Character Help (Please!)

[TheBrassDuke]

So two things:

I'm building a list of spells for a 5th level [Human] Sorcerer with the Air Bloodline (Bloodline) feat (Dragon Compendium); I plan to have him go into Dweomerkeeper eventually (obviously for the Supernatural Spell bit) and am unsure exactly how to do that without dips. Google-fu has given me hundreds of different answers, all of which really comes down to "Ask your DM to let Southern Magician work for this" and whatnot.

For the first part, I want to build a good spell list for this guy who is, for the most part, a Party Assistant (and totally not a DMPC, apparently). The Party wants a genie that can grant them "wishes" in the form of useful spells, that they may call upon in certain circumstances. He'll be bound to a hookah (his receptacle) most of the time, until summoned. When he's available, his spells should be helpful in and out of combat. Outside of Core I found a neat selection, but there are quite a few...and I'm not sure which to choose, what to put into a Runestaff (or how to find the cost), what to put in other magic items, etc.

I just need general help with a spell list that can help the party, and is thematically appropriate for a "genie".

Commission done by Maria Jang (http://mariajang.tumblr.com/) aka Soda222 on DeviantArt for me; this was expensive. You may not use the image.
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/CainePorter/IMG_3248_zpsfnaoal98.jpeg



1. Backbiter, Familiar Pocket, Instant Diversion(?), Jet of Steam, Karmic Aura, Peacebond*, Power Word Fatigue, Power Word Pain, Summon Component, Whelm*,

2. Arcane Turmoil, Black Karma Curse, Cloud of Knives, Crystalline Memories, Earthen Grasp, Heart of Air, Insight of Good Fortune, Local Tremor, Master's Touch, Power Word Sicken, Scimitar of Sand, Steal Size, Torrent of Tears, Whelming Blast*, Whirling Blade, Wings of Cover

3. Alter Fortune, Animate Weapon, Bands of Steel, Bothersome Babble, Deceptive Facade, Haboob, Halt, Heart of Water, Hesitate, Inevitable Defeat*, Karmic Backlash, Legion of Sentinels, Mage Armor-Greater, Mask of the Ideal, Pall of Twilight, Power Word Deafen, Power Word Maladroit, Power Word Weaken, Regroup, Stony Grasp

4. Defenestrating Sphere, Heart of Earth, Leomund's Spacious Carriage, Mirror Image-Greater*, Nightmare Terrain, Orb of Force, Otiluke's Dispelling Screen, Phantom Battle, Power Word Distract, Rebirth of Iron, Seed of Undeath, Stifle Spell, Touch of Years, Unluck, Whelm-Mass*, Wings of Flurry

5. Arcane Fusion, Coat of Arms, Dance of Blades, Friend to Foe, Fly-Mass, Heart of Fire, Incite Riot, Lightning Leap, Mana Flux, Power Word Disable, Resounding Thunder, Servant Horde, Sword of Deception, Touch of Vecna, Zone of Peace*

6. Familiar Refuge, Illusory Pit, Karmic Retribution, Overwhelm*, Power Word Nauseate, Prismatic Aura, Smoky Confinement, Steal Summoning, Storm of Fire and Ice, Transfix

7. Seed of Undeath-Greater, Waterspout

8. Arcane Fusion-Greater, Desert Binding, Heart of Stone, Mordenkainen's Capable Caravel, Power Word Petrify, Prismatic Bow

9. Absorption, Genius Loci, Programmed Amnesia, Reaving Dispel, Summon Elemental Monolith

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Part two of this is the entry into Dweomerkeeper--how to do it without dipping?

Note: I do apologize for the muddled questions, and poor execution.

[Sian]

Given your thematics and needs, it might be worthwhile to look into playing an Sha'ir from Dragon Compendium instead... Arcane caster that has a tiny genie as familiar and access to Sorc/Wiz list and a number of Divine domains, but 'pays' for it by having a somewhat clunky spell memorization system (you only keep your spells memorized for ClassLevel hours), and slightly fewer spells/level/day than a Sorcerer (but gains new spell-levels as a wizard)

As they have Divine spells (that are explicitily so) they dodge any "Southern Magician" issues

[Dagroth]

Other than Rainbow Servant 10, I can't think of anything that specifically gives Divine Spellcasting to an Arcane spellcaster.

