Entering walker in the wastes through warmage

[alanek2002]

I was building a character recently, with generic caster into WitW, entering at level two, when I realized " Hey! I will be a pretty pathetic caster like this!" So I decided to try a Warmage.

In order to get in, I need the feats heat endurance, 2 separate arcane disciples, precocious apprentice, and southern magician.
with my starting race as a desert halfling or asherati, I get the heat endurance feat. with two flaws, and my first level, I gain everything besides one more arcane disciple.

does anyone have any ideas on how to get that last arcane disciple or have a way to gain the prerequisite domain spells with only one feat?
Thanks!

[Mnemnosyne]

There's not a lot more ways to get level 1 feats that I can think of; you've exhausted flaws, the human bonus feat, and so on. Unless you're an elf and then can somehow have your extra weapon proficiencies switched out through feat shuffling, which is impossible with a 1st level character's resources, there's not much else.

The only other RAW way is through a faustian pact. A Pact Certain will get you one 7 point reward, but you'd better be sure you never die from there on, 'cause you can never be raised or resurrected and you're going directly to Baator, and you are never, ever getting out of that pact. A Pact Insidious may be more to your benefit, if you can swing it. A few corrupt acts under a pact insidious might get you the 4 reward rating points you need in order to gain an extra feat, and some are doable even at level 1. Then of course the trick is that the fiends want you to keep doing things or they'll revoke your benefits. Later, you can get out of the pact by atoning; you'll lose the feat, but by that point you're already in the class and don't need to continue meeting the entry requirements (unless your DM rules otherwise, in which case you'll just have to take the feat again upon getting a new feat through normal methods). Naturally, the devils will be unhappy with you if you do this, and if this is your plan from day 1, you probably won't get away with it; it's not likely they'll offer you a Pact Insidious if they know you're planning to use it as a temporary step, then withdraw from it. Can you Bluff a fiend? :smallbiggrin:

[Perseus]

With DM permission you can take more than 2 flaws.

Have your level 1/level 2 quest (this is what you ate adventuring for) be for an item that was stolen from your family. This item grants the person the "arcane disciple" feat.

Work with the DM a bit here :p

[Khatoblepas]

Moderate Taint will get you a bonus feat, though you'll have to suffer the effects of Taint until you otherwise meet the prerequisites. (level 6)

Note that the Warmage IS a pretty pathetic caster... is this what you meant?

[mregecko]

Worshiping the Elder Evils grants bonus feats, but only amongst a table of feats in the EE book. Don't think anything of use is on there for this build, but would be worth checking.

[Mnemnosyne]

Whoo, I'd forgotten about taint; guess I should have said 'the only other way I can think of'. And I didn't really mention elder evils 'cause I figured if you can switch those out, you could just be an elf and switch out your weapon proficiencies.

In any case, I also have to agree with Khatoblepas' question of why Warmage? There are better ways to get into the class; for instance, be a cleric, take the Versatile Spellcaster and Spontaneous Domains feats, and use Versatile Spellcaster to spontaneously cast a 2nd level domain spell. This allows you to cast 3 spells of the Sand and Thirst domains at level 1, which qualifies you for level 2 entry...not to mention gives you cleric as a chassis instead of Warmage, which despite your first thought to the contrary, will still be a pretty pathetic caster.

[alanek2002]

Thank you all, but extra kudos to Mnemnosyne for the Faustian pact. I'd never heard of the uses before now. And I know the warmage is a fairly lackluster class, but I've been limiting myself, as I somehow seem to optimize above the rest of the group unless I do... So thanks!