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View Full Version : 3.5 Specialist Wizard/Beguiler/Ultimate Magus



Talya
2009-02-07, 09:11 PM
Yes, I know theurge classes are generally traps. The synergy here, though, is wonderful. What's the best way to make this work?

Temp.
2009-02-07, 09:24 PM
Standard Response:

Beguiler 1/Wizard 4/UM 10/X 5. Use Practiced Spellcaster on the Beguiler side to maximize Beguiler caster level so you can advance Wizard in 9/10 of your UM levels. If you want to push it further, use Illumian with Improved Sigil (Krau) to only lose 1 Wizard level in your build. Typically this sort of character will be a Focused Specialist wizard banning Evocation (a gimme), Illusion and Enchantment (both replicated with Beguiler casting).

Ultimate Magus tends to work best as a pseudo-Incantor: use Beguiler spells to fuel metamagic that you normally wouldn't be able to use.


Personally, I've used this for the party skillmonkey once. Able Learner and high Int leave you with enough skill points to cover most of your bases. Your familiar can use the UMD skill to activate scrolls you've banned. I relied pretty heavily on party-buffing, using either Shape Spell or Chain Spell nearly every round. I don't think a single Dispel Magic worked against the party, which was most of the reason I went this route.

It wasn't anything spectacular--you're pretty much layering 2 similar spell lists on top of each other. At least Mystic Theurge distinguishes itself by stacking dissimilar class abilities. If I were to build a similar character again, I'd probably approach the role via Incantor or Unseen Seer. YMMV.

[edit:]If you have some reason to want high-CL shenanigans, it's pretty slick. It would be a solid base for a blaster with all its +CL and cheap metamagic abilities; that's just not the sort of role I like to play.

Olo Demonsbane
2009-02-07, 09:26 PM
I made one of these: he could cast 9th level spells at 13th level, due to wierd house rules.
Hints: Get sudden metamagic feats. With Augmented Casting, you can expend a 0th level slot to do whatever you want (maximize, quicken...)

imperialspectre
2009-02-07, 09:31 PM
Complete Mage, p.78:
"At 1st, 4th, and 7th level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in your arcane spellcasting class with the lowest caster level...If all your arcane spellcasting classes have equal caster levels, you can apply this benefit to any of your existing arcane spellcasting classes. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of those classes would have gained."

Take only one level in Beguiler, and 4 levels in Wizard. Take Practiced Spellcaster: Beguiler. Beguiler now has the "higher" caster level or an equal caster level at both 1st and 4th levels, although not at 7th level.

The upshot? You get 9/10 progression in Ultimate Magus for Wizard casting. With the 1-level Beguiler dip and another PrC progressing Wizard casting (Mindbender 1/Archmage 4, etc) after UM, you eventually cast as Wizard 18 and Beguiler 9.

Grab low-level spells you might want to spam and add them to your Beguiler list with the "Expanded Spell Knowledge" class feature. Assay Spell Resistance might be nice, along with a few other options. I'd probably either spec Conjuration and ban Evocation and Enchantment, or go Elven Generalist.

Good luck. Wizard/Beguiler/Ultimate Magus is fun.

Edit: Ninja/Beguiler/Wizard is horribly unoptimized, however.

Graymayre
2009-02-07, 09:49 PM
overall it looks pretty good, but have you considered replacing those three classes with artificer? :smallwink:

Flickerdart
2009-02-07, 11:43 PM
overall it looks pretty good, but have you considered replacing those three classes with artificer? :smallwink:
How would that help at all?

Graymayre
2009-02-07, 11:47 PM
kidding... because they can cast anything...

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-02-08, 03:30 AM
If you go Illumian (Krau/anything) Beguiler 1/ Wizard 4/ UM 10 with Practiced Spellcaster: Beguiler, you can add 10/10 UM spellcasting to Wizard. At level 15, you'll be casting as a 14th level Wizard at a caster level of 19, and as an 8th level Beguiler with a caster level of 18. At level 20 you'll be casting as a 19th level Wizard at caster level 24, and as an 8th level Beguiler at caster level 18. Items like a Ring of Arcane Might (CA) and an Orange Prism Ioun Stone would apply to the caster levels of both classes.

Be sure to take Beguiler at level 1 for the skill points, and get Able Learner so you can keep up your ranks in the good class skills. You'll need to use a flaw since UM's prerequisites include any metamagic feat, but it will be worth it.

I'd go with a specialist Conjurer for the Abrupt Jaunt variant from PH2, and ban Evocation and Enchantment. Maybe go with the Fighter Feat variant for Wizard (UA) to get something like Improved Initiative instead of Scribe Scroll, or use the Conjurer variant from UA for Enhanced Summoning to get Augment Summoning without having to take the prerequisite Spell Focus. Maybe even use the Focused Specialist variant (CM) to get more spells/day but you'd have to ban another school, I'd go with Necromancy or Illusion.