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maysarahs
2010-08-19, 02:56 PM
This is my first time playing D&D. In my current campaign, I am playing a wizard, and was wondering about Prestige classes. I note that everyone mentions Archmage, but was wondering if there was a another full caster option that didn't require me to sacrifice spell slots for their abilities.

A second question, if I may ask, one of my friends is playing a Ranger specializing in TWF, and needs help figuring out what role to play/fill in the party. She also wants to know what PrC options there are for her, (Deepwood sniper, and Order of the Bow Initiate are both geared for archery focused Rangers)

Yorrin
2010-08-19, 03:03 PM
What books do you have access to?

I'm personally a fan of Master Specialist on my Wizard builds. It's from Complete Mage. What kind of spells do you generally go with? That would give us a better idea of how to advise you.

The ranger: I'd look at Tempest from Complete Adventurer for any TWF build. Beyond that it all depends on flavor and what strategies he favors.

Keld Denar
2010-08-19, 03:03 PM
Are you a specialist? Because the Master Specialist in Complete Mage is pretty decent. Otherwise, I like the combo of a couple levels of Divine Oracle (CDivine) followed by some good ol' fashion Loremaster (DMG). Both share the same prereqs, and Loremaster gives you a bonus feat to make up for it.

Then there are a few of the more hyped PrCs like Incantatrix (PGtF), Initiate of the 7fold Veils (CArcane) and Fatespinner (CArcane). All are good, with Incantatrix being probably one of the strongest wizard PrCs out there (that isn't Tainted Scholar).

As far as your ranger friend, assuming she's TWFing, a dip in Barbarian (using the Lion Totem ACF from CChampion and the Whirling Frenzy ACF from Unearthed Arcana) followed by a few levels in Scout (CAdventurer) and the Swift Hunter feat (CScoundrel) will set her up nicely. Pounce, bonus damage when you charge, and extra attacks. TWFing blender! Swift Hunter stacks Ranger and Scout levels to determine her Favored Enemy bonus and how much Skirmish damage she does. You don't need any PrCs, you'll be strongest with just those base classes!


The ranger: I'd look at Tempest from Complete Adventurer for any TWF build. Beyond that it all depends on flavor and what strategies he favors.

Tempest is BAD! It makes you WORSE at TWFing. Why would you spend 5 precious levels to get WORSE at something? Thats just badbadbadbadbad...

Ernir
2010-08-19, 03:04 PM
What books do you have available? There's the Master Specialist class in Complete Mage that is almost free to enter. Mage of the Arcane Order in Complete Arcane is a bit harder to enter, but offers great versatility.
There are a bajillion more specialized PrCs out there for Wizards, the question is, what do you want to do?

Melee characters tend to be a lot less straightforward when it comes to PrC choices. For casters, going into a PrC is pretty much a given, but for melee characters, you need to plan around a bit.
What is her level, race, and feats? These can decide entirely what is available, or whether PrCing is even a good idea to begin with.

PId6
2010-08-19, 03:05 PM
Books available? There are a lot of great wizard PrCs in the Completes, such as Master Specialist, Initiate of the Sevenfold Veils, Mage of the Arcane Order, Fatespinner (4 levels only), Malconvoker, Divine Oracle, and Paragnostic Apostle. Loremaster is another option inside core.

For ranger, well, TWF ranger is... quite bad. Honestly, she should probably retrain or at least switch to archery or something, because TWF ranger really is terrible. Depending on what level she is, she may be able to multiclass into barbarian for 1 level and then go into scout, taking Swift Hunter. Otherwise it's not going to turn out well.

Edit: That's a lot of shurikens in my sternum...

Keld Denar
2010-08-19, 03:09 PM
Edit: That's a lot of shurikens in my sternum...

