If I Want To Be Blasty Magician, I play a...?

[Brom]

As it says on the tin, I'm wondering what class makes an effective mystical blaster.

Kineticist?
Warmage?
Evoker?
Warlock?
Dread Necromancer?
Cleric?

Some other overlooked piece of magic or reality bending juiciness that I'm overlooking?

If I want to do some kind of damage, raw, hit point damage, and have it be magical in origin, what class/prc/build do you go to make it happen? Curious.

Everyone talks down to straight blasting, but what option is there if you want to blast and blast? o.O

[Gavinfoxx]

Sorcerer or Kineticist.


http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer

I have a specific variant of this that I favor, but the basic chassis is great.

[Acanous]

Master Specialist Conjurer into Malconvoker.
right off the bat you have some decent picks, and it only gets better. By the end there you've got a small army of demons hucking fire, acid, and ice anywhere you want across multiple initiative counts, while buffed like crazy. All while you can maintain invisibility and be flying.

[Brom]

Master Specialist Conjurer into Malconvoker.
right off the bat you have some decent picks, and it only gets better. By the end there you've got a small army of demons hucking fire, acid, and ice anywhere you want across multiple initiative counts, while buffed like crazy. All while you can maintain invisibility and be flying.

While that's cool, that's not a blaster, that's a summoner. The fact that your minions can blast doesn't make you a blaster. It makes you a Summoner of Blasters.

[Gavinfoxx]

While that's cool, that's not a blaster, that's a summoner. The fact that your minions can blast doesn't make you a blaster. It makes you a Summoner of Blasters.

You do know that Conjuration has the best blasting spells in it, right?

[Reynard]

Keneticist is fun, and very blasty. IF you have a reliable, non-fatal way of over-channeling, it just gets blastier. Plus, not going to overly break a campaign.


A wizard focusing in the Orb spells and meta-magicking them up is also blasty, but can get pretty dull.

And you can always go for Force Missile Mage. Metamagic Magic Missiles everywhere!

EDIT:
You do know that Conjuration has the best blasting spells in it, right?

Except the post he quoted explicitly stated summoning other blasters.

[Thespianus]

You do know that Conjuration has the best blasting spells in it, right?
Wings of Flurry is Evocation. ;)

[Escheton]

While that's cool, that's not a blaster, that's a summoner. The fact that your minions can blast doesn't make you a blaster. It makes you a Summoner of Blasters.

thats blasty, though not blaster.
You should be more careful with your threadtitles then.

[Gavinfoxx]

Wings of Flurry is Evocation. ;)

AAaannd all the Orb spells are Conjuration. Your point?

[Ernir]

Kineticist (or other kind of Psion with an Expanded Knowledge or two) if you want to do it the way I think it was envisioned: you're pretty damn good at it - until you run out of magic juice.

Warlock if you want to be bad at it, but never run out.

Sorcerer/Incantatrix if you just want **** to die.

[Brom]

What book is Incantrix in? I keep hearing the laurels and laudatory commentary for it o.O

[Ernir]

Magic of Faerûn had the 3.0 version, the 3.5 version is in Player's Guide to Faerûn.

[Eldariel]

Wizard > War Mage PrC [Age of Mortals] Feel free to finish off with a meta abuse class like Incantatrix.

[Godskook]

Dragonfire Adept - Cause dealing 60d6 AoE damage every other round, whenever you want, is *SEXY*

(Requires Eberron material and it would be ideal to be Evil or have a permissible DM who's willing to invert the alignment requirement, but is still doable RAW with a neutral moral alignment)

[Keld Denar]

Shadowcraft Mages make pretty effective blasters. Because you are emulating spells, and you pick the spells you want to emulate on the fly. 90%+ of blasting spells fall in the Conjouration(Creation) or Evocation schools, so you have access to nearly everything at will. Any element type, area, range, and secondary effects/duel threats, etc. If you can get your quasi-reality up over 100%, your foes will actually take MORE damage if they save than if they fail. Yea...thats right. Your fake fire is actually HOTTER than real fire. Go figure that one out.