On a side note, you'll really want to get 1 level of Sand Caster for the huge boost of known spells that class gives to you.

[TheBrassDuke]

I did consider dipping Sandshaper eventually, just because I love that PrC, and the extra spells are nice.

[TheBrassDuke]

Looking at the spells I found, I selected a few that could go into a Runestaff, but I'm not sure how much it would cost.

Runestaff of X

- (1st) Peacebond 3/day
- (1st) Whelm 3/day
- (2nd) Whelming Blast 3/day
- (3rd) Inevitable Defeat 3/day
- (4th) Whelm, Mass 3/day
- (5th) Zone of Peace 3/day

[Gildedragon]

I'll second going Sha'ir; the fluff and crunch seem to fit what you want.

Going into skypledged is pretty sweet character-conceptwise

[TheBrassDuke]

Skypledged is neat, but he's no Raptoran. And he's a sorcerer. I like Sha'ir, but it's very confusing.

[Gildedragon]

Skypledged is neat, but he's no Raptoran.

There's ways around that. The Ritual of Association for example

[Dagroth]

Skypledged is neat, but he's no Raptoran. And he's a sorcerer. I like Sha'ir, but it's very confusing.

I agree that the mechanics of the Sha'ir are way too confusing... and very limiting at low levels. The class doesn't work well at lower levels, unless you know within 30 minutes (game time) when you'll have encounters.

[Sagetim]

Yeah, Sha'ir is a wierd port of a wierd class kit from 2nd edition. That would be one of the reasons that it's mechanics are so odd. I remember getting away with using my 6th level feat to...planar attunement? to the library in the clockwork nirvana of mechanus. In the end, he got a few charges of cure light wounds as divine spells, and my DM was willing to look the other way and call that good enough. I also proceeded to have that wizard become a Halruuan Elder/Dweomerkeeper, and many shenanigans were implemented in the background of the campaign and then deployed at the last moment.

Something to the tune of using the rules from Dragonmech, abusing Solar Simulacrums for wishes, and wishing up a maximum sized city mech riddled with weapons and teleporting it over an army that was encroaching the main town of the campaign. The rest of the party had been trying to figure out how to fight an army of elves that were all, at minimum level 15. Meanwhile this wizard had built a giant robot the size of a city, taken all the town's guard to man it's weaponry, created simulacrums of himself to circle cast with, buffed the hell out of his city sized mech, paid for it all with wish spells, and descended from on high to a level 40 casting of Ghost Sound playing The Final Countdown as it descended from the clouds and started opening fire with over a thousand ballistae, javelin racks, and other anti-personnel measures like creating walls of stone around it's legs then converting the stone to magma to flow down across the battlefield as it walked. This thing was built to kill the Lunar Gods of the Dragonmech setting, so even the ridiculously high level army of elves wasn't really a match for it.

[death390]

trying to get into dweomerkeeper as an arcane primary class you will have to use southern magician. this is due to there being no other way to gain divine casting otherwise. (alternate source spell has divine/arcane prereq)

if you wanted to flip to divine casting both southern magician and a regional feat "magical training" will allow arcane casting.

otherwise you are looking at dipping a level.

i guess a big question is are you allowed flaws? because if not your looking at waiting quite awhile anyway. if your DM will allow the feat Magical training (regional) as a re-flavored location or you jumped planes somehow. i would reccomend the Spellcaster general class from unearthed arcana. you get to pick being arcane or divine (int/cha or wis) picking divine still allows you to pick off sorc/wiz spell list. you also get to pick a few skills you want, your better save, have bonus feats at 1 & every 5th level. at those bonus feats you can get a number of class features including familiar, evasion, ect. the downside would be if your dm would allow you to pick a sorcerer specific feat with the general class, and you would lose 1 highest level spell slot

