SirNibbles
2017-03-15, 04:01 PM
With the feats Extraordinary Concentration (Complete Adventurer, page 109) and Steady Concentration (Races of Stone, page 144) it's possible to maintain the 3rd level Sorcerer/Wizard spell Animate Weapon (Complete Mage, page 95) indefinitely while being able to cast other spells.
Extraordinary Concentration allows you to maintain concentration with a move action each round (rather than a standard action) by making a DC 28 Concentration check. This becomes a swift action to maintain concentration with a DC 38 Concentration check. (The DC is 25 + Spell Level; beating the check by 10 or more automatically allows you to maintain as a swift action instead).
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The Concentration 15 ranks requirement for Extraordinary Concentration means you'll have to use a standard action until 12th level to maintain concentration. At 12th level, it's easy enough to maintain concentration as a move action when you're taking 10 thanks to Steady Concentration.
So, we're able to control a weapon as soon as we can cast 3rd level spells (Sorcerer 6 or Wizard 5). That's not too impressive. Let's add in the Metamagic feat Reach Spell (Complete Divine, page 84). This changes the spell to a ray, making it a valid target for the Lens of Ray Widening (Lords of Madness, page 46). Now you can cast Animate Weapon as a 30 foot cone. A caster with Reach Spell, Easy Metamagic (Dragon #325, page 62), and Arcane Thesis: Animate Weapon (Player's Handbook II, page 74) still uses a 3rd level spell slot.
Now we're able to control around 100 weapons at once as long as they remain within 30 feet of us. (Assuming you take up one 5 foot square, there are 144 other 5 foot squares for your weapons in a 30 foot radius).
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At this point I'm slightly stumped. I can walk around all day surrounded by weapons that will defend me but what happens when we get to actual combat? What's the next step to make this build usable? How can I make it more than just 'standard Wizard who happens to have lots of swords walking around him'?
Extraordinary Concentration allows you to maintain concentration with a move action each round (rather than a standard action) by making a DC 28 Concentration check. This becomes a swift action to maintain concentration with a DC 38 Concentration check. (The DC is 25 + Spell Level; beating the check by 10 or more automatically allows you to maintain as a swift action instead).
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The Concentration 15 ranks requirement for Extraordinary Concentration means you'll have to use a standard action until 12th level to maintain concentration. At 12th level, it's easy enough to maintain concentration as a move action when you're taking 10 thanks to Steady Concentration.
So, we're able to control a weapon as soon as we can cast 3rd level spells (Sorcerer 6 or Wizard 5). That's not too impressive. Let's add in the Metamagic feat Reach Spell (Complete Divine, page 84). This changes the spell to a ray, making it a valid target for the Lens of Ray Widening (Lords of Madness, page 46). Now you can cast Animate Weapon as a 30 foot cone. A caster with Reach Spell, Easy Metamagic (Dragon #325, page 62), and Arcane Thesis: Animate Weapon (Player's Handbook II, page 74) still uses a 3rd level spell slot.
Now we're able to control around 100 weapons at once as long as they remain within 30 feet of us. (Assuming you take up one 5 foot square, there are 144 other 5 foot squares for your weapons in a 30 foot radius).
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At this point I'm slightly stumped. I can walk around all day surrounded by weapons that will defend me but what happens when we get to actual combat? What's the next step to make this build usable? How can I make it more than just 'standard Wizard who happens to have lots of swords walking around him'?