My 10th-level sorceress has a fair amount of money after our last haul or two, and she's in the biggest city around (a "metropolis"), which hosts a wizard's academy to boot. In short, I want her to do some shopping, but I need someone to come with and help in sorting out what metamagic rods to buy. Fun, right? :)
Str 13 / Dex 14 / Con 16 / Int 14 / Wis 12 / Cha 24* (we rolled dice)
(*including +4 enhancement from headband)
Traits (sadly not especially relevant):
- Influence - social (a mistake)
- Fate's Favored - faith for +1 to all Luck bonuses
- mostly standard racial traits
- Sacred Tattoo - racial for +1 luck on all saves, +2 w/ Fortune's Favored
- Skilled - +1 skill rank per level
She has the following --
- Craft Wondrous Item
- Elemental Focus (fire)
- Point-Blank Shot
- Precise Shot
- Selective Spell
- Lightning Reflexes (bonus feat; to aid Ring of Evasion)
- 2 feats to be determined - at 11th & 13th (at least one of the two has to be metamagic)
- Empower Spell - bonus feat at 13th
- Spell Perfection - at 15th
- Spell Penetration - at 17th (I don't want this before Spell Perfection; I don't think +2 on a 1d20 roll is worth it, but +4 is)
- 2 mystery feats - at 19th (one is a bonus feat; I'm not worrying about what these should be just yet)
Equipment:
I compared her gear to the Automatic Bonus Progression table. She has the Resistance +3 Cloak (and also gets +2 from Luck). I'm assuming that her +4 CHA headband is equivalent to two +2 items, one for physical & one for mental. (Although I'm making a note that a +4 physical would be good to get over the next couple of levels.) Likewise, I'm assuming that a +3 Amulet of Natural Armor is equivalent to Deflection +2 & Toughness (NA) +1. If not, I'm behind, although I'll be buying something that adds +2 Luck as well. Her Bracers of Armor +4 seem to be doing the job of Armor +2. (Her total AC will be 21 after her purchases.) She hasn't worried about weapons. Other odd items include a Ring of Evasion, a Ring of Cold Resistance +30 (plus she gets Fire Resistance 20 from her bloodline), a Rod of Flame Extinguishing, and a Handy Haversack.
A tour of the wizard's academy turned up the following magic items for sale:
- 5K ~~ Scabbard of Many Blades (Slotless; to store my rods)
- 5K ~~ Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier (Head; for +1 Luck to AC, +1 more due to trait)
- 11K ~ Blazing Robe (Body; for +1 CL for Fire spells) OR
- 10K ~ Glove of Storing (Hands; to get one rod as free action)
(She wants to buy the first two items, plus the robe unless I hear protests that the glove is better, and so she has set aside 21K from her treasure trove of 87K. She won't have time to craft anything before adventure is upon us, and somehow buying one more 10K item at full price is just too much extravagance! She'll get to the second item when she has a spare moment, sometime after Armageddon.)
My question to you in part is what feats to plan for 11th & 13th levels, so I can coordinate rod purchases around them.
Non-metamagic feats
The following possible feats have occurred to me and not gotten whittled off the list:
- Arcane Blast (inefficient as all get-out, but no resistances apply)
- Quick Draw (to draw rods from the Scabbard as a free action)
- Again, I'm planning on Spell Penetration at 17th level, but am prepared to entertain vociferous arguments for not waiting.
-- I'm also more than happy to hear suggestions for what ought to be on this list.
- Lesser Maximize Metamagic Rod (I've been loving it!)
- Selective Spell (as feat)
- Empower Spell (not yet, but as 13th level bonus feat)
- 14K ~ Lesser Dazing Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Ectoplasmic Metamagic Rod*
- 11K ~ Elemental Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Focused Metamagic Rod*
- 5.5K ~ Merciful Metamagic Rod*
- 9K ~~ Lesser Persistent Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Piercing Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Silent Metamagic Rod*
- 11K ~ Still Metamagic Rod* (although I have to wonder if this is pointless)
*I'm thinking of these as rod purchases for sure; they're awfully situational for a feat slot. The question then becomes priority. OTOH, I might want to avoid buying Dazing, Elemental, Persistent, or Piercing metamagic as rods at all, depending on what feats I plan to pick.
