Fire based caster

[Snig]

I'm looking to play a fire specialized caster and i'm wondering what peoples opinions are on the best way to go about this?

I was thinking Sorcerer with some dragonblood or dragon feats from Dragon magic might be a good place to start?

[Xerlith]

Take a look at the wu jen class. It's in CArc

[SoraWolf7]

Look at the feat of Energy Substitution to change other elemental spells into fire-ones. There's also elemental savant if you want to travel that path.

[GeekGirl]

I'm pretty sure the is a prestige class in Sandstorm to help bypass fire resistance. I have to look and find the name.

Edit: I was wrong looking at the book. Looks like there is a feat though, Searing Spell.

[Silva Stormrage]

If you don't mind psionics Kinetistist Psions can become excellent blasters. Privileged energy will allow you to deal 1d6+2 damage per manifester level if you fully augment your powers.

[Piggy Knowles]

Check out the Silver Pyromancer, from Five Nations (an Eberron book).

It's a five level PrC, progressing casting 4/5 levels. It has a few nice fire-based class features, including...


Allowing you to use your character level in place of your caster level when casting [fire] spells;
Allowing you to substitute half or all of fire damage to be sacred damage itself (and hence bypass resistances);
Allowing you to make special "smiting" attacks with your [fire] spells so that they are empowered for free versus evil creatures (and give you a bonus to CL checks to beat SR to boot);
Adding a persistent fire effect that forces enemies to take additional damage the next round after they are affected by one of your [fire] spells.


It's kind of a pain to qualify for - it was designed for multiclass paladins/sorcerers, and so requires ranks in knowledge (religion), arcane spells, and the ability to turn undead. However, a sorcerer/sacred exorcist could qualify fairly easily.

[Ramza00]

Searing Spell a +1 Metamagic in Sandstorm

Creatures with Cold Subtype take double damage
Creatures with Fire Resistance lose Fire Resistance
Creatures with Fire Immunity lose Fire Immunity and take 1/2 damage.

Convince your DM to allow you to make this into a metamagic rod. If you follow the other metamagic rods it would cost 3,000 gp (lesser), 11,000 gp (normal), 24,500 gp (greater).

[Asrrin]

Searing Spell is definitely a must have considering most baddies in the MMs have fire resistance. Also, most fire spells have saves associated with them, so make sure to find ways of boosting your DCs.

EDIT: If you want to go sorcerer and want to avoid reflex saves and the like, I recommend building a mailman focused around using metamagic on the orb of fire spells.touch attacks are easier to get through than reflex saves, and the Daze rider on the orb of fire is pretty strong.

[Ramza00]

Class: Fire Domain Wizard -- +1 CL for certain spells (scorching ray is one of them), Unearthed Arcana
Class: Paragnostic Apostle, a level in Paragnostic Apostle gives another +1 CL to all fire spells. (Pick Energy Supremacy (Fire))
Trait: Spellgifted(Evocation) -- +1 CL Evocation, -1 CL non-Evocation, Unearthed Arcana
Feat: Bloodline of Fire -- +2 CL [Fire] spells, Player's Guide to Faerun
Feat: Elemental Spellcasting -- +1 CL [Fire] spells, Planar Handbook
Feat: Spell Thematics -- +1 CL to one spell per spell level (choose scorching ray for level 2), Player's Guide to Faerun
Feat: Firey Burst (reserve feat) is +1 CL on all [Fire] spells.
Item: Beads of Karma [DMG]: You can UMD it as an arcane caster. +4 for 10 mins.
Item: Orange Prism Ioun Stone [DMG]: +1 for 30k
Item: Ring of Arcane Power [MiC]: +1 for 20k
Item: Robe of Arcane Power [MiC]: +1 Competence to 1 school for 20k
Item: Ring of Mystic Fire +1 competence 7,500 MIC [fire]
Spell: Spell Enhancer [SpC]: +2 CL to next spell you cast the round this spell is cast.
Spell: Create Magical Tattoo [SpC]: +1 CL Tattoo exists

There are even more here
http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1054346

[Ramza00]

What Level of Play?

