Cancer Mage?

[Dragrun]

what is the generally accepted way to get into this PrC? I was thinking go rogue until PrC then go assassin till 20 where my group's campaign ends.

What does the oh so holy playground think?

[Daftendirekt]

what is the generally accepted way to get into this PrC? I was thinking go rogue until PrC then go assassin till 20 where my group's campaign ends.

What does the oh so holy playground think?

The way you worded that makes it sound like your build will be rogue/assassin and never actually go into cancer mage. :smallconfused:

[Dragrun]

no i wanted to go rogue, into cancer mage, then into assassin, my bad

[lord pringle]

Wasn't there an Iron Chef about this? I'm pretty sure one of the builds was an assassin.

[limejuicepowder]

Well the fastest way is two different classes with a strong fort save, since the main req is fort +5. I'm partial to ranger 2 warblade 1 for a combo of good fort saves, good skills, strong base attack, and free TWF (which goes with sneak attack).

Ranger 2 Warblade 1 Cancer Mage 10 Assassin 7 would be a pretty rockin' build actually, though continuing with Warblade or Swordsage instead of assassin might be stronger overall. Just note that Cancer Mages pay int points to use some of their abilities, and assassins need int.

[The Glyphstone]

Be warned that attempting to use Festering Anger is grounds for blunt trauma via DMG.

[Venger]

what is the generally accepted way to get into this PrC? I was thinking go rogue until PrC then go assassin till 20 where my group's campaign ends.

What does the oh so holy playground think?

there's a variety of different entry techniques here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148584) (my favorite is leery lily)

if you're trying to progress SA, cancer mage's "progression" isn't ideal, since that seems to be what you're going for

are you trying to put cancer mage into a build, or are you trying to build around cancer mage?



Be warned that attempting to use Festering Anger is grounds for blunt trauma via DMG.
same with vile rigidity and scintillating scales

[Necroticplague]

same with vile rigidity and scintillating scales
What do those two diseases do? I know festering anger gives you +2 strength, each day, why are those two diseases abusive?

[Mordokai]

Vile rigidity gives cumulative +1 to natural AC.

Not sure about the second.

[Urpriest]

Vile rigidity gives cumulative +1 to natural AC.

Not sure about the second.

Scintillating Scales is a spell that will turn that natural AC into deflection.

[Madara]

Scintillating Scales is a spell that will turn that natural AC into deflection.

What logic would even make that a disease? :smallconfused:

[The Glyphstone]

What do those two diseases do? I know festering anger gives you +2 strength, each day, why are those two diseases abusive?

Because Cancer Mages have the ability to ignore the negative effects of diseases - such as the stat penalties of things like Festering Anger, giving you infinite strength with sufficient time.


What logic would even make that a disease? :smallconfused:

It's not. The abusive part is stacking Vile Rigidity for a massive natural armor bonus, then casting Scintillating Scales to instead have a massive deflection bonus.

[Malimar]

What logic would even make that a disease? :smallconfused:

When you contract Vile Rigidity, your skin begins to harden and calcify. Normally it comes with a -2 dex for each +1 NA after the first, and when the disease brings you to 0 dex, you die of suffocation. That's what makes it a disease.

The abuse is Vile Rigidity + Cancer Mage, Scintillating Scale just exacerbates it.

[Madara]

When you contract Vile Rigidity, your skin begins to harden and calcify. Normally it comes with a -2 dex for each +1 NA after the first, and when the disease brings you to 0 dex, you die of suffocation. That's what makes it a disease.

The abuse is Vile Rigidity + Cancer Mage, Scintillating Scale just exacerbates it.

So that's the downside. Still, I suppose its a good thing that diseases got some more splatbook support.

[Malimar]

I suppose its a good thing that diseases got some more splatbook support.

The weird thing is that Festering Anger, Vile Rigidity, and Cancer Mage are all in the same book, the Book of Vile Darkness. So either Monte and his editors and playtesters overlooked a stunningly obvious interaction, or the cancer mage's ability to attain arbitrarily high str and NA was deliberate and intentional.

[Jack_Simth]

So that's the downside. Still, I suppose its a good thing that diseases got some more splatbook support.
Cancer Mage lets you ignore the downside.

[Madara]

Cancer Mage lets you ignore the downside.

I know, I was just curious about what made the disease bad. For a commoner, NA +3 is a good exchange for a bit of a dex drop. But the fact that it'll kill you...:smallsigh:

[Mordokai]

I know, I was just curious about what made the disease bad. For a commoner, NA +3 is a good exchange for a bit of a dex drop. But the fact that it'll kill you...:smallsigh:

Actually, it's not a good thing for anybody other than cancer mage, since the dexterity drop will offset any benefit of natural armor given. Essentialy, you get a net increase of AC for one point, since the first layer of calcified skin is free, so to speak. But, as you noted, you will eventually die.

[Necroticplague]

Actually, it's not a good thing for anybody other than cancer mage, since the dexterity drop will offset any benefit of natural armor given. Essentialy, you get a net increase of AC for one point, since the first layer of calcified skin is free, so to speak. But, as you noted, you will eventually die.

Unless, you know, you use one of the several methods of stat restoration /mitigation like lesser restoration, binding neberius, or a strongheart vest. Although, looking at the way those two diseases are worded, this would only work for Festering Hate, not Vile Rigidity, though I should note you actually get two +1 bonuses "free" before Dex penalties start setting in.

[hobgoblin]

The weird thing is that Festering Anger, Vile Rigidity, and Cancer Mage are all in the same book, the Book of Vile Darkness. So either Monte and his editors and playtesters overlooked a stunningly obvious interaction, or the cancer mage's ability to attain arbitrarily high str and NA was deliberate and intentional.

Okay so lots of people are not reading the book carefully enough.

People are reading the first part;


"At 1st level, a cancer mage suffers no ill effects of diseases, except for purely cosmetic ones such as boils, pockmarks, watery eyes, blackened skin, hair loss, foul smell, and so on."

Which, alone, you would assume allows you to gain any beneficial effects of diseases, right?

Well lets read on;


"The cancer mage becomes a carrier of every disease he encounters, though he remains immune to most of their effects."


Ah, so there we go. Taken together the obvious intention is that you are a carrier, a typhoid Mary - the only effect of any disease you have in your system is purely physical.

Taken further, even if a stat boost might be considered "beneficial" it comes as part of an extremely "ill" effect. That alone would be grounds to interpret the interaction between the PRC and Diseases as entirely non-cheese based.

You can go ahead and disagree, but it's plainly obvious to those that aren't reaching.