3.5 Build Sorcerer incantatrix level (Faerun)

[Tenavril]

As I am French, I do my best to make the least mistakes possible. :smallsmile:


I'm looking for help with the evolution of my character. Currently, it looks like this :

Sorcerer 6 Incantatrix 4, elf F, chaotic good
Alternate Class Feature (champion complete): Divine companion replaces Familiar

STR 8 ; DEX 14 ; CON 12
INT 16 ; WIS 10 ; CHA 20

Feats :
Level 1 : aquatic fey bloodline ; Level 3 : iron will ; Level 6 : extend spell ; Level 9 : skill focus (Spellcraft)
Incantatrix metamagic feats : persistent spell (1) ; easy metamagic (4 ; persistent spell)

Spells :
Level 0 : resistance , detect magic, mage hand, ray of frost, prestidigitation, dancing lights, message, read magic, light
Level 1 : charm person (feat afb), magic missile, shield, skillful moment (dragon 350), water burst (dragon 285), power word pain (races of the dragon)
Level 2 : alter self (feat afb), ray of stupidity, see invisibility, fox’s cunning, wraithstrike
Level 3 : water breathing ((feat afb), dispel Magic, heroism, scintillating sphere
Level 4 : charm monster ((feat afb), polymorph, invisibility, greater
Level 5 : mindfog ((feat afb), teleport

Tactics :
==> Persist spell with metamagic effect
I must maximize spellcraft skill (with fox’s cunning, heroism, skill focus, skillfull moment)
Skillfull moment : « Take 20 on your next skill check »
Spells to persist : shield, see invisibility, wraithstrike

Restrictions (spells):
No necromancy, no fire, no conjuration (creation, healing), no vile

Books allowed
All 3.5, except Unearthed Arcana and Eberron

Character concept :
My character is a mystical sorcerer who defends the cause of good. She specializes in metamorphosis spells for their versatility and the force spells for their power. She is very curious and unlike most sorcerers she does not mind spending time in a library. She is interested in all forms of knowledge.


Conclusion :
So I need advice for her next levels like the choice of spells, class and equipment.
Of course, please consider the game world, character restrictions and authorized books.
I hesitate to continue in the incantatrix class especially as the next capacity she gives me is useless (she must have the appropriate item creation feat to make the spell trigger item she is using, what she doesn’t have)

[satorian]

Seems like the perfect candidate for a Dracolexi (Races of the Dragon).

[Tenavril]

Seems like the perfect candidate for a Dracolexi (Races of the Dragon).

I didn't know this prestige class. It looks interesting.

Requirements :
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks , Perform (oratory) 4 ranks , Spellcraft 4 ranks
Feats: Eschew Materials or Still Spell

==> I do not have any of these feats. But hey, I can still change my previous gift

The choice of spells for the next levels is not obvious. I hesitate in particular at level 4 between taking the spell heart of earth and Ruin Delver's Fortune (yet I can't persist it)

For the spell of level 5, I will probably choose Polymorph draconic.

Feel free to come and criticize this character :)

[Anthrowhale]

You have wraithstrike twice?

Unseen Seer 2 gives access to Divine Insight or Guidance of the Avatar which provides an enormous bonus (+15 Insight or +20 Competence) to skill checks. The skill requirements for entrance are probably a significant obstacle though.

With a bonus to skill checks, you need not invest in Easy Metamagic[Persistent Spell]. Psychic reformation could be used to scavenge the feat.

Draconic Polymorph is often preferred to Polymorph. Amongst other things it is clearly persistable.

Heroics is a nice level 2 spell.

Ocular spell is good as metamagic and also clearly makes touch spell persistable.

Versatile Spellcaster is always handy on a spontaneous caster.

[Tenavril]

You have wraithstrike twice?

Unseen Seer 2 gives access to Divine Insight or Guidance of the Avatar which provides an enormous bonus (+15 Insight or +20 Competence) to skill checks. The skill requirements for entrance are probably a significant obstacle though.

With a bonus to skill checks, you need not invest in Easy Metamagic[Persistent Spell]. Psychic reformation could be used to scavenge the feat.