"A spellcaster learns and casts spells as a sorcerer. She may select her spells known from the cleric, druid, and sorcerer/wizard spell lists. A spellcaster must choose at 1st level whether to be an arcane spellcaster or a divine spellcaster. This choice has no impact on the spells that she may learn, but affects what kinds of scrolls she can use and which ability score controls her spellcasting. "


TL:DR use Spellcaster general class from Unearthed Arcana and be divine (you get sorc/wiz spells), the feat magical training/ southern magician to get arcane spells. downside, 1 less highest spell/day, might not be allowed air heritige. special bonuses: bonus feats (can get class features), divine casting = no ASF, access to cleric/druid/sorc/wiz lists.

[Sagetim]

I finally remembered what book it was from and found the feat I was thinking of: Planar Touchstone, from the Planar Handbook. You take that feat at level 6 (it requires 8 ranks of knowledge ( the planes) and some other things, so you can't really take it before then), find a way to the clockwork nirvana of mechanus and go wandering off into the Catalogues of Enlightenment. The touchstone ability for that location is that you can prepare a cleric domain spell and cast it normally, qualifying you for the Dweomerkeeper while maintaining full levels of arcane casting.

I did it with a wizard, but the dm who let me use it was also starting the character at over level 6, so it became part of his backstory. That being that he was a human arch mage who went to those archives long ago in search for a means of living forever. Key term living, not being a lich or some other such thing. The solution he found was becoming an Elan, so he performed the ritual there and spent an unspecified amount of time studying until he reached sufficient level to once more go back to his home plane, allowing him to pop into the game as a replacement for the character I was trying to retire (and only managed to retire at the end of the campaign anyway). Considering he was gone from his home plane for over a thousand years on this gambit, it wasn't exactly a short term plan (and while there, it's where he became familiarized with the not from his home plane lore of giant mechs and the other shenanigans he pulled at the end of that game).

[Rerednaw]

Sha'ir is the classic 'oh I have a spell for that....in an hour or so' caster. Fun and fluffy...but not great in surprise crisis situations when you NEED THAT SPELL RIGHT NOW.

That said he does have a handy, if delayed, and impressive swiss army knife.

[Sian]

With strong enough usage of Divination spells and the like, to prep with, the issues with Sha'ir's clunky spell memorization is no worse than having to memorizing your spells in the morning as Wizard/Cleric,

[Dagroth]

I finally remembered what book it was from and found the feat I was thinking of: Planar Touchstone, from the Planar Handbook. You take that feat at level 6 (it requires 8 ranks of knowledge ( the planes) and some other things, so you can't really take it before then), find a way to the clockwork nirvana of mechanus and go wandering off into the Catalogues of Enlightenment. The touchstone ability for that location is that you can prepare a cleric domain spell and cast it normally, qualifying you for the Dweomerkeeper while maintaining full levels of arcane casting.

I did it with a wizard, but the dm who let me use it was also starting the character at over level 6, so it became part of his backstory. That being that he was a human arch mage who went to those archives long ago in search for a means of living forever. Key term living, not being a lich or some other such thing. The solution he found was becoming an Elan, so he performed the ritual there and spent an unspecified amount of time studying until he reached sufficient level to once more go back to his home plane, allowing him to pop into the game as a replacement for the character I was trying to retire (and only managed to retire at the end of the campaign anyway). Considering he was gone from his home plane for over a thousand years on this gambit, it wasn't exactly a short term plan (and while there, it's where he became familiarized with the not from his home plane lore of giant mechs and the other shenanigans he pulled at the end of that game).

1) The Catalogs of Enlightenment Higher Order ability only allows 3 spells to be cast before requiring recharge.

2) It says the spells are "cast normally", which would indicate that they fall under the purview of "acquiring Domains" from Complete Divine, which states that they would be considered Arcane Spells if cast by an Arcane Spellcaster... despite requiring Wisdom as the casting stat.

