PDA

View Full Version : Transmuter Defense



Whyte_Widow
2010-03-22, 11:22 PM
buff bot wizard needs defensive spells/ more ac. any spell suggestions outside the norm?

blur
blink
mage armor
shield
cat's grace
polymorph

all being the norm.

Geiger Counter
2010-03-22, 11:31 PM
stoneskin

also this
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146210

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-22, 11:52 PM
stoneskin

also this
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146210

stoneskin was a given as well. sorry it wasnt included. i was looking for alternative ways to up ac/hp. doesn't necessarily have to be spells i suppose. but, we are broke as sh*t... so we have no money to buy things. rofl

Sinfire Titan
2010-03-22, 11:59 PM
What are you banned schools? In general, miss chances are better than boosting your AC, as they protect against more for less investment. If you banned Illusion, you can still Polymorph yourself into stuff with a high Nat Armor bonus for the same effect. AC itself should be a last line of defense, as it is too easy to bypass.

There's also Greater Luminous Armor from the BoED. Better than Mage Armor, and Abjurant Champion's capstone works with it. A cheap and easy way to boost your AC is a +1 Defending Spiked Gauntlet* with Greater Magic Weapon.

Finally, blocking LoE/LoS is a great way to avoid attacks. Spells such as Wind Wall, Wall of Stone, Wings of Cover, and even the plain old Silent Image can deter attackers if you know what to do with them.




*Some debate attached to the Defending ability.

Keld Denar
2010-03-23, 12:03 AM
Alter Self into a form with good NA like a Crucian, Tren, or Troglodyte.

Also, Spiderskin and Dragonskin give good +NA, and with Scintilating Scales, you can convert that NA into a deflection bonus which increases your Touch AC.

Godskook
2010-03-23, 12:08 AM
A +1 defending weapon with GMW cast on it helps too, unless the bonus is typed(I forget).

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-24, 08:40 PM
i had not known about the "defending weapons" which book is that in?

also as a grappler wizard type. im going to be looking for ways to increase my grapple modifier... and what is the best way to use touch spells while polymorphed? obviously im going to be in the thick of things. and the GM has ruled that "Natural Spell" doesnt apply to a wizards polymorph.

commonly used damage spells-
balor nimbus
fearsome grapple
babou slime
corrosive grasp
snakes swiftness, mass
spell flower

buffs-
fist of stone
shield
mage armor
enlarge (anyway to make me even larger than large?)
displacement
bull's strength (on the two fighter types in group or when ive already used fist of stone)
bladeweave

banned schools are necromancy and enchantment.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-24, 08:53 PM
A +1 defending weapon with GMW cast on it helps too, unless the bonus is typed(I forget).

it converts the enhancement bonus of the weapon to AC. so i can only assume that its a enhancement bonus as well. which means it will not stack with rings of protection, mage armor, etc. and ill assume that my GM will adjudicate it that way as well.

olentu
2010-03-24, 08:55 PM
it converts the enhancement bonus of the weapon to AC. so i can only assume that its a enhancement bonus as well. which means it will not stack with rings of protection, mage armor, etc. and ill assume that my GM will adjudicate it that way as well.

It converts it into a bonus that is said to stack with all others as I recall.

Edit: Also it should be in the DMG.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-24, 09:22 PM
"A defending weapon allows the wielder to transfer
some or all of the sword’s enhancement bonus to his AC as a bonus
that stacks with all others. As a free action, the wielder chooses how to
allocate the weapon’s enhancement bonus at the start of his turn
before using the weapon, and the effect to AC lasts until his next turn."

directly from the GMG.

thats a big help. however... is there ways to enhance my unarmed strikes in this way?

maybe entangling staff maybe a way around this. but i dont think i could use this method to spell flower touch attacks.

Dr Bwaa
2010-03-24, 10:28 PM
stoneskin was a given as well. sorry it wasnt included. i was looking for alternative ways to up ac/hp. doesn't necessarily have to be spells i suppose. but, we are broke as sh*t... so we have no money to buy things. rofl

...So why are you even considering stoneskin? It has a 250gp material component!

There's that SC spell that gives someone a free fighter feat--Heroics, I think it's called. Useful in a variety of situations, and it can give Expertise if needed (among the whole laundry list of other fighter bonus feats).

