Help my build

[Shinoskay]

Level 1
Gnome Illusionist 1 Mystic Gnome Ranger 1
+1 +2 +2 +2
Gnome illusion spells, Familiar, Bonus feat, Trap Expert, Voice of the city, Illusion Mastery (Ex), Combat Wizard

Lvl 1 Feat Heighten Spell
flaw (Inattentive) feat 1 Transdimensional spell metamagic
flaw (Frail) feat 2 Spell Focus (Illusion)
Gm feat Enhanced Shadow Reailty
Bonus 'Fighter' feat. Combat Expertise

Prohibited schools
Conjuration, Evocation,


Level 2
specialist wizard (illusion) 2 Mystic Moon-Warded Ranger 2
+1 +1 (3) +1 (3) +1 (3) Armor of the senses

Gm Feat Arcane Disciple

Level 3
specialist wizard (illusion) 3 Mystic Hidden Star- ranger 3
+1 +0 +0 +0 Weavespeak

Level 3 feat Energy Substitution (electricity)
GM feat Spell focus (enchantment)

Level 4
specialist wizard (illusion) 4 Master Specialist 1
+0 +0 +0 +2 (5) Skill Focus (Spellcraft)

GM Feat Sword of the Arcane Order
Ability score choice + int


Level 5
Gnome Illusionist Mystic ranger 4
+1 +1(4) +1(4) +0(5) Extended illusions

GM feat Earth Sense

Level 6
Ruathar 1 Mystic Hidden Star- Ranger 5
+1 (5) +0 (4) +2 (6) +2 (7) Bonus spells, improved spellcasting, Word of friendship, gift of the elves

Level 6 Arcane Thesis
Gm Feat Sanctum spell feat


Level 7
Shadowcraft mage 1 Mystic ranger 6
+1 +1 (5) +1 (7) +2 (9) Cloak of shadow, Skin of the moon

Gm Feat Dimensional Jaunt reserve feat

Level 8
Shadowcraft Mage 2 Mystic ranger 7
+1 +0 +0 +1 (10) Silent illusion, woodland stride, swift tracker

Gm Feat Mage Slayer
Ability score choice + int


Level 9
Shadowcraft Mage 3 Mystic ranger 8
+1 +1 (6) +1 (8) +0 (10) Shadow illusion, Spell Reflection

Level 9 feat Energy Admixture
Gm Feat Craft Staff

Level 10
ShadowCraft Mage 4 Mystic ranger 9
+1 +0 +0 +1 Extended illusion

GM feat Recharge Staff

Level 11
ShadowCraft Mage 5 Mystic ranger 10
+1 +1 +1 +0 Powerful shadow magic

GM feat Pierce Magical Protection


Level 12
Wyrm Wizard 1 Mystic ranger 11
+1 +0 +0 +2 Knowledge of the wyrm, Indomitable Mind (Su)

Level 12 feat Earth Spell
Gm Feat Live my Nightmare
Ability score choice + int

Level 13
Archmage Mystic ranger 12
+1 +1 +1 +2 High Arcana (Mastery of Shaping), Hidden Stalker


Gm feat Chain Spell

Level 14
Wyrm Wizard 14 Mystic ranger 13
+1 +0 +0 +1 Spell research (bone Talisman), favored enemy (arcane Hunter)

Gm Feat Reach Spell

Level 15
Exemplar Mystic ranger 14
+1 +1 +1 +2 Skill artistry (Use Magical Device), skill mastery (+6; Concentrate, use magical device, spellcraft, tumble, Sleight of Hand, Move Silent)

Level 15 Feat Pierce Magical Protection
Gm Feat

Continuous Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis (22k gp)


Thought Bottle (20k)
Amulet of The Silent Word 500gp

Spare Hands (22k)

Continuous Shirt of Monsterous Regeneration (45k)


I have the craft staff feat-
Cost to Create: (staff of passage) 85,250 gp
+20 percent from imbue staff, puts it at 102,300

300 gp more than a normal bow (composite longbow 100+300=400)

and armor


+1 castor armor Feycrafted mithril breastplate with thistledown
1000 +1 enhancement bonus,
4000 mithril
500 Feycraft
400 Castor armor
250 thistledown
3150
breastplate


--------------------------------------------

Suggest a last feat?

where can I improve my build?

Where should I spend my last 50k?

where did I screw something up?