Those are FLAMING SHURIKENs, my friend, since I'm the builder of Flick the Flaming Flinger! :smallcool:

jiriku
2010-08-19, 03:09 PM
If you only have access to the core rulebooks, Red Wizard is a great choice. Take the Leadership feat for another red wizard cohort and some low-level wizard followers, and you can start your own sinister cabal! If you're working from the SRD only, the Loremaster is really your only option, but it's pretty solid.

Outside of the core books, incantatrix, initiate of the seven veils, divine oracle, fatespinner (levels 1-4 only), master specialist, and abjurant champion feature heavily in a lot of builds.

Yorrin
2010-08-19, 03:09 PM
Tempest is BAD! It makes you WORSE at TWFing. Why would you spend 5 precious levels to get WORSE at something? Thats just badbadbadbadbad...

Really? I always thought the negation of the to-hit penalty was absolutely golden. And you can always find ways to get a handful more feats, so the entry prereqs aren't a big deal. How do you do TWF?

Keld Denar
2010-08-19, 03:17 PM
TWF needs 2 things. Full attacks and bonus damage. Tempest gives you neither. It forces you to focus on Spring Attacking, which is failboat for TWF for 2 reasons. A) Even with Tempest, you still only get 2 attacks on a Spring Attack, a total nerf from the 6+ you could be making with a full attack by the time you have all 5 levels and B) Spring Attack is VERY feat intensive, and so is TWF, burning up all of your feats (or taking Fighter levels to get more feats) reduces your damage output.

Elimination of TWFing penalties is the same thing as gaining a +2 to hit. Thats not something worth spending 5 whole levels on. You can get something similar, plus full +str on your offhand, from 3 levels of Bloodclaw Master, plus get some nice Tiger Claw manevuers that further help TWFing style.

You'd be bette off getting Pounce or other free movement (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358), and focusing on increasing your damage per hit with things like Skirmish, Knowledge Devotion, buff spells, Sneak Attack, Arcane Strike, or other various bonuses.

Greenish
2010-08-19, 03:18 PM
How do you do TWF?Warblade/Revenant Blade/Eternal Blade.

Yorrin
2010-08-19, 03:26 PM
TWF needs 2 things. Full attacks and bonus damage. Tempest gives you neither. It forces you to focus on Spring Attacking, which is failboat for TWF for 2 reasons. A) Even with Tempest, you still only get 2 attacks on a Spring Attack, a total nerf from the 6+ you could be making with a full attack by the time you have all 5 levels and B) Spring Attack is VERY feat intensive, and so is TWF, burning up all of your feats (or taking Fighter levels to get more feats) reduces your damage output.

You'd be bette off getting Pounce or other free movement (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358), and focusing on increasing your damage per hit with things like Skirmish, Knowledge Devotion, buff spells, Sneak Attack, Arcane Strike, or other various bonuses.

Just ignore the fact that you have Spring Attack, grab your Barbarian level, and you've still got lots of levels to focus on bonus damage. I can have all the required feats at level 1 (1 for lvl1, 1 for human, 2 for flaws, 2 for taint, 2 for selling my soul, need I go on?)


Warblade/Revenant Blade/Eternal Blade.

I've never played a Revenant Blade, but I'm strongly considering it for an upcoming character. Good idea, putting it with a warblade build.

Greenish
2010-08-19, 03:33 PM
I've never played a Revenant Blade, but I'm strongly considering it for an upcoming character. Good idea, putting it with a warblade build.I figured that if I have to be an elf (eww), I might as well go full monty and grab the eternal blade.

The details need some work though. Getting appropriate Hide/MS to enter RB at 6th level so as to be able to reach EB's capstone, having to bump dex for TWF chain to really milk the RB's capstone and so forth.

