Monster Caster

[Stryyke]

You have 4 mandatory LA that you can use only for LA or RHD, you cannot use it for extra class levels. You want to build the strongest caster you can. ECL 10 (6 class levels + the 4 LA or RHD). What's the best way to make it happen?

[Mike Miller]

That isn't free LA. If it was free it would be 10 levels +4 LA. Do you actually mean the LA isn't free or did you mean 10 levels +4 LA?

[Jack_Simth]

You have 4 free LA that you can use only for LA or RHD, you cannot use it for extra class levels. You want to build the strongest caster you can. ECL 10 (6 class levels + the 4 LA or RHD). What's the best way to make it happen?

Phaerimm, Lost Empires of Faerun. Casts as a Sorcerer of their hit dice (not RACIAL hit dice), as spell-like abilities, stacks with Sorcerer levels. So at 9th level, you could spam Wish at no XP cost.

[Stryyke]

That isn't free LA. If it was free it would be 10 levels +4 LA. Do you actually mean the LA isn't free or did you mean 10 levels +4 LA?

Sorry. Free was the wrong word to use. Mandatory would have been more appropriate.

[Cosi]

Maybe they mean a 6th level character with 4 points of free LA?

I think the best bet would be either to find some obscure immunity that makes you stupid hard to kill (like regeneration that's only overcome by a weird type) or just picking something that gives out a big pile of caster levels.

[Mike Miller]

Phaerimm, Lost Empires of Faerun. Casts as a Sorcerer of their hit dice (not RACIAL hit dice), as spell-like abilities, stacks with Sorcerer levels. So at 9th level, you could spam Wish at no XP cost.

How do you suppose you cast Wish at 9th level?

Oh, google explained it for me. That is broken, indeed

[Rebel7284]

Check out the sharn race. Two spells per round is pretty insane.

[Shalist]

A level drained (i.e. no RHD) black ethergaunt is LA+4 for a cornucopia of goodies, including 17th level casting, massive stat boosts, and bunches of feats and abilities, and that's before class levels.

The phaerimm 'no exp/material components/etc.' thing is awesome, but 2x spell levels is just folks overlooking the difference between 'caster level' and effective sorcerer level.

[Jack_Simth]

The phaerimm 'no exp/material components/etc.' thing is awesome, but 2x spell levels is just folks overlooking the difference between 'caster level' and effective sorcerer level.A dragon's casting is phrased the same way, minus the bit about being tied to hit dice.

[ShurikVch]

Tauric 1HD Forestmaster with levels in Druid will cast as Druid x2 level - thus, 7th-level spells at ECL 10

[Shalist]

Phaerimm effective spellcaster level is tied to their RHD (and stacks with spellcaster levels); their caster level is tied to their total HD (and doesn't stack).

The whole 'double rainbow spellcaster level' argument is an obfuscation on how 'caster level' can mean 'the level a spell is cast at' in one instance, and 'effective spellcaster level' the next.


Spells: A phaerimm casts arcane spells as a sorcerer (caster level equals phaerimm’s character level). Phaerimms use their sorcerer spells as if they were spell-like abilities, so they require no verbal, somatic, or material components.RAW aside, 'caster level = character level' is the same blurb you see in many actual SLAs, which is what their casting is mimicking.


Phaerimm Characters
A phaerimm’s favored class is sorcerer. Its sorcerer levels stack with its base spellcasting ability for the purpose of determining spells known, spells per day, and other effects dependent on caster level. A phaerimm character cannot gain a familiar unless it takes at least one level in a class that grants the ability to summon one, but thereafter its levels in that class stack with its effective racial caster levels to determine the familiar’s abilities.

As you mentioned, the stacking quote is used verboten in numerous entries, with 'caster level' referring exclusively to effective spellcaster level (not innate 'level a spell is cast at' caster level, SLAs, or anything else).