Draconic Polymorph is often preferred to Polymorph. Amongst other things it is clearly persistable.

Heroics is a nice level 2 spell.

Ocular spell is good as metamagic and also clearly makes touch spell persistable.

Versatile Spellcaster is always handy on a spontaneous caster.


Thank you for these great ideas.

I do not have the prerequisites yet to reach this class. I also thought that Olin Gisir's class might be an interesting intermediate option. I'm looking more and more to take the feat Knowledge Devotion.

[Anthrowhale]

Thank you for these great ideas.

I do not have the prerequisites yet to reach this class. I also thought that Olin Gisir's class might be an interesting intermediate option. I'm looking more and more to take the feat Knowledge Devotion.

Incantatrix 5-10 is a pretty good class. At the higher levels, you can shift from casting your own spells to taking over others.

Olin Gisir is reasonably nice.

Loremaster gives you access to Use Magic Device which potentially allows you to use a wand of Guidance of the Avatar. That would unlock Incantatrix. It would also make Channel Charge (the feat) available, potentially greatly increasing your spell versatility.

[Biggus]

Incantatrix 5-10 is a pretty good class. At the higher levels, you can shift from casting your own spells to taking over others.


I'd certainly consider staying with Incantatrix, as well taking over others' spells the Improved Metamagic ability you get at level 10 stacks with Easy Metamagic, meaning you can persist spells at only +4 spell levels.

Have look at the Incantatrix handbook if you haven't already. The Spells to Persist section might be of particular interest.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?223438-3-5-Incantatrix-Handbook-%28WIP%29

[Troacctid]

You don't qualify for Aquatic Fey Bloodline if you trade your familiar away.

I don't think skillful moment is as good a combo with incantatrix as it looks like it should be. Metamagic effect has consequences for failure: wasting a daily use of the ability every time you fail. If you take 20, you still suffer all the consequences for failure, which should mean you use up all your daily uses of the ability. I mean, unless you think failing the Spellcraft check means it doesn't expend the daily use of the ability, in which case it works, but you should also be able to take 20 normally for most spells, so doing it as a standard action isn't particularly valuable.

[Tenavril]

You don't qualify for Aquatic Fey Bloodline if you trade your familiar away.

I don't think skillful moment is as good a combo with incantatrix as it looks like it should be. Metamagic effect has consequences for failure: wasting a daily use of the ability every time you fail. If you take 20, you still suffer all the consequences for failure, which should mean you use up all your daily uses of the ability. I mean, unless you think failing the Spellcraft check means it doesn't expend the daily use of the ability, in which case it works, but you should also be able to take 20 normally for most spells, so doing it as a standard action isn't particularly valuable.


The Prerequisite "ability to summon a familiar" has been removed in the dragon compendium, which is logical.


When I use Metamagic effect (only to persist spell in no combat situation), I make sure that I will not fail with a sufficient score in spellcraft skills. Skill moment is also a bad choice, as you say. I could replace it by loresong spell.

[Troacctid]

The Prerequisite "ability to summon a familiar" has been removed in the dragon compendium, which is logical.
Aquatic Fey Bloodline wasn't reprinted in Dragon Compendium. Actually, they were published at almost the same time.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Say you visited the Otyugh Hole in Complete Scoundrel to get Iron Will for 3,000 gp instead of spending a feat on it.


Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) is highly recommended for any Incantatrix, as the invest skill ranks ability can give you a significant bonus to Spellcraft. I typically recommend making it start as a Ring of Protection +1 that you paid full price for, and upgrade it yourself to any other ring that retains a +1 deflection bonus to AC per MIC p234. Wear a glove or gauntlet over it so opponents can't target it directly or slight of hand it. Item familiars are intelligent items which are regarded as constructs, and a construct can't be destroyed by disjunction.


