Need help selecting one feat for a shadowcraft mage

[ILM]

So after some consideration, I decided Darkstalker was an avenue that didn't work for me.

The character is a LE Forest Gnome Illusionist3/Master Specialist4/ScM5/Shadow Adept1/Shadowcrafter7. Level 20, more a super-NPC than a PC.

Feats are:
Flaw 1: Spell Focus
Flaw 2: Spell Penetration
1: ???
3: Spell Thematics (for flavor)
6: Heighten Spell
9. Earth Sense
12: Earth Spell
15: Shadow Weave Magic
18: Residual Magic
She gets Greater Spell Focus from Master Specialist 3, and the three Shadow Adept feats.

??? was where I had Darkstalker. That's the slot I'm trying to fill.

I looked at the popular options, but none looks like a winner:
- Arcane Disciple (luck) doesn't seem like it works by RAW (let's not debate this here and just accept I won't be taking it).
- Uncanny Forethought requires Spell Mastery, which I don't have and don't really feel like giving up a feat to get.
- Miser with Magic has too few uses/day.
- Greater Spell Penetration is underwhelming. Good, but I'm looking for something more exciting. Also, I can already overcome the SR of pretty much any non-epic non-immune to magic monster.
- Metamagic spells: meh. Without metamagic reducers, it seems pretty expensive in terms of high-level slots.
- Easy Metamagic: no access to non-Compendiumed Dragon sources.
- Enhanced Shadow Reality: see above.
- Leadership: I'm kind of on the fence as the character was never the "follow me!" type. I'd love a level 16-17 debuffer cohort, but fluff-wise I'd be hard-pressed to work it in. Unless I can find a good shadow-themed race/template that leaves enough levels to make it work.
- Item Familiar: I gave up the familiar for a class variant.

What else would you guys suggest?

[Keld Denar]

Quick Recovery from Lords of Madness. Its my good all-purpose filler feat. Basically, gets you out of anything bad with a successful save, even if the origionating effect didn't normally allow a save. Its one of the few major counters for a high level Blasphemy (or appropriate alignment alternative). Best part? It has NO prereqs. None. At all. Perfection.

Otherwise Metamagic School Focus is a less overpowered version of Easy Metamagic. It only works 3/day, but can give you that 11th level spell slot you really need for a truely rediculous save DC, if that's your game. Its useful at lower levels for picking up spells of a level higher than you'd normally have access too, assuming you aren't starting at 20?

Minor Shapeshift is also a great alternative. You don't have Quicken Spell, so you won't have very many options for your swift action. Keep a Polymorph or Trollshape spell prepped and you can recover 20 temp HP per round.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You've forgotten the most important part of the shtick: Signature Spell (PGtF): Silent Image! That lets you trade a prepared spell for a spontaneously cast Heightened Silent Image which can duplicate any Evocation or Conjuration (Summoning/Creation) spell of the sacrificed spell's level or lower with Earth Spell. A Shadowcraft Mage should never prepare his illusions, he can just spontaneously cast it! Don't forget to use all the Illusionist ACFs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants) as well as the Gnome Illusionist 1 substitution level in RoS. That sub level makes Silent Image a 0-level spell instead of 1st, so you get an additional +1 caster level from Earth Spell when casting it Heightened.

Get rid of Spell Thematics, you're casting illusions of Evocations and Conjurations, you can already make them appear however you want them to. Get either Enhanced Shadow Reality from Dragon 325 for +20% realism for shadow illusions, or Ability Focus: Silent Image so every (Heightened) Silent Image you cast, including when it mimics offensive spells, gets +2 DC.

[Keld Denar]

The only problem with the Signature Spell trick is that you need to spend another feat on Rapid Metamagic or suffer through the loss of your move action when you cast. Spontaneously converted spells with metamagic applied to them function exactly like they do for Sorcerers.

I don't think you can take Ability Focus for spells. Its not really a special attack. That and the fact that spellcasting is a natural ability, not a Su, Ex, or Sp ability.

Enhanced Shadow Reality is a great feat though. Every 10% you get over 100% reality is an extra 10% damage dealt with the respective spell...handy.

[Acanous]

Spellcasting Prodigy. Gives +2 to Int for purposes of spell slots and save DCs.
Colligeate Wizard. Gives +3 to Knowledge: Arcana and a metric but-ton of bonus spells per level.

Either or. Although honestly I'm surprised you didn't go a few more levels in Master Specialist, the illusion moderate esoterica is pretty good.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Spellcasting Prodigy. Gives +2 to Int for purposes of spell slots and save DCs.
Colligeate Wizard. Gives +3 to Knowledge: Arcana and a metric but-ton of bonus spells per level.

Either or. Although honestly I'm surprised you didn't go a few more levels in Master Specialist, the illusion moderate esoterica is pretty good.

Shadowcraft Mage already grants permanent concealment, the moderate esoterica would be completely redundant. Spellcasting Prodigy doesn't increase DCs in 3.5, only the 3.0 version did that.


Every monster that gains spellcasting has its Spells listed under its Special Attacks. Ability Focus isn't limited to any type of special attack, the only qualifying factor is that you have a special attack to choose for it. Technically, you could take Ability Focus: Spellcasting and gain +2 DC to everything you cast, but that's a bit over the top.

[Acanous]

heh. Thanks for clearing that up, I'll have to take another look at Shadowcraft mage, think I misread it as Shadowcrafter.

I'd allow AF: [Spell name], but not AF: Spellcasting. After all, spellcasting isn't listed in the special abilities section, just the individual spells >.>
And blowing a feat for +2 to the DC of one spell seems fair.

[Galathir]

Enhanced Shadow Reality is a great feat though. Every 10% you get over 100% reality is an extra 10% damage dealt with the respective spell...handy.

