[3.5] Tricksy Wizards

[Geigan]

I'm interested in a lot of the obscure combos that wizards can pull off. I love that their strength comes from the variety of tools they can pull out of their spellbook and am looking for some things to defeat a certain opponent at epic levels(25th specifically).

Let's assume that this opponent has the following:
a) equal HD to your own
b) higher saves than you could possibly boost DC to(without massive cheese, which is welcome). As well as evasion though not mettle.
c) touch AC so high that even with true strike you couldn't hit it without critting(more cheese to boost the ranged touch attack is welcome also)
d) immunity to fear, aging, poison, and disease
e) the means to teleport short distances reliably
f) is primarily a melee fighter with enough power to kickass versus anything I would shapechange into (I may be a bit inept with shapechange though)
g) faster than you could possibly outrun without teleporting yourself and a means of flying that is even faster
h) resist above 10 to the basic five energy types(fire,cold,elec,sonic,acid)
i) the ability to heal a lot of damage as well as some minor fast healing
j) can strike incorporeal
k) does not have to eat, sleep, or breathe
l) immune to negative levels but not ability drain, though is capable of greater restoration

What shenanigans can you pull out of your magic books?

Of my own device, the best I can come up with is the various cloud spells in a forcecage with a dimensional lock. Hope that the damage is enough over time to kill him.

flaws: could resist most of the damage done, as well as out heal anything that spills over the resistance

Also list any flaws in your various plans. Every trick has a counter and it's useful to know your weaknesses.

note: While I did say cheese was welcome I don't want anything from 3.0 or pathfinder though you are free to share amusing anecdotes of epic cleverness. I'm more interested in clever combos or useful spells rather than optimizing a build.

[Tvtyrant]

Time Stop
Prismatic Sphere around both you and the enemy
walk through sphere
Cast a Forcecage just outside the Prismatic Sphere
Cast Reverse Gravity when Time Stop ends

The enemy will lose any protective spells it has to the violet energy at the very least.

If not that one then there is always
Time Stop
4 Delayed Blast Fireballs

[The-Mage-King]

As most of these will begin... Time Stop.

Polymorph to an Outsider

Greater Teleport to low orbit

Limited Wish (for a spell)-> Major Creation.

Conjure up some Anti-Osmium. (you see where this is going...)

Far Hand.

Greater Teleport to that guy's lap.


End of planet.


FLAWS: Killing thousands of catgirls due to use of physics. Spell stowaway (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#spellStowaway). Not taking the moon with the planet. Allowing the target to survive if it can soak that much damage and can breath in space.

[NNescio]

I'm interested in a lot of the obscure combos that wizards can pull off. I love that their strength comes from the variety of tools they can pull out of their spellbook and am looking for some things to defeat a certain opponent at epic levels(25th specifically).

Let's assume that this opponent has the following:
a) equal HD to your own
b) higher saves than you could possibly boost DC to(without massive cheese, which is welcome). As well as evasion though not mettle.
c) touch AC so high that even with true strike you couldn't hit it without critting(more cheese to boost the ranged touch attack is welcome also)
d) immunity to aging, poison, and disease
e) the means to teleport short distances reliably
f) is primarily a melee fighter with enough power to kickass versus anything I would shapechange into (I may be a bit inept with shapechange though)
g) faster than you could possibly outrun without teleporting yourself and a means of flying that is even faster
h) resist above 10 to the basic five energy types(fire,cold,elec,sonic,acid)
i) the ability to heal a lot of damage as well as some minor fast healing

What shenanigans can you pull out of your magic books?

Of my own device, the best I can come up with is the various cloud spells in a forcecage with a dimensional lock. Hope that the damage is enough over time to kill him.

flaws: could resist most of the damage done, as well as out heal anything that spills over the resistance

Also list any flaws in your various plans. Every trick has a counter and it's useful to know your weaknesses.

note: While I did say cheese was welcome I don't want anything from 3.0 or pathfinder though you are free to share amusing anecdotes of epic cleverness. I'm more interested in clever combos or useful spells rather than optimizing a build.

Can he even hit ethereal targets?

Also:
Foresight: He can never catch you surprised, nor would you be flat-footed.

Rope Trick: If you need a place to rest.

Genesis + Plane Shift: If you need a better place to rest. Especially if you fool around with the flow of time.

Celerity: You always go first. (due to Foresight)

Time Stop: You get at last 2 extra turns to do whatever you want.

Ethereal Jaunt: You're ethereal, and you can cast force spells and abjurations. Use Transdimensional Spell if you want your other spells to hit.

