Fire without Blasting [3.5]

[Zaq]

Disclaimer: I am a heavy proponent of refluffing for any reason, but that's not the point of today's thought experiment, so try to keep the refluffing to a minimum.

So, for today's thought experiment... how would you go about creating a fire-focused caster who is not primarily a blaster? The easy way, of course, is just to refluff whatever spells you cast as being especially fiery, with or without the stupid Spell Thematics feat (ranging from the easy "the flames of my faith fill my allies with power! Everyone bursts into the holy fire of Righteous Wrath of the Faithful!" to the slightly less simple "seeing that the situation is not going my way, I step into a pillar of flame and appear elsewhere! Dimension Door!"), but we're not interested in taking the easy way out. Not today, at least.

So, how would you do it? What fiery options exist that do more than simply reduce your foes to cinders in a cloud of d6s? There are a few options (Fire Shield isn't especially blasty, and Wall of Fire, despite not being especially good battlefield control, is BfC nonetheless), but in D&D, fire mostly means DAMAGEDAMAGEDAMAGEDAMAGE.

Again, there's enough to make a one-trick pony (I wouldn't call an Entangling Breath-using DFA especially blasty, after all), but what else can we come up with?

What makes a spell fiery, of course, is up to interpretation. It doesn't have to do necessarily have the [Fire] descriptor, or do fire damage, necessarily... but you know it when you see it. Work with me, here.

[Marnath]

Spell Thematics, I think it's called. Lets you give all your spells a theme, like daggers, skulls or in your case, fire. It won't actually BE fire, but you can make your magic missles, mage armor etc look like they're wreathed in flame.

* I can't believe I didn't see you mention that.
Oh well, I got nothing then.

*edit 2: yes I do! Elemental savant and the energy substitution feat! Make ALL your energy spells fire! And be an elemental eventually.

[Xallace]

Well, Spell Compendium contains a pair of first-level spells that can make existing fire larger or smaller, move it around a little, minor things. In psionics, you have Control Flames, which does all that plus some as one power. Most energy-based psychic powers are of the blasting variety, though.

Edit: Although, there's also Energy Adaptation, Energy Wall, and Fiery Discorporation.

Edit Deux: There's a feat for Fire Genasi (in Player's Guide to Faerun, maybe?) that allows you to heal by standing in fire.

[nargbop]

From Core, I'd suggest taking a Fire Elemental familiar (DMG 202)
For a consistent surrounded-by-storm-of-flames look as well as some useful crunch, make friends with a Living Spell (some fire spell). The Pyrotechnics spell is appropriate.

[Marnath]

From Core, I'd suggest taking a Fire Elemental familiar (DMG 202)
For a consistent surrounded-by-storm-of-flames look as well as some useful crunch, make friends with a Living Spell (some fire spell). The Pyrotechnics spell is appropriate.

"Who's a good little horrible fire ooze? You are! You are! Good boy!"

"Gurgle...blorp."

[avr]

Jade Phoenix Mage, ToB. You're a gish who eventually gets to heal via an explosion of flame.

[Flickerdart]

Does it have to be a caster? The Pyrokineticist is a psionic PrC that makes a fine fire-focused gish.

[Lysander]

From level 16 up druids can turn into fire elementals. That's pretty fiery.

One obvious method would just be to play a cleric with the Fire domain. You'd have a few blasty spells of course, but you could focus on battlefield control and commanding fire creatures.

[Draz74]

Fiery Discorporation!

[Marnath]

Fiery Discorporation!

That would be a nice trick, except after the first time you'd have trouble surviving when you show up again without ally support.

[Vortling]

Focus on summoning and summon nothing but fire based creatures. Druid would be best for this not only for the elemental summoning but also because you can eventually turn into an elemental. Pick up the elemental reserve feat for an always available elemental summon.

[HunterOfJello]

Energy Substitution Metamagic to turn any other element spell into a fire spell

Conjuration spells that summon fire stuff like Orb of Fire and elemental summonings

[Cespenar]

To give some level 1-2 examples:

Obscuring Mist (heating up air to make steam)
Color Spray (flashes of multi-color fire)
Erase ("burning off" the magical writing)
Expeditious Retreat (batmobile effect? )
Jump (same )
Feather Fall (similar logic, reversed)
Magic Weapon (heating the weapon to white-hot form?)

Prot. from Arrows (shield of flames burn incoming projectiles)
Fog Cloud (see Obscuring Mist)
Glitterdust (flashbang effect)
Blur (heated air makes a similar effect in real life)
Hypnotic Pattern (swirling fire, etc.)
Knock (easy to attach any effect to this)
Levitate (rocket-boots )

The pattern of logic is pretty obvious here, I believe?

[Ernir]

Pyrotechnics! Make your very own strobe light!

To give some level 1-2 examples:

Obscuring Mist (heating up air to make steam)
Color Spray (flashes of multi-color fire)
Erase ("burning off" the magical writing)
Expeditious Retreat (batmobile effect? )
Jump (same )
Feather Fall (similar logic, reversed)
Magic Weapon (heating the weapon to white-hot form?)

Prot. from Arrows (shield of flames burn incoming projectiles)
Fog Cloud (see Obscuring Mist)
Glitterdust (flashbang effect)
Blur (heated air makes a similar effect in real life)
Hypnotic Pattern (swirling fire, etc.)
Knock (easy to attach any effect to this)
Levitate (rocket-boots )

The pattern of logic is pretty obvious here, I believe?

Yup, but he said that wasn't the logic he was looking for.

[Cyclocone]

Energy Substituted Freezing Fog.
I'm sure someone can think of a reason why fire would make the ground slippery.

Daltim's Firery Tentacles (SS).
Evard's black tentacle rape, but on fire.

Blackfire.
Well, it has fire in the name..

[Marnath]

Energy Substituted Freezing Fog.
I'm sure someone can think of a reason why fire would make the ground slippery.

Daltim's Firery Tentacles (SS).
Evard's black tentacle rape, but on fire.

Blackfire.
Well, it has fire in the name..

Flaming oil maybe?

[Lysander]

There's also Continuous Flame.

[Endarire]

I'd be inclined to go Swordsage/Jade Phoenix Mage. Desert Wind as a school is fiery and mobile. Besides, JPM lets you explode.