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View Full Version : Optimization Cheapest continuous miss-chance?



Extra Anchovies
2014-10-12, 10:45 PM
Purpose: let's figure out how cheap we can get an item that grants a miss chance without a uses/day cap. For convenience's sake, let's divide it into two categories, one for 20% miss chance (as blur) and one for 50% (as displacement). ETA: I'll also list concealment effects separately, because different things defeat them (true seeing beats direct miss chances, but not concealment; Improved Precise Shot ignores non-total concealment).

To start off, we'll want a command-word item for each. Spell level x Caster level x 1800 GP is very cheap compared to the cost for a use-activated or continuous item (spell level x caster level x 2000 GP x 4 {if spell duration is in rounds} ). We'll also want to minimize caster level and spell level, to reduce cost. Spell-effect items, after all, use the minimum possible caster level at which the caster could cast the spell.

Blur is a piece of cake. Wizard with Precocious Apprentice has CL 1, spell level 2, for 3600 GP. If we really want continuous, it costs 8000 GP. Too bad the Celerity domain was updated from 3.0 to 3.5, otherwise we could take the Defenders of the Faith version and get it as a 1st-level spell.
20% miss chance: 3,600 GP command-word, 8,000 GP continuous
Concealment: 1800 GP command-word, 3000 GP continuous (thanks Troacctid)

Displacement is also surprisingly easy to get for cheap. Telflammar Shadowlord gets it as a 2nd-level spell at level 3, giving us a cost of 10800 GP for command word, but a whopping 48000 GP for continuous or use-activated.
50% miss chance: 10,800 GP command-word, 48,000 GP continuous

But can we do better? Are there any other spells that grant a miss chance with a duration in minutes/level or even longer? And are there any ways to get Displacement at a lower caster level than 3? What can you guys come up with?

Troacctid
2014-10-12, 10:54 PM
If you'll settle for darkness, the duration on that is 10 minutes/level.

Astralia123
2014-10-12, 11:03 PM
You can use continuous invisibility, and have your familiar to activate it for you whenever its effect ends.

You will be vulnerable when your enemy readies an attack against you, though.

Extra Anchovies
2014-10-12, 11:06 PM
If you'll settle for darkness, the duration on that is 10 minutes/level.

Hm. It's also a 1st-level Telflammar Shadowlord spell, so we get 3000 GP for a use-activated or continuous item. The area-effect would be kind of a limitation normally. However, a Rogue 3/Beguiler 14/Archmage 1/Telflammar Shadowlord 1 (in no particular order) who selected Mastery of Shaping would be able to reduce the area of the darkness effect to a 5-foot cube. This works because the archmage's High Arcana don't explicitly apply to only one arcane spellcasting class. Nice suggestion.

Hand_of_Vecna
2014-10-12, 11:11 PM
I know that Dark Lantern which can be activated and deactivated at will changes the illumination in the area to shadowy illumination. I cost 2,00gp and is half of a combo with another cheap item that grants miss chance (maybe via cover) in shaowy illumination.

Maybe someone else can help fill in the other half of the combo.

Esprit15
2014-10-13, 04:22 AM
Child of Shadow stance from ToB is pretty free (costs either 1 level of Swordsage or two feats) and only requires you move 10ft for a 20% miss chance. Can't remember if you can get the weird scroll mechanic from initiators to count for stances, but there you go.

Greenish
2014-10-13, 04:29 AM
I know that Dark Lantern which can be activated and deactivated at will changes the illumination in the area to shadowy illumination. I cost 2,00gp and is half of a combo with another cheap item that grants miss chance (maybe via cover) in shaowy illumination.Darklight (SoS) costs mere 500 gp and can change the illumination level to basically anything you wish for, including complete darkness. Combine with Ring of the Darkhidden (MIC) to make yourself invisible to darkvision and you'll have a nice (if not particularly party-friendly) total concealment.

Any magical source of light defeats Darklight's non-magical darkness, though.

Know(Nothing)
2014-10-13, 04:35 AM
The No Light cantrip from BoVD would work as well.

KingAtomsk
2014-10-13, 07:54 AM
Smoking Weapon is a +1 weapon enhancement (Lords of Darkness, p. 180)
It requires activation but you can leave it active all the time for a continuous 20% miss chance. As an added bonus, anyone that enters your square is affected as though by a stinking cloud spell, to which you are immune.