Gate: Summon Bigger Fish. Said fishes can also summon even more big fishes. Also lets you get wishes.

Shapechange: Get two standard actions a round. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/choker.htm) Or an arbitrarily high number of HP and feats. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/barghest.htm) Plus other bennies.

Ironguard: Haha metal weapons don't affect you.

Maw of Chaos: Best area effect force damage spell which also locks down your opponent.

Epic Spells: You're an epic level spellcaster. Epic-level spellcasters can do anything. Just make up anything you want and apply mitigation factors.

[dextercorvia]

4 different suggestions:

1.Tainted Scholar waves high at your saves.

2.Boost CL by 10 and use Blasphemy/Holy Word.

3.Hammer of Righteousness is the Wizard version of Wings of Flurry. Uncapped Force Damage. It's not quite as good usually, but fort save for 1/2 instead of reflex makes it better in this case.

4.Go Dweomerkeeper for the Supernatural spell ability. Simulacrum is now a standard action combat spell. Just pick something with up to 50 HD and (a watered down version of) it appears.

[Geigan]

Time Stop
Prismatic Sphere around both you and the enemy
walk through sphere
Cast a Forcecage just outside the Prismatic Sphere
Cast Reverse Gravity when Time Stop ends

The enemy will lose any protective spells it has to the violet energy at the very least.

If not that one then there is always
Time Stop
4 Delayed Blast Fireballs
The pris. sphere may work though walking through it yourself would probably kill you. Most of it's effects could be saved against except for the violet effect. However it could teleport out if you don't fit a dimensional anchor into your time stop. Also it can fly so what's to stop it from just sitting there despite the reversed gravity.


As most of these will begin... Time Stop.

Polymorph to an Outsider

Greater Teleport to low orbit

Limited Wish (for a spell)-> Major Creation.

Conjure up some Anti-Osmium. (you see where this is going...)

Far Hand.

Greater Teleport to that guy's lap.


End of planet.
Let's assume I don't want to annihilate the plane I am standing on.


Can he even hit ethereal targets?
yes

[Felyndiira]

Eh, he doesn't even have mind blank =p? Well, assuming that he actually has your HD (and not something like 400 Con):

Win Initiative.
Avasculate. Quickened Avasculate. Have a contingency set to fire off power word stun when your round ends.
The enemy hopefully does not have 600+ HP, which means that power word stun hits.
Enemy cannot act. Next round begins.
Metamagicked to high heavens flash frost Frostfell for 90x2+(90-Cold Resistance) damage.
Enemy is now dead.

A little less cheese than teleporting in Nukes, but works just as well without epic magic uberbuffing. Obvious flaws are that the enemy has to have 600 HP or less (or less than 24 HP per level at level 25).


The pris. sphere may work though walking through it yourself would probably kill you. Most of it's effects could be saved against except for the violet effect. However it could teleport out if you don't fit a dimensional anchor into your time stop. Also it can fly so what's to stop it from just sitting there despite the reversed gravity.


You can pass into and out of the prismatic sphere and remain near it without harm.

The flying issue may be able to be solved by anti-magic field, depending on whether it's magical flying or not.

Also, on that note, assuming that this creature needs an action to use his healing and isn't immune to Nausea:

Forcecage
Stinking Cloud
Mental Pinnacle
Kill enemy with Ego Whip for teh lulz

Honestly, once the enemy gets nausea on him, you might as well have won the game. Throw in an additional dimensional anchor if you don't feel safe for some reason.

[faceroll]

Use Planar Binding to get yourself a Nightmare. Use Astral Projection at will. Fight the fighter as many times as you want with do overs, because your body isn't real.

[Tvtyrant]

Your allowed to walk through your own Prismatic Sphere without harm, but I concede the flying issue.

Time Stop
Prismatic Sphere
Dimensional Anchor
Sudden Maximize Incendiary Cloud
Leave Sphere

Greater Teleport into orbit
cast Secure Shelter

Rocks fall, enemy dies.

[Geigan]

4 different suggestions:

1.Tainted Scholar waves high at your saves.

2.Boost CL by 10 and use Blasphemy/Holy Word.

3.Hammer of Righteousness is the Wizard version of Wings of Flurry. Uncapped Force Damage. It's not quite as good usually, but fort save for 1/2 instead of reflex makes it better in this case.

4.Go Dweomerkeeper for the Supernatural spell ability. Simulacrum is now a standard action combat spell. Just pick something with up to 50 HD and (a watered down version of) it appears.

I've seen tainted scholar before but am not familiar with the class. Care to elaborate?

