Making a Favored Soul

[Kesnit]

One of my players (who is also my wife) asked me to put together a Favored Soul for her. I can't find a FS handbook, so am mostly starting from 0. She wants to be a tankish type, but also able to cast spells. Her priority is tank/damage over spells.


Elf Bard 11
Homebrew race Rogue 5/SORC 6
Human Factotum 11

She found a race in a 3rd-party book that she wants to use.
-2 STR
+2 DEX
+2 CHA
Naturally blind (so doesn't take normal penalties) with Blindsight to 60'
LA +1

36-point buy, plus a special one-use item that gives a +2 to their stat of choice.
36000 gold to spend

I was planning for her to take the feat Heavy Armor Prof, and wear Mechanus Gear (Planar Handbook). However, that was just a thought, and I am not determined to go that way.

Her deity's favored weapon is Nunchaku, which she wants to use. (Homebrew deity)

If there is a way for her to get Turn Undead, she'd like to have it. (Prior to the game start, we came up with ACF's that trade out Turn/Rebuke for other abilities. The trade-out for her deity is one she would like to have.) Again, this is not a requirement, but would be nice if possible.

She'd also like a familiar, if possible

She wants to pick her spell list, so I don't need recommendations on that. Any recommendations will be appreciated, but are not required.

Thank you!

[Troacctid]

Use the Deity's Favor variant from Player's Handbook II so she gains temporary HP whenever she casts a buff spell. That should make her nice and beefy.

Turn Undead can be gained with a level of Sacred Exorcist.

Familiars aren't normally available to divine casters. She'd have to dip into an arcane class to get one. Of course, since you're using 3rd party stuff anyway, you could just make something up.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Take Versatile Spellcaster, from Races of the Dragon. It allows you to spend two spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher. You can take Magical Training in PGtF for a spellbook containing a few 0-level spells and the ability to prepare and cast them, which per the Rules Compendium allows you to learn more spells and copy them into your spellbook the same way a Wizard does. You're considered to know every spell in your spellbook, so you can use Versatile Spellcaster to use your Favored Soul spell slots and caster level to cast Wizard spells from your spellbook as divine spells.

Forget wearing armor, cast Greater Luminous Armor from BoED every day. Wear a Monk's Belt to add your Wis bonus to your AC and get a Monk 5 unarmed attack. Pick up Sacred Exorcist to get Turn Undead, and take DMM: Persist to use with Wizard buffs such as Shield, Expeditious Retreat, Wraithstrike, Magic Circle Against Evil, Ray Deflection, Greater Invisibility, Draconic Polymorph, etc. Using Alter Self or Polymorph to take the form of a creature with working eyes will give her vision, but she'll still retain her Blindsight special quality. You can also use DMM: Persistent Thunderlance, which will allow her to use Cha for attack and damage rolls on melee attacks, plus it threatens out to 20 ft. Put Greater Magic Weapon on that, and Magic Vestment on the tangible armor and shield effects.

You can also combine DMM: Persist with Fell Drain and Fell Frighten on spells like Thunderlance, Death Armor, Fire Shield (twice, hot and cold), Cloud of Knives, etc. The first time each of those deals damage to a creature they'll gain a negative level and be automatically shaken for ten rounds, or have their existing fear effect escalated by one step until every fear effect that contributed to the escalated condition has elapsed (Rules Compendium). So anyone who hits her in melee with a nonreach weapon will take damage from Death Armor and both Fire Shields, gain three negative levels, and be automatically Shaken > Frightened > Panicked for ten rounds.

[Troacctid]

You can take Magical Training in PGtF for a spellbook containing a few 0-level spells and the ability to prepare and cast them, which per the Rules Compendium allows you to learn more spells and copy them into your spellbook the same way a Wizard does. You're considered to know every spell in your spellbook, so you can use Versatile Spellcaster to use your Favored Soul spell slots and caster level to cast Wizard spells from your spellbook as divine spells.
That doesn't work.


