Junkyard Wars XXIII: Ready, Aim, Fire

[Macabaret]

Welcome to Junkyard Stadium! It is in this hallowed pile of miscellaneous parts that we will hold a competition of Practical Optimization with three components. The catch? Competitors may not use the third item in their builds!

Goal: Create a build that showcases the selected ingredients while steering clear of the Forbidden Ingredient.

This competition has two Necessary Components and one Forbidden Component. This round's components are...


Necessary: Spellwarp Sniper (from Complete Scoundrel p.64)
Necessary: Silver Pyromancer (from Five Nations p.150)
Forbidden: Energy Substitution feat (from Complete Arcane p.79, among other sources)



Contestants:

The rules are as follows:

Creation: 32 point-buy is the presumed creation method. You may assume that you will have enough exp to reach ECL 20, and that the occasional bit of crafting, use of spells with exp components, or the like won't prevent you from doing so. However, LA buyoff is an alternate rule which is not in play.
Workshop: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon Magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. If you use web material, please link it. Dragon Magazine Compendium is allowed, as are Oriental Adventures and the Dragonlance Campaign Setting. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt and fractional saves are not allowed, as they create a different playing field.
Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until after the reveal in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.
Disputes: Any scoring disputes should be sent to the Chair via PM. Valid disputes include RAW misreadings, arithmetic errors, things missed that are present in the entry, and inconsistently applied criteria. Invalid disputes include disagreements on matters of opinion, a judge not catching something not explicitly presented in the entry, and the like. Invalid disputes will be responded to via PM by the Chair, but valid disputes will be posted in-thread for the judge to review. When disputing, please indicate the judge the dispute is intended for and provide a quote of the disputed comment or comments. Note: the Chair may edit or paraphrase any disputes in presenting them to the judges.
Leadership is banned: We're creating one thing, not all of the things. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat or ACF through any means.
Presentation: You will need to present a write-up of your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20-level build in the table below. Please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability throughout its life. Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries. Also for this reason, PLEASE do not include any material that may or may not offend any potential viewers/judges/competitors OR break forum rules. Any builds which violate forum rules WILL be withheld from posting.


Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, please use the following table for their entry.
NAME OF ENTRY


Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities



Code immediately below (spoiler).

Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)
Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Code immediately below (spoiler)Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.

Judges:


Scoring: Each judge is required to provide the criteria by which they are judging the builds. By "criteria," we mean a simple explanation of what the judge is looking for in each of the below categories and what kind of scoring we can expect. If a judge deems a build to be illegal, they may provide a 0 in Elegance but may not refuse to judge any build presented by the Chairman.
The Categories: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Components.


Originality: Is the build unique? Does it deviate from the obvious? Does it forge its own path, or does it fall back on common, established optimization tricks? Some judges score entries for the quality of their concept & backstory as well, though not all do. Providing at least some backstory is heavily encouraged, as it helps the judges figure out who the entry is. Note that the purpose of this category is not to penalize entries that independently came up with the same idea as another entry, but rather to reward entries that explore underutilized and non-obvious areas of optimization, so, judges, try not to base your judging in this category too heavily on what other builds are doing. Multiple entries using the same element may certainly be evidence that the element is unoriginal, but you shouldn't impose anything like a "-1 for each other build using the same class" penalty.
Power: Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.
Elegance: This category was formerly titled "Build Stability." Here, we're essentially measuring how skillfully you put your build together and how you balanced flavor with power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category. Other things that will cause lost points here are excessive multiclassing (meaning any multiclassing that results in an xp penalty), and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, may lose you points. Rule adherence and legality of sources is scored under this category; additionally, reliance on a questionable, controversial, or ambiguous ruling can and should result in a deduction. Neither the number of sources nor their relative obscurity should be penalized--contestants should feel free to use any books they like. Dipping should not be penalized unless it results in a multiclass xp penalty; if the system won't penalize it, neither should judges.
Use of Components: Was the Forbidden Component avoided? Were the Necessary Components showcased, or simply used because they were necessary?



Disputes: Any scoring disputes will be posted by the Chairman in-thread after reviewing them privately. Valid disputes include
RAW misreadings,
arithmetic errors,
things missed that are present in the entry,
and inconsistently applied criteria.
Invalid disputes include
disagreements on matters of opinion,
a judge not catching something not explicitly presented in the entry,
and the like.
Invalid disputes will be responded to via PM by the Chair, but valid disputes should be responded to by each individual judge. Judges are obligated to respond to disputes to ensure that everyone gets a fair shake. A judge's scores will only be recognized if they have recognized all disputes. In the absence of any other judges, the entries will be judged by the chairman.


Completion Time:

Contestants will have until 20:59 PM CDT Thurs March 21, 2019 to create their builds and PM them to the chairman.
Builds will then be posted simultaneously to avoid copying.
Judges will have until 20:59 PM CDT Friday March 29, 2019 to judge the builds and submit their scores. Judging deadline is subject to extension as required.
As the precedent has been set from Episode 2, should all prospective judges have posted their rulings in a neat, timely fashion and all disputes have been settled satisfactorily (to either judges, contestants, or the Chairperson), the judging period may end prematurely to give way to a new episode. No reason to keep working on a finished building and avoid moving onto the next one.


Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing! We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build that doesn't gain a medal. Contestants are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM. Everyone else can vote in-thread. Ready? Set? Get to the junkyard and start building!

Previous Competitions:

Junkyard Wars in the Playground I: Shadowdancer + Sneak Attack - Rogue (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?337864)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground II: Healing Spells + Ruby Knight Vindicator - Cleric (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342896)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground III: Dragons + Theurges - Kobolds (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?347412)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground IV: BoED + Undead Type - Completes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?355278)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground V: Dread Witch + Reaping Mauler - Fighter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?360271)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground VI: Wonderworker + Profession Skill - Factotum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?369604)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground VII: Metamagic Feats + LA - Metamagic Reducers! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?374504)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground VIII: Pounce+Small Size-Barbarian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?388151)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground IX: Earth Dreamer + Ordained Champion - Cleric (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?395791)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground X: Meldshaping + Natural Attacks - Totemist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?403880)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XI: Magical Darkness + Improved Familiar - Wizard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?409650)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XII: Dragonmark Heirs + Touchstones - Martial Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?430214)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIII: Mulhorandi Divine Minion + Monk - Any Other Wildshaping (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?465901)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIV: Racial Paragon Classes + Spellcasting - Base Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?479427)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XV: Ruathar + Stoneblessed - Human (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?497904)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVI: Trapsmith + Combat Trapsmith - Rogue (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?540521)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVII: Elemental Warrior + Jaunter - Fighter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?552569)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVIII: Argent Savant + Holy Scourge - Wizard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?555404)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIX: Incarnum Blade + Exotic Weapon Master - Spiked Chain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?562523-Junkyard-Wars-XIX-IB-EWM-SC)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XX: Xorvintaal Exarch + The Pact-Bound Adept - Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?568541-Junkyard-Wars-XX-XE-PBA(a)-S)
Junkyard Wars in the Playground XXI: Rebuke Undead + Teamwork Benefits - [Divine] feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572680-Junkyard-Wars-XXI-Halloween-Round!)
Junkyard Wars XXII: Battle Trickster + Magical Trickster - Uncanny Trickster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?577512-Junkyard-Wars-XXII-Show-Me-Your-Skillz)

[Macabaret]

FAQ:
If necessary

[Thurbane]

Very interesting.