[Kobold-Bard]

Shadowcraft Mages make pretty effective blasters. Because you are emulating spells, and you pick the spells you want to emulate on the fly. 90%+ of blasting spells fall in the Conjouration(Creation) or Evocation schools, so you have access to nearly everything at will. Any element type, area, range, and secondary effects/duel threats, etc. If you can get your quasi-reality up over 100%, your foes will actually take MORE damage if they save than if they fail. Yea...thats right. Your fake fire is actually HOTTER than real fire. Go figure that one out.

How exactly do people manage that? I think I got it explained to me once but I didn't get it.

[Keld Denar]

Shadow Illusion, the 3rd level ability of an ScM, allows you to trade an X level figment for an X-1 level Evocation or Conjouraiton(Creation) or Conjouration(Summoning) spell. It has a reality of X0%, 10% per spell level. ScM itself gives you +20% as well, and there is a feat in PGtF that gives you another 20% (Enhanced Shadow Reality). Thats +40%, which means you only need to cast a 6th level spell to get 100% reality. With some Earth Spell/Easy Metamagic/Heighten Spell shananigans, you can be casting spells that are effectively several levels higher than a normal wizard could cast, giving you MORE reality on top of that.

[Kobold-Bard]

Shadow Illusion, the 3rd level ability of an ScM, allows you to trade an X level figment for an X-1 level Evocation or Conjouraiton(Creation) or Conjouration(Summoning) spell. It has a reality of X0%, 10% per spell level. ScM itself gives you +20% as well, and there is a feat in PGtF that gives you another 20% (Enhanced Shadow Reality). Thats +40%, which means you only need to cast a 6th level spell to get 100% reality. With some Earth Spell/Easy Metamagic/Heighten Spell shananigans, you can be casting spells that are effectively several levels higher than a normal wizard could cast, giving you MORE reality on top of that.

See that was a lot easier to follow than the last one that I read. Thanks.

[ScionoftheVoid]

Kineticist probably requires the least work to create an effective blaster. If you want to be the best blaster in the world then look up Cindy (Wizard) or the Mailman (Sorcerer), though you may want to tone those down at least a touch.

[Acanous]

if you really want to be doing all the blast work yourself, you can still go conjuration. Personally I just like having multiple actions in a round with which to blast. If I'm blasting, I'm blasting with multiple damage types across different areas to encompass the entire battlefield every round for maximum carnage. Prefferably while I'm somewhere safe and undetectable. While still maintaining viewing/command distance.

toss in Craft Contingent Spell and you get even more spell actions with which to play.

[molten_dragon]

As someone already mentioned, Shadowcraft mage makes a great blaster.

You'll have access to pretty much every good blast spell in the game (as well as a lot of good BC that you can use if and when you want).
Your save DCs will be sky-high, though this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that they will get two saves.
The earth spell/heighten spell/practical metamagic trick will make you beyond awesome, since it lets you mimic spells a level higher than the slot you are mimicking them with, and for every level you heighten the spell, your caster level goes up by one. By the mid teens, you can easily have a caster level in the mid twenties for your blast spells.

Gnome Wizard 3/Master Specialist 4 is a good entry.

Warmage is another very blaster-focused mage, although it is a significantly weaker choice than a well-built ScM.

[Darrin]

The Mailman (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer) is usually the go-to build for direct damage blastiness.

[mint]

I tried playing an evocation specialist, focused specialist AFC wizard who went into Master Specialist. It was actually kind of ok. Not fantastic and it lacked the Mailman's ability to ALWAYS DELIVER. It was nice for facing large groups and it felt good to not have sorcerer spell selection angst.

I don't know that I would recommend it though.
It was a mini campaign where we had decided that our group theme would be to make staple archetypes with some twist. We were trying to make poor choices playable. So the challenges we faced were often stereotypical.
Like... we had
The Paladin Hero who was a closet case and had mixed feelings about saving the princess.
Our token elf was a hillbilly Fighter named Joe-Jimbob and he wielded an ancestral katana handed down to him from cousin paw-paw.
Etc...

[Curmudgeon]

The best blasty magician, at higher levels anyway, is a Cleric with the Initiate of Mystra feat (Player's Guide to Faerûn, page 81) and Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell) to keep its 7th level Holy Star special Initiate-only spell going continuously. Holy Star (not the Spell Compendium Cleric version, but rather the Initiate-only one on page 104 of PGtF) is a pretty good blaster:

When it's not your turn, Holy Star provides a +10 circumstance bonus to AC.
On your turn, it's a free action to switch Holy Star to its blast function, and another free action to switch back at the end of each turn.
The blast function deals 1d6/2 caster levels (maximum 10d6) to a creature within 90'. This is a ranged touch attack and uses your attack bonus. That means that, with Divine Power also persisted, you get 4 of these blasts every full attack.
Ranged touch attack.
90' range.
Decent damage.
You can use Energy Substitution metamagic to pick something other than fire.
4 attacks each round.
And you've still got all your other prepared Cleric spells.

[Salbazier]

Dragonfire Adept - Cause dealing 60d6 AoE damage every other round, whenever you want, is *SEXY*

(Requires Eberron material and it would be ideal to be Evil or have a permissible DM who's willing to invert the alignment requirement, but is still doable RAW with a neutral moral alignment)

May i know exactly how?

[Prime32]

May i know exactly how?Five-fold Breath of Tiamat (use five breath weapons at once, take damage and cooldown) requires you to be evil. The corresponding good-aligned breath weapon just does double damage and destroys your loot. :smallannoyed:

There's a feat which boosts your breath weapon's power based on the strength of your dragonmark. So take 2 levels of Heir of Siberys to get the most powerful kind.


http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870954/The_New_Dragonfire_Adept_Handbook!

[gbprime]

Energy Resistance is the foe you have to worry about as a blaster. Other than avoiding energy damage, there are three primary ways to get around it.

The first, and least efficient, is Energy Substitution. With it, you always have a second kind of energy to throw with whatever spells you have prepped. The downside is creatures that have resistance to 2 or more energy types, like many celestials, demons, and devils.

The second is Searing Spell (from Sandstorm). This metamagic feat jacks up the spell by 1 level, but it allows a fire spell to completely IGNORE fire resistance, and it does half damage to creatures with fire IMMUNITY. This is a valuable method for a sorcerer or other caster who cannot take a large variety of damage spells, and it makes Scorching Ray valuable all over again.

The third is a 1-2 level dip in [EDIT] Sanctified One of Kord (Complete Champion). It's got some requirements to overcome and the 1st level comes with no spellcasting. But the first level allows you to select an ability which turns all fire damage into untyped divine damage.

[Godskook]

May i know exactly how?

Prime got 95% of it, but left off the detail and where that last 5d6 comes from.

Required material:
Breath of Syberis
Heir of Syberis(and pre-reqs)
Dragon Magic(Dragonfire Adept is there)
Magic Item Compendium(Our fun item is here)

Dragonfire Adept gets a 9d6 breath weapon usable at-will, every round. It also gets invocations and 'breath effects', the latter being an upgraded version of the warlock's eldritch essences in the sense that they don't take invocation slots. One of the level 15+ breath effects is called "Fivefold breath of Tiamat", and the developers wanted it to be spectacular enough to be worth backlash, and for once, they nailed their goal. It deals out 5 breath weapons simultaneously, 2 in a line, 2 in a cone, and the 5th is either a line or a cone, but I forget. Point is, for the first half of the line, you're dealing 5*base to all targets, plus additional damage to targets outside the primary damage zone. Now, as I said, the class gives a base of 9d6, which is only 45d6 sadly. To up that, we get our Syberis class+feat together. The class is a pre-req, but it can be exploitable in its own right, but for now, it doesn't do anything useful but qualify for Breath of Syberis. The feat, however, gives +1d6 to breath weapons, or +2d6 if you've got a Syberis mark. At level 2 in HoS, we've got the mark, so now base damage is up to 11d6, or 55d6 for Fivefold. There's an item in Magic Item Compendium that adds +1d6 to your breath weapon, which gives us 12d6 base, or 60d6 Fivefold.

Now, Fivefold has downsides. It requires a non-good alignment to qualify for, and deals damage to the character equal to twice the class levels in DFA if they're evil, or *four times* if they're non-evil+non-good.

So yeah, niche build, considering it requires:
-Non-good alignment -or- generous DM
-Campaign Setting material
-Syberis Dragonmark(that's going to effect roleplay)

[Psyren]

As much as I want to support psionics here, spells like Streamers are crazy good.

Wilders make excellent blasters too btw, especially Educated Wilders.

