Black Mage convention

[Solo]

I think it's about high time we had a thread on how to create Black Mages, the masters of destruction. Who has a nice build they'd like to share?

[CantripN]

Sinfire Titan and I were supposed to make a Guide to Evocation some time ago, but Life Happens. Still, I did play a blaster Evoker for half a year, and lo, it was good. Also, this one is playable without breaking anything (much).

Using Double Empowered Spells, some SU Spells, and a CL that was higher than normal, this was a rather potent blaster.
Getting hit by a Sacred Flame Smiting Empowered Greater Fireburst deals ~30d10 Holy Damage at level 11!

It went something like this (but there are many different options for the last 10 levels):
Evoker 5 / Silver Pyromancer 5 / Dweomerkeeper 10

Race Options:
Lesser Mechanatrix (or regular with LA Buyoff)
Lesser Wispiling (or regular with LA Buyoff)
Fire Elf
Silverbrow Human

Feats:
SpellbookACFs:
Energy Affinity (Fire)
Domain Granted Power (Sun Domain - UA Druid = Turn Undead 1/day)
Focused Specialist (Evocation) - Lose Abjuration/Enchantment/Necromancy. Gain most Abjurations back as Paladin spells, and get the rest using SotAO.

Items of Note:
Mystic Fire Ring (MIC)
Icemail Armor - Adapted to Fire
Any other Blast Empowering Item out there (I'll make a list when I have the time, which is not now).

[Akalsaris]

Hmn Evoker 3/Master Specialist 3/Stormcaster 5/Master Specialist +7/Archmage 2

Feats:
1: Spell Focus (Evoc)
1B: Improved Initiative (trading Scribe Scroll)
1B: Least Dragonmark (Passage)
1 Flaw: Invisible Spell
1 Flaw: Sudden Maximize
3: Energy Substitution (Lightning)
4B: SF (Spellcraft)
6: Mark of the Dauntless
6B: GSF: Evocation
9: Born of Three Thunders
12: Quicken Spell
15: Residual Magic
18: Spell Focus (Transmutation)

Stormcaster 5 is to attach a free stun to all your lightning spells, so naturally the character should have energy substitution (lightning) as well.  Take Least Dragonmark (Whatever) and Mark of the Dauntless (from Dragonmarked), along with Born of the Three Thunders.  Now all of your lightning spells have two chances to stun an opponent and you can abuse celerity at will.  Finally use archmage's spell shaping on your blasts to leave your allies unharmed, and residual spell for fun with cheap scrolls and whatnot.  The flaws' feats are nice, but not particularly necessary to have.  Substitute incantatrix for master specialist for a much stronger build, but incantatrix is too easymode

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

Akalsaris, didn't you see? Its only a convention for black mages. You have a stick man icon!

(And yes I realize I have about the antithesis of black mages for an icon... I'll be leaving)
[spoiler]For any who don't understand, imagine a monster that has applicable abilities and a readied action to put the whole black mage's party down to single digit hp and then proceeds to automatically slap down several attacks per character if the black mage casts its ultimate damage spell. And it has more HP than is possible for the entire party to nuke in 1 turn. And you can't outrun it. Did I mention it was a random encounter, possibly with a partner?[/spoiler]

[KellKheraptis]

Wiz 2/Metaphysical Spellshaper 3/SCM 3/Halruuan Elder 5/Incantatrix 7

Early entry trick at the beginning, Elven Spell Lore (to convert to Hellfire) and Arcane Thesis on Silent Image, metamagic to taste, though you're getting Empower and Maximize for free from Circle Magic.  You're also getting a net of 300% reality on those Shadow Illusions, so whatever the dice say, multiply by three.  Now the wicked part : all that untyped/unresistable damage can be fired off uncapped with Reserves of Strength from CL 40.  Well, at least CL 41 with RoS.  After the Circle Magic magnifier, that's effectively 123 dice, maximized.  Now twin it, admix it (with more hellfire of course), quicken one of them, and laugh maniacally as whatever you just tac-nuked goes up in a mushroom cloud of pwn.  And next round you get to do the same to his buddy, from cantrips, from Residual Metamagic.  The best part : other than admixture, every feat mentioned is useful with other stuff, so you haven't lost a lick of versatility.

EDIT : PBMC's character is the cause of several contingencies, in the off-chance my party encounters a creature that makes Kthulu wet the bed.  Sadly, they don't know that, but such is the price of traveling with GOD, especially one who's also a Blastogod.

[SorO_Lost]

Changling Dragonic Sorcerer 6 / Stormcaster 5 / Warmage 5 / Recaster 4
Feats: Draconic Heritage(crystal:cold/diplomacy)^B, Snowcasting^F, Dragonic Aura^F, Frozen Magic, Cold Spell Specialization, Eschew Materials, Weapon Focus(rays), Combat Casting, Energy Substitution(electricity), Maximize Spell.
Items: Frightful Crest(graft, Draco I think).

Cast a contingency Cold Snap(learned via recaster) spell keyed to whenever you cast your favorite blast type spell. Always apply snowcasting and energy sub to all spells for a +4 DC, +6 damage per die, stuns, +1 sonic damage per spell level, and +4 to caster level bonus. Also anytime you make an attack roll you force a will save vs the 3rd stage of fear(panic) which helps the stun DC even more.

You don't kill stuff with flaming fire like some people do. Instead, the world around you becomes colder, as if you sucked the joy of living or love for the sun from everyone, then massively fry something with electricity shot from your finger tips Sith style so hard that a sonic boom follows adding to the effect and the terror that your already fearsome presence bestows to nearby witnesses.  

