Single Spell Master?

[Xhosant]

I just wanted to know, is there any feat (or much better, prc) that revolves around mastering a single spell (of your choice) or a very narrow array of spells, to an extreme degree?

EDIT: I'm interested more in stuff like, say, magelord and Halruaan elder than Force Missile mage, in that the second has already picked their spell.

Stuff I've liked so far:

Arcane Thesis
Magelord
Halruaan Elder
Wu Jen
Master Specialist

(Recaster and Wyrm Wizard are rather good for utility, honorary mention)

And also, sticking to 3.5 and first party would be best unless you know something REALLY good from PF. But I'm alright with getting obscure.

[Cerefel]

Well there's the Swiftblade which is a gish PrC centered around mastering the spell Haste.

Other than that, nothing really comes to mind.

[Eloel]

Force Missile Mage is focused on, yes, Magic Missiles.

You're also looking for the feat Arcane Thesis, probably.

[Hamste]

There is also force missile mage focused around magic missile.

[ComaVision]

I made a Cloistered Cleric/FMM, that was entertaining.

[Janthkin]

Shadowcraft Mage; all you need is Silent Image.

[Necroticplague]

Master of the Unseen Hand is about focusing on Telekinesis.

Arcane Thesis is pretty much exactly this.

[Ger. Bessa]

Magelord (LEoF iirc) is based around spell mastery, and so is Halruaan Elder (Shining south).

The first one allows you to convert any prepared spell into your mastered spells and apply metamagics on the fly, without lengtgening the casting time. (He also gets sneak attack). He can't be entered before level ten, and requires Spelldancer if you don't want to loose spellcasting levels for evasion.

The second one can be entered at lv 8 and grants you every three level the spell mastery feat and a metamagic cost reducer. If you want to fling empowered twinmaxed energy admixtured orbs, he goes well with Incantatrix. Last but not least, he gets you circle magic.

Recaster and Wyrm Wizard can grant you THE spell if it isn't on your class list, while Wu Jen gets spell secrets to customize your signature spell by applying core +1 metamagics.

There are also classes specialized with some spells (the summons with Malconvoker and Alienist, a few for Polymorph, a few for Teleport).

Paragnostic Apostle can get a few bonuses for very specific spells (a +2 to mage armor, bonus CL for elemental/aligned spells, fast healing for summons). Also look at what Master Specialist can grant you.

Spellwarp Sniper and other SA casters can buff your damages if you go for rays. (Arcane trickster, Unseen Seer).

Shadowcraft Mage is a Silent Image specialist (or a silent image generalist ?).

Could you give us the spell(s) you have in mind ?

[Flickerdart]

Magelord is actually available online for free (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050202a&page=2).

[Extra Anchovies]

Pathfinder has Spell Perfection (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/spell-perfection), but it's only available from 15th level.

[icefractal]

3.5 or Pathfinder?

The stuff already mentioned for the former (Arcane Thesis especially).
For the latter, there's several:
* The Magical Lineage and Wayang Spell Hunter (aka Metamagic Master) traits both provide an Arcane Thesis style metamagic reduction.
* Spell Specialization boosts CL by 2.
* Greater Spell Specialization lets you convert other spells into it.
* Spell Perfection, as mentioned.
* Some bloodlines and Wizard school abilities provide bonuses to certain types of spells.

[Lord Haart]

If you're okay with refluffing, there are some classes that can be masters of a single spell-y ability. Both a warlock and a dragonfire adept can be built focusing on eldritch blast/fire (or other element) breath and picking only 24 hours-long "passive" invocations, thus performing well as a specialist in a single blasting (or blasting-and-debuffing, in case of DFA with entangling exhalation) spell; DFA can up this further by using metabreath feats. A wilder is psionic specialist to the extreme, learning a single power per power level (one extra for first and ninth levels); the way psionic powers scale, a low-level power can (and usually should) be boosted to work like a high-level one, and the wilder actually specialises in busting his scant few powers through the usual rule-mandated roof and to a magnitude appropriate to higher levels than he is. Focusing it all on a single power is quite viable, as blasting powers are inherently more versatile than spells, and there's a Metapower feat in Complete Psionics that applies to a single power, reduces cost of metapsionics applied to it, and stacks with itself, therefore allowing you to, say, quicken a single power for free if you invest enough feats. Non-blasting powers don't scale _that_ well (except Ectoplasmic Construct, THE psionic resident summoning power, which scales just marvelously, and a Wilder that gets it onto his list is a happy wilder indeed), but the concept of a single-spell-specialist limits your batmansy anyway.

