| Gunn |
Hi I'm playing a Wizard Blaster. I'm looking to increase the DC of my spells to ensure I get full damage as often as possible. So far I've found the feats spell focus and Greater, and Elemental Focus and Greater. Thats 4 feats to only increase the dc by 4 though. Does anyone know of any other ways I can increase the dc of my saves? Oh and Yes I have considered persistant spell already.
ossian666
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Increase your casting stat with spells, equipment and levels. There may also be a trait or two, but off the top of my head I can't think of any.
Glass cannons are poo poo IMO. Pathfinder did a decent job of making them seem a lot less threatening by giving almost everything a save. Its to keep everything in line damage wise.
| David Haller |
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The trick here - I say this as a player of fey-bloodline sorcerer who's quite dependent on enemies failing saves - is not only to boost your spell DCs but to reduce your enemies' saves.
Preface an attack with an intimidate (or dazzling display) to induce the "shaken" condition on enemies before spellcasting - that's a -2 to their saves. Summoned monsters with high intimidate, Int 3 animal companions with the dazzling display feat, minions (if you're using the leadership feat) are all ways to do this, as well as others.
If you have an enemy with a low fort save but a high will save, it's worth imposing the sickened condition first (perhaps a low level spell or spell with metamagic feat might accomplish this), and THEN follow up with a will save. Conversely, hit a high-fort creature with bestow curse (leveraging its low will save to impose a -4 penalty on ALL saves) and THEN hit it with poison, or baleful polymorph, or what-have-you.
Party members or cohorts with the ability to impose save penalties (witches are perfect for this) are great for set-up; just delay until they've gone, and leverage their save debuff with save-or-suck spells (finger of death, dominate person, and so on).
(And need I mention enervate? THE prep spell for dominating a strong humanoid or monster?)
The point being - teamwork!
(Obviously, too, crank up ability scores as high as possible - level bonuses, stat boost items, inherent bonuses via wish spells later on - to max out your native DCs; as you've mentioned, the persistent spell feat is fantastic (and available as a rod!))
Extremum case (level 20 party):
Sorcerer, level 20, with charisma 38 (20 to start, +5 untyped from levels, +5 inherent from wish, +6 enhancement from stat item, +2 profane from dominated Succubus) with spell and gretaer spell focus (evocation), elemental and greater elemental (say, cold) and focused spell, casting a Cone of Cold, would have (for the primary target) a save DC of 35.
If the primary enemy had been "prepped" earlier in the round (let's say he's shaken by the ranger's animal companion (Int 3, large wolf, maxed intimidate, with intimidating prowess and dazzling display) for -2, and at -4 from the sorcerer's witch cohort's "evil eye", AND under the effects of the same witch's "misfortune") is making a DC 35 reflex save at a -6 penalty. Yikes. If that's not enough, we could further prep with "bestow curse", a few "enervates", and so on... you get the idea.
For a caster, it's VERY useful to arrange your party, animals, cohorts, called or summoned creatures and so on with an eye to debuffing enemies' abilities to resist your save-or suck spells.
| Matrixryu |
When you qualify it, pick your favorite spell and use it with the Spell Perfection feat. This will increase your DCs for that spell by another 4 (if you have all those feats improving it) and gives you free metamagic.
This won't increase your DCs, but Spell Specialization might help you increase the damage even more.
| meabolex |
Does anyone know of any other ways I can increase the dc of my saves?
For a blaster, save DCs are part of the battle, but they shouldn't be the important focus. The name of the game is: damage, damage, damage! If you up your caster level enough as well as tack on additional damage per spell, you can easily make up for the damage lost from a failed save.
Consider:
5d6 (17.5 avg) fireball with level 5 universalist wizard with 23 Int (assuming stat booster) and (Greater) Spell Focus Evocation + (Greater) Elemental Focus: DC 23.
versus
8d6 + 2 (30 avg) fireball with level 5 invoker wizard with 18 Int and Spell Focus Evocation/Varisian Tattoo/Spell Specialization: DC 18
Let's assume that the DC 18 spell will pass half the time (so vs. reflex save +7). That yields an overall damage output of 22.5 on avg versus non-evasion mobs.
With the DC 23 version versus that DC (75% chance of failed save), the average is 15.3125. . . or about 47% more damage for low DC/high damage guy. Even versus evasion mobs, the caster level stacking/low Int guy is still doing more overall damage (15 versus 13.125).
So the goal should be: up the damage any way I can *then* up the DCs any way I can.
The Drunken Dragon
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Have a witch handy...she de-buffs everybody, ruins their saves, and then just go nuts...
Other than that, there isn't much you can do to increase evocation beyond what's already been suggested. Gnomes and kitsune can increase the DCs of illusion and enchantment spells respectively with their racial traits, but no race improves evocation (yet). BUT picking a race that gives bonuses to Intelligence (such a Tieflings, Elves, Sylphes, etc. will have a great boon effect. Also, if you want to specialize with elemental spells anyway, I think (can't be sure) that some genieblooded races provide benefits to save DCs for elemental spells. Or is that only for sorcerous bloodlines. Dunno...