As always, time permitting, I'd like to get an entry in this time.

[WhamBamSam]

I have some thoughts. I'll try to get something in for this one.

[PrismCat21]

I think I'm in for this one. I should have the time
Going by the title, I totally did not expect these two ingredients. :D

[DeTess]

I like these ingredients. They aren't necessarily good, but at least they're evocative.

[AvatarVecna]

I like these ingredients. They aren't necessarily good, but at least they're evocative.

Booooooooooooo! :smalltongue:

[Macabaret]

Booooooooooooo! :smalltongue:

Aww, did that conjure a negative reaction in you? Perhaps you might divine a way to transmute the wording to something you find more enchanting?

[Thurbane]

Relatively happy with my build stub, but as always, the devil is in the detail. A few feats and class abilities just aren't meshing that way I would like them to...

[jdizzlean]

i may have an addiction, very clearly going down a big rabbit hole again :)

[Falontani]

First build I made kind of fell apart.

[Thurbane]

First build I made kind of fell apart.

I know that feeling. Glad we've got another week and a half to get it all in line...

[Macabaret]

There has been an edit to the OP. We, here in my little corner of the real world, have just undergone a sad and idiotic ritual of collectively playing around with our clocks. Thus, the need to change the deadline of the OP from CST to CDT. The numbers remain the same.
Also, in making that change, I noticed that the year listed in the OP was still 2018. That, of course, is wrong, and has been changed accordingly.
So, the entry deadline now correctly reads: 20:59 PM CDT Friday March 15, 2019. And the judging deadline now correctly reads: 20:59 PM CDT Friday March 29, 2019.
My apologies for any confusion this may have caused. Though, since no one said anything, I doubt too much confusion was caused.

[Thurbane]

I, for one, can certainly use the extra time to finish up my entry...

[jdizzlean]

while i despise extensions, i may need one, i will update you by WED night this week either way


***edit


power and internet have been in and out all day here in snowpocalypse '19. gonna need a few days extra please


*** 2nd edit:

submitted, thank you

[Macabaret]

I have one entry in.
Is there anyone still working on a build?

[Falontani]

I err.. Forgot. I can get an entry in on Wednesday if it's needed.

[DeTess]

Sorry, I hadn't gotten around to proper formatting it and sending it in. Let me fix that.

[Thurbane]

Real life has gotten in the way as usual...I'm about 60% done. Unsure when I'll be able to grab the time to finish up.

[Macabaret]

I err.. Forgot. I can get an entry in on Wednesday if it's needed.


Real life has gotten in the way as usual...I'm about 60% done. Unsure when I'll be able to grab the time to finish up.

I won't be home Wed. evening, so I'll extend the deadline to Thursday night: 20:59 PM CDT Thurs March 21, 2019. The judging deadline will, of course, be extended as well, as needed.

[Thurbane]

I won't be home Wed. evening, so I'll extend the deadline to Thursday night: 20:59 PM CDT Thurs March 21, 2019. The judging deadline will, of course, be extended as well, as needed.

I'll do my very best to have my entry completed. Thank you again.

[Macabaret]

For anyone that it may have affected: I have cleaned out several PMs from my inbox. There should now be sufficient room for several more. Feel free to commence filling it.

[Falontani]

I've got my build done, just need to do the final write-up

Update: I finished spells, the build table, just have about an hour of work left to do it, but rl dnd went long and I didn't finish yet. It will definitely be done by the end of tomorrow though. If you have to post before hand it's ok though.

Update 2: My build is in! I hope it is formatted correctly!

[Macabaret]

Sorry for the delay, folks. Slight internet snafu here. But its back up now, so....
...pencils down!
Please refrain from posting in the thread until all submissions are up. Thank you.

[Macabaret]

Ebera Fireborn


https://cdn.inprnt.com/thumbs/56/4f/564fbc7ef8bef0c29da3134512128e99.jpg?response-cache-control=max-age=2628000



LG Lesser Fire Genasi Cleric 1/Thug Sneak attack fighter 1/focused specialist wizard 5/Silver pyromancer 2/Spellwarp sniper 5/Silver pyromancer +3/focused spcialist wizard +3

Ability scores



Base
Racial
Level 4
Level 8
Level 12
Level 16
Level 20
total


STR
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
8


DEX
15
-
-
+1
+1
+1
-
18


CON
14
-
-
-
-
-
-
14


INT
17
+2
+1
-
-
-
-
20


WIS
11
-
-
-
-
-
+1
12


CHA
10
-2
-
-
-
-
-
8








Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Cleric 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Concentration 4, spellcraft 4, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 4, knowledge (the planes) 4, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 2

point blank shot
Turn undead, Fire Domain, Destruction Domain


2nd
Sneak attack thug fighter 1
+1
+4
+0
+2
Concentration 5(CC rank), spellcraft 5(CC rank), knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 5(CC rank), knowledge (the planes) 4, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 3(CC rank)

-
Sneak attack +1d6


3rd
Focused specialist wizard 1
+1
+4
+0
+4
Concentration 6, spellcraft 6, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 6, knowledge (the planes) 4, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 6


Fiery spell
scribe scroll, familiar: hawk, focused specialist: evocation (banned: Illusion, enchantment, necromancy)



4th
Focused specialist wizard 2
+2
+4
+0
+5
Concentration 7, spellcraft 7, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 7, knowledge (the planes) 7, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 7


-
-


5th
Focused specialist wizard 3
+2
+5
+1
+5
Concentration 8, spellcraft 8, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 8, knowledge (the planes) 8, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 8, spot 1 (CC rank)


-
-


6th
Focused specialist wizard 4
+3
+5
+1
+6
Concentration 9, spellcraft 9, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 9, knowledge (the planes) 9, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 9, spot 2 (CC rank)


split ray
-


7th
Focused specialist wizard 5
+3
+5
+1
+6
Concentration 10, spellcraft 10, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 10, knowledge (the planes) 10, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 10, spot 3 (CC rank)


empower spell (wizard bonus feat)
-


8th
Silver pyromancer 1
+3
+5
+1
+8
Concentration 11, spellcraft 11, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 11, knowledge (the planes) 11 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 11 (CC rank), spot 3


-
Pyromancer, purge undead, bow proficiency


9th
Silver pyromancer 2
+4
+5
+1
+9
Concentration 12, spellcraft 12, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 12, knowledge (the planes) 12 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 12 (CC rank), spot 3


Arcane Thesis (fireball)
sacred flame


10th
Spellwarp Sniper 1
+4
+5
+1
+11
Concentration 13, spellcraft 13, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 13, knowledge (the planes) 12, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 12, spot 9

-
Spellwarp


11th
Spellwarp Sniper 2
+5
+5
+1
+12
Concentration 14, spellcraft 14, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 14, knowledge (the planes) 13 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 12, spot 13

