Redspawn Arcaniss

[Aldhissla]

Hello all. I am building a very un-optimized Monster PC out of boredom, and I came across a slight snag.

The Redspawn Arcaniss (Monster Manual IV/4, p 152-3) cites sorcerer as the favored class for the monster, but also as its "associated class." If this is an official rule or mechanic that's been around in 3.5E this whole time, I must have missed it. But at any rate, I believe that the point of it is that the racial spell casting should stack with sorcerer caster levels.

What I am wondering about is if it is like taking a PrC with casting progression, in that no other class features are advanced unless stated to (i.e. a sorcerer's Summon Familiar.)

My hunch which I'm almost certain of is that a 8RA/1Sorc would have the Familiar of a 1st-Level Sorcerer and not that of a 9th-Level one. But, I figured I would ask around here and make sure.

As a side note, would anyone happen to know the name of a (subjectively) good PrC for a pyromancer? Besides Elemental Savant or Pyrokineticist (or re-fluffing Divination spells, as the joke goes.)

[A_S]

"Associated class" means a class that contributes to the primary focus of the base monster, rather than adding new, unrelated abilities. The only rule I know of that uses it is that levels in associated classes each add +1 CR to a monster, while levels in non-associated classes each add +1/2 CR.

Racial spellcasting (such as that of the Redspawn Arcaniss, but just as much that of a Dragon or Nymph) stacks with levels in the spellcasting class that it imitates (Sorcerer for Redspawn). This is why Sorcerer is an associated class for them, because it makes them better at what they're already good at (casting Sorcerer spells).

This (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207928) is the handbook you're looking for for such questions.

*edit* You are correct that racial spellcasting is only spellcasting, and wouldn't advance the familiar.

As for PrC's, what do you want this monster to do? What are you using it for? That'll point us in the right direction for which abilities would be good to add with PrC levels. Pyromancer. I can't read. Splat-diving, be back soon.

*edit 2* If you don't want to go with Elemental Savant, I'm guessing the best you're going to do is a metamagic-focused PrC like Incantatrix. Blasting, especially fire-based blasting, loves metamagic cost reduction even more than every other kind of magic. A Twinned Maximized Empowered Searing Reach Combust is the kind of thing everybody wants to be able to deliver.