Pimp my Ultimate Magus!

[DamienLunas]

So, I am playing a game as a NE Illumian Wizard 4/Warmage 1/Ultimate Magus 5. I have the feat selection down, and I decided on all my spells, but now I have to finish the sheet with my one weakness... magic items. I'm terribly indecisive about magic items, so that's where you people come in.

I have 49,000 gp to spend, and no limit on one item. So tell me, what would you spend that gold on?

Edit: I forgot to say, all books are allowed.

[Iku Rex]

What is your intended role in the party?
What kind of spells do you have? Feats?
What are your ability scores?

[Kurald Galain]

Ring of Dungeon Master Control?

[Solo]

Bag of Holding, Ring of Spell Storing, and get stat and save enhancing items.

[Ikkitosen]

Circlet of int +4.

Cloak of resistance.

Amulet of con +2.

Some low level scrolls/wands.

[Person_Man]

Why Warmage and not Sorcerer?

Ultimate Magus (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061010a&page=3) is a decent PrC if done correctly. There's really no reason to screw half your spell selection.

[DamienLunas]

I chose warmage because it's nice to have those damage spells, and I can make the best of the MAD from Warmage's edge. Plus it was different.

[CASTLEMIKE]

Do you have the craft wonderous items feat which can really extend your gold? If you have an extra feat for your concept Craft wonderous item is something to consider. All prices are market not crafter. The 49,000 GP is supposed to represent items you have already acquired through adventuring or trade.

I like the Batman approach. Generally lots of lesser magic items particularly those which stack or provide PC utility for minimal cost and prorated items. Basically under the idea that the wizard deals are very intelligent experts in magic who also trade and deal in magic bartering for items.

BUY More Spells Lots of Them and inscribe them in a Prorated 100 page Boccob's Blessed Spell Book 1,250 GP. This gives your wizard a lot of versatility situationally if you leave a single slot open and use pearls of power. Generally First levels spell scrolls cost 25 GP and second level spell scrolls cost 150 GP and Third level spell scrolls cost 375 GP unless there are costly material components or experience. This is a Major Boon for the PC. Wizards are limited by their spell selection. Take advantage of this.

The +2 Headband is 4,000 GP is basically a MUST HAVE regardless of PC Intelligence since it enhances your spellcasting for a fraction of your wealth and can always be enhanced by someone in the party with the Craft Wonderous Items feat..

***The +4 Headband is 16,000 GP is nice but a Third of your wealth so it depends on your concept and game but only 8,000 GP if you make it yourself with the feat or for 8,400 GP as a Guild Member using the college or library references as per Magic of Faerun.

***The +6 Headband is 36,000 GP 73% of your wealth nice to dream though although you could make it for half price and 18,000 GP and some experience points this could be a good option but a better option in another level or two with some of your treasure and buying magic you can't craft now.

+2 Cloak of Resistance is 4,000 GP and the +3 is 9,000 GP and the +4 is 16,000 GP so probably the +2 without the feat.

***With the feat get the +4 Cloak of Resistance for 8,000 GP.

+2 Vest of Charisma for 4,000 GP and the +4 for 16,000 GP half if you make it yourself. (The Cloak of Resistance is to good to give up for the protection it provides)

+1 Amulet of Natural Armor is 2,000 GP and the +2 is 8,000 GP so proably just +1 without the feat (I'm assuming you are using Mage Armor unless you have taken a No ASF in Light Armor feat because of your wizard side despite the Warmage side) otherwise it will take +3 Mithral Breastplate for 9,000 GP

***You can buy a Robe of Useful Items for 7,000 GP that has items in it worth more than 7,000 GP like lots of Gem Patches, Potions of Cure Serious, MINOR SCROLLS (Throw in Several 3rd and Several 4th) plus other situationally useful items. You should have one or two of these maybe you got them from a group of fighters in trade. This is a good item to take advantage of in game to give your PC a minor edge.

***Pearls of Power lots of spell utility as any spellcaster in the party can use. Several First level at 1,000 GP each seems like a No Brainer to me.

