Vaz
2013-03-15, 07:06 AM
No, not a new spell of limited use in a splatbook, but a build. Cast every spell in the game!
Any-Spell Build
There are 24 spells in the entire game that you cannot cast.
Anathema
Antipathy
Binding
Compel
Crown of Glory
Demand
Desert Binding
Dominate Monster
End to Strife
Hold Monster, Mass
Maddening Scream
Maddening Whispers
Mind of the Labyrint
Mindrape
Monstrous Thrall
Nybor's Wrathful Castigation
Power Word Kill
Power Word Petrify
Power Word Stun
Programmed Amnesia
Spread of Savagery
Sympathy
True Domination
Wrathful Castigation
Outside of that list, the only ones which are not available to you are those to which your Alignment does not match (according to the Books of Exalted Good (36) and Vile Darkness (21), you need either utter devotion to Good or Evil to cast them). For the purposes of this build, I choose to follow utter evil, although it's possible to do it with Completely Boring Exalted Good. I would also like to point out that the list I got the spells from may well have been incomplete or incorrectly filled out. If you see any spell not mentioned that is of the Enchantment School of level 8 and above AT ITS EARLIEST ACCESS TO A DIVINE CASTER, SORCERER, WIZARD, OR BARD, then please let me know so I can keep the list updated. Note that I can cast it still if it's an Enchantment Spell at Cleric 8, but not Cleric 9.
So, where to start? We're definately wanting spellcasters, and one of the tricks to this build is the usage of Polymorph. So, we all head over to our favourite ECL1 Outsider Form, the Neraph. It has no ability score increases; a shame, really, but it's got free Martial (and Simple, but who cares about that?) Weapon Proficiency (Everything), and 60ft Darkvision. It doesn't need to eat or sleep, but we're not playing Theme Hospital here, where we need to keep our patients happy by making them well watered and fed, but with toilets near enough and... You get the picture.
So, where do we start off? Wizard? That has the most support, surely? Yes, but we get that elsewhere. Sorcerer? Same again. Archivist? YES! Urgh, okay, what next? Wu Jen, I guess? Yes! Ah, excellent. But what next? Ur-Priest; we can't get, and that's usually a staple of dual 9ths, no? Ah, but that's the main trick you see. We drop the sheer number of spells per day for the ability to prepare literally ANY spell in the game (sans the 24 listed and the alignment based ones). Mystic Theurge, that advances both? Nope. So what then? Geomancer. "GEOMANCER???!?" Yes, Geomancer. It has this lovely little ability called "Spell Versatility". You'll want all 10 levels to get it to apply to all Spell-levels. So, without early entry tricks, that leaves us 4 levels, where do we go from here? Well, depending on how you allocate your Geomancer spellcasting, this can be either Arcane or Divine (or both, for a Theurge if you really want the extra spells. What is important is that you advance Geomancer all the same way, and then the last 4 classes advance the same as well. Me? I like advancing Wu Jen; your spells per day are tied to Intelligence, rather than Wisdom. Plus, you get to have some real fun with the broken classes available. My favourite allocation is Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1; although Archmage 4 is perfectly viable, as is pretty much any other full Arcane advancement class. It doesn't have to be a Prestige class even, you can throw down even more Wu Jen if you want, but I don't advise it, as 4 levels in a Prestige full-caster class does so much more for you.
So, let's just give the brief outline.
Wu Jen 3/Archivist 3/Geomancer 10/Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1 is my preferred progression, advancing Arcane all the way.
You can probably use Early entry tricks for it to reduce the investiture into Archivist, but I find that during play, the additional Archivist spells can always be found a use for; remember that you get access to Bard spells and Domains a lot earlier than you can get access to spells; such as Bard 6ths also available on Wiz/Sor 8ths, I've seen before.
N.B - Limitations
This build relies on a few interpretations on loosely worded and poorly written rules.
1) An Archivist prepares via a Prayerbook, but the only mentions of a Prayerbook refer to a Spellbook; there's no such item as a Prayerbook. As you must prepare your Spells at the same time to benefit from this build, it is assumed that you are able to use your Spellbook to record your Divine Spells as well. If this is not an option, then ask if Boccob's Blessed Book (or Aureon's Spellshard) can be used for an Archivist. If not; well sorry, tough break, this isn't going to work for you.
