Fear based builds

[Shosuro Ishii]

I recently started a campaign, and have decided to make my character a sorcerer who specializes in fear effects. Looking through both the spell compendium and PHBs 1 and 2, I've very little in the way of support for this. Anyone have links or information on spells or abilties that fit this theme.

I was under the impression that a presitge class (dread witch I think) exists that fits this build but am unable to find it. If anyone knows of this, or knows that I'm just nuts and lying to myself, help would be apprecited.

[Adumbration]

The prestige class in question is from Heroes of Horror.

[arguskos]

Dread Witch from Heroes of Horror is great for fear effects.

However, Nightmare Spinner from Complete Mage is also excellent for fear effects (and being generally creepy...).

-argus

[Deth Muncher]

Take Improved Familiar and get a Ghostly Visage (Fiend Folio). They produce a nifty fear effect within 30 feat.

Note: Evil.

[arguskos]

1. Do that, and THEN take Nightmare Spinner and Dread Witch. You'll be the most feared sorcerer to EVER LIVE.

2. You really like Imp. Familiar, don't you Deth Muncher?

-argus

[AmberVael]

To give a more specific critique of both classes (Dread Witch and Nightmare Spinner):

Nightmare Spinner tends to focus mainly on illusion spells, getting bonus illusion spells, requiring illusion spells to enter the class, and having abilities based around illusions for the main part. They're good with fear, but it has to do with illusions too. Their abilities center around Charisma, so that'll work well with sorcerer.
They get a few stand alone abilities to cause fear and a few abilities that augment your spells (but I'm not sure the latter are really all that good. One deals like, 2d6 or 3d6 subdual damage, the other makes someone shaken for one round if they try and disbelieve an illusion, which is a bit better but not amazing).

Dread Witch focuses on basic fear spells, mostly mind affecting spells, not illusions. Her abilities center around passively increasing the effects of her spells (via increasing DCs and caster level) and interacting with fear effects targeted on herself. Fear effects improve the dread witch's abilities when she is affected by them, and in the end hitting a dread witch with a fear spell will end with you scared and her with a caster level bonus. Dread Witch focuses around charisma, so that also works well for you.

Overall, I'd say go for Dread Witch. Some of their abilities are more conditional, sure, but overall they're still more powerful (and if you're creative you can work around those conditions).

[Deth Muncher]

2. You really like Imp. Familiar, don't you Deth Muncher?
-argus

Oh...


Y'know...

[arguskos]

Thank you Vael, for a much better analysis (I'm AFB atm, so I couldn't give a better run-down).

However, now that there is one, I'd suggest Spinner, on the basis of the fact that lots and lots of stuff is immune to fear (undead, constructs, anything mindless, lots of outsiders, lots of higher-level stuff), but not as much is immune to illusory effects, esp. not if you are clever with your illusions. Dread Witch is better for fear, but not much else. Spinner is better for illusions, and is ok at fear. In the long haul, I'd put money on Witch's usefulness dropping off when the big mean fear-immune stuff comes out to play, whereas Spinner is likely to remain useful.

On the other hand, if you want the most terrifying bastard to walk the earth, Dread Witch is your PrC (even better if at lower levels mostly).

-argus

EDIT:

Oh...


Y'know...
Heh, 'salright. I love that feat too. Esp. for taking elementals! Yay, I have a Small Storm Elemental familiar!

[Shosuro Ishii]

Now to find a copy of Heroes of horror.

Took a feat out of Dragon compendium that lets me use a terrifying aura as a full round action, and have already set out a spell list of every fear effecting spell I can.

Altough having played the character up to level 3 I'm noticing that all the god fear effects cause the target to run away at top speed, which makes dealing with them in combat sort of a problem. Is there anyway to remedy this, or is that just something I'm going to have to learn to deal with?

[arguskos]

Use imm. fear effects on your allies, maneuver them into position, and then unload the fear on the bad guys. They'll all run past your buddies... and eat like 9000 AoO's. This will take a few tries to get down, but I bet it'd work.

Alternatively, you can just stock up on some good long range damage spells (fireball, magic missile, orb spells all come to mind), and blast away once they turn tail and flee.

-argus

[Shosuro Ishii]

Use imm. fear effects on your allies, maneuver them into position, and then unload the fear on the bad guys. They'll all run past your buddies... and eat like 9000 AoO's. This will take a few tries to get down, but I bet it'd work.

Alternatively, you can just stock up on some good long range damage spells (fireball, magic missile, orb spells all come to mind), and blast away once they turn tail and flee.

-argus

This makes sense. The first time I dropped cause fear on a cleric, he immedialty ran 100 feet out of my LoS, which tends to put a damper on the whole actually fighting him thing the rest of my party had in mind. Note to Self: block all exits.

[Vexxation]

You could go Fear/Debuff focused. That's a good way to stop their fleeing.

Enemy Caster get feared? Ray of Exhaustion. Now they can't move.
Later, Waves of Fatigue and Exhaustion.

And, if you're gonna go around slinging Fear effects, don't forget to crush morale, too. Crushing Despair! Wooo!

[Shosuro Ishii]

You could go Fear/Debuff focused. That's a good way to stop their fleeing.

Enemy Caster get feared? Ray of Exhaustion. Now they can't move.
Later, Waves of Fatigue and Exhaustion.

And, if you're gonna go around slinging Fear effects, don't forget to crush morale, too. Crushing Despair! Wooo!

Also a good idea. I was going to take a bunch of debuff spells....never thought to use them as anti-running spells so much as anti-hitting me in the face spells.

[RTGoodman]

One thing to remember - in almost all cases, fear effects stack.


Fear effects are cumulative. A shaken character who is made shaken again becomes frightened, and a shaken character who is made frightened becomes panicked instead. A frightened character who is made shaken or frightened becomes panicked instead.

There were at least a couple of threads in the Wizards CharOp boards at some point that tried to optimize fear effects. You don't necessarily have to follow them, but they can give you ideas for non-class abilities that give fear effects (like feats, grafts, items, and stuff).

[EndgamerAzari]

For non-magical, I'd go Avenging Executioner from Complete Scoundrel. In fact, you might wanna pick it up anyway. You get sudden strike against anyone shaken or worse, so it might sync up well, depending on how upfront (and sturdy) a combatant your sorcerer is.

[Jastermereel]

For non-magical, I'd go Avenging Executioner from Complete Scoundrel. In fact, you might wanna pick it up anyway. You get sudden strike against anyone shaken or worse, so it might sync up well, depending on how upfront (and sturdy) a combatant your sorcerer is.

Might that, or a dip into Ghost Faced Killer work for a teammate? With a fear-causing mage, other players with fear-synergies could be useful. GFK's Frightful Attack could work well in this mix.

Admittedly, I haven't used it in game yet so I could sound like I'm suggesting a monk/samurai build, but it looks interesting on paper.

[Xyk]

This makes sense. The first time I dropped cause fear on a cleric, he immedialty ran 100 feet out of my LoS, which tends to put a damper on the whole actually fighting him thing the rest of my party had in mind. Note to Self: block all exits.

If you go sorc, make sure you know the open/close cantrip. that makes for a cool effect, and shuts doors.

[Emperor Tippy]

Too bad a sorcerer doesn't get intimidate as a class skill. Max intimidate, get Fearsome armor (5,000 GP from Drow of the Underdark), and take the Imperious Command feat (DotU). You can make your enemies cower (the best level of fear) as a move action.

[tyckspoon]

Altough having played the character up to level 3 I'm noticing that all the god fear effects cause the target to run away at top speed, which makes dealing with them in combat sort of a problem. Is there anyway to remedy this, or is that just something I'm going to have to learn to deal with?

Try to punch them all the way into Cowering, which prevents them from taking any actions. Start with something that causes Shaken- usually not too hard to do, and it penalizes saves so it's easier to apply a follow-up. Then cast a Panicking spell; if successful, the stacking fear level will make it Cowering.