Note that since she doesn't have a lot of commissioning time, she can't get any Quicken Rods at all right now. And the feat will clearly have to wait, as it likely won't be very useful till 13th level. So for Quicken Spell, it is purely a question of very important planning.
Also, a better Maximize Rod isn't on this list, but I'll eventually want a regular Maximize rod, too. As I do the math, it just isn't worth the level adjustment as a feat.
Whew! I hope you all can help. I'm awash in possibilities here.
a quickend rod would be really useful for you but sadly seems to out of your budget
I soooo agree! I could afford a lesser one if I had the time to commission it, and just buy fewer rods "off the shelf." Sadly, I don't.
Woooo hoooo! Hee hee! I just conducted a high-finance deal to unload a staff I didn't want in the first three places (for half-price, and the promise to recharge it in SIX LEVELS). I hate book staves.
But my shopping expedition just got a lot better funded -- another 26K!!!!
If your gm is using the pre errata Jingasa with the luck bonus I would jump all over it, you can't get better defense for 5k.
You have craft wondrous items and a pile of cash, do you have time to craft your own stuff? Half price is seet, and would save you cash for the rods you cannot make.
If your gm is using the pre errata Jingasa with the luck bonus I would jump all over it, you can't get better defense for 5k.
Oh oh. What errata? I don't see one in the FAQ for Ultimate Equipment, and I pulled the description off the PRD, which I'd think would get updated...
Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier
Price 5,000 gp; Aura strong divination; CL 15th; Weight 3 lbs.This conical iron jingasa, or war hat, grants the wearer a +1 luck bonus to AC. Once per day when struck by a critical hit or sneak attack, the wearer can spend an immediate action to negate the critical hit or sneak attack (similar to the fortification armor special ability, but without requiring a roll). The damage is instead rolled normally.
How should it read?
If there is a relevant one that didn't get noted, I'll feel betrayed. And what about the Luckstone?
Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone)
Price 20,000 gp; Aura faint evocation; CL 5th; Weight —This small bit of agate grants its possessor a +1 luck bonus on saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks.
You have craft wondrous items and a pile of cash, do you have time to craft your own stuff? Half price is seet, and would save you cash for the rods you cannot make.
I know, I know. Buying Wondrous Items at full price is killing me. But no, I don't. I would have 16 days for commissions, in that I'm slightly going back in time to shop while I craft a belt for another party member. But obviously, parallel crafting is out. And my GM is using the Ultimate Campaign rules, where I've got a 75% chance of anything under 16,000 just being available. Over 16,000 gp, it's craft it or commission it. I did well enough on my percentile rolls that I wasn't going to suggest commissions.
But I could, or I could make additional rolls, if people want to suggest things not on my list that cost at most 16,000 gp. Over that, it's pie in the sky at this point. And I don't fly high enough to reach that bakery!
Well, my GM didn't roll up the 4d4 medium-value & 3d4 major-value specific major magic items that should be present; he generally doesn't. In fact, those cranky wizards are actually being quite generous in giving us a full 75% chance that they'll part with their precious less-expensive creations -- without any strings attached, if you can imagine that. (It must be that we saved the city from war with a horde of giants. The personal vendetta with a fire-dragon sorceress is certainly not it; she did a fair amount of peripheral damage.)
At the end of the last game session we got a hint that... Let's just say that I knew at the outset that I'd only have 16 days before my party-members (and GM) got restless for adventure, and wouldn't have placed any larger-scale commissions.
The jingasa nerf is not in an FAQ, its an errata to ult equip that has not been updated on the PRD yet. You can download the full errata doc or check Nethys or d20pfsrd. Luck stone is not changed.
A circlet of persuasion can oddly be worn with your headband, different slots, and will boost your concentration checks, if that is an issue. Spellgaurd bracers or gloves of elvenkind are also good for that. Tbere is an AC boosting ioun stone that gives insight bonus, cheaper than adding another plus to an existing item.
jingasa now says,
"This conical iron jingasa, or war hat, grants the wearer a +1 deflection bonus to AC. When struck by a critical hit or sneak attack, the wearer can spend an immediate action to negate the critical hit or sneak attack (similar to the fortification armor special ability, but without requiring a roll). The damage is instead rolled normally.
This ability functions only once, though the jingasa continues to grant its deflection bonus even after the other ability is expended."
and is basically a 5000 ring of protection +1 that can't be upgraded and once EVER can negate a crit.