2) A Geomancer doesn't truly define what a Parameter is, leaving you free to decide. As a Parameter is frequently defined as a limiting factor, and that you can change exactly what a limiting parameter is, you can change (at the time of casting ONLY, so no making scrolls of Divine spells on a Wu Jen spell-list to be learned by a Convert Spell to Power Erudite!) what they are. This build relies on a DM allowing a spell-list to be one of those limiting factors you can change; however, there's nothing that's stopping you from preparing spells you cannot cast in your spell-slots; even though you cannot cast them; which is where you pick up the Spell Versatility Rule to change it from Divine to Arcane and onto the Wu Jen spell list. That not allowed? Again, tough break.
3) If your DM doesn't allow an Archmage to gain Miracle as an SLA through the usage of Geomancer's Spell Versatility, then you should replace that with the Arcane Disciple Feat, referring to the Luck Domain (or Zeal/Hope, but those are mostly good). This does require you to worship Vergadain, and it does require Chaotic Neutral (to match his alignment, as True Neutral), unless your setting has an Evil Deity with Luck, Zeal or Hope. Anyhow; you gain Miracle as an Arcane spell, and is now available for selection for a Spell-like ability, and through Spell Versatility those spells use Intelligence rather than Wisdom to determine its effects. However, if this isn't allowed, again, tough break.
So, we have our race, and our classes. Where do we place our points? Assuming 32 point buy, I plump mine into 18 Wisdom and 18 Intelligence. Why? Because a) as an Outsider you're going to be abusing Polymorph and Alter Self to keep you out of combat, while b) Charisma is useless when you can pretty much just Enchant them.
So, you've read the above limitations? If you can still do that, congratulations, you are now able to cast ANY spell in the game; and courtesy of Archmage, have 2 Miracle Spell-like Abilities every day, and courtesy of Incantatrix, you are now able have any and every spell last for 48 hours minimum, and any with a longer duration, you can Extend for free. And of course, you're a Wu Jen, this means you are going to be abusing Body Outside Body. Spell-like Abilities are not affected by the limitations on Body Outside Body spell-casting. You can now have clones which can SLA Miracle; which with Body Outside Body being a Spell of 7th level, you can use to cast that. Infinite Loop started!
So, let's talk you through it.
Archivist 3 and Wu Jen 3 is obvious, Int synergy, and qualification for Geomancer achieved. Like I said, you can try and gain early entry on the Divine side to increase the number of 9th spells per day, but we're rectifying that later on.
Geomancer 10 has a lovely little ability, called Spell Versatility. The class itself (like most Theurge's, of which this one is mostly mistaken for one of, despite its intention) is mostly forgotten, due to the dropped Spellcasting levels (as little as 3 for entry requisites, and as many as 8 if you split it evenly). Now, Spell Versatility allows you, at the time of casting, to change the parameters. I include "spell list" as a Parameter (definition; limiting factor). While this normally doesn't have an effect, if you read the Wu Jen entry, you'll see that it can CAST spells from the Wu Jen list, but that it PREPARES spells from its spellbook. This is where Number 1, from above, comes into play. If you prepare your Divine spells from Archivist in the Wu Jen's slots, normally there is no effect other than taking up the slot, but provided that "spell list" is a Parameter that at the time of casting can be changed through Spell Versatility, (see Number 2, above), you can now cast any spell learned as a Divine Spell, or as a Wu Jen. I shall explain the usage of Wu Jen over a Wizard in a bit.
