Sorcerer/Favored Soul/Mystic Thuerge

[Sunbaked]

Hello all, long time follower first time poster. I hope this is the right forum.

I've only seen a few posts for the favored soul class and a few shady guides for mystic thuerge so I thought I'd share my recent experience. This is not meant as an end all be all guide, rather this has turned out to be really fun so I thought I'd share it and it might help those considering something similar. I'm only 7th level

I chose Favored Soul and Sorcerer because they use Charisma for casting and spells, this made it a very easy first on stat placement. Sorcerer and Mystic Thuerge have d4 hit die so Con was my second highest stat followed closely by Wisdom and Intelligence. As far skills go Mystic Thuerge requires 6 ranks in knowledge religion and arcana, after that I focused heavily on heal, spellcraft, and concentration with a sprinkling in a few other skills as well.

This character is a healer/buffer, so most of his sorcerer spells are buffs and every level of favored soul features a heal spell and buffs. Spells ultimately are up to the player and their play style. He is not without means, magic missile (he's a 3rd level sorcerer casting at 7th level, check the feats) and fully "buffed" his AC is 21 and he's immune to magic missile. Not horrible but he's not a front line fighter either. He was designed with a four player group (a druid with the shapeshift class feature, a cleric focused on fighting, and a battle sorcerer). Solo play could be ... problematic. Juggling the spell lists would help a lot.

My character so far:

Level 1
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Deity: Boccob
Flaw(we were allowed one, UA 91): Unreactive -6 initiative
Human feat: Able learner (Race of Destinity: 150) Education (Eberron Campaign Setting: 52) Sorcerer and favored soul do not have knowledge religion so this makes it easier ... heck it makes any skill easier.
Bonus feat(flaw): Precocious Apprentice(Complete Arcane: 181) My DM agreed to this but it had to be a nondamaging spell, I took See Invis.
1st feat: Practiced Spell caster (Complete Arcane: 82) Keeps my sorcerer spells moving, not levels but effectiveness, during the favored soul levels.

Alternate class features:
Sorcerer: Divine companion(CC: 51) - Store arcane power to heal you or protect you. I didn't want a familiar for this character and with mystic thuerge on the horizon this seemed like a fun alternative. After a few levels it became clear that fueling this with spells could get costly so the first chance I got I took Scribe scroll. We'll see how that works out.

Level 2 thru 5
Class: Favored Soul
2nd Feat: Versatile Spell Caster (Race of Dragons: 101) I liked the idea of being able to "cash in" lower level spells for something more.

Alternate class features:
Favored Soul: Deities Favor (PHB2: 43) - The target of your spells gain temporary hit points (3x the spell level) for 1 minute per spell level cast. A level one Cure Light Wounds now gives the target 3 temporary hit points for, potentially, ten rounds. A level 3 Cure Serious, 9hp for 30 rounds. Yep, sounds like fun, I took it.


Level 6, 7
Class: Mystic Thuerge
3rd Feat: Scribe Scroll (PHB) Scrolls can power my Sorcerer alternate class feature and can be used in a pinch. To help this I picked up the magic scroll case (MIC 162) which also give a concentration bonus if used.

Gear is another area that I think each player can customize but here's a few things that have helped me.

Healing Belt - For me or those in need. At 750g it's an amazing item.

Dimension strider boots - I don't have spell reach so getting to a player in need without provoking attacks of opportunity can be tricky. Also, if I find my self in harms way I have a quick means of escape.

Amulet of retributive healing - Three times a day I heal myself for the same amount I just healed an ally for. I like it.

That's about it so far. Please leave your comments.

D&D is still a great game to gather family and friends, I hope this helps someone have fun.

[Yuki Akuma]

The Healing Belt is a good idea, but you really could have gone further and bought a bunch of Wands of Lesser Vigor. In-combat healing isn't that important - especially with three divine casters in the party, one of whom can spontaneously convert spells into Cure spells.

A buffermancer Sorcerer/Favoured Soul/Mystic Theurge is pretty nice, though. You don't get the higher level buffs until later, but being able to spread out lots of buffs before combat is great.

For the future I suggest taking Chain Spell, it's great for buffing.

[ericgrau]

Right now you have lower spell level, less spells per day and less spells known so your key advantage is versatility. Tons and tons of scrolls from both classes is handy for versatility, especially arcane scrolls since you're the only one with the full arcane spell list. Learn whatever you spam, scroll anything that only gets used sometimes. Get 1-4 copies of 20-40 different spells for immense versatility. You can still coordinate with the cleric on divine spells. For example scrolls of bless are nice and cheap and stack with his prayer.