(if its not obvious, this is the gestalt ive been posting questions for the last week and a half.

[Paragon]

So i'm guessing this is a gestald build. I'm not really good with those.
OTOH I've been optimizing a Shadowcraft Mage the past few days so this means I can help for at least half the build.

1) You should look into Focused Specialist (to actually get additional spells since Illusion Mastery cancels those from Illusion specialist).
Also, School Mastery trades Familiar for +1 CL to Illusions and +10% quasireality for shadow spells

2) Shadow Weave Magic does wonders for you and a dip into Shadow Adept nets you 3 useful feats.

3) Arcane Gnome is a great race for this build since it adds +2 to Int

4) Feat-wise. By virtue of the Virtual Feat from S&F p5, Illusion Mastery should let you qualify for Uncanny Forethough (and this is a must have)
Proteus is really good too. Residual Magic is insane as well.

As for your feat selection I don't understand anything but I suppose it's the Gestald messing things up.
Also, Sanctum Spell is from CM which has a specific clause saying that when you don't qualify for a PrC you lose its benefits so the first level of SCM doesn't work unless you're in your Sanctum (which is somewhat limiting).

Also Mage Slayer + Pierce Magical Concealment nets you a -8 total to you CL for all spells so you don't really want to do this, not one bit

That's all I can tell you on this :)

[Shinoskay]

So i'm guessing this is a gestald build. I'm not really good with those.
OTOH I've been optimizing a Shadowcraft Mage the past few days so this means I can help for at least half the build.

1) You should look into Focused Specialist (to actually get additional spells since Illusion Mastery cancels those from Illusion specialist).
Also, School Mastery trades Familiar for +1 CL to Illusions and +10% quasireality for shadow spells

2) Shadow Weave Magic does wonders for you and a dip into Shadow Adept nets you 3 useful feats.

3) Arcane Gnome is a great race for this build since it adds +2 to Int

4) Feat-wise. By virtue of the Virtual Feat from S&F p5, Illusion Mastery should let you qualify for Uncanny Forethough (and this is a must have)
Proteus is really good too. Residual Magic is insane as well.

As for your feat selection I don't understand anything but I suppose it's the Gestald messing things up.
Also, Sanctum Spell is from CM which has a specific clause saying that when you don't qualify for a PrC you lose its benefits so the first level of SCM doesn't work unless you're in your Sanctum (which is somewhat limiting).

Also Mage Slayer + Pierce Magical Concealment nets you a -8 total to you CL for all spells so you don't really want to do this, not one bit

That's all I can tell you on this :)

Excellent suggestions....

im stonehunter gnome for dragonblood subtype.

shar is bad, and the ranger side is very mystra focused who is anti shar. You can technically get shadow weave without shar in 3.0 but not 3.5.... sadly.

focused specialist is an excellent suggestion I forgot to include, I get a lot of standard and low level spell slots for wizard spells so I can certain give one a level up for more illusion spells.

uncanny is kind of a waste for a shadowcraft mage... you already can choose on cast for a lot of your castings due to the versatility of your illusions.
Residual is a common thing seen for shadowcraft mage builds, the idea being it lets you boost the level of a spell with heighten....

You would be right about the Sanctum if I was still just at that level... once the level goes high enough that you could normally qualify then spell sanctum is no longer needed.... rght?

for mage slayer and such, the sword of the arcane order and shooting star ranger (listed as hidden star, here... gm specific name but its actually shooting star) both allow me to combine my ranger and wizard caster levels. So being able to ignore things like +7 ac to smack someone with my imbued staff with a vampiric touch charge before wacking the **** out of them is awesome. And Im actually looking at pierce concealment too so I can ignore mirror image and blur and such buffs. im also picking up ways to mitigate the caster level losses but it seems I should be good on caster levels because of the feat and feature that combines wizard and ranger levels for caster level.

[Anthrowhale]

You're losing two full levels of spell advancement (a full level of spells) which seems fairly painful? I'd be tempted to take a level of wizard opposite the second level of Wyrm Wizard and Exemplar.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Your level-by-level formatting is a bit difficult to read, try making it Class X // Class Y, and be sure to include the class level number for each as you seem to have missed a few of those.

You're taking a level of Wizard with a level of Master Specialist at 4th level, which wastes a level of spellcasting advancement, since you can't gain +2 levels of spellcasting from one character level.

