Just for fun: fire mage

[Jack_McSnatch]

So I'm not running for a while, and my next character is figured out, but I'm bored. So I'm building a fire mage. Just fire. All the fire.

I don't know all the fire spells, and I can only think of one fire specific metamagic feat. Energy substituion is pretty much a given. What else?

[Malroth]

Searing spell is pretty much your most important feat, getting around fire immunity is a must.

Other good ones

Firey burst
Easy Metamagic (Searing spell)
Arcane Thesis (Orb of fire or Scorching ray)
Twin Spell
Repeat Spell
Split Ray

[Jack_McSnatch]

Where are searing spell and firey burst? The metamagic I knew was blistering spell from phb II. +2 damage/spell level and a small debuff if they fail their save

[FearlessGnome]

Well, I'm no fire expert, but I can help you get the 'obvious' things.

One is a feat. Searing Spell. A +1 Metamagic. It allows you to ignore fire resistance and do half damage through Fire Immunity. It's in Sandstorm. By RAW, this even allows you to deal half damage against creatures with the Fire subtype, so you can burn Fire elementals to death. Some people don't like this, especially because the Cold counterpart Piercing Cold (From Frostburn) does the same thing except it doesn't hurt anyone with the Cold Subtype. Searing Spell is pretty much mandatory on any Fire focused caster.

The second is a spell. Orb of Fire, from Complete Arcane. Fourth level spell, deals 1d6 per casterlevel against one target. There is no save to reduce the damage, but the target must make a Fortitude Save or be Dazed. Daze is a great status effect, because very few things are immune to it, even at high levels. With Arcane Thesis and a pile of metamagic feats, Orb of Fire is also a great way to deal lots of damage.

Those are the two main things. Player's Guide to Faerun has Bloodline of Fire, a regional feat that increases you casterlevel by 2 for all Fire spells. Which is neat.

Lastly, more for Fluff than power (Though it's not bad), Mantle of the Fiery Spirit is an 8th level Druid spell from Sandstorm. It is Instantaneous and gives you the Fire Subtype, which makes you immune to Fire damage. Consider getting a Druid to cast it on you.

[fishyfishyfishy]

Elemental Savant from Complete Arcane can be taken for a few levels for thematic reasons. I wouldn't go past level 4 in it though because it starts to lose spell casting progression. You do get Energy Resistance for your element and immunity to sleep effects.

Fiery Burst in Complete Mage gives you some at-will fire damage for instances in which you don't want to burn a spell slot. badum tsss

Firebrand, Orb of Fire, Greater Fireburst, and Transmute Rock to Lava are all thematic spells outside of core that fit wonderfully.

Anything relating to Fire or Smoke in core is perfect for you and Sandstorm has some decent options as well.

EDIT: Searing Spell is in Sandstorm btw

[Jack_McSnatch]

These suggestions are looking good. I was thinking Warmage cause that Edge ability would work well. Does anything else work better besides maybe wu jen?

[fishyfishyfishy]

Wizard or Sorcerer are probably better for something so focused. They can pick and choose a huge variety of spells across many different books. Unless your DM is going to expand the spell list of the Wu-Jen and the Warmage the core classes do it better.

[Vizzerdrix]

Jet of Steam is a first level fire spell that functions in water. Also good for cooking giant crabs too! You can double as the party cook.

[Silva Stormrage]

Certainly Orb of Fire is one of the more practical and all around useful spells and certainly you should learn it. But since you are going for "All the fire" lets go with spells that are more entertaining than super optimized.

Firebrand: 5th Level from SpC, deals 1d6/cl damage (max 10d6) on the first round and 1d6/2 caster levels for anyone hit on the following round. So it basically is a freely empowered fireball which isn't that great. What is fun about it is the radius. One five foot radius per caster level. Essentially you can hit everything in the fight with this, you can decimate entire hordes of mooks with this. Very entertaining.

Blackfire: 8th level also from SpC: Basically the army killer spell, hit someone with it and the effect spreads to all within 5ft. Then THAT effect spreads to everyone within 5ft etc etc until everyone either dies or realizes not to stand next to the people burning with black necromantic flames .

Still metamagic spam is probably your best bet.

For Feats:
Bloodline of Fire from Players Guide to Faerun I believe gives +2 CL to all fire spells so thats useful.

[Bakkan]

Something for low levels:

Be a domain wizard with the fire domain.
Take the Spellgifted (Evocation) trait.

Take as feats:
Precocious Apprentice (scorching ray) (CArc),
Spell Thematics (scorching ray) (PGtF),
Bloodline of Fire (PGtF),
Elemental Spellcasting (Planar Handbook)

This lets you fire two rays in your scorching ray starting at level 1, and boosts the rest of your fire spells to similar levels.

