[3.5] Master Specialist early entry?

[Zweisteine]

So I'm building a character for use in a campaign starting at level 5, and I had a not-so-original idea of what to do. I am planning a variant (i.e. rip-off) of the Killer Gnome.
The build I want to have is Wizard 2/Master Specialist 4/Shadowcrafter 3/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Earth Dreamer 5, but none of those PrCs can normally be reached at level 3. I can almost meet the spellcasting requirement for Master Specialist at level 3, but I wouldn't have a feat free to meet the feat prerequisite (filled slots with Earth Sense, Heighten Spell, Earth Spell, and Sanctum Spell, using the Dark Chaos Shuffle on class-granted Scribe Scroll).

The first thing I thought of was to replace my familiar with a feat, which I could change with DCS, but I don't know any way to turn a familiar into a feat...

Is there any way to get into Master Specialist a level early as a Gnome Illusionist?

Thanks!

[Kelb_Panthera]

Precocious apprentice and various other early entry shenanigans can let you in at 3 instead of 4. You could get in at two with some serious cheese.

[Zanos]

The forlorn flaw from Dragon 333 will allow you to trade your familiar for a feat, but consumes a flaw slot.

A non-gnome adaptation could be used for Shadowcraft mage, which is RAW as I recall. Gnomes are icky anyway.

What prerequisite don't you meet, though? At level 2 you could put a +1 heightened cantrip in a 1st level slot, and it counts as a 2nd level spell via earth spell. Unless you can't delay any of your other feats.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Dark Chaos Shuffle should cost around 4,900 gp in NPC spellcasting fees at the standard rates (spell level x caster level x 10 gp, plus 5 gp per 1 xp). A 5th level character cannot afford more than one at standard wealth by level.

You don't need Sanctum Spell in this build. With Earth Spell you can Heighten a 0-level spell to a 1st level slot and it counts as a 2nd level spell. You can Heighten a Dark Way (SC) to a 3rd level slot and it counts as a 4th level spell, which qualifies you for Shadowcraft Mage early enough to start taking it at 6th level.

Go Wizard 2/ Master Specialist 4/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadow Adept 1/ Shadowcrafter 3/ Earth Dreamer 5. You want to trade your Familiar for Chains of Disbelief (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants), as it will apply to all of your shadow illusions.

[Seerow]

Go Wizard 2/ Master Specialist 4/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadow Adept 1/ Shadowcrafter 3/ Earth Dreamer 5. You want to trade your Familiar for Chains of Disbelief (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants), as it will apply to all of your shadow illusions.

I thought with a Killer Gnome build, you wanted the enemy to pass their saves so your spells could go from 100% effective to 150-200% effective?

Or are we assuming that someone utilizing early entry cheese and Shadowcraft mage is taking the sensible route and capping at 100%?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I thought with a Killer Gnome build, you wanted the enemy to pass their saves so your spells could go from 100% effective to 150-200% effective?

Or are we assuming that someone utilizing early entry cheese and Shadowcraft mage is taking the sensible route and capping at 100%?

He's starting at level 5, he won't be able to go over 100% until level 11 with a 6th level spell slot, assuming he can get Enhanced Shadow Reality. He'll be playing through six levels of wanting opponents to fail their saves before he'll want them to make the saves only versus his highest level slots.

[Nettlekid]

Psst. Psst.
I don't have any properly good advice for Master Specialist early (Precocious Apprentice tends to cover it in my book) but I wanted to offer a suggestion inspired by the latest Doctor Who Christmas Special that I direly want to play in any campaign where I use a Gnome Illusionist. Whether or not you've taken Insidious Magic (and I suggest you do because it's fun to use Major Images more reliably (on that note I highly suggest a dip into Shadow Adept for three nice feats)) True Seeing will be a thorn in your side. It sucks that enemies can just nullify your tricky illusions, and it's a pain to have to set up countermeasures like Invisible Fog Cloud or something. What would be useful is if you knew whether or not an enemy had True Seeing, right? Or in the case of Insidious Magic, had made the CL check to see through your illusions.

