Beguiler Feat Options.

[emoryss1]

Hi all, I'm playing a beguiler in an upcoming campaign and I'm wondering what feats I should choose. This starts at level 1 but it will be going up to around level 15. The feats I already have are
- Spell Focus (Illusion)
- Spell Focus (Enchantment)
- Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)

And I'm mostly looking for feats to help those illusions and enchantments.
Thanks!

[DEMON]

Illusion/Enchantment related feats:

- Shadow Weave Magic (PGtF), Mastery of Dreams (PGtE)
- Dazzling Illusion, Unsettling Enchantment, Touch of Distraction (all CM)
- Mastery of Faerie Enchantment, Mastery of Twisted Shadow (both PGtE)

Other interesting options:
- Versatile Spellcaster (RotD)
- Darkstalker (LoM)
- Obtain Familiar + Improved/Dragon/Celestial/Planar Familiar (all around the place)
- Hand Crossbow Focus (DotU)

Okay, so maybe not the last one, but... I like it :smallredface:

[Troacctid]

If you want to play a little into the skillmonkey side of things—Obtain Familiar is an incredible utility feat for Beguilers, as the familiar can aid you on all your skill checks for a +2 bonus to basically everything, in addition to providing an extra set of eyes for perception checks. Improved Familiar can also upgrade it to an extra-awesome form that has useful SLAs or whatever. If you're Good-aligned, Celestial Familiar is amazing, and Nymph's Kiss is one of the best "value" feats in the game (and goes quite well on a Beguiler too).

[emoryss1]

Thank you guys for the great suggestions. Also, what are some good prestige classes to look into?

[DEMON]

Also, what are some good prestige classes to look into?

Shadowcraft Mage (Ros) and Unseen Seer (CM) are my favorite PrCs for Beguiler.

Mindbender (CArc) and Shadow Adept (PGtF) are some nice dips that you can qualify for with minimal effort.

The former gives you telepathy and opens the door for Mindsight (feat, LoM), while the latter gives you 3 bonus feats at 1st level.

[emoryss1]

Okay thank you guys, I'll decide on these for the campaign :smallbiggrin:

[Thurbane]

Bloodline feats from Dragon Compendium are worth a look: add 9 spells to your list that you otherwise might not be able to get. Great for utility.

[logic_error]

Dipping into Mindbender for more than one level is inadvisable though. I am sure that is what the OP meant.

[Grod_The_Giant]

If you have a decent Wisdom score, Arcane Disciple is a great way to flesh out your spell list. A dip into Sand Shaper isn't bad either.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You generally don't want to prestige out of Beguiler, since it actually gives really decent class features and you get some great options with Advanced Learning. One prestige class level dip that progresses spellcasting is highly recommended to put your later Advanced Learning spells on even-numbered character levels and thus a higher spell level, but a 20th level character should have 19 levels of Beguiler. For that one level prestige class dip, Mindbender is probably the best choice if you're not good aligned, but never take more than one level of Mindbender on any character for any reason.

For your feats, not taking Versatile Spellcaster is almost like a Druid not taking Natural Spell. Since you automatically know every spell of a level you can cast, this should give you early access to the next higher level of Beguiler spells. Some will argue that you must be able to actually cast spells of that level before you learn them, and you must learn them before you can cast them with Versatile Spellcaster. If your DM agrees with that interpretation, then you'll also want Heighten Spell. If you can get that working before 3rd level, you can pick a 2nd level spell for your first Advanced Learning. With a dip in Mindbender or another +1 level of spellcasting prestige class at your 6th level, your Advanced Learning spells can be 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 9th level. I would pick Ray of Stupidity, Shadow Form, Greater Shadow Evocation, Greater Shadow Conjuration, and Superior Invisibility for those, all of which is in Spell Compendium or the core PHB.

If you take a Mindbender dip, you should absolutely take the feat Mindsight in Lords of Madness (page 126). This basically gives you 100 ft. Blindsense regarding anything with an intelligence score, and you'll also automatically know their creature type and intelligence as clearly as someone they're in view of can see what they're wearing. It's just way too useful to pass up.

If you need to take Heighten Spell to get Versatile Spellcaster's early access working, you may as well also take one or more Reserve feats (found in CM, CC, and a few other sources). You can pick up Arcane Disciple for the Summoner or Animal domain at 3rd, and pick up Summon Elemental at 6th level, since Versatile Spellcaster will allow you to cast a 4th level spell from two 3rd level slots.

