Epic Caster Level

[Xar Zarath]

Hey playgrounders! I got an epic level Wizard whose Caster Level I need to boost. Just playing vanilla human, with Archmage and Cosmic Descryer on top so that makes a Character Level of 35.

In terms of Caster Level with feats/items and WITHOUT Epic Magic(we're not using it, just too broken), how do I boost my CL?

*right now with practiced spellcaster and spell power that's only +5*

[Emperor Tippy]

You are a cosmic descryer, your CL is already "however high I want it" thanks to Cosmic Connection.

Just remember to cast Hide Life first so that the few billion points of HP damage you take doesn't matter.

[Xar Zarath]

You are a cosmic descryer, your CL is already "however high I want it" thanks to Cosmic Connection.

Just remember to cast Hide Life first so that the few billion points of HP damage you take doesn't matter.

Thanks Tippy but I don't want to resort to Cosmic Connection. Moreover its only 1/per day.

BTW, what is an epic caster's CL suppose to be? Any baseline-like 30-40ish?

[Xar Zarath]

What is the "normal" Caster Level of an Epic Caster barring Epic Magic?

[Chronos]

You'd have to seriously anti-optimize to get an epic caster with a caster level less than your character level, whatever that is. Beyond that, it depends on what you have to work with, and how much you're prioritizing caster level relative to other things, but you can get some funky interactions from things like Sublime Chord and Master Spellthief that can send your caster level sky-high.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You'd have to seriously anti-optimize to get an epic caster with a caster level less than your character level, whatever that is. Beyond that, it depends on what you have to work with, and how much you're prioritizing caster level relative to other things, but you can get some funky interactions from things like Sublime Chord and Master Spellthief that can send your caster level sky-high.

Actually, those two things combined don't do anything to make your caster level abnormally high. They're both based on your spellcaster level which is the level that determines spells/day and highest level spells available. Neither one provides a bonus, they both set your caster level to a specific value based on your spellcaster levels, so whichever one you apply last completely overrides the changes to your caster level that the other one made. However, there are a few things that can boost your caster level to unfair levels.

Any arcane caster can get a Ring of Arcane Might for +1 caster level, and an Orange Prism Ioun Stone for +1 caster level.

A Red Wizard can have an all-day caster level of 40 as early as 10th level.

A Shadowcraft Mage using Earth Spell typically casts his shadow illusions at a caster level ~6 higher than his character level. It really depends on the level of the spell he's emulating with his shadow illusion.

An Ultimate Magus with either Master Spellthief or Sublime Chord gets an abnormally high caster level, due to increasing multiple classes' spellcaster level simultaneously, plus its extra +4 caster level to every class. For example, at level 35 a Beguiler 1/ Spellthief 1/ Wizard 3/ Ultimate Magus 10/ Mindbender 1/ Incantatrix 4/ Epic Ultimate Magus 15 has a caster level of 61, or 63 with the Ring of Arcane Might and Orange Prism Ioun Stone. (UM states: "Spellcasting: At each level except 1st, 4th, and 7th, you gain new spells per day ... in both a prepared arcane casting class and a spontaneous arcane casting class..." Which would include epic levels of the class.)

The above UM build with Dread Necromancer instead of Beguiler and the feats Theurgic Specialist, Song of the Dead, and Reserves of Strength could do some extremely silly things (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13398974#56), like cast spells at a caster level of 190 with no maximum to the level-based variables of his spells (Fireball will deal 190d6, Magic Missile will shoot 94 missiles, etc.). This is because Theurgic Specialist actually adds all of his caster levels instead of spellcaster levels to determine the caster level of his Necromancy spells, Song of the Dead turns any spell into a necromancy spell, and Reserves of Strength gives one spell at a time another +1 caster level and uncaps it.

[Xar Zarath]

...*snip*...

Wow:smalleek: you can literally smell the gouda off it!

[Xar Zarath]

You'd have to seriously anti-optimize to get an epic caster with a caster level less than your character level, whatever that is. Beyond that, it depends on what you have to work with, and how much you're prioritizing caster level relative to other things, but you can get some funky interactions from things like Sublime Chord and Master Spellthief that can send your caster level sky-high.

I don't feel like optimizing THAT much... I don't want to get hit on the head...again...

But seriously though...without optimization it seems Caster Levels match up to only Class Levels...?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I don't feel like optimizing THAT much... I don't want to get hit on the head...again...

But seriously though...without optimization it seems Caster Levels match up to only Class Levels...?

Yes, if your caster level is below your character level then you're doing something wrong. That means if you're going to make a mistake like taking (prestige) class that don't advance your spellcasting, you'd better be ready to at least make it up.

Practiced spellcaster can bring you up by four, being an Illumian with the Krau sigil is another two, and spending a feat on Enhanced Power Sigils is one more. So if you want to go all-out for making up lost caster levels, you can afford to lose seven total. More than that, and you'll need to use cheese just to catch back up to where you should be.

[Bullet06320]

some of the reserve feats in complete mage increase caster level in specific schools or subschools

[Chronos]

If you're going far enough into Epic, and you want to take a lot of non-casting classes, one easy way to catch up in one swell foop is to take five levels of Abjurant Champion, and then cast Divine Power. Divine Power gives you a BAB equal to your characterlevel, and Abjurant Champion gives you CL equal to your BAB.

How you get access to Divine Power is left as an exercise to the reader, but really, by epic levels, you should be able to work out some way or another, as well as some way to persist it.