If one were being mildly pedantic, than an ECL 10 phaerimm sorcerer (+2 LA and 8 sorcerer levels) would effectively be a 9th level sorcerer with a caster level of 8.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Obviously, take anything with RHD and casting, at the lowest LA possible. RHD are way, way better than LA, and a totally different thing--why exactly can you have RHD or LA?

(Spellhoarding loredrake) Steel wyrmlings are pretty cool, but they're not strong casters, more a kind of gish base. Still, a nice entry into Swiftblade can be RHD 4/LA 2/martial wizard 1/spellsword 1/spelldancer 1/swiftblade X. Even better if you can buy off the LA, naturally.

If it's mandatory LA, not RHD, then Unbodied are pretty nice. 4th-level telepaths with +4 LA, and one of the few non-undead incorporeal creatures.

[Ruethgar]

Dragonspawn Abomination, with that clause of making the random abilities appropriate to the monster(intended for GM use but doesn’t specify that). So Kobold Sorcerer 6/Red Dragonspawn Abomination 3/Draconic 1 has casting as a level 14 sorcerer at ECL 10.

Advanced Intensified Awakened Monkey fits awkwardly in these rules since it’s RHD don’t add ECL it still needs 4. Human Heritage can get him 13 of the sorcerer casting as above, but with the ruling of RHD counting as non-initiator levels then getting Dark Feral Mineral Warrior and something else on an Arcane Swordsage. Otherwise, the four extra caster levels from Practiced Spellcaster are nice to keep you on par with other ECL 10. And I believe Practiced Manifester works very well with Adrents?

Prenic Primordial Half Giants are often touted as being somewhat worth it. Tacking another LA wouldn’t be too bad after that.

[Rebel7284]

Phrenic Primordial Half Giant is not legal. You can only apply the Phrenic template to a non-psionic creature.

[Ruethgar]

Then Phrenic Human who has been ritually transformed into a Primordial Half Giant. There are ways around everything.

[Eldariel]

As per this thread (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1582.0), Sylph from MMII has racial casting only 1 behind ECL. It's Sorcerer-casting too, which is pretty great, and they come with a host of other benefits to boot (notably Greater Invisibility at will and Summon Monster VI 1/day; very good on these levels though gradually these boons go from "great" to merely "decent"). On the downside they're +5 LA and 3 HD so they are fairly squishy. That's not necessarily a problem though; just pick spells to make up for that. So yeah, Sylph Sorcerer is pretty great; you get 4th level spells on ECL 10 and you're only 1 behind level 5 gamechangers from ECL 11 (and Sylph racials give you a level 6 spell and essentially a persistent version of a level 4 spell). Outsider HD makes them very good skill monkeys too, unlike normal Sorcs. It's probably your best bet at a non-Phaerimm non-template stack here. Pick some good scaling AOE spells like Black Tentacles, Glitterdust, Web, etc. and add some defense like False Life, Wings of Cover, etc. and you're good.

[Troacctid]

Then Phrenic Human who has been ritually transformed into a Primordial Half Giant. There are ways around everything.
Eneko (Secrets of Sarlona, page 106) would be the simpler solution.

[Ramza00]

Phrenic Primordial Half Giant is not legal. You can only apply the Phrenic template to a non-psionic creature.

Complete Psionic has a racial progression for the 1 LA.

1st 1st Half-giant base traits, feat, giant type, Low-Light Vision, Fire Acclimated( Half-giants have a +2 racial bonus on
saving throws against all fire spells and effects.) +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity.

2nd 1st Powerful build, +2 Strength, psi-like ability (1/day—stomp), naturally psionic

Thus if you take only the base class and then do Phrenic I think it works. It may require a houserule but the DM is already doing houserules with 4 LA and so on.

[Nifft]

Unbodied (here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm)) - 4 RHD and LA +4, but each RHD counts as a level of Psion (Telepath), and manifesting class level stacks with RHD -- and the RHD come with 2 good saves, decent HP, a solid skill list, and full BAB. Your build might look like (LA +4) / RHD 4 / Psion 1 / Slayer 1, or alternately (LA +4) / RHD 4 / Psion 1 / Thrallherd 1.