[RelentlessImp]

Chaos Gnome Sorcerer 5/Shadow Adept 1/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Shadowcrafter 8/X 1

Feats:
01: Earth Sense
Flaw: Heighten Spell
Flaw: Spell Focus (Illusion)
03: Shadow Magic
06: Earth Spell
09: Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)
12: Free (Any metamagic or Rapid Metamagic)
15: Free (I like Arcane Thesis [Silent Image] or any metamagic, or snag Residual Magic if your DM lets you get away with metamagic rods)
18: Arcane Disciple (Luck)

Pros: Gets 3 feats for a one-feat investment (Shadow Magic->Shadow Adept), can cast any Evocation, Conjuration (creation) or Conjuration (summoning) spell on the Sor/Wiz list without having to know them, at varying levels of quasi-reality using a spell slot of the same level thanks to Earth Spell and heightening Silent Image (2nd and higher spells only), Miracle with no XP cost no matter what you do with it.
Cons: Getting it past a DM , feat intensive, fairly setting-specific unless Shadow Magic is reflavored...

Basically, blasting is suddenly very, very simple and you only need to know 3 spells to start with (Silent Image, Dark Way, and any other Illusion spell), don't need to worry about energy types (Fire-resistant? Heighten Silent Image to 5th level (effective 6th) and blast it down with Cone of Cold instead, etc). Doesn't start coming into its own until ~level 9 (when you get Shadow Illusion) but is playable at all levels, just be picky in your spell selection and only snag blasty spells you can swap out quickly until you don't need to "know" them anymore.

Not quite as ridiculous a "Black Mage" as some of them, but it can be fun.

EDIT: Forgot the minor bonuses of changing DCs on your spells when they need to be detected by non-Shadow Magic users, beat divination spells, +4 to overcome a non-Shadow Magic character's SR, the +50% extra reality to your spells thanks to Earth Spell, Shadowcrafter's +20 and Shadowcraft Mage's +20 when applicable, the increased DCs on your blasty spells (+4)...

[telehax]

Changling Dragonic Sorcerer 6 / Stormcaster 5 / Warmage 5 / Recaster 4
Cast a contingency Greater Arcane Fusion( cold snap, control temperature )

Control Temperature has an hours per level duration, I think it's easier to just make sure the party can stand the cold

[SorO_Lost]

Changling Dragonic Sorcerer 6 / Stormcaster 5 / Warmage 5 / Recaster 4
Cast a contingency Greater Arcane Fusion( cold snap, control temperature )

Control Temperature has an hours per level duration, I think it's easier to just make sure the party can stand the cold

Yeah, plus GAF is 8th level and contingency caps out at 6th. Whoops.

[Sinfire Titan]

Oh god, there's three of them. One more and Black Mage himself will Hadoken the Internet...

[KellKheraptis]

Oh god, there's three of them. One more and Black Mage himself will Hadoken the Internet...

Consider it Hadoken-ed, Hirax (Hijax?) is one as well.

[Sinfire Titan]

Oh god, there's three of them. One more and Black Mage himself will Hadoken the Internet...

Consider it Hadoken-ed, Hirax (Hijax?) is one as well.

Has he posted in this thread? I should have clarified that.

[KellKheraptis]

Oh god, there's three of them. One more and Black Mage himself will Hadoken the Internet...

Consider it Hadoken-ed, Hirax (Hijax?) is one as well.

Has he posted in this thread? I should have clarified that.

No, but all four of us in a row have here!

HADOOOOOOOOOKEN!

[Akalsaris]

I think of the 4, I like Hijax's image the best

So let's see here:
Shadow blasting: with Shadowcraft Mage
Fire blasting: with silver pyromancer (also technically holy...)
Cold blasting: with the Cold Snap warmage/recaster
Lightning blasting: with the Stormcaster
Air blasting: not mentioned yet, but telekinesis alone makes it happen
Sheer force/arcane blasting: kobold sorcerer shenanigans

Not bad at all for a variety of blasters, IMO.

[Solo]

I have an Incantatrix.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

Oh god, there's three of them. One more and Black Mage himself will Hadoken the Internet...

Once upon a time, I had KellKheraptis' same avi, cut directly after I read that comic. I love nuklear power...

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Something something master of the unseen hand something something arcane thesis something something 21 full attacks with BAB=CL using chained invisible telekinesis something something.

[Nunkuruji]

I haven't been able to cobble together something completely coherent, but basically something I've wanted to slap together

Arcane / Manifester / Cerebremancer / Thrallherd / Subverted Psion / Tainted Sorcerer
(Probably Wizard/Ardent for custom supporting mantle)

Abuses his believers for blood component, eldritch corruption metamagic fuel, metaconcert, circle magic (if possible), etc.
Abyssal Specialist [evil] if wizard, since tainted spellcasting is all evil, ([evil] implied I assume)
Probably Elder Evil's for Pandorym, 5 vile feats have some CL/DC boosters for [evil] spells, or just dark chaos shuffle them
Thrall is probably an Incantatrix for persistent metamagic effect, if not taking those 3 levels
Probably some Dragon feats that can help this out in a few places.

Basic theme of high DCs, high [evil] CL, and sacrificing for more and more power 


(Undead is obviously a campaign smasher, and as a fix should have its taint score limited by its cha score the same as a living critter con/wis)

[Solo]

Urgh. Taint...

[kurashu]

I'm in your black mage thread, casting healing spells.
[spoiler][/spoiler]