Forget wearing armor, cast Greater Luminous Armor from BoED every day.
Also doesn't work.


Pick up Sacred Exorcist to get Turn Undead, and take DMM: Persist to use with Wizard buffs such as Shield, Expeditious Retreat, Wraithstrike, Magic Circle Against Evil, Ray Deflection, Greater Invisibility, Draconic Polymorph, etc. Using Alter Self or Polymorph to take the form of a creature with working eyes will give her vision, but she'll still retain her Blindsight special quality. You can also use DMM: Persistent Thunderlance, which will allow her to use Cha for attack and damage rolls on melee attacks, plus it threatens out to 20 ft. Put Greater Magic Weapon on that, and Magic Vestment on the tangible armor and shield effects.

You can also combine DMM: Persist with Fell Drain and Fell Frighten on spells like Thunderlance, Death Armor, Fire Shield (twice, hot and cold), Cloud of Knives, etc. The first time each of those deals damage to a creature they'll gain a negative level and be automatically shaken for ten rounds, or have their existing fear effect escalated by one step until every fear effect that contributed to the escalated condition has elapsed (Rules Compendium). So anyone who hits her in melee with a nonreach weapon will take damage from Death Armor and both Fire Shields, gain three negative levels, and be automatically Shaken > Frightened > Panicked for ten rounds.
And Turn Undead is already being traded away for something else, so this presumably doesn't work either (for this character).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That doesn't work.

Also doesn't work.

The Versatile Spellcaster + Magical Training trick does indeed work, why would you think otherwise?

While it's true that spontaneous casters normally don't get access to sanctified spells like Greater Luminous Armor, they can still be copied into the spellbook and cast via Versatile Spellcaster.

[Troacctid]

The Versatile Spellcaster + Magical Training trick does indeed work, why would you think otherwise?

While it's true that spontaneous casters normally don't get access to sanctified spells like Greater Luminous Armor, they can still be copied into the spellbook and cast via Versatile Spellcaster.

I could argue about the mechanics of spellbooks, but in this case I don't really have to, because Magical Training is a regional, racial feat, and the character in question is the wrong race, so they can't take it.

[Mr Adventurer]

I could argue about the mechanics of spellbooks, but in this case I don't really have to, because Magical Training is a regional, racial feat, and the character in question is the wrong race, so they can't take it.

And is blind, so they can't read!

[nedz]

Her priority is tank/damage over spells.

Has she considered Druid ?

Also both Druid and Cleric are available in spontaneous versions (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/spontaneousDivineCasters.htm) — if she doesn't like spell prep.

I say the above because FS is quite tricky to do anything with.

[SinsI]

And is blind, so they can't read!
...ordinary letters. Braille-based spellbook, anyone?

[Warrnan]

Here are a few ideas for you. I prefer a spontaneous Cleric variant from Unearthed arcana. This was created before the Favored Soul and allows you to spontaneous cast while retaining domains and turn undead. Turn undead is great for a few reasons such as Law Devotion, Divine Metamagic and Smite from the Ordained Champion prestige class. Spontaneous Cleric also allows you to have Heavy armor proficiency without wasting a feat. Grab the Wild Cohort feat. It'll get you a druid's animal companion. Not exactly a "familiar" but the closest you can have with out multiclassing into an arcane class.

However if you are wedded to the specific class favored soul, I saw a friend utilize several spells to great effect with lots of casts per day. Most of these are from the spell compendium: Close Wounds 2: immediate action healing at close range. Dark way: a force bridge utilized by my friend to take epic short cuts thru a nasty maze. Holy Storm: a tossable area effect damage over time that doesn't hurt your friends and does double damage vs evil outsiders. And the crem de la crem, Delay Death: immunity to death from HP damage pair this with Diehard from the ordained champion class or just take the feat. Now you can Tank into the negative HP or throw it on a dying ally to give yourself more time to heal them up. Shield other is another awesome spell. your warded ally takes half damage and you take the other half. This is great if you have a rogue who likes to melee and you can heal yourself with out having to move over and touch them.