That's a good nerf on the Jingasa. It was too, too good. To the point where avery PC with 5000 gold to burn would be running round with a funny hat on.
Concerning metamagic feats, I remain convinced that the feats are just not worth it. There are so many better things to do with feats, and higher level spells generally trump boosted lower level spells.
The rods, however, are great stuff to have. Grab every one that you can afford. Sure, you'll have to juggle what's in your hands a lot, but it's worth it.
Sooo, this is where I am on
And after I've thought about the purchase rules, buying Wondrous Items worth no more than 16,000 is more appealing now. That way, she can save her eventual crafting time for things she generally can't buy. Soooo, I'll plan on getting all three of the non-nerfed items I had looked at before. However, the Jingasa is out, although I still don't understand why +1 Luck to AC was OP. Instead, a Ring of Protection seems mandatory. Luckily, one was available.
>> 5K ~~ Scabbard of Many Blades (Slotless)
>> 11K ~ Blazing Robe (Body)
>> 10K ~ Glove of Storing (Hands)
>> 8K ~~ Ring of Protection (+2)
She now has to decide among 3 rings: her Ring of Evasion, this one, and a Ring of Cold Resistance 30. I assume that she can wear the first two normally, and that if circumstances call for swapping in the Ring of Cold Resistance, it will take at most two move actions -- and that the new one will start working immediately.
And then we have some cool new suggestions. Her hands & wrists are tied up (so to speak), so she'll have to limit herself to the Circlet of Persuasion (far better than burning a feat slot -- thanks!) & the Dusty Rose Ioun Stone, for +1 insight to AC (thanks again, Java Man). My dice are hot: both are available.
>> 4.5K ~ Circlet of Persuasion (Head)
>> 8K ~~ Dusty Rose Ioun Stone (Slotless)
I do have to ask if there is a limit to how many Ioun Stones a character can have active? My PC doesn't have any yet, but I'd like to know for the future.
>> 46.5K TOTAL -- Enough for non-rods.
So now I go back to... Rods
As it turns out, I actually started with 113K, but now I'm reserving 46.5K for non-rods (mostly things I could craft -- I'm nearly in tears as I type), so that still gives me 66.5K for rods.
Please, which metamagics should I reserve for one or two feats, and which ones should I buy as rods?
Chess Pwn, thanks for the new text on the Jingasa.
That's a good nerf on the Jingasa. It was too, too good. To the point where avery PC with 5000 gold to burn would be running round with a funny hat on.
Concerning metamagic feats, I remain convinced that the feats are just not worth it. There are so many better things to do with feats, and higher level spells generally trump boosted lower level spells.
The rods, however, are great stuff to have. Grab every one that you can afford. Sure, you'll have to juggle what's in your hands a lot, but it's worth it.
Yes, I was wondering if my PC (who likes Gypsy-ish dresses, although the Blazing Robe will fit just fine) could bear to wear a conical metal hat. Very odd. OK, they had to nerf the crit negation. Fine. Why, oh why, change the Luck bonus to Deflection? They also wanted to nerf the hat entirely, obviously. Because a Ring of Protection upgrades, so everyone wants one. (In fact campaigns using the ABP automatically hand Deflection bonuses out.) It's terribly frustrating at this sec, but I'll move on.
~~~
On metamagic, I agree with you in general. I've been doing the math, and there's a lot of metamagic feats that are over-priced. I believe Empower Spell will be worthwhile by the time I get to 13th, but since I can get it "for free," I'm not taking it in my two regular feat slots. Maximize will never be worth a feat slot, although it will be a lovely rod to use in combination with Empower. None of the circumstantial rods are worth feat slots, obviously. But some people swear by Dazing Spell and Quicken Spell, in particular, and I definitely want Piercing Spell available on a regular basis, probably more than the other "cheapies."
In any case, I need at least one metamagic feat, and you're voting for only one, I gather. Whichever one I get can be combined with Empower Spell and Selective Spell as needed & desirable. Plus I'll be able to combine the feat choice with just one of the others (in the form of a rod).
So is it better to spend the money on rods for the honestly over-priced high-level-adjustment feats? Knowing that I'll never get off a Quickened Maximized spell or even a Quickened Silent one? True, that would let me get Piercing Spell as a feat, and reduce SR on a regular basis. Or is it better to count on Spell Perfection and buy Quickened as a feat, and rely on rods for Piercing and all the rest?