-
sudden raystrike +1d6


12th
Spellwarp Sniper 3
+6
+6
+2
+12
Concentration 15, spellcraft 15, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 15, knowledge (the planes) 14 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 13 (CC rank), spot 15

transdimensional spell, precise shot (class bonus)
-


13th
Spellwarp Sniper 4
+7
+6
+2
+13
Concentration 16, spellcraft 16, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 16, knowledge (the planes) 15.5 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 14 (CC rank), spot 16


-
sudden raystrike +2d6


14th
Spellwarp Sniper 5
+7
+6
+2
+13
Concentration 17, spellcraft 17, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 17, knowledge (the planes) 17 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 15 (CC rank), spot 17

-
ray mastery


15th
Silver pyromancer 3
+7
+7
+3
+13
Concentration 18, spellcraft 18, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 18, knowledge (the planes) 18 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 15, spot 18 (CC rank)


repeat spell
smiting spell 1/day


16th
Silver pyromancer 4
+8
+7
+3
+14
Concentration 19, spellcraft 19, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 19, knowledge (the planes) 19 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 15, spot 19 (CC rank)

-
persistent fire


17th
Silver pyromancer 5
+8
+7
+3
+14
Concentration 20, spellcraft 20, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 20, knowledge (the planes) 20 (CC rank), knowledge (architecture and engineering) 15, spot 20 (CC rank)

Feats
smiting spell 3/day (blinding), improved sacred flame


18th
Focused specialist wizard 6
+9
+8
+4
+15
Concentration 21, spellcraft 21, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 21, knowledge (the planes) 21, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 16, spot 21 (CC rank)

maximize spell
-


19th
Focused specialist wizard 7
+9
+8
+4
+15
Concentration 22, spellcraft 22, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 22, knowledge (the planes) 22, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 17, spot 22 (CC rank)

-
-


20th
Focused specialist wizard 8
+10
+8
+4
+16
Concentration 23, spellcraft 23, knowledge (religion) 4, knowledge (arcana) 23, knowledge (the planes) 23, knowledge (architecture and engineering) 18, spot 23 (CC rank)

-
-



At level 1, Ebera casts spells like a level 1 (3 level 0 spells, 1+1 level 1 spells) cleric, and she gains an additional 1st level slot at level 20. The spells int he table below are for the wizard spellcasting, formatted as X+Y, where X are the normal slots, and y are the specialist slots for evocation spells. Note that at level 4, her Intelligence ebcomes 20, giving her an additional 1st level slot

Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
3+3
3+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
3+3
3+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
3+3
4+3
2+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
3+3
4+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
3+3
4+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
3+3
4+3
3+3
2+3
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
3+3
5+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-


11th
3+3
5+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
-
-
-
-
-


12th
3+3
5+3
4+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-


13th
3+3
5+3
4+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
-
-
-
-


14th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
3+3
2+3
0+3
-
-
-


15th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
3+3
3+3
1+3
-
-
-


16th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
3+3
1+3
0+3
-
-


17th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
-
-


18th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
2+3
1+3
0+3
-


19th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-


20th
3+3
5+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
4+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
0+3






Levels 1&2
The fire called me, even during those early days. I, however, was stubborn. Spending those early days training my body instead of my mind saved my life more than once.

The first two levels are used for filling the prerequisites of the two PRC's. By starting with the level in cleric and fighter we're also maximizing the use of the fighters linear power. It won't help us much later, but in those early levels the bigger hit die and better weapons really matter.

Levels 3-7
The fire got more insistent after we found the library of Ozam. With the knowledge to master it at my finger-tips, it would not longer be denied.

The next 5 levels are taken in the wizard class, taking the focused specialist ACF to maximize the amount of spell slots for evocation spells, our bread and butter. The fiery spell and empower spell metamagics can increase spell damage a bit, but they won't really shine until we pick up arcane thesis later. This is also where we pick up split ray, possibly the most contentious part of this build.


According to the SRD and PHB, metamagic feats will call out which spells they can't modify, not which spells they can modify. In this way, Metamagics like Maximize and Empower explicitly call out that they don't affect spells without random variable components. Split ray lacks any language stating that it cannot be applied to non-ray spells, so preparing a split ray fireball is possible by RAW, and once these spells are converted by Spellwarp Sniper, the metamagic's functioning actually makes sense.


Levels 8&9
If all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And with the secrets the fire revealed to me, even the most fire-resistant nails eventually got hammered.

2 levels in sacred flame pyromancer gets us access to sacred flame, which allows us to bypass fire resistance and immunity somewhat. Pyromancer also catches up our lost caster levels for casting fire spells. Finally, these levels get us access to the paladin's spell list, from which we'll be pilfering divine favor, a nice little buff that stacks with almost everything for hitting things with attack rolls. Level 9 is also where we pick up Arcane thesis for the fireball spell, which allows us to start going crazy with metamagics, especially +1 metamagics like fiery spell.

Levels 10&11
My enemies didn't sit still either, of course. They learned that the best way to stop me from burning them to ash was to surround themselves with innocents. For this, too, the fire had a solution.

After the first two levels of silver flame Pyromancer, we start taking spellwarp sniper levels. Applications of the grease spell can set people up for the extra damage from sudden Raystrike by forcing them to balance. Nothing else interesting happens for these first two levels.


Metamagics don't increase the level of a spell, just the level of the slot its cast from. The spellwarp ability refers to the spell's level, not the level of the slot, so you could spellwarp a spell of 5th level or lower, even if it's metamagic'd to take up a 9th level slot.


Level 12 (beginning of the sweet spot) and beyond
Once I'd learned to channel the destructive power of the fireball into a single beam the game was up. There was nothing left for my enemies to hide behind.

At level 12 you can start spellwarping the fireball spell, which is this build's main trick. The silver flame pyromancer allows us to bypass fire resistance and gives us access to some extra buffs to make sure the ray lands (with smiting spell and persistent fire being situational boosts). Spellwarp sniper brings the spellwarp ability, and some damage boosts against flat-footed targets. Being a spellcaster, you can easily make people flatfooted, using grease, or its flammable 2nd level sibling.

As you're a spellcaster, levels past 12 all add to your power, so your sweet spot never really stops.

Below is a typical list of spells prepared at level 20. Despite this build mostly being a blaster, jsut filling your specialization slots with fireballs will giver you everything you need for most adventuring days, so you'll have plenty of slots left for other stuffs. This includes typical spells like teleport, mind blank and (greater) mage armor,a s well as buff spells like cat's grace and divine favor to increase your chances of hitting with your rays.


cleric
amount level 0 3
1 detect magic
2 create water

level 1 2+1
1 guiding light
1 bless
1 burning hands

Wizard
level 0 3+3
1 read magic
1 detect magic
1 prestidigitation
3 dancing lights

level 1 5+3
2 shield
3 divine favor
2 guiding light
1 burning hands

level 2 4+3
3 incendiary slime
1 cat's grace
3 seeking ray

level 3 4+3
1 protection from energy
1 mage armor, greater
1 spell vulnerability
1 fly
3 fiery transdimenional fireball

level 4 4+3
2 evard's black tentacles
2 celerity
3 fiery transdimenional split ray fireball

level 5 4+3
2 teleport
2 blink, improved
3 empowered fiery transdimenional split ray fireball

level 6 3+3
2 cat's grace, mass
1 starmantle
3 fiery transdimensional split ray repeating fireball

level 7 2+3
1 energy immunity
1 spell turning
3 empowered fiery transdimensional split ray repeating fireball

level 8 1+3
1 mind blank
3 maximized fiery transdimensional split ray repeating fireball

level 9 0+3
3 maximized empowered fiery transdimensional split ray repeating fireball

In addition to the spells listed above, make sure you know scorching ray, contingency, scrying and greater teleport. Learn other spells to taste.





