Ultimate Magus: Is it any good?

[Galvin]

Hi GITP

I was looking at the Ultimate Magus prestige class and was thinking about it. Is it any good to play? Is it under powered or over powered or just plain average? What are your thoughts on this class?

Thanks!

[Waker]

I think the class is decent. In order for it to get maximum power, many people like to use Practiced Caster to skimp on increasing Spontaneous Caster levels and focus more on Wizard. It also helps to limit MADness, by using a class like Beguiler for the spont class.

[Palanan]

Following up on Waker's comment--not too long ago I was given this advice (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242522) about a wizard/beguiler/UM build I was working on. The advice about Practiced Spellcaster begins around post #11.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Illumian (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20041203a&page=2) (Krau/anything), Beguiler 1/ Wizard 4/ Ultimate Magus 10/ anything-that-advances-wizard 5
At its 1st, 4th, and 7th levels Ultimate Magus increases your spellcasting in whichever class has the lower caster level. That means with Practiced Spellcaster: Beguiler the above build can apply all ten levels of UM to Wizard, so at level 15 you'll have Wizard 14 and Beguiler 8 spellcasting. Also note you get to apply your own effects in the most beneficial order, so apply Practiced Spellcaster and the Krau sigil first, and then Arcane Spell Power from UM afterward so at level 15 your Wizard caster level is 19.

Use flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) if possible, take Able Learner, Practiced Spellcaster: Beguiler, Versatile Spellcaster, metamagic feats like Split Ray, Invisible Spell, Quicken Spell, Fell Drain Spell, and Extend/Persistent Spell. Possibly include Obtain Familiar and Improved Familiar for an Imp, Quasit, or Pseudodragon. Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) is highly recommended on every character ever.

Specialize with Wizard, and get one of the many alternate class features that replaces your familiar with something more useful. Prohibited schools should include Enchantment, since you can still get most of the best ones from Beguiler, and probably Evocation as it's the least necessary school. Also use this Wizard variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizard) to get Improved Initiative instead of Scribe Scroll.

Those last five class levels can include quite a few things. Mindbender 1 is amazing because you can get Mindsight from Lords of Madness, remember Beguiler still gives you Charm Person even if you ban Enchantment from Wizard. The fifth Wizard level can be useful, even with the above variant changing your selection to Fighter feats you can get Improved Toughness, or trade the bonus feat for Spontaneous Divination or a domain power from Complete Champion. I'd probably include Incantatrix 3+, as using Cooperative Metamagic and Metamagic Effect to Persist your buffs is extremely powerful, especially at that level.

Illumians are Humanoid (Human) and can take Able Learner, which allows you to keep up your ranks in those amazing Beguiler skills. This character can actually serve as a replacement for a Rogue in the party, since you get Trapfinding and all the necessary skills for that, plus a high enough Int to keep max ranks in them. Versatile Spellcaster allows you to spend two spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher. This allows you to spend Beguiler spell slots to spontaneously cast Wizard spells you've learned, and also gives you early access to the next higher level of the Beguiler spell list.

[DR27]

I think of it and arcane thesis as pretty much the only balanced ways to get metamagic reducers on arcane casters. Incantrix is getting something for no cost.

[Waker]

Illumian (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20041203a&page=2) (Krau/anything), Beguiler 1/ Wizard 4/ Ultimate Magus 10/ anything-that-advances-wizard 5

I like Naenkrau myself. You can leave slots open with your Wizard casting, which is a good strategy anyways, to pump up your weaker Beguiler casting.

[Snowbluff]

I prefer entering with Heighten Spell/Versatile Spellcaster.

Mostly because it's an entirely better entry into the class and Versatile Spellcaster is always good.

Side note: Spellthief with Master Spellthief entry: Spew CL.

[Zanos]

Nar Demonbinder (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030502a&page=2) can be a decent choice for your spontaneous side. It reintroduces MAD, but you get some higher level spell slots to blow on metamagic. Being able to use Blasphemy against any alignment can be strong too with your pumped caster level.

[rockdeworld]

It's very good for a wizard with Alacritous Cogitation, but that might be a bit cheesy for your game.

[gorfnab]

I like Wizard (Spontaneous Divination ACF) 5/ Knight of the Weave 1/ Ultimate Magus 10/ Incantatrix 4.

[Chronos]

Quoth DR27:

I think of it and arcane thesis as pretty much the only balanced ways to get metamagic reducers on arcane casters. Incantrix is getting something for no cost.
Actually, Incantatrix is one of the very few wizard PrCs that does come at a significant cost: You need to ban an extra school of spells. Unfortunately, what the class gives you is way overpowered even for that cost.

Back to the thread topic, Ultimate Magus is really different from most theurge-type classes. Most such classes will expand your options, by giving you access to two different spell lists. UM, though, mostly doesn't, since your two classes are likely to have very similar spell lists anyway. So it really becomes more about expanding your endurance, plus the metamagic thing.

Speaking of the metamagic thing, note that it has some pretty significant limits. The base spell can never be higher level than 5, and you need to sacrifice a spell slot to power the metamagic. Given the usual build with one level of your spontaneous class and Practiced Spellcaster, the most you'll be able to persist is your 4th-level spontaneous spells (or spell, singular, if you're using Sorcerer instead of Beguiler), and you won't be able to persist your wizard spells at all (since you don't have sixth-level spontaneous spells to power it).

[Lanaya]

If you want to get into it in the 'default' manner, ie, take wizard and sorcerer levels with no fancy tricks until you qualify, it's dreadful. But if you're tricksy and qualify in a more efficient manner, perhaps with one of the methods described above, it gives some pretty solid bonuses.

[Urpriest]

Actually, Incantatrix is one of the very few wizard PrCs that does come at a significant cost: You need to ban an extra school of spells. Unfortunately, what the class gives you is way overpowered even for that cost.

Back to the thread topic, Ultimate Magus is really different from most theurge-type classes. Most such classes will expand your options, by giving you access to two different spell lists. UM, though, mostly doesn't, since your two classes are likely to have very similar spell lists anyway. So it really becomes more about expanding your endurance, plus the metamagic thing.

Speaking of the metamagic thing, note that it has some pretty significant limits. The base spell can never be higher level than 5, and you need to sacrifice a spell slot to power the metamagic. Given the usual build with one level of your spontaneous class and Practiced Spellcaster, the most you'll be able to persist is your 4th-level spontaneous spells (or spell, singular, if you're using Sorcerer instead of Beguiler), and you won't be able to persist your wizard spells at all (since you don't have sixth-level spontaneous spells to power it).

Generally speaking when I see it used for Persistomancy it's combined with some other cost reduction to push Persist down to +5 or +4. Otherwise people usually use it for Twin and Quicken.