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View Full Version : Diversity in a warmage spell list: just how exactly *do* I do it?



AvocadoAvenger
2013-06-11, 04:50 PM
Hello, all. I am joining a group I have been DMing until recently as a player, and would like to play a warmage. The character that left so that his character could take over as DM was a Sorc, so I am taking over as blaster. We have a cleric and a favored soul, so utility magic shouldn't be a huge problem, and I absolutely love the warmage fluff. Sorry wizards, you're just boring to me RP wise.

I would still like to be able to cast spells other than evocation for my own sake if at all possible. Now, I've done my research, looked at quite a few similar threads, and decided to post my uncertainties if someone would be kind enough to help me.

One term that I see come up a lot is "Eclectic Learning." I know that "advanced learning" is the class feature that allows me more spells on my from the school of evocation; is Eclectic Learning a feat? In my searches, I came across "Expanded Learning". (http://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Expanded_Learning_(3.5e_Feat)) Does anything like that exist outside of homebrew?

The second thing that I found in abundance, in the complete arcane, is features that could give a warmage a versatile spell selection, but was clearly intended for wizards, particularly those who want to learn spells from a forbidden school. As it appears to me, the "Extra Spell" feat will never have a conclusive answer to whether it can be used by a warmage. I also discovered the "Mage of the Arcane Order" prestige class, which really interests me. It is also clearly intended for wizards, although decidedly not Zard-specific. The ability allows you to expend a spell slot as normal to cast any Sorc/Zard spell of that level, so long as you give them a spell later. This essentially makes all Sorcerer/Wizard spells available, just cost two spell slots to cast, unless I am mistaken in that respect.

Again, I am kind of my own DM for the purposes of approval, so I have to keep myself in check. I need to make sure I don't let myself do anything that I wouldn't let a player do.

GreenETC
2013-06-11, 05:05 PM
Mage of the Arcane Order seems like a good way to go. It requires Arcane Preparation and Cooperative Spell, so that's 2 feats down, but the versatility it'll give you is great. Not to mention it'll work great considering the other members are both essentially clerics.

If they weren't clerics, I'd suggest Rainbow Servant for the typical Rainbow Warsnake build to spontaneously cast all cleric spells, but I feel that would overshadow your friends too much.

Waker
2013-06-11, 05:08 PM
Eccletic Learning is an ACF in PHBII.

Other ways of increasing your spell list are PrCs such as Mage of the Arcane Order, Rainbow Servant, Sand Shaper or Fiend Blooded.

Jeff the Green
2013-06-11, 05:29 PM
Also the [Bloodline] feats in Dragon Compendium, which add a different spell known for levels 1-9 and prevent you from casting some other class of spells (e.g. no [Earth] spells for Air Bloodline).

Fyermind
2013-06-11, 05:50 PM
Something that may or may not work, but you probably should not allow is to play as a dragon of some sort (Kobolds are great for this) and be a Child of Eberron from Dragons of Eberron. This allows you to cast druid spells as arcane spells. Depending on how you read this and the many other sources about draconic spellcasting, it may allow you to learn them with eclectic or advanced learning, or may just give you all of them for free.

As long as we are thinking about kobolds, you should look at dragon magazine 313. The Dragon afflictions their should affect kobolds. Riddled is a fantastic affliction for a kobold warmage. It makes your casting intelligence based (just like your warmage edge) gives you +6 int, -4 wis, and -1 spell/day/level. When you account for bonus spells that is -1 0 level spell, and -1 to 1/4 of your other spell levels. In exchange, you only have one ability score to buff, and can get a reasonable damage boost.
You gain a weakness for riddles, and have to guard your personal riddle carefully, but that leads to great RP moments if your DM rolls with it.

Lastly, there are a few feats in Heroes of Horror that add spells to your list. Not sure how useful they will be to you. They are necromancy themed cyst spells or dream themed divinations.

Jeff the Green
2013-06-11, 06:00 PM
Something that may or may not work, but you probably should not allow is to play as a dragon of some sort (Kobolds are great for this) and be a Child of Eberron from Dragons of Eberron. This allows you to cast druid spells as arcane spells. Depending on how you read this and the many other sources about draconic spellcasting, it may allow you to learn them with eclectic or advanced learning, or may just give you all of them for free.

Disallowing casting spontaneously from the entire druid list is probably wise, but allowing a warmage take them Advanced Learning probably won't harm anything.

Also something I just remembered, TG Oskar did a remake of the warmage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131346) with a greatly expanded list that puts it on par with the beguiler and dread necromancer.

Chronos
2013-06-11, 06:20 PM
Oddly enough, a warmage does not actually need to take Arcane Preparation to qualify for Mage of the Arcane Order. From page 11 of Complete Arcane:

Warmages do not need to study spellbooks, but they do need to prepare their spells each day by spending time to call up the knowledge from their unconscious minds.
OK, so that's probably an editing error by an author who didn't mean to use a technical term from the rules, but that's what it says.

Flickerdart
2013-06-11, 06:38 PM
PrCs like Sand Shaper are nice if you want extra spells on your list. The Mother Cyst feat also gives you a new set of spells, unsavoury as they may be.

Psyren
2013-06-11, 10:49 PM
Exalted Arcanist is nice too; not only does it have an expanded list of its own, the capstone adds every sanctified spell in the game to your repertoire too.

dspeyer
2013-06-12, 02:29 AM
Arcane Disciple adds a whole domain, but you can only cast one domain spell per level per day unless you have domain spontaneity which requires turn undead.

(Or for something completely different, play a psion(kineticist) for lots of blasty goodness and a few more flexible powers on top.)