Warmage Questions

[GutterFace]

So here is the scoop. I've been a DM for a while and need to get back into playing a character again. I've been tossing ideas around in my head trying to come up with something fun and new. So I settled on a wacky idea. I want to make a Dual Wand Wielding Warmage. We usually start our campaigns at Level 5. I want to avoid multiclassing, and we generally play 3.5 (non ebberon). I also usually make a Human.

As for Feats i know i will need: Craft Wand, Dual Wand Wielder, 2 weapon fighting, Point Blank Shot, probably need Wandstrike. i know i cant take them all right away. i will move out Wandstrike, and point blank shot for later feats.

Since Warmage is a caster...obviously. I know they get a bonus to Spell Damage based on Int modifier. But since Use magical device is Cha based and some of the Spells i can store in a crafted wand are mostly Ranged touch...I am thinking i will need more Cha and Dex, than other stats.

Is this idea just insane??? should i perhaps try another class??? i want to avoid being generic and i don't want an artificer.

Does anyone have suggestions?

On a side note i think (later on in levels) i can keep my main hand wand with a ranged touch spell, and keep an aoe spell (fireball...etc.) in the off wand.

[Darth_Versity]

Rather than Warmage go with sorcerer. The only advantage a Warmage has is the greater damage from his Edge ability. If your using wands you dont get the edge to apply, making your choice of class a bit pointless.

A sorcerer, or even a Beguiler(with UMD) would be a better choice.

Also theres a Rod that allows you to use 3 wands at once. Cant remember its name but someone will. You may want to look into it, but i'm not sure if it'll work with Dual Wand Wielder.

[GutterFace]

Thanks! yes i was looking into a Sorc as well but only leaned towards a Warmage because no one has played one before. also the Light armor prof is nice, and med armor later on. But the comments are cool, i will have to look into the Sorc and see what i come up with.

[rot42]

Also theres a Rod that allows you to use 3 wands at once. Cant remember its name but someone will. You may want to look into it, but i'm not sure if it'll work with Dual Wand Wielder.

It is the aptly named Rod of Many Wands, Complete Mage page 128. It does not work with Dual Wand Wielder, so its utility will depend on whether you are more likely to be feat-starved or gold-starved (and level, as it is pretty pricey before 11th or so).

For the OP: Warmage Edge is fantastic in early levels (especially with the Extra Edge feat), but an extra four or eight or whatever points of damage is not all that much by early mid levels. They have a huge number of spells known, but there is a great deal of overlap in what they do. A Sorcerer, on the other hand, can have a nice blasty feel with only a few spells known and maybe a metamagic or three while still being fairly versatile. Add one of the Reserve feats from Complete Mage for all day blasting fun. It is always fun to try out a new class, but in my opinion the best use of the Warmage is to simplify the DM's bookkeeping when s/he throws them at you.

[Darth_Versity]

Thanks! yes i was looking into a Sorc as well but only leaned towards a Warmage because no one has played one before. also the Light armor prof is nice, and med armor later on. But the comments are cool, i will have to look into the Sorc and see what i come up with.

Basically Warmage's only shtick is blasting with their spells. if your using wands, then you've just lost out on the only thing going for them.

And the armor prof isn't that great. A +1 Twilight Mithril Chain shirt costs 5,100gp and can be worn by a spellcaster with no effect at all (Armor check and Spell failure of 0)

[candycorn]

Factotum isn't bad for what you're doing. It's not hard to get UMD to 20, Factotum can get intelligence to damage on any type of attack they like, and Knowledge Devotion can further augment that.

I've seen a fairly low level factotum rocking wands of Acid Splash for 1d3+8, at low levels. Magic missile can be 1d4+7 per missile, easily.

[Gavinfoxx]

Artificers are the *best* wand blaster types.

Sorcerers are the best non-wand blaster types in general, if built right.

[GutterFace]

Thanks everyone! This is great feedback! The whole reason i wanted to make a Warmage was pretty much for the flair. The first thought we had when talking about a new game was making a homebrew class. but that quickly got out of hand. Anyways i had come up with the idea for a dual wand wielding duelist...so I've been cobbling together what i can do to make that happen in a standard 3.5 game.

[candycorn]

Artificers are the *best* wand blaster types.

Sorcerers are the best non-wand blaster types in general, if built right.

Psion will out-blast a sorceror, any day of the week, properly built, of course.

[MesiDoomstalker]

If your using wands, especially when your going to make them your primary offensive method I suggest two things:

First, buy wand bracers, one for each arm. That way you can have plenty of flexibility at your fingertips (literally) when it comes to blasting. If a certain wand fails to be effective, drop it and pop out a new one. Then again you'll need 10 wands for it to be completly full but thats a long term goal. They are in Dungeonscape.

Second, be a Sorcerer. Your already focusing yourself on double wand blasting, Sorcerer fits in perfectly. You can take more utility and buff powers since your using wands. But you'll still want to take spells that you'd actually use in your wand so you can mkae them yourself.

[Gavinfoxx]

Psion will out-blast a sorceror, any day of the week, properly built, of course.

So... is there a Kineticist build that can outdo the Mailman? If so, where is it?

[Cog]

Psion will out-blast a sorceror, any day of the week, properly built, of course.
As I understand it, this is true at low- and mid- optimization, but less so at high end; arcane can get metamagic reductions more easily, while psionics runs out of focuses to expend (unless you're an Ardent (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a)).