You're losing a level of Wizard spellcasting at level 15, which is downright unacceptable. Take Ranger at 1-14 and then Exemplar 1 at 15 with a Wizard level.

You're missing some key feats: Signature Spell: Silent Image, Ability Focus: Silent Image, Practical Metamagic: Heighten Spell, Easy Metamagic: Heighten (since you're already including a Dragon magazine feat), possibly Rapid Metamagic if you're using Signature Spell a lot, possibly Metamagic School Focus: Illusion, etc.

Sanctum Spell is a wasted feat, just take Earth Spell earlier.

Combat Expertise looks seriously out of place, is it a prerequisite for something later? You could take Improved Initiative there instead.

Consider using Wildshape Ranger and taking Natural Spell.

[Shinoskay]

You're losing two full levels of spell advancement (a full level of spells) which seems fairly painful? I'd be tempted to take a level of wizard opposite the second level of Wyrm Wizard and Exemplar.

Oh ****! totally missed that, thank you

I see it on examplar, where else am I losing a level?


Your level-by-level formatting is a bit difficult to read, try making it Class X // Class Y, and be sure to include the class level number for each as you seem to have missed a few of those.

You're taking a level of Wizard with a level of Master Specialist at 4th level, which wastes a level of spellcasting advancement, since you can't gain +2 levels of spellcasting from one character level.

You're losing a level of Wizard spellcasting at level 15, which is downright unacceptable. Take Ranger at 1-14 and then Exemplar 1 at 15 with a Wizard level.

You're missing some key feats: Signature Spell: Silent Image, Ability Focus: Silent Image, Practical Metamagic: Heighten Spell, Easy Metamagic: Heighten (since you're already including a Dragon magazine feat), possibly Rapid Metamagic if you're using Signature Spell a lot, possibly Metamagic School Focus: Illusion, etc.

Sanctum Spell is a wasted feat, just take Earth Spell earlier.

Combat Expertise looks seriously out of place, is it a prerequisite for something later? You could take Improved Initiative there instead.

Consider using Wildshape Ranger and taking Natural Spell.

Sanctum is not wasted, it PLUS earth spell PLUS arcane disciple allows shadow casting miracle.

As said with uncanny, being able to switch around spells on the fly is already a thing and feats to do it are too redundent.


Take Ranger at 1-14 and then Exemplar 1 at 15 with a Wizard level
good suggestion, same build... just swap levels for a level choice and fixed.

You're taking a level of Wizard with a level of Master Specialist at 4th level, which wastes a level of spellcasting advancement, since you can't gain +2 levels of spellcasting from one character level.
the idea here was to get the specialist bonus, I was originally going to use dweomer caster but gm said no because 1/d supernatural no cost casting wish/miracle/simulacrum/etc was just too op for them XD.... which is fair.

You're losing a level of Wizard spellcasting at level 15, which is downright unacceptable.
agreed

I dont want to abuse heighten jank, its nice being able to have every spell slot cast a spell 3-5 levels higher but ive got enough spell slots.

[Anthrowhale]

I see it on examplar, where else am I losing a level?

The second level of Wyrm Wizard (taken at ECL14) does not advance casting.

[Shinoskay]

The second level of Wyrm Wizard (taken at ECL14) does not advance casting.

ah, thank you.

Is there a good prestige class I could take at 4th level then? I could just move one more wizard base class into the ranger side (13 levels of mystic ranger is acceptable) and that would bloog all the wizard spell slot progression.

[Anthrowhale]

Is there a good prestige class I could take at 4th level then? I could just move one more wizard base class into the ranger side (13 levels of mystic ranger is acceptable) and that would bloog all the wizard spell slot progression.
The L13 mystic ranger alternative seems fine if you want to prioritize the ability to turn undead from bone talisman. As an alternative, I'd consider taking another level of Archmage for Spell Power or possibly Arcane Reach. Spell power isn't particularly game changing but it's a solid boost. Arcane Reach makes touch spells eligible for a rod of Chain Spell which converts a single target touch shutdown like (Sanctum) Plane Shift into an encounter shutdown.