Unarmed strikes can be made defending by (A) being a kensei, (B) getting your fists otherwise enchanted (C) buying Defending Armor Spikes for your armor (not unarmed, but counts as a light weapon and can be enchanted this way, so hey), or (D) find a way to cast Defending Weapon and GMW on the weapon (fists, whatever) of choice. I don't know if DW is a spell and I don't feel like looking for one, but I bet you could find a spell that, if it doesn't do it explicitly, gives a weapon a +1 equivalent bonus or whatever.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-24, 10:37 PM
stoneskin is a plan for the future for sure. we havent had the opportunity to aquire too much $$$ as of yet. i have no doubt that our GM is going to give us that opportunity... it just hasnt presented itself quite yet.

Heroics isnt a bad idea. however, to save me the trouble of sifting through fighter feats... what idea were you proposing for this spell?

i was unaware that you could effectively enchant your fists. interesting.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-26, 11:49 AM
bump!6789!

sofawall
2010-03-26, 12:02 PM
i was unaware that you could effectively enchant your fists. interesting.

That's because, barring a magic item from Savage Species, Kensai class or GMF, you can't.

Eldonauran
2010-03-26, 12:06 PM
i was unaware that you could effectively enchant your fists. interesting.

I am completely unaware of how this is possbile and I know just about everything I can about monks. While you can cast greater magic weapon on them (see description of unarmed attack in monk's class description), you can not manufacture a masterwork unarmed strike in order to enchant it.

However, the closest you can get to this is a Necklace of Natural Attacks from the book Savage Species. It will allow you to imbue your natural attacks (and unarmed strikes via the monk's unarmed ability) with weapon properties, including defending and give enhancement bonuses as well.

EDIT: Bloody ninja!

Greenish
2010-03-26, 12:14 PM
enlarge (anyway to make me even larger than large?)If you want a personal defensive buff, wouldn't Reduce Person be better? With Enlarge Person, you reduce your AC by 2 and make yourself a bigger target, while the Reduce Person has (duh) the opposite effect.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-26, 12:38 PM
If you want a personal defensive buff, wouldn't Reduce Person be better? With Enlarge Person, you reduce your AC by 2 and make yourself a bigger target, while the Reduce Person has (duh) the opposite effect.

naturally. this build is for a grappler/ touch attack utilizing spell flower, corrosive grasp, fearsome grapple, balor nimbus, babou slime and enlarge person. i was looking for something to make my AC higher while being as large as possible for the grapple mod.

Greenish
2010-03-26, 12:47 PM
naturally. this build is for a grappler/ touch attack utilizing spell flower, corrosive grasp, fearsome grapple, balor nimbus, babou slime and enlarge person. i was looking for something to make my AC higher while being as large as possible for the grapple mod.Ah, I misunderstood what you meant by being a buffbot.

Well, there isn't an arcane spell that increases your size by two steps (that I can think of, other than various shapechanges), but with DM's approval you could research a new one that's basically an "augmented" Enlarge Person that makes you Huge. Making it self-only, it would probably be around 4th or 5th level spell (going by Psychic Warrior's Expansion).

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-26, 01:01 PM
Ah, I misunderstood what you meant by being a buffbot.

Well, there isn't an arcane spell that increases your size by two steps (that I can think of, other than various shapechanges), but with DM's approval you could research a new one that's basically an "augmented" Enlarge Person that makes you Huge. Making it self-only, it would probably be around 4th or 5th level spell (going by Psychic Warrior's Expansion).

being one of the vets of the table he is severely limiting me by needing to approve steps in my character progression. we have 3 rookie at the table (druid, cleric and barb) and the original idea was to be a wizard that defies the wiz stereotype.

my GM likes my build... i just want to be more effective with it @ later levels. i think metamagic will help tremendously. took extend and empower so far. (@ lvl 6)

polymorph is on the list of "to dos" (any help with creature ideas is helpful) but, i dont want to make too much cheese at the table.

Whyte_Widow
2010-03-26, 02:24 PM
also considered War Weaver. to push the limits of party buffs. just didnt want to lose a level of spellcasting. bleh.

jiriku
2010-03-26, 03:31 PM
defenses:
mirror image (not very useful while grappling)
haste (does provide a small AC benefit)
levitate/flight (avoid monster melee attacks)
protection from arrows/wind wall (avoid monster ranged attacks)
any "bite of the x" spell will improve your AC and your grappling, and combines well with polymorph.

Polymorph is your buddy for grappling forms.
Size/Strength bonus to grapple --
baleen whale +24
cachalot whale +24
elephant +18
gargantuan monstrous centipede +18
treant +17

Treant is an especially useful form as it brings with it a variety of useful immunities and is available as soon as you learn polymorph.