Keld Denar
2010-08-19, 03:35 PM
Its still 5 levels spent that don't give you much. If you took all the feats you spent on the Spring Attack chain and focused on anything else, you'd be a better TWFer. Plus, not all DMs allow flaws, and most don't allow taint or selling your soul to elder evils. In my first example, with Ranger/Scout/Barb, 5 extra levels of Ranger would get you an extra favored enemy, some nice spells (if you are using SpC or Champions of Ruin, Ranger spells are NICE), and 5/4ths of an extra 1d6 Skirmish damage. That combined is worth WAY more than +2 to hit and the ability to apply Weapon Focus to a disimilar weapon pair (just use the same weapon in both hands, like Shortswords or Kukiris).

Having 5 levels of Tempest is better than being 5 levels lower, but its not better than 5 levels of just about any other martial class.

Yorrin
2010-08-19, 03:38 PM
Having 5 levels of Tempest is better than being 5 levels lower, but its not better than 5 levels of just about any other martial class.

While I'm not willing to concede any other martial class, I'd agree that your outlined build is much more solid than my alternative.

maysarahs
2010-08-19, 05:13 PM
My character so far (as best I can remember, our DM keeps the character sheets):
elf(high) wizard 3, feats: toughness, improved initiative, bat familiar

as for spells, I made poor choices before I read the handbooks, (spell suggestions would be helpful if its not too much to ask) but I'm aiming for debuff/BF control now, but my current spell selection is more geared towards utility and versatility (alter self, ray of enfeeblement, enlarge person, burning hands, hypnotic pattern, obscuring mist to name a few).

I did not specialize (I didn't want to close myself off from two entire schools of magic my first time exploring the game) I don't really know what "direction" to take my wizard in, just that I want to be able to walk into most situations, and I guess to quote Logic Ninja and/or treantmonk "be batman/god". Again, I really don't know what to expect of the wizard as a class, and what capabilities prestige classes can grant it.

My Ranger friend, is also level 3, a Half-Elf, I think her favored enemy is Outsider (evil), and I asked her about switching to Archery, though at third level, it would be up to our DM if she could switch or not. Any suggestions for animal companions? would mounted twf be a viable option?

as a final note, we just hit 3rd level, so we can change anything that came with that until we actually continue our campaign (2nd level spells for me, feats for both of us)

We have access most books, minus Players guide to Faerun, Complete mage, complete champion and complete scoundrel. If you mention any more that we don't have, I'll mention it.

EDIT: The DM is willing to accept any and all sources as long as they are official, (he only wants his own homebrew) and he can access and understand them. As such, I can now use the three (previously) missing completes, and am looking for pgtf

Thanks a lot for the help guys, I appreciate the guidance

Greenish
2010-08-19, 05:40 PM
Well, ranger's Animal Companion won't be a very potent fighter, so a mount (light or heavy horse) is an option. Wild Plains Outride (Comp. Adventurer) gets to move and full attack while mounted at 3rd level (ECL 8) and is pretty easy to qualify for.

A dip to rogue and taking the feat Craven (Heroes of Horror) gives a useful boost for damage.

If you have Player's Guide to Eberron, you could ask your DM to allow half-elves to enter the Revenant Blade PrC (which is normally elf only).


Oh, and do you have Tome of Battle?

PId6
2010-08-19, 05:50 PM
For the ranger, since you're allowed to change your level 3 choices, how about changing classes? Ranger 2 is a good cutoff point since it maximizes benefits without taking on the less useful aspects of the class.

Ranger 2/Fighter 1/Warblade [ToB] 2/Revenant Blade [PGtE] 5/Eternal Blade [ToB] 10 is a pretty good TWF build, since half-elves (at least should) qualify for those PrCs as elves. The prereqs should be acquirable even if she hasn't worked towards them at all.


A dip to rogue and taking the feat Craven (Heroes of Horror Champions of Ruin) gives a useful boost for damage.
Fixed that for you. :smallwink:

Greenish
2010-08-19, 05:55 PM
Fixed that for you. :smallwink:Bah, too many similar names.

PId6
2010-08-19, 06:05 PM
Bah, too many similar names.
Huh, that is true. They're almost exact synonyms (ruin, horror, close enough). I wonder how many other books are like that? Let's see...

