Arcane Failure Be-gone?

[zoobob9]

Is there a type of magic heavy armor which gets rid of arcane spell failure?

EDIT: I know about the Mithral shirt, but light armor isn't defensive enough.

[El Dorado]

Spell failure chances for armor made out of mithral are decreased by 10%. Add the twilight armor special ability also reduces the chance of spell failure by 10%.

[RaginChangeling]

Spell failure chances for armor made out of mithral are decreased by 10%. Add the twilight armor special ability also reduces the chance of spell failure by 10%.

Thistledown padding gets another 5%, but you still have 10% left for Full Plate or 5% for most other heavy armors.

There are, however, a few classes which get the ability to ignore Medium armor ACF which any Heavy Armor made out of Mithral is counted as.

[Divide by Zero]

Take levels in Spellsword, maybe. Also, isn't there a spell somewhere that temporarily gets rid of ASF?

[FMArthur]

Githcraft and Feycraft are -5% each. You'd never see it happen in a game unless it was a player character doing the crafting, but a half-fey gith(yanki or zerai?) might be able craft an armor that was both.

[tyckspoon]

So, for summary: You can pretty cheaply get -20%: Mithral Feycraft with a Thistledown padding. 30 is doable with a magic property, which is cheap on its own but can make the armor notably more expensive once you start stacking other properties. That'll cover a Mithril Breastplate with a bit of reduction to spare. If you want to get up to Full Plate, the only other way I know of to do it is to dip a level of Spellsword (or try and convince your DM to let you have an armor with more than one special craft template. Good luck with that one.)

[Malimar]

You could try Snowcasting + Blue Ice armor (both from Frostburn).

The Snowcasting feat lets you add the [cold] descriptor to any spell for free (well, you need to "add a handful of snow or ice as an additional material component", but that's what Eschew Materials is for).

Blue Ice armor does slightly bad things to characters who aren't resistant to cold, so you'd need a source of cold resistance (possibly by spending an extra feat on Cold Endurance). Blue ice armor is also lighter than normal armor (like mithral), but the relevant thing is that spells with the [cold] descriptor can be cast with no chance of spell failure.

[JaronK]

Is there a type of magic heavy armor which gets rid of arcane spell failure?

EDIT: I know about the Mithral shirt, but light armor isn't defensive enough.

Try this: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a

JaronK

[Volos]

Still Spell Anyone? It is a very temporary solution, I know. But if you have enough spells without somatic components and/or use Still Spell often enough you should be able to ignore Spell Failure chance for even normal fullplate (or mountian plate for that matter).

[Lonely Tylenol]

A single-level dip into Spellsword will allow you to wear Twilight Mithral armor with 30% less chance of arcane spell failure, which covers all the light and medium armors, and allows you to wear Full Plate with 5% arcane spell failure.

There's also the Millennial Chainmail in the Magic Item Compendium, which, when worn by anybody within one step of Chaotic Good, has an arcane spell failure of 15% and functions pretty much like light armor, which, again, is made to 5% with a one-level dip into Spellsword. It also has a relic power which grants fast healing 3.

[Starbuck_II]

Try this: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a

JaronK

Yep, Clockwork armor is awesome.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Ask your DM to change "Ignore ASF from x armor" to "Decrease ASF by y%" where x is a level of armor (light, heavy) and y is the highest (or second highest) ASF in that level.

Example: a bard would get to ignore 20% (or 15%) ASF. If a bard, for whatever reason, wore chainmail, he'd only have 10% (or 15%) ASF remaining.

This always seemed the way it should work for me. Being able to cast completely fine in light armor but not at all better in medium armor always struck me as strange.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Mithral Breastplate with a Thistledown Suit (RotW) and the Twilight property (PH2) is 0% ASF.

The spell Greater Luminous Armor (BoED) gives you the AC bonus of full plate, opponents take a -4 penalty to hit you because it's so bright, and it's no more restrictive than Mage Armor. Abjurant Champion (CM) adds its class level to the AC bonus, so it would be the same AC bonus as +5 Full Plate.

A Dwarf could take a single level of Runesmith (RoS) and be able to completely ignore ASF of every kind.