At level 3, your fireballs will be fiery transdimensional fireballs. Good for 45 average damage, and can hit just about everything for full damage thanks to trans-dimensional.
At level 4, your fireballs will be split ray fiery transdimensional fireballs. If both rays hits, you'll do 90 damage on average.
At level 5, your fireballs will be split ray empowered fiery transdimensional fireballs. If both rays hits, you'll do 124 damage on average.
At level 6, your fireballs will be split ray repeating fiery transdimensional fireballs. If all four rays hits, you'll do 180 damage on average. Use of crowd control spells like grease or black tentacles will keep people in place for both volleys to hit.
At level 7, your fireballs will be split ray repeating empowered fiery transdimensional fireballs, which'll do 248 damage on average if all rays hit.
At level 8, your fireballs will be split ray repeating maximized fiery transdimensional fireballs, which'll do 280 damage if all rays hit.
At level 9, your fireballs will be split ray repeating maximized fiery transdimensional fireballs, which'll do 348 damage on average if all rays hit.





Forgotten realms campaign setting: Fire genasi
player's guide to faerun: Lesser planetouched
Unearthed arcane: sneak attack fighter avrian, thug fighter variant
complete mage: focused specialist acf, spells: Incendiary slime
sandstorm: fiery spell feat
complete arcane: feats: split ray, repeat spell , transdimensional spell, spells: 'Mage armor, greater'
PHB2: Arcane thesis feat, spells: Seeking ray
spell compendium: spells: guiding light, spell vulnerability, celerity, energy immunity
Unapproachable east: spells: improved blink
Book of exalted deeds: spells: starmantle

[Macabaret]

Fitzy
https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.d20.io/images/1846268/lUtLmhQ6C-a9EMiKbzZA-Q/med.jpg?1379170651

LG Forest Gnome Illusion Focused Specialist Wizard 3/Master Specialist 4/Shadowcraft Mage 4/Spellthief 1/Sacred Exorcist 1/SWS 2/SFP 5
Forest Gnome (MM 131)

+2 CON -2 STR, Small (+1 AC/attack, +4 Hide/+8 in wooded, -4 Grapple)
Speed 20, Lowlight, +2 DC on illusions cast, +1 attack vs kobolds/goblinoids/orcs/reptilian humanoids, +4 dodge to AC vs giants
+2 Listen/Craft Alchemy

SLA (Req CHA 10) 1/day dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation
Pass w/o trace (Su): free action, self only as druid of gnome’s class levels
Automatic Languages: Gnome, Elven, Sylvan, forest animals

Point Buy:
S8,D13,C12,I18,W13,C10
Racial:
S6,D13,C14,I18,W13,C10
All points into INT


1- Spell Focus (Illusions): +1 DC
3- Heighten Spell – can prepare spells at a level higher than its base level (2nd level spell as 4th, etc)
6- Earth Sense: req con/wis 13: while touching the ground, move action to sense creatures in 20ft radius
9- Earth Spell: while standing on earth/soil, when heightening spells, treat it 1 spell lvl, and 1 caster lvl higher (but not w/ air, fire, water spells)
12- Point Blank Shot – stupid feat taxes
15- Ocular Spell – any ray or other then personal target spell can be stored in each eye, treated as 60ft ray attack
18- Master Spellthief - can now steal up to 9th level spells, and regain lost casting from Spellthief



Bonus Spells:
1 to 7: 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1
8 to 15: 1-2, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1
16+ depends on gear bonus’s


Specialist Wizard (PHB) 58: 1 additional spell slot per level and +2 to spellcraft checks, lose 2 schools
Focused Specialist ACF: CMage 34, lose 1 spell slot per level, gain 2 more illusion spell slots per level, lose another school but can’t be divination
Shadow Shaper: SRD: gain Hide at 1st lvl, INT+DEX to Hide at 5th, +1 DC to illusions at 10th, Gain HiPS at 15th, in shadows that grant concealment instead grant total concealment (as if invisible) at 20th
Immediate Magic ACF: PHB2 68: lose familiar, gain mirror image (figment) as an immediate effect SLA INTx/day

Gnome Illusionist racial sub level (RoS 149)
GIS can cast the following at this level instead of actual level:
0-Silent Image, Ventriliquism
1-Leomund’s Trap, Minor Image
2-Illusory Script, Major Image
3-Illusory Wall
4-Persistant Image
5-Programmed Image
And CL -1 for either Evocation, Transmutation, or Conjuration (can’t be banned school).





Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Gnomish Focused Illusionist
+0
+0
+0
+2
Hide 2, Know Arc 4, Know Dungeon 4, Know Rel 4, Know Planes 4, Spellcraft 4, cc-Bluff 1
Spell Focus - Illusion
Shadow Shaper ACF, Immediate Magic ACF, Spells, Scribe Scroll


2nd
Illusionist 2
+1
+0
+0
+3
Hide 3, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 5, cc-Bluff 2
-
-


3rd
Illusionist 3
+1
+1
+1
+3
Conc 1, Hide 4, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 6
Heighten Spell
-


4th
Master Specialist
+1
+1
+1
+5
cc-Bluff 3, Conc 2, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 7
(B) Skill Focus - Spellcraft
+1 SC


5th
Master Specialist 2
+2
+1
+1
+6
cc-Bluff 4, Conc 3, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 8
-
Expanded Spellbook, +1 SC


6th
Master Specialist 3
+2
+2
+2
+6
Conc 4, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 9, Spellcraft 7
Earth Sense, (B)Greater Spell Focus - Illusions
+1 SC


7th
Master Specialist 4
+3
+2
+2
+7
Conc 5, Know Arc/Rel/Planes 10, Spellcraft 9
-
+2 DC Illusions, +1 SC


8th
Shadowcraft Mage
+3
+2
+2
+9
Bluff 6, Conc 7, Hide 6, Know Arc 11, Spellcraft 11
-
Cloak of Shadow, +1 SC


9th
Shadowcraft Mage 2
+4
+2
+2
+10
Bluff 8, Conc 9, Hide 9, Know Arc 12, Spellcraft 12
Earth Spell
Silent Illusion, +1 SC


10th
Shadowcraft Mage 3
+4
+3
+3
+10
Conc 12, Hide 12, Know Arc 13, Spellcraft 12, Swift Concentration
-
Shadow Illusion, +1 SC


11th
Shadowcraft Mage 4
+5
+3
+3
+11
Conc 13, Hide 14, Know Arc 14, Spellcraft 13, Spot 3, False Theurgy
-
Extended Illusion, +1 SC


12th
Spelltheif
+5
+3
+3
+13
Conc 14, Hide 12, Spellcraft 15, Spot 9
Point Blank Shot
+1d6 SA, Trapfinding, Steal Spells (0-1st)