Heroes of Horror <-> Champions of Ruin <-> Exemplars of Evil (spechul doods of bad stuff)
Tome of Magic <-> Spell Compendium (book of magic)
Fiend Folio <-> Monster Manual (monster book)
Draconomicon <-> Dragon Compendium (book of dragons, kinda)
Manual of the Planes <-> Planar Handbook (book of planes)

Anything else?

Greenish
2010-08-19, 06:09 PM
Manual of the Planes and Planar Handbook. Maybe not that similar but well, enough to confuse me.

maysarahs
2010-08-19, 07:28 PM
I edited the list of books I had, including Tome of battle. any other suggestions you guys? thanks a million!

Greenish
2010-08-19, 07:32 PM
I edited the list of books I had, including Tome of battle. any other suggestions you guys? thanks a million!Tell your ranger friend to have a looksee at ToB, specifically to warblade, swordsage and Bloodclaw Master.

JeminiZero
2010-08-20, 01:22 AM
Then there are a few of the more hyped PrCs like Incantatrix (PGtF), Initiate of the 7fold Veils (CArcane) and Fatespinner (CArcane). All are good, with Incantatrix being probably one of the strongest wizard PrCs out there (that isn't Tainted Scholar).

You forgot Dweomerkeeper. :smallwink:

Personally, I have a soft spot for Geomancer. You need to splash 1 level in a Divine casting Class and Sanctum Spell or some Versatile/Heighten/Earth spell combo to get in at level 4 for it to be worthwhile.

If you can pull that off, it works well as a Gish with the ability to ignore ASF, and a bunch of extra natural attacks (among other things) for just 1 caster level lost. But it quickly becomes hilariously powerful, if your divine caster splash was Cleric, and you can convince your DM that Spell Versatility lets you treat your Arcane spells as Divine spells for DMM purposes.

maysarahs
2010-08-21, 02:04 PM
Haha, I'm not really interested in Gishing, the rest of our party are also amateurs, and I will be one of the few with any interest in optimizing, so I don't want to imbalance the party, I just want to fill a niche in the party, best suited to an arcane caster, with minimal loss of caster level, spell slots, and not resign myself to "one feat every three levels" as a class perk

TooManyBadgers
2010-08-21, 03:07 PM
If you want to be really good at casting and also make your friends feel awesome, you might check out the War Weaver in Heroes of Battle.

It loses a caster level, which is a turn-off for some people, but in exchange, it gets the ability to tear the action economy into pieces.

Its signature ability is to store large quantities of buff spells into a "Weave," which can be released as a move action to affect the entire party. That means your whole group can reliably start fights under the effects of Polymorph and Greater Invisibility and Fly and Protection from Evil and Protection from Energy [or whatever buff array strikes your fancy], while still leaving you with your regularly-scheduled Swift and Standard actions for normal spellcasting.

true_shinken
2010-08-21, 03:34 PM
Your Ranger friend is in quite a bit of trouble, I'm afraid. If only he had favored enemy (arcanists) we would be on to something. Half-elf is a pretty bad race for anything as well.
At this level, without retraining, your best bet is getting equipment that allows him to suck less. Chronocharm of the horizon walker and anklet of translocation, both from MiC, are cheap enough that you can afford it and they help him with mobility so that he gets both attacks. Also, tempo bloodspikes from Magic of Eberron.
His damage is low, pretty low. It will probably remain low. Least weapon augment crystals and dragoncraft weapons might add +2 damage to each hand, but it costs about 1k gold. Dragoncraft weapons are also probably pretty darn hard to find, as well.
For the future, if he is set on Ranger, I recommend getting favored enemy (evil) from Stalker of Kharrash or Harper Paragon ASAP and the Improved Favored Enemy and a Girdle of Hate (from Dragon 314). If not, he should go into classes that improve his mobility (people often say barbarian for pounce, but really, pounce is nowhere as reliable if you are really using battle maps - as in, not all battles take place in Flatland) or add a source of extra damage.
I like Dervish, Pyrokineticist and Incandescent Champion for these. Also, dipping a sneak attack class and taking the Craven feat helps. I have issues with the feat flavour, but if you don't mind being a coward, it's a good damage boost.

