.Zero
2014-12-19, 07:11 PM
It seems that alternate casting of Consumptive Field and Greater Consumptive Field grant an arbitrarily increase in caster level based on how many spells slots you lime to burn.
But how do we actually feed the fields?
This post will show you a method i found to do it, but it's quite expensive. I'll share this so that you could critique it and maybe help me find a better way that doesn't rely on chickens. The answers i found lie in the almighty polymorph spell line.lines
Cast Shapechange to become a Neogi Old Master (LoM), which has the cool ability to spit 2d4 neogi spawns once per round as a standard action in a range of 30ft, and it also spits 2d4 more spawns if he's damaged, but only once per round as a free action.
Now the first issue is triggering the spells' effect.
CF's saving throw and GCF's saving throw each trigger on separate circumstances, the former activates when creatures in the spell's area drop to at least 0 hp, and the latter activates when a creature with hp up to 9 enters the spell's area.
The fact is that when we cast CF for the second time (which happens after we cast CF a first time and GCF a first time), the effect of GCF is still there, so our little creatures will suddenly die from the GCF, thus not activating the new CF saving throw and wasting the spell.
In order to gain full benefit from Consumptive Field regarding the spawns, we need to give each CF spell a wider range, so we cast it as Widened. The spell will now have an area of 60ft.
This means that our PC is inside a 60ft radius in which the CF effect apply from foot 60 to foot 30, and then the GCF effect apply from foot 30 to foot 0 (regarding the neogi spawns only the GCF effect will apply on them in the closest area, because of their low hp).
A Neogi Old Master can spit spawns to a maximum of a 30ft distance, so you alone are not able to put those spawns in the CF area. What you need is another Neogi Old Master and that's why you'll cast PAO on several spawns to transform them.
Don't worry about the 8th levels spell slots you'll waste to cast PAO. Since its duration will be "permanent until dispelled", you could waste every 8th level spell slots to transform your spawns and go nuts.
The last step is finding a way to kill every spawn each round passively, thus activating the CF effect on them.
There are several spells that grant a constant area damage, but i choose wall of fire. It is avery simple spell that just does damage. It is what i was looking for. Good for you if you can get Permanency on it.
Now that i explained you which pieces you need, i'll explain you in which order you'll do your things.
1) Cast Shapechange and spit 2d4 spawns.
2) PAO them into Old Masters.
3) Go to bed.
4) Wake up, do your things and cast GCF.
5) Order the master to spit their spawns in the GCF area. The spawns will fail their saving throw and you'll see your cl increased. Then order some masters to go 70ft away from you and some masters to stay within 40ft from you. In this way they'll be able to spit spawns both in the GCF area and in the CF area.
6) Cast Widened CF.
7) Cast Wall of Fire and place it in the Widened CF's area. Obviously you should not damage the masters.
8) Every piece is in its own place, so you can start. From now on, every round a group of masters will spit their spawn in the CF area just inside the Wall of Fire, triggering the CF effect, and the other group of masters (said masters are inside the CF area, but since they won't be damaged by the wall they won't die) will spit spawns inside the GCF area.
9) Find a way to persist each very last casting of CF and GCF, so that their bonuses lasts all day.
The trick is done. But let's take in account resources you need to spend to accomplish this: PAO and Shapechange don't count because you'll cast 'em once and never more, and I'm inclined to not take in account Wall of Fire, 'cause you'll likely spend some exp to make it Permanency'ed.
Each day you need to cast some 7th level spells and some 5th level spells to accomplish this. If you play in heavy optimization campaign (tippy-level) you probably won't care, cause you'll have a way to get an arbitrarily high number of spells per day, but in a lower optimization level you'll likely spend 3-4 5th level spell slots and 3-4 7th level spell slots, which will push your cl to 100+.
At lower optimization level this trick won't never fly.
Minimum level to do this i think it's 15, because the highest level spell you need is PAO and you need just four feats: Widen Spell, Extend Spell, Permanent Spell and Divine Metamagic. The fact is that Shapechange is not necessary, you'll just be fine with regular Polymorph.
