[3.5] Dread Necro / Sea Witch | Stormcaster

[Thurbane]

I know I've been spamming threads a bit recently: I get insomnia, and sometimes thinking about character/NPC concepts and ideas fills in the time.

For...reasons...I want to get a single classed Dread Necromancer into either the Sea Witch (preferred) or Stormcaster (second choice) PrCs.

The spell reqs are the main issues:


Spells: Ability to cast arcane spells, which must include control water, control weather, or favorable wind, as well as summon monster III (or any higher-level summon monster spell).


Spellcasting: Must have the ability to cast gust of wind and either lightning bolt or call lightning.


Couple of thoughts: Air Bloodline can get Gust of Wind.

Does Dragonblood Spell-pact work with set list casters?

Are there other "nautical themed" PrCs that advance casting, that I could look at instead of these two?

Usual restrictions for my table: no PF, no Kalamar, no Ravenloft, no other 3rd party; no home brew; Dragon and Dungeon only material frowned on, apart from the Compendium; no artificers, psionics or incarnum.

Cheers - T

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Arcane Disciple for the Storm domain gets Gust of Wind and Call Lightning, but only one domain spell can be cast per spell level per day with that. If you gain the domain via a prestige class instead, you can cast your domain spells as many times as you have spell slots for it, due to being a spontaneous caster (per CD p20). That gets you into Stormcaster, which has slightly better spellcasting advancement.

[Troacctid]

The Watery Death domain (Und) gets you control water as a 3rd-level spell, or regular ol' Water has it as a 4th; snag 'em with Arcane Disciple. I don't think any deities that offer those have access to a domain that can grant summoning, but Fiendish Legacy (CM) gives summon monster V, or you can ask your DM if a robe of mysterious conjuration (MIC) is good enough. That's just off the top of my head; there's probably more.

I think both classes are pretty bad for a dread necromancer, but since all the good nautical prestige classes are in Dragon Magazine, I guess there's not much else. Have you thought about just single-classing and using race, feats, and skills to tell the story you want?

[Silva Stormrage]

Similarly Water Domain can grant control water as a 4th level spell.

Does your table rule that you can use Extra Spell to grab non spell list spells? That would also be a simple method of adding it to your list as well as SMIII.

Also I know this probably isn't what you are looking for but since this is an NPC it might be easy to swap out any SM reference for Summon Undead for the Sea Witch and use Summon Undead III as the pre req instead

[Thurbane]

Arcane Disciple for the Storm domain gets Gust of Wind and Call Lightning, but only one domain spell can be cast per spell level per day with that. If you gain the domain via a prestige class instead, you can cast your domain spells as many times as you have spell slots for it, due to being a spontaneous caster (per CD p20). That gets you into Stormcaster, which has slightly better spellcasting advancement.

Great call! :smallsmile:

With Southern Magician I could dip Contemplative 1. Only downside is it won't come online until fairly late. Divine Disciple 4 also comes online pretty late.

Wavekeeper 1 works, but then I need an animal companion as well: Wild Cohort isn't technically an Animal Companion, is it?


Similarly Water Domain can grant control water as a 4th level spell.

Does your table rule that you can use Extra Spell to grab non spell list spells? That would also be a simple method of adding it to your list as well as SMIII.

Unfortunately no, our table doesn't currently rule Extra Spell that way.

Similarly, if we allowed Eclectic Learning as an ACF for Dread Necros, that might help as well, but currently not allowed.


Also I know this probably isn't what you are looking for but since this is an NPC it might be easy to swap out any SM reference for Summon Undead for the Sea Witch and use Summon Undead III as the pre req instead

I mean, as DM I could house rule different reqs, but I like to look at all RAW options first.

Hang on, isn't there some ring in Complete Arcane that allows arcane casters to use off-list spells?

[Maat Mons]

I'd say Windwright Captain is a very (aero)nautical-themed prestige class. Though you lose 2 caster levels, and all you really get is the ability to bond to a ship and direct it from up to a mile away.

If Stormcaster is nautically-themed, then so is Stormsinger. Though you'd have to take a Bard dip.

You could always use Ultimate Magus to advance both Dread Necromancer and a class whose spell list includes nautically-themed spells. That would, I'd say, increase the character's thematic connection to ... nautics? Is that the word?

[Zanos]

Does Dragonblood Spell-pact work with set list casters?
I believe it does.

Spellcasting: A dread necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the dread necromancer's spell list (see page 87). Like a sorcerer, she can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a dread necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, she automatically knows...

This spell allows two willing dragonblood creatures to trade known spells.

The only requirement for Dragonblood Spell-Pact is that you have known spells to trade and that you be dragonblooded. Of course, being dragonblooded is easily forged via getting the dragon type through magic. And as above, Dread Necromancers are described in their spellcasting entry as knowing their spells. I think Clerics, Druids, and maybe Archivists are the classes that are SoL when it comes to Spell-Pact, as they aren't described as having known spells and the glossary entry for known spell only covers arcane casters, specifically wizards, sorcerers, and bards.

If a specific set list caster lacks the language that they "know" their spells it wouldn't work.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

You could always use Ultimate Magus to advance both Dread Necromancer and a class whose spell list includes nautically-themed spells. That would, I'd say, increase the character's thematic connection to ... nautics? Is that the word?

Hmm, Sha'ir 1/ Dread Necromancer 2/ Mystic Theurge 10 is ready to enter Sea Witch via control water with only one lost level of Dread Necro casting; you could also trade one of those DN levels for Sha'ir 2 to enter Sea Witch one level earlier. Alternatively, the same build(s) can enter Stormcaster six levels earlier. Your first feat is locked up in Precocious Apprentice, though, and IIRC you can only keep your Sha'ir spells prepared for an hour (or two) before needing to refresh or replace them via your familiar.

Another fun storm-themed class is the Stormsinger, which requires a Bard dip but no Precocious Apprentice shenanigans.

EDIT: And if you want to take the elemental theming of the Sha'ir one step further, Shugenja can definitely be used to qualify for Stormcaster, and probably for Sea Witch as well. Dread Pirate Necromancer 1/ Shugenja 4/ Mystic Theurge X. Has a lot less DN in it, though.