Blasphemy would work if you can list ways to boost CL as well.

Would have to look at the other two as I have never heard of either.

If you guys could suggest the books along with whatever you're suggesting that would help.


Your allowed to walk through your own Prismatic Sphere without harm, but I concede the flying issue.

Ah yes, my bad.


The flying issue may be able to be solved by anti-magic field, depending on whether it's magical flying or not.

Also, on that note, assuming that this creature needs an action to use his healing and isn't immune to Nausea:

Forcecage
Stinking Cloud
Mental Pinnacle
Kill enemy with Ego Whip for teh lulz

Honestly, once the enemy gets nausea on him, you might as well have won the game. Throw in an additional dimensional anchor if you don't feel safe for some reason.

The flying is actually non magical.

As for stinking cloud assume he doesn't need to breathe.

[Zaq]

Start with Hail of Stone, from SpC. No save, no SR, no DR, just damage because you say so.

It's a first level spell. Start stacking metamagic.

No, more metamagic.

That's not enough. You can do better.

More.

More.

Get some metamagic reducers involved. Come on, you can do it.

That's all you've got? More metamagic.

OK, there we go. That's enough.

Repeat as necessary.

[The Glyphstone]

I've seen tainted scholar before but am not familiar with the class. Care to elaborate?

Blasphemy would work if you can list ways to boost CL as well.

Would have to look at the other two as I have never heard of either.

If you guys could suggest the books along with whatever you're suggesting that would help.

It can effectively obtain infinite save DCs though using Taint for its Spellcasting stat, by arranging to be immune to the negative effects of Taint. Every time it casts a spell, it gets more Taint, and if undead, can have infinite Taint without any side effects at all.

[Geigan]

It can effectively obtain infinite save DCs though using Taint for its Spellcasting stat, by arranging to be immune to the negative effects of Taint. Every time it casts a spell, it gets more Taint, and if undead, can have infinite Taint without any side effects at all.

Yipe, that would work. Though I'm assuming if I show that to any DM it's banned. Cheese is fine but I would like stuff that could actually be used in a campaign.

[faceroll]

Mailman build using the above Hail of Stone should do it. With 25 levels to work with, that's a lot of metamagic reduction and feats and spell slots. That gets you intensify spell & extra quicken spell or whatever.

[NNescio]

I've seen tainted scholar before but am not familiar with the class. Care to elaborate?

Blasphemy would work if you can list ways to boost CL as well.

Would have to look at the other two as I have never heard of either.

If you guys could suggest the books along with whatever you're suggesting that would help.

Tainted Scholar lets you boost your save DCs to insanely high levels at the cost of acquiring taint. Taint is normally a bad thing, but the scholar's class features turns it into an extremely good thing for your character under most circumstances.

Unless you happen to hit your maximum taint score, but that's easy to manage, and you can afford a lot of leeway if you have a decent Wis score.

Throw in undead or acquire some sort of template that lets you ignore the effects of taints absolutely, and then you're looking at arbitrarily high (read: infinite) Spell DCs.

You can also apply metamagic to spells for a trivial HP cost.

[Doc Roc]

Ring of Theurgy->Surge of Fortune + Orb of Fire + Reserves Of Strength + Arbitrary caster level. Simple like a race car. ;)

Sanctum spell + Empowered spellshard to flavor, aethenium of boccob for free sudden maximize.

[Bakkan]

To Boost Caster Level:

The Ultimate Magus prestige class (Complete Mage) gives you +4 arcane caster level (assuming you compensate for the lost level beforehand with Practiced Spellcaster)

The Arcane Thesis feat (Player's Handbook II) gives you +2 caster level for a specific spell (among other things)

The Spellgifted trait (Unearthed Arcana) gives you +1 caster level in one school and decreases your caster level by 1 in all other schools

The Spell Thematics feat (Player's Guide to Faerun) gives you +1 caster level in one spell per spell level

The Clap of Thunder reserve feat (Complete Mage) gives you +1 caster level on sonic spells

An Orange Ioun Stone (Dungeon Master's Guide) gives you +1 caster level

Finally, the Arcane Disciple feat (Complete Divine), choosing the Good domain, will get you Holy Word on your spell list.

In summation, you instantly kill all nongood creatures of your HD or lower within 40 feet as many times per day as you prepare Holy Word.


EDIT: Illumian (Races of Destiny) gives you another +2 caster level, a dip into Wild Mage (Complete Arcane) with the Practiced Spellcaster feat gives you another 1d6 caster level, I'm sure there are more.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

You're an epic wizard? Follow the instructions listed here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=791074#post791074); it shouldn't matter what you want to do after that.