[Godskook]

As much as I want to support psionics here, spells like Streamers are crazy good.

Wilders make excellent blasters too btw, especially Educated Wilders.

Or a dominant ideal Ardent, especially if they ignore the Complete Psi nerfs.

[Chambers]

Solo's Stupendously Superior Sorcerer Stratagems (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2180.0)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/toddsun/Other/sorceror.jpg?t=1239258858

[Brom]

Solo's Stupendously Superior Sorcerer Stratagems (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2180.0)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/toddsun/Other/sorceror.jpg?t=1239258858

Having read this, Solo explicitly outlines that it's usually a waste of sorcerer spells known to pick up a blasting repertoire and favors the typical set of save or die and batman casting that a wizard would be use, he merely advocates sorcery while doing it and shows that it's quite doable.

[Psyren]

The Mailman (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer) is the more "blasty sorcerer" approach; Solo's guide is a bit more on the generalist side.

[Vizzerdrix]

My preferred Blasty route is Sorcerer into Argent Savant, Force Missile Mage and the War Wizard PrC (from one of the Dragonlance books).

[Draz74]

I vote Kineticist or Dragonfire Adept, even though ...


Dragonfire Adept - Cause dealing 60d6 AoE damage every other round, whenever you want to hit yourself with 60+ damage, is *SUICIDAL*

FTFY. :smallwink: I love the DFA, but I think the Fivefold Tiamat Breath effect is overhyped.

Also, explain to me why the Bahamut Breath destroys your loot. (I don't understand why it gets so much hate. Sure, the disintegration effect is basically worthless, but it still doubles your breath damage, makes your breath damage untyped, and unlike FfBoT, it doesn't restrict you from using your breath weapon again the next round. But if the disintegration effect does apply to your target's equipment somehow, even though the breath effect description specifically says it doesn't work on objects, then that explains the hatred nicely.)

* * *

Btw, nifty trick for a high-level Psion who wants to blast: Energy Wall + Energy Conversion + Psicrystal. Now you can Energy Wall yourself, store up lots of energy, and zap people with blasty rays until your Energy Conversion duration runs out.

There are four wonderful things about this combo:

It's available to any Psion, not just Kineticist.
It's extremely efficient with your PP!
The damage you deal can be Sonic, without the usual damage penalties that sonic imposes on psionic powers. (As a side benefit, your Sonic Energy Wall will also wreak havoc with your venue!)
It lets your Psicrystal blast away with 3*manifester level damage each round, even if the Psion himself wants to spend his standard actions to do more powerful (but more costly PP-wise) things.

[Zaq]

Fivefold Breath is painful, but hardly suicidal on an evil character. Remember that DFAs can be CON-SAD if they focus on their breath weapons and ignore invocations that allow saving throws. Since Fivefold Breath doesn't come online until at least level 15, it's entirely reasonable to have upwards of 30 CON by that point, since you really don't need anything else. If you're that worried about it, remember that you can also take that invocation that gives you your caster level in temporary HP at-will (since Fivefold Breath prevents you from using your breath weapon on the next round, you can use this on your "off rounds" and cut the damage you're dealing to yourself in half). On neutral DFAs, yes, it's a lot more dangerous, but still, with 30 CON, you can afford some pain to deal those kinds of results.

Neat trick: Since Fivefold Breath specifies that "you can't use any breath weapon in the round following the one in which you apply this breath effect" (and, indeed, the DFA's class features say that "you can't apply the same breath effect to your breath weapon in two consecutive rounds"), with a Belt of Battle or similar source of extra actions, you can use Fivefold Breath twice in one round. It's not advisable to do this often, for obvious reasons.

[Tvtyrant]

Straight Cleric with the right domains gets a fair amount of blasting. Specifically Force Domain from CA and Ice Domain. You naturally get a bunch of SoD's as well as buffing, so your domains can just be about blasting without taking a real hit.

[WarrenZig]

Shadow Illusion, the 3rd level ability of an ScM, allows you to trade an X level figment for an X-1 level Evocation or Conjouraiton(Creation) or Conjouration(Summoning) spell. It has a reality of X0%, 10% per spell level. ScM itself gives you +20% as well, and there is a feat in PGtF that gives you another 20% (Enhanced Shadow Reality). Thats +40%, which means you only need to cast a 6th level spell to get 100% reality. With some Earth Spell/Easy Metamagic/Heighten Spell shananigans, you can be casting spells that are effectively several levels higher than a normal wizard could cast, giving you MORE reality on top of that.