You could dip a level of Spellthief (CV) and take the feat Master Spellthief (CS) to ignore ASF of light armor, take Battle Caster (CA) to cast in medium armor unhindered, and take Battle Caster a second time to cast in heavy armor without risking ASF.

[Grendus]

If you're a dwarf, you could grab a level of Runesmith. Lets you prepare your spells as runes which have no somatic component. Since spells with no somatic component don't suffer from ASF, a one level dip makes arcane failure disappear. It's dwarf specific though, and since dwarves make lousy sorcerers (except for Dream and Desert variants, which are only average) it's really a wizard PrC.

Edit: Swordsaged.

[El Dorado]

The Pathfinder RPG has a couple of feats. Arcane armor training and arcane armor mastery allow you to ignore up to 20% ASF as a swift action.

[The Cat Goddess]

If you're a dwarf, you could grab a level of Runesmith. Lets you prepare your spells as runes which have no somatic component. Since spells with no somatic component don't suffer from ASF, a one level dip makes arcane failure disappear. It's dwarf specific though, and since dwarves make lousy sorcerers (except for Dream and Desert variants, which are only average) it's really a wizard PrC.

Edit: Swordsaged.

Unless you take Stoneblessed... which would allow you to take any Dwarf-Only PrC no matter what your race.

[Veyr]

The Pathfinder RPG has a couple of feats. Arcane armor training and arcane armor mastery allow you to ignore up to 20% ASF as a swift action.
....that's an absolute hideous trade. Do not do that.

[person29]

aren't there feats in complete arcane that allow you to use armor without arcane spell failure....so for example as a warmage that can use medium without it take the feat and you can use heavy armor with no asf

[Grendus]

Dream Dwarf Paladin 2/Sorcerer 3/Runesmith 3/Abjurant Champion 5/Runesmith 2/X 2.

You lose an iterative attack and a little BAB over the standard sorcadin (though with a ridiculous number of spell slots you can easily use Wraithstrike as needed to overcome AC), but runesmith gives you some interesting abilities. Since sorcerers have a massive number of spell slots, you can use Permanent Runes to pick up those spells you only cast once or twice a day to save the spell known slot (Greater Luminous Armor, the Heart line, etc). You can use Rune Magic to prepare spells with metamagic for standard action casting. Share Runes, while pricy, would let you give self only buffs to the beatsticks, turning them into mini-gishes.

Might be fun to play in a mid-op group.

[tyckspoon]

aren't there feats in complete arcane that allow you to use armor without arcane spell failure....so for example as a warmage that can use medium without it take the feat and you can use heavy armor with no asf

Battlecaster, yes. The main problem there is it only really works on classes that have fairly bad spell lists to start with.. and you need to either blow another feat on proficiency for the heavier armor or suck up the proficiency penalties (or dip a class for them, but once you do that you're halfway to Spellsword/Abjurant Champ anyway.) And, for most builds, gold and class levels are much cheaper/more abundant resources than feat selections.

[Divide by Zero]

Unless you take Stoneblessed... which would allow you to take any Dwarf-Only PrC no matter what your race.

Except that costs you three caster levels, which makes it terrible for every kind of caster.

[Grendus]

Three caster levels for some race based bonuses and +2 con no less. I think Stoneblessed falls under the -2 PrC category... just don't. Even for a melee character, just don't. That's just... wow, that's terrible.

[Asheram]

Bypass the whole thing with bracers of armor? Might be more expensive but it leaves a chest slot open and they can (according to Arms and Equipment guide) be enchanted.

[Feytalist]

Bypass the whole thing with bracers of armor? Might be more expensive but it leaves a chest slot open and they can (according to Arms and Equipment guide) be enchanted.

Bracers by core only go up to +8 AC maximum. Full plate mail is already at 8 AC bonus at a sixteenth of the cost. And you can layer on even more enhancements.

Plus casting in armour is cool.

[Curmudgeon]

You could try Snowcasting + Blue Ice armor (both from Frostburn).