[TheBrassDuke]

trying to get into dweomerkeeper as an arcane primary class you will have to use southern magician. this is due to there being no other way to gain divine casting otherwise. (alternate source spell has divine/arcane prereq)

if you wanted to flip to divine casting both southern magician and a regional feat "magical training" will allow arcane casting.

otherwise you are looking at dipping a level.

i guess a big question is are you allowed flaws? because if not your looking at waiting quite awhile anyway. if your DM will allow the feat Magical training (regional) as a re-flavored location or you jumped planes somehow. i would reccomend the Spellcaster general class from unearthed arcana. you get to pick being arcane or divine (int/cha or wis) picking divine still allows you to pick off sorc/wiz spell list. you also get to pick a few skills you want, your better save, have bonus feats at 1 & every 5th level. at those bonus feats you can get a number of class features including familiar, evasion, ect. the downside would be if your dm would allow you to pick a sorcerer specific feat with the general class, and you would lose 1 highest level spell slot

"A spellcaster learns and casts spells as a sorcerer. She may select her spells known from the cleric, druid, and sorcerer/wizard spell lists. A spellcaster must choose at 1st level whether to be an arcane spellcaster or a divine spellcaster. This choice has no impact on the spells that she may learn, but affects what kinds of scrolls she can use and which ability score controls her spellcasting. "


TL:DR use Spellcaster general class from Unearthed Arcana and be divine (you get sorc/wiz spells), the feat magical training/ southern magician to get arcane spells. downside, 1 less highest spell/day, might not be allowed air heritige. special bonuses: bonus feats (can get class features), divine casting = no ASF, access to cleric/druid/sorc/wiz lists.

I am the DM. The Players wanted a DMPC-Not-DMPC...someone that was "powerful, but not too powerful--or at least not fully accessible; we'd like to be able to call on him when a player is gone, if we're having a tough time fighting someone/thing, get stuck, etc." and that they could pay for services so that I (of all people) wouldn't complain they were getting free help. I have a few players who care too much, haha.

I allow two Flaws, yeah.

The genie is essentially a sorcerer I've used in past campaigns, and they loved the idea. This way he can remain about a level or so ahead of the party and help them out when they need him--not just all the time. Haven't decided what I wanted to use as payment yet. But maybe they can fund his Runestaff purchase and further upgrades in order to pay for his "wish" services.

So if I chose Spellcaster of the Generic variety, I'd have to do that to the other players too, no?

[Sagetim]

I am the DM. The Players wanted a DMPC-Not-DMPC...someone that was "powerful, but not too powerful--or at least not fully accessible; we'd like to be able to call on him when a player is gone, if we're having a tough time fighting someone/thing, get stuck, etc." and that they could pay for services so that I (of all people) wouldn't complain they were getting free help. I have a few players who care too much, haha.

I allow two Flaws, yeah.

The genie is essentially a sorcerer I've used in past campaigns, and they loved the idea. This way he can remain about a level or so ahead of the party and help them out when they need him--not just all the time. Haven't decided what I wanted to use as payment yet. But maybe they can fund his Runestaff purchase and further upgrades in order to pay for his "wish" services.

So if I chose Spellcaster of the Generic variety, I'd have to do that to the other players too, no?

I mean, technically but not necessarily? The Generic classes as presented are to be used as replacements for pretty much everything as I recall. That doesn't mean you can't have the genie DMPC originate from a plane where generic classes are the thing and have him be a little far from home, so to speak. The players are asking for a mr. fixit/backup guy, so as long as your DMPC isn't just stealing all the thunder every time he shows up, and the players have fun, I think it should be fine for him to be any class he need to be for the build to work.