Hrmm, So technically i could say (with a wiz5/ScM5/Shadowcrafter10/ESR) heighten a silent image to 4th level then apply maximize and empower to make it a 9th level spell and use that spell to cast say Polar Ray for an auto 200% damage hit?

[absolmorph]

Hrmm, So technically i could say (with a wiz5/ScM5/Shadowcrafter10/ESR) heighten a silent image to 4th level then apply maximize and empower to make it a 9th level spell and use that spell to cast say Polar Ray for an auto 200% damage hit?
That's a 4th level spell with +5 levels of metamagic, not a 9th level spell.

[Curmudgeon]

Straight Cleric with the right domains gets a fair amount of blasting. Specifically Force Domain from CA and Ice Domain.
Are you sure about your sources? I don't know what you mean by "CA", but the current version of Force domain is in Spell Compendium. I've checked both Complete Arcane and Complete Adventurer and I can't find an Ice domain there ─ or anywhere else.

[Draz74]

Fivefold Breath is painful, but hardly suicidal on an evil character. Remember that DFAs can be CON-SAD if they focus on their breath weapons and ignore invocations that allow saving throws. Since Fivefold Breath doesn't come online until at least level 15, it's entirely reasonable to have upwards of 30 CON by that point, since you really don't need anything else. If you're that worried about it, remember that you can also take that invocation that gives you your caster level in temporary HP at-will (since Fivefold Breath prevents you from using your breath weapon on the next round, you can use this on your "off rounds" and cut the damage you're dealing to yourself in half). On neutral DFAs, yes, it's a lot more dangerous, but still, with 30 CON, you can afford some pain to deal those kinds of results.

Yeah, I was mostly joking with the "suicidal" comment, and it was also in the context of a non-evil DFA. Fivefold Breath is a powerful option, of course. I'm just not as in love with it as the DFA handbook or several other people. :smalltongue:

[Tvtyrant]

Are you sure about your sources? I don't know what you mean by "CA", but the current version of Force domain is in Spell Compendium. I've checked both Complete Arcane and Complete Adventurer and I can't find an Ice domain there ─ or anywhere else.

I am AFB for the next week or so (maybe more) but I believe Ice Domain Cold Domain is from Frostburn Complete Divine. Force Domain I think is in both Complete Divine and Spell Compendium. Why did you check the arcane and adventure books for divine magic?

Anyway, check Complete Divine, I don't know off the top of my head.

[JaronK]

Wings of Flurry means Sorcerer is your best bet. Be a Kobold (even without Dragonwrought shenanigans you get +1 caster level). Take Arcane Thesis, Sculpt Spell, and whatever else suits your fancy. Wings of Flurry solves all problems.

JaronK

[Psyren]

Wings of Flurry means Sorcerer is your best bet. Be a Kobold (even without Dragonwrought shenanigans you get +1 caster level). Take Arcane Thesis, Sculpt Spell, and whatever else suits your fancy. Wings of Flurry solves all problems.

JaronK

Not every problem - "SR: Yes" means you need a backup plan vs. some enemies e.g. golems. Some are immune or resistant to force effects as well (though very few.)

[Curmudgeon]

I am AFB for the next week or so (maybe more) but I believe Ice Domain Cold Domain is from Frostburn Complete Divine. Force Domain I think is in both Complete Divine and Spell Compendium. Why did you check the arcane and adventure books for divine magic?
I was trying to puzzle out your reference:

Specifically Force Domain from CA and Ice Domain.
Anyway, the current version of Cold domain is also in Spell Compendium. (With WotC's update rule, any campaign that uses Spell Compendium no longer has access to older versions of content that's been updated in SC; you've got to stick to the most current source that you use in your game.)

[Tvtyrant]

CA: Complete Arcane. And I don't own Spell Compedium, so that rule does not apply to me. And I apologize, it was in Complete Divine.