[Geigan]

Start with Hail of Stone, from SpC. No save, no SR, no DR, just damage because you say so.

It's a first level spell. Start stacking metamagic.

No, more metamagic.

That's not enough. You can do better.

More.

More.

Get some metamagic reducers involved. Come on, you can do it.

That's all you've got? More metamagic.

OK, there we go. That's enough.

Repeat as necessary.

Not bad, but a little too focused for my tastes. You'd have optimize your build around the one spell and prepare way to much of it. I'd like a little more versatility.

Also he could potentially heal the damage, as well as get up in my face and kill me before I manage to get enough off.

[NNescio]

To Boost Caster Level:

The Ultimate Magus prestige class (Complete Mage) gives you +4 arcane caster level (assuming you compensate for the lost level beforehand with Practiced Spellcaster)

The Arcane Thesis feat (Player's Handbook II) gives you +2 caster level for a specific spell (among other things)

The Spellgifted trait (Unearthed Arcana) gives you +1 caster level in one school and decreases your caster level by 1 in all other schools

The Spell Thematics feat (Player's Guide to Faerun) gives you +1 caster level in one spell per spell level

The Clap of Thunder reserve feat (Complete Mage) gives you +1 caster level on sonic spells

An Orange Ioun Stone (Dungeon Master's Guide) gives you +1 caster level

Finally, the Arcane Disciple feat (Complete Divine), choosing the Good domain, will get you Holy Word on your spell list.

In summation, you instantly kill all nongood creatures of your HD or lower within 40 feet as many times per day as you prepare Holy Word.

Throw in Master Spellthief shenanigans if you really, really want something to die. (which can potentially work very well with Ultimate Magus)

And Practised Spellcaster if it's allowed to 'stack'.

[Geigan]

To Boost Caster Level:

The Ultimate Magus prestige class (Complete Mage) gives you +4 arcane caster level (assuming you compensate for the lost level beforehand with Practiced Spellcaster)

The Arcane Thesis feat (Player's Handbook II) gives you +2 caster level for a specific spell (among other things)

The Spellgifted trait (Unearthed Arcana) gives you +1 caster level in one school and decreases your caster level by 1 in all other schools

The Spell Thematics feat (Player's Guide to Faerun) gives you +1 caster level in one spell per spell level

The Clap of Thunder reserve feat (Complete Mage) gives you +1 caster level on sonic spells

An Orange Ioun Stone (Dungeon Master's Guide) gives you +1 caster level

Finally, the Arcane Disciple feat (Complete Divine), choosing the Good domain, will get you Holy Word on your spell list.

In summation, you instantly kill all nongood creatures of your HD or lower within 40 feet as many times per day as you prepare Holy Word.

That should work though it will have to be blasphemy as he's LG. Is blasphemy on the evil domain's spell list?


You're an epic wizard? Follow the instructions listed here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=791074#post791074); it shouldn't matter what you want to do after that.

Ok there is such a thing as too much cheese. I do not want my wizard to get constipation.


Ring of Theurgy->Surge of Fortune + Orb of Fire + Reserves Of Strength + Arbitrary caster level. Simple like a race car. ;)

Books?

[faceroll]

Not bad, but a little too focused for my tastes. You'd have optimize your build around the one spell and prepare way to much of it. I'd like a little more versatility.

Also he could potentially heal the damage, as well as get up in my face and kill me before I manage to get enough off.

That's why you're astrally projecting. If it doesn't work, you use limited wish to replicate psychic reformation and rebuild whatever you need to, or simply take another approach.

Word abuse is probably the best, though. Unless he's got a spellblade or 20.

[Zaq]

You don't like that? Fine, how about this:

Standard action: Rapid Fell Frighten Hail of Stone. (4th level slot before reducers)
Swift action: Quickened Fell Frighten Energy (Fire) Substituted Searing Sonic Snap. (7th level slot before reducers)

You didn't say that he's immune to fear. He'll take guaranteed damage from both of those spells, and both of them automatically cause enemies that take damage from them to become shaken. Fear effects from different sources (such as two different spells) stack, so he'll be unavoidably frightened, thereby making him unable to do anything but flee.

If you get extra actions somehow (contingent spells, Time Stop, shapechanged into something that gets extra actions, etc.), tack on a Forcecage, Dimensional Lock, and an extra Fell Frighten spell that has some level of automatic damage. He'll become panicked, he'll be unable to teleport, and he won't have anywhere to flee to, so he'll just start cowering. This will last for a full minute, which is plenty of time to bust out the Fell Drain Maws of Chaos.

