Of Ice and Snow

[Ruethgar]

So I recently saw this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIQr_TrFTUk)and after hearing Elsa's part really wanted to revisit the ice archetype and with my current kick of E6 character creation I was going to try and focus on a build able to be jammed into the span of 6 levels. Will be using the scientific rather than colloquial definition of water for flexibility purposes. But I'm not sure what the build should look like. A sorcerer could of course specialize in cold(though not very well), but you are missing out on Create Water. Cleric could cover the Cold and Winter Domains, getting the ability to command some of those evil snowmen. An Elemental Companion Druid with a refluffed water elemental could work for a minion(or better yet an Animal Focused or Totem druid with Elemental Familiar cast on the animal).

[Fax Celestis]

What about a water shugenja or a water wu jen?

[Ruethgar]

I'ld never seen the Shugenja class. Has a spell list that reminds me a lot of the Adept. There is a lack of water/ice spells, five total for E6 by my count. I could just work with Create Water and abuse the living hell out of my resources available, but I would rather go with something that has a bit more support so I have the flexibility to pick the perfect spell like the cleric or druid. WuJen gets a good bit of love even outside of OA so that is a possibility.

[Fax Celestis]

Honestly you could play a Druid with some ACFs and focused spell selection (and maybe trading off wild shape for something else).

If I were to go this route, I might pick deadly hunter (unearthed arcana: drop wild shape, pick up monk AC, favored enemy, track, and swift tracker) and elemental companion (complete Mage, trade your animal companion for an elemental). And then I'd just focus on cold themed spells.

[Theomniadept]

There is always the Sorc/Wiz + Frost Mage from Frostburn. Just make sure to use the cool Cold spells that do hindering effects and not just pure damage.

[Ruethgar]

I would rather try and swing a Totem Deadly Hunter Druid with a purchase of Elemental Familiar on my Animal Companion, it gets pretty much all of the abilities of the Elemental Companion but more bonuses. Sorc/Wiz Frost Mage would certainly be thematic and is a distinct possibility for its ability to provide the character with Elsa's obvious resistance to cold.

Any votes for the WuJen or Cleric?

[Fax Celestis]

Cleric would be better than wu jen.

What about psion? Or wilder might be more thematically appropriate even if mechanically inferior. Just stick to the cold versions of energy powers.

[Rhaegar14]

The Energy Substitution metamagic feat out of Complete Arcane is definitely one you want to look at. It allows you to swap the chosen energy type (cold, in this instance) for whatever other type of energy damage (fire, lightning, etc.) a spell deals. It doesn't even change the spell's level, so other than the feat slot using it doesn't cost a prepared caster anything.

So you could roll up an Evoker and have Freezing Hands, Melf's Icy Arrow, Frostball, etc.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Archivist (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3), since it can learn Cleric and Druid spells, as well as domain spells. Between Ice Slick, Ice Axe, Chill Metal, Chill Touch, Creeping Cold, Sleet Storm, Shivering Touch, etc. you'll have plenty of cold and ice effects. You can go (Cloistered) Cleric 1/ Archivist 5 for DMM: Persistent Ice Axe among other spells, plus you could even put Fell Drain on that with Metamagic School Focus or similar.

[Ruethgar]

Arctic Desert(yay tundra!) Magic Blooded Human with Innate Magic(Sanctum War Ocular Twin Repeat Ray Extend Ray Burst Widen Persist Energy Substitute[Cold] Cone of Fire Side Effect Create Water is a level 0 spell) and Magic in the Blood. Until level 6(when I could just barely get Swift Concentration) it would be a 3/day death aura that lets me freely create ice at will with concentration. Then I have the class. Archivist looks nice, but I prefer bookless casters, especially for this character. I could start her off as an Aristocrat for the gold boost and get the materials for the bookless Archivist. It would bump me down to sorcerer progression, but still nice. Wilder would be good to include the whole emotional aspect, and if I am just going to try and mass murder with my 3/day death aura most of the time, the mechanical inferiority wouldn't matter as much.

I'm thinking I like the Archivist. It doesn't fit in with Elsa per se, but it looks like the most powerful option barring druid shenanigans for an 8HD large elemental with massive stats(plant companion ACF+Elemental Familiar and poor editing on Growth Spurt FTW).

