So I summon Thee, o great sages of GiantITP to aid me in my quest!

[TrillQaz]

Hello, that's my first post on the forum so I'm sorry if it's in the wrong format or anything.

I recently gotten an amazing opportunity in my first game of D&D 3.5. I always wanted to play that system but only now I got the chance. We are playing in Ebberon and starting at first level. My GM has been accepting most things that I found rules for but will probably object anything setting-specific to some degree or another. I'm playing a Sign of One character that is basically making miracles with his willpower...

I have managed to convince my GM to allow me a custom class -it's basically a Sorcerer but he casts ANY SPELL FROM ANY LIST SPONTANEOUSLY. :smallcool: I'm convinced I can pull off almost anything from the WotC and maybe even something from third party material. I do understand that I'm practically standing on a goldmine with this but the possibilities overwhelm me. :smalleek:

My stats currently:
Race: Venerable, Magic Blooded Human.
Class: Custom/Sorcerer
Final Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 11
Con: 10
Int: 18
Wis: 12
Cha: 23 :smallamused:

Flaws: Venerable, Non-Combatant.
Feats: Spellcasting Prodigy, Eschew Materials, Able Learner(For the purpose of Forgery, Disguise, Hide, Move Silently etc.) and one Feat that I haven't decided on yet.
Skills: I'm maxing out Spellcraft, Concentration, Knowledge(Arcana) and Bluff. Also some Cross-Class skills like Forgery, Disguise, Hide, Move Silently, Use Magic Device and one I forgot :P
Class Features: I have already exchanged Familiar for Spellshield(Dungeonscape).

1) Should I get Metamagic Specialist instead of spellshield(I'm thinking I probably should :smallfrown: )?
2) Where I could invest my Feats? Metamagic seems like a great option. Miser with Magic is like a no-brainer.
3) What Prestige classes would be best for such a character? Very setting-specific may be a no-go but I can try nevertheless.
4) How to maximize my allotment of spells? Rings of Wizardry/Memento Magica? Anything else?
5) How to survive first few levels -what should I be careful about?

Also -any dirty tricks and awesomesauce I can pull off with a character like that will be appreciated :smallbiggrin:

[xkroku]

I have managed to convince my GM to allow me a custom class -it's basically a Sorcerer but he casts ANY SPELL FROM ANY LIST SPONTANEOUSLY. :smallcool:

Wait wait wait... You mean you can CAST every spell, or LEARN every spell?

[TrillQaz]

I can CAST any spell, as in i know every spell already(barring normal restrictions on spell level and spells per day). It's because according to fluff I'm just manifesting anything I imagine.

[xkroku]

1) Yes, I think you should. Spellshield is more for gish-like characters.

2) I would let go of Eschew Materials and go for Metamagic stuff, like Easy Metamagic+Practical Metamagic+[any favourite metamagic feat]. Also consider Picking up Versatile Spellcaster.

3) If going the Metamagic route, I'd reccomend Incantatrix (technically Faerun Specific, but BEG your DM to allow this). If Incantatrix is prohibited, go for Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. Funclass with lot of nice abilities, but sort of a late entry one (earliest at level 9). Getting ANY PrC is a really great otion, since Sorcerer has no class features (beside the Familiar, which you're trading anyway). Escalation Mage is nice (and Eberron Specific!).

4) Boy, are there a lot of options. They include:
-Bumping up Charisma,
-Buying Pearls of Power,
-Buying wands/scrolls of favourite spells,
-Rings of Wizardry
-"Extra Slot" feat
-Get some levels of Divine Caster, then Theurge and take the feat Alternative Source Spell, which lets you prepare arcane spells as divine and dibine as arcame for a cost of 1 CL
-Dragon's Blood Pool gives you 3rd level slot for 1 year (Complete Mage)

5) Complete Survival Guide by Me: Stay behind your BSFs and avoid direct contact with critters and their pointy sticks.

6*) As for dirty tricks, I'm gonna leave some useful links, one with... dirty tricks, the other with spells thst you can get at lower levels from other classes.

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=663.0
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=3hmmrg4ln5cmn0ivhd0jngbs35&topic=12661

[xkroku]

I can CAST any spell, as in i know every spell already(barring normal restrictions on spell level and spells per day). It's because according to fluff I'm just manifesting anything I imagine.

Good lord, have mercy...
This is just too good. There has to be some downside, I don't believe in such generosity.

Also, nice avatar choice!

[TrillQaz]

Whoa, thanks so much for advice and links.

Versalite spellcaster is a must -I knew i forgot about something awesome. That's like a whole new level of spells at the start -unfortunately it means i have to write down another bajillion of spells until Monday :smalltongue:

[Afgncaap5]

This does, in fact, sound powerful... I'm kind of sorry for you, though, as that's a bit of a departure from the rules, and you say this is your first 3.5 game. I'm going to guess that you're still bound by level progressions? As in, at level 1 you don't have any 5th level slots so you can't cast Greater Heroism as a Bard.

Others can probably answer your questions better, but I do think that Metamagic is a good option. The inability to cast as quickly as a wizard with metamagic has never been a huge drawback in my games. Also: look for feats that can get around other issues. You can probably just take spells that don't offer a chance for Spell Resistance to be an issue, but Spell Penetration might make sense under certain very particular situations.

On a personal note: my advice to you, for your sake and your GM's, is to take this great benefit and tie it to roleplaying. Don't just cast Magic Missile, draw the sigil of Karrnwood into the air and blast your opponent. And sometimes make reference to a spell that you might cast in a situation but can't because the magic isn't right ("Well, normally I'd hit you with a Shatter spell, but the leylines between Passage and Fairhaven don't lend themselves to that so... take a Scorching Ray!") Even if you can do anything, take the time to think about how your caster operates and what sorts of things might be harder than others. Roleplaying isn't always necessary, of course, but if your GM eventually decides that all those spells is too much then there's in-story grounds for why changes might be made. And in the best case scenario where no changes are ever needed? Then your character's more interesting to see in action!

[TrillQaz]

That's a lot of sound advice. Even thou I deify freedom and broad possibilities in spellcasters of all sorts, I myself am afraid of what can I do and that it will have some impact on my roleplay. With this much power comes great responsibility and it may be hard to restrain myself.

Having him being a little "off" in some ways and rarely using what's "best" and more of what's "acceptable" and focusing on teamwork will be much better than just "casting away" all the problems.

[xkroku]

I bet way of thinking of your DM was like "Oh, he's new, so I can give him some little boost*, how badcan it be?"
*read: make him a god

Little did he know that you have the whole GitP beside you!

Just remember: the real God Wizard (your class is like Wizard+++ tbh) doesn't let anyone know that he's the most powerful in his team. He lets his teammates feel like they're doing the job (buffing/debuffing/BFC). Restrain from big game-breakers (Locate City Bomb, Voidstone Warhead MKII, etc.), and big direct damage spells and you shoulld be safe from the DMs banhammer.

[TrillQaz]

Little did he know that you have the whole GitP beside you!

Yes, that is a force to be reckoned with :smallwink:

I will be just happy with the freedom that it gives me and feeling that I am capable of acting in any situation. I definitely don't want to overshadow my teammates -It's always much more fun when everyone participates in the action to the fullest. Also, since we will be in a team of three: Dwarf Warrior and Human Bard being others, I will probably focus on Healing, (De)Buffing and Battlefield Control for the most part as well as some out-of-combat utilities.