Ask a Simple Question: Viking Berserker Edition

[wotmaniac]

Q 172 I think we're actually supposed to be higher than that by now, but whatever. NPC wealth. Is it universal regardless of class? Does a Ranger 6 have the same wealth as a Warrior 6 (5,600)? Does a Barbarian 9 have the same wealth as an Aristocrat 9 (12,000)? A Rogue 2 and an Expert 2? Etc, etc, etc.

A172
AFAIK, there is nothing to indicate otherwise.


Q173
Is there a thread anywhere (here or elsewhere) that discusses Magic Missile optimization?  I thought I saw something a while back, but now I can't find it.

[kevin_video]

Q173 Is there a thread anywhere (here or elsewhere) that discusses Magic Missile optimization?  I thought I saw something a while back, but now I can't find it.

If you take Force Missile Mage, it opens up a can of worms that makes you really fun in a fight. You even get to a point where the missiles penetrate the Shield spell. I know someone who's taken that. They may not do a lot of damage, but it definitely piles on. You get Spell Penetration and Planar Penetration, and your opponent's SR means nothing.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Q168  Are there ways to minimize the risk of a negative outcome when using a Deck of Many Things?

Use summon spells and have your summoned creatures draw.

Or even better, the summon elemental reserve feat.

I can't believe I never thought of doing that!
 
my sides.... they hurt...

Yeah, but if they get something good, like 10,000 XP, you're out that. Unless you're CE and just wanted the entertainment of Artifact Russian Roulette. I guess you'd use prisoners for that though.

Who cares?  There's an unlimited number of cards to be drawn, and all the keeps, magic items, and fighters that you can handle is certainly good enough.

[kevin_video]

Q168  Are there ways to minimize the risk of a negative outcome when using a Deck of Many Things?

Use summon spells and have your summoned creatures draw.

Or even better, the summon elemental reserve feat.

I can't believe I never thought of doing that!
 
my sides.... they hurt...

Yeah, but if they get something good, like 10,000 XP, you're out that. Unless you're CE and just wanted the entertainment of Artifact Russian Roulette. I guess you'd use prisoners for that though.

Who cares?  There's an unlimited number of cards to be drawn, and all the keeps, magic items, and fighters that you can handle is certainly good enough.

What version of that artifact are you reading? Mine says 22 cards, not unlimited.

[Negative Zero]

Q168  Are there ways to minimize the risk of a negative outcome when using a Deck of Many Things?

Use summon spells and have your summoned creatures draw.

Or even better, the summon elemental reserve feat.

I can't believe I never thought of doing that!
 
my sides.... they hurt...

Yeah, but if they get something good, like 10,000 XP, you're out that. Unless you're CE and just wanted the entertainment of Artifact Russian Roulette. I guess you'd use prisoners for that though.

Who cares?  There's an unlimited number of cards to be drawn, and all the keeps, magic items, and fighters that you can handle is certainly good enough.

What version of that artifact are you reading? Mine says 22 cards, not unlimited.

The version that tells you to put the cards back when you draw them (excepting a couple).

[wotmaniac]

Q168  Are there ways to minimize the risk of a negative outcome when using a Deck of Many Things?

Use summon spells and have your summoned creatures draw.

Or even better, the summon elemental reserve feat.

I can't believe I never thought of doing that!
 
my sides.... they hurt...

Yeah, but if they get something good, like 10,000 XP, you're out that. Unless you're CE and just wanted the entertainment of Artifact Russian Roulette. I guess you'd use prisoners for that though.

Who cares?  There's an unlimited number of cards to be drawn, and all the keeps, magic items, and fighters that you can handle is certainly good enough.

What version of that artifact are you reading? Mine says 22 cards, not unlimited.

but all the drawn cards get reshuffled back in to the deck (except for the jokers, of course).

edit: dammit, ninja'ed!

Q173 Is there a thread anywhere (here or elsewhere) that discusses Magic Missile optimization?  I thought I saw something a while back, but now I can't find it.

If you take Force Missile Mage, it opens up a can of worms that makes you really fun in a fight. You even get to a point where the missiles penetrate the Shield spell. I know someone who's taken that. They may not do a lot of damage, but it definitely piles on. You get Spell Penetration and Planar Penetration, and your opponent's SR means nothing.