maysarahs
2010-09-01, 03:15 PM
Update, I have the Character sheets with me now, (I got back to college). I spoke to my friend, and she wants to specialize in using a double sword. Do you guys have any suggestions on using that particular weapon? Is the track to maximize utility of a double sword any different from a proper twf one?

Keld Denar
2010-09-01, 03:27 PM
Well, it costs you an extra feat (Exotic Weapon Proficiency) for an average of 1 point of damage per hit than simply duel wielding short swords (1d8/1d8 19-20 vs 1d6/1d6 19-20).

This is generally thought of as a bad idea. Feats are precious and should generally be worth more than +1 damage.

The BEST use of a 2bladed sword is to dip into Exotic Weapon Master for the Flurry of Strikes ability, then use only 1 side of the sword at a time as a 2handed weapon. 1d8 is a bit less than the 2d6 you'd get from a greatsword, but if you have a decent Strength score, the extra attack from Flurry of Strikes makes it worth it. That doesn't really line up with the TWFing Ranger idea though.

Now, if she spent the feat on EWP: Valanar Double Scimitar (ECS) instead of two bladed sword, she could PrC into Revenant Blade (ECS). Its similar to a two bladed sword, but curvier. Revenant Blade allows you to treat it as 2 2handed weapons, instead of a 1 handed and light weapon. That means you get full 1.5x damage on both sides, instead of 1x on the main hand and .5x on the offhand. Thats a net increase of 1.5x str bonus damage per "pair" of attacks. That is generally considered a good thing. Then she could also get Power Attack, and get 2:1 PA with both ends, which is also generally considered worth it.

I'd suggest either Ranger2/Barb3 or Ranger3/Barb2 as a leadin to Revenant Blade (which, IIRC, requires BAB+5 to enter). Of course, she would have to be a Valanar Elf from Eberron, but its easily adaptable to campaigns not set in Eberron.

Greenish
2010-09-01, 03:44 PM
Now, if she spent the feat on EWP: Valanar Double Scimitar (ECS) instead of two bladed sword, she could PrC into Revenant Blade (ECS).Revenant Blade is actually in Player's Guide to Eberron, and Valenar elves gain proficiency with the double scimitar as a racial bonus feat.

Revenant Blade is an excellent PrC for TWF and also offers a decent ranger-ish skill list. Another possible build for it could be ranger 2/barbarian 1-2/fighter 1-2, using barbarian 2 to gain Imp. Trip or taking two levels of fighter for the extra feats which can be put to good use. Ranger 2 gets TWF without needing the dex, so one can focus on strength. Imp. TWF can be gained from Gloves of Balanced Hand (MIC).

Something to note, though. Legendary Force (the ability for using both ends of the double scimitar as two-handers) is Revenant Blade's capstone, and thus comes to play at ECL 10 the earliest.

maysarahs
2010-09-01, 04:05 PM
Unfortunately we can't really change anything now, the damage has been done, I guess, she is a Ranger 2, and since we hit level 3 she can train her next level in something beneficial, but we can't really change the past, at this point all I am trying to ask is how to make the best of a bad situation. Thank you for your advice, I think that she will take her next level in Barbarian? are there any ACFs to take? or feats etc.? So if she dips into EWM would she only take one level for the one stunt?

Greenish
2010-09-01, 04:13 PM
Unfortunately we can't really change anything now, the damage has been done, I guess, she is a Ranger 2, and since we hit level 3 she can train her next level in something beneficial, but we can't really change the past, at this point all I am trying to ask is how to make the best of a bad situation.Ranger 2 is a fine starting point.

