Help with 3.5 killer gnome build

[Vyanie]

I keep trying to find a good killer gnome illusionist build but always turn up dead links. Any of you people that are really good at builds be able to help me out with a build path. We are starting at level 1 all books except tob allowed, no drawbacks. We rolled stats and I ended up with 17 17 16 16 11 11

[Kaleph]

Are you going to play it for real, or it's TO?

[lylsyly]

Okay, I couldn't find it but there was a killer gnome thread on the old gleemax (WotC) forums. Surely someone has got it archived. There is an old archived thread here that talks about it iirc. Or look up some of the wizards handbooks.

You can get the old minmaxboards forum at minmaxforum.com to try to look thru the handbooks there.

EDIT: I found this thread by searching titles only for killer gnome (there is more there that may help you).
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?217084-Killer-Gnome-Build-Help-Suggestions

[ColorBlindNinja]

Whisper Gnome is pretty good; +2 to CON, +2 to DEX, -2 to CHA/STR.

Shadowcraft Mage is amazing, perhaps a little to Op for most games.

[Vyanie]

Are you going to play it for real, or it's TO?

I am actually going to be playing it. The other game I have with the same DM our caster is a blaster and keeps saying it is the best kind, I have kicked it around with the dm and have played a killer gnome a long time ago, dont have access to the forums anymore that i pulled it from. I would love to use this kind of wizard as its my turn to be the caster =)

[Darrin]

We attempted to archive some of the more notorious builds a few years ago:

Famous Optimized Character Builds (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258580-Famous-optimized-character-builds).

Not all the links go directly to the correct build, but The Killer Gnome is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19914066&postcount=41).

[Yuki Akuma]

You want Shadowcraft Mage, Shadowcrafter, Gnome Illusionist racial substitution level #1, Heighten Spell, Earth Spell, and potentially Sanctum Spell.

Fill most of your slots with Heightened Silent Images and go to town.

For extra cheese, with a leniant DM, see if you can squeeze in Residual Metamagic and Arcane Disciple (Luck). Because, by some readings, you can use this to cast Miracles with cantrip slots. (Warning: Don't bring that build to an actual game.)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Shadowcraft Mage in Races of Stone requires a Gnome race, so probably go Whisper Gnome also in Races of Stone because it's the best one.

The primary trick is to use the Shadow Illusion ability of Shadowcraft Mage with Silent Image and Heighten Spell. Prepared casters gain a way of spontaneously converting prepared spells to Silent Image, spontaneous casters only need to learn one 1st level spell to do everything.

There are tons of ways to improve on that primary trick:

Earth Spell in Races of Stone with sandals made from stone slabs so you can always use it increases your caster level and Heightens it by one more level for free.

Feats and abilities that improve your illusion spells also improve your Shadow Illusions, you can even get Ability Focus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#abilityFocus): Silent Image for +2 DC on those. Keep in mind the same DC is used for the spell you're emulating, so a shadow illusion Stinking Cloud has the same DC vs nausea that your Heightened Silent Image has.

There are several ways of improving the percentage of your shadow illusions: you get 10% per spell level, Shadowcraft Mage 5 gives +20%, the feat Enhanced Shadow Reality in Dragon 325 adds +20%, the Shadowcrafter prestige class in Underdark (FR book) gives +10% at 2nd/3rd level that increases to +20% at 6th/7th level. That's 60% +10% per spell level, so with Earth Spell you can cast a Heightened Silent Image from a 4th level slot and it's 110% effective if they make the save to disbelieve it.


You'll need to choose a base spellcasting class, the strongest contenders are as follows:

Wizard (Illusionist): Between the Gnome Wizard substitution levels that make Silent Image a 0-level spell (so more caster level benefit from Earth Spell), the specialist variants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants) in UA, and the Signature Spell feat in Player's Guide to Faerun to be able to spontaneously cast that, plus Master Specialist and being a Wizard, this is the best choice.

Cloistered (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) Cleric: The Gnome or Illusion domain with the spontaneous domain casting ACF in PH2 gets spontaneous access to Silent Image. You can use DMM: Heighten for more higher level shadow illusions, and illustions much higher level than you'd normally have access to. Combine DMM: Heighten with the spell Dark Way and the Trickery domain's class skills to qualify for Shadowcraft Mage at 3rd level, but you'll need at least one extra feat (flaws, moderate taint, etc.) do be able to do that.

Beguiler: An Int-based spontaneous spellcasting class with a lot of skills and utility, Shadowcraft Mage adds all the tools this class was missing. It's a solid Tier 3 that becomes Tier 1 with Shadowcraft Mage, it's probably the easiest one to play for this build, and it's more in line with practical optimization rather than the theoretically powerful builds that start with Wizard or Cleric. Versatile Spellcaster significantly improves this choice.

