Reducing Eldritch Knight's ASF?

[Kobold-Bard]

I am building an Eldritch Knight (probably Sorcerer/Fighter) and am looking for ways to reduce Arcane Spell Failure of Armour.

I already have the Mithral Twilight Chain Shirt, but are there any better ways to do it? Also want to avoid Warmage if possible.

Thanks in advance.

[Michaelos]

Taking a brief dip into Spellsword would help ignore 10%.

[Zincorium]

The battle sorceror class variant from Unearthed Arcana (it's also in the D20SRD) gives up some spellcasting, but gets the ability to cast in light armor, among other things- battle caster will improve that to medium, and thus mithril full plate (probably the best base armor in the game).

There is also the knight phantom class, which is by default Eberron specific but is Much, Much better than eldritch knight (i.e. it has class features).

Lastly, there is the 'armored mage' alternate class feature for fighters in complete mage, but that only applies to spells that are one level higher than the number of levels of fighter you take. It's not good, but if you're gonna be adding fighter levels, it provides a use for them.

To add to the 'nay upon eldritch knight' thing, there are several classes, like Jade Phoenix Mage from ToB, and Abjurant Champion from Complete Mage, or swiftblade from WotC's site, that are much better. Bear in mind that as you are what is known as a 'Gish' (complicated history but common term) you'll be at a relative disadvantage and shouldn't throw away any help you can get.

[Dogmantra]

I had a thread about this here, which may be of interest. I certainly got some... interesting replies

[ericgrau]

Take a 1 level dip into wizard or sorc and call it a day. Wield utility wands. Wands have no ASF and a level 1 wizard can use wands of any level. Scrolls of low level still spells can work too; you just gotta make an easy caster level check for those beyond your level. Alternatively, a large number of 8th and 9th level spells have no somatic component, if you wanna go EK and hold out for them. You can also cast long buffs in the morning before you put your armor on; making a heavy armor self-buffer totally viable. Plus there are a few other somewhat useful spells even below level 8. Oh wait, look what I have in my notes:
Level 0: Flare
Level 1: Feather Fall, Hold Portal, True Strike, Ventriloquism
Level 2: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Knock
Level 3: Displacement, Tongues, Suggestion
Level 4: Dimension Door, Lesser Geas, Shout
Level 5: Contact Other Plane, Teleport
Level 6: Geas, Mass Suggestion
Level 7: Phase Door, Power Word Blind, Teleport Object, Greater Teleport
Level 8: Mass Charm Monster, Irresistible Dance, Power Word Stun
Level 9: Mage's Disjunction, Power Word Kill, Prismatic Sphere, Teleportation Circle, Time Stop, Wail of the Banshee, Wish

[ChaosDefender24]

greater luminous armor

either go wizard or burn a feat on arcane preparation

[John Campbell]

If you're good with being a dwarf (and there are subtypes that don't take the Cha hit), there's Runesmith (Races of Stone), which grants at class level 1 the ability to Still all your spells basically for free. I played for a long while a dwarven Fighter/Wizard/Runesmith/Abjurant Champion/Eldritch Knight who wore adamantine full plate and cast with no spell failure (that's the character my avatar is of, actually).

And I'll second taking Abjurant Champion over Eldritch Knight. You'll probably have to fall back on EK eventually, but there's no point in it until you've exhausted Abjurant Champion, which is Just Better.

[Chronos]

There's also thistledown padding, from Races of the Wild. You can add it to almost any armor, and it increases the armor check penalty to skills, but decreases the arcane spell failure.