[3.5] Changing Energy Type to Sonic

[Thurbane]

I was just wondering if there is any way for a Warmage to change the energy type of his spells to Sonic.

I know Elven Spell Lore can do this for a single spell, but the feat is only for casters with a spell book.

The 3.0 version of Energy Substitution included Sonic among the types that could be chosen, but was dropped in the 3.5 version.

Is there any feats, PrCs or items that would allow a Warmage to to change any of his Fire, Cold, Electricity or Acid spells to sonic?

Cheers - T

[juicycaboose]

The prestige class Stormcaster from stormwrack is able to turn up to half(?) the damage from an electricity spell to sonic.

I think it requires some investment though, and it's also a 9/10 casting PrC

[flare'90]

The Archmege's High Arcana Mastery of Elements can give you what you want (if the spell has an energy descriptor), but you need 3 feats that might or might not be useful to you. Also it costs you an 8th level slot.

[Darrin]

Energy Substitution + Born of Three Thunders will give you half electricity, half sonic, save vs stun, and save vs prone. Unfortunately, it also dazes you next round, and immunity to daze can be tricky to pull off. You can get around that with Quick Recovery (Lords of Madness), but for that to work you need to buff your Will save up the wazoo.

Iron Will + Cumbrous Will (Savage Species) can help there, giving you a +8 on will saves, but it makes you shaken. You can get immunity to shaken via Planar Touchstone -> Catalogues of Enlightenment -> Dream Domain, but that's six or more feats to get it all working on a Warmage chassis and assuming you can get enough skill points to get all the prereqs (Knowledge: Nature 4, Knowledge: the Planes 8).

[Zombimode]

You can get immunity to shaken via Planar Touchstone -> Catalogues of Enlightenment -> Dream Domain, but that's six or more feats to get it all working on a Warmage chassis and assuming you can get enough skill points to get all the prereqs (Knowledge: Nature 4, Knowledge: the Planes 8).

Or you could take the Fearless feat (PGFr) which makes you, unsurprisingly, immune to fear effects.

[Ashtagon]

Or you could take the Fearless feat (PGFr) which makes you, unsurprisingly, immune to fear effects.

If the shaken condition comes from something other than a fear effect (such as the case here - its essentially sonic feedback), fear immunity has no effect.

[Zombimode]

If the shaken condition comes from something other than a fear effect (such as the case here - its essentially sonic feedback), fear immunity has no effect.

Shaken is always a fear effect. In the description it states:

Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked.

Note: "Shaken IS a less severe state of fear..." and not "Shaken, whenever it is a fear effect, is a less state of fear...".

[shuyung]

I think if you go through and look, otherwise-equal spells that deal some form of (exclusive) energy damage have a one step lower die type when dealing sonic damage. I suspect the philosophy is that sonic is a much less prevalent resistance/immunity possession on potential opponents. It would seem reasonable, therefore, if you want to flavor your Warmage sonicly, to simply create the equivalent spells and either drop the die type appropriately, or raise the spell level if you want to preserve the die type, or don't worry about it as long as the DM understands he has full rein to slap sonic resistance/immunity on random stuff.

As to the shaken argument, then just call it vertiginous or something and go about your business. There's a $5 word, but you can have it for free today.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Energy Substitution + Born of Three Thunders will give you half electricity, half sonic, save vs stun, and save vs prone. Unfortunately, it also dazes you next round, and immunity to daze can be tricky to pull off. You can get around that with Quick Recovery (Lords of Madness), but for that to work you need to buff your Will save up the wazoo.

Iron Will + Cumbrous Will (Savage Species) can help there, giving you a +8 on will saves, but it makes you shaken. You can get immunity to shaken via Planar Touchstone -> Catalogues of Enlightenment -> Dream Domain, but that's six or more feats to get it all working on a Warmage chassis and assuming you can get enough skill points to get all the prereqs (Knowledge: Nature 4, Knowledge: the Planes 8).

Or he could use 2 feats and pick up any (non-abberant) Dragonmark then grab Mark of the Dauntless from Dragonmarked. Immunity to stunning and dazing, along with the ability to remove the condition in others with a touch.

[A_S]

Third Eye Clarity is also a cheap source of daze immunity.

*edit* 1/day, though, so no good if you're going to be blasting all the time.

[Thurbane]

OK, thanks for all the suggestions.

It seems like any method will involve fairly heavy feat or PrC investment...