Zorgoth
2013-10-02, 11:37 AM
I am trying to build a chaotic neutral human sorcerer/mage of the arcane order designed to specialize in force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate, who was an apprentice wizard who went through a magical accident involving some sort of force magic that severely damaged his brain and motor functions but instilled him with magical energy that turned him into a sorcerer. He needs Leadership, not because I want to particularly take advantage of my cohort in combat, but because I am planning on running a creepy force cult at the mage's guild (I'm a charismatic sorcerer and they're a bunch of nerdy wizards, I'm sure I can pull it off :D). My cohort would ideally be a force wizard who primarily administers a laboratory and helps me maintain my contacts and gain political power with the guild. My main problem is that I have a severe shortage of feats, even if I am allowed to take two flaws. So I have a choice of either giving up some of the feats I want, which is painful, finding a different 5-level class at the end with fewer prerequisites, or engineering some method of giving myself more feats.
With the original class idea, I have 10 feat slots (plus two if flaws are allowed), 5 of which are needed for prestige class requirements (spell focus in two schools, skill focus spellcraft, arcane preparation, and (yuck) cooperative spell). Here are the other feats I would particularly like to have:
Still Spell
Silent Spell
Eschew Materials (these three allow me to escape relatively easily if I'm ever captured or anything like that, even if I decide to give up this capability I'd still take Still Spell)
Empower Spell
Repeat Spell (if your main attacks are things like hands and mage's sword, it makes some sense, particularly if your opponents have disintegrate)
Quicken Spell (I can use this due to Arcane Preparation)
[I'll try to get rods for enlarge and extend as they're cheap]
Arcane thesis (mage's sword) [i know the spell is weak, but it's a style thing - also I'd probably try to talk the DM into buffing the more pathetic force spells anyway]
Leadership (for the creepy force cult)
Scribe Scroll (to give myself a plausible way to do research, even if I'm incapable of learning the spells)
There is a prestige class called Argent Savant that specializes in force spells, but to be honest it doesn't look like a great class to me, and even if I modified it to be better, I'd rather have buffs to my force spells early in the game to represent my accident, not at level 10 or 16.
Another idea would be to make a template for my brain damaged force-infused self. This would go into effect at level one, and I could pay for it with level adjustment and ability score damage from the accident. It also would have the advantage that if my cult ever discovers how to reproduce the accident that created me (which is one of their primary goals) they can just apply to template to my acolytes.
I don't know how much level adjustment to give this template, if you think it's a good idea could I have some suggestions - note that this template is designed not to include flaws, but adds the number of feats I need and some major buffs to force spells in exchange for stat decreases, barred schools, and possible level adjustment:
Force Savant [I'm sure someone can come up with a better name for the template]:
Stats [large penalties due to the effects of the accident]:
+2 Cha
-2 Int
-2 Wis
-2 Con
-2 Dex
-2 Str
Special: This template may be gained under certain circumstances by a wizard who is a specialist evoker and has not barred transmutation or abjuration. All wizard levels become sorcerer levels if this template is acquired.
Wizardly Training: Gain feats (including scribe scroll) from sorcerer levels as if you were a wizard, and start the game with Arcane Preparation. You must have two barred schools, which cannot be divination, evocation, transmutation, or abjuration. These function like wizard barred schools, except that you can never cast an arcane spell from these schools, even via wish (or Spellpool). (Mage armor is treated as an abjuration spell.) [I intend to bar conjuration and necromancy]
Force Energy: +X to caster level when casting force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate (X is probably level adjustment + 1 at high levels). +1 to save DCs of force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate. +1 to each damage die from force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate, +1 to AC from defensive force spells, -1 metamagic reducer (minimum +1) for force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate (possibly only usable N times per day). Reduce the cost of expensive material components of force spells by two thirds. At character level 8, choose one metamagic feat that you do not know. This feat may be applied to force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate only.