I know its for Roleplay reasons but nunchukus are really terrible weapons. See you can get her to use a two handed flail instead. Same basic idea just larger so you can get double handed power attack damage for actual melee viability.

At high levels, grab a rod of chain spell and hit the whole party with greater magic armor and greater magic weapon.

[Petrocorus]

One of my players (who is also my wife) asked me to put together a Favored Soul for her. I can't find a FS handbook, so am mostly starting from 0. She wants to be a tankish type, but also able to cast spells. Her priority is tank/damage over spells.

If she want to tank, then using spells from the Vigor line (SpC) would be usefull, and the Touch of Healing reserve feat for a lot of free healing.
Of course a good Con would be necessary.



I was planning for her to take the feat Heavy Armor Prof, and wear Mechanus Gear (Planar Handbook). However, that was just a thought, and I am not determined to go that way.

Useless, a Mithral Full Plate is a medium armor. And she will be fine with a Breastplate during first levels.
She can also get a Monk's Belt, or have an Artificer create a custom Battle Dancer's Belt. Battle Dancer are from Dragon Compendium and have the AC bonus like the monk, but keyed on Charisma. Or she can dip into Swordsage and go with a mithral breastplate + AC bonus.
She also have spells for improving her AC.


Her deity's favored weapon is Nunchaku, which she wants to use. (Homebrew deity)

If there is a way for her to get Turn Undead, she'd like to have it. (Prior to the game start, we came up with ACF's that trade out Turn/Rebuke for other abilities. The trade-out for her deity is one she would like to have.) Again, this is not a requirement, but would be nice if possible.

There are some PrC which gives Turn Undead: the Sacred Exorcist (CDiv), Knight of the Raven (Ravenloft).
You can also let her take it as a feat, by DM fiat.



She'd also like a familiar, if possible

No, familiar are for arcane casters. But the Knght of the Raven has a Raven Harrier who gives a bit of the feel of a familiar.
There are some PrC which gives an Animal Companion.



She wants to pick her spell list, so I don't need recommendations on that. Any recommendations will be appreciated, but are not required.

Thank you!
Well, she supposed to pick her spells from the Cleric spell list, not any other list unless she gain access to some domains through Ordained Champion, Windwalker, Seeker of Misty Isles, Contemplative etc.

[Lerondiel]

...the Touch of Healing reserve feat for a lot of free healing.

This is a great idea. The first thing that party's going to wish for is some regular healing. Without a healing feat, she could get very frustrated with the party 'suggesting' how to use her spell slots.

[Petrocorus]

This is a great idea. The first thing that party's going to wish for is some regular healing. Without a healing feat, she could get very frustrated with the party 'suggesting' how to use her spell slots.

It only heals up to half the PC's maximum HP, but the players can live with that.

And concerning the party suggesting how to use spell slots, well, the divine caster has always the solution to say: " Go F yaselves, buy healing belts, i'm going into persisted Divine Power, Knowledge Devotion and Holy Warrior reserve feat instead and make a melee powerhouse that will have you cry at night about yourselves."

[Troacctid]

I would recommend learning the close wounds spell. It's only a 2nd level spell and it is arguably the best healing spell in the entire game. It's an immediate action, so you don't have to waste your turn to cast it, and if it's used in response to an attack, it effectively prevents damage, which can save an ally who would otherwise drop to -10 HP or lower and die instantly. (This is great because you can wait until the very last minute before casting it, which helps conserve spell slots.) Add in the extra temporary HP from the Deity's Favor variant and the ability to cast it spontaneously, and it is just fantastic. You will never need a normal cure spell again.

[GilesTheCleric]

The spells mentioned above are all good spells; for additional spell choices, check the link in my sig. It also briefly explains the strengths and choices a FS can make, so it's like a very short guidebook for the class (I didn't do any feat or PrC suggestions in that post, though the thread it's from should have all of that as well).