[Manly Man]

Searing Spell is definitely a must have considering most baddies in the MMs have fire resistance. Also, most fire spells have saves associated with them, so make sure to find ways of boosting your DCs.

EDIT: If you want to go sorcerer and want to avoid reflex saves and the like, I recommend building a mailman focused around using metamagic on the orb of fire spells.touch attacks are easier to get through than reflex saves, and the Daze rider on the orb of fire is pretty strong.

The spell combust is a good one too, it's like shocking grasp's cool older brother.

As mentioned before, a Psion, if you're not against using psionics, is an excellent blaster. There's even a prestige class for it called the Pyrokineticist, though your manifester level will plummet horribly.

[Snig]

Ah, level of play will start at level 2. Someone mentioned the mailman build, and I was actually inspired to make a fire based sorcerer after reading that build. Making afew tweaks to personalize it.

.I want to be a goblin pyro type character riding my worg Improved Companion (I've made afew goblin worg rider so far with the help of the forums).

I want to focus on setting things on fire with spells like combust, fire orb, scorching ray, burning hands, fireball etc.

wondering if going battle sorcerer will hurt this concept much, losing spells know and spd.

In the mailman build, he trades his familiar in an ACF to cast metamagic as a standard action. If I'm a mounted character, this shouldn't be much of an issue because I can full round cast and my mount can move.

I'm not sure if Mailman REQUIRES metamagic to be a standard action by using Arcane Spellsurge? I should still be able to pull off all his combo's even if my metamagic is full round action?

[Ramza00]

Goblin Fire Wizard 5/Paragnostic Apostle 1/Elemental Savant 10/X 4

Fire Domain Wizard Located Here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizardVariantDomainWiz ard)
Normal Wizard Casting plus 1 bonus spell of each spell level which must be used on these spells.
Fire Domain: 0—flare; 1st—burning hands; 2nd—scorching ray; 3rd—fireball; 4th—wall of fire; 5th—cone of fire (as cone of cold, but deals fire damage instead of cold damage); 6th—summon monster VI (fire creatures only); 7th—delayed blast fireball; 8th—incendiary cloud; 9th—meteor swarm. You also cast these spells at +1 Caster Level.

Spellgifted: Located Here. +1 Caster Level Evocation, -1 All Others (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#). Thus all your Evocation Spells +1 Caster Level

Take the Spontaneous Divination Wizard 5 option for some versatility (Complete Mage), swap out and cast any spell you know for a divination spell that you also known as a free action.

With your 1 level of Paragnostic Apostle (at level 6) take Energy Supremacy Fire so your fire spells are +1 caster level

Feats
1 Bloodline of Fire Regional Feat, Fire Spells +2 Caster Level
1 (Flaw) A Metamagic Feat, Searing Spell, Extend Spell, Fell Drain, Invisible Spell, etc this metamagic must not have any prerequisites
1 (Flaw) Open (I assume you want wild cohort for your wolf mount)
3 Fiery Burst Reserve Feat, Fire Spells +1 Caster Level
6 Energy Substitution Fire (So you can enter Elemental Savant as well as Sub some really nice non fire spells and make them fire.)

Save or Suck
2 Frost Breath (save or daze) substituted for Fire
4 Orb of Fire (save or daze)

Damage
2 Scorching Ray
4 Dalamar's Lightning Lance substituted for Fire. (Dragonlance Campaign Setting p105)
Think of this spell as improved scorching ray. At 7th Caster Level you do 1 ray dealing 3d6+7d6 (10d6 total). At 10 Caster Level you do 2 rays dealing 3d6+10d6 each (26d6 total). At 15 Caster Level you do 3 rays dealing 3d6+10d6 each (39d6 total)

Long Range
3 Fireball
7 Delayed Blast Fireball (for more damage yet keeping up long range)

Damage while you concentrate
4 Wall of Fire

Damage every round
2 Kelgores Grave Mist substituted for Fire

--------

Now one of the most important things to do is get a metamagic rod of Searing Spell. Even if it is a minor lesser rod so you can bypass fire immunity/resistance when it shows up. You may consider making a custom weapon of legacy just for that effect.

--------

At level 2 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 5 and Burning Hands is CL 6 doing 5d4 damage in a 15 foot cone.

