Manditory +1 LA wizard

[inviolable]

In our new campaign we are starting at level 4 with 1LA (ECL 5). I'm planning on running a metamagic specialist wizard, incantatrix, halruaan elder build which pretty well limits me to human (halruaan) and is making it nearly impossible to come up with a helpful LA. If i choose to start without one i start at lvl4:smallannoyed:. It's going to be mainly sea fairing adventures in Forgotten Realms, with access to all books but limitted dragon magizne selection. I'm trying to stay away from amphibious/aquatic templates to retain some of challenge that comes with the open sea, and would rather like something that increases INT without changing my type.

If any one can help it's my giants of the playground!

Any advice you have to offer would be appreciated and thanks in addvance.

[Tvtyrant]

If you can swing being Evil, the Vecna-Blooded template is LA +1 and is pretty awesome. It is in the MMV.

Necropolitan technically has no LA, but it takes a single level away so you might be able to convince your DM that it would work the same in this case.

Lolth-Touched from MMIV is also LA+1, and gets you a heap of con (+6) along with immunity to fear.

[Mnemnosyne]

Does the DM actually follow the rules on experience, giving the lower level character a proportionately greater amount in order to help them catch up? If so, it wouldn't be too bad to go ahead and start at level 4. Other people may have a neat ability or two, but your lower level will mean gaining more experience faster, so eventually you wind up even ECL, except you don't have an LA dragging you down.

If the DM doesn't follow experience rules and thus you wouldn't catch up... Well, Vecna-blooded isn't a bad template. Lolth-touched is obviously far better for melee types, but a +6 to constitution if you don't really have any other choices isn't bad for a wizard. Chameleon Creature gives an interesting 10 ft. reach tongue attack that you can deliver touch spells with, as well as a climb speed and a nice hide bonus. And the Dark Creature template at least gives darkvision, low-light vision, and resistance to cold, even if the hide in plain sight is likely less useful for a wizard.

Overall there aren't really a lot of good +1 LA choices for a wizard. Of those that are available, I'd probably take Vecna-Blooded just for the Cloak of Mystery ability that makes you totally impervious to all divinations. Hidden spell and enigma aura are just a nice bonus on top of that. If Vecna-Blooded is unavailable because Vecna doesn't exist in the Realms, then I'd go for Lolth-Touched, because +3hp/level and fear immunity is probably the best deal I can get.

[Randomguy]

You probably want a template, rather than a race, since you need to be human.

The Dark Creature template from tome of magic is +1 LA. So is the Draconic Creature template, from draconomicon. Neither of those offer an Int bonus, though.

[Mnemnosyne]

Actually, I'm not seeing anything that requires human in that build. Halruaan elder merely requires Region: Halruaa. You could go tiefling and thus get Outsider forms available on your Alter Self, plus outsider weapon proficiencies, and the tiefling +2 Int. You could be a tiefling from Halruaa, unless you really need the bonus feat or skill points or something.

[Gavinfoxx]

Lesser Fey'ri?

[GenghisDon]

Does the DM actually follow the rules on experience, giving the lower level character a proportionately greater amount in order to help them catch up? If so, it wouldn't be too bad to go ahead and start at level 4. Other people may have a neat ability or two, but your lower level will mean gaining more experience faster, so eventually you wind up even ECL, except you don't have an LA dragging you down.


This.

As anoying as it may be to have to calculate XP for off level characters, I simply can't fathom a DM that wouldn't "help" a player out in this way.

[inviolable]

I like the lolth-touched but i feel like it might be a bit of a strech explaining why Lolth took such an interest in a lowly human.

I Looked at vecna-blooded already and have considered asking for a little DM help in making a FR version maybe mystra-blooded or something. i feel like you wouldn't need to change much to make that work for the lady of mysteries.

Necropalitan would get rid of 1 major downside of wizard by replacing d4 HD with D12 but i'm going to have to see if he will allow undead. If he does that would also make survivability underwater easier since i wouldn't be worried about drowning.