The Snowcasting feat lets you add the [cold] descriptor to any spell for free (well, you need to "add a handful of snow or ice as an additional material component", but that's what Eschew Materials is for).
No, that's pretty much exactly what Eschew Materials isn't for.
Benefit: You can cast any spell that has a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component. Almost no spells have "a handful of snow or ice" as a material component, and Snowcasting doesn't alter the required components of any spells. Instead, that feat gives you a benefit if you use that handful of snow or ice as an additional material component. If you don't actually add the snow/ice, you get only the benefit Eschew Materials provides to the spell as written.

[Metahuman1]

Argent Savat 2 (Complete arcane PRC.) and Abjurent champion 5 (Complete mage PRC) along with a means too repair some ability damage on the fly would let you get a +11 shield bonus too AC with either the shield or repelling shield spell (Latter in complete mage.), and a +15 too AC along with enemy's taking a -4 penalty too attack rolls on you for melee attacks, from greater luminous armor. (Book of exalted deeds. It's is an Exalted spell if memory serves, so keep that in mind, and it's also the one that would require a way too heal ability damage if your doing this to get protection for Melee. If not, then just a way to fix the str damage at the start of the day or end of the day is good. )

I'm not sure of this next part, but I think Magic vestments can be used to boost them, or can be used to boost regular clothing on top of them. I know I had a DM who let me do the former one time for an extra +10 too AC, (+5 form the shield and the Luminous armor spells.), and let me wear Gauntlets with the defensive property so I could get an extra boost to AC with them and with GMW. Had an eternal wand of lesser restoration too fix the str damage.

[Veyr]

No, that's pretty much exactly what Eschew Materials isn't for. Almost no spells have "a handful of snow or ice" as a material component, and Snowcasting doesn't alter the required components of any spells. Instead, that feat gives you a benefit if you use that handful of snow or ice as an additional material component. If you don't actually add the snow/ice, you get only the benefit Eschew Materials provides to the spell as written.
Question: if Snowcasting were a [Metamagic] feat, and therefore the spell you were preparing/casting was Snowcasted Fireball (or whatever), and thus did require the ice/snow as a material component, would Eschew Materials then apply?

[Curmudgeon]

Yes, under that circumstance the requirements of the spell would have been altered by the metamagic.

[Kogak]

It requires the go-ahead from your DM, but if you can make a Feycraft item (Dungeon Master's Guide II, must be made by a fey or a dominated/controlled humanoid outside of a city) which reduced Arcane Failure by 5%. If you can talk your DM into having some of the little forest dwelling blights upon the land make a custom suit of heavy armor (Feycraft is not generally made heavy) and use Blended Quartz (Arms & Equipment) to reduce Arcane Failure by another 20%, though this doubles the weight of the item. The weight might put heavy suits beyond most arcane casters. Finally, if you can get someone to cast Twilight (Magic Item Compendium) to reduce another 10%. Grand total reduction: 35% for a really frickin' heavy suit of plate armor with 0% arcane spell failure.

Why? Because nobody expects a fireball from guy in the corner with a heavy suit of spiked armor. :smallwink:

[Darrin]

It requires the go-ahead from your DM, but if you can make a Feycraft item (Dungeon Master's Guide II, must be made by a fey or a dominated/controlled humanoid outside of a city) which reduced Arcane Failure by 5%. If you can talk your DM into having some of the little forest dwelling blights upon the land make a custom suit of heavy armor (Feycraft is not generally made heavy) and use Blended Quartz (Arms & Equipment) to reduce Arcane Failure by another 20%, though this doubles the weight of the item.

Feycraft can only be used on light or medium armor by RAW. It can only be used on heavy armor if it's made out of a material that makes it count as lighter armor (i.e., darkleaf, dragoncraft, glassteel, mithral, or sentira). Githcraft offers the same -5%, and can be used on any light/medium/heavy armor. So githcraft + blended quartz + twilight = 35%.

It's cheaper to combine mithral with a thistledown suit + feycraft + githcraft + twilight:

Thistledown suit (250 GP, RotW p. 168): -5%
Feycraft (500 GP, DMGII p. 275): -5%
Githcraft (600 GP, DMGII p. 276): -5%
Mithral (1000/4000/7000 GP, DMG): -10%
Twilight (+1 enhancement, MIC p. 15): -10%

That's enough to cover Full Plate or Sectioned (Full).