At level 3 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 7 and Scorching Ray is CL 7. Thus scorching ray does 2 rays at 4d6 damage each, burning hands does 5d4 damage, and you have a reserve feat that does 2d6 damage in a 5ft burst within 30ft.

At level 5 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 10 and Scorching Ray and Fireball is CL 11. Thus scorching ray does 3 rays at 4d6 damage each, your fireball is max out, you have burning hands at 5d4, and you have a reserve feat that does 3d6 in a 5ft burst within 30ft.

At level 6 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 12. You now have energy subsitution allowing you to do a Energy Sub Frost Breath (reflavored as a you breathing out fire) in a 30ft Cone that does 5d4 damage plus reflex save or daze for 1 round. You are now rich enough to afford a lesser metamagic rod of searing spell, thus you have a guaranteed lockdown giving your allies time to kill your opponents. A 30ft cone is quite a large area affecting about 20 squares.

Assuming 16 Starting Int and getting a Headband of Intellect by Level 7 we are talking about X amount of Wizard Spells
2nd Level: 4 1st Level
3rd Level: 3 2nd Level, 4 1st Level
4th Level: 4 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
5th Level: 3 3rd Level, 4 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
6th Level: 4 3rd Level, 5 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
7th Level: 3 4th Level, 4 3rd Level, 5 2nd Level, 6 1st Level

[Vistra]

Goblin Fire Wizard 5/Paragnostic Apostle 1/Elemental Savant 10/X 4

Fire Domain Wizard Located Here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizardVariantDomainWiz ard)
Normal Wizard Casting plus 1 bonus spell of each spell level which must be used on these spells.
Fire Domain: 0—flare; 1st—burning hands; 2nd—scorching ray; 3rd—fireball; 4th—wall of fire; 5th—cone of fire (as cone of cold, but deals fire damage instead of cold damage); 6th—summon monster VI (fire creatures only); 7th—delayed blast fireball; 8th—incendiary cloud; 9th—meteor swarm. You also cast these spells at +1 Caster Level.

Spellgifted: Located Here. +1 Caster Level Evocation, -1 All Others (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#). Thus all your Evocation Spells +1 Caster Level

Take the Spontaneous Divination Wizard 5 option for some versatility (Complete Mage), swap out and cast any spell you know for a divination spell that you also known as a free action.

With your 1 level of Paragnostic Apostle (at level 6) take Energy Supremacy Fire so your fire spells are +1 caster level

Feats
1 Bloodline of Fire Regional Feat, Fire Spells +2 Caster Level
1 (Flaw) A Metamagic Feat, Searing Spell, Extend Spell, Fell Drain, Invisible Spell, etc this metamagic must not have any prerequisites
1 (Flaw) Open (I assume you want wild cohort for your wolf mount)
3 Fiery Burst Reserve Feat, Fire Spells +1 Caster Level
6 Energy Substitution Fire (So you can enter Elemental Savant as well as Sub some really nice non fire spells and make them fire.)

Save or Suck
2 Frost Breath (save or daze) substituted for Fire
4 Orb of Fire (save or daze)

Damage
2 Scorching Ray
4 Dalamar's Lightning Lance substituted for Fire. (Dragonlance Campaign Setting p105)
Think of this spell as improved scorching ray. At 7th Caster Level you do 1 ray dealing 3d6+7d6 (10d6 total). At 10 Caster Level you do 2 rays dealing 3d6+10d6 each (26d6 total). At 15 Caster Level you do 3 rays dealing 3d6+10d6 each (39d6 total)

Long Range
3 Fireball
7 Delayed Blast Fireball (for more damage yet keeping up long range)

Damage while you concentrate
4 Wall of Fire

Damage every round
2 Kelgores Grave Mist substituted for Fire

--------

Now one of the most important things to do is get a metamagic rod of Searing Spell. Even if it is a minor lesser rod so you can bypass fire immunity/resistance when it shows up. You may consider making a custom weapon of legacy just for that effect.

--------

At level 2 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 5 and Burning Hands is CL 6 doing 5d4 damage in a 15 foot cone.