Thank you for your advice, I think that she will take her next level in Barbarian? are there any ACFs to take?Indeed there are. Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian from Complete Champion allows you to trade Fast Movement (which is nifty) for Pounce (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#pounce), which is one of the best abilities for melee, allowing one to bring offhand attacks and iteratives to play even on rounds where one has to move. Whirling Frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ) is a good alternative for a normal rage.

or feats etc.? So if she dips into EWM would she only take one level for the one stunt?What feat did she pick for 1st level? (Regardless of what it was, she can still qualify for Revenant Blade for 6th level, if she wants, and if DM allows it for half-elves.)

Keld Denar
2010-09-01, 04:15 PM
Um, yea, probably. There are a couple of other stunts as well that are ok, but Flurry of Strikes is really the best, and then only when you use it as a 2handed weapon rather than a double weapon.

Dipping Barbarian is decent. It has a similar feel to Ranger, and Rage is pretty useful. This is doubly true if you use the Whirling Frenzy alternate Rage in Unearthed Arcana. It functions similar to Flurry of Strikes, and stacks with Flurry of Strikes. That plus Haste gives you 3 extra attacks per round, albeit at a pretty steep penalty. Then you have to work on increasing your Accuracy and getting bonus damage. Knowledge Devotion is good for BOTH, and Rangers have a pretty decent list of Knowledges (KD gives you an extra knowledge as a permanent class skill). It would also be worth it to take Extra Rage at some point, since you won't have enough Barbarian levels to do it more than once a day anyway.

You can also take the Spirit Lion Totem ACF from Complete Champion. This gives her Pounce, a really important ability for TWFers. You normally can't move and full attack, and the lose of a full attack hurts TWFers the most. Pounce allows you to charge and full attack, making her a TON more adaptable.

As far as Revenant Blade, or the lack thereof, you can ask the DM to simply adapt it to work with a two-bladed sword instead of a double scimitar. Considering the DS is a superior weapon because of the crit range, it wouldn't be unbalanced. She's still an elf, and should have to meet all the other prereqs.

I'd see if she can finish Ranger2/Barbarian3/RevenantBlade5/EWM1/X9 or similar. Its strong, but not too strong, and gives her significant power boosts right when she needs them.

EDIT: An alternative to this would be to dip Barbarian1 for Pounce and Whirling Frenzy, then take some levels in Scout and go back to Ranger. This is a melee Swift Hunter (CScoundrel) build. Her Skirmish damage will help her out a ton, since it'll give her a source of bonus damage any time she charges something. She'll become something akin to a half-elven bowling ball, since without moving, she won't have a whole lot of options, but charging back and forth between 2+ foes will allow her to add Skirmish damage each round. Awkward, but effective!

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-01, 04:19 PM
Remember, there are retraining rules in Player's Handbook II. Read them closely, and use them! :)

Greenish
2010-09-01, 04:21 PM
(KD gives you an extra knowledge as a permanent class skill).It does? I've totally missed that, very cool.
I'd see if she can finish Ranger2/Barbarian3/RevenantBlade5/EWM1/X9 or similar.Unless she can re-train her 1st level feat (or picked Bladebearer of Valenar or WF: VDS), she'll need a bonus feat to qualify in time. Of course, if the DM changes the class to use two-bladed sword, Bladebearer can probably be discarded as well.

Keld Denar
2010-09-01, 04:22 PM
They only help you for feats, skills, and class features. You can't retrain your race or class levels. Thats called "rebuilding", and is solely the realm of DM fiat. Of course, there's always falling on your sword and rerolling, but that tends to be frowned upon in most serious groups...

EDIT:

It does? I've totally missed that, very cool.

Yup!