Btw, it sounds like you'd vote for Quick Draw as a feat choice, and the more I think about it, the more it appeals. Spending a Move action to switch rods is a real pain when combined with the longer casting time a sorcerer needs for metamagicked spells.
Edit on my shopping list:
The Dusty Rose Ioun Stone only costs 5K, so that gives me a total of 69.5K for rods.
Other edit on the debate between Quickened (or Dazing) & Piercing (or another cheapie) as true feats: The rods can only be used for three spells a day. Am I going to want more than three of both of these?
Another cheap rod I like is lesser toppling, adding free trips to a magic missile barrage is fun, and 3 a day should be plenty.
HELL NO to arcane blast. Your about to get disintegrate to get around energy res. Grab a piercing rod to get around spell res. If you don't want to get that look up some acid blast spells that don't apply spell res
Quicken spell Feat at lv13- for when perfection goes online
Intensified spell feat- fireball hits its CL cap to quickly. Rod works as well
Focused spell- higher save dc is never bad. Also is doubled by spell perfection. So anytime you have an extra level just slap an extra +4 to the save dc. As a sorcerer blaster your going to run out of 3rd level slots at some point
Rime Spell- don't know how RAW your table is but a cone of cold you change to fire still has a [cold] descriptor
Craft Rod- trade money for metamagic feats. Note you DO NOT need the metamagic to make the rod
Instead of taking quick draw buy a +1 training gauntlet 8300gp. Glove of storing is overrated. Get the Robe
Rod of piercing spell if you are going to delay spell pen for so long
Grab 1 elemental rod lightning or acid to get around energy res. Or if you can stand not blasting learn a few good non blast spells for those types of enemies
Ignore Ectoplasmic. Just spam magic missiles/disintegrate
Luck stone would be straight sexy for you. See about teleportation to a larger city where more valuable items could be sold
Merciful rod- cheap and I've never had a campaign where this wasn't useful
Boosting your cloak of res is always a good option
Rather than the scabbard grab an efficient quiver. Over double capacity, half price, and does staffs to
Staff of the Master 30000gp is definitely worth looking into particularly if you can get an evocation or conjuration version of it
Oh and a nice guide to blaster sorcerers
BOOM!.
Another cheap rod I like is lesser toppling, adding free trips to a magic missile barrage is fun, and 3 a day should be plenty.
Affordable & available. Sold!
The key is you only get one trip attempt per target, so spread your missiles out and attempt to put 5 different enemies prone. Your beaststicks will love it. Not an encounter ender, but handy in moderate threat encounters to provide cheap support to the melee folks.
I don't have much more useful to say on the other, bigger, choices without knowing more about your spell selection and party makeup, some good general advice from other posters already.
One chance per target, so if you hit one target with all 5 missiles, one trip roll. If you hit 5 targets, one try per target.
One chance per target, so if you hit one target with all 5 missiles, one trip roll. If you hit 5 targets, one try per target.
I'd expect to hear it's one trip roll per spell, just like it's one damage bonus per spell, even if you cast multiple missiles or rays. Do you have a source on this?
I don't have much more useful to say on the other, bigger, choices without knowing more about your spell selection and party makeup, some good general advice from other posters already.
Drat! Do you have comments about expensive vs. cheap metamagic feats in principle? As feats or rods, I mean. If 20 different blasters had to pick between Quicken vs. Piercing, for instance, and you knew only that they were all headed for Spell Perfection, would you have an opinion?
One chance per target, so if you hit one target with all 5 missiles, one trip roll. If you hit 5 targets, one try per target.I'd expect to hear it's one trip roll per spell, just like it's one damage bonus per spell, even if you cast multiple missiles or rays. Do you have a source on this?
A search of this forum finds the community supporting my explanation, but I can find no Paizo citation.
Dastis, lots & lots of ideas, thank you!
HELL NO to arcane blast. Your about to get disintegrate to get around energy res. Grab a piercing rod to get around spell res. If you don't want to get that look up some acid blast spells that don't apply spell res
Quicken spell Feat at lv13- for when perfection goes online
Intensified spell feat- fireball hits its CL cap to quickly. Rod works as well
Focused spell- higher save dc is never bad. Also is doubled by spell perfection. So anytime you have an extra level just slap an extra +4 to the save dc. As a sorcerer blaster your going to run out of 3rd level slots at some point
Rime Spell- don't know how RAW your table is but a cone of cold you change to fire still has a [cold] descriptor
> Arcane Blast is indeed going into the "toss" pile. Thanks!