I don't think that Intuitive Attack and Zen Archery have been suggested as feats yet; those when coupled with Divine Power make meleeing much better. If she's set on being a tank, one of the only ways in the game to do that is with the Goad feat (the knight class and a few PrCs also have the ability, but those don't advance casting). Thicket of Blades and Stand Still help, too.

In terms of healing, picking up the Touch of Healing Reserve feat is an excellent suggestion; Draconic Aura [Vigour] will do the same thing, but as an aura (and thus without actions, but at a slower rate).

If your player ever feels constrained by their spells known, then dropping some Knowstones (Drag333 93) and Pearls of Power can help solve that. Other item choices might (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=4400.0) be (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=350.0) from (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)) the (http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/2011/12/complete-shopping-list.html) usual (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) lists (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?149464-Fill-That-Slot!-3-5).

[Petrocorus]

Draconic Aura [Vigour] will do the same thing, but as an aura (and thus without actions, but at a slower rate).


The Vigor aura is the one aura you cannot have with the Draconic feat. The feat in Dragon Magic says you can select a feat on p 86 of the same book and the said page does not list the Vigor aura, this aura is described with the Dragon Shaman class features in another book.

[SinsI]

She'd also like a familiar, if possible
Everything is possible. Two levels of Mystic Wanderer PRC from Magic Of Faerun gives divine casters familiar. You can learn Iron Will feat prerequisite by resting at the nearest Otyugh Hole for a week (or making your own one for 3k gold).

[Kesnit]

Use the Deity's Favor variant from Player's Handbook II so she gains temporary HP whenever she casts a buff spell. That should make her nice and beefy.

She looked at that, but had previously ruled it out because she wanted the weapon benefits. However, being able to use the temp HP on herself is a good point. I'll mention that to her.


urn Undead can be gained with a level of Sacred Exorcist.

I forgot to mention in the OP that she is going CN to CE, so Sacred Exorcist is out. Nice thought, though... :smallfrown:


Of course, since you're using 3rd party stuff anyway, you could just make something up.

Since she is my wife, I do not want to just "hand wave" things for her.


Forget wearing armor, cast Greater Luminous Armor from BoED every day.

CN to CE.


Wear a Monk's Belt to add your Wis bonus to your AC and get a Monk 5 unarmed attack.

She's been doing the unarmed thing (with a Clawlock) and wants something different.


Has she considered Druid ?

Also both Druid and Cleric are available in spontaneous versions (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/spontaneousDivineCasters.htm) — if she doesn't like spell prep.

I know she doesn't want Druid. I'll bring up Spontaneous Cleric, though.


Turn undead is great for a few reasons such as Law Devotion, Divine Metamagic and Smite from the Ordained Champion prestige class.

As I said in the OP, if she gets Turn Undead, she is trading it out for a homebrewed ACF. (I know I said above I am trying to avoid homebrew with her, but this is an option that is available to any PC with Turn or Rebuke Undead.)


However if you are wedded to the specific class favored soul, I saw a friend utilize several spells to great effect with lots of casts per day. Most of these are from the spell compendium: (snipped)

Thank you! Those are great.


See you can get her to use a two handed flail instead.

Neither Cleric nor FS is proficient with martial weapons, which heavy flail is.


Useless, a Mithral Full Plate is a medium armor. And she will be fine with a Breastplate during first levels.

In both cases, she'd have to throw points into DEX to make it worth it. She's already MAD, with CHA and WIS-based casting, plus the need for STR and CON. (Esp since her race has a negative to STR.)


There are some PrC which gives Turn Undead: the Sacred Exorcist (CDiv), Knight of the Raven (Ravenloft).

Sadly, both require the PC to be good...


Well, she supposed to pick her spells from the Cleric spell list, not any other list

When I said pick her spell list, I meant pick her spells known. Sorry for the confusion.


Since I accidentally snipped the comment about her not using spells for healing, the party is already very stocked with Healing Belts. Her current PC has 3 that she swaps out when necessary.