Doesn't that only matter if your target fails their save though? It can still be useful, but depending on how high your save DCs are, it might not be all that effective.

Also, transdimensional spell might be worth considering. Or at least, it was for my character who spent a lot of time blinking and being attacked by ghosts.

And if you do decide to go the Signature Spell route, Arcane Thesis is a pretty decent option.

[ILM]

You've forgotten the most important part of the shtick: Signature Spell (PGtF): Silent Image!
Ah yes, I forgot to mention that one. I'm pretty sure Signature Spell doesn't work. Silent Image is a spell, but Heightened Silent Image is IMO a different spell and thus Signature Spell wouldn't work. I could choose one level and say, for instance, that I choose "Silent Image heightened to 9th" as my signature spell, but meh.

As to why I consider it a different spell:
- it has a different level and is treated in all ways as a spell of a higher level (slot, DC, etc.). It's functionally different.
- Magelord 10 (LEoF) explicitly lets you apply metamagic to your signature spell, implying that you couldn't do it without that capstone ability. Ergo, applying Heighten on the fly to Silent Image wouldn't have been possible.

Like Arcane Disciple, I'm aware that this matter has been debated before so let's just say I'm being pig-headed and won't go the Signature Spell route either. :smallsmile:


Get either Enhanced Shadow Reality from Dragon 325 for +20% realism for shadow illusions, or Ability Focus: Silent Image so every (Heightened) Silent Image you cast, including when it mimics offensive spells, gets +2 DC.
Like I said, Enhanced Shadow Reality isn't in Dragon Compendium and therefore is out. Ability Focus technically doesn't work for that purpose so no.


Quick Recovery from Lords of Madness. Its my good all-purpose filler feat.
Ah yes, I considered that as well. I have a little question about that though: specifically regarding Celerity, what would the save DC be? The way I read it, it'd be 10 +12 (int bonus) +10 (half my caster level for this spell rounded down). So 32. With my +25 Will save, my chances are looking good but it's not an auto-success, and I like security. One way to do it would be to burn my Moment of Prescience on it but that's a waste of something like +17. I've already got a +5 Cloak, is there anything else I can do to bump up the save? Can I choose to cast the spell with a lower caster level?


Otherwise Metamagic School Focus is a less overpowered version of Easy Metamagic. It only works 3/day, but can give you that 11th level spell slot you really need for a truely rediculous save DC, if that's your game. Its useful at lower levels for picking up spells of a level higher than you'd normally have access too, assuming you aren't starting at 20?
Huh. I originally discounted that one but the DC bump and possible early entry shenanigans might make it worthwhile. Does that work? Side question if you don't mind: assuming I can use that to enter Master Specialist at 3 and free up a level, is it worth it to lose a caster level and take one level in Swordsage so I can replace, say, Spell Thematics with Shadow Trickster?

[Keld Denar]

You already have an early entry mechanism. Heighten Spell + Earth Spell together means you can cast 2nd level spells at level 1. Unfortunately, qualifying without flaws is tough.

A casting of Superior Resistance lasts 24 hours, gives +6 all saves, and saves you 25,000g on the cloak.

And you can apply metamagic spontaneously to spontaneously cast spells. Thats the reason a Sorcerer doesn't have to learn both Scorching Ray and Empowered Scorching Ray. They are the same spell. Heightened Silent Image is the same spell as Silent Image, just with MM applied. It works, but as I said, unless you have Rapid Metamagic, it'll take you a full round action to cast just like it would for a Sorcerer or a Cleric who applies MM to a spontaneously converted cure spell.

And even if Quick Recovery from Celerity isn't automatic, it's still better than nothing. You still end up ahead from just Celerity, a 40-50% chance to negate the daze is totally worth a feat. Plus, as I said, it helps vs Blasphemy and Holy Word.

[ILM]

You already have an early entry mechanism. Heighten Spell + Earth Spell together means you can cast 2nd level spells at level 1. Unfortunately, qualifying without flaws is tough.
More like impossible without being human or taking 3 flaws: you need Earth Sense, Heighten, Earth Spell, and Spell Focus to qualify for MS. Being Human loses you 1 DC on illusions and forces you to use an 'adaptation' of ScM, and 3 flaws is... yeah, I don't see that happening. But still, good to know :smallsmile:.


A casting of Superior Resistance lasts 24 hours, gives +6 all saves, and saves you 25,000g on the cloak.
Well, true enough; dispelling worries me a bit though, even if I have a contingency against MDJ.

[Keld Denar]

Ring of Enduring Arcana gives you a +4 on CL checks vs dispels, so that helps. You can also get a Bead of Karma, a few ranks in UMD, and pretend to have divine casting (DC20) and that'll give you +4 CLs when casting your daily warm-up suite.

Also, a Ring of Spell Battle will redirect as targeted dispel, and a Ring of Greater Counterspells can store a Greater Dispel Magic which can be used to counterspell basically anything.

[ILM]

Ring of Enduring Arcana gives you a +4 on CL checks vs dispels, so that helps. You can also get a Bead of Karma, a few ranks in UMD, and pretend to have divine casting (DC20) and that'll give you +4 CLs when casting your daily warm-up suite.

Also, a Ring of Spell Battle will redirect as targeted dispel, and a Ring of Greater Counterspells can store a Greater Dispel Magic which can be used to counterspell basically anything.
Already have a Ring of Greater Counterspells with GDM in it, but what happens if they fire off two? :smalleek: Thanks for the ideas though, I might change my mind on the Cloak.

[Keld Denar]

Kill them before they cast 2? Block LoS? I dunno.

I still think Quick Recovery is your best bet here.