13th
Sacred Excorcist
+5
+3
+3
+15
Conc 15, Spellcraft 16, cc-Spot 10, Know Rel 13
-
Excorcism, Turn Undead, +1 SC


14th
Spellwarp Sniper
+5
+3
+3
+17
Conc 16, Hide 14, Know Arc 15, Spellcraft 17, Spot 12, Spot the Weak Point
-
Spellwarp, +1 SC


15th
Spellwarp Sniper 2
+6
+3
+3
+18
Conc 17, Hide 18, Know Arc 16, Spellcraft 18, Spot 14
Ocular Spell
Sudden Raystrike +1d6, +1 SC


16th
Silver Pyromancer
+6
+3
+3
+20
Conc 18, Know Arc 19, Spellcraft 19, cc-Spot 15.5
-
Pryomancer, Purge Undead, Bow Proficiency


17th
Silver Pryomancer 2
+7
+3
+3
+21
Conc 19, Know Arc 20, Know Rel 18, Spellcraft 20
-
Sacred Flame, +1 SC


18th
Silver Pryomancer 3
+7
+4
+4
+21
cc-Bluff 11, Conc 20, cc-Hide 19, Know Arc 21, Know Rel 21, Spellcraft 21
Master Spellthief
Smite Spell 1/day, +1 SC


19th
Silver Pryomancer 4
+8
+4
+4
+22
cc-Bluff 12, Conc 21, cc-Hide 20, Know Arc/Rel 22, Spellcraft 22
-
Persistent Fire, +1 SC


20th
Silver Pyromancer 5
+8
+4
+4
+22
cc-Bluff 13, Conc 22, cc-Hide 21, Know Arc/Rel 23, Spellcraft 23
-
Smite Spell 3/day (blinding), +1 SC




Spells/day not counting bonus from high INT: CL 18 base.
Spells per Day/+'s indicate illusion slots


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
2+3
+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
3+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
3+3
1+3
+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
3+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-
-
-
-
-


8th
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-
-


9th
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-
-
-
-


10th
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-
-


11th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-
-
-


13th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-
-
-


14th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-
-


15th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3
-
-


17th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3
-


18th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
1+3
+3


19th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3
1+3


20th
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
3+3
2+3
2+3




Some fun illusion spells:
0- all
1- color spray, Instant Diversion, Net of Shadows, Silent Image, Ventriloquism
2- Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Assailants, Phantom Trap,
3- Cone of Dimness, Legion of Sentinels, Major Image, Shadow Binding,
4- Illusory Wall, Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer, Rainbow Pattern, Shadow Conjuration
5- Friend to Foe, Shadow Evocation, Shadow Guardians
6- Permanent Image, Shadow Walk
7- Project Image, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Simulacrum
8- Screen, Greater Shadow Evocation
9- Shades, Weird

Shadow Conjuration (up to 6th lvl)

Shadow Evocation (up to 7th lvl)

Shadow Illusion (any spell from evocation, or conjuration (creation/summoning), even from banned schools, up to 8th lvl, because you can heighten or Earth Spell to get higher level spells)
1-Arcane Bolt, Kelgore’s Fire Bolt, Lesser Orb of Fire, Ray of Flame
2-Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Fireburst, Mark of X, Scorching Ray, Summon Swarm
3-Vile Drown, Fireball
4-Black Tentacles, Blast of Flame, Blistering Radiance, Orb of X, Parboil
5-Call Dretch Horde, Call Lemure Horde, Call Nightmare, Call Zelekhut, Shroud of Flame
6- Contingency, Orbs of Various Energy
7-Delayed Blast Fireball, Dragon Ally, Prismatic Spray, Reality Maelstrom, Summon Aspect of Bahamut
8-Incendiary Cloud, Trap the Soul

Now, there’s two lines of thought here that both involve shadow illusion. The first applies to Earth Spell that prohibits you from applying that to spells of the air, fire, or water descriptor. BUT, you aren’t casting one of those, you’re casting a figment spell and having it instead act like one of these spells, so you can still heighten and get the increased CL benefits from Earth Spell in this way.

The other line of thought is that when you’re applying Sacred Flame to fire spells, are you in fact casting a fire spell, or is it an illusion spell that is just doing fire damage? The same for Shadow Evocation/Greater. Now, Shadow Evocation should work because if they fail their will save, they take the full effects of the spell you’re duplicating.

Also with Shadow Illusion, you can go another route, you aren’t casting the spell you duplicate, you’re casting the original figment and since it’s instead acting as another spell for it’s effects, you should be able to cast spells that have opposite alignments such as as Vile Drown (EVIL) without losing out on the Silver Pyromancer features.

Further, Sacred Flame states damage from fire spells, but also states that scorching ray would deal x damage, 1/2 of which would be unresistable, and later all of it. Shadow Evocation lets you cast Scorching Ray, and therefor can apply Sacred Flame to it. Also, any Illusion that is cast that mimics or is a fire spell, and the will save is failed, should also apply that additional d6 the following round that is Persistant Fire.




Focused Specialist Wizard (Illusion): Banned Schools include: Necromancy, Enchantment, Abjuration. Dumping the Familiar since it would only advance to a 3rd level wizard, and instead picking up immediate magic to allow between 4-6 uses/day of Mirror image as an immediate action SLA. As a focused specialist, we’ll lose 1 spell slot per level, but gain 3 illusion slots per level. Gnomish Illusionist also allows earlier access to a few spells. Between Gnome and Spell Focus all illusions are starting out at +3 to the DC. Heighten Spell is picked up now, but will come into play later on.

Master Specialist: Full Spellcasting progression, Skill Focus Spellcraft as a bonus feat, a free spell of up to 3rd level added to spellbook, another +1 to illusion dc’s (+4 total now), and then another +2 to illusion dc’s (+6 now).

Shadowcraft Mage: Full Spellcasting Progression, 30% miss chance due to concealment in other than daylight, Can apply Silent and Extend Spell to illusions free, can infuse figment spells to make them more real. Can mimic any wiz/sorc spell of conjuration (Summon/creation) or evocation spell 1 lower than level of illusion, and deal 10% damage/level of the spell even if will save is made.

Spellthief: gotta have that d6 sneak attack. Plus, we’re already a bit of a sneaky character, and will be able to use the steal spell mechanic moving forward.

Sacred Excorcist: gotta have that Turn Undead, plus this gives us spell progression!

Spellwarp Sniper: This really should be a 3 level class, and even still we’re only taking 2 ranks in it. First off, spellwarp turns an area spell into a ray spell for touch attack fun to which we can apply most of the other things in this build to them, sadly since we’re only taking 2 ranks, we can only affect 2nd level spells and below before adding on to them… Sudden raystrike treats ray spells as sneak attacks, so now you can ray attack and steal a spell, and apply all the things to the ray as well.

Silver Pryomancer: Any fire spell is treated as CL = Character Level. Purge undead takes turn attempts and treats them as 30ft AoE for 19d6. 4/5ths spellcasting progression to top out at Wizard 19, and add the Paladin spell list to your known spells as arcane. First half, then later all of fire spell damage become unresistable as it turns into sacred damage. First once, then 3x/day you can add smite to a spell (+50% damage vs evil, +4 to the CL check vs SR, -2 to save) and the capstone blinds an evil creature for a round if they fail their save. Any failed save also results in 1d6 fire (or sacred) damage the following round.


