Let's Optimize... an Adept! [3.5]

[Khatoblepas]

So your DM has said "Tier 4", and you, dedicated optimizer, feel like a challenge. You still want to play a caster, and Warmage seems too easy. You want The Adept.

The NPC Class. It only gets 5th level spells, it has a terrible BAB, and it doesn't get all that many spells per day. But it sure is interesting! I personally love the idea of playing an Adept - it's just exotic enough to catch my interest, and it's low power spellcasting intrigues me in an Optimizey way. But to do that, we have to wring out every drop of power it could possibly have.

I'm thinking the race could be Jermalaine (which, being a monstrous/primitive race, qualifies for Hexer), going Domain Adept 5/Divine Oracle 2/Hexer 10/Contemplative 3. Domain would possibly be Travel OR if it is legal, Celestia, depending on what would be best. Celestia would give a lot of good buffs (Divine Power, Righteous Might, Greater Magic Weapon) but it's weird whether an adept can take a planar domain. Probably not.

Spontaineous Healer + Versatile Spellcaster will get us higher level spells much sooner - and thus the delicious extra spells from Hexer will be that much more powerful, and we get Polymorph just on time. Heighten + Earth Spell might(?) get us 5th level spells from Hexer even sooner. The important thing is to get access to our spells ASAP.

But what kind of role could an adept play? Battlefield control? They certainly have a few spells that could be useful. Utility is their strong point, if they could be said to have a strong point. Let's get low power!

Final Domains: Travel, Oracle, ??? (Contemplative)

What spells should be taken with Hexer? We have 5 to collect, and all of them 5th level or below.

BUILD SO FAR:
Jermalaine Adept 5/Divine Oracle 2/Hexer 3/Contemplative 1/Hexer +7/Divine Oracle +2

1) Spontaineous Healer
3) Skill Focus (Knowledge (Arcana))
6) Versatile Spellcaster
9) ???
12) ???
15) ???
18) ???

32pt buy:
Str 2 Dex 14 Con 12 Int 14 Wis 24 Cha 4



The rules enforced:
- No base class over Tier 4 is allowed. Base classes that give 9th level spells also banned. This is a showcase of the Adept's power.
- If you use only NPC base classes, that would make this amazing.
- No Ur-Priest, Sublime Chord etc, as that's cheating.
- All 3.5 material except dragon magazine allowed.

And just in case you're interested in the other (theoretical) party members:
Half-Ogre Zhentarim Dungeon Crasher.
Beguiler Rogue (with natural attacks for up close and personal flanking, wielding a weapon with it's tail).
NPC Buomman Healer (taking nonverbal spell, and pretty much never speaking)

So how would you optimize an adept? Can you get the Holy Polymorph and become a powerful caster without ever reaching 9th level spells? It'd be interesting to see what people come up with - like an Expert 1/Domain Adept (Trickery, Kobold later) that multiclasses into Trapsmith for even more spells. It's not powerful, but at this tier, what can you do?

[Gavinfoxx]

Religious Adept, get a good Domain, get some templates, an interesting race, a good OrC?

[Psyren]

I would build towards Sovereign Speaker (extremely easy reqs) to buff the spell list and gain some tasty domains (e.g. Spell, Travel, Strength and War.) Then dip Sacred Exorcist for TU so I can grab DMM.

[Khatoblepas]

I would build towards Sovereign Speaker (extremely easy reqs) to buff the spell list and gain some tasty domains (e.g. Spell, Travel, Strength and War.) Then dip Sacred Exorcist for TU so I can grab DMM.

That's pretty cool. I'm not sure whether Spell domain would work, I was considering it but I'm not sure if Religious Adepts get domain slots.

Thinking about it, you could make a really low-power Shadowcraft Mage with religious adept:

Adept (Illusion) 5/Divine Oracle 5/Contemplative (Shadow) 1/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Divine Oracle +4

[Psyren]

That's pretty cool. I'm not sure whether Spell domain would work, I was considering it but I'm not sure if Religious Adepts get domain slots.

The domain spells actually get added straight to their list, and can be prepared as normal. But they do also gain domain slots (3rd, 5th and 7th.) The first of these can be used with Anyspell, greatly increasing their versatility.