> Oh, I want Piercing Spell -- my only question is as a rod or a feat.
> You're voting for Quicken as a feat, I see. And Focused Spell? That would make Piercing a rod. I... hadn't liked Focused that well. Hmmm. If I cast my Perfected spell with a Focused Rod, does the bonus still double?
> Sadly, all of the Intensified Rods were apparently snapped up this visit. And I'm still 10th level. I'm tabling the item for now, but I know it will be something I want later.
> Rime Spell indeed requires a [cold] descriptor, and I stupidly don't have any cold spells higher than a cantrip (yet). I'll be addressing the gap in my spell list as soon as I can, and at that point a Rime Metamagic Rod will make a lot of sense. Just not this shopping trip.
For the record, my Efreeti ability slammed shut the door on that sort of shenanigan.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals energy damage, you can change the type of damage to fire. This also changes the spell's descriptors to match this energy type.
~~~
Craft Rod- trade money for metamagic feats. Note you DO NOT need the metamagic to make the rod
Instead of taking quick draw buy a +1 training gauntlet 8300gp. Glove of storing is overrated. Get the Robe
Rod of piercing spell if you are going to delay spell pen for so long
Grab 1 elemental rod lightning or acid to get around energy res. Or if you can stand not blasting learn a few good non blast spells for those types of enemies
Ignore Ectoplasmic. Just spam magic missiles/disintegrate
Luck stone would be straight sexy for you. See about teleportation to a larger city where more valuable items could be sold
Merciful rod- cheap and I've never had a campaign where this wasn't useful
Boosting your cloak of res is always a good option
Rather than the scabbard grab an efficient quiver. Over double capacity, half price, and does staffs to
> I gave Craft Rod some serious consideration. But it's been bad enough trying to get the time to craft Wondrous Items out of my group. I'm not going to make it worse by taking another Craft feat.
> Buy a what? I could not find a "+1 training gauntlet 8300gp." I did find a 100,000 gp Gauntlets of the Weaponmaster. Very nice item. I may be able to afford it some day. :) If you've got a PRD source for what you're referring to, please link it for me! OTOH, upon reflection, using up my Hands slot on the Glove of Storing is a bad idea.
> You're suggesting lightning or acid for the Elemental Rod, not cold, I see. Noted.
> I'm looking for things to cross off my shopping list. Ectoplasmic sounds like a great candidate!
> Luckstone... don't remind me! I'm sure teleportation is not an option. The GM has stressed how this is the biggest city around -- and a metropolis, at that. Although there is a capital somewhere; maybe we'll get there someday.
> Merciful is actually on my list of "definites." It's cheap, and I've already charred someone into ash by accident with a high-die-roll Scorching Ray. (Luckily, the city guard was very understanding about the fact that we couldn't bring their "Wanted" criminal in... And they sent out a janitor with a broom.)
> The Efficient Quiver could be a better option than I'd thought.
Once the owner has filled it, the quiver can quickly produce any item she wishes that is within the quiver, as if from a regular quiver or scabbard.
Would that mean I could draw from it as a free action with Quick Draw? (I haven't given up on that idea, you see.)
> Yes, Staff of the Master looks like one of the few RAW staves worth buying, although it's too expensive for this trip. I might as well take the chance to ask...
In addition, this staff can be used to cast spells using any metamagic feats known by the wielder without increasing the spell's level. This consumes a number of charges equal to the number of spell levels increased by the feat. No more than one feat can be applied to a spell cast by the wielder in this way. Using the staff for this purpose does not increase the casting time of the spell.
I know they ruled on this. What do they mean? Let's say my Evocation Staff of the Master has Burning Hands as a spell for 1 charge. I know Selective & Empower Spells. I clearly can spend 2 charges for a Selective Burning Hands, or 3 for an Empower Burning Hands -- either one as a Standard action -- but not apply both metamagics. But let's also say that Scorching Ray is not in the staff at all. Can I still Empower a Scorching Ray for 2 charges off the staff, and cast it as a Standard action that uses up one of my own 2nd-level spell slots?
