(3.5) 6th level Caster

[TreefolkTrample]

I'm curious at what would be the best place to look for a solid offensive caster build (lightning bolt, fireball, etc). What books should I be looking it?

[Hendel]

I am assuming this is an arcane caster, but what are you looking at Sorcerer, Wizard, other...? It makes a difference in what spells I would pick up front.

[Jack_Simth]

I'm curious at what would be the best place to look for a solid offensive caster build (lightning bolt, fireball, etc). What books should I be looking it?

Ah... Blaster-Casters are generally not the most effective. D&D is a team-game, so more effective casters are those that make the rest of the team much better at it, and keep the opponents from hurting the rest of the team. Haste, Slow, Stinking Cloud, Web, Glitterdust, Grease, and so on. Cloud of Bewilderment (Spell Compendium - Stinking Cloud at 2nd level, with a much smaller area) is also a really useful one for that purpose.

Sure, if your party doesn't optimize, and your DM doesn't optimize, then yeah - the Wizard Evoker, going into Master Specialist, and picking up Fireball and Lightning Bolt will do fine. Feats such as Fiery Burst (Complete Mage) will help (caster level boost for your primary offense, and a secondary offense when it's not a "serious threat").

[lsfreak]

Agreed with Jack_Smith. Slow is my 'blast' of choice at 3rd level, it can cripple an entire enemy team.

[TreefolkTrample]

Well I'm specifically looking for something that is fun to play and basically makes enemies explode at will, through use of magic. Not sure exactly what I want, hence I was looking for the material to read through and gain a better idea of what I was looking for.

[Jack_Simth]

Well I'm specifically looking for something that is fun to play and basically makes enemies explode at will, through use of magic. Not sure exactly what I want, hence I was looking for the material to read through and gain a better idea of what I was looking for.

Ah. So.... Human Wizard(Evoker)-2/Master Specialist-4
Feats:
1: Spell Focus (Evocation)
HB: Precocious Apprentice (Complete Arcane, page 181)
3: Fiery Burst (Complete Mage, page 43)
6: Storm Bolt (Complete Mage, page 47)

Keep a Fireball and a Lightning Bolt prepared at all times.

Fiery burst gives you +1 caster level for Fire spells. Storm Bolt gives you +1 caster level for Electricity spells. Precocious Apprentice gives you a 2nd level spell known and a 2nd level spell slot at 1st level, letting you qualify for Master Specialist a level early (and giving you an extra spell slot). Master Specialist-4 gives you: Skill Focus(Spellcraft), an extra spell known, Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), and a +2 bonus on concentration checks when casting Evocations.

Don't ban Conjouration or Transmutation.

[Touchy]

Do you like psions?

If so, they make much better blasters than wizards do, and I would recommend one.

[dextercorvia]

Do you like psions?

If so, they make much better blasters than wizards do, and I would recommend one.

Agreed. If you want to blow stuff up with your mind, a kineticist is the way to go. Much greater flexibility. Energy Missile hits up to 5 targets with your choice of Xd6* energy damage from electricity, fire, cold and sonic, where X=PP spent up to your manifester level. This is like a targetted energy subbed fireball as a second level power. Oh, and there is no level cap. At level 20, you can spend 20pp** to do 20d6.

Psions can be less squishy than Wizards thanks to Vigor and Psionic Body.

*Minor variations for damage type, and not all of them allow a reflex save, so you can avoid evasion abilities.

**Also see Overchannel and Talented.

[TreefolkTrample]

Okay :P Then where would I look for psions? Like I said, I'm looking to read all of this for myself.

[dextercorvia]

Psions are in the SRD. If you are going to blast, you probably will need some extra PP. So, look for Psionic Talent. It scales.

[Prodan]

Magic Missile or Sonic Snap + Fell Drain Spell = Profit

Guide to Psions

Guide to Wizards

Another Guide to Wizards

Guide to Sorcerers

[EvilJoe15]

Don't forget Sanctum Spell, and Incantatrix. Drop Precocious Apprentice and take Sanctum instead. It works much better for early entry tricks. Also Arcane Thesis for your favorite spell(Enervation is the most effective for this).