Of course, there's also the good old way of claiming that different spells you use are various applications of a single versatile spell ("My only spell is Create Glass. Hey, i create a lot of tiny glass crystals, sort of a glittering dust that gets into your eyes. Now i turn the ground below you into a glassy surface that is slippery, almost as if it were greased. Now i make a giant lens to focus sunlight into a bright, scorching ray.") A narrower application is for a wilder or a blaster to pick differently shaped blasting powers/spells and pretend that the shape of his signature spell may vary.

A barbarian can be played as an ultra-focused cleric of Cord who only casts holy freaking power, or as a martially bent wizard/sorcerer who prefers a supped up Tenser's Transformation to all this energy manipulating. A Totemist, likewise, can be seen as a transmuter who expends all of his slots every morning to grow extra claws and appendages (played that one).



Adding to non-refluffing lists above, there is Spell Thematics feat that lets you designate a single spell per spell level as a thematical one, get +1 caster level and harder DC to recognise it with Spellcraft, and lets you decide how it looks like (with a limitation that all of the spells affected by the feat must have a common visual theme), as if it weren't quite official (the books do suggest it at some points) that you don't need a feat to refluff the appearance of any of your spells.

[Xhosant]

I'd like less stuff like Swiftblade that (while awesome) specialize in their own spells, and more like Shugenja that lets you pick the spell you're buffing.

I had initially thought of Thunderlance as the spell I could overboost, but bonus points for options that work for any spell, and other-group spell options are always welcome, too.

[Red Fel]

Start with Wizard. Take the Spell Mastery feat, select as one of your spells the one you want to be your signature spell. You no longer need a spellbook to prepare it - even if you're naked in the middle of the desert, you can prepare this spell.

Next, take the Signature Spell feat. You may now use any slot of its level or higher to cast your signature spell. You do it spontaneously. You never again have to prepare it. Now, you can be naked in the middle of the desert and cast it, only this time you can do so without preparing it, using other spell slots as many times as you need.

Next, take the Arcane Thesis feat. You now cast your signature spell at +2 CL, and reduce metamagic used on it by -1 spell level.

At this point, you could almost play a Mailman Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?447435-quot-The-Mailman-A-Direct-Damage-Sorcerer-quot-%28from-Wizards-forums%29). Pick an Orb of X spell as your signature spell and go.

Alternatively, just play a Mailman. That's basically a single spell master, where the "single spell" is the Orb line of spells. Play a Sorcerer, build a Mailman, and deliver the mail.

[Ger. Bessa]

I'd like less stuff like Swiftblade that (while awesome) specialize in their own spells, and more like Shugenja that lets you pick the spell you're buffing.

I had initially thought of Thunderlance as the spell I could overboost, but bonus points for options that work for any spell, and other-group spell options are always welcome, too.

That's a gish spell if I ever saw one. It doesn't benefit much from most metamagics, but it looks like it can be persisted.

Most builds with "signature" spells use metamagic to bypass its base shortcomings (mainly 'not enough damage'). The classics are AoE blasts (not optimal in damage) or rays and ranged touch attacks (the best because of the split ray metamagic and the No SR line).

If you pick a single 'battle spell', look at what will stop you. Energy Resist/Immunities, Very High HP and the ability to kill you in a single turn, SR, Saves + Mettle/Evasion, swarm subtype... basically you either don't let the other guy take his turn (look at the Mailman) or you make sure your spell protects you (Battlefield Control, or maybe summon).

Thunderlance would require you to defend yourself with that reach, meaning you need BAB and some crusader stances or fighter feats. Or you could try to grab thunderlance as a Duskblade (Recaster/Wyrm Wizard).

Edit : Do not mistake Wu Jen and Shugenja. Wu Jen is a core wizard lite with funny spells, Shugenja is one of the weakest casters (imagine the ugliest child of a sorcerer, a warmage and an adept, with the weaknesses of each and the strength of none).

[ben-zayb]

Mindspy is a terrible class for improving Detect Thoughts as a spell, but sucks a bit less for improving Doppelgangers.

[Xhosant]

If you pick a single 'battle spell', look at what will stop you. Energy Resist/Immunities, Very High HP and the ability to kill you in a single turn, SR, Saves + Mettle/Evasion, swarm subtype... basically you either don't let the other guy take his turn (look at the Mailman) or you make sure your spell protects you (Battlefield Control, or maybe summon).

This is a very helpful list! Stuff's not as bad as you fear, since it's for a gestalt that counts on crusader and co. on one side, and I wanna provide the Thunderlance as a weapon of choice.

[Thurbane]

If your chosen spell deals an energy type of damage, Elven Spell Lore isn't bad - works like Energy Substitution, but you can change it to any energy type, including Sonic.