[Geigan]

I don't think astral projection would work too well. My fault that I forgot to specify that he can see invisible and strike incorporeal. He'd notice the silvery cord and break it killing you. Or am I thinking of a different astral projection (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Astral_Projection)?

edit: gimme a moment to edit OP, I realize how much I forgot to add now that the solutions are rolling in.

edit2: done, I'll make sure to edit OP if there's anything else I forgot.

[Felyndiira]

As for stinking cloud assume he doesn't need to breathe.
Sure, then.

Disjunction Method
Mage's Disjunction
Quickened Persistent Starmantle
Mental Pinnacle
Ego Whip fighter to death at your leisure, since he is no longer capable of damaging you.

Drawbacks: if the enemy has some magical way of dealing massive damage.


Love's Pain Method
Tie up the opponent to disable healing (Constricting Chains, etc)
Teleport away
Mind Rape on some random peasant to make her fall in love with the target.
Repeatedly cast metamagicked love's pain.


Death Rock Cheese
Teleport away
Mind Rape on some random peasant to make her fall in love with the target, and to make her love a certain rock that you give her.
Give her a death's rock.
In one week, your target is now permanently killed and zombified.


Cloudkill Chainsaw in a Cage
Forcecage
Dimension Lock
Use Wall of Forces to bisect the forcecage, eventually trapping the target in a 5' x 20' space.
Maximized Empowered [More Metamagic Here] Sculpted [120' line] Cloudkill
Let the entire cloudkill pass through the target for 3x12=36 Con damage.
Dimension door to the other side of the cage.
Cloudkill moves away from you, thus exposing the target to another 3x12=36 Con damage over 12 rounds.
Repeat until dead.


Simpler Method
Forcecage
Mental Pinnacle
Ego Whip until you're out of PP
GoTo: Mental Pinnacle

[Doc Roc]

I don't think astral projection would work too well. My fault that I forgot to specify that he can see invisible and strike incorporeal. He'd notice the silvery cord and break it killing you. Or am I thinking of a different astral projection (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Astral_Projection)?

edit: gimme a moment to edit OP, I realize how much I forgot to add now that the solutions are rolling in.

edit2: done, I'll make sure to edit OP if there's anything else I forgot.

You can't just attack the silver cord. Only a few weapons can.

[faceroll]

MDJ gives his items a save. If he has Steadfast Determination, it will never work.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Fine, fine, no total optimization. Piranha death trap it is. Celerity (PHBII) + Quick Recovery (Lords of Madness) + Foresight should let you go first with no trouble; if you're concerned about rolling a 1 on the will save to avoid daze, either don't pump your intelligence arbitrarily (don't need to) or UMD a scroll of Surge of Fortune (Complete Champion) to get an automatic nat 20 against the daze effect.

Anyway, after celerity you cast timestop and fill his space with twinned maximized (intensified?) Vortex of Teeth (Spell Compendium). No-save area force damage works pretty well against most things, assuming he doesn't have ridiculous spell resistance. This works best on a traditional mailman (sorcerer/incantatrix), what with double the vortexes due to Arcane Spellsurge, but a wizard/incantatrix can do just fine. If you need more damage, you can just celerity + time stop again.

There are also other abuses involving Incantatrix. Namely you can use Metamagic Effect plus a boosted Spellcraft check to persist whatever buffs you like, given Ocular Spell or some other way to convert spells to fixed reach. At level 25, though, persisting spell effects may just save you some cash.

[faceroll]

Energy Sub'd Ocular Persisted Creeping Cold with Searing Heat or whatever the feat from Sandstorm is that makes your fire spells break resistance/immunity.

Does a cumulative 1d6 damage/round, every round, for 24 hours. So after the first minute it does 55d6 damage, and it only goes up from there.

[Zaq]

He's not immune to to negative levels, according to what you mentioned. He has 25 HD. I'm sure we can find a way to deal 25 negative levels even without tricking him into grabbing a Death Quiver (that is, a quiver full of alignment-based arrows of the alignment opposite the target's). How many contingent spells are you comfortable using? Enough Fell Drain Searing Energy Subbed (Fire) Sonic Snaps will take him down. At the most extreme, you can have as many contingent spells as you have caster levels, so you can just use Craft Contingent Spell to craft 25 different versions of "When I say 'pumpkin-flavored ice cream,' cast Fell Drain Searing Energy Subbed (Fire) Sonic Snap" contingencies, then just say "pumpkin-flavored ice cream" and drain him into oblivion. There are plenty of other ways of dishing out negative levels, at any rate. Fell Drain is a lovely feat, if nothing else. If you're not comfortable with Craft Contingent Spell, there's always Time Stop + lots of ongoing damage spells (e.g., Maw of Chaos) with Fell Drain, or shenanigans with (Greater) Arcane Fusion, or a swarm of minions/simulacra with wands (FDSES(F)SS is a 3rd level spell), or anything else that breaks the action economy.