[Aharon]

Is homebrew allowed? Cause Frank did create a fire mage that's pretty cool:

http://www.tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=32798&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=7

[Jack_McSnatch]

So an evocation specialist with searing spell, precocious apprentice, arcane thesis, bloodline of fire, twin spell, repeat spell, blistering spell, burning spell, easy metamagic, split ray, weapon focus (ray), and probably spell focus. What races? I was thinking tiefling for fluff, but I'm sure there's an elemental race better suited.

[Vizzerdrix]

Isnt their a prc that gets an at will fire whip?

[Canine]

Isnt their a prc that gets an at will fire whip?

Yes! That would be the Pyrokineticist (3.5 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/pyrokineticist.htm)/PF (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/pyrokineticist)). Unfortunately, it requires at least one Power Point, and doesn't advance casting or manifesting, so it is better for mundanes that want to play with fire, or Soulknives who want to do something with a fire theme.

[Âmesang]

Would Sculpt Spell be of use as well? If, by any chance, you went the archmage route and grabbed mastery of shaping it should help you nab those hard-to-reach enemies while keeping your allies in the clear.

[Vizzerdrix]

Yes! That would be the Pyrokineticist (3.5 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/pyrokineticist.htm)/PF (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/pyrokineticist)). Unfortunately, it requires at least one Power Point, and doesn't advance casting or manifesting, so it is better for mundanes that want to play with fire.

Thank you, it hdad been a long time since Ive looked at that.

Would their be any way to get improved familiar into this, for a propperly themed companion as well?

[Jack_McSnatch]

Thank you, it hdad been a long time since Ive looked at that.

Would their be any way to get improved familiar into this, for a propperly themed companion as well?

Oh that's a good idea, I didn't even think of that. Can't you get a fire mephit with that feat?

[Vizzerdrix]

Oh that's a good idea, I didn't even think of that. Can't you get a fire mephit with that feat?

Yes. I think a magma one as well and a steam option exist. Maybe stack extra familiar as well for all three?

[Jack_McSnatch]

Yes. I think a magma one as well and a steam option exist. Maybe stack extra familiar as well for all three?

That'd be cool, but that's two extra feats that could be put towards blasty optimization

[ace rooster]

At low levels throw item (I think? SC) is nice for keeping distance with your alchemists fire. summon elemental reserve feat probably deserves mention. pyrotechnics is a must, giving a low level SoS provided there is a fire about (there will be). Raging flame (SC) is fun too.

One thing worth considering is that many of your spells shed light and have good range, making you a fantastic combatant in the dark in the open. Flaming sphere deserves mention in this role particularly. A race with darkvision and good mobility would fit this tactic. How about a no cheese Kobold? A goblin might be fun too, particularly if you want to focus on the "burn while they sleep" routine. There is nothing quite as funny as throwing alchemists fire into a rope trick. :smallbiggrin:

If you really want big fires, the cloud line of spells are definitely worth considering, as you can blast AOE into them to your hearts content.

[Hiro Quester]

Would their be any way to get improved familiar into this, for a propperly themed companion as well?

Rather than investing feats, you could just invest 10 minutes to cast this one 3rd level spell (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011109a) and turn your familiar into a fire elemental.

[Buddy76]

A few things that sprang to mind:

If you want the three mephits mentioned, elemental archon 1 will get you those. You do need to be able to cast endure elements as a divine spell, but apart from that the prc can advance your arcane casting. Flavorful but probably more trouble than it's worth.

Windwright Captain 3 is setting specific, has terrible entry requirements and will cost you 1 caster level, but grants the ability to rebuke, bolster and command fire elementals based on your character level. Also, that sweet, sweet airship. Might also be more trouble than it's worth but could work(maybe with some refflufing).

Since no one mentioned it yet: If you end up going with wizard instead of sorcerer, fire elves are an awesome race.

[Flickerdart]

Flame whips will be your most useful spell, as it turns your arms into, well, flame whips.

[Vizzerdrix]

Could play a fire mephling with a fire mephit familiar. Hmm... That could get all sorst of strange.

[Âmesang]

Kind of like playing as a beguiler beguiler? :smalltongue:

[Vizzerdrix]

Kind of like playing as a beguiler beguiler? :smalltongue:

More like being a half elf with a human familiar.

[phlidwsn]

If you want to go nuts, do a Mailman Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?447435-quot-The-Mailman-A-Direct-Damage-Sorcerer-quot-(from-Wizards-forums)) with Searing Spell, Orb of Fire, Lesser Orb of Fire, and Combust. Combust gets more damage, but is touch instead of ranged-touch, and is SR:Yes. Add on Incantrix and your choice of metamagic reducers and feats from the Mailman guide and you too can burn a fire elemental to death with a TwinMaxxed Searing Orb of Fire.

[J-H]

So an evocation specialist with searing spell, precocious apprentice, arcane thesis, bloodline of fire, twin spell, repeat spell, blistering spell, burning spell, easy metamagic, split ray, weapon focus (ray), and probably spell focus. What races? I was thinking tiefling for fluff, but I'm sure there's an elemental race better suited.

Go ahead and get Fiery Burst as well.

