You just gained a level in real life: 2022 edition!

[Troacctid]

A new year, a new level!

You can choose any class to gain a level in, and you gain the benefits of that level for yourself in real life. What would you choose?

Rules:
Before posting, please consult the spreadsheet to double-check whether you have any other levels already! If you participated in this exercise in previous years, you keep the level(s) you had before, meaning you may now be as high as level 7! Those levels are all locked in as of...now. However, if you didn't post in the thread that year, you did not level up.

Use 3.5e or Pathfinder, whichever you're most familiar with. 3.5e includes Dragon Magazine and official web enhancements. By popular demand, 3rd party material (for either edition) is allowed and counts as a separate, third category. If you're familiar with multiple editions, you can do all of them individually if you like, and have two or three different versions of your build, all of which will be the same level.

As part of gaining your first level, you gain your choice of the nonelite array (13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8) or the standard array (11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10), arranged as you like. These scores control your "game" attributes such as spellcasting and skill points, and the associated modifiers will be layered over your real-life abilities to make you stronger or weaker in that stat, as appropriate.

Similarly, any skills and other abilities that you gain from your class levels will be layered on top of whatever you can already do. If you get a bonus to something, you will become that much better at that thing, and if you get a penalty, you'll become that much worse. For example, whatever languages you already speak would be your automatic languages, and if you gain a bonus language due to your Intelligence score, you can learn a new one. If you take the Murky-Eyed flaw in order to gain Endurance as a bonus feat, you'll be a better athlete, but you'll be wanting a new pair of eyeglasses.

As a human, you gain the normal benefits of being a human. In Pathfinder, that includes the ability score bonus, and you can choose variant traits if it suits you. In 3.5e, you can still get the +2 ability bonus to one score by trading away your bonus feat and skill points via the Complacent Human variant. Aging modifiers apply as normal.

The reason we're doing it one level at a time is because part of the fun of the exercise is seeing the gradual payoff of your choices and maybe even changing your mind about some of them and going in a new direction. It also makes it into a fun annual tradition as well.

Bonus points if you stat out a whole character sheet!

Previous threads:
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016

Spoiler: FAQ

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Q: Do magic abilities work? I mean, magic isn't real, right?
A: Yes, magic abilities work. Rumors that Earth is a dead magic zone have apparently been grossly exaggerated.

Q: Are other people in the world leveling up too?
A: Only the people who have posted in this thread.

Q: Will I be leveling up again in the future? If so, when?
A: Maybe you will and maybe you won't. I guess it depends on whether you post in the thread each year!

Q: Is retraining allowed?
A: Yes. Use the normal rules for it under your chosen system.

Q: What about rebuilding?
A: Pathfinder rules allow for rebuilds; 3.5e rules do not.

Q: Am I going to lose any of the skills and abilities I already have and replace them with game statistics?
A: No. The level you gain is layered on top of everything you can already do, and any modifiers apply to your existing skills as a baseline. You can think of it as a gestalt build if that helps.

Q: How do gp costs work?
A: They use up money or material wealth at a reasonable exchange rate. Specifics aren't important; we're not here to do math.

Q: How do xp costs work?
A: You accumulate xp over time by literally accumulating experiences. Over the course of one year, you can earn xp equal to your level x 1000 at a fairly constant rate of slightly less than 20 xp per level per week, provided you spend time living your life and doing meaningful things. The amount of xp you can hold at a time is limited to your level x 1000. (This is based on the xp a character of your level could have in-game.) This is only used for xp costs, not for leveling up; to level up, you just post in the yearly thread, and that's it.

Q: What counts as a meaningful life experience for earning xp?
A: As long as you're not in a coma, or mindlessly watching TV all day, or whatever, you can expect to get your xp. There is one exception: you cannot earn xp on any day that you spend xp. Activities like crafting will temporarily pause your xp gain until they are completed.

Q: I get that I have to be a human, but can I take a template?
A: Template classes are fair game as long as you have at least one real class level first. Use savage progression rules for them, even if the template class wouldn't normally work that way. Any template that can't be taken as a template class is probably going to be unavailable, unless you can somehow gain it via class features.

Q: What about setting-specific material, or regional requirements?
A: Assume they are adapted to another, similar requirement that makes sense in our world.