[silverwolfer]

would this dm be your brother by chance....swore i just read a topic on this, and the general thought was.... how long until he polymorphs.

I would suggest Zenteriam SkyLord/Skymage or something like that from the FR realms.

Free spells + free mount abilties+ full level caster progressions

[Invader]

With a str of 2 you'll be highly optimized to sit in a chair and cast spells and nothing else.

[Khatoblepas]

would this dm be your brother by chance....swore i just read a topic on this, and the general thought was.... how long until he polymorphs.

I would suggest Zenteriam SkyLord/Skymage or something like that from the FR realms.

Free spells + free mount abilties+ full level caster progressions

Haha, no, I did read that thread, and was intregued by the concept of a highly optimized adept.

Unfortunately Zhentarim Skymage requires Detect Thoughts, Suggestion, and Summon Monster 3 or higher, so it's a little more difficult to get into.

Hmm.

Unseelie Fey Lesser Aasimar Religious Adept (Summoning) 5/Divine Oracle 2/Sovereign Host 2 (Mind, Charm)/Zhentarim Skymage 5/Uncanny Trickster 3

Gives you a pet to fight for you, some utility spells.


With a str of 2 you'll be highly optimized to sit in a chair and cast spells and nothing else.

Haha, they ARE tiny creatures, and the Jermlaine in the MMII does have 3 Str. It's just below average for their species.

[silverwolfer]

Skin graph golemn buff for wands? Count them as spell like abilties.

[Soranar]

Personally I'd just play a Chameleon, considering your restrictions.

But, as far as optimizing an adept build (without granting it 9 level spells through a prestige class).

Have you considered Nar Demonbinder? (You'd only qualify for it fairly late in the game mind, and you'd need a domain that helps you get the spellcasting requirements)

It's spells are capped at 8 anyway so your DM shouldn't mind it so much.

That would also grant you a second familiar, which is quite useful. On top of the broadened alignment for certain spells.

Other than that your initial build looks fine, not sure what else to add to it except that adept's have access to animate dead so, if it comes down to it, you can always create yourself an army of undead and take a few corpse crafter feats.

[Khatoblepas]

It's spells are capped at 8 anyway so your DM shouldn't mind it so much.

That would also grant you a second familiar, which is quite useful. On top of the broadened alignment for certain spells.

Other than that your initial build looks fine, not sure what else to add to it except that adept's have access to animate dead so, if it comes down to it, you can always create yourself an army of undead and take a few corpse crafter feats.

This IS purely theoretical, there's no DM, no game. In a normal game, I wouldn't even consider playing an Adept unless it was a rigid Tier 4 game. I do love playing Chameleons, and I've already played a Nar Demonbinder (in conjuction with Ultimate Magus, no less), so I can attest to their quality.

This is just for fun, since there's all kinds of handbooks for every class, and Adept is about as powerful as a rogue, so I think it deserved a little look in and a couple of builds.

[Kelb_Panthera]

If we're doing adept we should probably consider mage-wright too.

[Khatoblepas]

If we're doing adept we should probably consider mage-wright too.

One Magewright, coming up! It's going to beat RAW over the head a few times to get this to work, but I'm sure it'll turn out okay.

Rote Wizard
This guy is so prepared, he doesn't even need to prepare spells.

Dark Grey Elf Magewright 10/Magelord 7

1) Precocious Apprentice (Good Spell [Scorching Ray])
longbow) Earth Sense
longsword) Earth Spell
shortbow) Heighten Spell
rapier) Versatile Spellcaster
3) Signature Spell (Good Spell)
6) Improved Initiative
9) Weapon Focus (Ray)
12) Spell Mastery
15) Spell Mastery
18) Spell Mastery

Do everything you can to get as high an INT as possible. This'll get you more spells known, and thus more spells to cast. Once you get to Level 7 in Magelord, you'll be able to spontaineously cast any spell you've mastered, i.e all of them. You get at least 5 (18+2 racial) every time you get Spell Mastery. Devote yourself to an elder evil and DCFS the feats away, sell your soul, anything for another sweet hit of Spell Mastery.

I would add in Sand Shaper for another 43 spells, but who knows how that would work with a Magewright?

[Kelb_Panthera]

bah, stupid server errors. I actually made a thread for the mage-wright optimization, and I thought I edited my last post to say so.