Nice wands include cure light wounds / lesser vigor and invisibility. Allowing a little bit of power creep there's nerveskitter and close wounds. Nearly every round should have a close wounds cast; it's like shared fast healing for the whole party. If the battle cleric prepares it too it can really add up to save anyone in need without ruining your normal action. It's an immediate action, like feather fall is. I mean it's 15 hp a round when even your front-liners only have about 40-50 hp, automatically there even while you both do other things too. In a typical combat that's a free full heal or two using zero standard actions.

The more tricks you can do out of combat or simultaneously with your standard actions (via immediate actions, for example), the more you can stack on at once and compensate for not having 4th level spells. A dozen little things add up to something big. "It all adds up" should be your mantra.

Once you progress a bit you'll have a crazy number of spells per day. Then you can stack on many, many hour/level buffs on the whole party. Recast them and/or use a lesser rod of extend spell to keep them up 24 hours a day. Even now the druid will adore you if you give him endless mage armor. Likewise this is another out of combat trick you stack on top of everything else.

You only have 3-5 significant rounds in a typical combat making your extra spells normally meaningless and the lack of 4th level spells terrible, but you have all the rounds you want during the rest of the day. Plus swift or immediate actions are nice too. It all adds up.

[Harrow]

How did you get into Mystic Theurge by level 6? It requires 6 ranks in Knowledge (religion), which isn't a class skill for either of your classes, and Able Learner only changes the cost of cross-class skills, it doesn't raise the cap.

[Fax Celestis]

Isn't Favored Soul a dual-stat (Wis/Cha) caster?

[Karnith]

Isn't Favored Soul a dual-stat (Wis/Cha) caster?
Yes, but Wisdom only determines spell save DCs for Favored Souls, so he can pretty safely ignore it if he's going the buff-focused route.

[relytdan]

How did you get into Mystic Theurge by level 6? It requires 6 ranks in Knowledge (religion), which isn't a class skill for either of your classes, and Able Learner only changes the cost of cross-class skills, it doesn't raise the cap.

Able learner =
Benefit

All skill ranks cost 1 skill point for you to purchase, even if the skill is cross-class for you. The maximum number of ranks you can purchase in a cross-class skill remains the same. This feat does not affect the skill point cost to learn a language or to gain literacy (for a barbarian or other illiterate character).

Special

This feat may only be taken at 1st level.

so 6 ranks easy by level 6.- however 4 1/2 are max -

[Yuki Akuma]

Able learner =
Benefit

All skill ranks cost 1 skill point for you to purchase, even if the skill is cross-class for you. The maximum number of ranks you can purchase in a cross-class skill remains the same. This feat does not affect the skill point cost to learn a language or to gain literacy (for a barbarian or other illiterate character).

Special

This feat may only be taken at 1st level.

so 6 ranks easy by level 6.- however 4 1/2 are max -

Able Learner does nothing to increase the rank cap for cross-class skills. You need to actually have Knowledge (Religion) as a class skill somehow, like with the Education feat.

[Sunbaked]

Sweet mother of Boccob, I'm dirty little cheater. I blame my father's side, his great grandfather was rumored to be a thief.

I will edit out Able Learner with Education. Thank you Harrow for initially pointing this out and Yuki for exposing me to finer points of reading comprehension. :smallredface:

[Kuulvheysoon]

First off, have you heard of the Dead Levels series over at Wizards? There's one feature in the second of the series (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20070227x) that might interest you:

Knowledge Specialty (Ex): At 1st level, a favored soul can choose whether to make Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (religion) a class skill. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed.Since you get Knowledge (arcana) from sorceror anyways, this would be an excellent investment.

If your DM allows retraining, I've got some suggestions for you...

Familiar ACF: Two alternate suggestions - either the Metamagic Specialist (PHB2, seeing as how you said that you're concentrating on Int) or be a Silverbrow Human and take up the Dragonblood sub level, getting a free Draconic Heritage feat. With it, you could nab an interesting new class skill (check the list from Races of the Dragon) and see if any other [draconic] feats catch your eye.
Trade Scribe Scroll out for something else. A different meatmagic feat, though (Extend, maybe?), to help with the prerequisites for Chain.
Switch Flaw to non-combative - it feels like it'd fit your character better, and if your initiative is high enough, you could get off a buff before your allies have the chance to go, which could be a huge tipping point.