Sweet Spots: 10 & 18

Five: A gnomish illusionist w/ a huge pile more spells than normal. The only thing controversial in this block is Shadow Shaper. It forces you to dump bonus feats from being a wizard, but it provides you w/ things before you would have bonus feats anyways, leading me to believe it should work w/o attaining them in the first place.

Ten: Big bonuses to the DC of all illusions now. Earth Spell is online to further boost both CL and spell levels. Can combine all this w/ Shadow illusion for big big abuse.

Fifteen: Two unavoidable dips for Sneak Attack, and Turn Undead. Spellthief however does provide steal spells, which will combine w/ Raystrikes later to both provide dealing damage and stealing spells. Ocular Spell doubles up on this allowing to turn normal ray or personal spells into ray attacks at increased range, and raystrike stacks w/ sneak attack to both do more damage and steal spells from your opponents.

Twenty: Master Spellthief allows your one level of Spellthief to now become a full class as far as stealing spells go, so now you can steal up to 9ths. It also gives us back the lost CL from that dip, it's a win/win. Finish off w/ Silver Pyromancer for all the fiery goodness detailed already.




Complete Adventurer: Spellthief
Complete Divine: Sacred Exorcist
Complete Mage: Master Specialist
Complete Scoundrel: False Theurgy, Master Spellthief, Spellwarp Sniper, Swift Concentration
Five Nations: Silver Pyromancer
Lords of Madness: Ocular Spell
Monster Manual: Forest Gnome
PHB: Feats, Wizard
Races of Stone: Shadowcraft Mage, Earth Sense/Spell

[Macabaret]

The Lawful Good Human Sha’ir 4/Geomancer 3/Knight of the Raven 7/Silver Pyromancer 2/Spellwarp Sniper 4



Stat

Base

Level Up

Final



Strength

8


8



Dexterity

16

4, 8, 12

19



Constitution

14


14



Intelligence

14


14



Wisdom

8


8



Charisma

16

16, 20

18









Level

Class

Base Attack Bonus

Fort Save

Ref Save

Will Save

Skills

Feats

Class Features


1st

Sha’ir

+0

+0

+0

+2

Knowledge Arcana +4, Knowledge Nature +4, Diplomacy +4, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +4

Education, Heretic of the Faith

Summon Gen Familiar



2nd

Sha’ir

+1

+0

+0

+3

Knowledge Arcana +5, Knowledge Nature +5, Diplomacy +5, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +5





3rd

Sha’ir

+1

+1

+1

+3

Knowledge Arcana +6, Knowledge Nature +6, Diplomacy +6, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +6

Arcane Preparation, Initiate of Amaunator

Recognize Genie Works



4th

Sha’ir

+2

+1

+1

+4

Knowledge Arcana +7, Knowledge Religion +1, Diplomacy +7, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7





5th

Geomancer

+2

+3

+1

+6

Knowledge Arcana +8, Knowledge Religion +2, Spellcraft +8, Diplomacy +8, Sense Motive +8, Concentration +1


Drift 1: Cat’s Tail, Spell Versatility 0



6th

Geomancer

+3

+4

+1

+7

Knowledge Arcana +9, Knowledge Religion +3, Spellcraft +9, Diplomacy +9, Sense Motive +9, Concentration +2

Martial Study: Shadow Jaunt

Spell Versatility 1, Marsh Ley Lines +1, Drift 1: Downy Fur



7th

Geomancer

+4

+4

+2

+7

Knowledge Arcana +10, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +10, Diplomacy +10, Sense Motive +10, Concentration +3


Spell Versatility 2, Drift 2: +4 Diplomacy



8th

Knight of the Raven

+5

+6

+2

+9

Knowledge Arcana +10, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +11, Spot +1, Diplomacy +11, Concentration +3


Raven Harrier, Speak with Ravens



9th

Knight of the Raven

+6

+7

+2

+10

Knowledge Arcana +10, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +12, Spot +2, Diplomacy +12, Concentration +3

Point Blank Shot

Smite Undead 1/day



10th

Knight of the Raven

+7

+7

+3

+10

Knowledge Arcana +10, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +13, Spot +3, Diplomacy +13, Concentration +3


Turn Undead, Sun Domain



11th

Silver Pyromancer

+7

+7

+3

+12

Knowledge Arcana +13, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +14, Spot +3, Diplomacy +14, Concentration +3


Pyromancer, Purge Undead



12th

Silver Pyromancer

+8

+7

+3

+13

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +15, Spot +3, Diplomacy +15, Concentration +4

Martial Stance: Assassin’s Stance

Sacred Flame



13th

Spellwarp Sniper

+8

+7

+3

+15

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +16, Spot +7, Diplomacy +16, Concentration +4


Spellwarp



14th

Spellwarp Sniper

+9

+7

+3

+16

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +17, Spot +11, Diplomacy +17, Concentration +4


Sudden Raystrike +1d6



15th

Spellwarp Sniper

+10

+8

+4

+16

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +18, Spot +15, Diplomacy +18, Concentration +4

Precise Shot(B), Improved Precise Shot




16th

Spellwarp Sniper

+11

+8

+4

+17

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +19, Spot +19, Diplomacy +19, Concentration +4


Sudden Raystrike +2d6



17th

Knight of the Raven

+12

+9

+4

+18

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +20, Spot +20, Diplomacy +20, Concentration +4


Light Focus, Smite Undead 2/day



18th

Knight of the Raven

+13

+9

+4

+18

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +21, Spot +21, Diplomacy +21, Concentration +4

Enduring Life(B), Split Ray




19th

Knight of the Raven

+14

+10

+5

+19

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +22, Spot +22, Diplomacy +22, Concentration +4


Smite Undead 3/day



20th

Knight of the Raven

+15

+10

+5

+19

Knowledge Arcana +15, Knowledge Religion +4, Spellcraft +23, Spot +23, Diplomacy +23, Concentration +4