Q: I have a question about how a particular rules interaction would work under this model.
A: You can ask in the thread, but here are two general rules of thumb. First, most things work the way they'd be expected to work in an actual fantasy world, so if one interpretation of a rule would break established D&D canon if it were true, and another wouldn't, the latter one is more likely to be correct. Second, if you would normally have to consult with your DM about how it works, you can assume you don't know the answer as you make your decision—you'd have to try the interaction and find out for yourself. For the purpose of this exercise, I'll act as the referee for such things and adjudicate what would happen.

Q: If I take crafting feats, what items can I craft?
A: As long as you have the prerequisites, you can craft any existing, published magic item, or combinations thereof (at the appropriate price modifiers). You cannot invent a custom item unless you are a 3PP build.

Q: What about custom prestige race alterations?
A: Eh, sure, subject to the same limits on magic items. It has to be based on an existing magic item, and you'll pay 40% of the item's market price in xp. Just arrange them into a focus path of up to four alterations that are thematically cohesive with one another. You can have up to two such foci.

Q: I'm an artificer. Can I cherry-pick the lowest-level version of every spell to make items more cheaply?
A: You can only draw from the spell lists of base classes and domains, or, for a psionic artificer, from the power lists of base classes, mantles, and disciplines. Prestige class spells are not available unless the prestige class is called out in the spell description, as seen with the assassin and blackguard spells in Spell Compendium. This applies to the artificer as well as the chameleon and other, similar abilities.

Q: Can I research spells?
A: Sure. If you're a wizard or erudite, this is probably how you'll be learning a lot of your spells. Use the rules in the DMG (or whatever the PF equivalent is). Tell me what you're trying to research and your rationale for why it should be possible for your class at the level you want it, and I'll adjudicate the result. You still pay the cost regardless of whether your research succeeds or fails. If the spell is on your class spell list at that level already (wizards), spoiler alert, you'll succeed.

Q: How exactly does this world work? Is the timeline altered by our previous levels? Do we know about other players? Are we making decisions for ourselves, or are these benefits applied to parallel universe version of ourselves? Etc.
A: I think it's fine to envision it however you like, but I bet that parallel timeline idea would make for some cool fanfiction. If you'd like to share your idea of what the last year would have been like for the leveled-up version of you, please do!

[aglondier]

Yes! Another level of Wizard.

First up, Happy New Year everyone.

Isn't it amazing what a year can bring us? For me, it's been getting the resources and equipment together to start a new hobby/occupation...blacksmithing...hopefully it goes well. As for the me below, well, first up I'll be retraining a feat and swapping out a trait that really doesn't work for me. Part the way through the year I hang up my tools, and dedicate myself to spell research. Over the course of the year I will research twenty-seven 1st level spells, to go with the two I get for going up a level.

Spoiler: Me:

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Alex
Race, Class, and Level: Human (Australian), Wizard (Arcane Crafter) 2
Size, Type, and Alignment: Medium, Humanoid (human), Neutral-ish
Init and Senses: Initiative +0; Perception +0.
AC: 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10.
hp: 10 (2d6-2 HD)
Saving Throws: Fortitude -1, Reflex +0, Willpower +3.
Speed: 30'.
Melee: dagger (-1 melee, 1d4-2 damage, 19-20/x2).
Ranged: dagger (+0 ranged, 1d4-2 damage, 10' range, 19-20/x2).
Spells Known/Spells Prepared:

Spoiler: 0-level:

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Acid Splash; Arcane Mark; Bleed; Breeze; Chameleon Scales; Conjurer's Toolbelt; Dancing Lights; Daze; Detect Fiendish Presence; Detect Magic; Detect Poison; Disrupt Undead; Drench; Flare; Ghost Sound; Grasp; Haunted Fey Aspect; Jolt; Mage Hand; Mending; Message; Oath of Anonymity; Open/Close; Penumbra; Prestidigitation; Ray of Frost; Read Magic; Resistance; Root; Scoop; Scrivener's Chant; Sotto Voce; Spark; Touch of Fatigue; Vacuous Vessel;

Spoiler: 1-level:

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Arcane Pocket; Celestial Healing; Crafter's Fortune; Snapdragon Fireworks; Unseen Servant.
Brightest Night; Skill Lore; Ward, Lesser; Abundant Ammunition; Blood Money; Comprehend Languages; Cultural Adaptation; Detect Metal; Endure Elements; Expeditious Retreat; Feather Fall; Hypnotism; Air Bubble; Magic Missile; Anticipate Peril; Heightened Awareness; Implant Urge; Longshot; Mage Armour; Magic Weapon; Secluded Grimoire; Sleep; Speak Local Language; Summon Monster I; True Skill; True Strike; Urban Grace; Magic Aura; Disguise Self.

