Heavy Armor Mage

[StevenC21]

Is there *any* way, at all, to create a full Mage that can cast in heavy armor? Generic heavy armor.

I am a DM and I very much want to set up an NPC boss someday wearing the Golem Armor (ELH). Basically just a heavily armored blaster.

Is this possible? I need the Arcane Spell Failure rate at 0%, or at least less than 10%.

[DrMotives]

Battle Caster, a feat from Complete Arcane. It does require the mage has a class that can cast with no penalty in light armor, (So, bard, warmage, beguilger, etc) but it adds one heavier category than normal. So a warmage can normally cast in light armor with no spell failure at level 1, and medium at level 8. The feat would make it medium armor at levels 1 to 7, and fully able to wear heavy armor at level 8 with no arcane spell failure.

There's other ways, but this one is pretty straightforward.

[Maat Mons]

Is archivist mage-y enough?

[StevenC21]

Such as?

I'll probably go with that, but I am very curious.

[Angrith]

It's not terribly ideal, but still spell removes the somatic components, and spells without somatic components do not risk arcane spell failure.

[DrMotives]

Such as?

I'll probably go with that, but I am very curious.

There's an ACF for fighters called Armored Mage. It sounds like exactly what you want, but it has a few weird things to make it work. First, you have to multiclass as a fighter, where your fighter levels+1 = max spell level that ignores arcane spell failure chance. So 9th level spells require 8 levels of fighter, which doesn't leave enough levels to actually get 9th level spells without going above 20th level, usually. Even then, this ability only applies to light armor & shields. Maybe you could combine it with the feat I mentioned in my last post, so a base mage class like wizard or sorcerer would be able to wear heavier armors, but that leads to the next problem. Armored Mage trades the fighter class's medium & heavy armor proficiency away; so you'd have to get it back with either a non-fighter martial dip, a cleric level, or spending feats on heavier armor. It seems so very inefficient to do all that.

Other options are just stuff like bracers of armor; the exalted luminous armor spells (not great options for a villain, unless your party normally fights the forces of good), or the dragonscale husk feature from Dragon Magic.

[Elkad]

Runesmith PRC (Dwarf only) does exactly this.

[tyckspoon]

Is there *any* way, at all, to create a full Mage that can cast in heavy armor? Generic heavy armor.

I am a DM and I very much want to set up an NPC boss someday wearing the Golem Armor (ELH). Basically just a heavily armored blaster.

Is this possible? I need the Arcane Spell Failure rate at 0%, or at least less than 10%.

If you're actually doing an Epic enemy, the most straightforward way would be to give him the Automatic Still Spell feat a few times. If you don't have your heart set on the Golem Armor specifically, it's a lot easier as well, because you can use special construction and enhancement property rules that you couldn't fit on the specific Golem Armor.

.. if you don't mind potentially giving the party a just absolutely huge set of loot you could just have him lug around a lot of metamagic rods of Still Spell.

[Eldonauran]

Battle Caster, a feat from Complete Arcane. It does require the mage has a class that can cast with no penalty in light armor, (So, bard, warmage, beguilger, etc) but it adds one heavier category than normal. So a warmage can normally cast in light armor with no spell failure at level 1, and medium at level 8. The feat would make it medium armor at levels 1 to 7, and fully able to wear heavy armor at level 8 with no arcane spell failure.

There's other ways, but this one is pretty straightforward.

If you want to turn ANY arcane caster into a caster that can make use of the Battle Caster feat, just get them to take a single level in Prestige Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigeBard). You lose a level of casting, but you get something of what you want out of it.

[NontheistCleric]

If you want to turn ANY arcane caster into a caster that can make use of the Battle Caster feat, just get them to take a single level in Prestige Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigeBard). You lose a level of casting, but you get something of what you want out of it.

That would only get the no-ASF casting up to medium armor, though, and the feat can't be taken more than once.