At level 6, Fiery Burst + Bloodline of Fire means you're casting your fire spells at CL9, and you're firing an extra Scorching Ray 3 levels earlier than anyone else.

[Afgncaap5]

I did this recently and decided I would shoot for fun instead of optimization. I'm kinda glad I did.

A potential feat: Improved Familiar can give you a small fire elemental.

Some items I liked:

Jolokia Juice: made from a strange alchemical mix of jolokia peppers, this strange potion is an amazing spice if used incredibly sparingly (mechanically: elixir of firebreath that a DM graciously allows to be sprinkled on food without reducing its amount).

Cindermaw, +1 Flaming sling made of a red dragon's tongue (probably makes more sense if you're playing a halfling).

Scorching Gaze: this graft from Magic of Eberron gives you a gaze attack that does 1d6 fire damage per round which can be turned off as a free action to save your friends. Maybe not the best damage, but it's nice to be able to just look at the campfire and make it ignite, or look at the scroll in the enemy mage's hand to set it aflame. But the real benefit of this graft is that it gives you LARGE, FLAMING EYEBROWS! There are a few other grafts that a fire user might like in this book, too, but this is one of the best options money-wise.

As a side note: if you're willing to sacrifice some casting ability, the jade phoenix mage prestige class from tome of battle can be fun, giving you some maneuvers along with your fire spells. If you DON'T want to sacrifice casting ability and want to be a good character, there's a spell I can't quite recall from Book of Exalted Deeds that's phoenix themed. You basically explode yourself with fire that only hurts evil people doing something like 1d6 damage per level in the area (which is sizable, I think). This kills you, but brings you back to life afterward, rising as the phoenix does from the ashes.

So... probably not the most mechanically powerful options, but some options worth considering, I think.

[daremetoidareyo]

Pyro from song and silence. It's 3.0 but never got updated

[Ruethgar]

The Furnace Within with side effects on it is always a cool spell if you want to go gish. Remember that the sorcerer can pick spells from any list as long as he is familiar with them. Produce Flame can be a very nice focus for a throwing build, not optimal by any means but thematic and blasty enough. Produce Flame and Furnace Within together could make a monster of an unarmed swordsage for the price of three feats, you don't even need to be an actual caster(Magical Training, Precocious Apprentice, Redhead), add Fiery Burst since you'll never actually cast Furnace Within and you'll always be able to burn things even if your Maneuvers need refreshing or you're a little distance away.

[Psyren]

Another option is to be a Sha'ir. You get the full Sor/Wiz list worth of fire spells to choose from each day, plus you get a Fire Gen familiar, the Fire Domain, at high levels you can plane shift to the Plane of Fire at will, and you can even contract with or bind Efreeti.

[Zaq]

Now I kind of want to play a Sorcerer with Spell Thematics: Fire who doesn't actually know any fire spells. At all. They know a wide variety of generally useful spells, and thanks to Spell Thematics, they all look like fire spells, but they don't have a single spell that does fire damage. No Scorching Ray, no Fireball, no Orb of Fire, nothing of the sort. RP them as your stereotypical over-the-top "burn everything" pyromaniac (dare we even call them "hot-headed?" They'd certainly call themselves that, if nothing else, since they'd exult in using tired heat-related turns of phrase) and just see how the rest of the world reacts to you.

I'm not sure if it's funnier if they have damage spells that do non-fire damage or if they have no real damage spells at all. We can still come up with fiery appearances for all kinds of great non-damaging spells. Glitterdust is a cloud of glowing cinders. Haste imbues allies with flames of passion! Slow forces enemies to suffer from heat exhaustion. Dispel Magic simply scorches away an enemy's magical effects. Rope Trick burns a hole in the fabric of reality and lets you climb inside. Stoneskin tempers flesh the way a forge tempers steel. Blur is a localized heat shimmer.

. . . I think someone needs to make this character happen. It's too funny to just let it go entirely to waste.

[Afgncaap5]

I tried making a character like that once but just decided that I didn't want the illusion of fire. Someone should definitely do this, though.

Also: I think there's a few feats or alternate class features that can allow arcane casters to get the Fire domain, have we brought those up yet? Oh, and Spheres of Power: the Fire-Blooded casting tradition is filled with great fire options. If you add the Fire package to the Nature sphere, you've even got a caster who can start increasing the heat of the sun and causing heat stroke in opposing armies.

[Ruethgar]

If you add the Fire package to the Nature sphere, you've even got a caster who can start increasing the heat of the sun and causing heat stroke in opposing armies.
This depends entirely on the setting. Default is that the sun is a hole to the positive energy plane. In Dark Sun it is thought to have been altered to a hole to the elemental plane of fire. Then of course there is the scientific sun. But you have a small issue with range regardless of the nature of the sun in your world. The weather sphere would more readily be able to get you what you want.

[Kaje]

Easy Metamagic (Searing spell)
Easy Metamagic doesn't work on Searing Spell. SS is +1 spell level and EM can't lower the cost below +1.