Even if you run him as a sorcerer 6/cleric 1/dweomerkeeper, once he gets supernatural spell he'll be riding high by having (limited) access to spells that normally cost xp or money. Stoneskin without dumping 250 gold every casting is really nice, for example. Simulacrum is another sweet spell that supernatural shenanigans works well with, even allowing the DMPC to make a simulacum of himself to send with the party to help them out instead of going himself. In fact, that's what the lower level encounters with him could be...simulacrums that's he's made at various levels and permanently rary's telepathic bonded to himself so that he can remote pilot them. Think how surprised their reactions will be when the first time he dies in combat, he doesn't have a normal fleshy body there, but instead a pile of snow is left in it's wake.

[Gildedragon]

As a DM-PC Sha'ir is even better. Little chance of overshadowing the party in combat (because of the retrieval wait times) and means the party can as for a wider number of spells.
Events can be tailored around "stay alive until the teleport is ready to be cast" or things of that nature.

[TheBrassDuke]

I mean, technically but not necessarily? The Generic classes as presented are to be used as replacements for pretty much everything as I recall. That doesn't mean you can't have the genie DMPC originate from a plane where generic classes are the thing and have him be a little far from home, so to speak. The players are asking for a mr. fixit/backup guy, so as long as your DMPC isn't just stealing all the thunder every time he shows up, and the players have fun, I think it should be fine for him to be any class he need to be for the build to work.

Even if you run him as a sorcerer 6/cleric 1/dweomerkeeper, once he gets supernatural spell he'll be riding high by having (limited) access to spells that normally cost xp or money. Stoneskin without dumping 250 gold every casting is really nice, for example. Simulacrum is another sweet spell that supernatural shenanigans works well with, even allowing the DMPC to make a simulacum of himself to send with the party to help them out instead of going himself. In fact, that's what the lower level encounters with him could be...simulacrums that's he's made at various levels and permanently rary's telepathic bonded to himself so that he can remote pilot them. Think how surprised their reactions will be when the first time he dies in combat, he doesn't have a normal fleshy body there, but instead a pile of snow is left in it's wake.

That is a really neat idea, one I'll highly consider. Still not bought on using Generic Spellcaster yet, though.


As a DM-PC Sha'ir is even better. Little chance of overshadowing the party in combat (because of the retrieval wait times) and means the party can as for a wider number of spells.
Events can be tailored around "stay alive until the teleport is ready to be cast" or things of that nature.

I guess that might work, but I'm still a bit confused about the Sha'ir and exactly how it works...I like that Skypledged--looked it up and was very interested in how it seemed to work well with the Sha'ir...

I dunno.

---

By the way, that Runestaff I put together up therwith--any idea of a price? And any other spells on the list in the OP thread that might be good to put together in a staff/other magic item/on a known list?

[Sagetim]

Thematically speaking, I also want to suggest Sha'ir for your arcane/divine needs, especially if you use simulacrums to assist the party, because your higher level sha'ir will have the spells necessary to deploy the simulacrum where it's needed, and the simulacrum itself can ready up a spell before it heads out to them to have at the ready to help out, then as new problems crop up you have the element of 'I'll have the spell to solve this problem in a bit, give my jinn time to go retrieve it' that gives the players a variety of things: A breather, during which they can role play, interact with the dmpc, listen to him tell stories about the world or things going on to help with world building where an expository info dump would just glaze player's eyes over. It also provides the time for an aforementioned tense situation of 'keep the sha'ir safe while we wait for his spell to arrive', in fights against multiple smaller cr enemies that can still threaten the party with numbers.


If I remember right, the Sha'ir has this little list of spells they know, and can thus consistently draw upon to cast. However, one of their core class abilities is sending their magical servant out to go rummage around the planes for a spell of the Sha'ir's choice, with a random chance for success based on the level of the spell, it's nature, your caster level, and so on. When the servant returns, you can then take that spell and use it as if it were a spell known. So you still need whatever slots it requires available, but you can throw it around as if you knew it for a while. Eventually the knowledge fades, but you can keep sending your servant out to grab the same spell, or others, and have a very odd rotational list of variable spells at your disposal.

[Gildedragon]

That is a really neat idea, one I'll highly consider. Still not bought on using Generic Spellcaster yet, though.