I then decide to go Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1; the beauty of Wu Jen is that you're a generalist, rather than a Specialist, so you have all lists available to "ban"; outside of Divination and Abjuration; Evocation is usually stated to be the go-to Ban option, but we want Evocation, because Miracle is an Evocation. Instead, drop Enchantment, which is where the list of spells unable to cast comes from. We all know the power of Incantatrix with Persist, but throw on Extend as well, and the ability for Body Outside Body Clones to use Cooperative Metamagic and Metamagic effect to use their Miracle on you, and you're good to go. It even allows normally un-persistable spells to be persisted, for extra fun, and with extend, each buff lasts 48 hours. With the ability to gain infinite clones, and Miracle as an SLA (through the use of Number 3, above), you have;
Every Cleric (and Luck Domain if Arcane Disciple) Spell of 8th level cast on you for 48 hours
Every Spell of 7th level or lower cast on you for 48 hours
Every Psionic Power of 7th level or lower cast on you for 48 hours
Every Metamagic Effect available to you through the ability of the Clones to use the Dark Chaos Shuffle to rearrange their feats to gain all the Metamagic ones needed, so Maximised, Empowered, etc.
The one problem with the build is that you've dropped 3 Wu Jen casting levels, which means you only have 1 9th Spell per day. To get around that, you need huge Intelligence modifiers; 44 gets you +3 9th Spells per day to put you in line with those who don't drop casting levels. How to get that is by Polymorph Any Object into a Pit Fiend. You now have stupid high Combat Stats (remember those Straight 8's? Well now you've got Str 37, Dex 27, Con 27 (sadly, no bonus HP), and your Int is now 26 (rather than 23, which is a nice little buff); unless of course you can get PAO before your own ability to cast it, and have it cast on you before 4th level, at which point you can gain 31 Intelligence by 20th. With A +6 Item and a +5 Tome, that's 42. There's numerous things elsewhere (UMD a Horseshoes of Flame, Persist a Greater Visage of the Deity?) to gain your +3 Spells per day. You then obviously need to protect that Polymorph form.
One last point; how to gain Wizard, Sorcerer or Bard spells? Bard is easy; Divine Bard ACF. Sorcerer and Wizard requires a bit more investment; you need a character with the Hexer Prestige Class from Masters of the Wild, they can then teach you up to 5 Sorcerer/Wizard spells as Divine spells from their spell list. How to do this? Get a Cohort! Seriously. Leadership is awesome. At which point, you use your Clones ability to replicate Powers of 7th level or lower, to Psychic Reformation to learn new spells. Eventually, you'll have EVERY SPELL (Sans the ones mentioned above).
Any-Spell Build
There are 24 spells in the entire game that you cannot cast.
Anathema
Antipathy
Binding
Compel
Crown of Glory
Demand
Desert Binding
Dominate Monster
End to Strife
Hold Monster, Mass
Maddening Scream
Maddening Whispers
Mind of the Labyrint
Mindrape
Monstrous Thrall
Nybor's Wrathful Castigation
Power Word Kill
Power Word Petrify
Power Word Stun
Programmed Amnesia
Spread of Savagery
Sympathy
True Domination
Wrathful Castigation
Outside of that list, the only ones which are not available to you are those to which your Alignment does not match (according to the Books of Exalted Good (36) and Vile Darkness (21), you need either utter devotion to Good or Evil to cast them). For the purposes of this build, I choose to follow utter evil, although it's possible to do it with Completely Boring Exalted Good. I would also like to point out that the list I got the spells from may well have been incomplete or incorrectly filled out. If you see any spell not mentioned that is of the Enchantment School of level 8 and above AT ITS EARLIEST ACCESS TO A DIVINE CASTER, SORCERER, WIZARD, OR BARD, then please let me know so I can keep the list updated. Note that I can cast it still if it's an Enchantment Spell at Cleric 8, but not Cleric 9.
So, where to start? We're definately wanting spellcasters, and one of the tricks to this build is the usage of Polymorph. So, we all head over to our favourite ECL1 Outsider Form, the Neraph. It has no ability score increases; a shame, really, but it's got free Martial (and Simple, but who cares about that?) Weapon Proficiency (Everything), and 60ft Darkvision. It doesn't need to eat or sleep, but we're not playing Theme Hospital here, where we need to keep our patients happy by making them well watered and fed, but with toilets near enough and... You get the picture.