Prerequisite: Knowledge (any) 5 ranks.
Benefit: Upon selecting this feat, you immediately add one Knowledge skill of your choice to your list of class skills. <snip>

Pick the one you think you'll fight most often. Usually Planes, Religion, or Arcana are good choices for a ranger.

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-01, 04:22 PM
You can retrain feats, like I said! The rules are in PHB2!

And I was talking about feats the first time...

maysarahs
2010-09-02, 12:11 PM
Our DM will allow most books, except ones with settings, so Revenant Blade is out. I think I'll keep to the core, and the Complete series for simplicity?
I think the plan will be ranger 2, barbarian 1 with whirling frenzy, and the lion totem? I think that her 7th level will be EWM, (once she gets the +6 BAB) but what should she do for the next four levels in between? You mentioned picking up 2 more levels of Barbarian. Why? Could she pick up levels in Scout and work on skirmishing in tandem with pounce?

Also, would it be more prudent to go into Wild Plains Outrider for the full attack option after movement vs pounce? could they stack in any way? (she wants a mount)

Keld Denar
2010-09-02, 01:18 PM
Since you can't do Revenant Blade, I'd do the Swift Hunter path. Take 1 level of Barbarian (you can get both Pounce and Whirling Frenzy, since they swap out different features), then take up to 4 levels of Scout. Scout loses 1 BAB at 1st, but it don't lose another BAB until 5th, so most builds take 3 to 4 levels. Then jump back into Ranger and take that all the way to the end of the build, or maybe dip EWM at 8 for Flurry of Strikes. Swift Hunter should be her 6th level feat, as that will combine the Scout and Ranger levels. Only the 1 Barb level won't stack for her abilities, nor will the 1 level of EWM (if she takes it), but its important enough that it should be there regardless. Extra Rage should probably be her 3rd level feat, so Whirling Frenzy is available 3 times per day instead of just 1.

Sound good?

true_shinken
2010-09-02, 01:47 PM
What feat did she pick for 1st level? (Regardless of what it was, she can still qualify for Revenant Blade for 6th level, if she wants, and if DM allows it for half-elves.)
Half-elves qualify for anything that elves qualify for. That's the whole point of the elven blood racial ability.

Person_Man
2010-09-02, 01:51 PM
This is my first time playing D&D. In my current campaign, I am playing a wizard, and was wondering about Prestige classes. I note that everyone mentions Archmage, but was wondering if there was a another full caster option that didn't require me to sacrifice spell slots for their abilities.

You've hit the nail on the head. Any prestige class that doesn't give up caster levels is fine. You'll find a bunch of them in Complete Arcane and Complete Mage. You're new, so don't get too caught up in trying to optimize your character or work out some crazy combo. Enjoy your spells. They're awesome.



A second question, if I may ask, one of my friends is playing a Ranger specializing in TWF, and needs help figuring out what role to play/fill in the party. She also wants to know what PrC options there are for her, (Deepwood sniper, and Order of the Bow Initiate are both geared for archery focused Rangers)

I'm assuming your friend is relatively new as well, so I won't suggest anything too complex. Tell him to take a look at Justicar, Kensai, and Master Thrower. Each works well with Two Weapon Fighting.

Greenish
2010-09-02, 02:07 PM
Half-elves qualify for anything that elves qualify for. That's the whole point of the elven blood racial ability.Ah, I'd always thought it was there just so that you'd have an use for the rest of your elvenbane arrows after you killed all full elves. :smalltongue:

So PrC is an "effect"?

maysarahs
2010-09-02, 04:37 PM
Thank you all so much for your help! A question for Person man, my friend wants to specialize in using a double sword, and shes chaotic good, so throwing weapons won't have much synergy with what she's going for, and the chaotic part of her alignment locks her out of either justicar or kensai... if it's too complicated, would it just be more prudent to dip one level in barbarian for the pounce and whirling frenzy, and then keep going in either scout or ranger (with swift hunter if she classes into scout)? I appreciate all the help I am getting. Thank you guys for your suggestions.