[Knaight]

Complete arcane has some really nice spells in it as well for a blaster type, if you stick with a wizard. The various orb of X spells might not look like much, but a bit of metamagic and they cut things down left and right. Still nothing on a non blaster wizard, but it can hold its own against martial types.

Incidentally, you mentioned 6th level. Does this mean we are looking at an e6 game? That tends to change things a bit. Wilders and Sorcerers become marginally more useful, particularly Wilders, blasting is actually still decent, particularly when heavily outnumbered by inferiors, though its still not the best option. e6 is on Enworld somewhere, but the basics are you level up to level 6, stop leveling, and gain feats every 5000 experience.

[Tedesche]

If you decide on sorcerer, don't forget to take advantage of the arcane fusion spells (Complete Mage). Also, check out arcane spellsurge from Dragon Magic. Those should let you pump out arcane damage pretty damn fast.

Also check out the practical metamagic feat from Races of the Dragon in conjunction with empower/maximize spell. There's also the accelerate metamagic feat, but I would just wait and take rapid metamagic (Complete Mage).

Props for the kineticist psion suggestion though! Nothing quite like tossing around [blank] energy globules with your mind alone. Could make for some extremely DBZ-esque action with that class.

[dextercorvia]

If this game is just for fun, you might try this:


FocusedEvoker5/Wildmage1
Ban Illusion,Enchantment,(Abjuration or Necromancy)

Trait: Spellgifted (Evocation)
Flaw:Maximize Spell
Flaw: Magical Aptitude
HB: Energy Substitution(Acid)
1:Practiced Spellcaster
3:Invisible Spell (Cooperative will work if you can't get Invisible)
Wiz5:Empower Spell
6:Arcane Thesis(Scorching Ray)

Your CL for Scorching Ray is 9+1d6, so if you roll a 2 or better, you get CL of 11 for 3 Rays.

In your Second level slots you can prepare a Max/ES/Invis Scorching Rays dealing 3x24 damage.

In your Third level slots you can prepare Max/Empowered/ES/Invis Scorching Rays dealing 3x(24+2d6) damage.

The downside is that damage is the only thing you can do, and it won't scale well if you are going much higher.

[Optimystik]

Magic Missile or Sonic Snap + Fell Drain Spell = Profit

Guide to Psions

Note that this guide, while more recent, is also woefully incomplete. There are also some errors (e.g. Synads don't get -2 Cha like the author claims.) Carnivore's guide is an oldie but more of a goodie, and has builds and power/feat recommendations.

[Thiyr]

If this game is just for fun, you might try this:


FocusedEvoker5/Wildmage1
Ban Illusion,Evocation,(Abjuration or Necromancy)

Trait: Spellgifted (Evocation)
Flaw:Maximize Spell
Flaw: Magical Aptitude
HB: Energy Substitution(Acid)
1:Practiced Spellcaster
3:Invisible Spell (Cooperative will work if you can't get Invisible)
Wiz5:Empower Spell
6:Arcane Thesis(Scorching Ray)

Your CL for Scorching Ray is 9+1d6, so if you roll a 2 or better, you get CL of 11 for 3 Rays.

In your Second level slots you can prepare a Max/ES/Invis Scorching Rays dealing 3x24 damage.

In your Third level slots you can prepare Max/Empowered/ES/Invis Scorching Rays dealing 3x(24+2d6) damage.

The downside is that damage is the only thing you can do, and it won't scale well if you are going much higher.

How would an evoker go about banning evocation?

[Critical]

I'm amazed how little Incantrix this thread has. Okay, seriously, do a Wizard 5/Incantrix 1 and soak up the win. Check out the Mailman too.

[dextercorvia]

How would an evoker go about banning evocation?

Habit, I guess. Fixed to enchantment. Darn worthless e-schools.

Edit: The mailman takes a while to get rolling. Not nearly as awesome at 6th. Also, IIRC, Incantrix 1 isn't broken quite yet.