[Curmudgeon]

Wings of Flurry solves all problems.
Oh, really? Any character with evasion and a decent Reflex save will laugh at that ineffectual spell (then probably stick a rapier in your kidneys). :smallbiggrin:

[JaronK]

Not every problem - "SR: Yes" means you need a backup plan vs. some enemies e.g. golems. Some are immune or resistant to force effects as well (though very few.)

Still, lots of problems. The only thing left is to get an Orb spell for the SR annoyances, and probably Assay Resistance for the ones that aren't outright immune. Still, Wings of Flurry is far and away the best blast spell around.


Oh, really? Any character with evasion and a decent Reflex save will laugh at that ineffectual spell (then probably stick a rapier in your kidneys).

Unseelie Fey Template. They'll be too dazed to laugh...

Or more seriously just fly or something. You don't have to be THAT close. This is what Greater Floating Disk was made for. Be your own turret! Remember, with Shape Spell Wings of Flurry becomes a long range attack too.

Obviously the killer rediculous version of this would be Venerable Dragonwrought Unseelie Fey Kobold. +5 Charisma, subtract your Cha mod from their saves, +1 Sorcerer level, an additional +2 Sorcerer level if you fire up the Loredrake cheese... yeah, it's pretty much instant kill.

JaronK

[Kelb_Panthera]

Why choose between magic and psionics? Warmage/wilder/cerebremancer with practiced manifester, and practiced spellcaster gets you full-power blasting in both flavors, plus it won't make conservative DM's cry. :smallbiggrin:

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a hellfire Warlock yet. Unlimited blasty, and it really isn't 'suck' either, if you work for it.

Vitriolic Blast = ignore SR, but damage is now Acid... one of the rarest to resist.

Eldritch Cone = AE goodness

Eldritch Chain = multiple-target goodness

Noxious Blast = tack on Nauseated with your damage for battlefield control

Utterdark Blast = negative levels with your blasting

I believe other sources also have a fireball-like ball as well

Then we tack on +2d6 from neck item

Then we get into Hellfire + Legacy Champion for something like 22d6 a shot

So yea, it's really not all that bad, actually.

[WinceRind]

Depends on what you mean by "blasting'.

When I think of blasting, I think about huge explosions. so my first suggestion will not work so well...

Any arcane caster (barring Bard and classes that don't progress to 9th level spells, although that's not that important here) with Spellwarp Sniper.

You don't exactly "blast" but you scorch and incinerate people with magic rays! With some sneak attack damage on top of it, from 60 feet away!
---

Aside from that (one of my personal favorites when it comes to actual blasty gameplay, although it's somewhat more rogue-like and has capabilities outside of blasting, too) I think just about any full caster can make a formidable blaster.

Wizards/Sorcerers/Shugenja all get blasty spells that aren't necessarily very good but still do exactly what's on the label. Warmage even gets to add a bonus to it...

[Godskook]

FTFY. :smallwink: I love the DFA, but I think the Fivefold Tiamat Breath effect is overhyped.

You fixed nothing. I was suggesting either: (A)Going evil for it, or (B)Convincing your DM to allow it as a good alignment by converting to metallic breath weapons or something.

Besides, the full 72 damage can be mitigated somewhat with the use of temp HP from Draconic Toughness invocation. ~25 Temp HP goes a long way, especially if you're the ideal alignment, leading to a minimal 11 damage per attempt, which I'm sure can be further minimized. Sure, if you're non-evil, the ~47 damage is going to sting, but it isn't in the 60+ range, like you're quoting.

And with con as a primary stat, you've got no lack of HP compared to the party(+13 con bonus is reasonable, and with d8 HD, you'd have ~350 HP before temp).

[Draz74]

Yes, if you read the thread, you will find where I already stated that was a joke and I know Fivefold Breath isn't really a suicidal tactic. But that I still don't find it as fascinating as you do.

[Tvtyrant]

I still vote Cleric. SoD's, AoEs, rays, you name it and you can cast it in plate armor. Also, you know all of the spells on your list, so you don't have to worry about versatility.

And adamant tower shields are sexy.

[Godskook]

Yes, if you read the thread, you will find where I already stated that was a joke and I know Fivefold Breath isn't really a suicidal tactic. But that I still don't find it as fascinating as you do.

High damage is a ~meh tactic, but *if* we're going that route, Fivefold is great, especially since you can keep it up all day without much effort.

