Optimization Challenge

[LordOfCain]

Using only the Complete books and the core books, what is the best build that must include Rage Mage, Eldritch Knight, and Spellsword and no other PrCs. The best build will be highlighted on my (admittedly sparcely travelled) blog at blog.lordofcain.com. The winner will be decided via poll on December 12th.

[AvatarVecna]

...so it has to use all three PrCs, and no other PrCs? Or are those just the only PrCs available, and we can mix and match as we please?

[daremetoidareyo]

complete psionic?

[LordOfCain]

No other PrCs other than those are available and it must have at least one level in each of them. As I said in the original post, all Complete books are allowed.

[Darrin]

Barb 1/Wizard 6/Spellsword 1/Eldritch Knight 10/Rage Mage 2

Or rather, "Wizard 20 that wasted three caster levels on something else."

[AvatarVecna]

Barb 1/Wizard 6/Spellsword 1/Eldritch Knight 10/Rage Mage 2

Or rather, "Wizard 20 that wasted three caster levels on something else."

Damn it, you beat me to it.

EDIT: It's worth mentioning that, with the exception of losing that single caster level, Eldritch Knight isn't that bad, especially if you can qualify without a dip. But yeah, forcing a build to contain all three of these just doesn't make for a good character.

[LordOfCain]

Damn it, you beat me to it.

EDIT: It's worth mentioning that, with the exception of losing that single caster level, Eldritch Knight isn't that bad, especially if you can qualify without a dip. But yeah, forcing a build to contain all three of these just doesn't make for a good character.
Hence why I said Optimization Challenge. I made this competition to make people think about how to use three prestige classes designed to do more or less the same things in the same build.

[AvatarVecna]

Hence why I said Optimization Challenge. I made this competition to make people think about how to use three prestige classes designed to do more or less the same things in the same build.

The problem is that the most optimal build has already been posted: the one that loses the least caster levels. If there was a second level of Spellsword in that build, they wouldn't be able to cast 9th lvl spells at all, and it only gets worse. The best a full rage mage can do is casting as a 14th lvl character, and their BAB won't even be very good. Eldritch Knight is the best of the lot of them, but because lvl 1 takes away some casting, nobody uses it...for a reason.

[JNAProductions]

Remember-you gotta optimize with purpose. Best overall is, invariably, going to be a full caster (or as close as can be gotten).

But what do you want to do? If your goal is, say, building the best baker the world has ever seen, your build will be different from someone who's trying to build a melee monster.

Just "the best" equals caster.

[daremetoidareyo]

arcane channeler build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?450771-rage-mage-spellthief-build-just-for-kicks&highlight=spell+thief+rage+mage)

With rage mage's spell rage and the master spell thief feat, you can steal spells equal to your spell thief level plus your character level. Spells of which you also cannot possibly store.

But you can use a free action to interrupt the wasted effort to use arcane channel and shunt what would be a wasted spell that you just stole for +spell level to hit and + spell level X 1d4 damage,

...but that benefit only lasts a single round, so...

you use two weapon fighting and punch/stab them with your off hand attack at an attack bonus that could over-ride the lower attack bonus while also doing a bunch of d4s of extra damage.

You ride rage mage to level 7 for spell fury so that you can quicken any spell you steal (get rid of them pesky freedom of movement spells). Spellsword at level 4 allows you to channel a spell to transfer the effect onto an attacked person. Eldritch knight is there for an extra feat. Basically, you bleed them of their spells by channeling them or casting them.

You ignore 25% of the spell failure for light or medium armor, so you can survive a bit longer in combat.

Human
1: Sorcerer 1 or wu jen or wizard: precocious apprentice, combat casting
2: Spellthief 1
3: spellthief 2: master spell thief
4: fighter 1: two weapon fighting
5: fighter 2: power attack
6: barbarian 1: arcane strike
7: ragemage 1:
8: ragemage 2:
9: spell sword 1: craven? maybe?
10-15: ragemage 3-8: 2 more feats
16-18: spellsword 2-4: 1 feat, 1 fighter feat
19-20: eldritch knight 1-2: fighter feat

[LordOfCain]

The goal is more or less currently for the character to have melee ability comparable to a warblade.

[AvatarVecna]

The goal is more or less currently for the character to have melee ability comparable to a warblade.

And that same Wizard build that wastes 3 caster levels is still superior; it's even got a pretty decent BAB thanks to Eldritch Knight. Plus, with spells for buffing, you'll be taking over in no time.