If you need anything more than that, you have to dip into something like Spellsword or Suel Arcanamach. A 1-level dip into Spellsword can get you up to 45%, which is enough to cover heavy plate (Races of Stone p. 158), but not quite enough for a tower shield or Mechanus gear.

To qualify for Spellsword, though, you need to be proficient with all simple/martial weapons, and light/medium/heavy armor. This usually means a dip into Fighter or Crusader, and thus losing at least one caster level. However, you can get all those proficiencies and keep all your caster levels by dipping into Dragonslayer (Draconomicon p. 126) first. This requires two feats, Dodge and Iron Will, but the last one you can "buy" via Otyugh Hole (3000 GP, Complete Scoundrel p. 152). Dodge can be replaced with either Midnight Dodge (Magic of Incarnum p. 39, which pairs up nicely with Midnight Metamagic) or Expeditious Dodge (Races of the Wild p. 150, add Boots of Striding & Springing or Mobile Spellcasting from Complete Arcane for +2 AC). Thusly:

Wizard 10/Dragonslayer 1/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Something +3

You can also get proficiency with all simple/martial weapons via the Outsider type, such as a Neraph, a Savage Progression Aasimar/Tiefling (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) or the Otherworldly feat.

As has already been mentioned, the other method of avoiding ASF is starting with something that can cast in light armor (Bard, Duskblade, Spellthief, Warmage, etc.) and then use the Battle Caster feat (twice if necessary) or save up for some Halfweight armor (+3 enhancement, FR Underdark p. 70). All Halfweight armor is treated as if it were light armor.

[Kogak]

Feycraft can only be used on light or medium armor by RAW. It can only be used on heavy armor if it's made out of a material that makes it count as lighter armor (i.e., darkleaf, dragoncraft, glassteel, mithral, or sentira). Githcraft offers the same -5%, and can be used on any light/medium/heavy armor. So githcraft + blended quartz + twilight = 35%.

I say a DM go-ahead because rules state fey don't make heavy armor, but if you can get one to specially craft one for you I would think it possible. RAW state no heavy armor because fey don't like it, rather than it's impossible. I (personally) figure it more plausible than getting the absurdly homicidal xenophobes Githyanki to make a special suit of armor for you (and less planar travel presumably).

On another note, is it possible to combine crafts (feycraft + githcraft)? I was under the impression is was a bonus to indicate a special sort of forging process. Maybe a fey-dominated githyanki?

[Darrin]

On another note, is it possible to combine crafts (feycraft + githcraft)? I was under the impression is was a bonus to indicate a special sort of forging process. Maybe a fey-dominated githyanki?

Yes, Feycraft can be combined with the other armor/weapon templates because it doesn't require the crafter to be on any particular plane, just to be fey or under the influence of fey. So a half-fey or charmed/dominated Githyanki could create Feycraft + Githcraft items.

[JaronK]

On another note, is it possible to combine crafts (feycraft + githcraft)? I was under the impression is was a bonus to indicate a special sort of forging process. Maybe a fey-dominated githyanki?

Feycraft is the only one that can be stacked with the others, because all others say they must be made by a particular race on a particular plane, while Feycraft just says the person must be under the direct magical influence of a fey.

JaroK

[Darth Stabber]

There was a fighter ACF that Traded some proficiencies for ability to cast in light armor for any casting class you take. Add to it two instances of battle caster and you are good to go, though you traded away your proficiencies with medium and heavy armor, so this path is a mixed bag.

[ubergeek63]

Duskblade (PHII) or Warmage (CoA) depending on if you want to be more blade or more magic, respectively

[Forged Fury]

There was a fighter ACF that Traded some proficiencies for ability to cast in light armor for any casting class you take. Add to it two instances of battle caster and you are good to go, though you traded away your proficiencies with medium and heavy armor, so this path is a mixed bag.
If that's the one in Complete Mage, it has an additional restriction that the maximum spell level you can cast without ASF in light armor is equal to your fighter level, IIRC. It seems pretty terrible.

