Need help boosting will save.

[Icestorm245]

As I mentioned before in a previous thread, I have a musketeer style character. Fighter 6/rogue 2 at the moment, going to be taking Exotic Weapon Master for Uncanny Blow and Exotic Weapon Trip, and then going to take Musketeer PrC from d20 past. The problem is, I have such a weak will save with a wisdom of 10, that taking levels in these classes seem like a bad idea. How can I cheaply get better will saves?

[Gotterdammerung]

Crystal Mask of mind armor from the MiC is the best cost/bonus ratio at 10k for a +4 insight.

Then you have a vest or cloak of resistance +5 for 25k for a +5 enhancement bonus.


That is a cheapish 35k for a +9 will bonus.

[Rubik]

3000 gp for Iron Will via Otyugh Hole in C.Scoundrel.

Mindarmor shield and armor enhancements from MIC is pretty cheap. 3/day get +5 vs mind affecting (and most Will saves are). Stack on armor, shield, and dastana bracers (from the Arms and Equipment Guide).

There's the mind cloaking armor crystal in the MIC that likewise boosts your mind-affecting saves.

The Detached character trait from the SRD is +1 Will/-1 Ref. Likewise, Plucky is +1 Will/-1 Fort.

One level in factotum (great for your character, by the way) will give you +Int to one save, attack roll, or damage roll for one Inspiration Point.

Any dip into a good Will save class, obviously.

Any +Wis item or +Saves item.

Have a wizard Polymorph you into an animal, then pay a druid to cast a Maximized/Empowered Awaken spell on you. The effects stay even after Polymorph wears off, as spells only check to see if they affect the target when the spell is being cast.

Have someone Bestow Curse you into aging a few categories for the Will save bump.

[edit] Oh, and if you take the Open Least Chakra feat to open your brow, you can bind a headband of Intellect for +1 vs mind-affecting.

Shape Soulmeld can also grab soulmelds that do this. See: Crystal Helm (vs compulsions and charms) and Enigma Helm (+1/essentia).

[Andion Isurand]

What are your stats?

[Lord Vukodlak]

Have a wizard Polymorph you into an animal, then pay a druid to cast a Maximized/Empowered Awaken spell on you. The effects stay even after Polymorph wears off, as spells only check to see if they affect the target when the spell is being cast.

Have someone Bestow Curse you into aging a few categories for the Will save bump.
I don't see most DM's allowing that kind tricks. The awakened spell is designed to take a simple animal or plant and give it a sapient mind. And a fully sapient creature has 3d6 for mental scores. Its part of ad-hoc NPC generation. If it were to actually work it should wipe out your old mind completely removing all class levels and experience you've gained thus far.

Artifical aging effects would not give you the mental bonuses, there are actually creatures and spells in D&D already that age the target. You suffer the penalties but not the bonuses.

[Icestorm245]

What are your stats?

My stats are:

Str: 16
Dex: 18
Con:14
Wis: 10
Int: 14
Cha: 13

I know, right? But this was what the flavour of the character boiled down to. The Mind Armour and Cloak were the first two things that came to my mind, but I need something that increases it now, and I only have 8300 gp to spend. I'm trying to avoid multiclassing out of the character's flavour; unfortunately, that means everything with a good will save.

[Seerow]

Steadfast Determination lets you replace wis bonus with con bonus to will saves, which right now is only a +2 bonus, but down the line could be as much as a +5-7 bonus, so may be worth considering.

Edit: Also, with 8k GP you can get the 3k item that gives Iron Will that was mentioned earlier, and a +2 resistance cloak, with 1k to spare, bringing your will save up by +4 total. I'd also recommend nabbing a 3rd level in rogue before going into Musketeer, for the extra +1 Fort and Will, and the extra sneak attack die.

[Mockingbird]

Take 3 levels of Hexblade, and take that feat that gives you +2 to will saves.
Hexblade gives you +3 against spells and spell-like effects, and whenever you pass a fortitude or will save that has partial or half effects, you negate it.
Basically, you'll have evasion for every save.
Plus, you won't lose any BaB progression.

[Icestorm245]

Thanks Seerow, I'll more than likely do all you mentioned. Hexblade? I think that breaks my character's archetype too much, he's a musketeer, his only differentiating quality from other musketeers is his creedo, "Kill with the edge of a blade whenever possible, as there is no art in killing with the tip." Plus I think my DM would just laugh at me if I said I'm adding yet another class.

[Corlindale]

Another option would be to get items that let you outright bypass the need to make will saves.

A Mindvault (8000 g) from MiC can be activated when you have failed your will save against something mind-affecting - it negates whatever hit you, but in exchange dazes you for a round. Of course the dazing sucks, but it beats being dominated into hitting your party members. Good for emergencies. It only works 1/day, though.

If you have skill points to spare, you could also get a ring of diamond mind for 3k, which gives you access to the Moment of Perfect Mind maneuver - once per encounter letting you substitute a concentration check for a will save. I don't know if any of your classes get concentration as a class skill, though (musketeer, by any chance?). Even as a cross-class skill Concentration might be easier to boost than a will save.

Of course an even simpler way of accomplishing the latter would be to dip into either Warblade or Swordsage - I think they could fit well with the Musketeer flavour, an you would almost certainly be able to find some other useful maneuvers besides the will save thing. Depends on how you (and your GM) feels about the ToB, of course.