[3.5] Beguiler, Early Entry into Shadowcraft Mage

[Barnaby Jones]

Hi playgrounders!

I'm looking for a bit of help building a Killer Gnome. The campaign is in Forgotten Realms and the DM has okayed ALL 3.5 books and our starting level is six. I want to take the class as early as possible and I'm going to start as a beguiler (my current favorite class). I want to see if this build will give me valid entry into SCM.

By all means give suggestions if you think I can take it even earlier, but right now it looks like I'm going to go Beguiler lvl 5, Mindbender lvl 1, and then start my SCM levels.

Flaws: Inattentive, Noncombatant, Trait: Quick
Feats: Heighten Spell(flaw), Earth Sense(flaw), Spell Focus (Ill) 3:Earth Spell 6:Mobile Spellcasting 9:Residual Magic

I'm also having difficulty figuring out what on the beguiler spell list is a shadow spell, I must be over looking something right? I can always burn my 3rd level Advanced Learning slot on a shadow spell if I have to but I was hoping to use that for Power Word Pain. Legion of Sentinels >_< silly me

Our first session is this Sunday, so I'm hoping to have this all sorted out by then.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Barnaby Jones]

No help? Could someone let me know I'm on that right track here?

[nedz]

I thought you'd answered your own question already ?

There are cheesy tricks such as using Versatile Spellcaster but that would not fly at many tables.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Get Versatile Spellcaster in Races of the Dragon. With Heighten Spell there's no question that you get early access to casting the next higher level of spells, and thus early knowledge of the next higher level of spells. This also allows you to learn Dark Way as a 2nd level spell via Advanced Learning, so at 4th level you can spend two 2nd level spell slots to cast it Heightened by one level to 3rd, which combined with Earth Spell makes it count as a 4th level Illusion (Shadow) spell.

You'll need five feats to accomplish this, and you only get four feats by 4th level even with flaws. You can pick up an extra feat via moderate taint, detailed in Heroes of Horror. You can get no corruption and moderate depravity, which will have a few drawbacks and some fairly strong role-playing implications often involving hallucinations and madness. That would actually be perfect for a shadow illusionist, who makes his insane hallucinations real and wields them against his enemies.

That way you can go Beguiler 4 into Shadowcraft Mage, so I'd let the Mindbender dip wait until after you have all five levels of that. Be sure to pick up the feats Residual Magic and Rapid Metamagic in Complete Mage as early as possible. Ability Focus from the Monster Manual for Silent Image will give all of your shadow illusions +2 DC.

[Barnaby Jones]

I thought you'd answered your own question already ?

There are cheesy tricks such as using Versatile Spellcaster but that would not fly at many tables.

Well I can't heighten Legion of Sentinels since its already 3rd level and I can't get it to 4th. I have to take a shadow spell for Advanced Learning, I took Net of Shadows, and Heighten it to 3rd making it 4th to qualify for Shadowcaster Mage.

Biffoniacus_Furiou Thanks so much for that build. The DM look shook his head when I mentioned Moderate Taint from Heroes of Horror. Not that I couldn't take it but he didnt want to give me the class at such a low level, which I totally understand. I'm sure we'll see ninth level fairly quickly where the real fun will begin. Also this allows me to get Silent Spell and take Concealed Casting to cast in front of people unnoticed.

[Sith_Happens]

The DM look shook his head when I mentioned Moderate Taint from Heroes of Horror. Not that I couldn't take it but he didnt want to give me the class at such a low level, which I totally understand.

That and taint is a variant rule with major implications for any campaign that uses it.

[Keld Denar]

Honestly, there are so many more benefits to Wiz based ScM. The main thing is that you don't have Rapid Metamagic in your build, so all of your Shadow Illusion shenanigans are doing to require full round actions, which naturally precludes the use if Mobile Spellcasting.

Plus, if you want earliest access, you can get in with Wiz5/ScM5. The 5th level bonus feat helps out with the flaws. You can take Spell Focus at 1, Earth Sense at 3 and Heighten at 5, meaning you only need 1 flaw, or resulting in an extra feat if you take 2.

Plus, there are some decent Gnome Illusionist racial sub levels you miss out on with Beguiler.