With Incantatrix you'll have a bunch of spells you'll only be casting 1/day to make them persistent. Instead of spending spells known on those, get a custom Runestaff in Magic Item Compendium p224 that allows you to cast each of those spells 1/day. You can take Ancestral Relic in Book of Exalted Deeds and make it any type of staff, preferably an Elvencraft Composite Longbow in Races of the Wild, and you can make it a runestaff and pick what spells it has each time you modify it. If the party would sell loot for half value, buy that loot from the party for that price and get a portion of that back when cash is split, then sacrifice the loot's full value to upgrade your ancestral relic. You can also put a competence bonus to Spellcraft on that so it's easier to use your Incantatrix abilities. Never make your Ancestral Relic and your Item Familiar the same item.

Keep a bunch of Incense of Consecration in BoED on you when adventuring, or get a ring that has Consecrate as a constant effect that's otherwise identical to the Ring of Desecration (https://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20021031x) (a perfect candidate for Item Familiar). After you've cleared out a dungeon, if there are any valuable fixtures that can't be looted such as a huge statue, use Consecrate to make the area suitable to meditate and sacrifice those objects to add their value to your ancestral relic. Any time you're in the effect of a Consecrate or Hallow spell, you can meditate to modify your ancestral relic. If you replace existing runestaff spells with different ones of equal level, its value is increased by zero so it takes zero time to meditate and upgrade it, so not even a free action. This way you can freely switch what spells it allows you to cast, even when in combat.

[Tenavril]

From which book comes the feat itemFamiliars ? It's not houserules ?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

From which book comes the feat itemFamiliars ? It's not houserules ?

It’s from Unearthed Arcana, I provided a link to it on the SRD.

[Tenavril]

Books allowed
All 3.5, except Unearthed Arcana and Eberron

What a pity ! I can't take this feat.

[Tenavril]

Do you think it would be wise for me to take an item creation feat to be able to use a the spell trigger ability ? Or this is useless?

[Endarire]

I don't recommend Craft Wand/Craft Staff specifically for Incanatrix class features.

Also, why no Conjurations? The Conjuration school is one of the most powerful in 3.5 for Sor/Wiz.

EDIT: I read the Aquatic Fey Bloodline feat and it isn't worth it to lose (close to) ALL Conjurations for the sake of some spiffy spells sooner. As others have said, Runestaves, Knowstones, and other means of expanding your spell list (http://bg-archive.minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2777.0).

[Mato]

* Consider human for a bonus feat.
Not sure what "elf F" is, but if it isn't giving you charisma it'd better be giving you a feat.

* Dragon Mag #306 has a spark creature template.
+0 LA and it can be applied to humans. So you have the bonus feat and it gives a +2 racial bonus to spellcraft, -2 wis & +2 cha, and gives you a couple SLAs.

* Ditch the divine companion for a familiar, the healing rate is useless.
Buy a wand or lesser vigorSpC instead and put two skill points into cross-classing use magic device. It'll also fix any complaints about the bloodline feat and you'll want UMD anyway.

* Switch easy metamagic with, well, anything else.
Skill bonuses are fairly easy, like your UMD will help you use a wand of guidance of the avatar (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a) for an extra +20 bonus. Divine insightSpC can also be considered for it's +15 bonus at CL10. And spend 50gp on a masterwork tool of spellcraftDMG for another +2 bonus. You don't need a cost reducer with incantatrix, the prestigious class is the cost reducer.

* Make friends with a true dragon.
A fang dragon will trade you one of your 4th level spell slots for shield 3/day & dispel magic 2/day as spell-like abilities using a dragonpactDM. And building your own pact is even better. This also frees up a 2nd & 3rd level spell known, so learn cloud of knivesPHBII and share it with your familiar for some free damage every round. And learn something that validates even bothering to learn and persist wraithstrike.

* Make more true dragon friends.
You can use dragonblood spellpact to trade charm person, water breathing, & mindfog for useful spells. Like divine insight or something. Consider persisting greater blink for defense or persisting dragon breath shared with your familiar which can be used for damage or crowd control.

* Buy a runestaffMiC.
That way your sorcerer knows even more spells and is even more useful.

* Want AC?
Use one of your newly opened feats to pick up arcane preparationCA which allows you to prepare greater luminous armorBoED. You'll glow in the dark but it's worth +8 armor and imposes a -4 attack penalty on your opponents.