Finally, did anyone official ever draw up a Staff of the Master for all of the schools? Ultimate Equipment just lists the one for Necromancy. Presumably, the price would vary based on which spells, at which charges, went into it.
Thank you much for the link.
Sadly, the Guide mostly just told me what I've already learned from reading this message board -- I didn't do an efficient build. (At least, my chagrin is mitigated by the fact that the best options I missed weren't legal at my table. We're PRD only.)
For instance, I went with Elemental Focus rather than Spell Focus, so I can't do Spell Specialization. But Varisian Tattoo isn't available. And I've consistently sneered at Initiative -- something I'm reconsidering, but probably too late. I'll likely take Improved Initiative as my 19th level bonus feat.
I did notice that they liked Spontaneous Metafocus more than I thought they would. OK, it's back on my short list of non-metamagic feat options. (I'd looked at it, but deleted it -- the limit to only one spell seems awfully tight for a feat slot.)
They wanted Quicken Spell native, I saw.
And interestingly, they didn't even mention Piercing Metamagic. Is that because SR isn't much of a problem when the game ends at 12th?
Whew! Thank you again!
Java Man, thanks for looking. I'll have to see what my GM says when I pull out my shiny rod.
I recommend Piercing as a rod most of the time.
No sadly I do not believe the focus doubles if from rod. If anyone can point me to rules/rulings that say otherwise I would be very happy. Do note I recommend Piercing over Focused particularly for your build.
Ah missed that little bit for Eeffrit bloodline. Most things that change element don't change descriptors
For Elemental rod I said electricity/acid due to there being arbitrarily less premade monsters with elec/acid res. After that its just deciding if you want to use chain lightning or do you face alot of demons
Ask your dm if you can craft in a wagon. Remind him that you will be losing spell slots every day you are crafting
Training is a +1 weapon enchant that gives the weilder access to a single combat feat chosen at time of creation provided that you meet its prerequisites. Cetuses, gauntlets, and armor spikes are always wielded. +2 weapon + mstr work cost. Source Inner Sea Intrigue
No there is no official versions of diffrent school staff of the master. Its usually pretty easy to get the dm to make one if you specialize in a particular school. Typically I just make it have the most commonly used lv1, 2, and 3 spells of that school from Core Rulebook. IE: Abjuration: lv1 Alarm/Sheild, Protection from arrows/Resist Energy, Protection from Energy/Dispel Magic. Adjust which of the / spells based on how powerful you want the staff as most schools have at least 2 good spells each level
Staff of the master just acts as a metamagic cost reduction. One that takes days to recharge but never the less worth it
Updates:
I'll put off Staff of the Master till later, when I have time to consult with my GM in depth.
Crafting as we go is probably the way I should do it for Wondrous Items -- the Luckstone being the one to make first. But not right now, apparently -- the market appears to be out of the fine agate & whatnot. There's so much else I can use, I'll wait.
I've been successfully talked out of the Glove of Storing, but sadly, a Training gauntlet isn't available for me. (Not in the PRD.) So now the Gloves of Elvenkind are looking great. They'll help with higher-level "No, I don't know that spell" crafting.
I do want a Ring of Protection. So she'll have 3 rings. Can she decide which 2 to wear and have them become active as soon as she dons them? How long does it take to switch from one ring being worn to a different one? (Assuming she keeps her extra in a wired belt pouch, ready to hand.)
Having gotten a clear vote for Quicken, I'll plan that for 13th & grab a Piercing Rod now.
As for Focused, so far, my DC's have been high enough to make my GM stare. A cantrip's DC is 17, or 18 if a fire spell; obviously, higher-level spells have accordingly higher DCs. Is this in fact unusually high for 10th level?
-- I'll be able to decide at the next level-up for sure what I do; for now I'll skip the metamagic altogether.
People elsewhere on these boards have pointed out that monsters with Fire Res often have Cold Vuln. So now I'm looking at an Elemental Cold & Acid Rod, both.
I never did hear whether a Still Rod would ever do her a lick of good, so I dropped it for now. And I'm cutting Silent down to Lesser. Plus, I'd cut Ectoplasmic, earlier. That means I can afford the rest!
Thank you, one & all!