Single-minded: You may never gain a class level that is not either sorcerer or a prestige class that boosts your sorcerer spells per day and spells known at more than half of levels.
Level adjustment: Not sure
Looking at this template, what would be the appropriate level adjustment, and what about it should be changed, if anything? I know I piled on the buffs into Force Energy, but that's negotiable. What's written there is mostly intended as an idea of what Force Energy can do. I am aiming for a +1 LA and want to know what to remove to make that balanced.
With the original class idea, I have 10 feat slots (plus two if flaws are allowed), 5 of which are needed for prestige class requirements (spell focus in two schools, skill focus spellcraft, arcane preparation, and (yuck) cooperative spell). Here are the other feats I would particularly like to have:
Still Spell
Silent Spell
Eschew Materials (these three allow me to escape relatively easily if I'm ever captured or anything like that, even if I decide to give up this capability I'd still take Still Spell)
Empower Spell
Repeat Spell (if your main attacks are things like hands and mage's sword, it makes some sense, particularly if your opponents have disintegrate)
Quicken Spell (I can use this due to Arcane Preparation)
[I'll try to get rods for enlarge and extend as they're cheap]
Arcane thesis (mage's sword) [i know the spell is weak, but it's a style thing - also I'd probably try to talk the DM into buffing the more pathetic force spells anyway]
Leadership (for the creepy force cult)
Scribe Scroll (to give myself a plausible way to do research, even if I'm incapable of learning the spells)
There is a prestige class called Argent Savant that specializes in force spells, but to be honest it doesn't look like a great class to me, and even if I modified it to be better, I'd rather have buffs to my force spells early in the game to represent my accident, not at level 10 or 16.
Another idea would be to make a template for my brain damaged force-infused self. This would go into effect at level one, and I could pay for it with level adjustment and ability score damage from the accident. It also would have the advantage that if my cult ever discovers how to reproduce the accident that created me (which is one of their primary goals) they can just apply to template to my acolytes.
I don't know how much level adjustment to give this template, if you think it's a good idea could I have some suggestions - note that this template is designed not to include flaws, but adds the number of feats I need and some major buffs to force spells in exchange for stat decreases, barred schools, and possible level adjustment:
Force Savant [I'm sure someone can come up with a better name for the template]:
Stats [large penalties due to the effects of the accident]:
+2 Cha
-2 Int
-2 Wis
-2 Con
-2 Dex
-2 Str
Special: This template may be gained under certain circumstances by a wizard who is a specialist evoker and has not barred transmutation or abjuration. All wizard levels become sorcerer levels if this template is acquired.
Wizardly Training: Gain feats (including scribe scroll) from sorcerer levels as if you were a wizard, and start the game with Arcane Preparation. You must have two barred schools, which cannot be divination, evocation, transmutation, or abjuration. These function like wizard barred schools, except that you can never cast an arcane spell from these schools, even via wish (or Spellpool). (Mage armor is treated as an abjuration spell.) [I intend to bar conjuration and necromancy]
Force Energy: +X to caster level when casting force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate (X is probably level adjustment + 1 at high levels). +1 to save DCs of force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate. +1 to each damage die from force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate, +1 to AC from defensive force spells, -1 metamagic reducer (minimum +1) for force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate (possibly only usable N times per day). Reduce the cost of expensive material components of force spells by two thirds. At character level 8, choose one metamagic feat that you do not know. This feat may be applied to force spells, telekinesis, and disintegrate only.
Single-minded: You may never gain a class level that is not either sorcerer or a prestige class that boosts your sorcerer spells per day and spells known at more than half of levels.
Level adjustment: Not sure
Looking at this template, what would be the appropriate level adjustment, and what about it should be changed, if anything? I know I piled on the buffs into Force Energy, but that's negotiable. What's written there is mostly intended as an idea of what Force Energy can do. I am aiming for a +1 LA and want to know what to remove to make that balanced.