Chameleon with 10ft touch spells could lead to some interesting places but i feel like it doesn't hold up to the rest of options.

If i was going dark i think i like shadow walker a little more even though it losses alot in bright illumination.

Mnemnosyne -- Halruaan elder doesnt have a race in prerequisits, the feat Halruaan adet does have the prereq. Human (Halruaan), I tried to look around and see if that was just because it was a regional feet but i couldn't find anything definative, even though the Halruaan relations section of the book says that a few elves have made there way onto the councel of elders. Otherwise a Draconic Gray Elf would make a viable solution.

where would i find Lesser Fey'ri?

[The-Mage-King]

Don't bother with it- it's an elven Tiefling.


Which brings me to my idea. Tiefling.


Now, before you start about the race thing, make 'im (or her) a native of Halruaan. Then take the Human Heritage feat from Races of Destiny for your first level feat. It makes you count as (Human), thus enabling you to take feats that require Human race.


Unfortunately, it cuts out many the fun reason for Teifling (outsider type), but... Energy Resistance/+2 to two good stats, -2 to a dump/Darkvision!

[Gavinfoxx]

Don't bother with it? Lesser Fey'ri is GREAT.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6992.0

Fey'ri are the bomb! Choose the LA+2 abilities, plop on Lesser, and you are good to go.

Fey'ri are in Races of Faerun. Lesser Planetouched is in Player's Guide to Faerun.

[Hecuba]

You might look at Sharakim from RoD. Human (humanoid), Nets you an int bonus and some sneaky bonuses in shadows. Not sure how well you can spin it for Halruaan issues though.

[The-Mage-King]

Don't bother with it? Lesser Fey'ri is GREAT.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6992.0

Fey'ri are the bomb! Choose the LA+2 abilities, plop on Lesser, and you are good to go.

Fey'ri are in Races of Faerun. Lesser Planetouched is in Player's Guide to Faerun.

Yes, they are, usualy. But for this? Which needs the (Human) subtype to take a required feat?


Yeah, no, what with being elf-descended and all.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Unless that's a first level only feat, you can qualify for it by spending 2 ranks on knowledge (local [halrua]).

Or you could just take the +1 adjustment with a grain of salt. You're going into freaking incantatrix. Unless the rest of the party is made up of T1's you're going to be so much more powerful that you'll probably never even notice that piddly little level adjustment hiccup.

[Jarian]

Unless that's a first level only feat, you can qualify for it by spending 2 ranks on knowledge (local [halrua]).

That was a 3.0 rule that wasn't included in the 3.5 update, if memory serves correctly.

[Gavinfoxx]

Eh? I would say... the Halruan bit isn't worth it. Really. Incantatrix is strong enough. If you are going to take a LA, have *fun* with it!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

For a Wizard, there's one level of the Half-Dragon Template Class (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a), and you can choose to never gain any more levels (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a) of that if you don't want the whole thing.

A Half-Giant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicRaces.htm#halfGiants) with the Primordial Giant template from Secrets of Xen'drik, using the Half-Humans variant from the sidebar on page 150 of Races of Destiny. That can qualify you for any Human-specific feats, including Halruaan Adept.

Quasi-Lycanthrope (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) gives you DR 10/Silver and the ability to take on some minor animal features, such as walking around with cat ears/tail :3

[Yora]

Why not simple start as a 4th level character?
In the worst case, that's a lag of 4,000 XP. This will become less meaningful as you gain more levels and may actually be more useful than taking an LA +1 race just to have something.

People say that LA is bad for reasons. It won't be long and you'll actually have more class levels than the other party members most of the time.

[Analytica]

Dark might work. Halruaans are Netherese inheritors. Maybe you explored that heritage, went to old Netheril and ended up being drawn into the Shadow Plane, where the other survivors went, for a time. Studied with the Shade enclaves and became changed by it.