[Blackhawk748]

Also im gonna toss a recommendation for Lord of Uttercold, as half negative energy damage is always nice.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Arctic Desert(yay tundra!) Magic Blooded Human with Innate Magic(Sanctum War Ocular Twin Repeat Ray Extend Ray Burst Persist Energy Substitute[Cold] Cone of Fire Side Effect Create Water is a level 0 spell) and Magic in the Blood. Until level 6(when I could just barely get Swift Concentration) it would be a 3/day death aura that lets me freely create ice at will with concentration. Then I have the class. Archivist looks nice, but I prefer bookless casters, especially for this character. I could start her off as an Aristocrat for the gold boost and get the materials for the bookless Archivist. It would bump me down to sorcerer progression, but still nice. Wilder would be good to include the whole emotional aspect, and if I am just going to try and mass murder with my 3/day death aura most of the time, the mechanical inferiority wouldn't matter as much.

If you mean Innate Spell (PGtF), that's only usable 3/day. Magic in the Blood makes any 1/day racial spell-like abilities usable 3/day instead, it does not apply to spell-like abilities that weren't gained from a base race or a template. Plus it only allows you to select a spell you know, not a metamagic version of a spell.

It looks like many of those metamagic effects you're trying to use aren't from official WotC sources. You may as well just make up a feat that lets you create any volume of ice you want at will, post it to dandwiki, and then put it on your character sheet.

[Ruethgar]

Dragon Magazine is an official WotC source and is the origin of Innate Magic, Ray Burst, Ray Extenstion, War Spells, and Magical Side Effects. Innate Magic lets you pick a single 0 level spell as a 1/day SLA. I forgot that Magic in the Blood specified racial, could have sworn it used a more vague word like innate, but you still get Create Water 3/day and can modify it with magical side effects(not the infinite ice creation of the other but still nice).

Edit: If I wanted to go unofficial, Magic in the Blood, Cantrip Mastery, Magical Training, Minor Spell Mastery on a Desert Spark Human Savant would get me 20 cantrips per day cast spontaneously from a select list(two custom and create water are the highlights). All at the cost of allowing two unofficial feats.

Edit 2: Decided to just go ahead and take Cantrip Mastery and then make the side effects scale, slightly reduce the power of the spells from their official writing, rename and rework them to be less complicated, make them all hindered by ASF and make the DCs tied into Cha. As to the class, Fax's Blackened Moon Desert Swordsage looks nice for some at will offensive ice powers as opposed to the defensive/utility powers I was able to finagle from spells.

The following abilities are granted at the cost of four feats at first level meaning this option is only available to humans and halflings by default and you must have two flaws.

You have a pool of 20 time per day that you can cast from with any of the following(except the at will powers which are free). These abilities are magical, invoke arcane spell failure, provoke attacks of opportunity, and may be countered.

DC 10+Cha+Character Level/2

Cone of Frost: standard action, 15ft cone of cold, 1d6+1d6 every even level, Ref for half
Ice Wind: standard action, 60ft line of severe wind Fort DC 15 negates effects, 1d6/lvl slashing damage, halve successive target's damage, Ref for half)
Aura of Cold: standard action, activate an aura to deal 1d3 cold damage in 30ft radius every round it is maintained with concentration, Ref for half
Aura of Ice: as a full round action, activate an aura to create two 5ft cubes of ice within 30ft per round of concentration

At Will Powers

Razor Ice: two full round actions 5ft square/lvl, DC 20 Survival to spot, 1d4 slashing, 1d6 cold per square entered, plus mundane snow impediment
Freeze: two full round actions 1x5x5ft/lvl freeze liquid or 10ft square/lvl icy ground
Ward the Frost: 1 min cast 5 cold absorption for 1hr


Primary Modifications
They all normally have a DC 13 save at best or 10 at worst. Cone of frost(Ray of Frost) normally would be fire and be front loaded as 4d6. Ice Wind(Create Water) was complicated, using the falling rules sending ice shards at the target with severe winds, only taking damage if 60ft away and if so taking 0d6 to 9d6... much easier as just a line where nearer people take more damage. Aura of cold(Ray of Frost) was pretty much left alone, aura of ice(Create Water) had the amount of ice reduced. Abusing the ability of prestidigitation(persisted) to create attended objects, you make alchemy in your hand and use it. Cheesy use, I know, but note that none of them are weapons, being used as reagents, or items listed under tools. Would normally be two standard actions but just made them all two full round minimum, they do actually consume a use from your pool once every 24hr, but I just subtracted it to assume it as always active. Razor Ice Powder, Freeze Powder, Polar Skin.