Sorcerer: Not as good as Wizard, but you probably have more spells/day. Not as good as Beguiler IMO, but better than going Bard, even with Sublime Chord. You also miss out on any possible Kobold Sorcerer shenanigans because it only works with a Gnome race.


Regarding the level build and other Prestige Classes, you'll definitely want to include all five levels of Shadowcraft Mage, and you absolutely don't want to lose any levels of spellcasting. You want to qualify for Shadowcraft Mage as early as possible, whether via DMM or Earth Spell's extra spell level or Versatile Spellcaster combined with Earth Spell, etc. There are some very strong choices for prestige classes to take on the way to qualifying for Shadowcraft Mage and after you've maxed it out:

Master Specialist: You'll take its feat prerequisite anyway, and it can be taken after 3rd level, but it's Wizard only. You get two bonus feats including Greater Spell Focus, and if you get four levels you add +2 DC to your shadow illusions. I wouldn't bother with more than four levels unless there are no better choices.

Shadowcrafter: Besides increasing the potency of your shadow illusions, this adds a bonus to your check to overcome SR with illusions and even gives you the ability to automatically get a saving throw for any illusion without even interacting with it. The tenth level is completely worthless, and you'll already have the feat prerequisites, so if the book is available plan to get three, four, seven, eight, or nine levels of this, preferably at least seven or eight.

Shadow Adept: A single level of Shadow Adept in Player's Guide to Faerun gives you three feats that improve your spells from most schools of magic including illusion, it's a very significant upgrade that only costs you one feat and one class level. The required Shadow Weave Magic feat even makes your spells immune to Antimagic Field and dead magic areas and similar unless the effect was produced by another shadow weave user. Don't bother taking more than one level, the rest of the class is garbage.

Those are really the only ones worth mentioning. You may get some benefit from dipping Paragnostic Apostle or Archmage, and you'll need Sublime Chord if using Bard, but otherwise just plan a build using the above classes to fill out the rest of your levels.


Required Feats:
Heighten Spell
Spell Focus: Illusion
Other prestige class prerequisites (Greater Spell Focus, Shadow Weave Magic)

Highly Recommended, don't use this build with out them unless you can't get them:
Earth Sense, Earth Spell
Enhanced Shadow Reality
Signature Spell (Wizard) or DMM: Heighten (Cleric) or Versatile Spellcaster (Spontaneous)
Rapid Metamagic


Example build, no early qualification, no flaws:

Whisper Gnome, Wizard (Illusionist) 3/ Master Specialist 4/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadow Adept 1/ Shadowcrafter 7
All the Illusionist Wizard ACFs in UA, Gnome Illusionist 1 in RoS, Focused Specialist in CM, prohibited schools are Enchantment, Evocation, and Necromancy.
Spell Focus: Illusion (1st), Heighten Spell (3rd), Skill Focus: Spellcraft (B), Greater Spell Focus: Illusion (B), Signature Spell: Silent Image (6th), Enhanced Shadow Reality (9th), Shadow Weave Magic (12th), Earth Sense (15th), Earth Spell (18th).
If you can get two flaws take Earth Sense and Earth Spell sooner, get Rapid Metamagic at 15th and probably Quicken Spell at 18th.

[Nifft]

Biffoniacus_Furiou says good things.

I just want to offer one sample build which isn't quite as focused, but which has a lot of practical value.

Wizard 5 / Shadowcrafter 10 / Shadowcraft Mage 5

- Wizard 5 to get the Spontaneous Divination alternate class feature. I find this feature to be incredibly useful in play.
- Shadowcrafter 2 after Wizard
- Shadowcraft Mage 5
- Finish up Shadowcrafter 3-10, and you're done

Feats are:
L1: Spell Focus (Illusion)
L3: Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)
--- that's it for pre-reqs, all the rest are free, the below are just an example ---
L6: Earth Sense
L9: Heighten Spell
L12: Earth Spell
L15: Arcane Disciple (Luck)
L18: Skill Focus (Underwater Basket Weaving)

[Vyanie]

Awsome thank you so much everyone!

[Vyanie]

I did have the question on why whisper gnome? you lose the gnome illusion bonus dont you?

[ColorBlindNinja]

I did have the question on why whisper gnome? you lose the gnome illusion bonus dont you?

30 foot land speed, +2 DEX +2 CON, -2 STR, -2 CHA, they're perfect for INT/WIS spellcasters.