Increasing save DC's

[Mtg_player_zach]

I'm making a 14th level sorcerer to fight the party (3 level 12's, A mystic theurge, a pirate-rogue thing, and a barbarian). I'm looking for ways to increase the DC for my saves. The fight should be challenging but I'm a little worried about the sorcerer TPKing them.

[Yukitsu]

What sorts of spells does it use? A lot of increases are school specific.

Heighten spell can be an easy and obvious choice if your low level spells need higher DCs.

[Tyndmyr]

Stat buffing is probably the easiest way. Limited, though.

However, keep in mind that as you're already a level above the party, and there are only three people in it, you probably don't want to buff the DCs up too high.

I'd actually reccomend adding a few minions before optimizing save DCs on the mob. They'll die, sure, but meatshields add some fun to the fight.

[Mtg_player_zach]

I'm using pretty much all the spell schools. And heighten spell is a good idea.

[Mtg_player_zach]

I gave the PC's powerful stats and good items, so it is supposed to be pretty challenging.

[Mtg_player_zach]

I'm tossing around the idea of having a Barbarian being dominated by me to attack the party with while I cast spells in the back. Of course this also leads me to the option of Dominating the parties barbarian....

[Catch]

I'm making a 14th level sorcerer to fight the party (3 level 12's, A mystic theurge, a pirate-rogue thing, and a barbarian). I'm looking for ways to increase the DC for my saves. The fight should be challenging but I'm a little worried about the sorcerer TPKing them.

If you're worried about TPKing them, why buff your save DCs?

As Tyndmyr said, use minions, and a lot of weak ones. It's pretty satisfying as a player to one-shot critters and feel like a badass.

[Maryring]

If it can be avoided, do not have PCs being dominated. Nothing is more frustrating than having control of your character wrested away from you and leaving you forced to just watch as the party melts down.

Also, Heightened spell isn't that good, especially as a sorcerer since you already have spells to cast at those high DC slots. Spell focus is the general way to go.

[Tyndmyr]

I'm tossing around the idea of having a Barbarian being dominated by me to attack the party with while I cast spells in the back. Of course this also leads me to the option of Dominating the parties barbarian....

This is a rather easy way to get a TPK. You don't need much save optimization to pull this off, honestly. Barbarians normally have pretty weak will saves, and neither of the other two are likely to have a ton of hit points.

Unless optimization is at play here(and I'd guess not), the mystic theurge likely casts significantly lower in both arcane and divine(at least a spell level lower in each, possibly two, compared to the sorc), and endurance will not be a factor here. TPK odds are pretty high.

[Mtg_player_zach]

If the Mystic Theurge is smart he should be able to dispel the domination. There is potential for a tpk, but also for them to do quite well. I want a scenario where it will be difficult but possible with smart decisions. Emphasis on smart decisions. I'll have to take a good looksie through the theurge's spell list and ask for his prepared spells, I don't want something impossible, just challenging. Should they succeed they would get good xp and also get all the items the sorcerer had.
Probably wouldn't Dominate the party's barbarian, I'll just come up with a 14th level barbarian of my own (under a Dominate person effect) that if the party is smart will turn into an advantage.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Spell focus of your choosen spells, and items to increase charisma

[Mtg_player_zach]

I'll roll some sample saves for each of my spells vs each of the parties members. I don't want them to save EVERY time but I also don't want them to NEVER save. I want to find the nice gooey spot in the center.

Edit: Sorry, I'm new.

[Inhuman Bot]

I'm using pretty much all the spell schools. And heighten spell is a good idea.

I gave the PC's powerful stats and good items, so it is supposed to be pretty challenging.

I'm tossing around the idea of having a Barbarian being dominated by me to attack the party with while I cast spells in the back. Of course this also leads me to the option of Dominating the parties barbarian....

Sorry to be a bit picky, but there's an edit button for a reason. You don't need to double post.

Also, I distinctly recall a feat that increased your casting stat for the purposes of DCs... Precocious apprentice? Practised Caster? Something like that.

[Dr Bwaa]

Make sure you have multiple enemies for the PCs to confront. Otherwise, even with only three PCs, the sorc will be defeated by the multitude of actions being leveled against him. Giving the PCs even two other things to use attacks on will make the sorcerer much more powerful.

[DragoonWraith]

Neither Precocious Apprentice nor Practiced Spellcaster do that. There may be a feat for that, but those aren't it. Those are frankly much better.

Anyway, at a guess... I'd say the Barbarian's player is going to get pissed off that he doesn't get to play, the rest of the team is going to be pissed off that they simultaneously lost their tanks/damage dealer, who is now attacking them, and that this fight is going to be a TPK and be horrifically lame.

That's just my guess.

Dominating players... strikes me as a uniformly bad idea.

[Mtg_player_zach]

Yeah, I'm not going to dominate the barbarian and I'm not too worried about the saves. Also it appears that the mystic theurge doesn't have access to 6th level spells which I figured he would.

Edit: Parties saves aren't as good as I had thought. Changing the cloak of charisma to either a +2 or a +4.

[cZak]

If this is the Forgotten Realms (or you have a similar diety...), make him a follower of Shar and go the Shadow Adept class. Full caster progression.

The Shadow Weave feats provide some nice bonus' for the schools of Enchantment (Hideous laughter, Touch of idiocy, Hold person), Illusion (all good) and Necromancy (which doesn't have a lot of save spells). It penalizes Evocation & Transmutation schools, but not overmuch.

[vartan]

Also, I distinctly recall a feat that increased your casting stat for the purposes of DCs... Precocious apprentice? Practised Caster? Something like that.

Spellcasting Prodigy from the FRCG? Treat your primary attribute as two higher for spell DCs

[Claudius Maximus]

Spellcasting Prodigy from the FRCG? Treat your primary attribute as two higher for spell DCs

The new version in PGtF only affects bonus spells. A legal alternative are the Sherem-Lar Sorcery and Shezerem-Lar Sorcery feats in Ghostwalk, though they are obscure and campaign specific.