Also, it's a variant but since OP is the DM that's less of a problem.

[CharonsHelper]

Just have him use Still Spell for everything (and try to find a few spells without somatic components). Then arcane spell failure doesn't matter then.

Edit: Ninja'd long ago. DOH!

[Caudex Capite]

Unfortunately, the easiest ways to deal with ASF involve modifying the armor itself, which isn't possible for a major artifact like Golem Armor. If you decide to go with the Runesmith (which is probably the cleanest option, since it's meant for this), but don't want a Dwarf, the Stoneblessed prestige class lets a member of any race count as a Dwarf. You'll need to take 3 levels, none of which progress casting, but it works unambiguously for any Giant, Humanoid, or Monstrous Humanoid, and levels are cheap for NPC's.

[Uncle Pine]

I second the Runesmith PrC (Races of Stone), partially because it's one of my favourite, but also because it flat out does exactly what you want from its first level. :smallbiggrin:

9 levels of Spellword can also be used to reduce arcane spell failure up to -30%, leaving you with only a 5% failure in a golem armor, but it's a 1/2 spell progression class so YMMV.

[Darth_Versity]

From what I can see, the only way is to take the Spells word for a 30% reduction and then wear a thistledown suit as the internal padding (races of the wild) for an extra 5%.

Alternatively, you use your DM powers to make it out of mithril and add the twilight property with only 1 level of spellsword with the thistledown padding.

[Goladar]

Use the Generic Spellcaster (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm#spellcaster) and choose Divine spellcasting. You gain the ability to choose any spell on the Sor/Wiz, Cleric, and Druid spell list and suffer no ASF for wearing armor.

[ShurikVch]

Well, using Blue Ice component (Frostburn) allow cast [Cold] spells without ASF (and with Snowcasting, every spell is [Cold])

Also, check this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22526475&postcount=15) - it have decent list of spells with verbal as the only component (thus, indifferent to armor restrictions)

[VolcanicErupt]

I thank you all for this, because now I've just made my Dread Necromancer tankier.

[StevenC21]

Hahaha you are welcome!

[Menzath]

How about something wacky, like a duskblade/prestige bard/abjurant champion/sublime chord/ Eldritch Knight or w/e.

You lose 1cl, still end with 9ths, and BaB of what 18? With the feat mentioned and duskblade you can use Shields and heavy armor with no acf.

[Peat]

If you're willing to port over Pathfinder stuff, the Hellknight Signifier is a full cast PrC that can get you 30% reduction on ASF% as a free action by level 8.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Take 1 level of Cleric and the Alternative Spell Source (https://www.realmshelps.net/charbuild/feat/Alternative_Source_Spell) feat. AFAIK, that means you can now cast your arcane spells as divine spells, out of divine slots, for the cost of 1 level and -1 CL.

[CIDE]

Clockwork Armor if you have a way to get heavy armor proficiency.

[Particle_Man]

Psion is pretty close to mage (especially if you just want a blaster - go kineticist!) and they have no ACF. Just spend three feats to get light, medium and heavy armour proficiency.

Since you are the DM you could approve psionics. :smallbiggrin: And it is in the SRD so it is free if you don't have the books.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/psion.htm

Wilder is another option and since they start with light armour prof, it saves you a feat.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/wilder.htm

[StevenC21]

Oooooh...

Thats actually a really, really good idea. I do have the eXpanded Psionics Handbook, so I could do that...

The only issue is that the Psionic characters don't have a whole lot of attack diversity, yknow? I am going to go pick up CPsi soon, though, so that might help alleviate some of it.

[Menzath]

Oooooh...

Thats actually a really, really good idea. I do have the eXpanded Psionics Handbook, so I could do that...

The only issue is that the Psionic characters don't have a whole lot of attack diversity, yknow? I am going to go pick up CPsi soon, though, so that might help alleviate some of it.

In that case the iron mind prc from races of stone may be helpful for something on the tanky side.