If you want to be on the same power level as a Wizard, spend a feat on Magical Training in PGtF for a spellbook and a few 0-level spell slots. Per the Rules Compendium this allows you to learn more spells and add them to your spell book via a process identical to the one a Wizard uses. Versatile Spellcaster allows you to spend two spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, which includes spells you've learned and added to your spellbook. Thus you can learn as many spells as a Wizard, and you can cast any of them spontaneously.

Ideally you'll want to use an Elf or Outsider race, such as Gray Elf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm#grayElf) or Tiefling (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/planetouched.htm) (+0 LA and don't spend a level on it (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a), or LA bought off (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm)), for weapon proficiencies. Get an Elvencraft (RotW) Composite Longbow, which counts as both a Quarterstaff and a Composite Longbow. You'll need to get Masterwork three time, but you can also get three Wand Chambers (Dungeonscape) and it's enchanted as three separate weapons. As long as you're holding it you can activate any of the wands it contains, and the Rules Compendium says a wand takes the same action to activate as the spell it contains. UMD a Wand of Wings of Cover or a Wand of Command Undead. Eternal Wands (MIC) can also be placed in it, and anyone who can cast arcane spells can activate one even if the spell isn't on their class list. For shenanigans and if you're good aligned, get Ancestral Relic (BoED) for that and make it a customer Runestaff (MIC p224), and make a DC 20 UMD check each day when you attune to it to emulate the class spell list of whatever classes' spells you have in it. That allows you to freely determine what spells it contains up to the max value, and you can spend Beguiler slots to cast those as though they were on your class list thanks to the UMD check.

[Zaq]

You have to get a favorable GM ruling to make it work (since transparency does not technically work this way, so yes, this doesn't work by RAW), but if you're willing to invest a couple of feats into it (since you need essentia to make it worthwhile), taking Shape Soulmeld: Charming Veil (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20060217a) can provide a bigger bonus than Spell Focus on Charm and Compulsion spells. Possibly a lot of work for the relative payoff, but still.

Of course, Beguilers don't lack for utility in general, but taking Shape Soulmeld for other melds is never a bad idea. It can provide a surprising amount of utility for the relative cost. Rare indeed is the character who will never gain a benefit from having a Blink Shirt, for example.

Moving in another direction, one of my favorite feats in the entire game is called Fell Conspiracy, and it's found in Exemplars of Evil. Despite the name and the source, there's nothing evil (or even unsavory) about it. For the extraordinarily low cost of 50 gp per day (which is, let's be honest, pocket change—especially since the whole group gains the benefit and therefore the whole group can/should share the cost), you can provide the entire party with a typeless bonus to Spot and Listen. How big a bonus? How about +2 per member of the group? So a four-person party gets a +8 to two of the most important skills in the game, and everyone gets that bonus. A five-person party gains a +10, and so on. (It's even bigger if you can get away with including familiars and pets, though some GMs will frown on that.) Oh, and you can all also communicate telepathically out to a range of 100 feet. It's ridiculously useful, and it's one of the largest skill bonuses you can get out of a single feat.

[emoryss1]

Alright looks like I'll be taking that dip into Mindbender (thanks!). And once I level up a bit ill look into versatile spellcaster and mindsight looks really cool.

[DEMON]

Alright looks like I'll be taking that dip into Mindbender (thanks!). And once I level up a bit ill look into versatile spellcaster and mindsight looks really cool.

Actually, withouth Mindsight, Mindbener isn't worth it too much.

I mean, it's still +1 CL, +2 Fort and Telepathy, but Mindsight is what makes it "epic".

[logic_error]

Actually, withouth Mindsight, Mindbener isn't worth it too much.

I mean, it's still +1 CL, +2 Fort and Telepathy, but Mindsight is what makes it "epic".

Telepathy is OP. If I read this right then it removes the language dependent effects from most spells that need it.

[Thurbane]

Actually, withouth Mindsight, Mindbener isn't worth it too much.

A 1 level dip is also good for delaying Advanced Learning by a level. Instead of AL at odd levels, you get it at even levels, meaning the spells you can pick with AL are a level higher than usual.

[gorfnab]

This link should be of some help to you: Beguiler's Handbook (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=363)

[logic_error]

If Eberron material is allowed, then there is a mastery of faerie enchantment feat that auto-extends all enchantment spells. Pretty useful contextually.

[ATHATH]

The Mother Cyst and Cerebrosis feats add some interesting spells to your spell list.