[Critical]

Habit, I guess. Fixed to enchantment. Darn worthless e-schools.

Edit: The mailman takes a while to get rolling. Not nearly as awesome at 6th. Also, IIRC, Incantrix 1 isn't broken quite yet.

It's not, but still, you're a freaking Incantrix.

[aivanther]

And you gain xp for lvl 7, then 8...

If you want something really simple, you can always hit Warmage, which is blaster-in-a-can. If you get bored with simply going boom, go rainbow servant and now you're a cleric-blaster.

[true_shinken]

Warlock to blast all day long.

[Prodan]

You attack one target per round for a piddling amount of damage. Meh.

[Sc00by]

If this game is just for fun, you might try this:


FocusedEvoker5/Wildmage1
Ban Illusion,Enchantment,(Abjuration or Necromancy)

Trait: Spellgifted (Evocation)
Flaw:Maximize Spell
Flaw: Magical Aptitude
HB: Energy Substitution(Acid)
1:Practiced Spellcaster
3:Invisible Spell (Cooperative will work if you can't get Invisible)
Wiz5:Empower Spell
6:Arcane Thesis(Scorching Ray)

Your CL for Scorching Ray is 9+1d6, so if you roll a 2 or better, you get CL of 11 for 3 Rays.

How do you get a caster level of 9 plus? Practiced Spellcaster caps your CL to your HD if you think that give you +4 CL for free in this build..?

[tyckspoon]

How do you get a caster level of 9 plus? Practiced Spellcaster caps your Cl to your HD if you think that give you +4 Cl for free in this build..?

Spellgifted is worth +1 to a particular school of magic and Arcane Thesis is +2 to the Thesis'd spell. Practiced Spellcaster is to cover for the penalty from Wild Mage.

[Optimystik]

Please note that while accurate by RAW, cancelling out Wild Mage's penalty with Practiced Spellcaster can result in thrown books.

[IonDragon]

The Mailman, Blaster Sorc in the flesh. Depending on how much you would like to stink of cheese, White Dragonwrough (SP?) Kobold Sorc (Dragonlance), especially if your group will allow LA Buyoff. It's basically a free Sorcerer level Fly speed, 8 Natural Armor and a stat buff or two. It may also give Cold Immunity and Fire Vulnerability, I can't recall.

If your GM bans Incantatrix, you can always take Ruethar (RotW) to qualify for Abjurant Champion, which is quite good for Gish buffing.

Best of luck, that is my favorite character type.

[TreefolkTrample]

I was looking at the orbs and was wondering which method of abusing them is the best?

[Optimystik]

I was looking at the orbs and was wondering which method of abusing them is the best?

Did you read the Mailman build?

Alternatively Cindy, though the level 20 version hasn't actually been posted anywhere to my knowledge.

[Devils_Advocate]

Psions are from the Expanded Psionics Handbook. As noted, they are also detailed in the SRD.

I'd definitely consider Psion for a blaster, partly because I like how Psions work, but mostly because of the energy missile power. Unless you want to really go nuts with being able to nuke things in several dozen different ways, I consider this power to be largely sufficient for one's blasting needs all on its own. It's obviously quite flexible in regard to dealing with enemy defensive strengths and weakness; more so than all five Energy Substitution feats together, even! Its aiming strikes me as superior to that of the higher-level energy cone and energy ball powers. The Expanded Knowledge feat means that you don't even have to be a Kineticist to use it. Complete Psionic nerfs it so that its save DC scales normally, and even with that change it's still great at what it does.

Plus, being a Psion means that you don't have to worry about stuff like spellbooks and arcane spell failure from armor and spell slots and (somatic, verbal, and material) spell components. You just use your big, powerful brain to think at things really hard until they do what you want. And it works, not because you sucked up to some deity, not because your subconscious mind is doing all of the work for you, not because you performed just the right arbitrary ritual, but because you've honed your mind to do what you damn well want it to do through introspection, experimentation, analysis, and sheer force of will. How awesome is that?