***Boccob's Blessed Spell Book (***Preferably one or two prorated 100 page versions at 10% market cost (Another good reason to take the feat) and lots of spells),

***Several assorted Low level talismans of single use first level spells for 300 GP each and spells like Fast Healing 1 remeber at CL1 Fast Healing 1 is almost 200% better than the average Cure Light spell at 4.5 +1 HP on the average. For a talisman you don't need to have the spell on your spell list like for a wand.

Several or more prorated first level wands of useful spells to give your PC more utility. ***Consider some of the eternal wands usable 2/Day at 820 GP forever in a long term campaign.

***Heward's Handy Haversack 2,000 GP because it holds quite a bit and whatever you reach in for is at the top with it's magic which is nice with lots of scrolls, potions or wands and needing one in a hurry.

Everlasting Rations 375 GP just for flavor and bookkeeping reasons

Everfull Mug for 200 GP ditto

The Magic Bedroll 500 GP minor bennies and you are a mage

***Your PC can scribe spells so he should have a good spell library in his Boccob's Blessed Spell Book.

Most of the above items and a few below can be made with Craft Wonderous Items so the feat can be worth some serious gold.
________________________

Except for scrolls things you generally won't make:

Assorted temporary magic items potions and scrolls 2,000 - 6,000 GP

A few prorated 3 - 6 charge wands of various spells to your taste and campaign which will help you level up and out of emergencies in game.

+1 Ring for 2,000 GP maybe a +2 for 8,000 GP and one of your nicer magic items but 18,000 GP for the +3 is a little pricey.

Maybe a Ring of Counterspells for 4,000 GP it depends on the campaign or the Force Shield Ring which provides +2 AC as a Heavy Shield with Noo ASF or encumbrance.

Various Meta Rods which generally require a CL17 so if you can buy them buy them.

Lesser Meta Extend and Silent are nice items for 3,000 GP and the odd spell. See if you can buy a Lesser Meta Sculp Spell for 3,000 GP which could be very useful.

A Lesser Meta Empower is nice at 9,000 GP

***A Staff of Power with a Single Charge for 12,000 - 18,000 GP because it is a +2 Staff that will also provide a luck bonus until that last charge is exhausted.

2 pairs of Lesser Boots of Teleportation usable 1/10 Days for 3,300 GP.

The Bag of Tricks is one of the best magic items for it's price which works best for a Druid or a Ranger but still useful to others.

The Monk's Belt for 13,000 GP if you get the wisdom benefit of a monk for wearing it and you don't have No ASF in light armor or better for both classes.

________________________

An Animate Rope spell and a rope is usually almost as good as a Rope of Climbing at low levels and the situations that require them with a big difference in cost.

Maybe a Hat of Disguise or Elven Boot and Elven Cloak depending on your tastes and campign (Some will see lots of use and others none and a few scrolls will more than suffice)

An Immovable Rod can be useful situationally for 5,000 GP but it depends on the campaign and lots of things to purchase beforehand.

[DamienLunas]

Why take a silent metamagic rod? Also, I'm surprised I hadn't thought sooner of thistledown padded armor from races of the wild, which costs 405, gives a +1 bonus to AC, no penalty, and no spell faliure chance nor movement encumbrance.

Anyway, I thought I'd type out my spell selection.

Identify
Comprehend Language
Alarm
Feather Fall
Tenser's Floating Disc
Charm Person
Protection from Good
Mage Armor (Expanded spell knowledge)

Mirror Image
Fox's Cunning
See invisibility
Blindness/deafness (Expanded spell knowledge)

Haste
Dispel Magic
Fly
Slow

Stoneskin
Enervation

Just to give you all an idea. As for my feats,
Spellcasting Prodigy (Cha)
Combat Casting
Spell focus (Evocation)
Craft Wondrous Item (thanks to castlemike)
Maximize spell

[CASTLEMIKE]

I'd suggest buying more spells at market price particularly first and second level because they are cheap compared to your wealth and what they do for your character giving it more options for a 1,000 to 3,000 GP and buying 3,000 - 6,000 GP of scrolls isn't a bad option since you have it to spare after taking the Craft Wonderous Items feat.

