ECL Adjustments/Monster Classes and Casters

[Demonic Spoon]

More specifically, I was reading Libris Mortis and it mentions that the best multiclass options for vampire spawn include wizards and sorcerers...and this confuses the **** out of me. You have to take 8 levels of Vampire Spawn before continuing as a caster. You would be down many spell levels compared to someone who just went straight wizard/sorcerer, and there don't seem to be any abilities that Vampire spawn get that would even come close to making that worthwhile.

It's the same for any race that has a meaningful ECL adjustment or monster class...How can it be viable to run a caster class on a race with an ECL adjustment above 2? Is there some weird ruleset I'm missing, or is it just a bad idea™ as I seem to think it is?

[Nich_Critic]

I wouldn't recommend it. Sometimes the books have terrible ideas. Look at really terrible PrC's, and how Wizards expects you to play them, for a moment of hilarity.

[Cyrion]

They may be approaching it from a slightly different perspective- adding sorcerer/wizard levels is a good way to add to the spawn's other abilities. Their perspective is NOT one of competition/comparison of relative power levels.

Yes, compared to a full-caster level sorc or wizard, you're going to be way behind and sucktastic. But it's also almost a truism that adding a little arcane caster spice adds power/flexibility/good things.

I think the error is in more in playing something with high LA and HD.

[Runestar]

You are talking about the people who evidently think that a fighter/wizard/blackguard makes for a viable npc.:smalleek:

It wouldn't be the first time they have demonstrated their utter lack of understanding about game mechanics anyways. :smalltongue: