Walker in the Waste--How would you do it?

[KoboldCleric]

I'm looking for a variety of different entrances mechanically and different philosophical reasons that would lead to someone walk this path. I really like the concept that to the immortal change is the ultimate enemy, and I'd like to force my PC's to visit the moral and ethical quandries that such a concept poses; extended time spent among an empire of walkers is, I think, exactly the challenge I'm looking to give them.

I may decide to wave the divine-only aspect of the PrC and allow arcane/psionic entry as well, so if you have a good arcane or psionic entry/story I'd be interested in that too. Please and thanks for any help :)

[kestrel404]

Archivist 3. It's a perfect prestige class, both flavor and ability-wise for an archivist. The missing casting advancement hurts a bit, but by the time you're 13th level you will qualify for all of the good full-advancement classes and 18/20 casting isn't a bad trade for a +4 LA template.

[Flickerdart]

Southern Magician allows you to "once per day per two spellcaster levels, cast a divine spell as an arcane spell and vice-versa". Thus, as long as you can find the right spells on the right lists, you can enter as an arcane caster after 3rd level. Let's take a look:

Sand domain:
Waste Strider: Druid, Ranger 1. Not great (but hm, Ranger?)
Black Sand: Cleric 3. Lame.
Haboob: Now we're talking! Sorc/Wiz 3, as well as Ranger 3 and Druid 3.
Blast of Sand: Sorc/Wiz 4, Druid 4. Druid now qualifies for Walker at level 7.
Flaywind Burst: Sorc/Wiz 5! Arcanists with Southern Magician can now get in. But can we do this earlier? Let's look at the--

Thirst domain:
Parching Touch: Haha! Sorc/Wiz 1!
Desiccate: Sorc/Wiz 2!

So a Sorcerer, Wizard or anyone with access to their lists can get in with 3rd level spells and Southern Magician, even without needing Arcane Disciple. Poor Ranger only has 2/3 spells needed to get in, sadly.

Divine Crusader 3 would give you the spells you need to enter, so a full BAB entry is possible if you need warriors for the empire.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Throw my hat down for Archivists. Assuming you can wizard up the scrolls for it, one could actually enter via Archivist 1. Meaning that, if you start late enough, you could dump all of your CON and go with just the joyous stats that are INT, WIS, CHA, and whatever else have you. Heck, grab a feat, and you can dump WIS, too!:smallbiggrin:

[Fouredged Sword]

Cloistered Cleric 1 / WitW 10 / Cleric 9

Everything else is gravy.

[AMFV]

If monstrous PCs are allowed, a Nymph walker in the waste would be pretty awesome, with the amazing cha synergy and all. Also its like one of the only undead templates that can be applied to fey, it would lose out in raw power but gain in flavor.
For an npc it is awesome and pretty flavorful, my idea was a nymph that went mad when her grove was dried up and decided to take it out on the world, she is tragic in that she is. A usually good creature driven to madness and evil.

[Fouredged Sword]

Seriously powerful in gestault though. Nymph LA / sorcerer / Favored soul // Favored Soul / WitW / Favored Soul. I would see a nymph of a desert oasis who turns to dark magic to excape her prison of a tree in the middle of nowhere.

[kestrel404]

Cloistered Cleric 1 / WitW 10 / Cleric 9

Everything else is gravy.

How do you get the 3rd spell? You need to be able to cast 3 spells out of 2 domains, so at least one of them is going to be a 2nd level spell...

[Fouredged Sword]

Veristile spellcaster. You can then sacrifice two spells to cast a 2nd level spell.

[AMFV]

Seriously powerful in gestault though. Nymph LA / sorcerer / Favored soul // Favored Soul / WitW / Favored Soul. I would see a nymph of a desert oasis who turns to dark magic to excape her prison of a tree in the middle of nowhere.


As nymphs get druid casting its probably better to advance that the favored soul as prepared casting is strictly better. Non gestalt I would recommend something like Nymph/WiW 10/divine oracle 2 or some such.

[kestrel404]

Veristile spellcaster. You can then sacrifice two spells to cast a 2nd level spell.

I agree that clerics can spontaneously cast spells, but where does it states that clerics know any spells? They may PREPARE spells off the cleric list & domains, but they don't know any, domain or otherwise.

[Fouredged Sword]

Then use the spontanious cleric from the SRD. They have a "Spells Known" mechanic.

If you are in a game starting at level 11, it is worth it for being able to be a venerable spellscale cleric without worrying about that silly -8 con penelty.

[kestrel404]

Then use the spontanious cleric from the SRD. They have a "Spells Known" mechanic.

If you are in a game starting at level 11, it is worth it for being able to be a venerable spellscale cleric without worrying about that silly -8 con penelty.

You'd still need to be 3rd level before entry into WitW, and you'd be a tier 2 to boot.

[Fouredged Sword]

Versitle spellcaster and Heighten spell (gained from a flaw) allow you to enter at 2nd level.

Yes, you drop a tier, but I think the gains are worth it. I prefer spontanious spellcasting anyway. You are loseing out in versitility, not power.

[kestrel404]

Versitle spellcaster and Heighten spell (gained from a flaw) allow you to enter at 2nd level.

Yes, you drop a tier, but I think the gains are worth it. I prefer spontanious spellcasting anyway. You are loseing out in versitility, not power.

Umm, no. There's no requirement to be able to cast 2nd level spells - you need to be able to cast 3 spells out of a list of about 18, only 2 of which are 1st level. You have to monkey one of the higher level spells onto a your 'spells known' list at 1st level - I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying you haven't done it yet. The 'spontaneous cleric' variant only gives you access to 2nd level domain spell as spells known when you hit level 3 on the 'spells known' table. Even if you heighten one of the 1st level domain spells off the Sand or Thirst domain, it's still the same spell at a higher level, not a third spell, so you still don't meet the entry requirements.

I know it's a kind of odd entry requirement, but a lot of the standard TO tricks don't work, while several that normally wouldn't do.

[Fouredged Sword]

Hrmmmm.

I will have to think on this then. It sounds like you may be able to qualify with the feat that feat that is used to get a second level wiz spell once a day then. I forget the name though.

[kestrel404]

Hrmmmm.

I will have to think on this then. It sounds like you may be able to qualify with the feat that feat that is used to get a second level wiz spell once a day then. I forget the name though.

Aha! Dessicate is a 2nd level wizard spell - so Precocious Apprentice would work just fine for that! You'd need a way to cast it as a divine spell, though...

Wizard 1 with the feats Arcane Disciple (Sand domain), Precocious Apprentice (Dessicate), and Southern Magician!

You'd need at least 1 flaw, even for a human, but entirely doable!

[Fouredged Sword]

You still run into the issue of having WitW advance only divine casting. I would suggest cleric with Precocious Apprentice and Southern Magician.

[Andorax]

Not all of these concepts are mechanically sound. Some require outright requirement fudging, while others are technically legal but not necessarially effective.

Take that for what it's worth:



Hard, sunburned product of his own environment. Someone who has spent so much time within the wastes that he has come to embody, even personify, them...who may have once been good, but who's goodness has been baked out of him by the harshness of the world in which he has been forced to dwell.

Something calls him to remain in the wastes rather than move on...there must be something there that simply can't be let go of.

Recommended race: Painted Elf (Sandstorm 43)

Ranger 11 (or 8)/WitW 1+

Exceptions required: Add Parching Touch and/or Dessicate to the Ranger list (both allows for R8 entry).




When a civilization falls, its defenders fall with it. Noble, just, and pure...and genuine in his belief that the kingdom would endure forever, he never could have fathomed destruction on such a level...not just the death of people, but of nearly every living thing, of the land itself. When the magical devistation turned a green, lush and profitable kingdom into a barren wasteland overnight, it was too much to bear.

Recommended race: Human

Ex-Paladin 5 (formerly 11)/Blackguard 6/WitW 1+

Exceptions required: Adding Black Sand, Desiccate and Tormenting Thirst to Blackguard list.




The spirits of the desert speak, and she speaks back to them. Over time, they have become friends...not close, caring friends who do kindness for one another...but the kind of distant, but always present friends that means you always have someone to talk to. In fact, that's what's most disturbing about her...she spends more time talking to the "spirit of the desert" than to those who accompany her.

No..that's not true. What's most disturbing is when the desert answers.

Recommended race: Bhuka

Spirit Shaman 5/WitW 1+





Soul of the desert, embodyment of the judgement of the sands upon those with impure beliefs. None may enter into the sacred lands and live to speak of it...the purity of the waste must be preserved. Sun and sand guide his blade and step.

Recommended race: Asherati

Swordsage 3/WitW 1+

Exceptions required: Permit a limited (and sane) list of spells as maneuvers (as per the Arcane Swordsage variant rule), including Parching Touch and Dessicate (as maneuvers) and Waste Strider (as a stance). Emphasize Desert Wind. Allow WitW to advance initiating as it would normally advance casting.





The waste around us is a reflection of the waste within. Embody the desert, draw upon it from within and project it outwards upon your foes.

Ardent 3/WitW 1+

Exceptions: Considerable. Allow WitW to advance psionics, create Sand and Thirst mantles and allow those to satisfy the pre-requisites.

Question: Is prestiging out of Ardent seriously difficult since you gain additional mantles as class features, and a power-only progression wouldn't grant them?

[kestrel404]

You still run into the issue of having WitW advance only divine casting. I would suggest cleric with Precocious Apprentice and Southern Magician.

Actually, Walker in the Waste advances doesn't state that it only advances divine spellcasting - it's just the entry requirements that state you must cast the spells as divine spells. (Plus, precocious apprentice requires an arcane caster level)

[Fouredged Sword]

I am AFB, so I will have to check that. I remember running into this issue before and not being able to be a wizard.

On another note, is there an easy way to get positive energy immunity to ignore the can't touch water clause? I want to throw a WitW Kracken at my players.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Umm, no. There's no requirement to be able to cast 2nd level spells - you need to be able to cast 3 spells out of a list of about 18, only 2 of which are 1st level. You have to monkey one of the higher level spells onto a your 'spells known' list at 1st level - I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying you haven't done it yet. The 'spontaneous cleric' variant only gives you access to 2nd level domain spell as spells known when you hit level 3 on the 'spells known' table. Even if you heighten one of the 1st level domain spells off the Sand or Thirst domain, it's still the same spell at a higher level, not a third spell, so you still don't meet the entry requirements.

I know it's a kind of odd entry requirement, but a lot of the standard TO tricks don't work, while several that normally wouldn't do.

Actually, Spontaneous variant Cleric WOULD make it, due to the wording of the spells known mechanics

"Clerics automatically have their domain spells as Known". So Heighten + Versatile would work.

How about a Dread Necro/Sandshaper/WitW build? It'd actually work out surprisingly well. Dread Necro already wants to go Southern magician for DMM shenanigans. Sandshaper dip gives him the spells he needs to qualify. Badda bing, badda boom.

[Gensh]

If you're looking for something quick and easy, it's part of my obligatory insert character's build. Cloistered Cleric 3/Church Inquisitor 2. Clerics get exactly the three spells needed for entry at 5th caster level.

Fluff-wise, you'd go for a member of a desert-based civilization. He sees his civilization beginning to decay and tries to staunch the flood. He picks out the decay within his church and society as an inquisitor and begins to preserve it as a walker in the waste. Depending on what you want to do, you could have him intend to establish a society of dry liches and awakened salt mummies, or if the church council is like the US Supreme Court, where the elected serve for life, you could have him attempt to create an immortal council.

Personally, I use the build for peaceful protest. "I don't like this society, so I'll outlast it and make my own society! With blackjack! And wenches!"

[Terazul]

Aha! Dessicate is a 2nd level wizard spell - so Precocious Apprentice would work just fine for that! You'd need a way to cast it as a divine spell, though...

Wizard 1 with the feats Arcane Disciple (Sand domain), Precocious Apprentice (Dessicate), and Southern Magician!

You'd need at least 1 flaw, even for a human, but entirely doable!

Precocious Apprentice grants you a 2nd level spell for any of your spellcasting classes, it doesn't have to be an arcane spell, or even on the sorc/wiz list. The feat itself simply has a Arcane Caster Level 1 requirement.

Cloistered Cleric 1 with Sand and Thirst Domains with the feats Magical Training (for ACL 1), Precocious Apprentice (for the 3rd Spell), and single flaw for Heat Endurance.

[TheJake]

How about a Dread Necro/Sandshaper/WitW build? It'd actually work out surprisingly well. Dread Necro already wants to go Southern magician for DMM shenanigans. Sandshaper dip gives him the spells he needs to qualify. Badda bing, badda boom.

That's an awesome build. Is it worth adding to your Dread Necro thread?

- J.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

That's an awesome build. Is it worth adding to your Dread Necro thread?

- J.

Probably not. Mostly because he doesn't get anything he wouldn't already get by going Dread Necro 20, other than a few situational daily-use abilities.

[Maho-Tsukai]

The class is actually open to a wizard and in an upcoming campaign one of the BBEGs will be a WIZARD/Walker in the wastes with a bit of refluffing. Deserts to not have to be warm, remember...so I've decided to reffluff the class, some spells and some feats to be based on ice deserts instead of hot ones and have combined the walker class with the "uttercold assult wizard" build. Basically this guy takes advantage of his high wisdom(From Dry lich template, which grants like +4 wisdom.) for stuff like Arcane disciple and uses the domain power ACF to get the deathbound domain...making him a powerful minion focused wizard with a strong "cold" sub-theme.