Dragonfire Adept help [3.5]

[SilverLeaf167]

I'm building a Dragonfire Adept for a 7th-level campaign, and would like some help with him. The general idea of the build is using Draconic Flight to stay away from melee range while using the breath weapon to attack opponents on the ground. I would like some recommendations on items and feats to optimize this strategy and to pump up the save DC of the breath weapon. Also, what invocations/breath effects should I take?

Here's the basic info:
Strongheart Halfling, Dragonfire Adept 7
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 10
Feats: Ability Focus: Breath Weapon (flaw), Entangling Exhalation (racial bonus), Improved Initiative (lv 1), Dragontouched (DFA bonus), Draconic Aura: Energy (lv 3), Flyby Attack (lv 6)
Invocations: Endure Exposure, Magic Insight, Draconic Flight (Breath Effects: Frost and Slow)
We're allowed to have one magic item costing about 20,000 gp to start with.

I'm using invocations for utility and buffing, so I don't really need Charisma to raise the save DCs. The first feat I would want to swap out is Improved Initiative, and I assume that's the one you'll recommend anyway.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Found this link yesterday, it seems it might be what you are looking for

[SilverLeaf167]

Not really, it has very little invocations and focuses on melee touch attacks.

[Greenish]

Found this link yesterday, it seems it might be what you are looking for

That build won't work though, since fancy-pants subraces can't take true dragonmarks. PGtE, page 47.

[SilverLeaf167]

Any hints on the actual build I'm going to use? :P
Please don't start arguing about that particular link or anything.

[Keld Denar]

Honestly, what you have is all very good. I guess I'd swap out Magic Insight for See the Unseen and spend the 1500g on an Artificer's Monacle (MIC, converts Detect Magic into Identify) and just have a party member use it. Unless you are identifying HUGE amounts of magic items per day, that should cover you well enough.

I don't see any gear listed. For your bonus item, I'd get a Dragonspirit Cincture (MIC) with +4 Con tacked onto it. That'll run you about 18000g, IIRC, as the base belt is pretty cheap. Then get a Masterwork weapon like a crossbow and attach a LEAST Energy Assault Crystal(Fire). Now you have a weapon that deals fire damage, more or less, and you get the +2 on your save DCs as long as you aren't using Cold breath. Maybe buy a Least Energy Assault Crystal(Cold) if you go into a desert or something, where you'll be using your Frost breath effect pretty often, otherwise skip it.

Other than that, you can't go wrong with a pair of Anklets of Translocation, I highly recommend them for ANY character. Oh, and a Wand of Lesser Vigor. You have UMD on your list, that makes you a capable OOC healer.

[Duke of URL]

You might want to get Improved Flight on that list of feats somehow, for the extra maneuverability. I'd be more tempted to ditch the Draconic Aura than Improved Initiative, however. Getting the jump on the enemy and hitting them with a slow breath + entangling exhalation before they even act means completely borking their action economy, very likely that they'd be dead before they can act.

No argument at all with your invocations.

As for the magic item, the obvious choice in that budget is an Amulet of Health +4.

Edit: @^ I had forgotten the MIC stacking rules -- absolutely Dragon Spirit Cincture with +4 CON added to it! Note that the OP said they get 1 magic item, so extra items like an Artificer's Monocle are out of the question for now.

As much as I'm a fan of See The Unseen, (non-good) DFAs have the skill set to enter the Mindbender PrC pretty easily. I'd pick up Charm as the 8th level invocation, then dip Mindbender 1 plus the Mindsight feat at 9th level -- seeing invisible is unlikely to be all that useful when you have 100' mindsight.

[Greenish]

Then get a Masterwork weapon like a crossbow and attach a LEAST Energy Assault Crystal(Fire). Now you have a weapon that deals fire damage, more or less, and you get the +2 on your save DCs as long as you aren't using Cold breath. Maybe buy a Least Energy Assault Crystal(Cold) if you go into a desert or something, where you'll be using your Frost breath effect pretty often, otherwise skip it.

How about a +1 Frost bolt on that crossbow?

[MammonAzrael]

You'll want a Dragon Spirit Cinture (MIC 95), and Least Crystals of Energy Assault (MIC 64) one fire and one cold, each on a MW dagger. Obviously an Amulet of Health too.

Steadfast Determination (PHB2 83) would be a great boon to your Will saves.

Not technically RAW, but you can ask your DM if you can take Improved Speed from Draconomicon to boost your flight speed pretty noticeably. (usually only Dragonwrought Kobolds can enjoy it, but your DM may be lenient)

Or you could take Air Heritage for pretty much the same effect (Planar Handbook 37)

[SilverLeaf167]

The Draconic Aura adds +2 to the DC of the Fire breath, so I think I'll keep it.
I too forgot the stacking rules, I'll definitely want that one.
My Invocation save DCs are low, so I don't think I want charm. Also, we're going to have a Warlock in the party (dunno about his specialisation), so I don't want to step on his toes there.