And finally, a "missed that" that is at least in a different post. I've been on a bad streak up till now.

[Thespianus]

AAaannd all the Orb spells are Conjuration. Your point?
That the Orb spells don't affect more than one target?

But maybe I'm reading too much into "blasty". To me , that involves targeting more than one target, but YMMV.

[Prime32]

Yes, if you read the thread, you will find where I already stated that was a joke and I know Fivefold Breath isn't really a suicidal tactic. But that I still don't find it as fascinating as you do.It's cool though.

[Akal Saris]

My favorite blasty magician is Evoker 5/Stormcaster 5/XYZ 10 (Where XYZ defaults to Incantatrix..), combined with Born of the 3 Thunders and Mark of the Dauntless to be immune to dazing. Blast with a lightning spell each round, every opponent takes damage and makes 2 saves or be stunned, and if you're crazy enough you can even use celerity with no downsides.


I was trying to puzzle out your reference:

Anyway, the current version of Cold domain is also in Spell Compendium. (With WotC's update rule, any campaign that uses Spell Compendium no longer has access to older versions of content that's been updated in SC; you've got to stick to the most current source that you use in your game.)

But just a page ago, you suggested using the PGtF version of Holy Star, rather than the SpC version...

[Curmudgeon]

But just a page ago, you suggested using the PGtF version of Holy Star, rather than the SpC version...
Ah, but these are from different spell lists. The Player's Guide to Faerûn Holy Star is an Initiate of Mystra-only spell (that is, the Initiate of Mystra spells are a benefit of the Initiate of Mystra feat). Thus, while it has the same name and is in most ways similar, the general Cleric spell Holy Star isn't a replacement. We would have to have errata text updating the feat to have the Spell Compendium version of Holy Star be used instead.

[Akal Saris]

Eh, works for me. Initiate of Mystra is just an all-around crazy feat.

[Psyx]

Specialised Evoker/Sorc Ultimate Magus is fun. It's not THE BEST [tm], but it's still not a poor choice.
Evocation blasts just fine, with a lot of variety. If you really want orbs, then don't drop Summoning. Evoc looses out on Abrupt Jaunt, but there are plenty of other sub-outs for a familiar if you want them.

[Curmudgeon]

Eh, works for me. Initiate of Mystra is just an all-around crazy feat.
It helps defensively in this scenario, too. Cast Antimagic Field at your minimum CL (which is 11 if your Cleric gets it from the Magic domain). Then the DC on the CL check needed to get through that Antimagic Field will be only 22, and you should be able to acquire enough CL boosters by then to get your CL up to 20, at least for one battle. So you'll succeed on any roll of 2 or higher to pump out the blasty goodness, while remaining impervious to most magical attacks.

Really, the only downside here is that this doesn't work until you get the necessary spell at level 13. Divine Metamagic (Maximize Spell) can let you make your Holy Star blast do a guaranteed 60 points of damage each, 4 times per round. Alternatively, if you know you're going to be in for a big battle, one block of Incense of Meditation (4,900 gp) the night before will accomplish the Maximize Spell effect for all your spells.

[ryuteki]

That the Orb spells don't affect more than one target?

But maybe I'm reading too much into "blasty". To me , that involves targeting more than one target, but YMMV.

It's definitely important, but there is a lot to be said for being able to reliably stuff 60-odd points of damage down someone's throat when you need to with no save & no SR. Admittedly those energy immunities kind of suck, I occasionally kick myself for not yet having taken Searing Spell...

[Tvtyrant]

I would put any spell, including rays/orbs, that does direct damage into the "blasting" category.

[Thespianus]

It's definitely important, but there is a lot to be said for being able to reliably stuff 60-odd points of damage down someone's throat when you need to with no save & no SR. Admittedly those energy immunities kind of suck, I occasionally kick myself for not yet having taken Searing Spell...

Oh, absolutely. The Orbs are fantastic, and it would greatly improve the School of Evocation if the Orbs were moved from Conjuration to Evocation. (or even ruled to be "dual school").

All I wanted to say was that Conjuration don't have ALL the good blasty spells. :)

[Thespianus]

I would put any spell, including rays/orbs, that does direct damage into the "blasting" category.

In retrospect, so would I.