Spells Known



Level

0lvl

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th


1st

5

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



2nd

6

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



3rd

7

4

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



4th

7

5

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



5th

8

5

3

2

-

-

-

-

-

-



6th

8

6

4

3

-

-

-

-

-

-



7th

9

6

4

3

2

-

-

-

-

-



8th

9

6

4

3

2

-

-

-

-

-



9th

9

7

5

4

3

-

-

-

-

-



10th

9

7

5

4

3

2

-

-

-

-



11th

9

7

5

4

3

2

-

-

-

-



12th

9

8

6

5

4

3

-

-

-

-



13th

9

8

6

5

4

3

2

-

-

-



14th

9

9

7

6

5

4

3

-

-

-



15th

9

9

7

6

5

4

3

2

-

-



16th

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

-

-



17th

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

-



18th

9

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

-



19th

9

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2



20th

9

9

9

9

8

7

6

5

4

3




Spells learned
1st: Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Daze, Amanuensis, Benign Transposition, Burning Hands, Mage Armor
2nd: Ray of Frost
3rd*: Mage Hand, Sniper’s Shot, Baleful Transposition, Mirror Image
4th: Shield, Dimension Leap; Forgot Burning Hands and replaced it with Nystul’s Magic Aura
5th: Silent Portal, Anticipate Teleportation, Fly
6th: Ray of Enfeeblement, Escalating Enfeeblement, Greater Mage Armor; Forgot Mage Armor and replaced it with Ray of Clumsiness
7th: Ghost Sound, Dimensional Anchor, Polymorph
9th: Portal Beacon, Portal Well, Analyze Portal, Greater Mirror Image; Replace Mirror Image with Dimension Hop
10th: Precipitate Breach, Dimension Shuffle
12th: Blessed Aim, Conduit of Life, Healing Spirit, Door to Great Evil, Teleport; Replace Benign Transposition with Protective Interposition
13th: Trobriand's Baleful Teleport, Disintegrate
14th: Traveler’s Mount,Seeking Ray, Searing Light, Death Ward, Planar Tolerance, Greater Anticipate Teleportation; Replaced Anticipate Teleportation with Arcane Sight
15th: Planar Bubble, Sunbeam
16th: Ray of Stupidity, Haste, Arcane Seal, Prismatic Ray, True Seeing, Elemental Body
17th: Greater Shadow Evocation, Dimensional Lock
18th: Shield Other, Dispel Magic, Mark of Justice, Zone of Respite, Contingency, Mirror Walking, Maze
19th: Planar Perinarch, Gate
20th: Blink, Air Walk, Wall of Stone, Cone of Cold, Earthquake, Mind Blank, Reality Maelstrom

*At this point onward we are able to spontaneously cast all [Fire] spells on the Wizard/Sorcerer list as well as those one the Fire Domain, at 10th level this expands to include the Glory Domain, and then finally at 11th level expands again to include all [Fire] spells on the Paladin list. In addition we are able to prepare any Arcane Spell on our spells known list (above) as if we were a wizard (without the spellbook). Finally we can still retrieve spells via our Sha’ir innate spellcasting. I do not list many damage spells on our spells known, and this is due to the fact that we will be spontaneously casting our offensive spells primarily.

0: Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Daze, Amanuensis, Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Silent Portal, Ghost Sound
1: Sniper’s Shot, Shield, Nystul’s Magic Aura, Ray of Clumsiness, Traveler’s Mount, Protective Interposition, Ray of Enfeeblement, Portal Beacon, Blessed Aim
2: Baleful Transposition, Dimension Leap, Escalating Enfeeblement, Dimension Hop, Ray of Stupidity, Shield Other, Seeking Ray, Conduit of Life, Portal Well
3: Arcane Sight, Fly, Greater Mage Armor, Analyze Portal, Healing Spirit, Searing Light, Blink, Dispel Magic, Haste
4: Dimensional Anchor, Polymorph, Greater Mirror Image, Door to Great Evil, Death Ward, Arcane Seal, Mark of Justice, Air Walk
5: Precipitate Breach, Dimension Shuffle, Teleport, Planar Tolerance, Prismatic Ray, Zone of Respite, Wall of Stone
6: Trobriand's Baleful Teleport, Disintegrate, Greater Anticipate Teleportation, True Seeing, Contingency, Cone of Cold
7: Planar Bubble, Sunbeam, Elemental Body, Mirror Walking, Earthquake
8: Greater Shadow Evocation, Dimensional Lock, Maze, Mind Blank
9: Planar Perinarch, Gate, Reality Maelstrom
Spells per Day



Level

0lvl

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th


1st

4

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



2nd

5

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



3rd

5

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



4th

5

4

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-



5th

5

4

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

-



6th

5

4

4

3

-

-

-

-

-

-



7th

5

5

4

3

1

-

-

-

-

-



8th

5

5

4

3

1

-

-

-

-

-



9th

5

5

4

4

3

-

-

-

-

-



10th

5

5

5

4

3

1

-

-

-

-



11th

5

5

5

4

3

1

-

-

-

-



12th

5

5

5

4

4

3

-

-

-

-



13th

5

5

5

5

4

3

1

-

-

-



14th

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

-

-

-



15th

5

5

5

5

5

4

3

1

-

-



16th

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

-

-



17th

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

3

1

-



18th

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

-



19th

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

3

1



20th

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

[Macabaret]

(The Silver Sniper, continued)


[SPOILER=Level 5] Sara has already begun her ascension to the world’s greatest sniper. Access to a vast array of fire spells almost right out the gate as a spontaneous spellcaster is incredibly powerful, shoring up Sha’ir’s greatest weakness with arcane preparation as early as level 3, as well as beginning into Geomancer for some free fun is amazing.
By 10th level we have lost 1 spellcasting level, in exchange we have set up everything necessary to begin the sniping. The main things of note in these levels is gaining access to the Sun domain as another set of divine spells that we can choose to retrieve. We do now have our Raven and Fire Gen companion creatures. Also of note, if we have a bag of holding or portable hole we may climb inside and have our Gen planeshift us around as we need.
By level 15 all of our spontaneous fire spells now do half divine damage thanks to Silver Pyromancer’s Sacred Flame, we have spellwarp and 3d6 sneak attack damage with our ray spells, and we have our main combination of non directly offensive magic available. Our goal is to be casting spells while on a fire dominant plane of existence and to gain as many benefits as possible. Finally we ignore anything that isn’t full cover or concealment and many good ray spells have long range, allowing us to snipe (without sneak attack) from 900 ft away fairly easily. But we’ll get past this range soon enough.
Everything has come together. We may now choose to make the point of origin of any of our spells be our raven companion. With this the shenanigans culminate. As long as we have the ability to see our raven and our target we have line of effect. This means if we have a way to see our raven and our target from the Elemental Plane of Fire, we can cast spells at the target. We have taken Scry’n’Die tactics to the extreme. We are very capable of traveling the planes with our magic, we can teleport to battles we don’t even know about through the use of Door to Great Evil. We can sneak attack a target from across the planes by having our raven be within 30 ft of the target. We will be seeking out the planar effects that help us the most, whether it is free healing on the positive energy plane, enhanced fire spells on the elemental plane of fire, and many more.

I do know I’m not good at highlighting the power of The Silver Sniper, but the basic concept is that we can cast magic at anyone from anywhere as long as our raven is near.

I was not able to come up with an idea for a good story for Sara the Silver Sniper in time. The epicness would probably involve her worshiping a dead god named Amanautor while doing vigil with Knights of the Raven as a sponsored magic of the Silver Flame. It would probably involve the training montage where she quickly scales her Spot skill up to be an amazing sniper. It would have been pretty good. But alas… Your should act like it was a good read ^_^


Spells: I got them from all over the place, I don’t even know. I probably pulled spells from nearly every book. So…. ya! Sorry about that.

Sha’ir - Dragon Compendium
Initiate of Amanautor, Heretic of the Faith - Powers of Faerun
Arcane Preparation, Split Ray - Complete Arcane
Geomancer - Complete Divine (A note here, I was originally going to take 4 levels of Geomancer, but I forgot until I was writing up the level split, and by that point I would have had to rework all the skills, saves, bab, etc. so I didn’t.)
Education - Eberron Campaign Setting
Martial Study/Martial Stance - Tome of Battle
Knight of the Raven - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft
Silver Pyromancer - Five Nations
Spellwarp Sniper - Complete Scoundrel

The main source of inspiration for my build: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?582830-Planewalking-%96-a-guide-for-bending-time-and-space

[Macabaret]

There they are, folks.