Spells Prepared: Conjurer's Toolbelt; Ghost Sound; Mending; Prestidigitation; Crafter's Fortune; Disguise Self; Unseen Servant.
Ability Scores: Strength 7, Dexterity 11, Constitution 9, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 10, Charisma 12.
Feats: Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (craft), Secret Capital.
Traits: Duskwalker Agent; Focused Study; Innovative; Spark of Creation.
Skills: Craft (calligraphy) +12, Craft (gunsmith) +9, Fly +5, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Spellcraft +10.
Languages: Common, Celestial, Draconic, Sign-language.

Biscuit, cat familiar (valet). Named mainly so I could make dad's jokes about eating the cat every time the kids asked for a biscuit...

Future build notes: max advance in spellcraft and K(arc), splash extra points across knowledges and crafts, with an eye towards gunslinging at some point in the future. Spell picks for utility in real world and for crafting/enchanting.

Spoiler: A bloomin' hectic year

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Continuing on from last year, I start this year with 36gp 3sp, a partly built wizard's tower and a couple of businesses, earning me 13.9gp per day. I cast 1 spell for sale each week, earning 20gp, and I have a monthly lifestyle expense of 10gp.
My first expense is retraining my feat, then completing the Security Company (the only one of my businesses that operates 7 days a week). By the end of the year I will be earning 71gp 3sp 3cp and 1 Magic capital per 10 days, and have a surplus of 1366gp 2cp and 3 Magic capital saved up for next year.

Spoiler: 2022

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Mage's Tower (completed 11th October 2022)
- contains a substantial residence, a scriptorium, magical trinkets workshop, luxury goods shop, summoning circle, magical library and classroom for teaching apprentices. Generating gold, Goods, Influence, Labour and Magic as needed. Producing, on average, 20.6 gp per day.

Security Company (completed 20th June 2022)
- with a luxurious office, and 10 teams of upgraded elite guards, it operates year round. Generating gold, Influence and Labour, it generally produces 5.5 gp per day.

Armourer (completed 30th March 2022) and Weaponeer (completed 20th July 2022)
- providing all your custom arms and armour needs. Generating gold, Goods, Influence and Labour. Each brings in 5 gp per day.

Herbalist (completed 9th May 2022)
- herbal remedies and components. Generating gold, Goods, Influence, Labour and Magic. On average brings in 6 gp per day.

Alchemist (completed 6th June 2022)
- alchemical goods and enchantment precursors. Generating gold, Goods, Influence, Labour and Magic. Produces 5.1 gp per day.

Cobbler (completed 17th June 2022)
- bespoke shoes and boots. Generating gold, Goods, Influence and Labour. Usually bringing in 3.4 gp per day.

Woodworker (completed 11th September 2022)
- wooden furniture, toys, and lumber in general. Generating gold, Goods, Influence and Labour. Bringing in 5 gp per day.

Tenement (completed 24th December 2022)
- high density rental housing. Generating gold, Goods, Influence and Labour. Producing 6.4 gp per day.

House (completed 30th December 2022)
- low density rental housing. Generating gold, Goods, Influence and Labour. Producing 2.8 gp per day.

Leyline Tap (completed 24th November 2022)
- a magical array tapping into the magic of the land. Produces (and pays for) 1 Magic capital per 10 days.

Spoiler: 2021

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Tailor (completed 22nd May 2021)
- custom clothing of very high quality made to order. Earning me 3.6gp per day, and giving easy access to Goods, Influence and Labour.

Mage's Tower - Scriptorium (completed 29th August 2021)
- professional scribes and illuminators produce scrolls and manuscripts. This section of the future tower earns 3.6gp per day, while giving easy access to the all important Magic resource.

Mage's Tower - Magical Trinket Workshop (completed 10th December 2021)
- a small store producing trinkets and novelties of a magical nature. This section of the future tower earns 4.3gp per day.