[faceroll]

Pre-buff with Surge of Fortune, a lot of them.
Then cast a maximized empowered split twinned enervation, followed by a quickened maximized empowered split twinned enervation. Use Surge of Fortune to get criticals on all the rolls and confirmation rolls. This does an average of 80 negative levels. You only need ~11 levels of metamagic mitigation. Easy enough, with epic levels in there.

That is, if you can crit with enervation, which I am pretty sure you can. Without the crits you've got 40 negative levels.

[Zaq]

Pre-buff with Surge of Fortune, a lot of them.
Then cast a maximized empowered split twinned enervation, followed by a quickened maximized empowered split twinned enervation. Use Surge of Fortune to get criticals on all the rolls and confirmation rolls. This does an average of 80 negative levels. You only need ~11 levels of metamagic mitigation. Easy enough, with epic levels in there.

That is, if you can crit with enervation, which I am pretty sure you can. Without the crits you've got 40 negative levels.

Getting the automatic nat 20 from Surge of Fortune takes an immediate action, so only one will work per turn.

That said, if Surge of Fortune's on the table (Limited Wish ought to do it . . . or hell, Limited Wish can also explicitly let you autohit with your next attack), this becomes pretty easy. A single good touch attack is all you really need. Are epic feats available? Intensify Spell just might be what you need.

Actually, if Surge of Fortune is available through Limited Wish, you could throw a vorpal dagger at him, autocrit, and slay him, assuming that he 1) is not immune to crits and 2) needs his head to live. You just need a way to confirm the crit, and I'm sure we can pull out a spell to do that. SoF is a pretty crazy spell. Sure, vorpal weapons are usually useless, but with a guaranteed nat 20 up your sleeve, the story might change a bit.

[faceroll]

Good to know about that immediate action.

[The Glyphstone]

Actually, if Surge of Fortune is available through Limited Wish, you could throw a vorpal dagger at him, autocrit, and slay him, assuming that he 1) is not immune to crits and 2) needs his head to live. You just need a way to confirm the crit, and I'm sure we can pull out a spell to do that. SoF is a pretty crazy spell. Sure, vorpal weapons are usually useless, but with a guaranteed nat 20 up your sleeve, the story might change a bit.

Bless Weapon and Curse Weapon will help -they autoconfirm against evil and good enemies respectively. Paladin 1 spell, sadly, but you can find a away around that. Now only Neutral enemies aren't guaranteed death, and that's what Moment of Prescience is for.

[dextercorvia]

I've seen tainted scholar before but am not familiar with the class. Care to elaborate?

Blasphemy would work if you can list ways to boost CL as well.

Would have to look at the other two as I have never heard of either.

If you guys could suggest the books along with whatever you're suggesting that would help.

Several ways have been boosted. I like 10 levels of Ultimate Magus, Arcane Thesis and UMD a bead of Karma. (You get UMD as a class skill from UM.) Orange Ioun Stone and Ring of Arcane Might can be used in place of Arcane Thesis.

Hammer of Righteousness is from BoED, but if you are going Evil for Blasphemy, you'll have to skip that.

Dweomerkeeper is from the CDiv Web Enhancement, and is accessible to a Wizard Build either through a Cleric Dip or Southern Magician+Contemplative Dip. Either would be fine for an ECL 25 build. It gets the ability to cast a certain number of spells per day as standard action, Su abilities. That means all components (even expensive and XP) are removed from the spells. Simulacrum, Gate, and Wish are the biggest uses of the ability I can think of off the top of my head.

[marcielle]

If you are in a city, lose him for a sec, use locate city bomb, use rope trick and pull up rope, watch as he is slowly worn down by horde of undead.

[Geigan]

Pre-buff with Surge of Fortune, a lot of them.
Then cast a maximized empowered split twinned enervation, followed by a quickened maximized empowered split twinned enervation. Use Surge of Fortune to get criticals on all the rolls and confirmation rolls. This does an average of 80 negative levels. You only need ~11 levels of metamagic mitigation. Easy enough, with epic levels in there.

That is, if you can crit with enervation, which I am pretty sure you can. Without the crits you've got 40 negative levels.