The Silent Meta rod is campaign dependent.

Didn't see it so did you take armored caster for the wizard side? It would give you a few more options and is in theme with the War Mage side.

For a blaster type you might consider a Reserve Feat like Fiery Blast which is powered by your highest level fire spell for damage and gives your PC a constant attack with a memorized fire spell (Warmage side would count as long as a spell slot was available as there are fire spells at every level). It is a pretty decent feat choice if not planning on a long campaign. It could be a option if you take a flaw or two for ranged combat or something to taste.

Skill Focus Concentration is generally better than the Combat Casting feat unless taking for a PRC always on at +3 and not situational and many DMs will give you the nod for it filling in the Combat Casting feat for prerequisite for a PRC.

[Fizban]

Also, I'm surprised I hadn't thought sooner of thistledown padded armor from races of the wild, which costs 405, gives a +1 bonus to AC, no penalty, and no spell faliure chance nor movement encumbrance.
You're doing it WRONG!

The correct answer was: Thistledown Padded Feycraft Mithral Chain Shirt, with +4 AC, no check penalty, failure chance, or encumbrance, and only 10 pounds of weight. A mere 1,850gp.

Books used: Races of the Wild, DMGII, DMG.

[DamienLunas]

You're doing it WRONG!

The correct answer was: Thistledown Padded Feycraft Mithral Chain Shirt, with +4 AC, no check penalty, failure chance, or encumbrance, and only 10 pounds of weight. A mere 1,850gp.

Books used: Races of the Wild, DMGII, DMG.

That's... smexy. Also, I expected someone to eventually say I was doing it wrong.

The campaign setting is supposed to be some outer plane, and we're in the service of a Pit Fiend. My character's backstory is pretty much, he's from an eclipse cabal, and he's trying to establish good relations with the Pit Fiend, which gives me pretty much full creativity to my choice of spells.

Fiery burst sounds very nice, but what book is armored caster from?

[CASTLEMIKE]

I meant to say the Battle Caster feat Complete Arcane. Each time you take the feat you can wear armor one category higher than normal without ASF. Light Armor for your wizard side and then mithril breast plate probably +3.

[DamienLunas]

Actually, it doesn't work for classes that don't grant it in the first place.

[CASTLEMIKE]

I disagree IMO you meet the feat prerequisite on page 75 Complete Arcane via your Warmage class.

It will allow the PC wizard side to cast spells in light armor which includes mithril breastplate with NO ASF.

Your PC already has the proficiency with light armor and the ability to ignore ASF Armored mage (light) the feat prereq from Warmage.

Instead of applying it to Warmage and medium armors which you would receive in time leveling up now you are just applying it to the wizard side.

The Warmage is an armored blaster. Casting spells while wearing armor is one of the things he does best. Taking a feat for casting in light armor for your wizard side and using mithril breastplate armor to complement that Warmage class strength is a good synergy.

Otherwise it might be better to go intelligence based spellcaster variant for a single primary ability intelligence synergy to complement your wizard side.

A charisma based Battle Sorcerer or Battle Spellcaster to complement the Warmage class and casting spells in light armor (mithril breastplate) with a single primary ability for both with Charisma could also work. Just a thought.

[Leon]

Re: Battle Caster

"This ability does not extend to Shields nor does it apply to spells gained from other spellcasting classes that do not allow for casting in armour"

Ergo Wizard Spells will suffer ASF

[Closet_Skeleton]

From the art, an Ultimate Magus looks pretty pimp anyway.

[Iku Rex]

[spells and feats]I know you didn't ask for advice on the rest of the character, but your feat and spell selection could use some improvement. You've got Spell Focus (Evocation) and not a single evocation spell that requires a saving throw.

Edit: Nevermind. WARMAGE! :smallredface:

[deleted]

And Spellcasting Prodigy? Combat Casting? Maximize Spell? Not that great either.

