nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 5, 2004 4:10:26 GMT -5
If you mean Arcanist from the FR Arcane Age setting, it's a Very Bad idea to introduce a specialist wizard with only spell levels/day as the casting limit. I can't get you the specs (I'm pretty sure I have theme somewhere) but get the old Arcane Age box and print the spell lists from there. You can find the set here. Even the nice shades from the Shade enclave do memorize their spells now. The Arcanists used a 10th level spell to shave off the top of a mountain peak, but I think your players could make, say, fifty thousand items with constant levitation and a couple thousand with Fly or Overland flight on them to be able to control the flight of their rock. I know, that's a ridiculous idea - nobody has that kind of EXP to waste, or time and gold to create that number of items. So they have to turn to higher powers for that kind of power. And as usual, power doesn't come cheap. Idea 2: Steal some spell engines (for the lack of better wording) from Shade. Now there's a Lethal idea. idea 3: They make ships fly in Halruaa... A dozen or two might do the trick, but it's a closely guarded secret and the country has wizards as a ruling class. In any case, they need to research what the arcanists used, what options do they have for a flying village. So don't say no, make them pay for the research first, then let them say NO! by themselves.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 4, 2004 9:10:09 GMT -5
As a regular player and DM with FR setting, I've always wondered why the Bard class is so unpopular. Even those who "want to do everything" usually prefer multiclassing over the unique abilities of the bard. In other settings, bards seem to be uncommon, but the Realms give so much more for a bard... why is the class seen as wimpy, or waste of good EXP? Is it because of the slower spell progression, or the limited weapon selection combined with the 'normal' BAB progression and d6 for hit die? How come people dismiss the power that lurks within the songs of a skilled bard?
Bard has several good points: High number of skill points and class skills, only Ranger and Rogue come even close to the list of Bard's skills, The music - inspire courage is perhaps The best example, Good spell selection - of the non damage inflicting kind (suggestion as class ability and 2nd level spell, confusion as 3rd lvl spell, arcane healing spells throughout the list and many spiffy sonic and divination effects. Bardic knowledge - this ability can make nearly any situation easier
With his abilities, a bard can act as a secondary arcane caster, party booster and healer of any crew, can act as a sage-on-the-run, and still have superior leaderhip qualities. Sure, he's not the front line warrior, or the heavy artillery of the posse, but still...
In Realms, the Bard's abilities are augmented by a truckload of FR specific spells, and if your bard isn't the kindest soul of the posse, you can add the Shadow Weave Magic feat to the roster (IMO the Bard gets so much mileage out of that 'dark hero' attitude that comes with Shadow Magic).
So, all this good stuff doesn't cost you any? Sure it does. Cons:
Low HD. (can't help with this one - Improved Toughness, anyone?) Few spells per level. (no preparation though) Poor weapon selection (it's still better than cleric's) Commitment to a single skill (perform) throughout the career. Light Armor only (but can cast arcane spells in it).
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 4, 2004 6:07:21 GMT -5
The night whispers to my bard, tells secrets dark and foul. Yes, the bard/dervish I mentioned some(*ahem* every-)where has been converted to a follower of a dark god, and is about to embrace the Shadow weave.
What I'm asking for is:
Some nice bard songs/spells that deal with sadness, loss, darkness and shadows.
So, game mechanics in mind, the preferred schools of magic are Enchantment (of course), Illusion (no surprise there) and Necromancy (not that undead-creating, but mind-affectin sort). In addition, any spells with Darkness or Shadow descriptor are acceptable.
Just point out the most obvious things.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 4, 2004 16:39:57 GMT -5
Resounding... good Temper... good Roar... good.
good stuff. Going to use some of that - I know the name within a weeks time.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 1, 2004 20:36:37 GMT -5
Yes, I know, I've done something like this before (I think it was the CRPGN forum), but here it goes.
My pretty little (bard) dervish found a cute relic - a +3 thundering scimitar and found out it had been called "The voice of Talos" by its previous owner. Now, an old friend of our wizard agreed to enchant the Defending ability to it (it cost a my bard a nice staff of wossname), and as the dervish doesn't worship the Storm Lord, she's seeking to rename it.
Come up with a nice exotic name for the blade and win a free walking trip to the beach! Or tell a story about naming your items.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 5, 2004 8:37:42 GMT -5
yea, you can, kinda. it sorta becomes an overrun, I guess, with the overran critters dodging. They still can block you if they so desire (they can attack to material plane). we're in a loop here, aren't we?
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 4, 2004 18:05:54 GMT -5
No. An incorporeal critter ignores nonmagical attacks from the material plane. If, for some reason, the troll in question had, say, a Magic fang spell cast on it, it would have the 50% chance of actually touching the shadow. (DMG 3.5E, p. 295; DMG 3.0E, pp. 77-78)
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 30, 2004 21:26:19 GMT -5
without improved bull rush feat, the rushing troll provokes an AoO, even if it cannot hurt the shadow. The shadow has no risk whatsoever of being bull rushed, it just ignores the nonmagical corporeal source of attack. This means that the bull rush fails, and the troll risks falling prone (no opposed rolls, but a balance check might be in order).
