Brainstorming Eldrich Master

[Rebel7284]

There is a prestige class in Dragon 280, page 88 which has piqued my curiosity, the Eldrich Master.


Entry
Knowledge Arcana 8 ranks.
Spellcraft 6 ranks.
Diplomacy 2 ranks
Intimidate 2 ranks
Must cast arcane spells
Some roleplaying requirements.

Relevant class features

Sorcerer Chasis with 4 skill points per level.

- Does not progress spellcasting

- Add Eldrich Master caster level to caster level in any other arcane spellcasting class.

- Detect Magic at will

- 38 selectable bonus spells known over 10 levels (up to 5th level spells)

- Free Metamagic Feat at levels 3,6,9

- Spell Boost: At levels 3, 6, 9, the eldrich master gets the ability to cast a spell one level HIGHER than his current highest level spell 1/day. Also gain a spell known of that level if does not already know one.

- Spell Dilettante: At levels 4, 8 the Eldrich Master can choose one other character class whose spell list she can chose from when selecting new spells that are known to her as she gains levels. This class can't be changed. Divine spells are still learned as arcane.



Both Spell Boost and Spell Dilettante are powerful, bordering on broken, but with the class not progressing casting, it takes some work to put them to good use.

Note that the feat Versatile Spellcaster makes Spell Boost even more powerful.

There are some questions about those features that I have.
For spell boost, does the spell known stay at 1 level higher if we go back to progressing the original class? If not, it may require some tricks to make sure you always know spells of a higher level you can cast, otherwise those slots are much less useful.

How, if at all, does Spell Dilettante interact with the Beguiler/Warmage/Dread Necro casting mechanic? Spell Dilettante seems to modify the process of selecting new spells, but those classes "Select" their whole list.

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Here are some builds, both normal and gestalt that I have been thinking about

Normal

The Flexible Chord
Bard 4/X 1/Eldrich Master 4/Y 1/Sublime Chord 10

Obviously, selecting from ONLY the sorcerer/wizard and bard spell lists is too narrow for a Sublime Chord. Getting spell boost to first qualify you for Sublime Chord, and then using it to effectively accelerate SC casting is very sexy.

Nar Demonbinder is good!?
Kobold Sorcerer 5 with greater rite of passage/Eldrich Master 4/Nar Demonbinder 7/x 4

Nar Demonbinder's spell list is very limited and they stop at 8th level spells, so close to the magic 9s! Eldrich Master resolves both issues by allowing them to select from any spell list you chose (typically sorcerer/wizard) and giving them 9th level spells at level 16. Suddenly Nar Demonbinder is good for something more than sacrificing slots in an Ultimate Magus built.

Rainbow Warsnake without the rainbows or the snakes
Beguiler 16/Eldrich Master 4

You need to negotiate with your DM about the interaction of Spell Dilettante and this type of class. If it works, it's certainly a nice build. You get 9th level spells a level late, but make up for it by casting from a much bigger list.

Spiritual Master
Spirit Shaman 16/Eldrich Master 4

Spirit Shaman casts like a sorcerer, but changed the spells known daily. Isn't quite spontaneous access like beguiler, but can still be quite powerful. Note that you need magical training or some other way to count as arcane caster to qualify.

Gestalt

Sorcerer++
Sorcerer 20 //
Factotum 5/Eldrich Master 10/Sand Shaper 1/Nightmare Spinner 1/Factotum +3

With so many spells known from 3 lists and getting your spells a level earlier than a wizard (2 levels earlier if you're a kobold!), you have amazing flexibility and power. You DO give up getting a nice chasis from more martial classes, but spells are better anyway.

Epic
In general, this seems like a good class to take for epic spontaneous casters due to increase in caster level and more flexibility is always good.


Please contribute ideas. :)

[Rebel7284]

Since I brought up Eldrich Master in another thread, this deserved a bump.

:)

Also new gestalt build:
Sorcerer 20
//
Paladin 2/Cleric 1/X2/Eldrich Master 10/Silver Pyromancer 1/Wonderworker 3/Y 1

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

This issue of Dragon is from February 2001, 3.5 came out in 2003, so this class may need some updating.

Its special prerequisite is much more than a role playing requirement:
"The eldritch master must have made a pact or bargain with some powerful, otherworldly entity. In exchange for teaching the character the ways of the eldritch master, the entity must be rewarded with a special task, a great (magical) treasure, or some other special payment determined by the DM."

You are 100% at the whims of your DM with regards to meeting this prerequisite. He may tell you that you must first contact a powerful being from the Far Realm, then convince it to help you instead of devouring you, only for it to ask you for the Annulus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/psionicArtifacts.htm#annulus) as payment before it teaches you to be an Eldritch Master. If you're known to pull shenanigans, and come up with an obscure 3.0 prestige class from an old issue of Dragon magazine, he's sure to look at it with considerable scrutiny. It's not a class that you can count on being able to take in a given build.

[Rebel7284]

Contemplative has somewhat similar fluff, and people dip it all the time. ;)

But yes, you need to negotiate with your DM about it. Note that based on the wording, it may be possible for the entity to teach you first and you fulfill your end of the bargain later.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Contemplative has somewhat similar fluff, and people dip it all the time. ;)

But yes, you need to negotiate with your DM about it. Note that based on the wording, it may be possible for the entity to teach you first and you fulfill your end of the bargain later.

"Must have had direct contact with one’s patron deity or a direct servant of that deity, or with an enlightened being embodying the highest principles of an alignment (a solar, for example)."

You can cast Lesser Planar Ally and then fail to negotiate terms and send it home to fulfill this prerequisite, it does not explicitly require you to give away "a great (magical) treasure" to meet that requirement.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You'll need to clarify if the slots from Spell Boost also qualify you for bonus slots from a high ability score.
Also, what happens if you select Archivist for Spell Dillettante, especially on a caster that knows his entire list? Do you get access to every divine spell ever, including those you can make divine via Divine Bard, Alternative Spell Source, etc.?

You can easily fullfil the arcane casting requirement with the Magical Training feat and there is no restriction to what class Spell Dilettante adds. Can you add the wizard list to your cleric or druid casting?
Getting access to any spell you want for slightly delayed 9th level spells is certainly worth it, no matter what caster you play.

[Rebel7284]

You'll need to clarify if the slots from Spell Boost also qualify you for bonus slots from a high ability score.


Based on the wording, I think the intent was not to qualify. It does not mention giving you a spell slot.



Also, what happens if you select Archivist for Spell Dillettante, especially on a caster that knows his entire list? Do you get access to every divine spell ever, including those you can make divine via Divine Bard, Alternative Spell Source, etc.?


There is no archivist spell list raw (archivists learn their spells from all the other divine lists).



You can easily fullfil the arcane casting requirement with the Magical Training feat and there is no restriction to what class Spell Dilettante adds. Can you add the wizard list to your cleric or druid casting?

Technically yes, although exactly what spells you learn as you level may not be defined for prepared casters. It works very well for favored souls though!



Getting access to any spell you want for slightly delayed 9th level spells is certainly worth it, no matter what caster you play.

In general, this is false. You really just need shapechange to break the game in half, the others are just gravy and can typically be acquired with shapechange anyway.