[3.5/PF] Spellslinger/Spellwarp Sniper

[Communard]

Hey guys, got a build here that basically aims to create an arcane caster who can shoot spells through his gun, convert area spells to rays which can be shot through his gun, and get sneak attack damage. Anything within reason is allowed from PF and 3.5. This is what I have so far:

Spellslinger 5/Unseen Seer 1/Spellwarp Sniper 10/Arcane Trickster 4

This gets me full caster progression and +8d6 sneak attack damage on spells at level 20, can you guys think of any improvements I could make to perhaps get more sneak attack progression or any feats that would go well with it?

I guess the main question is which spell schools go well with Spellwarp sniper, since Spellslingers have to ban 4 schools it requires careful consideration.

I'm pretty new to creating proper builds that aren't "<base class> 20" so I'd appreciate any help.:smallredface:

[WeHeartKatamari]

Ray spells with sneak attacks have always been a favourite of mine. I just wish they could be functional! I'm very new to D&D 3.5, so unfortunately I can't be of much help to you, Communard. I think Trasmutation, Evocation (for blasty rays!), and Conjuration are pretty much mandatory keepers, though.

Anyone more experienced have any input?

[eggs]

How does Spellwarp Sniper 10 work? If you have a progression for the extended class, could you post the relevant details? If it still requires sneak attack, you'll probably have to either suck up a level of Rogue, or seriously delay entry.

How do 3e and Pathfinder intersect?
Are PF rules the default when two iterations interact, or is it negotiable?
(This is especially relevant with forbidden schools)

Unseen Seer is worth sticking with to at least level 2. That's where it can get Hunter's Eye from the Ranger list, for +CL/3d6 sneak attack. With Persist, this can be shared with a familiar, along with however many clouds of knives you think you'd enjoy. (And with this kind of pseudo-skillmonkey build, you'll probably want Obtain Familiar anyway.)

For feats, you'll probably just want to maximize the number of attacks made per round. That means Quicken, Persist (3e version) and Obtain Familiar. Knowledge Devotion is also useful both for landing rays and for increasing damage if you ever get the inkling to truly maximize sneak attack dice through Polymorph abuse. Split ray is an obvious supplementary feat option for a very powerful effect at very low cost.

With PF-modeled school bans, I'd keep Conjuration, Illusion and Evocation (Conjuration and Illusion due to their power and their roles in generating sneak attacks; Evocation because it contains an overwhelming majority of the spells that power spellwarp sniper's defining ability). With 3e-modeled bans, the total loss of Transmutation would be crippling enough that I'd compromise the Spellwarp Sniper focus of the build, dropping Evocation in favor of Trans's much stronger spell list.

The one piece of advice I have for most players with this kind of build is Don't neglect the Familiar. Between rolling twice on every skill check you make, improving your rate of spell output with either shared UMD ranks or the Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability spell, doubling up on your buffs (Persisted Hunter's Eye + a whole bunch of Clouds of Knives being the obvious one for a sneak attacker) and putting normally crippling "buffs" to good use (namely Mental Pinnacle, but sometimes also Nightstalker's Transformation), the Familiar is an incredibly powerful ability, well worth a feat or two's investment.