My suggestion is be naked. If you use Disguise Self or any other illusion spell to project clothes onto yourself, then you'll not cause any fuss in your daily affairs. But when you encounter the decrepit Lich or ancient Dragon with True Seeing active, they will undoubtedly remark upon your Gnomey nudeness. Because who wouldn't? And thus you can act accordingly, and not have to worry if your disguises and illusions are being seen through or not.
(I know this has no effect on Shadow Conjuration and the like, but you may not always want to go blasty. Also it's the only situation I could think of where you could be tactically naked.)

[Zweisteine]

Didn't think about 0 level spells at all. That nearly solves my problem, except that I need three feats to get the spell to level 2, and another to enter the PrC. So close... I suppose I could burn the whole party's entire second level budget on shuffling away Scribe Scroll, and pay them back in character creation...


My suggestion is be naked. If you use Disguise Self or any other illusion spell to project clothes onto yourself, then you'll not cause any fuss in your daily affairs. But when you encounter the decrepit Lich or ancient Dragon with True Seeing active, they will undoubtedly remark upon your Gnomey nudeness. Because who wouldn't? And thus you can act accordingly, and not have to worry if your disguises and illusions are being seen through or not.

This sounds funny. But won't my party members complain, because their will saves don't suck? And if I meet dispel magic, or an antimagic field...

[Zombulian]

The forlorn flaw from Dragon 333 will allow you to trade your familiar for a feat, but consumes a flaw slot.

A non-gnome adaptation could be used for Shadowcraft mage, which is RAW as I recall. Gnomes are icky anyway.

What prerequisite don't you meet, though? At level 2 you could put a +1 heightened cantrip in a 1st level slot, and it counts as a 2nd level spell via earth spell. Unless you can't delay any of your other feats.

So I keep coming across this in different threads. Why do people hate gnomes so much?

[Urpriest]

So I keep coming across this in different threads. Why do people hate gnomes so much?

I blame World of Warcraft. Somehow, in that game they manage to be more nauseatingly cartoonish than all the other nauseating cartoons.

[Zanos]

So I keep coming across this in different threads. Why do people hate gnomes so much?
I don't hate gnomes, I think they're delicious.

[Zombulian]

I blame World of Warcraft. Somehow, in that game they manage to be more nauseatingly cartoonish than all the other nauseating cartoons.

ha. That they do. I've always felt something charming about the silly little magic using tinkerers though.

[Zweisteine]

I believe (based on a bit of google-fu) that gnomes are disliked because they have so little good fluff.

Also, there is probably a better race for anything a gnome wants to do.

And then there are Whisper Gnomes. Whisper Gnomes are like cheesecake. Like gnomes, they are like a cake (a bit silly, but fun). Like Kobolds, they are made of cheese. That is why this guy is a Whsiper Gnome (more specifically, an Unseelie Fey Magic-Blooded Whisper Gnome (without wings)).

[Zombulian]

I believe (based on a bit of google-fu) that gnomes are disliked because they have so little good fluff.

Also, there is probably a better race for anything a gnome wants to do.

And then there are Whisper Gnomes. Whisper Gnomes are like cheesecake. Like gnomes, they are like a cake (a bit silly, but fun). Like Kobolds, they are made of cheese. That is why this guy is a Whsiper Gnome (more specifically, an Unseelie Fey Magic-Blooded Whisper Gnome (without wings)).

I've never liked Whisper Gnomes much :/
They're just regular Gnomes that somehow managed to get different stats from being angsty. I'm fairly sure even their fluff says that they're just born into regular Gnome families. Shouldn't be an entirely alternate race imo.

Dragon Magazine 291 and Races of Stone give some decent fluff I thought, though it does stay within the range of silliness.

It is true though, it's hard to find something that Gnomes can do well that other races can't do just as well or better. But in a situation where it's a tie, you're darn tootin I'm gonna pick the gnome.