Advice on level 24 caster?

[Zelkon]

So, I'm in an upcoming epic game, and I wish to play a spellcaster, because spellcasters are the bomb. Problem is, I don't know too much about optimizing them, or even making them competent, really. Can anyone give me a crash course, or some fun builds I can work with? Thanks a ton!

[elonin]

The best advice i can give is to check through various guides for the casting classes. If you understand the basics of spell selection and use and have a good strategy then you shouldn't have a problem. Primary casters have the game in their hand at this point. The big get for casters is higher level slots which just means applying more metamagic. If you are using reducers even that is pointless.

[Emperor Tippy]

If you have to ask for advice to play an epic caster then my advice is not to play an epic caster.

[Zelkon]

If you have to ask for advice to play an epic caster then my advice is not to play an epic caster.

Well, I can do it. I've done it before, and I didn't do terrible, but it was a niche build and now I don't really have a real direction at the moment.

[eggynack]

Well, I can do it. I've done it before, and I didn't do terrible, but it was a niche build and now I don't really have a real direction at the moment.
I think you're misunderstanding the issue. Tippy wasn't saying you shouldn't play an epic caster because it's too weak. He was saying that you shouldn't do it because epic casters are ridiculously powerful. An epic caster starts at becoming invincible and taking over everything on the planet, and moves on from there. However, any other choice becomes immensely weak at the same time, perhaps gaining power at an even slower rate than before epic levels. Basically, the balance issues in the normal game become increased by a lot, so epic games are intrinsically problematic.

[Emperor Tippy]

You are an epic level caster. Even without Epic Spellcasting you can do pretty much whatever you feel like. With Epic Spellcasting you can do whatever you feel like.

"What's a good build?" is a question that is way too open ended to really be viable. You can do pretty much anything, and for some classes you can do total rebuilds pretty much on whim.

[Emperor Tippy]

I think you're misunderstanding the issue. Tippy wasn't saying you shouldn't play an epic caster because it's too weak. He was saying that you shouldn't do it because epic casters are ridiculously powerful. An epic caster starts at becoming invincible and taking over everything on the planet, and moves on from there. However, any other choice becomes immensely weak at the same time, perhaps gaining power at an even slower rate than before epic levels. Basically, the balance issues in the normal game become increased by a lot, so epic games are intrinsically problematic.

No, I'm saying that high level (much less Epic) casters are complicated to build and play. Epic alone tends to be complicated, and spell casting in Epic tends to be the most complicated part of Epic.

Playing an Epic Spellcaster is about the most complicated thing in D&D.

So if you don't have a good enough understanding of the rules involved and what, exactly, you want to do then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

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Just for example, Infinite and Exceptional Deflection means that virtually all ranged magic is totally shut down. Casters can still work around this but something like a Mailman will get slaughtered in Epic play. Then there is Permanent Emanation: Selective Antimagic Field which shuts down 99% of all magic. Then you have the Ward Seed, which can render one totally immune to all non epic magic with an epic spell that (pre mitigation) has a spellcraft DC of a mere 193.

Then you have the creatures with magic immunity. And things like buying a Shadesteel Golem, having it use a Skin of Proteus to take human form, and then using True Mind Switch to put yourself in its body.

That is 4 (in a very long list) of the ways that are viable in epic to just no sell casters.