- 5K ~~ Scabbard of Many Blades (Slotless)
- 11K ~ Blazing Robe (Body)
- 7.5K ~ Gloves of Elvenkind (Hands)
- 8K ~~ Ring of Protection +2 (Ring)
- 4.5K ~ Circlet of Persuasion (Head)
- 5K ~~ Dusty Rose Ioun Stone (Slotless)
41K ~~~ SUBTOTAL - 14K ~ Lesser Dazing Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Elemental (Acid) Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Elemental (Cold) Metamagic Rod
- 5.5K ~ Merciful Metamagic Rod
- 9K ~~ Lesser Persistent Metamagic Rod
- 11K ~ Piercing Metamagic Rod
- 3K ~~ Lesser Silent Metamagic Rod
- 3K ~~ Lesser Toppling Metamagic Rod
67.5K ~~ SUBTOTAL
108.5K ~ TOTAL
Dimension door negates the need for still rod for spontaneous casters
Silent Rod only ends up being used 1 or 2 times in a campaign if you aren't using a stealth character(IE arcane trickster). It is great then but isn't useful often enough to consider. You might want to check for spells with no verbal components if you fear silence effects
Multiple effects on 1 ring is ok as long as 1 effect is cheap and won't be upgraded often. Swapping rings is probably a standard or move action by dm fiat. Assume a ring that has no declared attunement time has none unless otherwise stated by dm. I'm a big fan of Meridian Belt combined with your physical stat boosting belt as it lets you swap around quickly between 4 rings. Hand of Glory is another option that adds a few extra tricks as well as a ring slot
Spell dc's look ok. Can probably skip Focused spell for now. Your on average saves atm. Here's a very nice article on the math behind where a character should be at any given level Bench Pressing Characters
I went with the shopping list as developed. The game was last night, and the GM approved the items not in Ultimate Equipment -- thanks for the suggestions.
He said that it would take me a Standard action to swap rings, which is fine. I decided to put off decisions on any belt until I could concentrate on it -- at some point in the next level or two. I'm also looking at the Belt of Equilibrium, although I keep thinking that no, the effects listed aren't that debilitating. (I wish it included nausseated, for instance. It would cost more, but I'd still jump on it.) But yes, the Meridian Belt w/ a physical boost would be very nice.
The Hand of Glory is a different matter; I can't bring myself to use it. I can see how it would be very thematic for some characters, but not likely any of mine.
Having the cold resistance ring in my pouch means that when the magic trap goes off to shoot out a Cone of Cold, all I'll have is my Reflex save (boosted by Lightning Reflexes & my +3 Cloak of Resistance to +12, not bad at all I'm thinking for a 10th-level sorcerer) -- and my Ring of Evasion if I make the save. If OTOH I'm traveling through a wintry landscape abounding with all sorts of frost-beasts, I'll have to pick a ring to take off in order to prep the one w/ Cold Resistance.
Yes, I could have commissioned someone to add the Protection effect to one of the rings I already had, but it sounds like that might be better put off until I'm ready to get serious with the Protection effect. And at that point, I might prefer to add the Evasion effect to a Ring of Protection!
As for most things with fire not having cold vulnerability, I'm noting that -- thanks. At the very minimum my PC will have 6 Fireballs or Walls of Fire a day that DON'T do fire damage. I mean, if she's nervous about concentrating on fire and wants two Elemental Rods, splitting them between acid & cold seemed like a good idea...
Ahh -- D-Door doesn't have a somatic component... nioe. Coming soon to a spell-list near me, but I haven't fully developed my 4th level spells yet. As for Silent Rod not being needed that often, sure. That's why I decided to get only the Lesser version; I can Scorching Ray you even after you Silenced me. Hah! I don't think I'll miss the 3,000 gp in the long-run, but I also won't plan on upgrading it.
Dastis, thank-you for the link! The doc looks really methodical and helpful. Sadly, I'm having trouble understanding it. A separate post will follow.
As for concentrating on fire, you can swap other elemental spells to fire can you not? Focus on learning spells of other elements and switch em to fire when needed, sounds backwards, but it makes sense.
As for concentrating on fire, you can swap other elemental spells to fire can you not? Focus on learning spells of other elements and switch em to fire when needed, sounds backwards, but it makes sense.
Yes, it does seem like an elementary thing to do, doesn't it? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) At the same time, I'm playing a half-orc, who gets a racial PCB of +1/2 pt damage for FIRE spells. And she's got an Efreeti in her ancestry coming to the fore. In short, she clearly has an itch to burn things. So I've taken lots of fire spells as a form of RP. She does have some spells like Acid Arrow & Lightning Bolt, and turns them into a Napalm Arrow & Fire Lance* whenever prudent. And that's RP, too. But NOT taking Fireball seemed... wrong. Same with Scorching Ray, or Wall of Fire.