Security Company - hiring
- a small company providing local security services. Despite just opening it is already bringing in 2.4gp per day.

If anyone is interested, I have a spreadsheet with my daily downtime activities plotted out.

*sigh* still 1 more year until I can actually craft some decent magic items...

[Hurnn]

Still druid I see no reason to change.

[Jervis]

13 Con
12 Wis
11 Int
10 Charisma
9 Dex
8 Strength

Class: Factotum

Feats: Shape Soulmeld (pauldrons of health), Able Learner

Skills: Bluff 4, Sense Motive 4, Disguise 4, Spellcraft 4, UMD 4, Autohypnosis 4

Aiming for chameleon bois

[Troacctid]

but for right now, I just want to rush that virus immunity without being LE.

Shape Soulmeld (pauldrons of health) could do it with just a feat, but you'd need 13 Con.

[Jervis]

Shape Soulmeld (pauldrons of health) could do it with just a feat, but you'd need 13 Con.

Oh, in that case I’ll change my lineup then. Thanks

[H_H_F_F]

Happy new year, guys!

I'll take my second level as a druid. Usually not very exciting in D&D terms (no new feats, no new spell levels, etc), but woodland stride makes for a way better ability IRL than in D&D. Excellent for exploring, wonderful for trekking (if I ever get to go abroad again). Crowd walker would be slihhtly more useful at the day to day level, I guess, but not worth it IMO (unless it works on traffic).

Last year I chose to let my physical attributes take a hit. Well, I sure did pay for it with a shoulder tendon issue that will not go away. Hopefully next year it will be forgotten.

I'll up each of my skills by 1 point, sense motive is still cross class so it only goes up by 0.5 points.

See you all in 2023!

[MinimanMidget]

I'll take a Warlock level.

Human Psychic Rogue 1/Warlock 1
Str 9, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Autohypnosis 4, Concentration 4, Hide 5, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Open Lock 4, Sleight of Hand 4, Spot 5
Powers known: Compression (no PP to use it with, though)
Invocations: Spiderwalk
Feats: Able Learner, Point Blank Shot

[Promethean]

Human Wizard.

Going to take Able learner and Jack of All trades.

My stat are
STR:13 (I exercise)
Dex:9 (Spastic monkey reflexes)
Con: 16 (Rarely sick, and even then, never been sick longer than a day)
Wis: 6 (Was born Socially inept and had to dig my way out with skill points)
Int: 18 (I took an IQ test, I did Very Well)
Cha: 12 (I'm sometime funny)

Skills: Diplomacy 1, Sense Motive 2, Knowledge(Academics) 4, Knowledge(science) 4, Knowledge(Arcana) 4, Knowledge(trivia no one cares about) 4, Concentration 2, Profession(author) 1, Spellcraft 4, Decipher script 2,

I should honestly have a -2 for Knowledge(Culture & Social trivia), but the system does not allow for that(I think, could be a "flaw").

Spells: No clue. I'll have to come back to this.

[H_H_F_F]

Human Wizard.

Going to take Able learner and Jack of All trades.

My stat are
STR:13 (I exercise)
Dex:9 (Spastic monkey reflexes)
Con: 16 (Rarely sick, and even then, never been sick longer than a day)
Wis: 6 (Was born Socially inept and had to dig my way out with skill points)
Int: 18 (I took an IQ test, I did Very Well)
Cha: 12 (I'm sometime funny)

Skills: Diplomacy 1, Sense Motive 2, Knowledge(Academics) 4, Knowledge(science) 4, Knowledge(Arcana) 4, Knowledge(trivia no one cares about) 4, Concentration 2, Profession(author) 1, Spellcraft 4, Decipher script 2,

I should honestly have a -2 for Knowledge(Culture & Social trivia), but the system does not allow for that(I think, could be a "flaw").

Spells: No clue. I'll have to come back to this.

Note that we don't get to pick representation of our IRL capabilities as our stats. We pick one of the 2 arrays in the OP, and they are the ones used for our stats - as well as augmenting (not replacing) our IRL stuff.

[Malphegor]

suppose I better carry on with sorcerer I guess!

[Quertus]

Continuing with Arcane Spellcaster.

Having obtained the peak of abilities possible in this e7 world as a bonus, I expect that any others like myself might be pretty obvious by now just on skill alone.