[SinsI]

Neither Cleric nor FS is proficient with martial weapons, which heavy flail is.
For clerics, War domain grants you proficiency and Weapon Focus with Diety's favored weapon.
Favored Soul is also proficient with her diety's favored weapon.
Heavy flail is favored for:
Akadi (N), Hextor(LE), Sheyanna Flaxenstrand (CG) and Urogalan(LN)

[GilesTheCleric]

Some cleric PrCs will also grant proficiency. Radiant servant (of pelor) is the first one I think of, though rkv probably also does (afb).

[Petrocorus]

In both cases, she'd have to throw points into DEX to make it worth it. She's already MAD, with CHA and WIS-based casting, plus the need for STR and CON. (Esp since her race has a negative to STR.)

The point of wearing an armour is to be able to dump Dex. I think she will be fine with a breastplate until she can afford a mithral fullplate, even with a Dex of 10. The AC difference between a Full Plate and a Breastplate is +3. There are ways to make up for the difference. For example. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=11947718&postcount=7)

Additionally, she don't need that much Wis if she choose spells without saving throws. Buff spells, ranged touch attacks and many other spells don't have saving throws.



Sadly, both require the PC to be good...

Right out of my mind, the only evil one i can think of is the Ur-Priest, but it's not good for her since it has it's own casting.



When I said pick her spell list, I meant pick her spells known. Sorry for the confusion.


No problems.

[Kesnit]

For clerics, War domain grants you proficiency and Weapon Focus with Diety's favored weapon.
Favored Soul is also proficient with her diety's favored weapon.
Heavy flail is favored for:
Akadi (N), Hextor(LE), Sheyanna Flaxenstrand (CG) and Urogalan(LN)

All the deities are homebrew, and none have heavy flail as their favored. Also, she has picked her deity and is pretty set on it.


The point of wearing an armour is to be able to dump Dex.

Which was my point. In order to get the maximum AC from mithral fullplate, you need DEX 14. For a breastplate, 16. For 10 DEX (and 1 feat), I can get the same AC as mithral full plate, and 2 better than breastplate, and use those points for more useful stats.


Additionally, she don't need that much Wis if she choose spells without saving throws. Buff spells, ranged touch attacks and many other spells don't have saving throws.

I don't know what spells she is going to pick. I suspect buff spells, but am not sure.

[GilesTheCleric]

Maybe it's not relevant any more, but if you're looking for a non-G luminous armour replacement, consider Segojan's Armour (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20041117a). Wearing something like silkwrap (Ss, maybe?) and then casting Magic Vestment on it could work, too. I remember reading about the Beekeeper's Outfit recently and some shenanigans that can be had with it.

[Firechanter]

Which was my point. In order to get the maximum AC from mithral fullplate, you need DEX 14. For a breastplate, 16.

Not quite; it's Dex 16 for Mithral Fullplate and 20 for Mithral Breastplate.
I understand that she wants to play a -Str, +Dex race and so she should have pretty high Dex.

My experiences with FS might not really apply here, but what I did was mix in a level of Cleric (for Domain powers / free feats and Turn Undead), and use the TU attempts to fuel Divine Might and Divine Shield (3.0 versions, i.e. pre-nerf). Over the course of the levels I added 2 Paladin levels for absurd save bonuses. Sure, my Divine Spellcasting lagged two spell levels behind a Cleric, but for that campaign it didn't matter. That bit about "melee powerhouse that will have you cry at night about yourselves" definitely did apply.

Spell selection was mostly: Self-Buffs, some Party Buffs, rest for restorative/curative spells.
The important thing to note is to not use any spells that allow a save, due to the split-stat spellcasting.

[Grim Reader]

Knight of the Raven is a good, tanky full-BaB PrC for a Favored Soul, and comes with a Familiar. Prestige Paladin is not bad either.

You might be able to get Turn Undead through a Necromantic Bloodline and Kin Mastery. I don't remember if there is an "arcane" requirement on that.

A trick you can do with a Favored Soul is Sand Shaper for Desert Insight, but its not a good fit for your requirements.