[Shinoskay]

The L13 mystic ranger alternative seems fine if you want to prioritize the ability to turn undead from bone talisman. As an alternative, I'd consider taking another level of Archmage for Spell Power or possibly Arcane Reach. Spell power isn't particularly game changing but it's a solid boost. Arcane Reach makes touch spells eligible for a rod of Chain Spell which converts a single target touch shutdown like (Sanctum) Plane Shift into an encounter shutdown.

You cant archmage at lv 4

I also already have reach meta magic, which is the same as arcane reach.

a spell slot, and a feature with other amazing options... and a level selection that has better prestige class options..... is not worth a single caster level boost. IF I went archmage again, for whatever reason, id take spell like ability for an 8th level spell as a spell like ability 2 times a day.

Or maybe elemental mastery so I could always bypass immunities (once I identified them).

[Anthrowhale]

You cant archmage at lv 4
It's not very clear, but I thought the second level of wrym wizard was coming at ECL14?



I also already have reach meta magic, which is the same as arcane reach.
Except there is no metamagic slot inflation.



Or maybe elemental mastery so I could always bypass immunities (once I identified them).
Shadow magic gives the versatility necessary to bypass immunities already, right?

[Shinoskay]

It's not very clear, but I thought the second level of wrym wizard was coming at ECL14?


Shadow magic gives the versatility necessary to bypass immunities already, right?

I didnt say I was going to replace it, in fact I said id replace a mystic ranger langer with a wizard level to fix the gap.... and then asked what prestige class would be a good plug at level 4.

emphasis on the question; what prestige class would be a good plug at level 4.

Even if I was replacing wyrm wizard, the question is still about a prestige class at 4th level.


Except there is no metamagic slot inflation.
one level isnt so bad, most touch spells are lower level anyways. Again, there are so many better options on archmage.


Shadow magic gives the versatility necessary to bypass immunities already, right?

Sort of, but imagine you have a situation where the enemy formation just screams for a lightning bolt.... all lined up nice and pretty and your allies just enough to the side... but wait, the enemy is immune to electricity. aha, elemental mastery, its now a green and blue bolt of cold acid (energy admixture and elemental mastery). you think they will also have cold and acid resistance next to lightning? well, bout to find out as you zap the crap ouf them.

[Anthrowhale]

emphasis on the question; what prestige class would be a good plug at level 4.

Ah, sorry, misread.

Master Specialist is the only thing that comes to mind.


one level isnt so bad, most touch spells are lower level anyways. Again, there are so many better options on archmage.

Reach Spell is +2 levels. If you want to pay for that, i'd be tempted to go with Ocular Spell instead.



Sort of, but imagine you have a situation where the enemy formation just screams for a lightning bolt.... all lined up nice and pretty and your allies just enough to the side... but wait, the enemy is immune to electricity. aha, elemental mastery, its now a green and blue bolt of cold acid (energy admixture and elemental mastery). you think they will also have cold and acid resistance next to lightning? well, bout to find out as you zap the crap ouf them.

Sculpt Spell is a pretty good metamagic for situations like this as well.

[Shinoskay]

Reach Spell is +2 levels. If you want to pay for that, i'd be tempted to go with Ocular Spell instead.

Arcane thesis would drop it to +1 and shadowcraft mage would allow me to plug my thesis spell into many slots and then cast to get nearly any Evocation spell I wanted to reach with.

Ocular spell would be a good one though, its also good for extra spell storing high level spells.


Sculpt Spell is a pretty good metamagic for situations like this as well.

'Mastery of Shaping' is already on the build and very much superior to sculpt spell... sculpt lets you change AOE type and do shapes where as mastery of shaping lets you just freeform open gaps where your allies are and cast around them easily. While its true sculpt can potentially increase the range of a spell... with 9th level evocation spells I can already pretty much cast any shape and range I want.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Sanctum is not wasted, it PLUS earth spell PLUS arcane disciple allows shadow casting miracle.

You can replace Sanctum Spell with Practical Metamagic: Heighten to accomplish the same thing, and it's useful for all your shadow spells wherever you are. Plus you can do the shadow miracles outside your sanctum (assuming your DM allows those, given it's based on selective reading).

[Shinoskay]

You can replace Sanctum Spell with Practical Metamagic: Heighten to accomplish the same thing, and it's useful for all your shadow spells wherever you are. Plus you can do the shadow miracles outside your sanctum (assuming your DM allows those, given it's based on selective reading).

sanctum lets you hit 11th(and then use 10th) level spells, heighten doesnt.