Beholder Mage question

[Telonius]

I'm about to throw a Beholder Mage at my (near-epic and medium-op) PCs. He's mostly going to be a blaster, out for destruction and not so much one for planning.

(Shackled City Spoilers)
It's basically a rebuild of Vhalantru's final appearance, trading 8 levels of Advanced Beholder for 8 levels of Beholder Mage. To model the ferocity and sense of vengeance, I'm mainly focusing on dealing loads of damage per round. While still very dangerous, it isn't quite a floating TPK.

One thing that I see coming up in threads about this PrC is the ability to shoot off ten level-9 spells per round. After a careful read of the PrC (Lords of Madness p.42), I'm not sure how this is supposed to happen. Isn't each Spellstalk supposed to be able to cast spells of only one level? Not that I'm planning to do this to the PC's (even if they are near-epic, I'm not that cruel), but I'm just wondering how it's supposed to be accomplished.

[sreservoir]

it isn't. still, one spell of each level per round is frightening enough, especially if it can nova without repercussion.

[Yorrin]

Yeah, it would take an insane amount of "negative metamagic" cheese (as in, making your metamagic actually reduce the spell slot used) to get off a full array of 9th level spells. I'd be hard pressed to think of a way to get a 9th level spell lower than a 7th level spell slot, even with Dragon abuse.

As a side not, I think this is the first time I've ever heard of someone using beholder mage on an actual beholder. Usually you hear about qualification via POA shenanigans (which don't work in my games, btw).

[Fouredged Sword]

Repete after me
Sonic snap - fell weaken sonic snap - fell drain sonic snap - fell weaken + fell drain sonic snap - Fell drain + fell frighten sonic snap - fell drain + fell freighten + fell weaken sonic snap.

If the whole party isn't cowering by the end of your turn you aren't trying. Not saying you should try, you would TPK them without a second thought. beholder mage makes the action ecomony turn inside out.

Just stick to throwing around a bunch of ray and AOE damage spells and some weak save or sucks. Waste most of your spells on thier miss chances and high touch AC's.

Oh and make sure they have globes of invulnerability up.

[faceroll]

Yeah, it would take an insane amount of "negative metamagic" cheese (as in, making your metamagic actually reduce the spell slot used) to get off a full array of 9th level spells. I'd be hard pressed to think of a way to get a 9th level spell lower than a 7th level spell slot, even with Dragon abuse.

As a side not, I think this is the first time I've ever heard of someone using beholder mage on an actual beholder. Usually you hear about qualification via POA shenanigans (which don't work in my games, btw).

Arcane Thesis + Invisible Spell, Sanctum Spell, Energy Substitution, Co-operative Spell, Black Lore of Moil gets you -7 levels. Throw in a practical metamagic for one of your +2 or higher metamagic feats, and that's -8. :smallfrown:

[Yorrin]

Arcane Thesis + Invisible Spell, Sanctum Spell, Energy Substitution, Co-operative Spell, Black Lore of Moil gets you -7 levels. Throw in a practical metamagic for one of your +2 or higher metamagic feats, and that's -8. :smallfrown:

I was under the impression that Arcane Thesis reduced it by a total of 1, not 1 per metamagic. My calcuations were using Arcane Thesis+Invisible+Easy Metamagic for -2, for example.

[faceroll]

I was under the impression that Arcane Thesis reduced it by a total of 1, not 1 per metamagic. My calcuations were using Arcane Thesis+Invisible+Easy Metamagic for -2, for example.

Nope. Arcane Thesis is once per metamagic applied.

[Yorrin]

Nope. Arcane Thesis is once per metamagic applied.

Well. That's...
Oh DnD. How broken you are in such beautiful ways. Combine with with Pathfinder for at-will level 9s (they can do cantrips at-will) :smallbiggrin:

[Fouredged Sword]

Negative metamagic normaly causes spontanious flying books to begin with.

[Diarmuid]

PHB2 Errata.

Page 74 – Arcane Thesis [Omission]
Add the following text to the end of the “Benefit”
section: “A spell cannot be reduced to below its
original level with the use of this feat