[Duke of URL]

The Draconic Aura adds +2 to the DC of the Fire breath, so I think I'll keep it.

I don't think it's worth it that much, honestly. If there's a DC you want to jack up, it's the entangling exhalation one. Edited to add: debuffs and battlefield control are much more important than straight damage, IMO.

My Invocation save DCs are low, so I don't think I want charm. Also, we're going to have a Warlock in the party (dunno about his specialisation), so I don't want to step on his toes there.

You're not getting Charm to charm creatures, you're getting it to qualify for 100' telepathy and mindsight. Being able to have a chance at charming weak-willed creatures is just a bonus.

[Greenish]

My Invocation save DCs are low, so I don't think I want charm.

The charm wouldn't be for using, but for qualifying for the aforementioned mindbender, which gives you 100' radius telepathy, which can then be turned into a blindsense of sorts.

[Edit]: Curses, I have been swordsage'd!

[MammonAzrael]

I don't think it's worth it that much, honestly. If there's a DC you want to jack up, it's the entangling exhalation one. Edited to add: debuffs and battlefield control are much more important than straight damage, IMO.

They are one and the same in this case. What it doesn't add to is a Entangling Slow breath.

Also, don't forget to be wearing Fullplate and a Heavy Shield! It doesn't matter if you aren't proficient with them, since you don't care about attack rolls!

[Zaq]

They are one and the same in this case. What it doesn't add to is a Entangling Slow breath.

Also, don't forget to be wearing Fullplate and a Heavy Shield! It doesn't matter if you aren't proficient with them, since you don't care about attack rolls!

No, but he probably does care about initiative rolls, which take penalties if you're wearing armor without proficiency. If you don't mind going dead last, then sure, do this, but given the BfC-heavy nature of the DFA, I find that it's usually worth it to get the first move.

[Draz74]

They are one and the same in this case. What it doesn't add to is a Entangling Slow breath.

No such thing. Entangling Exhalation specifies that it only works with breath weapons that deal damage.

Also, I'd say whether Draconic Aura (Energy) is worthwhile depends strongly on how much the rest of his party uses [fire] effects.

Also, don't forget to be wearing Fullplate and a Heavy Shield! It doesn't matter if you aren't proficient with them, since you don't care about attack rolls!

Well, you do have arcane spell failure to worry about, but as long as you stick with 24-hour duration Invocations this isn't a big deal.

[MammonAzrael]

Initiative is nice. +8 to AC is also nice. Its up to you, really, which you'd rather have.

Exactly. If you don't have Invocations that care about failing every once in a while, then you're pretty golden.

Point on the Slow Entangling, though the DC boost stands.

[Zaq]

Funny thing about slow entangling:

While you wear a dragon spirit cincture, your breath weapon damage is increased by one die (or by 1 point if your breath weapon doesn't deal damage expressed in dice).

Now, it's not the most rock-solid RAW ruling, but assuming that you have a Dragon Spirit Cincture (and you do, right? Aside from a +CON item, it's the only thing that a DFA really wants more than any other), your Slow Breath doesn't do damage expressed in dice, so it suddenly does +1 damage, for a total of 1. 3.5 doesn't have an explicit rule like 4e does that says that you have to have damage before you can have additional damage, so it's not a given that this doesn't work. (Yes, then you get into weirdness about half damage and whether the reduction applies before or after and whether the "you can't do less than 1 damage" rule applies here, but still.) I'm not gonna lie, it's definitely shaky RAW, but there's nonetheless definitely something there.

[Stallion]

http://community.wizards.com/go/thre...dept_Handbook!


DING! Fries are done. With your wonderful enemy frying breath!

[Akal Saris]

No, but he probably does care about initiative rolls, which take penalties if you're wearing armor without proficiency. If you don't mind going dead last, then sure, do this, but given the BfC-heavy nature of the DFA, I find that it's usually worth it to get the first move.

You know, I never noticed that the penalties for non-proficiency extended to initiative.

[Keld Denar]

Yup!

Nonproficient with Armor Worn
A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for nonproficiency with shields.

Initiative is considered a dex ability check. ACP would apply.

[SilverLeaf167]

I think I'll stay armorless. I'll enchant a shirt later, or buy some Bracers of Armor.

I don't think I want to waste a precious invocation on Charm. And sure, that trick works crunch-wise, but doesn't fit the character fluff-wise and isn't really very original anymore.