Arcane Spell Failure

[kevin_video]

How do I get rid of this? I know that lighter armour can make it lessened, there's the Spell Sword PrC that lowers it every other level, and Twilight that lowers by 10% each time as well. I also know of a padded material that you can add to armour from Races of the Wild that will decrease it by 5%. But what about a feat that lowers it by half? I'm told that there may have been one in the Dragon magazines, but we don't know the name of it, or the issue it was in. Can anyone shed a little light on that? Also, any other ways of lowering ASF?

[Prime32]

Classes like warlock ignore it in light armour. Warmages ignore it in medium armour. There's a feat in Complete Arcane which lets you ignore ASF of armour one step heavier.

You're probably better off just casting mage armour (with boosts from the abjurant champion PrC, if necessary)

[RobbyPants]

Abjurant Champion doesn't boost Mage Armor because it's Conjuration.

Kevin, what kind of character are you trying to create?  If it's a straight up wizard type, just use Mage Armor and possibly buy a +1 Twilight mithril shirt (total of +5 AC).  Even still, once you get to the mid levels, you have far better defenses available than AC.  Anything that gives a flat out miss chance is always better than AC.  Look for things like Blur, Displacement, and Mirror Image.

If you're looking for a gish type character, a single level in spellsword lets you wear a mithirl shirt with no ASF.  Alternately, you could take the battle sorcerer variant from Unearthed Arcana to cast in light armor, but you lose a lot of casting power that way.  Still, this opens you up to the Battle Caster feat.

[juton]

I'm hesitant to recommend it but there's always Still Spell which lets you cast in anything. It's only worth while if you end up dipping 2+ levels in other classes to reduce ASF.

There are more moderate alternatives. In Complete Mage their is a Fighter ACF that lets you cast spells in armour as long as the spell's level is not greater than your fighter level +1. You can also try to get into the Prestige Bard (UA) class, a one level dip lets your Wizard cast in light armour with no penalty. Lastly their is the Master Spellthief feat in Complete Mage, you need to be a Wizard with one level of Spellthief and at least ECL 5 to get in, IIRC. 

[kevin_video]

Kevin, what kind of character are you trying to create?

I've got a Mystic Ranger 7 (ranger variant)/Targetteer 2 (fighter variant) which means I'm only proficient in ranged martial weapons, not regular martial weapons. And I'm trying to take Wizard and the Sword of Arcane Order from Champions of Valor. Reason being that Mystic Rangers get 5th level spells, and they're useless. So, throw in a Wizard level, get their spells, take the Quicken Metamagic Feat, and my 5th lvl slots are no longer useless. The problem is I already wear Corellan's relic +2 chainmail armour that gives +5 AC and has a +8 Dex max (I have +6 right now). I'm also a half gold dragon, and we're facing off against things that are immune to my fire breath. Best spell for that is the Wiz/Sor spell that changes the energy. The problem is it's not somatic component free. WotC has a link for Eldritch Knights http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20061031a that show what spells don't have somatic components, and therefore no spell failure. I can use those for a time, but I would like other spells as well. I want to take Spell Sword, but they require you to have proficiencies in ALL martial weapons, not just ranged.

I know what you're referring to with Complete Mage. It's Armoured Mage. Our Sorcerer uses that right now. The problem with that is you sacrifice medium and heavy armour proficiencies to pull it off, and you can only cast a spell equal to your Fighter lvl +1.

[Alastar]

hmmmm, you don't need wizard levels for sword of the arcane order...

[kevin_video]

hmmmm, you don't need wizard levels for sword of the arcane order...

No, you don't, but you require a spell book, and my DM won't let us "find" one short of me gaining one as a Wizard. It's fine though. The feat adds my Ranger and Wizard levels together so I'm alright with that.

[JaronK]

If you really want to get rid of it, the Runesmith PrC does it entirely.  You'll probably want to take a one level dip into a heavy armor class to get in, but Runesmith is an awesome class anyway... and Binder/Wizard/Anima Mage gives you heavy armor (when binding Sovok) anyway.  Something like Binder 1/Wizard 4/Anima Mage 10/Runesmith 5 is incredibly potent, and ignores spell failure.

JaronK

[PhaedrusXY]

The targetteer levels don't give you martial weapon proficiency? I'm not that familiar with the variant, but I find that surprising.

[kevin_video]

The targetteer levels don't give you martial weapon proficiency? I'm not that familiar with the variant, but I find that surprising.

Not entirely, no. You lose melee martial weapon proficiency, but you gain two exotic weapon profiencies. I have mine as repeating crossbow, and hand crossbow. Both of which we've taken from enemies.

@ JaronK. Where's the Runesmith from? I'll have a look at that.

EDIT: Found it, won't work. You have to be a Dwarf.

[JaronK]

Well, what class and race are you?  After all, a Shadowcraft Mage with Still Spell and Arcane Thesis: Silent Image can basically ignore spell failure when they need to.  But you have to be a gnome.

JaronK

[kevin_video]

Well, what class and race are you?  After all, a Shadowcraft Mage with Still Spell and Arcane Thesis: Silent Image can basically ignore spell failure when they need to.  But you have to be a gnome.

Half Aquatic Elf/Half Water Elemental 1/Half Gold Dragon 1 Mystic Ranger (ranger variant) 7/Targetteer (fighter variant) 2/Half-Elf Paragon 1/Human Paragon 3. Long story how that came about.

[Endarire]

A Githcraft Feycraft (Dungeon Master's Guide II 276) Mithril Chain Shirt has no ASF or ACP, and it's fully nonmagical!