[3.5] How to combine DFA & Binder

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Just looking for some advice - how would you get binder and DFA into one build (short of gestalt) and use them effectively? I am intrigues by both classes, and would love to play a character who is a little bit of both. Also, both run off CHA and CON to a degree.

Anima Mage would advance DFA breath weapon & invocations, but would require a casting dip to get into. Would DFA X/Duskblade 1/Binder X/Anima Mage 10/Uncanny Trickster 3 be a usable build? (Using early an entry trick to get 2nd level spells for Duskblade).

Any other ideas? this is just a thought exercise, not for a particualr game (so no "check with the DM" type suggestions please. Also, no homebrew if possible.

Cheers - T

[Greenish]

Nosomatic Chirurgeon (Dragonmarked) can convert SLAs to Inflict spells of the same level, though it doesn't say whether the resulting spells are divine or arcane. One level dip (that advances but doesn't require) casting can get you the feature. Entry requires 8 ranks of Heal, 4 of Know (Nature) and Least Dragonmark of Healing.

[Quietus]

Hm. Curious - does the DFA's ability to cast SLA's of various levels count for the Anima Mage's "Ability to cast second level spells"? I know invocations can count as specific spells if they replicate the appropriate spell, but .. hm. I'm not sure how I'd rule, as a DM - on the one hand, I don't think it's going to break anything to give players the ability to Anima Mage off of DFA/Binder; Hell, it'd be less powerful than off a full caster. Particularly since almost every class feature Anima Mage gives you would be worthless; Metamagic does nothing to SLA's, and you had to get a metamagic feat to get into the class in the first place. I'm pretty sure I'd allow it.

[Cog]

Hm. Curious - does the DFA's ability to cast SLA's of various levels count for the Anima Mage's "Ability to cast second level spells"?

They specifically do not count.

[kestrel404]

Here's a variant on one of my favorite builds:

Beguiler 1 (Versatiles Spellcaster & any metamagic)
DFA 1
Binder 1 (Improved Binding)
Anima Mage 7

Lets you bind 2 5th level vestiges (my favorite combo being the the two 5th level vestiges that give you gaze attacks, because 1 gives you nice bonuses & a reroll every 5 rounds, and having two gaze attacks is just mean). Also gives you 2 least and 2 lesser invocations.

[dextercorvia]

Carefully read the prereq's for Precocious Apprentice.

Spellcasting ability (Int or Cha) 15, arcane caster
level 1st.

Normally, I would say that spellcasting ability means the ability to cast spells, but they spell out that it is a spellcasting ability score that they are looking for. DFA qualifies by RAW. For want of a comma, RAI was lost.

[Cog]

Normally, I would say that spellcasting ability means the ability to cast spells, but they spell out that it is a spellcasting ability score that they are looking for. DFA qualifies by RAW. For want of a comma, RAI was lost.

Meh. If you don't have any spellcasting, it's hard to justify that you have a spellcasting ability score. What spellcasting can you perform with that ability score?

[Person_Man]

I personally can't think of a synergy. To the contrary, their class abilities tend to be duplicative. Binder has more of a melee focus, but is basically a grab bag of Save or Suck/Lose abilities and buffs, with a number of fairly strong breath weapons. DFA clearly has more of a breath weapon focus, which he can use every round, coupled with a variety of buff and debuff invocations.

Putting classes aside, what exactly do you want to do? Is there a particular mechanic you want to optimize or trick you want to pull off?