Two more levels for a gish.

[Nebo_]

A year long campaign is coming to an end next session, and thanks to an artifact level potion and a little DM fiat, we've all gained enough levels to put us at 14. Due to time constraints with Uni starting again, the DM has had to end the game fast.

I'm playing a fairly standard Gish, with mostly sub-par feats. The game wasn't very high powered to begin with so I didn't take feats that would make me outshine the rest of the party. In this game, Sorcerers can learn spells, so I don't have a limit of spells known. It's mostly up to the DM what I get, but he's been generous so far. No Wraithstrike, but my attack bonus is insanely high, so it doesn't much matter.

I also have an artifact called the Black Halberd - +4 Keen Vicious Ghost Touch Disrupting Foebane Exceptional Onyx Halberd - Foebane is like bane, but less specific. Exceptional quality increases Crit range, damage dice, to hit and damage. Onyx inverts DR/Magic. The halberd itself also bypasses all magical protection; Mage Armour, Shield, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere etc. The Halberd is also immune to all magic, so it can't be buffed in anyway (It even stays medium if I am enlarged) Halberds in this game are reach weapons that threaten adjacent squares and out to 10', albeit with different damage.

So far I have this:
Slithzerakai Sorcerer 4/Fighter 2/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 3.

Feats:
Toughness - a retroactive prerequisite for Improved Toughness.
Improved Toughness
Power Attack
Combat Casting
Improved Initiative
Practiced Spellcaster (Sorcerer)
Diehard (Ogresblood Gauntlets)
Combat Reflexes
Flaw (Shaky)

I will be taking the next two levels of Abjurant Champion, but I'm not sure where to go after that. I was planning on taking Eldritch Knight for the rest of the progression, but with only one session remaining, losing a caster level and 6th level spells seems very unappealing. I don't mind losing BAB, but I want those two caster levels.

So, I ask of you, what class should I take for the last two levels, and what feat should I take for 12th level? It seems that most of the good Gish spells are in the lower levels, can anyone recommend some good 5th and 6th level ones? The rest of the party is here, if it makes any difference. I'm not sure how up to date they all are, though. All books are available.

[Rad]

For your feat I reccomend Arcane Strike (CWar). Remember that you can channel any number of spells at the same time; the to hit bonuses do not stack but the extra damage does.

[Nebo_]

I don't have any problem at all dealing damage or hitting things. I thought about arcane strike, but with Arcane Boost, it seems a bit redundant.

[Zincorium]

The problem is that, other than abjurant champion, pretty much every Gish class involves another lost caster level at some point. This is the usual balancing factor.

Since spells, rather than BAB, is the main concern, two levels of sorceror or a prestige class you can qualify for without spending feats seems to be the only real answer. And I can't find any PrCs that fit your specific character, so the fifth and sixth levels of sorceror may be the only real choice.

As to arcane strike; It's pretty good for most gish type builds, but the arcane boost ability means you don't, strictly speaking, need to take it. If you don't have something dedicated for your 12th level feat, might as well I suppose.

[Nebo_]

Someone over on the WotC CharOp forums suggested Rauthar, which, with some flavour changes, would do quite nicely.

I won't be taking Arcane Strike as my 12th level feat, so if someone can suggest something else, that would be great.

[Iku Rex]

I would just get another two levels of sorcerer. Why complicate matters?

As for spells, stone body (SpC) is a good 6th level spell. So is bite of the weretiger (SpC), though it's only 1 round/level.

At 5th level, draconic polymorph (Draconomicon) is the ultimate power choice. Less twinky choices are transmute mud to rock (to go with stone body), dragonsight (SpC), overland flight, skin of the steel dragon (ChmpVal), arcane fusion (CMag) and dimension jumper (CMag).

[CASTLEMIKE]

Consider using the ECS Phantom Knight or a variant of the ECS Phantom Knight (Fireball or Lightning Bolt based instead of Phantom Steed based or with no casting level loss for lossing the 3rd level spell like ability).

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...050706a&page=4

See if your DM will let you get the casting level in Eldritch Knight at first level for giving up the bonus feat (Basic general mechanical tradeoff).

If you like elves the Ruathor PRC could be interesting.

In ECS a single level dip into Heir of Siberys might be nice for other campaigns one of the PC ancestors could have been a ECS plane traveller back in the past.

Trading out one of those levels of Fighter for a level dip into Warblade might be nice via retraining or a psychic reformation or other magical device to complement your Halberd attacks.

[Nebo_]

See if your DM will let you get the casting level in Eldritch Knight at first level for giving up the bonus feat (Basic general mechanical tradeoff).

Hardly. The caster level is far, far better and my DM is smart enough to know that.

If you like elves the Ruathor PRC could be interesting.