I guess that might work, but I'm still a bit confused about the Sha'ir and exactly how it works...I like that Skypledged--looked it up and was very interested in how it seemed to work well with the Sha'ir...

I dunno.
So Sha'irs have very limited divine spellcasting. With skypledged they can adivine more divine spells and much quicker (like healing etc)
This makes them great NPC toolboxes because they can retrieve virtually any spell.
Esp if you say... Fuse the gen with the sha'ir. This support NPC is a "genie" already, so PCs ask him for a spell and then he's off to fetch it.
With the genie man running back and forth for spells then they're less likely to overshadow the PCs; the genie will be more of a resource they have to plan out the use of.


By the way, that Runestaff I put together up therwith--any idea of a price? And any other spells on the list in the OP thread that might be good to put together in a staff/other magic item/on a known list?
Runestaves have a lower level floor: 3rd
So for the valid spells:

- (3rd) Inevitable Defeat 3/day
- (4th) Whelm, Mass 3/day
- (5th) Zone of Peace 3/day

15000gp

[TheBrassDuke]

Y'know, I'm really liking where your heads are at with this Sha'ir business...and the idea of "fusing" my "Genie" and his Gen...it's a bit out of the rules, but I am the DM...and it's not like it's game-breaking. In fact, this makes him unavailable more often, even as a melee combatant/skill assistant/what have you...

And the Party only wants him on an as-needed/wanted basis anyway. So that may work pretty well. But now I just gotta figure out how to use the damn class. I think what's paralyzing about it is the time between spells and the fact they only stay X number of hours per level, etc. It's just a little odd, and something I've never played with before. Funny thing, this doesn't seem like a PC class, and actually fits the DMPC-Not-DMPC role here quite well.

Can't wait to get that free Wish via Dweomerkeeper later on. Mechanically, I'm limiting it to 3/year in-game, but my players know a trump card when they see it, and won't abuse it as far as I know. But people change over time. :3

Also, I like when you said that the genie could tell stories, and whatnot. Gave me a Sheherazade feel there. And I can see him popping up out of his hookah, taking a long drag, and weaving a tale through the smoke as it pours from his lips (via prestidigitation and Silent Image or whatever).

----


Runestaves have a lower level floor: 3rd
So for the valid spells:

- (3rd) Inevitable Defeat 3/day
- (4th) Whelm, Mass 3/day
- (5th) Zone of Peace 3/day

15000gp

Could you elaborate on the bolded part a bit, and then why just those spells?

[Gildedragon]

Y'know, I'm really liking where your heads are at with this Sha'ir business...and the idea of "fusing" my "Genie" and his Gen...it's a bit out of the rules, but I am the DM...and it's not like it's game-breaking. In fact, this makes him unavailable more often, even as a melee combatant/skill assistant/what have you...

And the Party only wants him on an as-needed/wanted basis anyway. So that may work pretty well. But now I just gotta figure out how to use the damn class. I think what's paralyzing about it is the time between spells and the fact they only stay X number of hours per level, etc. It's just a little odd, and something I've never played with before. Funny thing, this doesn't seem like a PC class, and actually fits the DMPC-Not-DMPC role here quite well.

Can't wait to get that free Wish via Dweomerkeeper later on. Mechanically, I'm limiting it to 3/year in-game, but my players know a trump card when they see it, and won't abuse it as far as I know. But people change over time. :3

Also, I like when you said that the genie could tell stories, and whatnot. Gave me a Sheherazade feel there. And I can see him popping up out of his hookah, taking a long drag, and weaving a tale through the smoke as it pours from his lips (via prestidigitation and Silent Image or whatever).

----



Could you elaborate on the bolded part a bit, and then why just those spells?

Minimum level for spells in runestaves is 3. It's right there in the MIC guidelines for diy runestaves. So I took the 3 spells that were runestaff valid. I guess the others could be preheightened to 3... That'd make them +1800gp each

[TheBrassDuke]

Minimum level for spells in runestaves is 3. It's right there in the MIC guidelines for diy runestaves. So I took the 3 spells that were runestaff valid. I guess the others could be preheightened to 3... That'd make them +1800gp each

You know, I may have actually missed that part. I didn't know this. Thank you for elaborating!

[Dagroth]

Put the lower level spells into Eternal Wands, maybe?

[TheBrassDuke]

- (3rd) Inevitable Defeat 3/day
- (4th) Whelm, Mass 3/day
- (5th) Zone of Peace 3/day

15000gp



1. Backbiter, Familiar Pocket, Instant Diversion(?), Jet of Steam, Karmic Aura, Peacebond*, Power Word Fatigue, Power Word Pain, Summon Component, Whelm*,

2. Arcane Turmoil, Black Karma Curse, Cloud of Knives, Crystalline Memories, Earthen Grasp, Heart of Air, Insight of Good Fortune, Local Tremor, Master's Touch, Power Word Sicken, Scimitar of Sand, Steal Size, Torrent of Tears, Whelming Blast*, Whirling Blade, Wings of Cover

3. Alter Fortune, Animate Weapon, Bands of Steel, Bothersome Babble, Deceptive Facade, Haboob, Halt, Heart of Water, Hesitate, Inevitable Defeat*, Karmic Backlash, Legion of Sentinels, Mage Armor-Greater, Mask of the Ideal, Pall of Twilight, Power Word Deafen, Power Word Maladroit, Power Word Weaken, Regroup, Stony Grasp

4. Defenestrating Sphere, Heart of Earth, Leomund's Spacious Carriage, Mirror Image-Greater*, Nightmare Terrain, Orb of Force, Otiluke's Dispelling Screen, Phantom Battle, Power Word Distract, Rebirth of Iron, Seed of Undeath, Stifle Spell, Touch of Years, Unluck, Whelm-Mass*, Wings of Flurry

5. Arcane Fusion, Coat of Arms, Dance of Blades, Friend to Foe, Fly-Mass, Heart of Fire, Incite Riot, Lightning Leap, Mana Flux, Power Word Disable, Resounding Thunder, Servant Horde, Sword of Deception, Touch of Vecna, Zone of Peace*

6. Familiar Refuge, Illusory Pit, Karmic Retribution, Overwhelm*, Power Word Nauseate, Prismatic Aura, Smoky Confinement, Steal Summoning, Storm of Fire and Ice, Transfix

7. Seed of Undeath-Greater, Waterspout

8. Arcane Fusion-Greater, Desert Binding, Heart of Stone, Mordenkainen's Capable Caravel, Power Word Petrify, Prismatic Bow

9. Absorption, Genius Loci, Programmed Amnesia, Reaving Dispel, Summon Elemental Monolith

Runestaffs (MiC)
A cheap way to increase the number of spells you have access to. Best used for spells used one or two times per day of course, the Runestaff is a terrific place to tuck away good all-day buffs like Greater Mage Armor (SpC), Primal Instinct and the like. Once-in-a-while spells (e.g. Teleport) are better suited for a wand or staff.

All the better if your DM lets you construct your own. E.g. "Runestaff of the Protected Heart" with:

Heart of Air 2/day (CM)
Heart of Water 2/day
Heart of Earth 3/day (need more of these to activate the stoneskin effect)
Heart of Fire 1/day (to keep the price down)
Greater Mage Armor 2/day

The staff is a better start than Kellogg's. Get full fortification, +6 AC and a slew of other benefits to help you through your day.

Following the guide in MiC our Runestaff should cost us 11,500gp. Quite the bargain for a sorcerer.

That's neat...got the Heart of spells taken care of, for the most part, I suppose.

Phantom Battle and Legion of Sentinels made me think of a play on "the 1,001 Arabian Nights"--maybe casts the spells while weaving a story about the 1,001 Knights?

The two Familiar spells are specifically for his Item Familiar (Carpet of Flying) he was going to have.

Steal Size, some of the fortune and luck spells, Touch of Years and the Power Word Line and such? Bam, Genie! *jazz hands*

There's a lot to use here.


