Can you make a Chameleon 10 build that compares well to Primary Caster 20?

[aleucard]

Exactly what it says in the title. Chameleon be here. (http://dndtools.eu/classes/chameleon/) We're operating on 3.5 rules for obvious reasons, and all official books are allowed, with Dragon magazine allowed on request. You can do anything you want with it, as long as it features 10 levels taken in Chameleon by level 20 and focuses on said PrC's main schtick (whether the class itself or just the 'can do anything given 24 hours max' idea). Anything that doesn't make sense by any sane metric besides RAW is not allowed (drown healing and using Club manufacturing to generate NI mass, for instance). Ideally, it should be at least in the same ballpark as any Primary Caster that doesn't take PrC's, or T2+ if that distinction needs to be made. I'm interested in what you lunatics can come up with, to be honest.

[Flickerdart]

There is a level of optimization at which every class is equally obscene, because the tools used aren't really class-based. Before that level, a Chameleon doesn't ever match up to a full caster simply because any tricks the Chameleon has can be acquired quicker, cheaper, and more effectively with 9 levels of spells.

Of course, you can pimp out your Chameleon with all kinds of op-fu and then compare him to a much less optimized caster, but that's kind of pointless, isn't it?

[Talionis]

I think the closest thing you could do is Enter with Spellthief and take the Master Spellthief Feat. That should combine with Chameleon Arcane Casting to get an obscenely high caster level. Prestige Classes like Uncanny Trickster and Legacy Champion and Bloodline levels all can be added on to make the spells that you do have obscenely high caster level. But of course there are similar tricks that help to get higher caster levels for Primary Casters too. But because of the two caster levels for every Chameleon level you have an advantage on cheesing your caster level if you are a Chameleon.

No matter your caster level, you still will be missing some super strong spells in levels 7, 8, and 9. In low op games you can really have a lot of fun with Chameleon casting because you do have a ton of versatility and every spell of 6th level or lower is available to you at level 14ish.

[Fouredged Sword]

Well, Chameleon isn't a full caster. You can get CLOSE, but not quite all the way there. If you can pull of a perfectly passable Codzilla build, with a turn undead dip and access to all the relevant cleric spells, plus all the nice paladin gish spells, plus a three level duskblade dip to channel your arcane spells.

You are not a full caster though. You will get persisted 6th level spells from any list, nice skills, channeling arcane spells, and full bab due to divine power.

You cap in power at level 14. You have 6th level spells and the full casters are still restricted to 7th level spells. After that, you get passed by.

Spellthief 1 / Duskblade 3 / cleric 1 / Chameleon 9

[Chronos]

There are ways to get 9th-level spells on a chameleon. And once you get that, you're getting 9ths from all lists. So, yes.

[Segev]

There are ways to get 9th-level spells on a chameleon. And once you get that, you're getting 9ths from all lists. So, yes.

What might those be? You're unable to use Chameleon's native casting as prerequisites for any of the usual tricks for out-stripping your usual limits, so far as I know.

[Forrestfire]

Sanctum spell abuse. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6705.msg220072#msg220072)

[WhamBamSam]

Without 9th level spell cheese you can't compete with a full caster at high levels. A Chameleon should actually be T1-T2 through most of the 6-15 range that the tier system cares about though. You have a really strong spell list, even if most of it is a spell level or two behind the pack, and thanks to the Trapsmith and Demonologist spell lists, you get a few big ticket items like Dimension Door, Haste, and two thirds of the Planar Binding line, and lab safety tools for your planar bindings like Dimension Door and Magic Circle Against X, at around the same time Wizards do (sometimes even a level earlier) . You also have more fuel than just about anyone for DMM (or possibly Naenhoon Illumian if you want free metamagic on arcane stuff as they're Humanoid (Human)) shenanigans.