[Vladislav]

Is there a type of magic heavy armor which gets rid of arcane spell failure?

EDIT: I know about the Mithral shirt, but light armor isn't defensive enough.

Still Spell + Easy Metamagic allows you to cast any spell in any armor with no ASF.

[Darth Stabber]

If that's the one in Complete Mage, it has an additional restriction that the maximum spell level you can cast without ASF in light armor is equal to your fighter level, IIRC. It seems pretty terrible.

That is aweful, except in gestalt, where it is merely bad as opposed to terrible.

[Veyr]

Still Spell + Easy Metamagic allows you to cast any spell in any armor with no ASF.
If you're prepared. Spontaneous would also require Rapid Metamagic (a good feat anyway, but just saying).

[Fuhrmaaj]

Hey, this is Surreal's list of ASF reducing items. Enjoy.

Arcane Spell Failure (ASF) reduction - or casting in armor
Bard, light armor
Fighter, Armored Mage alternative class feature, Complete Mage, light armor
Duskblade 1, 4, 7/20, Player's Handbook 2, casting in light armor, medium armor, then heavy shields respectively
Bladesinger 6, ecl 11, Complete Warrior, cast in light armor
Hexblade, Complete Warrior, casting in light armor
Spellsword 1, 3, 5, 7, 9/10, ecl 6, Complete Warrior, 10/15/20/25/30%
Rage Mage 2, ecl 7, Complete Warrior, -10% in light or medium armor
Spellthief, Complete Adventurer, casting in light armor
Fochlucan Lyrist 1, ecl 11, Complete Adventure, cast in light armor
Warmage 1, 8/20, Complete Arcane, casting in light then medium armor
Suel Arcanamach 1, 4, 7, 10/10, ecl 7, Complete Arcane, 5% each time
Battlecaster, feat, Complete Arcane, allows casting in armor one category heavier (unclear whether you gain proficiency)
Geomancer 1, ecl ?, Complete Divine, see text

Dragon Devotee 3, ecl 8, Races of the Dragon, ignore ASF for 0-level and 1st-level spells
Arcane Heirophant 1, ecl 6, Races of the Wild, casting in non-metallic light or medium armor
Runesmith 1, ecl 6, Races of Stone, cast in any armor, see text
Knight of the Weave 2, ecl 7, Champions of Valor, cast in light armor, in medium at level 8
Pale Master 4, 8/10, ecl 9, Libris Mortis, -10% each for undead armor
Knight Phantom 1, ecl 6, Eberron: Five Nations, casting in light armor
Corrupt Avenger 1, ecl 7, Heroes of Horror, light armor
Silver Key 1, ecl 5, Eberron: Dragonmarked, light armor, abjuration only
Githyanky Battlecaster, feat, Monster Manual 4, light armor
Fatemaker 1, ecl 6, Planar Handbook, light
Ebonmar Infiltrator 1, ecl 6, Cityscape, cast in light armor, see text
Urban Savant 1, ecl 6, Cityscape, cast in light armor, see text
Knight of the Weave 2, ecl 7, FR: Champions of Valor, cast in light for all classes, medium at level 8

Mithril, armor material, PHB, -10%
Twilight, armor enhancement, Book of Exalted Deeds, -10%
Thistledown, armor add-on, Races of the Wild, -5%
Leafweave, armor add-on, Races of the Wild, -5%
Feycraft, armor template, DMG2, -5%
Githcraft, armor template, DMG2, -5%
Hellforged, armor template, DMG2, +5%
Blue Ice, component, Frostburn, cast [Cold] spells without ASF


I'm not sure how old this list is so it might not be comprehensive. I didn't see it on this list but still spell is a metamagic option for +1 spell level. Can be useful for certain builds (especially if your spells already last all day). Shadowcraft Mages can choose Silent Image as their thesis spell to get it at +0 level (and it's the spell they want to cast all day).

Other than that, you'll be either looking at PrCs or special armour materials. It's very rare that you'll be able to cast in heavy armour unless it happens to be mithril. This has two major effects: 1) -10% ASF 2) armour becomes medium. There are a lot of methods of being able to cast in medium armour.