*looks around*

“All right, who’s the wise guy who took max ranks in ‘craft (disease)’?”

[Stoic]

Another level of Wizard.


... More info to be posted later.

[SirNibbles]

I can finally take my first level of Tattooed Monk with the Crane Tattoo.

The disease immunity I've been working towards for years seems really useful now.

Archivist 1/Mystic Ranger 4/Tattooed Monk 1.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Continuing my build from last year (Sha'ir 3), I take 1 level of Durthan. I put my ability increase into Cha (14), 1 skill point into Concentration, 2 in Knowledge (arcana), and 1 in Spellcraft. I learn Light, Alter Self, and the PHB II version of Master's Touch (or Share Talents if it isn't available).
After a discussion with Troacctid in this thread, it turns out that Wedded to History doesn't actually negate ageing. I'll be retraining that then, and relying on Steal Life at high levels to stay alive in the long term. She also confirmed that Dragonmarks are available. I therefore retrain Wedded to History to Eschew Materials, intending to take Least Dragonmark of Making (Make Whole 1/day) at level 6 to be able to cast Summon Marked Homonculus to avoid the "choose between spending your life crafting or spending your life having fun and earning XP" dilemma.

I would argue that Ireland fits Rashemen thematically (Rashemen definitely feels pseudo-Celtic as much as anything, IMO), and that thus I can qualify + use Place Magic while in Ireland.

My character sheet as it currently stands (Sha'ir 3/Durthan 1):

Spoiler: Character Sheet

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Current: Sha'ir 3/Durthan 1
HP: 13 (4d4, rolled) Initiative: +0 BaB: +1 Melee: -2 Ranged: +0 Saves: Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +7
Stats: Str 8, Dex 9, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14.
Skills: Bluff 0 ranks (+5), Concentration 7 ranks (+7), Diplomacy 6 ranks (+12), Knowledge (arcana) 3 (+4), Sense Motive 5 ranks (+10), Spellcraft 7 ranks (+8)
Feats: Silent Spell, Eschew Materials, Flaw (noncombatant), Improved Counterspell, Flaw (vulnerable), Iron Will, Craft Wondrous Item (DMG2 Signature Trait: Fashionable).
Special: Summon Gen Familiar, Recognize Genie Works, Place Magic.

Spells known:

• Detect Magic, Daze, Ghost Sound, Launch Item, Light, Mending, Prestidigitation
• Disguise Self, Charm Person, Scholar's Touch, Unseen Servant
• Alter Self, Master's Touch (PBH II)

Languages: Common, Terran. Familiar: Earth Gen.
Gear: Possum Pouch, Shiftweave, Helpful Headband, Amazing Amulet, Glorious Glove, Shawl of Bewitching (grants +5 to Bluff and +1 enchantment CL), Slippers of Spider Climbing (Spider Climb up to 10min a day). Fortifying Bedroll (once every 38 hours, get a night's sleep in one hour!).
Familiar's Gear: Spidersilk Pendant (casts Web 1/day at CL 3).

Personal item descriptions:

• Helpful Headband : +5 Sense Motive, +5 Spot against Disguises, CL 4 Hat of Disguise. Current item value is 13 950gp.
• Amazing Amulet : Amulet of Tears that also grants an untyped +2 Diplomacy and -2 Bluff, as well as a terrible 3/day sanctuary effect I won't ever be using. Current item value is 3 950gp.
• Glorious Glove : This +1 gauntlet bestows a +1 initiative bonus. It also senses any creature within 120 feet who intends harm to the possessor, mentally alerting her of the danger from an unfriendly creature. (It does not however give any other clue to the identity of the threat). Twice per day as a swift action, it also adds +2CL to a first-level arcane spell cast in the same turn. Current item value is 10 750gp.

MIC rules for stacking additional properties require me to keep track of the combined item's value, just in case I want to further improve them in the future. To do so, "use the base price of the most expensive item, and 1.5x the base price of all other items. Sum them all together and that's the final cost".

Below is a list of the items I plan to craft this year. I'm going with the 20 XP per level per week formula from previous years, but I'm only spending half of the max amount I could get in case I fail to have a lively enough life to reach the optimal XP gain rate, and because I'll use all remaining XP to craft Fortifying Bedrolls for sale to fund my personal crafting (and life). Other posters here seem to be increasingly indiscreet about their magic, so I'll say "**** it" and sell extra life-time to people.

