spells not balanced for your level. A dip into Paladin or Ranger allows access to the highest level of spells available to those classes(restoration, cure crit, etc.). It seems like a bit of a risk to allow classes unable to cast a certain spell to use the wand of that spell. If I were the DM I would not allow it. If I were a player I would not expect it to be allowed.
The problem with what you are suggesting is that it opens the door for any character with a one level dip to cast up to 4th level spells of the class they dip. For example imagine a Fighter who took a single level of Wizard which can now cast 4th level Sorcerer/Wizard spells. Is it reasonable to have near full BaB, plate armor, fighter feats, d10 HD, etc. AND casting 4th level spells. In addition you could buy a Wand at a level lower than would normally be allowed and cast spells not balanced for your level. A dip into Paladin or Ranger allows access to the highest level of spells available to those classes(restoration, cure crit, etc.). It seems like a bit of a risk to allow classes unable to cast a certain spell to use the wand of that spell. If I were the DM I would not allow it. If I were a player I would not expect it to be allowed.I agree with the STR and DEX points but...
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin(say ranger). The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Also spot on on the caster level but unless you want to use staves instead of wands it's not even an issue. Wands use the CL of the creator, usually the minimum needed to cast the stored spell.
It's not a suggestion on how to interpret the rules, I quoted them as written from the PRD.
Fact; If you have a spell list you can use a wand, from 1st level.
By the way, yes, it's reasonable and balanced. Mostly by the fact that we're speaking about consummable resources; wands of spells above 1st or 2nd level are quite expensive and thus not a viable option if you follow the wealth by level guidelines.
Such wizard dipping fighter could, by the rules, also cast spells from a staff which are not limited to 4th level. Unbalanced you say? Wait for the 10 charges to expire and now he has a fancy quarterstaff and no ability to recharge it. Oh, and he is now from 50 to 100K(not exact, see the prices for staves) gold behind his party mates.
Alternately any class can invest a trait and a feat(skill focus UMD) to reliably use any wand or staff at mid levels too, no need for dipping at all.
[edit for spelling]
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The problem with what you are suggesting...I agree with the STR and DEX points but...
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin(say ranger). The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
He is right, one level of ranger/ paladin/ wizard/ etc is all you need to be able to use wands/ staves from those classes. The above isn't a suggestion, it is the rule from the book.
synthesist summoner. It's The New Hawtness in gishes.