In that respect, I'm not going to apologize for her spell-list.
All the same, I'm afraid I never looked at "building" a character till I started reading on these message-boards. My PCs just grew. So I could have done a lot better! I'm going to be scrutinizing this PC's spell list when I hit even-numbered levels from now on, looking for spells to swap. (We don't use special retraining rules.) And to the extent that I'm still selecting 3rd- to 5th-level spells, not to mention higher-level ones, I'll pick them with a better eye (I hope) on the overall picture.
LOL! You can expect another beseeching post around the time my PC levels up next, and I exam her spell-list in detail. It'll take a bit of time, though.
~~~
*I know that the names of the spells don't actually change when I change elements. But my GM has an easier time visualizing a Conjuration (Fire) spell that skips SR if I rename the one Napalm Arrow, and I have an easier time visualizing the spell effect if I call the other Fire Lance. It's just fluff, after all.
{EtA: My real problem, in examining my spell-list now, is that I didn't actually build a focused blaster. I have spells like Invisibility (which is okay right up until I took Greater Invis), and Slow (worse), wasting spells known. I'm partly too used to playing a human w/ the FCB, who has a whole lot more spells to play with.}
Spell dc's look ok. Can probably skip Focused spell for now. Your on average saves atm. Here's a very nice article on the math behind where a character should be at any given level Bench Pressing Characters
It is indeed a great article, and the application of the table should be straightforward... Unfortunately, I've got more questions than answers. And the answers look alarming!
Color ~~ EDV ~ To Hit ~ AC ~ Saves ~ DC/ good ~ DC/ bad
Blue ~~~ 65,0 ~~ 22 ~~ 33 ~~ 17 ~~~~~ 30 ~~~~~ 26
Green ~~ 32.5 ~~ 17 ~~ 28 ~~ 12 ~~~~~ 27 ~~~~~ 23
Orange ~ 21.5 ~~ 13 ~~ 24 ~~~ 8 ~~~~~ 24 ~~~~~ 20
I have no idea how to calculate EDV. With a Scorching Ray, it's 28 (orange) -- if it hits (see below). It might be better with a Fireball -- 35 if the foe doesn't save (but a disappointing 17 if it does -- see below) -- although there's also the question of accounting for multiple foes. Of course, both can be altered with an amazing set of metamagics at this point; I might Maximize them, which raises raw damage to 48 & 60, respectively. Or I can defeat Fire Resistance, higher than expected saves, or SR -- so while it's hard to rely on Maximize, I'm guessing that the net effect is Green. But I wish I knew how to calculate my EDV.
To Hit is an issue with Scorching Ray (and shortly, Disintegrate), and I definitely want to keep up with ranged to-hit. Mine is 7 (8 within 30 feet), which would be utterly pathetic except that it goes up against Touch AC. Problem is, I don't know what 10th-level benchmarks would be for Touch AC, although I have the sense that most monsters rely more on armor or natural armor than Dexterity. (Thank goodness!) How can I calculate how much I lose from a Scorching Ray's EDV? (If it's 25% or more, it's dropped right out of Orangeland.)
My AC looks worrisome -- only 22, below Orange -- but I sort of gathered that this is a benchmark for melee sorts, which I most definitely am not. (I wish that they had included two columns, one for melee & another for ranged combatants).
My saves are 11/12/13. I think Fortitude is all right even off in Orangeland, since it's not a "good" save. My Will save is almost bottom of the Greens, but acceptable (apparently). I do have to wonder how anyone else 10th level gets their saves up even close to 17. All right, monks & pallies can pull it off...
Finally, I can hope that my foe's Reflex will be a "bad" save most of the time. This puts my Fireball's (or fiery Lightning Bolt's) 3rd-level Fire DC of 21 in Orangeland. Ouch! Those are the best attack spells I have! (And if it's a "good" save, forget it.) I think I'll be using Persistent a lot. Otherwise, the high likelihood of saving definitely brings down the EDV from my AoE's, but I don't know by how much. I'm curious, Dastis, how you thought my DCs were average. (Or is orangeland "average"?)
I'd love help in figuring all this out!