• Heward's Fortifying Bedroll (once every 38 hours, get a night's sleep in one hour!). This isn't as good as a Ring of Sustenance, but it's a lot easier to craft. 120XP, 1500gp.
• Add a Crown of Steady Rulership effect to my Headband of Disguise. 216xp, 2700gp. Rename it Helpful Headband.
• Improve Hat of Disguise effect to CL 4. Costs 216xp, 2700gp.
• Chainmail Glove of Taarnham the Vigilant (aesthetically, leaning heavily on the "glove" part of the name and not on the "chainmail" part. Think a silver glove). 400XP, 5000gp.
• Add Arcanist's Gloves effect to my Glove of Taarnham the Vigilant. 30xp, 375gp. Rename it Glorious Glove. I'll be using this effect on spells like Unseen Servant or Friendly Face.
• Amulet of Tears. 92xp, 1150gp.
• Shawl of Bewitching. 140xp, 1750gp.
• Add a Medal of Gallantry effect to my Amulet of Tears. 825gp, 66xp. Rename it Amazing Amulet.
• Slippers of Spider Climbing. 192xp, 1400gp.
• Spidersilk Pendant (for familiar). 87xp, 1080gp.

I have everyday utility magic. I've also got crafting! Awesome! XP will be limited, but it's been confirmed I can't "overspend" XP and am somehow aware of how much I have.

I now have the awesome Place Magic feature, which works very well with the Sha'ir's massive spell list (all wizard spells, and no spellbook limitation). As long as I'm in Ireland, I should be able to get around the "must have seen a spell to retrieve it" limitation. This is when this build really begins to shine, with access to every wizard spell in the game without compromising on social skills! Here it is, as clarified on page 47 of Unapproachable East:

Spoiler: Place Magic

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Hathrans and durthans possess a special bond to the land of Rashemen that lets them draw upon the power of the spirits to cast spells without preparing them. When a hathran or durthan uses place magic, she can cast any arcane or divine spell known to her. (Spells on her hathran or durthan spell list can be cast as either arcane or divine spells, as she desires.) In effect, she can use any spell on any of her spell lists when she wishes, as long as she is within the borders of Rashemen. A place magic spell uses an unassigned spell slot of the appropriate type (arcane or divine) and level. If the caster does not have an open spell slot, she may spontaneously lose a prepared spell of the appropriate type and level to cast her place magic spell. Using place magic takes longer than casting a spell normally; any spell that takes 1 standard action to cast requires 1 full round to cast with place magic. Spells with casting times longer than 1 standard action simply add 1 round to the casting time.

Plan:

Spoiler: Plan

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• At level 5, take Cloistered Concept Cleric with the Magic domain, and Healing and Knowledge Devotion. +2 Diplomacy, +5 Knowledge (arcana), +1 Spellcraft. Everyday divine spell prep is Create Water, Guidance, Purify Food and Drink, Endure Elements, Magic Aura. Meanwhile Healing Devotion can heal me of 20 HP five times a day, and can be used to heal others by touch.
• At level 6 (so in 2024) take 1 level in Dweomerkeeper. Feat should be Least Dragonmark of Making (Make Whole 1/day) to open up Summon Marked Homonculus. +2 Concentration, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Spellcraft.
• Levels 7, 8 and 9 are also Dweomerkeeper levels. Mantle of Spells choices are Alter Fortune, Celerity. Feat should be Leadership, picking someone I care about as my cohort as Troacctid has confirmed they'll level too when my Leadership cap goes up. At every level, raise Concentration, Diplomacy and Spellcraft by 1. Also spend a cross-class rank in Bluff.
• Levels 10 and 11 should be Incantatrix, to get optimal Mantle of Spells choices. Take Extend Spell as a bonus metamagic feat. I now no longer need Silent Spell and can retrain it into something like Great Diplomat for an extra cohort. Lose access to Evocation because losing Necromancy means losing Extract Gift and Steal Life, Enchantment is required for Mindbender later, and Illusion's versatility sounds useful during downtime. Take Intimidate now that it's a class skill (if only for easier Mindbender entry later). At every level take 1 rank in Concentration and Spellcraft, and 2 ranks in Intimidate.
• Levels 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 are Dweomerkeeper levels. The Supernatural Spells will be useful if/when I get 9ths and can replicate Body Outside Body, and in the meantime they allow me to ignore all those difficult XP and M/F components. Mantle of Spells choices are Greater Dispel Magic, Limited Wish, Polymorph any Object. Take the Divine Defiance feat and the Undead Leadership feat (taking a living cohort, requires Knowledge religion 1). At levels 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17, take 1 rank in Concentration, Diplomacy and Spellcraft, as well as a cross-class rank in Bluff. At level 14, take 1 rank in Concentration, Diplomacy, Knowledge (religion) and Spellcraft.
• Level 18 is Mindbender. Take Mindsight at 18. Take 1 rank in Bluff, 2 ranks in Diplomacy, and 1 rank in Spellcraft.
• Levels 19 and 20 are Incantatrix again. Get a bonus metamagic feat at 20 (Persistent Spell). At each level, take one cross-class rank in Diplomacy, and 1 rank in Concentration and Spellcraft.

