Beguiler: What feats to select and items to buy?

[Kafana]

I am playing a trickster Beguiler and I have, at my disposal PHB 1 and 2. Which feats would you recommend for a trickster who relies on his magic to avoid and manipulate enemies?

I have 4 feats to pick, so I thought I could keep it simple by taking spell focus and greater spell focus for both illusion and enchantment, but I'm not sure if the focus for enchantment is necessary, though I haven't yet familiarized myself with all the spells.

I'm also not very familiar with all the feats of PHB 2, so I might have missed a very useful one there.

I'm also allowed to use the trick concealed casting (Complete Scoundrel), if anybody is wondering.

Any tips on items or anything in general are highly appreciated. Please note that apart from the trick I'm restricted to the first and 2nd PHB and the first DMG.

My starting gold is 3500, but I think the DM will allow me to go up to 3800, maybe 4000.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

Beguiler is often called "character in a can" with limited build resources this will be doubly true. I'd recommend Improved Initiative over GSF Enchantment and would consider Spell Penetration over SF Enchantment, because SR:Yes is even more prevalent in the Beguiler spell list than the maligned [mind affecting] tag.

For equipment I'd recommend mithril shirt and a mw light shield and a goodly number of scrolls covering your weaknesses and those of your party. For creatures immune to all your will save or lose entangle is a better battlefield control spell than obscuring mist. If you don't have another source 1-2 burning hands scrolls will be a life saver if your DM is sadistic enough to throw a swarm at your low level party. If you don't have another out of combat healer a wand of clw is a good idea, though the party should chip in or you should try to pass this responsibility off on someone that doesn't have to roll UMD.

Finally I'd either sock away about 1k towards getting a headband of intellect ASAP or buy a bunch of mw skill items and one or two +2 competence bonus items.

[Kaeso]

a goodly number of scrolls covering your weaknesses and those of your party.

While I mostly agree with Hand of Vecna, I'd recommend an alternative to scrolls. The Beguiler list is good despite having a lot of weaknesses that need to be covered, but I recommend wands over scrolls. Dungeonscape offers a wand bracelet for a mere 300 gp, which means that, if you buy two, you can have 10 wands at your disposal at all times (retrieving one from the bracelet is a free action if I'm not mistaken. Pick a few bread and butter spells that can cover the weaknesses on your list. A wand of cure light wounds makes you a good stand-in healer, a wand of fireball allows you to deal a bit of damage when your regular spells don't work, a wand of enlarge person can turn you into a buffer etc. You have 10 options, if we assume you can afford it, and Use Magic Device is a class skill. There's absolutely no reason not to do this.

[gorfnab]

Beguilers Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=u6ciionqsnss8grm2kiuabuor3&topic=363.0)

Gear: Mithral Chain Shirt, Mithral Buckler, Masterwork Weapon (Shortbow, Rapier, Morningstar, Shortsword), Masterwork Thieves Tools,

[AWiz_Abroad]

I've always been partial to a Rod of Ropes out of Complete Scoundrel. It gives my beguiler a bit more Batman feel.

"I'm Batman":smallcool:

[Fouredged Sword]

A survival pouch is a good buy. Being able to pull out a donkey at will is humerously powerful.

Also feather token (tree) makes for a great utility item.

[SciChronic]

I've always been partial to a Rod of Ropes out of Complete Scoundrel. It gives my beguiler a bit more Batman feel.

"I'm Batman":smallcool:

i'm partial to the troll gut rope, its cheaper and you don't really risk losing the rope unless the end is untied. if you cut the rope on the rod, its gone >.>

Theres always the standard haversack of survival. a basic early level one will cost around 5-7k depending on what you put in there and the majority of it is non-magical.

otherwise pack wands for weaknesses as Kaeso said. Scrolls are a cheaper alternative, but are one-shots, so you'll have to pack a lot of them.

[Khedrac]

On the feat front a lot depends on your level. I am playing a beguiler in Rise of the Runelords (and we too have been limited to PHB1 & PHB2). Since we will be stopping around levels 12-15 and a lot of the play will be getting there (we started at 1) I have just taken Skill Focus: Use Magic Device at level 3.
I don't think it would have been worth it at level 1, but I have a charisma of 12 (+1), 6 ranks (Max) so it gives me a 10 modifier in UMD - enough to have a decent chance to use wands and things when I need to conserve my spells or they won't work.
(Level 1 would have been +7 and no items to use.)

In a higher level campaign then you should not need the boost.

My level 1 feats were Improved Initiative and Spell Focus: Enchantment - it was a toss-up with SF: Illusion as Color Spray is my main spell, but Enchantment has more use in the long run and DC15 for Daze is quite effective (18 Int).

[Fouredged Sword]

I would consider the exalted feat "nymphs kiss" over skill focus, due to the wonderful extra skill point per level and boost to all charisma skills, not just UMD. You have to be exalted though. :smallyuk:

[Der_DWSage]

While you're at the Exalted feats, getting a Vow of Nonviolence is actually really beneficial to the Beguiler. Almost none of your spells are harmful, after all, and that +4 to save DCs starts looking really attractive...

[HunterOfJello]

If you're in FR, then grab the Shadow Weave Magic feat. It gives +1 DC to all illusion and enchantment spells you cast and +1 against SR for those schools too! The only drawbacks are that you have to worship Shar and that you can't cast spells with the light descriptor. It also grants you access to the Shadow Adept prestige class, which is an amazing PrC to dip 1 level in to.