Back to the equipment. I suggest the following:

8000 Headband of Intellect +2 and Charisma +2 (MIC 234)
3200 Hellcat Gauntlets (MIC 111)
5015 +2 Mithral Buckler
2500 Lesser Crystal of Arrow Deflection (MIC 25)
1500 Artificers Monocle (MIC72)
1400 Anklet of Translocation (MIC 71)
700 Amber Amulet of Vermin, Huge Scorpion (MIC 68 – ask DM)
6250 Aureon's Spellshard (ECS 265)
6000 Vest of Resistance +2 and Natural Armor +1 (MIC 234)
4750 Healing Belt (MIC 110) of Health +2 (MIC 234)
2000 Heward's handy Haversack
2000 Ring of Protection +1

43315 Total
5685 Other equipment. (Spells? Material components? [Eternal] Wands?)

Note that I'm using the magic item creation rules on page 234 in the Magic Item Compendium to create "safe" variant items.

I've assumed you've bought it all instead of making it yourself as I didn't want to check the prerequisites.

The amulet needs errata IMO, buy the DM may let you have it you can produce an instant powerful meat shield.
Aureon's Spellshard holds 500 pages of spells with no scribing cost.
The artificers monocle lets you identify magic items on the spot at no cost.
The anklet is a get-out-of-grapple-free item.
The gauntlets add some extra power to any damaging spells you might pick up in the future.

Other equipment you may want to consider:

12500 Crown of Flames (MIC 209, +2 Cha, fire shield) and Intellect +2 (MIC 234)
5100 +1 Twilight (PHBII) Mithral Chain Shirt
7500 Ring of Mystic Fire (MIC 125)
3000 Heward's Fortifying Bedroll (CMag)
2500 Tunic of Steady Spellcasting (MIC 144)

You have mage armor, so I didn't think the armor was worth it. The tunic could replace your Combat Casting feat. The ring is great if you intend to get some fire spells.

[DamienLunas]

What metamagic feat would you suggest I take instead of maximize? Although, I just realized I need another for prerequisite for UM. Keep I can use it with augmented casting, so I can cast higher level spells without adjusting the spell slot.

[CASTLEMIKE]

Since you want to blast things the Fiery Reserve feat might make a nice choice since a wizard can take a reserve feat in place of a bonus meta feat as per Complete Mage reserve feat closing text (which should also count as a metafeat then when there is a requirement for one). Depending on your build you might go for Storm Bolt or Invisible Needle.

[Iku Rex]

What metamagic feat would you suggest I take instead of maximize? Although, I just realized I need another for prerequisite for UM. Keep I can use it with augmented casting, so I can cast higher level spells without adjusting the spell slot.I like Empower Spell over Maximize because it can be applied earlier, is slightly more cost effective on average and actually becomes better than Maximize with some spells (like fire shield).

Other blast oriented Metamagic feats to consider: Fiery Spell (Sandstorm, +1 level, +1 damage per HD), Blistering Spell (Sandstorm, +1 level, ignore fire resistance +),or Energy Substitution (CArc, +0, change energy type).

I'd also consider:
* Practiced Spellcaster (CDiv). It won't stack with the Illumian caster level boost, but +2 caster level to one of your classes can still be worth it.
* Bloodline of Fire (PGtFaerun), +2 caster level fire spells.
* Fiery Burst (CMag) +1 competence caster level fire spells and burst power.
* Residual Magic (CMag) for more free metamagic.

Other random advice: Be a focused specialist (CMag alternate class feature) for your wizard levels. Warmage does the blasting, so you can focus on buffs and utility spells from wizard.

Get the heart of earth spell (CMag) instead of stoneskin. Consider greater mirror image as well - it's a great defensive spell.

[Ikkitosen]

Get the heart of earth spell (CMag) instead of stoneskin. Consider greater mirror image as well - it's a broken defensive spell.

Fixed that for ya :smallsmile:

[Iku Rex]

Fixed that for ya :smallsmile:Great, broken... You say say tomato, I say tomahto. :smallbiggrin: