High level Beguiler in a fight?

[paurpg]

Hi,
I'm thinking of playing a gnome Beguiler but I am worried about how he will fare in combat at higher levels. Let's say he faces an evil wizard, cleric, or an opponent with high will saves. Does he even stand a chance? Any suggestions? I am planning on having him be high in UMD, but will that be enough?

[gbprime]

Crank up his save DC's and make sure he either has a staff of Blowing Stuff Up or some way of de-buffing the enemy's saving throws (like Mind Fog, for example).

[Flickerdart]

A well-played Wizard or Cleric will wipe the floor with just about anything. Facing such an opponent in a mano-a-mano slugfest isn't what Beguilers were built for. At high levels, you should never be without a few NPC buddies under your mental control. The Beguiler list has a couple of buffs, so make sure they go in prepared while you watch from the shadows and manipulate the battlefield in your favour.

But yes, at high levels enchantments and illusions become an issue because of Mind Blank and True Seeing. Invest in some ways of taking down or circumventing these defenses. An Invisible Fog Cloud stacked on top of an Invisibility is a popular example - an opponent with True Seeing sees a fog cloud, and an opponent without True Seeing sees nothing at all.

Re: Mind Fog - Mind Fog is useless, because you need the opponent to fail a save in the first place, at which point you could've had them out of the fight with a better spell.

[ILM]

Depends. The problem isn't so much high saves as immunities. If your DM intends to have everyone get Mind Blank or be otherwise immune to mind-affecting effects (i.e. a bunch of the high level monsters in the SRD, between undeads and constructs and so on), then you better hope you never get to high level. If not, or if he's willing to houserule a CL check or something to get through mind-affecting immunity, then you should be OK.

A few tips to jack up your DCs:
Fey Power (feat): +1 to enchantment DCs
Shadow Weave Magic (feat): +1 to enchantment, illusion, necromancy DCs
(Greater) Spell Focus (feat): duh
Veil of Allure (item): +2 to DCs
Beguiler's Cloaked Casting: +1 or +2 to DCs when the target is flat-footed.

[Pilo]

Take the shadowcraft mage prc (Race of the stone) .
Requirement:
Race: Gnome
Skills: Bluff 4 ranks, Hide 4 ranks
Feats: Spell Focus (illusion)
Spells: Able to cast at least three illusion spells, including at least one shadow spell of 4th level or higher.

And the Heighten Spell metamagic feat. now you can blast them and with some luck, they will try to dispell an evocation spell instead of an illusion one or best, they will disbeilive your spell and does not avoid it.

Otherwise, dispell magic and legion of sentinels are powerful spells against spellcasters.

[Ingus]

Hi,
I am planning on having him be high in UMD, but will that be enough?

Yes.
...and no (if you don't buy good stuff).
General suggestion: wands for a few spells (enervation, * orbs), a staff (1) for a few good spells (antimagic ray?), some scroll for rarely used spells and for spells to use only once in a moment of great need (shapechange anyone?)

If you want, you may purchase an eternal wand of heroics for the sole purpose of Mage Slayer (AoO against caster, even if they cast defensively) and melee them.

[Evil the Cat]

Gnome Beguiler?

There's a handy little prestige class called Shadowcraft Mage. Use this, and at high levels you will be on a pretty equal playing field with clerics and wizards.

Eventually, it is possible that disbelieving your shadow evocation will make them take more damage.... Though as a DM I usually don't allow that.

[gorfnab]

Beguiler 6/ Shadow Adept (PGtF) 1/ Beguiler 1 (pick up Shadow Conjuration from Advanced Learning)/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadowcrafter (UD) 7