Yeah, that's what got me thinking about this.  Aside from piling on the MM feats (energy admixture, maximize, empower, easy mm, arcane thesis, etc.), what else is there? (I'm thinking adding in Elemental Savant + elemental feat (e.g., flash frost, born of 3 thunders, etc.) -- but what else?).
If there's nothing out there, I can just start a new thread (I don't want to clog this one up).

[McPoyo]

Fell drain and/or fell animate. After FMM 5, you can launch 7 missiles, just twin it with those feats, and go to town in town making your undead army.

[Negative Zero]

You're better off being a Sorcerer to spam Magic Missile, since you get easy access to those juicy action abusers, and you don't need many spells known anyway. Also, Reserves of Strength to break the missile cap, and a bunch of CL increases to get your missile count high.

[kevin_video]

You're better off being a Sorcerer to spam Magic Missile, since you get easy access to those juicy action abusers, and you don't need many spells known anyway. Also, Reserves of Strength to break the missile cap, and a bunch of CL increases to get your missile count high.

That's from Dragonlance, right? You're going to be losing a couple of CL due to the PrC being a bugger in itself, and not giving you straight caster levels, but Practiced Spellcaster will do that too. Without draining you.

[Garryl]

Q174: Spellfire and the Spellfire Wielder feat have come up from time to time. Where are they from and what do they do? The only thing I can find is this.

[kevin_video]

Q174: Spellfire and the Spellfire Wielder feat have come up from time to time. Where are they from and what do they do? The only thing I can find is this.

As far as I can recall, it's actually in the 3.0 book Magic of Faerun, and no there isn't a 3.5 update.

[bearsarebrown]

q175 Super simple question that I can't believe I'm asking. With enough cross-class ranks in UMD I can still activate wands/staffs and stuff, right?

[Saxony]

q175 Super simple question that I can't believe I'm asking. With enough cross-class ranks in UMD I can still activate wands/staffs and stuff, right?

A175 Shouldn't be a problem there.

[Hasmadad]

[bearsarebrown]

q177 I have Displacement (50%), in a mist (20%) and have partial cover from my mount (20%).

What needs rolled to hit me?

[Archao]

Which incarnation? Evil Human Diplomancer, Vampire, or Time-Stopping God-Monk?

[Grim Sage]

q177 I have Displacement (50%), in a mist (20%) and have partial cover from my mount (20%).

What needs rolled to hit me?

a177 Assuming you're playing 3.5, cover doesn't grant a miss chance, just +4 AC and +2 reflex saves.
The concealment (from Displacement and the fog) doesn't stack with eachother* (you can't see someone even less than 'not at all' after all), so you'd end up with 50% miss chance, +4 AC and +2 reflex saves.

* While the concealment doesn't stack, the mist might eventually grant you full concealment depending on the type/spell used and distance from the target - making opponents unable to target you and making them guess the square you're in, something Displacement doesn't grant you.

[Agita]

q177 I have Displacement (50%), in a mist (20%) and have partial cover from my mount (20%).

What needs rolled to hit me?

a177 Assuming you're playing 3.5, cover doesn't grant a miss chance, just +4 AC and +2 reflex saves.
The concealment (from Displacement and the fog) doesn't stack with eachother* (you can't see someone even less than 'not at all' after all), so you'd end up with 50% miss chance, +4 AC and +2 reflex saves.

* While the concealment doesn't stack, the mist might eventually grant you full concealment depending on the type/spell used and distance from the target - making opponents unable to target you and making them guess the square you're in, something Displacement doesn't grant you.

I'm pretty sure Displacement doesn't actually grant you full concealment. The opponent can still see you, and the spell itself notes it's different from full concealment.

[Grim Sage]

Hence the comment that actually getting full concealment from the fog would be better than (and supercede the effects from) Displacement.
Sorry if it's unclear - I have a tendency to ramble 

[Agita]

Hence the comment that actually getting full concealment from the fog would be better than (and supercede the effects from) Displacement.
Sorry if it's unclear - I have a tendency to ramble 

No, that was pretty clear. My point was that I think a case could be made for it not counting as concealment and therefore stacking with the actual concealment.