You're naturally incorporeal, and you have telekinesis at-will. Fun for pranks. Decent use case for Vow of Poverty, which (oddly enough) does not conflict with Thrallherd.


Aranea (here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/aranea.htm)) - 3 RHD and LA +4, but each RHD counts as a level of Sorcerer. Similar to the Unbodied, except you're a (Shapechanger) instead of being (Incorporeal), and you stack Sorcerer levels instead of Psion.


Pixie (here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sprite.htm#pixie)) - no RHD, just LA +4 which gives you great mental ability scores, natural invisibility, flight, DR 10/iron, and some flavor-text arrows which you probably can't have. Great for any kind of spellcaster, or for a Rogue, or for a Spellthief 1 / Wizard 4 / Unseen Seer 1++

[Thurbane]

As per this thread (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1582.0), Sylph from MMII has racial casting only 1 behind ECL.

This is also a good resource: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?136021

[Particle_Man]

Stonechild has +4 LA and 2 outsider HD leaving 4 levels for some spellcaster.

With a +8 Str, they are a candidate for strongest caster if you prioritize strength (perhaps to become an eldritch knight? They already are proficient with all martial weapons so you could work towards it from wizard levels (they get a racial int boost)). And hey, immunity to acid and poison is nice.

[Eldariel]

By the way, am I to assume there's going to be no leveling up in this game? Every time you ask about it, it's always about ECL 10. So I assume the characters just remain on the same level? To that end it would be important to optimise the staying power on that level without thinking about the next one. That said, Sylph is still a solid choice but it would vindicate e.g. going into Sandshaper to expand your spell list as you don't care about the lost caster level if you're never getting above 4th level spells anyways, while getting a ton of extra spells known would be awesome. Sylph Sandshaper could focus the normal spells on survivability and utility and use the Sandshaper spells for offense and combat (it gets plenty of good ones).

EDIT: Though Sandshaper does require 8 ranks in the appropriate Knowledge: Local, which is technically impossible for a Sylph under these rules, but as area-specific Knowledge: Local is an obsolete concept in 3.5 anyways, you could potentially get that handwaved.

[Quertus]

In the vein of pixie, you could take Petal for +2 LA. Perhaps Dark Petal for +3 LA? Not sure what to do with the fourth point (racial HD maybe?), but you'd have great stats, and decent ability to hide. Few things could dodge your ray spells, and resisting your SoD/SoS spells would be non-trivial.

[Ramza00]

In the vein of pixie, you could take Petal for +2 LA. Perhaps Dark Petal for +3 LA? Not sure what to do with the fourth point (racial HD maybe?), but you'd have great stats, and decent ability to hide. Few things could dodge your ray spells, and resisting your SoD/SoS spells would be non-trivial.

Dark Petal Half Fey (only use 1 LA instead of the 2 LA version which has lesser abilities than the 2 LA version.) See Here.

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a


Dex +2, Cha +2, Con -2,

fey type (you already have this),
low-light vision (you already have this),
saving throw bonuses (+4 racial bonus to saves against enchantment),
spell-like abilities.

Spell Like abilities include.

Charm person at will, take Supernatural Transformation (Savage Species) to make the Save DC be against 1/2 your HD+10+Cha instead of 01+10+Cha. Furthermore your charm person is purely mental and thus has no visual signals and can't be dispelled, counter spelled, etc and if you fail you just repeat it and since no one notices it is a wonderful outside of combat NPC modifying effect.

More Spell Likes depending on your HD
HD 01 Hypnotism 1/day
HD 03 Detect law 3/day
HD 05 Protection from law 3/day
HD 09 Eyebite or lesser geas 1/day
HD 13 Mass invisibility 1/day
HD 17 Insanity or mass charm 1/day

Dragon 306 +0 LA templates

Magic-Blooded (AKA Spark) -2 wis, +2 cha plus other effects
Arctic (AKA Ice-Dweller) +2 con, -2 cha plus other effects