Is there a way....

[SangoProduction]

...to add elemental descriptors to enchantment / illusions spells? Preferably as cheaply as possible (both in terms of gold and spell slots).

[Azoth]

Snowcasting in Frostburn gives the cold descriptor to any spell cast using it. Costs a move action to gather snow, and is a +1 Metamagic.

[Particle_Man]

I think the shadow spells that duplicate elemental spells will also duplicate the elemental descriptors.

[Crake]

Snowcasting in Frostburn gives the cold descriptor to any spell cast using it. Costs a move action to gather snow, and is a +1 Metamagic.

Snowcasting is a) not a metamagic feat, and b) does not cost +1, it increases the effective spell level by 1. So it's like a free heighten at the cost of a move action and needing some ice on hand.

If you're a spontaneous caster (or have some way to spontaneously apply metamagic) once the spell has the cold descriptor, you can just use energy substitution to change it to whatever energy type you want.

[SangoProduction]

That's cool (hehe). I could eat another feat to take care of the material component. But, is there a way to have infinite snow that's easily accessible?

[Ruethgar]

Because Ice/Water/Snow is a material component of Creeping Cold without a GP listed value(only the vessel has to be 25g) it technically could be in a spell component pouch. Also Create Water does not specify the state, and while not infinite, you can get quite a good bit of snow from a few castings. Not sure if there are any other simple ways if those are both ruled against.

[SangoProduction]

Because Ice/Water/Snow is a material component of Creeping Cold without a GP listed value(only the vessel has to be 25g) it technically could be in a spell component pouch. Also Create Water does not specify the state, and while not infinite, you can get quite a good bit of snow from a few castings. Not sure if there are any other simple ways if those are both ruled against.

YES YOU DO! STOP HOLDING BACK ON ME!

I mean...please sir.

[Troacctid]

Blue ice (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=5) is as strong as steel and does not melt. You can get a pound of it for 400 gp.

Conjure ice object is a 1st level cleric spell.


it increases the effective spell level by 1. So it's like a free heighten at the cost of a move action and needing some ice on hand.
Well, yeah, but only if it already has the cold descriptor, which seems like an important caveat in this context.


Also Create Water does not specify the state
It creates liquid water, "just like clean rain water."

[Venger]

...to add elemental descriptors to enchantment / illusions spells? Preferably as cheaply as possible (both in terms of gold and spell slots).

what is your end goal? once you do snowcasting, think about energy substitution and born of three thunders using arcane thesis as normal

[Troacctid]

Obscuring snow would also work. It creates snow that swirls around you for 1 hour/level. The snow can be used for Snowcasting. However, it does also block your line of sight, so you'd prooobably want to pair it with some castings of snowsight (for yourself and your party).

[SangoProduction]

what is your end goal? once you do snowcasting, think about energy substitution and born of three thunders using arcane thesis as normal

Basically to improve DCs as much as humanly possible. I found Elemental Adept [General], which allows me to pick an elemental type, and any spell with that tag has +2 to save DC. Amazing that Snowcasting also effectively adds +1 to the DC. I am taking Vow of Nonviolence for +4 to save DCs (since I will be a beguiler, I don't really care...unless my spells instantly make everyone in the encounter helpless. That could then be a problem), +1 from cloaked casting, +1 from shadow weave magic, and lastly +1 from Mastery of Dreams.

Possibly +1 DC from greater Spell Focus feat, although many would say that it counts as "Spell Focus" for most purposes when stacking, which VoN specifically doesn't. Regardless, those are pretty insane saves, without it. +9 before spell levels and Int modifiers for most spells. +10 under optimal conditions

I don't plan on doing the born of three thunders thing. I don't want to make it seem too much like I'm just trying to cheese the game out. Just make my save-reliant spells really hard to save against. I probably will hold off on taking *all* of these options right out of the gate, to gauge how resistant the enemies are, and then just retrain (if needed) on level up.


Obscuring snow would also work. It creates snow that swirls around you for 1 hour/level. The snow can be used for Snowcasting. However, it does also block your line of sight, so you'd prooobably want to pair it with some castings of snowsight (for yourself and your party).

Oooh. That's useful. Question is: can you bring it with you after you've cast it? (ie does the AoE move?)

[Troacctid]

Amazing that Snowcasting also effectively adds +1 to the DC.
Again, only if it was already a [Cold] spell before you applied Snowcasting to it, otherwise it just gains the descriptor and is not heightened. For a beguiler, this will generally not apply.


Oooh. That's useful. Question is: can you bring it with you after you've cast it? (ie does the AoE move?)
Yes, it explicitly follows you.

[SangoProduction]

Again, only if it was already a [Cold] spell before you applied Snowcasting to it, otherwise it just gains the descriptor and is not heightened. For a beguiler, this will generally not apply.
OH! Thanks for catching that! Thanks.


Yes, it explicitly follows you.

....I knew that. I was just testing you.

[Darrin]

That's cool (hehe). I could eat another feat to take care of the material component. But, is there a way to have infinite snow that's easily accessible?

Some DMs might allow Eschew Materials to consider yourself as having infinite snow (it costs less than 1 GP).

The summon component spell can provide at as a swift action. Swift action to conjure the snow into your hand, move action to gather the snow (from your hand), then you've got a standard action left to cast.

[SangoProduction]

Some DMs might allow Eschew Materials to consider yourself as having infinite snow (it costs less than 1 GP).

The summon component spell can provide at as a swift action. Swift action to conjure the snow into your hand, move action to gather the snow (from your hand), then you've got a standard action left to cast.

Yeah, yeah, that definitely works. Later on at least, when your 1st level slots really aren't being used anyway.

[Venger]

Isn't there some kind of magic ice that doesn't melt in frostburn so you can always be within range of it for stuff like this? also, extradimensional storage spaces are vacuums, so you can keep some ice or snow in there for easy access.

[Troacctid]

Isn't there some kind of magic ice that doesn't melt in frostburn so you can always be within range of it for stuff like this?
Blue ice (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=5), already mentioned. It's nonmagical.