Spoiler: Crafting Notes I used to determine costs

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• According to the MIC, adding a specific magic item's effect to a preexisting specific magic together (except those on MICp234) costs [full price of the added power] + [half of the price of the added power OR half of the price of the existing item, whichever is cheaper]. This is the market price, so you'll be halving that number to craft the combined item, as normal. However nothing is said about how this modifies the cost of the final product, which is relevant if you want to add a third effect to it later. Here, I used [full cost of adding the second effect] + [cost of the original item].
• Furthermore, table 6-11 on MICp234 does not include CL minimums to upgrade items. I'm waiting until I meet the CL of "normal" items providing these benefits.
• The above rules are for combining items. Improving items simply costs the price difference between the old and new version of the item.

[loky1109]

First level expert.
Don't know about stats, feats, and skills.

[Jack_Simth]

Continuing with Oracle. Waiting on the captone....

[Troacctid]

Some questions for Troacctid :

1. Can I modify the basic appearance of magic items? For example making a Hat of Disguise be a headband, etc.
2. I messed up my languages last year. Can I retrain Ignan into Terran? My familiar is an Earth Gen, after all, it makes more sense for me to speak Terran.
3. Can I make a Mage Hand for my Gen familiar, even though I don't have an elf hand but do satisfy all RAW prerequisites?
4. Can I add a Tunic of Steady Spellcasting (MIC, 144) effect my to Shiftweave? It's a torso slot item.
5. Similarly, what slot are Vestments of Power? (Yes I've started plotting out what I can craft when).
6. I'm using fractional BaB and saves, and I think I didn't mess up the methodology. Any objection?

1. Yes.
2. Yes, in fact I believe the retraining rules allow you to retrain two languages at once if you like
3. If you can't find a genuine elf hand, store-bought is fine.
4. Items in the same slot can be combined.
5. Vestments default to torso, per MIC.
6. Campaign-level variants from UA are not in use.

Place magic says it works on spells that are known to you, so I'm not sure it'll do what you want, although it is pretty strong either way.

[H_H_F_F]

First level expert.
Don't know about stats, feats, and skills.

Why expert, Loky? If you want access to all skills, at least go factorum or something, no?

[Talwar]

It's a toss-up as to whether I did more barding than rangering this year, but I think I'll go to Ranger 2/Bard 1.

I'd started this as 3.5, but have much easier access to PF materials these days, so will work with PF from here on out.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

5. Vestments default to torso, per MIC.

Thank you for responding! Being able to merge that effect with my Shiftweave will be a relief, and simplifies my plans.
On the other hand, this does reveal a slight error in your fantastic Google Sheet with useful items which I frequently use : it has Vestments of Power as Body slot items for some reason.

I've also gotten rid of the fractional BaB and saves. It seems I'll have decent-ish Fort eventually, good Will, and terrible Reflex saves. This does make me regret picking Wedded to History (Wanderer) and not Wedded to History (Survivor) - I'm going to end up with very high Will saves, so being able to use them instead of Reflex a few times per day would be nice. Can I retrain Wedded to History (Wanderer) into Wedded to History (Survivor), or is that RAW-impossible?

Place magic says it works on spells that are known to you, so I'm not sure it'll do what you want, although it is pretty strong either way.

