3.5 Epic Level Character ideas/help?

[AWiz_Abroad]

So, I'm looking for help building a Good aligned 32nd-35th level character to help fill some upcoming gaps in the party

Unfortunately, we're losing one of our main front line damage soakers (Legendary Werebear Barbarian), as well as a truly frightening DPS ranger.

I originally thought a WS Ranger, MoMF, Natures Warrior who specialized into turning into a huge (can't find enough WS boosters to get me to gargantuan) gold dragon and eating face. However that doesn't seem to be scaling that well in terms of effectivenss.

Does anyone have ideas? Most 3.5 dragon content is allowed, Psionics, Incarnum, TOB are no-go, epic spellcasting is likewise out of the picture (we're a relatively low gold campaign, starting wealth is NPC WBL chart).

[hamishspence]

What about normal spellcasting with 10th level spell slots and above, plus Improved Heighten Spell?

That might help punch through the high saves of epic monsters- though no-save spells are probably more practical.

[satorian]

Truenamer all the way up. Just Gate in a meatshield every round.

[TheMooch]

ok go legendary half-minotaur human (or dwarf)
cloistered cleric 3/ordained champion 5/bone knight 10/church inquisitor 1/ prestige paladin 1/contemplative 1/warhulk 10

Domains: planning, war, inquisition, travel, undeath

strategy buff up persist and smash stuff you have all your good cleric stuff to fall back on

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Illumian (Naenhoon) Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Sacred Exorcist 8/ Incantatrix 10/ Epic Incantatrix (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ei/20020915a)++
Metamagic Specialist ACF in PH2 for Sorcerer. Harmonious Knight (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) 1 substitution level for Paladin.

Flaws: Love of Nature (Dragon 324) and Bravado (Dragon 328).
Feats: Nymph's Kiss, Power Attack, Combat Casting, Practiced Spellcaster: Sorcerer, Ancestral Relic, Extraordinary Spell Aim, Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, Maximize Spell.
Incantatrix bonus feats: Quicken Spell, Fell Drain Spell, Envelop the Wall, Irresistible Spell.
Gain Iron Will via the Otyugh Hole in Complete Scoundrel for 3,000 gp.
Epic feats: Improved Spell Capacity, Multispell as many times as you can unless you think of something better.

Bravado makes it so you cannot benefit from any Dodge bonuses to AC, and cannot use the withdraw action in combat. Love of Nature forces you to make a Will save (DC 12) to avoid losing your action each time you try to attack an animal, plant, or vermin. Envelop the Wall and Irresistible Spell are from the Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide (http://www.amazon.com/Players-Guide-Rulebook-Dungeons-Kingdoms/dp/1889182613/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366515663&sr=8-1) (note the official D&D logo on the cover). Envelop the Wall gives +2 vs SR per +1 spell level, it's just a prerequisite. Irresistible Spell is a +4 metamagic that turns any spell into Saving Throw: None, with Maximize Spell and Envelop the Wall among its prerequisites.

Max ranks in Concentration, Spellcraft, and Kn: Arcana. Spend extra skill points on Perform, and get one rank each in three Craft skills: Logging, Lumber, and Furniture.

Ancestral Relic has a maximum magical value equal to half of the PC Wealth By Level per DMG table 5-1. That means in the epic levels its maximum magical value will be half the epic PC Wealth By Level per the table on DMG page 209. At level 32 the maximum value of its magical properties can be 2,800,000 gp. Your particular relic is a custom Runestaff (MIC p234) with a +30 Competence bonus to Spellcraft (30^2*100 gp) and is an intelligent item, at the very least. Intelligent items are regarded as constructs and constructs cannot be disabled or destroyed by dispelling or disjoining and continue to function in antimagic and dead magic areas. Using Fabricate and Moment of Prescience over the course of several years you invested 150,000 gp into logging rights, turned it into 450,000 gp worth of timber, turned that into 1,350,000 gp worth of lumber, and then turned that into 4,050,000 gp worth of furniture, which you sacrificed in full into your ancestral relic. Any value beyond the maximum magical properties can be stored for future use. This costs you only 150,000 gp from your starting wealth, and your Ancestral Relic is financed to hold magical properties worth up to 4,050,000 gp.

Each time you change its properties it doesn't have to retain anything it had before, so you could turn a 400,000 gp Runestaff into a +10/+10 equivalent Quarterstaff, and then change it back again at no gp cost, and since there's a zero gold increase in the properties there's a zero time cost to change it. You can turn a Runestaff into a magical staff that stores charges of spells. When charges are used its total financed value decreases appropriately. For example, a Staff of Wish at ten charges per Wish would cost 130,737.5 gp, and each time you cast it would reduce the item's financed value by 26,147.5 gp since it starts with fifty charges. Note that reducing its financed value does not decrease its maximum magical properties value. Reduce that 4,050,000 gp value to 3,265,575 gp and have a +5 Inherent bonus on all six of your ability scores.