At level 3 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 7 and Scorching Ray is CL 7. Thus scorching ray does 2 rays at 4d6 damage each, burning hands does 5d4 damage, and you have a reserve feat that does 2d6 damage in a 5ft burst within 30ft.

At level 5 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 10 and Scorching Ray and Fireball is CL 11. Thus scorching ray does 3 rays at 4d6 damage each, your fireball is max out, you have burning hands at 5d4, and you have a reserve feat that does 3d6 in a 5ft burst within 30ft.

At level 6 your caster level for evocation fire spells is CL 12. You now have energy subsitution allowing you to do a Energy Sub Frost Breath (reflavored as a you breathing out fire) in a 30ft Cone that does 5d4 damage plus reflex save or daze for 1 round. You are now rich enough to afford a lesser metamagic rod of searing spell, thus you have a guaranteed lockdown giving your allies time to kill your opponents. A 30ft cone is quite a large area affecting about 20 squares.

Assuming 16 Starting Int and getting a Headband of Intellect by Level 7 we are talking about X amount of Wizard Spells
2nd Level: 4 1st Level
3rd Level: 3 2nd Level, 4 1st Level
4th Level: 4 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
5th Level: 3 3rd Level, 4 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
6th Level: 4 3rd Level, 5 2nd Level, 5 1st Level
7th Level: 3 4th Level, 4 3rd Level, 5 2nd Level, 6 1st Level

Some wicked ideas here i'll definatly be taking some of this advice. I was wondering what the "Fire Spells +1 Caster Level" beside the reserver feat fireblast means?

[Bovine Colonel]

Try not to take TOO many fire spells. You really only need 1, maybe 2, that are effective at your level. Any more and you won't have the actions to use them all.

[Ramza00]

Some wicked ideas here i'll definatly be taking some of this advice. I was wondering what the "Fire Spells +1 Caster Level" beside the reserver feat fireblast means?

There is a reserver feat called fiery burst, it has two benefits

+1 Caster Level for Fire Spells
Standard Action at Will, 5ft Radius Burst 30ft Range, do fire damage equal to highest level of fire spell * d6


So in effect the reserve feat has two benefits. Increase your fire spells caster level by 1. And do slightly more damage and multi targets than a crossbow, but less damage than a 4,500 gp wand of seeking ray.


Try not to take TOO many fire spells. You really only need 1, maybe 2, that are effective at your level. Any more and you won't have the actions to use them all.

1/3rd to 1/2 your spells should be fire spells. So at level 2 he should only be doing 2 fire spells, and the other 2 spells should be something else.

At level 6 making multiple enemy with 30ft save a reflex save of 15 (10 Base+2 Spell Level+Int of 16) or be daze makes that spell an awesome dual threat. With a rod of searing spell (3,000 gp) you can even make fire immune / resist affected by the spell. Don't forget this chart which compares cr to average saves
http://www.dandwiki.com/w/images/4/45/Savesatvariouscrs.jpg

[eviljav]

If you're going for "dragonblood" theme, there's "Draconic Power" to add +1 CL to your fire spells, assuming you're Red or Brass.
(Not as useful as firey burst, mentioned above though)

[gr8artist]

Talk with your DM. Ask if you can learn versions of standard non-fire spells as fiery versions instead.
Magic Missile > Flaming Missile. All damage is fire, swap the Force descriptor out for Fire instead.
You might have to stretch it a little, but you can get a lot of the good evocation spells reflavored for pyromancy.
Blizzard that obscures vision? Smoke and ash instead. Broken rocks make the ground difficult terrain? So do coals and cinders.
Song and Silence has a feat call Pyro. Increases the DC to extinguish your fires by 5, and increases the damage dealt to burning targets by 1 per die. Now, both of these only apply to DOT type spells that ignite your enemy, but it's still pretty good.
Most importantly: Have fun with it. Get creative and flavorful. Just think how boring it might get when all your options boil down to "do I need to burn one guy a lot, or a lot of guys a little bit?"
Reflavor and refluff your spells. Make flaming sphere a worg/demon/sibling's-ghost instead of a spongy ball of fire. Describe your spells with the same level of enthusiasm and wit that you'd use to try and get a date. Make it something everyone at the table enjoys, not a repetitive pre-programmed battle strategy.