So, where do we start off? Wizard? That has the most support, surely? Yes, but we get that elsewhere. Sorcerer? Same again. Archivist? YES! Urgh, okay, what next? Wu Jen, I guess? Yes! Ah, excellent. But what next? Ur-Priest; we can't get, and that's usually a staple of dual 9ths, no? Ah, but that's the main trick you see. We drop the sheer number of spells per day for the ability to prepare literally ANY spell in the game (sans the 24 listed and the alignment based ones). Mystic Theurge, that advances both? Nope. So what then? Geomancer. "GEOMANCER???!?" Yes, Geomancer. It has this lovely little ability called "Spell Versatility". You'll want all 10 levels to get it to apply to all Spell-levels. So, without early entry tricks, that leaves us 4 levels, where do we go from here? Well, depending on how you allocate your Geomancer spellcasting, this can be either Arcane or Divine (or both, for a Theurge if you really want the extra spells. What is important is that you advance Geomancer all the same way, and then the last 4 classes advance the same as well. Me? I like advancing Wu Jen; your spells per day are tied to Intelligence, rather than Wisdom. Plus, you get to have some real fun with the broken classes available. My favourite allocation is Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1; although Archmage 4 is perfectly viable, as is pretty much any other full Arcane advancement class. It doesn't have to be a Prestige class even, you can throw down even more Wu Jen if you want, but I don't advise it, as 4 levels in a Prestige full-caster class does so much more for you.
So, let's just give the brief outline.
Wu Jen 3/Archivist 3/Geomancer 10/Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1 is my preferred progression, advancing Arcane all the way.
You can probably use Early entry tricks for it to reduce the investiture into Archivist, but I find that during play, the additional Archivist spells can always be found a use for; remember that you get access to Bard spells and Domains a lot earlier than you can get access to spells; such as Bard 6ths also available on Wiz/Sor 8ths, I've seen before.
N.B - Limitations
This build relies on a few interpretations on loosely worded and poorly written rules.
1) An Archivist prepares via a Prayerbook, but the only mentions of a Prayerbook refer to a Spellbook; there's no such item as a Prayerbook. As you must prepare your Spells at the same time to benefit from this build, it is assumed that you are able to use your Spellbook to record your Divine Spells as well. If this is not an option, then ask if Boccob's Blessed Book (or Aureon's Spellshard) can be used for an Archivist. If not; well sorry, tough break, this isn't going to work for you.
2) A Geomancer doesn't truly define what a Parameter is, leaving you free to decide. As a Parameter is frequently defined as a limiting factor, and that you can change exactly what a limiting parameter is, you can change (at the time of casting ONLY, so no making scrolls of Divine spells on a Wu Jen spell-list to be learned by a Convert Spell to Power Erudite!) what they are. This build relies on a DM allowing a spell-list to be one of those limiting factors you can change; however, there's nothing that's stopping you from preparing spells you cannot cast in your spell-slots; even though you cannot cast them; which is where you pick up the Spell Versatility Rule to change it from Divine to Arcane and onto the Wu Jen spell list. That not allowed? Again, tough break.
3) If your DM doesn't allow an Archmage to gain Miracle as an SLA through the usage of Geomancer's Spell Versatility, then you should replace that with the Arcane Disciple Feat, referring to the Luck Domain (or Zeal/Hope, but those are mostly good). This does require you to worship Vergadain, and it does require Chaotic Neutral (to match his alignment, as True Neutral), unless your setting has an Evil Deity with Luck, Zeal or Hope. Anyhow; you gain Miracle as an Arcane spell, and is now available for selection for a Spell-like ability, and through Spell Versatility those spells use Intelligence rather than Wisdom to determine its effects. However, if this isn't allowed, again, tough break.
So, we have our race, and our classes. Where do we place our points? Assuming 32 point buy, I plump mine into 18 Wisdom and 18 Intelligence. Why? Because a) as an Outsider you're going to be abusing Polymorph and Alter Self to keep you out of combat, while b) Charisma is useless when you can pretty much just Enchant them.
So, you've read the above limitations? If you can still do that, congratulations, you are now able to cast ANY spell in the game; and courtesy of Archmage, have 2 Miracle Spell-like Abilities every day, and courtesy of Incantatrix, you are now able have any and every spell last for 48 hours minimum, and any with a longer duration, you can Extend for free. And of course, you're a Wu Jen, this means you are going to be abusing Body Outside Body. Spell-like Abilities are not affected by the limitations on Body Outside Body spell-casting. You can now have clones which can SLA Miracle; which with Body Outside Body being a Spell of 7th level, you can use to cast that. Infinite Loop started!