Note that as a Runestaff, you can swap one Runestaff spell for another one of equal level, with an equal number of daily uses, for a zero gold increase in magical properties value and thus zero time spent to switch it. That means it's less than a free action to suddenly be able to cast the perfect spell for any situation.

Incantatrix gives you Cooperative Metamagic and Metamagic Effect, both of which allow you to add Persistent Spell to one of your buffs by making a Spellcraft check, which you can take ten on. Note that Cooperative Metamagic can be used on your own spells outside of combat as the action economy system only exists during initiative. The Spellcraft DC to Persist a 9th level spell is only 63. That means you can have (3+Int)x2 Persistent spells on you for no spell level increase. Double the number of spells if you can get Extend Spell to stack favorably with Persistent Spell.

Get a Starmantle Cloak (BoED), and use Extraordinary Spell Aim with Antimagic Field and use Incantatrix to make it Persistent. Any opponent who's even partially inside the AMF will be considered entirely affected by the spell's effect, including attended items. Any weapons they wield against you, both manufactured and natural, will be nonmagical when striking your character. The Starmantle Cloak will cause any nonmagical weapons that strike you to be automatically destroyed, with no chance to resist the effect.

Choice spells to make Persistent would include Shield, Swift Expeditious Retreat, Swift Fly, Wraithstrike, Bladeweave, Displacement, Ray Deflection, Greater Mirror Image, Fell Drain Death Armor, Fell Drain Fire Shield x2 (hot and cold), Fell Drain Thunderlance, Superior Invisibility, Ruin Delver's Fortune x3, Arcane Spellsurge, Draconic Polymorph, Bite of the Werebear, Foresight, etc. There are also plenty of hour/level and 24 hour buffs you can have active (Extended) such as Greater Luminous Armor, Greater Magic Weapon, Superior Resistance, Energy Immunity x5, Mind Blank, Greater Anticipate Teleportation, the Primal X line of spells, the Heart of X line of spells, etc. Buffs make this character work. Note Arcane Spellsurge's interaction with Multispell, considering updated rules converted quickened spells to swift actions.

With Persistent Draconic Polymorph you don't need to worry about Str or Dex, and Con is only for HP. Don't forget about that +5 Inherent bonus to every stat, which can come before 20th level allowing you to start out Str 8 and still get Power Attack. Max Int and Cha, Int for base skill points and more persistent spells. Those are really your only two important stats.

You can use Naenhoon and Instant Metamagic to add metamagic to a spell as well, mostly Irresistible Spell. You can Persist some of your lower level buffs the traditional way if you're running short on Incantatrix abilities, and save these for Irresistible spells that outright kill/disable opponents, like Command Undead plus a Lesser Rod of Chain Spell.

[Snowbluff]

I counter with Wizard6/Swiftblade9/Spelldancer1/AbjurantChampion4, which Bifu saw coming. :smalltongue:

Pretty much the same advice applies, but you have no real limit on the number of spells you can persist, your major buff can not be removed or dispelled, and you have an extra standard action. Finding an epic progression, and/or finishing Swiftblade post-epic might be ideal. Spelldancing during a Timestop could get some spells placed while in combat.

Ocular Spell fixes the range on spells, so using that will increase the variety of spells you can persist with either build.

Some Ferocity of Sanguine Rage from Dragon Magic will be good for adding to hit and damage with the thunderlance.

[AWiz_Abroad]

I counter with Wizard6/Swiftblade9/Spelldancer1/AbjurantChampion4, which Bifu saw coming. :smalltongue:

What would you do with the next 13-15 levels?

Metamagic & Persistomancy I get, but is the arcane persist list really on par with that granted by divine?


Illumian (Naenhoon) Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Sacred Exorcist 8/ Incantatrix 10/ Epic Incantatrix++
Metamagic Specialist ACF in PH2 for Sorcerer. Harmonious Knight 1 substitution level for Paladin.

Ok, some fascinating ideas in here, I really like the Starmantle cloak. My DM's a huge fan of BoED, and plays lawful good IMHO like it should be. Couple of issues though. I didn't mention it, but ancestral relics/item familiars are a no go. Illumian is nice, but unfortunately, we're in a campaign setting he's been running constant games in since 1st Ed, so the racial selections are PHB and a couple of his personal homebrews. I do love those flaws though, far more interesting than the UA ones.

Irrestible spell I'm going to have to take to him for a ruling, but if he grandfathers it in, I'm going to take it on my ECL33 wizard next level (retrain one to Envelop the wall, and Irresistable spell. Nice catch of something I hadn't thought of. What would be your top spells to nail people with?

[Snowbluff]

What would you do with the next 13-15 levels? I addressed that. Epic Swiftblade (You'd homebrew a progression with your DM, epic rules are spotty), or just go Epic Incantatrix.


Metamagic & Persistomancy I get, but is the arcane persist list really on par with that granted by divine?

There some real goodies, like the ones Bifu mentioned. Things like the Bite Of Were whatetever spells are great. Ocular Spell makes any spell a candidate for persistent spell, so you can really just go crazy.