Thank you to those who entered.
Thank you, also to those who judge. Yeah, that's right, I'm looking at you.

Your involvement in these competitions are much appreciated.

[Thurbane]

I'll do my best to judge.

This is the stub that I could never get the time to finish:



Waldus Mortorem
http://i63.tinypic.com/30u8j1i.jpg

NG Male Human Martial Wizard 6/Ruathar 3/Sacred Exorcist 1/Silver Pyromancer 5/Spellwarp Sniper 5

Str 11
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 17 (all increases here [4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th]: final score 22)
Wis 10
Cha 10



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Martial Wizard 1
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Improved InitiativeB, Spell Mastery, Uncanny ForethoughtB
New Class Abilities


2nd
Martial Wizard 2
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


3rd
Martial Wizard 3
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Knowledge Devotion
New Class Abilities


4th
Martial Wizard 4
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


5th
Martial Wizard 5
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Point Blank ShotB
New Class Abilities


6th
Martial Wizard 6
+3
+2
+2
+5
Skills
Martial Study (cloak of deception)
New Class Abilities


7th
Ruathar 1
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


8th
Ruathar 2
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


9th
Ruathar 3
+2
+1
+3
+3
Skills
Quicken Spell
New Class Abilities


10th
Sacred Exorcist 1
+0
+0
+0
+2
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


11th
Silver Pyromancer 1
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


12th
Silver Pyromancer 2
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Martial Stance (assassins stance)
New Class Abilities


13th
Spellwarp Sniper 1
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


14th
Spellwarp Sniper 2
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


15th
Spellwarp Sniper 3
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Precise ShotB, Split Ray
New Class Abilities


16th
Spellwarp Sniper 4
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


17th
Spellwarp Sniper 5
+3
+1
+1
+4
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


18th
Silver Pyromancer 3
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Spell Mastery (?)
New Class Abilities


19th
Silver Pyromancer 4
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
-
New Class Abilities


20th
Silver Pyromancer 5
+2
+1
+1
+4
Skills
-
New Class Abilities




Sources:
CC - Knowledge Devotion
CM - Spellwarp Sniper
EoE - Uncanny Forethought
RotW - Ruathar
UA - Martial Wizard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizard)

[Darkcouch]

I was going to use binder/anima mage to get all the prereqs while only losing one caster level, but I didn't really have a plan for showcasing the SI abilities other than fire spells and maybe the fire reserve feat.

[Macabaret]

How's the judging going? Are there updates that anyone can give?

[Thurbane]

Just to let you know, I haven't forgotten about this, hope to have judging in by Friday at the latest - may be sooner depending on how things pan out...

[Thurbane]

All category scores start at 3.0, and are adjusted up or down from there. Sorry if judging is a little more "concise" than usual, but my downtime is very limited right now.

Ebera Fireborn [15.0]

Originality (3.0): There's not a lot in the way of classes or feats here I was surprised by. I'm not applying a penalty, but no bonus either.
Power (4.0): You get 9ths, but not until ECL 20. This is a competent (almost) full caster, but even a single classed Sorcerer would have 9ths two levels before you. That is partly due to one of the ingredients, though. I'm applying an overall (+1.0) here, in the context of this round.
Elegance (3.5): The flow of the classes early on is a little untidy, but I can see it's done to meet reqs. You seem to meet all reqs, unless I've missed anything. The fluff, level breakdowns and write ups are brief, but well presented (+0.5). I would have liked more details lists of spells in your book, but I do understand for a wizard that's a pretty daunting task.
Use of Components (4.5): I like what you've done to utilise the components: you make solid use of most of the abilities each PrC offers. I'm giving you an overall (+1.5) here.


Fitzy [14.5]

Originality (3.5): I wasn't expecting Spellthief or Shadowcraft Mage, so I'll give a small bonus here (+0.5). Other than that, though, there a lot of well established optimisation in here. No penalties, but no bonus either.
Power (4.5): Near full caster, and you get 9ths by ECL 18. I'm happy to give you a significant bonus (+1.5).
Elegance (4.0): The flow is classes feels a little "cluttered" due to the number of dips, but not enough to draw a penalty. You seem to meet all reqs, unless I've missed anything. The breakdowns and descriptions are very thorough and informative (+1.0).
Use of Components (2.5): You only take two levels of one of the components, so I have to ding you for that (-1.0). Other than that, you seems to make effective use of both ingredients (+0.5).


The Silver Sniper [15.5]

Originality (4.5): A lot of stuff I was not expecting here - Sha’ir, Geomancer, Knight of the Raven. I'm happy to give you a solid bonus (+1.5).
Power (4.5): Another near full vaster, getting 9ths by ECL 19. Plenty going on with all the class combos, too (+1.5).
Elegance (4.5): Even though there a base class and 4 PrCs, the flow is fairly straightforward (+.5). Writeups and explanations are also well presented (+1.0). As far as I can tell, everything is legal and meets reqs.
Use of Components (2.0): This character is a powerhouse, with a lot of tricks and combos, but most feel like many are succeeding independently of the ingredients. You also don't take all levels of either component. (-1.0).

[DeTess]

Hey Thurbane, thanks for judging! I don't have any disputes, but I would like to point out that your math on fitzy seems off. Power would be a 4.5 with the given +1.5 bonus, and use of SI would be a 2.5 with the given penalty and bonus. That doesn't change the builds end score though.

Edit: ooh, sneaky correction while I was typing this post.

[Thurbane]

Hey Thurbane, thanks for judging! I don't have any disputes, but I would like to point out thst your math on fitzy seems off. Power would be a 4.5 wit the given +1.5 bonus, and use of SI would be a 2.5 with the given penalty and bonus. That doesn't change the builds end score though.

Yeah, noticed that just as you posted...

[Thurbane]

So, no disputes? Any news from the chair?

[The Kool]

I'm interested in the next run for sure. I like the concept of this competition, I just didn't feel inspired to mess with Spellwarp Sniper.

[Falontani]

I don't have any disputes

[jdizzlean]

no disputes

[Macabaret]

I have received no disputes, and so....



Place
Entry
Entrant
Total


First
The Silver Sniper
Falontani
15.5


Second
Ebera Fireborn
Randuir
15.0


Third
Fitzy
jdizzlean
14.5



Congrats to the medalists!
And, of course, much appreciation to Thurbane for judging!

Give me another day or so and I'll get the next contest underway.

[DeTess]

Yay, I was almost first :P

This build was a bit of a revelation for me. I knew about the theoretical power of the 'Tier 1' casters, and had seen it in practice during 1 campaign, though I'd never build an optimized caster myself. I had expected that you'd need to put in some work to make a versatile caster, and that therefore building a blaster would not result in a particularly versatile wizard. I was wrong. When doing the spell lists I realized that filling all the slots with blasting would be waste, as I'd have half of them left at the end of pretty much any reasonable adventuring day. The process of mixing in non-blasty spells quickly showed me that even a blaster wizard can have a big stack of tricks up their sleeve for other situations.

[Macabaret]

We have a new contest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?585567-Junkyard-Wars-XXIV-VoPe-S-DC&p=23839573) up and ready.