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 30, 2004 3:31:42 GMT -5
marching order sounds good so far.
Just keep it so that no one gets left behind (those with low init are not stranded when big bad guys appear - that has cost some lives in my campaign). Something like that is more likely to happen in a large party like yours. With the buddy system, 2 ppl can keep fighting for a while until others arrive to rescue. Good luck with the adventure!
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 29, 2004 3:16:03 GMT -5
Start small. One PC is responsible for one PC. Pair up in combat. Flanking is always good. Charging and tumbling work too. Use bull rush, trip and disarm maneuvers during the first combat round. Let the thief or lead (always a bad idea, but sneaky fellows tend to avoid things, unless the things are shiny). Let the clerics (and the witch) prep their spells together.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 27, 2004 4:33:54 GMT -5
So, more of the Caster type cleric then?
You'll probably be channeling negative energy, so remember to prep at least one healing spell for every level and, if you like, Summon Monster spells are great. If you use these, conjuration and necromancy focuses might be in order (or conjuration focus and Augment Summoning).
Good weapon choices for this type cleric are spear (the regulas, or the long one) and spiked chain (I know, it uses up a feat). anything with reach is good. Don't bother with ranged weapons, just a couple javas for emergencies. Stay in the back (even if you take up the heaviest armor money can buy), and if somebody comes a-calling, use inflict wounds as the weapon of choice, then that nasty death touch you have as domain power.
Stats: Really a no-brainer. Priority in wisdom, then con and cha in the order of your personal preference. The crappy one goes to dex. You don't have to worry about encumbrance, at least is you go for the tin man look. Initiative isn't a concern - you don't lose much even if you lose initiative. Max out concentration (very important), and if you're not satisfied with your CON score, take up the combat casting feat. 5 ranks of Knowledge [religion] gives your undead turning check a +2 boost, and if you don't like your CHA score, get a friendly wizard to make a circlet of persuasion for you (+3 to all CHA related checks for 4.5k gold is a bargain). Heal is a good skill to have, and if you need any justification, it's anatomy studies for ya. Moreover, it leaves more spell slots for something less useless than healing (your healing check can be used as a poison or disease save, if you use the skill).
You'll be wanting a 3rd domain by the time you're at level 9. Check for prestige classes like Divine Disciple (FRCS), but remember that most prestiges do not advance in turning/rebuking undead. And, as death priests go, you want the maximum amount of power you can have, so choose one with a good domain power (you still get only one domain spell per day per level).
Nothing much has changed from 3.0 to 3.5 edition, except for spells. Spells have been pushed around a lot, making your old and trusty 3.0 PHB pretty useless there.
Party boosting spells make everybody happy, so prayer, recitation, protection from alignment and all that are still trendy, but if you are a conjuror-type, you'll be wanting your critters to get the boost too. So summon first, boost second. You can always convert healing spells to inflict spells if the need arises.
If you're going for a melee type priest, you might want to consider taking feats like power attack (maybe cleave), extra turning, improved toughness (CW) and some divine feats like Divine might. With precious few feats, don't bother with weapon foci. If you want those divine feats, you'll still be wanting your charisma as high as possible, even higher than wisdom. But that's another rant.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 26, 2004 18:43:02 GMT -5
What kinda cleric are you playing? A caster, holy warrior or something else?
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 5, 2004 6:40:46 GMT -5
*cross-checking AU and CW*
That'd be a killer combo, my friend, although the unfettered is pretty damn powerful by itself. The intelligence bonuses to armor class do not stack and the classes have the same strong save (REF), so building an invisible blade from an unfettered should be done with the Unfettered class levels of 6 or 9 (evasion at 9th level in addition to the bonuses to weak saves makes this an attractive option).
Unfettered/Dervish = innate AC galore. take all three, and your DM's in trouble. nuff said.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Feb 4, 2004 5:56:45 GMT -5
oh yes... the now infamous invisible blade. There's one good thing about it though... The PrC uses daggers and kukris - and most players with warrior types in mind dislike small blades. It's a bit too perfect for the rogue though.
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nodwyck
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A henchman isn't just for Christmas, it's for life!
Posts: 261
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Post by nodwyck on Jan 25, 2004 8:34:55 GMT -5
note: Tried out my spanking new bard/dervish last night. She isn't the most powerful "build" (gosh, I hate that word), but it was so much fun. I used two-weapon combat and "Elusive Target" style stuff with finessable weapons (read: scimitars), and, it really impressed and amazed everybody. (I love those ineffective-ish character types). can sing, can dance, can't handle a sword a bit.
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