Put the lower level spells into Eternal Wands, maybe?

Whelm, Peacebond and Whelming Blast could just go on E. Wands, I think. Or maybe as scrolls, I don't know. They just fit with the genie using a lot of nonlethal attacks/methods, especially if he's not supposed to be killing stuff.

[Sagetim]

Don't forget Bestow Curse. It's a handy spell for shenanigans. As long as the gm allows it, you can do non-stat adjusting things to people with the curse. Like making them bald, smelly, hairy, or what have you.

"Your clothes are now the color pink! No matter what you wear! Ahahaahahah!"

[TheBrassDuke]

As the DM...I'll allow this. Haha!

[TheBrassDuke]

So, as a Sha'ir I could potentially have all of the spells here on the list I found, given enough time to run n' fetch them. There's a lot more I'd add to his repertoire, but for the most part I want them to be thematically appropriate.

Also, considering going (Spark) Magic Blooded with the Air Bloodline (Bloodline) feat instead of human for the Genie; the feat gives me a list of known air spells (but I'd have to give up Earth spells), and the template gives me a couple SLA's. So..?

[Gildedragon]

The Magic Blooded template on a human is a good idea.
There's a PF template, Genie Bound, that you might like. Also the Half Jann template.
Or the D'hi'nni which are genie blooded planerouched halflings (not many planerouched have no Cha penalties)

It might be worth looking at home brewed monster classes for the Djinni and Janni.
Take only one or two levels in those as "LA" you are buying off

[TheBrassDuke]

Genie Bound is pretty neat, but it's also PF--and I don't exactly know what it translates to in 3.5 stat and LA-wise.

That Djinn-Halfling is pretty neat though. And while I've looked everywhere, I haven't come close to anything good in regards to any homebrew genie races. I did make


"Half-Genie" is a template that can be added to any corporeal living humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature's type changes to Outsider (Native). It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities, except as noted here.

Hit Dice: Change to d8.

Speed: All half-genies have a fly speed. A half-genie that didn't already now has a fly speed equal to twice the base creature's fastest mode of movement, with good maneuverability.

Weapon Proficiency: The half-genie is proficient with any weapons or armor the base creature had, with the addition of: the Scimitar, Falchion or Whip.

Special Attacks: A half-genie with Charisma or Wisdom 8 or higher (after the ability score adjustments noted below) gain spell-like abilities, using its Hit Dice as its caster level. The table below lists the abilities available. These abilities are cumulative; a half-genie with 3 HD can use the abilities on the 1-2 HD row on the table as well as those on the 3-4 HD row. When a half-genie gets a choice between two abilities (such as Create Water or Invisibility at 1-2 HD), it can choose anew between these abilities each day.

HD Abilities

1-2 Endure Elements at will, Hypnotism 1/day, Create Water or Invisibility 1/day

3-4 Detect Magic 3/day, Mirror Image or Command 1/day

5-6 Protection From X 3/day, Blindness/Deafness or Dispel Magic 1/day

7-8 Bestow Curse or Remove Curse 1/day

9-10 Baleful Polymorph or Dimension Door 1/day

11-12 Major Creation or Persistent Image 1/day

13-14 Plane Shift (self only) 1/day

15-16 Animate Objects or Heroes' Feast 1/day

17-18 Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion or Shadow Evocation 1/day

19+ Limited Wish (non-genies only, and only three per person) or Shadow Conjuration 1/day

Special Qualities: Half-genies have 60-ft. darkvision and are immune to illusion spells and effects.

Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: Dex +2, Con -2, Wis +2, Cha +4.

Skills: A half-genie has skill points equal to (8 + its Int modifier) x (its Hit Dice + 3). Treat skills possessed by the base creature as class skills and other skills as cross-class. If the creature has a class, it gains skill points for class levels normally.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2

Alignment: Any. once, by refluffing the Half-Fey template. But...

[TheBrassDuke]

Not sure if I'm won on the Sha'ir yet. The build does look neat though.