This is what I've ended up using, but reflavoured for Slithzerakai and renamed to Slithzerakai Mage.

In ECS a single level dip into Heir of Siberys might be nice for other campaigns one of the PC ancestors could have been a ECS plane traveller back in the past.

There is only one plane other plane in the campaign setting and that's Hell. HoS loses a caster level, anyway.

Trading out one of those levels of Fighter for a level dip into Warblade might be nice via retraining or a psychic reformation or other magical device to complement your Halberd attacks.[/QUOTE]

No retraining, no psionics. I'm happy with the fighter levels at the moment. If I need maneuvers, I'll just cast Heroics for them.

[Yakk]

Is the Dragonslayer PrC from Drac still around? I thought it was +1 caster level at level 1...

But practically, if you want full caster progression, you are pretty much limited to dip-class, caster PrCs (which require feats), or just taking caster levels.

... and you don't have the prereq feats.

There is little chance of you being able to convince your GM to give you "something for nothing", and if you aren't willing to give up a caster level...

So the question is, are you a Melee character who casts spells, or a Caster who melees?

[Nebo_]

The character is a melee combatant first, spellcaster second, but even with my last two levels as a low BAB class, I end up with BAB +11, which gets me an extra attack.

Dragonslayer has retarded pre-requisites and isn't worth it, IMO.

There is little chance of you being able to convince your GM to give you "something for nothing", and if you aren't willing to give up a caster level...

What exactly did you mean by this?

[Zincorium]

What exactly did you mean by this?

The 'something for nothing' was the additional casting level in exchange for the bonus feat on eldritch knight.

I'm pretty sure that he meant you don't really have any options available for getting both two caster levels and two points of BAB. There are no full-BAB classes other than Abjurant champion which don't lose a caster level on either the first or second level, so your only option for getting two points of BAB and two caster levels is to take two different classes which have full BAB and don't lose a caster level until the second level.

You don't meet the prerequisites for even one that I'm aware of, certainly not two, and you don't have any time in which to gain them. Thus, unless you choose to lose a caster level, you will lose a point of BAB.

[Nebo_]

There are no full-BAB classes other than Abjurant champion which don't lose a caster level on either the first or second level, so your only option for getting two points of BAB and two caster levels is to take two different classes which have full BAB and don't lose a caster level until the second level.

You don't meet the prerequisites for even one that I'm aware of, certainly not two, and you don't have any time in which to gain them. Thus, unless you choose to lose a caster level, you will lose a point of BAB.

I know, that's why I said I don't mind if I lose BAB.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Is that some Avernum stuff I see there?

[Nebo_]

Yep. We're playing Exile III converted to a D&D campaign. The DM has done it very, very well, and it's probably the best campaign I've ever played in. Next session we fight Rhentar-Ihrno and the Vahnatai.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Yep. We're playing Exile III converted to a D&D campaign. The DM has done it very, very well, and it's probably the best campaign I've ever played in. Next session we fight Rhentar-Ihrno and the Vahnatai.

Wow ... any chance of petitioning the DM to put some of the conversion stuff on one of the forums after the campaign's finished? I tried to do the same, and have some Anama stuff, from what I read of the campaign, it sounds awesome.

[Nebo_]

There are some extra rules here. He has most of the monsters statted out, but obviously he hasn't posted those. I'll ask him to put them up after the last game; I'm interested to see it all, too. I know he did some domains for the Anama and other bits and pieces, too.

[Illiterate Scribe]

I'll look over those - thanks!

[Yakk]

The character is a melee combatant first, spellcaster second, but even with my last two levels as a low BAB class, I end up with BAB +11, which gets me an extra attack.

/shrug, sure. :)

Then you are looking for a pure-caster PrC that is better than core spell caster? There are only a handful of those, and most take at least a few feat investments.

Your feats are almost all melee-centric: which cuts down on the pure-caster PrCs you can dip into.

You wouldn't happen to be a dwarf, would you?

What exactly did you mean by this?

The classes which grant full-caster and full-bab and good HP for a one-level splash are actually broken classes: you are already using two of them (Ab. Champ and Spellsword) for 6 levels of your build.

Asking for another one (getting full-caster from another splash-gish class) is stretching it.

[Nebo_]

The classes which grant full-caster and full-bab and good HP for a one-level splash are actually broken classes: you are already using two of them (Ab. Champ and Spellsword) for 6 levels of your build.

Asking for another one (getting full-caster from another splash-gish class) is stretching it.

I can't really see how Abjurant Champion and Spellsword are broken. Powerful, yes, but not broken.

I've actually already chosen a class. Rauthar from RotW reflavoured to be a Slithzerakai Mage. It gets 3/4 BAB (which might as well be 1/2) and full casting.

Like I said, I wasn't necessarily looking for full BAB, just full casting.