[candycorn]

You don't need one. Between properly set up manifestations of Twin Power Synchronicity and Anticipatory Strike, along with Temporal Acceleration, you can drop every power point you have in one round.

Basics is:

1 Twin Synchronicity, expend psicrystal's focus, share with psicrystal
2 Move: Do whatever
3 End turn.
4 Psicrystal Synchronicity, refocus.
7 Activate Synchronicity, Use a twinned offensive power.
5 Psicrystal Synchronicity, refocus.
6 Activate Synchronicity, Schism


8 Anticipatory Strike
9 Schism: Use offensive power
10 Twin Synchronicity, expend psicrystal's focus, share with psicrystal
11 End turn.
12 Psicrystal Synchronicity, refocus.
13 Activate Synchronicity, Use a twinned offensive power
14 Psicrystal Synchronicity, refocus.
15 Activate Synchronicity, Temporal Acceleration (1 round)

Ask yourself, are all my foes dead?
If yes, stop. If not, repeat steps 8-15 until they are, or until power point pool is depleted.

With Metamind, and some shenanigans, this loop can go on forever, but that's the basic gist of it. You are only limited by your PP pool. Bonus style points if you give your Psicrystal Martial Study for White Raven Tactics.

[Ernir]

You don't need one. Between properly set up manifestations of Twin Power Synchronicity and Anticipatory Strike, along with Temporal Acceleration, you can drop every power point you have in one round.

And with Arcane Fusion, Sorcerers can do arbitrary amounts of damage and not use all of their spell slots for it. Meh?

I'd rank the blasting potential of the two somehow like this:
Low optimization (I have no idea what I'm doing!): Psion beats Sorcerer
Mid-optmization (Hey, look at this metapower and arcane thesis!): Sorcerer beats Psion
High optmization (Synchronicity and Sanctum Spell for everyone!): Everyone that isn't immune to damage dies anyway. Congratulations.

[candycorn]

And with Arcane Fusion, Sorcerers can do arbitrary amounts of damage and not use all of their spell slots for it. Meh?

I'd rank the blasting potential of the two somehow like this:
Low optimization (I have no idea what I'm doing!): Psion beats Sorcerer
Mid-optmization (Hey, look at this metapower and arcane thesis!): Sorcerer beats Psion
High optmization (Synchronicity and Sanctum Spell for everyone!): Everyone that isn't immune to damage dies anyway. Congratulations.

Close. Anyone not immune to damage dies.
But with the right build, the psion can make his one round last forever, and then it's not anyone dying... it's Everyone.

Yes, I have seen a psion with Temporal Regression on Metamind's Font of Power, whose turn lasted "until he decided he didn't want to kill anymore".

It's not infinite, not truly, but it is an arbitrarily large number of actions, which means damage and movement limited only by your choice to continue.

That is high Op.

[GutterFace]

LOL. I used to love psion. a lot.

back to more questions!

Lets say i dump this whole crazy wand deal with the Warmage. and take a straight up Warmage...

i have some questions if anyone knows about some feats from the Complete Arcane book.

Twin Spell . . . if i take this since it will cast a second spell....does this take up a second stored spell as well. (ie i can cast 4 level 3 spells a day i have twin spell after i cast will i drop to having 2 level 3 spells left?

The same for Repeat spell....does this burn an additional stored spell?

[MesiDoomstalker]

Niether use more spell slots, just a higher slot. The slot increase is the cost to cast effectivly two spells.

[candycorn]

LOL. I used to love psion. a lot.

back to more questions!

Lets say i dump this whole crazy wand deal with the Warmage. and take a straight up Warmage...

i have some questions if anyone knows about some feats from the Complete Arcane book.

Twin Spell . . . if i take this since it will cast a second spell....does this take up a second stored spell as well. (ie i can cast 4 level 3 spells a day i have twin spell after i cast will i drop to having 2 level 3 spells left?

The same for Repeat spell....does this burn an additional stored spell?

No. Twin spell makes the spell cast twice, but it only uses one slot. That slot is 4 levels higher.

So, if you were to Twin Spell a level 1 spell, it would cast twice, and you'd use a single level 5 slot.

Now, if you easy metamagic'd twin spell... and you arcane thesis'd a level 3 spell, and you practical metamagic'd the spell as well? Then you'd cast a level 3 spell, twice, out of a single level 4 slot.

[Rossebay]

No. Twin spell makes the spell cast twice, but it only uses one slot. That slot is 4 levels higher.

So, if you were to Twin Spell a level 1 spell, it would cast twice, and you'd use a single level 5 slot.

Now, if you easy metamagic'd twin spell... and you arcane thesis'd a level 3 spell, and you practical metamagic'd the spell as well? Then you'd cast a level 3 spell, twice, out of a single level 4 slot.

Combine Sorcerer with Heartfire Fanner, and Metamagic Song, and some Extra Bardic Music feats.

Apply any metamagics to your heart's content.

Empowered Maximized Twinned Energy Adimixture Heightened (to 9th).

[Averis Vol]

if your uncomfortable on how two dimensional the base warmage is theres a good homebrew on these forums that get a way better spell selection, some neat tricks and the ability to make landmines here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219088)
im currently playing one right now that i plan on mixing with warweaver so i can buff the party in one action then start my greaseomancy (its literally the only spell i've had to use so far :smallbiggrin:)