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Kyeudo
2008-04-06, 01:25 AM
I was browsing through Sandstorm when I spotted this unusual prestige class. It's flavorful, has some interesting and useful abilities, and only costs 2 caster levels in the long run.

What I realy noticed was the spells. Taking a single level in this class give the Desert Insight class feature, which adds forty-four fairly nice spells to your spells known, covering a variety of uses, including utility, blasting, summoning, and save-or-die spells. For a wizard, that isn't much, since they pick those up normaly, but if you are a Sorcerer, that's like Christmas come early.

I'm trying to get a bead on how well the class works before I make up a character, so has anyone done any optimization on this class? Ever run it personaly?

Hadrian_Emrys
2008-04-06, 01:34 AM
I do not have my book on hand at the moment, but I do recall that there were some possibilities of mixing the class and a bottle of endless sand into order to have a ball being Gaaraesque. :smalltongue:

Ivius
2008-04-06, 01:54 AM
44 free spells? That sounds too good to be true. I don't have Sandstorm, but that just seems ridiculous. A Sor 19/Sand Shaper 1 is way more powerful than a Sorcerer 20. They made this far too dip-worthy.

Kyeudo
2008-04-06, 02:38 AM
Yes, and some of those spells are a level lower than normal. To top it all off, they get free metamagic in the desert, free daily healing, the ability to make anything they might need from sand, including minions, and a capstone ability of "If I die in the desert, I'll be back to life in 10 minutes, free of charge."

How has this class not been exploited before?

FlyMolo
2008-04-06, 03:45 AM
Yes, and some of those spells are a level lower than normal. To top it all off, they get free metamagic in the desert, free daily healing, the ability to make anything they might need from sand, including minions, and a capstone ability of "If I die in the desert, I'll be back to life in 10 minutes, free of charge."

How has this class not been exploited before?

The in-the-desert thing, I suspect. Does it advance spellcasting too?

DrowVampyre
2008-04-06, 05:30 AM
Yeah, all but at first level.

Bag_of_Holding
2008-04-06, 05:31 AM
Although that Touchstone feat and losing 1 CL at 1st & 9th level bothers me slightly, it looks quite promising. Very nice expanded spell list indeed; it's very impressive.

Grynning
2008-04-06, 06:07 AM
The Sorcerer in an epic group I was in was a Sandshaper, and I can tell you that indeed, the class is very good. Nothing is so handy as a caster you can put in a bag when needed (seriously). And he did make use of the resurrection thing at least once (it helped that we were in kind of a post-apocalyptic setting, where there was lots of desert around).

Zincorium
2008-04-06, 06:10 AM
Sandy desert.

Powerful magic.

Is that 'Dark Sun' I hear whispering on the wind? I think it is.

ZeroNumerous
2008-04-06, 06:13 AM
A sorcerer? In Dark Sun?! Lynch him, quickly!

The only reason this hasn't been exploited is primarily due to the large amount of sand needed to use most of it's abilities. It'd be more than possible if you had access to a decanter of endless sand.

_Zoot_
2008-04-06, 06:19 AM
is there some way i can get a look at this class with out owning/buying the book or is the book worth geting?

Also this sounds to good to be true :smallconfused:

mostlyharmful
2008-04-06, 06:26 AM
It is. I made a BBEG Sand Shaper Sorc. He was almost as versatile as a Wiz, had loads of abilities (I loved the minion thing) and lost nothing because he was a kobold with the Draconic rite. I'd be iffy about a player sorc using it because it does overwrite their major weakness for the most part.

Edit: just for the record, for the guy below, the kobold only had 8 levels. Sure the capstone's fun but it's not nessercary with competant minions and I didn't want him to be one of those BBEGs that always comes back.

Zincorium
2008-04-06, 06:30 AM
Er, just for the record, sandshaper's lose two spellcaster levels over the course of their progression. You don't have to take it all the way through and lose that other level, but I think the capstone is so absurdly good you'd be a fool not to.

Just personally, I figured it'd be best paired with warmage. Because that class is really hurting for some non-damage additions to it's spell list.

Squash Monster
2008-04-06, 10:59 AM
Sand Shaper is a very popular dip for Sorcerers and War Weavers.

It doesn't work as well if you're both, since Sorcerers basically get a lost caster level by default, and that third lost caster level hurts. War Weavers also have lots of other things to lose caster levels with, like Mystic Theurge, bloodline cheese, and Legacy Champion cheese.