So, let's talk you through it.
Archivist 3 and Wu Jen 3 is obvious, Int synergy, and qualification for Geomancer achieved. Like I said, you can try and gain early entry on the Divine side to increase the number of 9th spells per day, but we're rectifying that later on.
Geomancer 10 has a lovely little ability, called Spell Versatility. The class itself (like most Theurge's, of which this one is mostly mistaken for one of, despite its intention) is mostly forgotten, due to the dropped Spellcasting levels (as little as 3 for entry requisites, and as many as 8 if you split it evenly). Now, Spell Versatility allows you, at the time of casting, to change the parameters. I include "spell list" as a Parameter (definition; limiting factor). While this normally doesn't have an effect, if you read the Wu Jen entry, you'll see that it can CAST spells from the Wu Jen list, but that it PREPARES spells from its spellbook. This is where Number 1, from above, comes into play. If you prepare your Divine spells from Archivist in the Wu Jen's slots, normally there is no effect other than taking up the slot, but provided that "spell list" is a Parameter that at the time of casting can be changed through Spell Versatility, (see Number 2, above), you can now cast any spell learned as a Divine Spell, or as a Wu Jen. I shall explain the usage of Wu Jen over a Wizard in a bit.
I then decide to go Incantatrix 3/Archmage 1; the beauty of Wu Jen is that you're a generalist, rather than a Specialist, so you have all lists available to "ban"; outside of Divination and Abjuration; Evocation is usually stated to be the go-to Ban option, but we want Evocation, because Miracle is an Evocation. Instead, drop Enchantment, which is where the list of spells unable to cast comes from. We all know the power of Incantatrix with Persist, but throw on Extend as well, and the ability for Body Outside Body Clones to use Cooperative Metamagic and Metamagic effect to use their Miracle on you, and you're good to go. It even allows normally un-persistable spells to be persisted, for extra fun, and with extend, each buff lasts 48 hours. With the ability to gain infinite clones, and Miracle as an SLA (through the use of Number 3, above), you have;
Every Cleric (and Luck Domain if Arcane Disciple) Spell of 8th level cast on you for 48 hours
Every Spell of 7th level or lower cast on you for 48 hours
Every Psionic Power of 7th level or lower cast on you for 48 hours
Every Metamagic Effect available to you through the ability of the Clones to use the Dark Chaos Shuffle to rearrange their feats to gain all the Metamagic ones needed, so Maximised, Empowered, etc.
The one problem with the build is that you've dropped 3 Wu Jen casting levels, which means you only have 1 9th Spell per day. To get around that, you need huge Intelligence modifiers; 44 gets you +3 9th Spells per day to put you in line with those who don't drop casting levels. How to get that is by Polymorph Any Object into a Pit Fiend. You now have stupid high Combat Stats (remember those Straight 8's? Well now you've got Str 37, Dex 27, Con 27 (sadly, no bonus HP), and your Int is now 26 (rather than 23, which is a nice little buff); unless of course you can get PAO before your own ability to cast it, and have it cast on you before 4th level, at which point you can gain 31 Intelligence by 20th. With A +6 Item and a +5 Tome, that's 42. There's numerous things elsewhere (UMD a Horseshoes of Flame, Persist a Greater Visage of the Deity?) to gain your +3 Spells per day. You then obviously need to protect that Polymorph form.
One last point; how to gain Wizard, Sorcerer or Bard spells? Bard is easy; Divine Bard ACF. Sorcerer and Wizard requires a bit more investment; you need a character with the Hexer Prestige Class from Masters of the Wild, they can then teach you up to 5 Sorcerer/Wizard spells as Divine spells from their spell list. How to do this? Get a Cohort! Seriously. Leadership is awesome. At which point, you use your Clones ability to replicate Powers of 7th level or lower, to Psychic Reformation to learn new spells. Eventually, you'll have EVERY SPELL (Sans the ones mentioned above).