[Yuki Akuma]

Sweet mother of Boccob, I'm dirty little cheater. I blame my father's side, his great grandfather was rumored to be a thief.

I will edit out Able Learner with Education. Thank you Harrow for initially pointing this out and Yuki for exposing me to finer points of reading comprehension. :smallredface:

It's an easy mistake to make - after all, most people use Able Learning with a Factotum dip to essentially turn every skill into a class skill forever.

Education is technically an origin feat that requires you to come from specific places - but your DM will probably be fine with letting you replace Able Learner with it if you explain. It gives you all Knowledge skills as class skills permanently, if you weren't aware.

[Rebel7284]

Knowledge devotion is better for this than education. Only only one knowledge skill but givesfree damage.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Should have used Illumian instead of Human with the Krau sigil, and replace Precocious Apprentice with Improved Sigil: Krau. That way you could go Sorcerer 1/ Favored Soul 2/ Mystic Theurge, and both would be at a caster level equal to your character level without needing Practiced Spellcaster.

[Rebel7284]

Should have used Illumian instead of Human with the Krau sigil, and replace Precocious Apprentice with Improved Sigil: Krau. That way you could go Sorcerer 1/ Favored Soul 2/ Mystic Theurge, and both would be at a caster level equal to your character level without needing Practiced Spellcaster.

That still wouldnt allow him to cast level 2 spells..

However, human sorcerer 2/favored soul 1 with knowledge devotion, versatile spellcaster, and heighten spell works wonders.

[Yuki Akuma]

Knowledge devotion is better for this than education. Only only one knowledge skill but givesfree damage.

Knowledge Devotion can't be used to replace the Able Learner feat he took at level 1, as it requires 5 ranks in a Knowledge skill.

[Fouredged Sword]

Fair warning though, if you accept that the second dead level article exists, you must also accept the validity of "Seduce to learn secret". I am not willing to go that far, shudder. :smalleek:

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That still wouldnt allow him to cast level 2 spells..

However, human sorcerer 2/favored soul 1 with knowledge devotion, versatile spellcaster, and heighten spell works wonders.

You forgot to look at Improved Sigil: Krau. You get to pick two spells, and any time you cast them they count as one level higher as though Heightened.

[bekeleven]

That still wouldnt allow him to cast level 2 spells..


When you cast one of the chosen spells, the spell's effective level is increased by 1 (as if affected by the Heighten Spell feat).

I really hope you're wrong, because one of my most hilarious builds uses this trick. I built a summoner capable of summoning as every full caster (arcane prepared and spontaneous Summon Monster, divine prepared summon monster, divine prepared and spontaneous summon nature's ally), but MAN were the levels tight on that build.

[Sunbaked]

Switch Flaw to non-combative - it feels like it'd fit your character better, and if your initiative is high enough, you could get off a buff before your allies have the chance to go, which could be a huge tipping point.
[/LIST]

That is a very good point, I'll have to remember that. We typically run two campaigns, swapping back and forth between them at major plot points (3-4 months). This gives two of us a chance to DM and play. During these change ups we allow character modifications. I'll have to send my Mystic to "Situational Awareness 101" during his next down time.:smallamused:


Isn't Favored Soul a dual-stat (Wis/Cha) caster?

Indeed it is, but like Karnith said in my case the favored soul half of me will be healing and buffing only. I was;however, able to get a decent wisdom score anyway and this will come in handy at level 9 when I plan to take the Arcane Disciple feat.

I do have a question though: In the complete divine the Mysticism Domain has an "Other Deities" descriptor of: None. Neutral, Lawful Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral deities would never have this domain. But in the Spellcasters Compendium, which lists this same domain a year later, the descriptor is not there. Which supersedes the other? Did they drop the "other dieties" requirement?

[Fax Celestis]

I do have a question though: In the complete divine the Mysticism Domain has an "Other Deities" descriptor of: None. Neutral, Lawful Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral deities would never have this domain. But in the Spellcasters Compendium, which lists this same domain a year later, the descriptor is not there. Which supersedes the other? Did they drop the "other dieties" requirement?

Deities are campaign-specific and as such were omitted from the Spell Compendium as it is setting-neutral. It is the DM's job to determine if a god can grant a domain or not.