Enervation is awesome, even when especially when optimized. Sorry that I was dragged away from my comp before finishing up all the edit I meant to do(damn sleep deprivation). He is unfortunately immune to the neg lvls. The enervations wouldn't crit anyway because of the target's high AC meaning they just autohit not crit on a 20(or is that rule only for hits less than 20?). Also I'm not sure surge of fortune stacks that way. I suppose putting them all on just means the extras replace each one that falls off while not stacking though a DM might see stacking auto 20s as cheese worthy of a ban despite the spell slots used. Awesome trick though.

Surge of fortune abuse is looking like a really good option.

The previously mentioned boosted blasphemy would work if I weren't Neutral.

So I'm thinking any strategy starts with celerity+surge of fortune to auto win init. Then max time stop, set up standard forcecage+dimensional lock. Surge of fortune+*insert orb here* with extreme prejudice.

Simple, straight forward approach. Nice and typically something I would have used though the additions of surge of fortune and celerity make it ridiculous.

Any other solutions?

I like to have plenty of tricks to pull out of my bag.

[Zaq]

Start the encounter Shapechanged into a Dire Tortoise, from Sandstorm. You'll get to act in the surprise round. Yes, even if he surprises you. Yes, even if there isn't a surprise round.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

That's a lot of Surges of Fortune. Could be expensive, if you're burning Limited Wish on it. Vortex of Teeth doesn't require an attack roll or a save, and you can spam them in a time stop.

[Geigan]

That's a lot of Surges of Fortune. Could be expensive, if you're burning Limited Wish on it. Vortex of Teeth doesn't require an attack roll or a save, and you can spam them in a time stop.

That is a good point. The surge of fortune abuse requires you to fill almost all your spell slots with the thing, and the applicable attack spell(aside from the obvious other needs forcecage, time stop, etc.). You would have to see the encounter coming from a plane away to be ready for it. So here's the challenge. How would you beat it with just your typical prepared spells for the day at epic levels. There's an epic level challenge for you.

[olentu]

Enervation is awesome, even when especially when optimized. Sorry that I was dragged away from my comp before finishing up all the edit I meant to do(damn sleep deprivation). He is unfortunately immune to the neg lvls. The enervations wouldn't crit anyway because of the target's high AC meaning they just autohit not crit on a 20(or is that rule only for hits less than 20?). Also I'm not sure surge of fortune stacks that way. I suppose putting them all on just means the extras replace each one that falls off while not stacking though a DM might see stacking auto 20s as cheese worthy of a ban despite the spell slots used. Awesome trick though.

Surge of fortune abuse is looking like a really good option.

The previously mentioned boosted blasphemy would work if I weren't Neutral.

So I'm thinking any strategy starts with celerity+surge of fortune to auto win init. Then max time stop, set up standard forcecage+dimensional lock. Surge of fortune+*insert orb here* with extreme prejudice.

Simple, straight forward approach. Nice and typically something I would have used though the additions of surge of fortune and celerity make it ridiculous.

Any other solutions?

I like to have plenty of tricks to pull out of my bag.

Hmm what would be the problem with blasphemy just because you are neutral. There are many ways to return to life after you have killed yourself say a pact of return keyed to you as the person that kills you.

[faceroll]

Check out Permanent Emanation. You can raise and lower an emanation as a free action, which means you could raise and lower a harmful emanation a million times in a round and kill him or something. Repulsion could work in keeping the guy more than 200 feet away from you at all time- just raise and lower the emanation as a free action until he fails his save.

Antilife Shell is pretty cool; if he doesn't have a long enough stick, he won't be able to melee you. But I wouldn't count on 10 feet of spell to protect me.

If you can pick your race, go gray elf, and use the Chaos Shuffle to get 5 or 6 free feats by turning your racial proficiencies into things that are worthwhile.


Also I'm not sure surge of fortune stacks that way.

It doesn't. It takes an immediate action to use. But you can have multiple ongoing effects at the same time, all the same. You don't get to stack their luck bonuses, but you can expend them as needed, so long as you have the immediate action.

You get to trade your immediate action for a natural 20. Not bad. Find out how it works with works with Quicken Spell and Multispell. It'd be cool if your DM ruled that each time you take Multispell, you get an additional immediate action for the purposes of casting a quickened spell.


Bless Weapon and Curse Weapon will help -they autoconfirm against evil and good enemies respectively. Paladin 1 spell, sadly, but you can find a away around that. Now only Neutral enemies aren't guaranteed death, and that's what Moment of Prescience is for.