As I'm making a fairly detailed crafting plan, the uncertainty about the effects of place magic is a little limiting. I might end up having to make multiple progressions based on "it works" or "it doesn't", and this will affect spells chosen in future years... I'll admit that I hadn't even considered it could fail, mostly because the wording I saw went "known to her" instead of spells known (this seems as vague as the druid wild shape knowledge requirement) and even specified "any spell on any of her spell lists" as opposed to "spell known". Still, even if I can't replicate spells for myself I can always seek out the more publicly known other arcanists from here and talk/pay them into a demonstration. Or get cohorts with arcane spells, perhaps? And in the long term, there's the possibility that I'll be able to replicate the spells through Limited Wish and view them that way. Would that let me prepare them as a Sha'ir from then on?

Incidentally, making a crafting plan for this is a novel experience, because I can't quite reuse any crafting plans my PCs have used due to constraints like "hiding visible magic", "not needing to focus on combat", "being limited more by crafting time than by XP", etc. I like it! I'm going to be editing my post's crafting plan for a while, but it seems likely I'll end up with a "item worn all the time" category and a "item is worn only when it can be hidden, and even then only for big opportunities" (things like Third Eyes or Masks, for example).

[loky1109]

Why expert, Loky? If you want access to all skills, at least go factorum or something, no?

It is realistic. )

[Asmotherion]

And an other level of Wizard for me.

[H_H_F_F]

It is realistic. )

I understand. Just to clarify though: we aren't picking classes and feats for what we already are. We are adding D&D classes and abilities to ourselves. In other words, we are not representing ourselves, and not replacing ourselves, but augmenting ourselves.

So, in this thread's version of reality, I am still myself and know everything that I know - but I'm also better at writing, have animal friends, can handle the cold better, etc. Oh, also magic I guess.

[Cruiser1]

Cloistered Cleric seems to be the most logical choice to start out with in real life. Full access to entire Tier 1 Cleric list without having to worry about filling out or keeping a spellbook, along with spontaneous access to Exalted spells since I'm non-evil. For spells, in real life healing is important (e.g. Cure Light Wounds if I or a loved one breaks a leg) and very useful utilities like Scholar's Touch and Comprehend Languages are available at level 1 too. For fighting, I don't want to have governments arrest and dissect me if I cast a deadly fireball or something with visible magic. Cleric list is great for invisible non-lethal defense in modern society too, e.g. just Command a mugger to flee.

For domains, let's go with Trickery (which gives access to Disguise Self right away, and other useful arcane illusions later) and Spell (which gives Mage Armor right away, and access to arbitrary lower level Wizard spells later). My patron deity is Boccob, who provides both domains.

[loky1109]

I understand. Just to clarify though: we aren't picking classes and feats for what we already are. We are adding D&D classes and abilities to ourselves. In other words, we are not representing ourselves, and not replacing ourselves, but augmenting ourselves.

So, in this thread's version of reality, I am still myself and know everything that I know - but I'm also better at writing, have animal friends, can handle the cold better, etc. Oh, also magic I guess.

Then I'm Spider-man! )))

Hm... Okay. I'll change my mind.
Illumian Factotum-1 with Able Learner.

[Kalkra]

I don't think I ever got an answer last year about if you could get psionics with Sculpt Self, which determines whether I can go into Cerebremancer now, or if I have to take another level of Erudite.

[Troacctid]

Cloistered Cleric seems to be the most logical choice to start out with in real life. Full access to entire Tier 1 Cleric list without having to worry about filling out or keeping a spellbook, along with spontaneous access to Exalted spells since I'm non-evil.

You may not have to maintain a spellbook, but you do need to maintain a faith! For some people, that might be a lot harder.

Then I'm Spider-man! )))

Hm... Okay. I'll change my mind.
Illumian Factotum-1 with Able Learner.

It'll have to be regular human, I'm afraid.

I don't think I ever got an answer last year about if you could get psionics with Sculpt Self, which determines whether I can go into Cerebremancer now, or if I have to take another level of Erudite.

See the FAQ.

[Kalkra]

See the FAQ.

I did, and it talks about magic items, and I wanted to know if that also applied to psionic items because transparency or something.

[Esprit15]

Oh, seems I missed two years. Damn, can’t believe I thought I was going to join the military back then. Factotum 5! Opportunistic Piety! That actually kinda fits me these days. I should have most of my skills filling out at this point, and have spent a point to take Japanese as an additional language.