So, what do you think of it? Could you find a way to do it better (please, no chicken infested, and not things like "I can cast Wish/Miracle an infine number of times per day as a Commoner 1")?
But how do we actually feed the fields?
This post will show you a method i found to do it, but it's quite expensive. I'll share this so that you could critique it and maybe help me find a better way that doesn't rely on chickens. The answers i found lie in the almighty polymorph spell line.lines
Cast Shapechange to become a Neogi Old Master (LoM), which has the cool ability to spit 2d4 neogi spawns once per round as a standard action in a range of 30ft, and it also spits 2d4 more spawns if he's damaged, but only once per round as a free action.
Now the first issue is triggering the spells' effect.
CF's saving throw and GCF's saving throw each trigger on separate circumstances, the former activates when creatures in the spell's area drop to at least 0 hp, and the latter activates when a creature with hp up to 9 enters the spell's area.
The fact is that when we cast CF for the second time (which happens after we cast CF a first time and GCF a first time), the effect of GCF is still there, so our little creatures will suddenly die from the GCF, thus not activating the new CF saving throw and wasting the spell.
In order to gain full benefit from Consumptive Field regarding the spawns, we need to give each CF spell a wider range, so we cast it as Widened. The spell will now have an area of 60ft.
This means that our PC is inside a 60ft radius in which the CF effect apply from foot 60 to foot 30, and then the GCF effect apply from foot 30 to foot 0 (regarding the neogi spawns only the GCF effect will apply on them in the closest area, because of their low hp).
A Neogi Old Master can spit spawns to a maximum of a 30ft distance, so you alone are not able to put those spawns in the CF area. What you need is another Neogi Old Master and that's why you'll cast PAO on several spawns to transform them.
Don't worry about the 8th levels spell slots you'll waste to cast PAO. Since its duration will be "permanent until dispelled", you could waste every 8th level spell slots to transform your spawns and go nuts.
The last step is finding a way to kill every spawn each round passively, thus activating the CF effect on them.
There are several spells that grant a constant area damage, but i choose wall of fire. It is avery simple spell that just does damage. It is what i was looking for. Good for you if you can get Permanency on it.
Now that i explained you which pieces you need, i'll explain you in which order you'll do your things.
1) Cast Shapechange and spit 2d4 spawns.
2) PAO them into Old Masters.
3) Go to bed.
4) Wake up, do your things and cast GCF.
5) Order the master to spit their spawns in the GCF area. The spawns will fail their saving throw and you'll see your cl increased. Then order some masters to go 70ft away from you and some masters to stay within 40ft from you. In this way they'll be able to spit spawns both in the GCF area and in the CF area.
6) Cast Widened CF.
7) Cast Wall of Fire and place it in the Widened CF's area. Obviously you should not damage the masters.
8) Every piece is in its own place, so you can start. From now on, every round a group of masters will spit their spawn in the CF area just inside the Wall of Fire, triggering the CF effect, and the other group of masters (said masters are inside the CF area, but since they won't be damaged by the wall they won't die) will spit spawns inside the GCF area.
9) Find a way to persist each very last casting of CF and GCF, so that their bonuses lasts all day.
The trick is done. But let's take in account resources you need to spend to accomplish this: PAO and Shapechange don't count because you'll cast 'em once and never more, and I'm inclined to not take in account Wall of Fire, 'cause you'll likely spend some exp to make it Permanency'ed.
Each day you need to cast some 7th level spells and some 5th level spells to accomplish this. If you play in heavy optimization campaign (tippy-level) you probably won't care, cause you'll have a way to get an arbitrarily high number of spells per day, but in a lower optimization level you'll likely spend 3-4 5th level spell slots and 3-4 7th level spell slots, which will push your cl to 100+.
At lower optimization level this trick won't never fly.
Minimum level to do this i think it's 15, because the highest level spell you need is PAO and you need just four feats: Widen Spell, Extend Spell, Permanent Spell and Divine Metamagic. The fact is that Shapechange is not necessary, you'll just be fine with regular Polymorph.
So, what do you think of it? Could you find a way to do it better (please, no chicken infested, and not things like "I can cast Wish/Miracle an infine number of times per day as a Commoner 1")?