Those spells explicitly don't stack with anything modifying critical rolls, vorpal weapons being called out in the spell description. I know because I had the same idea and then got disappointed when I looked the spells up.


That's a lot of Surges of Fortune. Could be expensive, if you're burning Limited Wish on it. Vortex of Teeth doesn't require an attack roll or a save, and you can spam them in a time stop.

UMD them from a staff or a scroll. At level, you've got millions of gp.


Start the encounter Shapechanged into a Dire Tortoise, from Sandstorm. You'll get to act in the surprise round. Yes, even if he surprises you. Yes, even if there isn't a surprise round.

Yes; do this. Combine it with belts of battle, for lots of extra actions before he gets to do anything.


That is a good point. The surge of fortune abuse requires you to fill almost all your spell slots with the thing, and the applicable attack spell(aside from the obvious other needs forcecage, time stop, etc.). You would have to see the encounter coming from a plane away to be ready for it. So here's the challenge. How would you beat it with just your typical prepared spells for the day at epic levels. There's an epic level challenge for you.

I am a flying, superior invisible, astrally projecting, ironguarded, ghostform shapechanged (dire tortoise), foresighted level 25 wizard with around 50 other persistent buffs up. If I encounter something that can detect me, I kill it. Using my surprise round I get, always, I cast a greater celerity and do some cool things. As a free action I spam my emanation of Repulsion (covers at least 250 feet) until whatever seeing me fails its save. As a free action I turn into something like a Chronotryn, for extra actions. Thanks to the several million I have in belts of battle around my waist, I get a lot of full round actions. With greater arcane sight, I know exactly what is magical and how much. Being incorporeal, stuff like touch sight and tremorsense can't find me. True Sight only has a range of 120ft, and going first means I can always be 120 feet away.

Using one of my standard actions, one of my dozens of beads of karma, an orange ioun stone, and three odd caster levels (magic items, prestige classes like archmage, ultimate magus with wizard/wizard shens, reserves of strength), I can gate in pretty much any epic outsider there is, and have total control over it. This includes Atropals, Elder Titans, and the dreaded Hecatoncheires, with its 100 greatswords. For extra lols, I could send my familiar to the opponent while in an AMF. A naked level 25 fighter is going to get slaughtered by an epic monster.

If my opponent can someone withstand a couple twinned repeated gates summonin CR50+ monsters, I plane shift back to my demi plane and begin brooding on how to take this worthy opponent down.

Spell slots are no issue for me, as the legion of level 12 simulacra of me performing circle magic and jacob's ladder tricks on my private demi-plane (and/or bound ethergaunts/solars/whatever) put up and persist whatever buffs I desire, thanks to ocular spell abuse.

[Geigan]

I am a flying, superior invisible, astrally projecting, ironguarded, ghostform shapechanged (dire tortoise), foresighted level 25 wizard with around 50 other persistent buffs up. If I encounter something that can detect me, I kill it. Using my surprise round I get, always, I cast a greater celerity and do some cool things. As a free action I spam my emanation of Repulsion (covers at least 250 feet) until whatever seeing me fails its save. As a free action I turn into something like a Chronotryn, for extra actions. Thanks to the several million I have in belts of battle around my waist, I get a lot of full round actions. With greater arcane sight, I know exactly what is magical and how much. Being incorporeal, stuff like touch sight and tremorsense can't find me. True Sight only has a range of 120ft, and going first means I can always be 120 feet away.

Using one of my standard actions, one of my dozens of beads of karma, an orange ioun stone, and three odd caster levels (magic items, prestige classes like archmage, ultimate magus with wizard/wizard shens, reserves of strength), I can gate in pretty much any epic outsider there is, and have total control over it. This includes Atropals, Elder Titans, and the dreaded Hecatoncheires, with its 100 greatswords. For extra lols, I could send my familiar to the opponent while in an AMF. A naked level 25 fighter is going to get slaughtered by an epic monster.

If my opponent can someone withstand a couple twinned repeated gates summonin CR50+ monsters, I plane shift back to my demi plane and begin brooding on how to take this worthy opponent down.

Spell slots are no issue for me, as the legion of level 12 simulacra of me performing circle magic and jacob's ladder tricks on my private demi-plane (and/or bound ethergaunts/solars/whatever) put up and persist whatever buffs I desire, thanks to ocular spell abuse.

Oh right I forgot, wizards.

[Zaq]

Regarding Blasphemy shenanigans, is your foe chaotic? If not, regardless of whether you're neutral or not, you can just take the feat Ordered Chaos (FC1) and launch a nice Word of Chaos.