Author Topic: Make an offer of 5000 gp worth of spells from a poor lvl10 npc cleric be useful?  (Read 2556 times)

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Gavinfoxx

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Okay... in the Artificer/Druid game I'm in, we've just gotten payment of a level 10 Cleric of Ubtao (Balance/Planning domains, didn't do any tricks to get access to weird spells, assume he has a very low optimization build. But hey, Cleric..).  He will pay us with 5000 gp worth of spells that he can cast, at market value.  He'll spend XP (DM said maximum 500 xp, but I might be able to negotiate an exchange ratio somehow), but he doesn't really have material components for expensive spells and stuff, and he's financially *poor*.  Since we are likely going to be leaving him never to see him again, how can we get these spells to actually be useful in the long term? So far, the only thing I have figured is "lots of Fang Traps" (from Serpent Kingdoms).  The only other thing I can think of so far is something that Cleric has at low level that Druid has at higher level, like he can help with a Wand of Panacea? What do you guys think? What are some spells like that of up to 5th level?

Does anyone have any ideas? Ack, if he had gotten Permanency somehow, THAT would be useful...
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telehax

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http://www.imarvintpa.com/dndLive/FindSpell.php

Helps if you search for all level 5 or lower cleric spells with instantaneous, permanent, or at least 1 day/level durations. Spam celestial brilliance and holy/unholy water with any remaining gold you can't spend is what I'd say. Spamming divinations may be a good idea. Or just have him cast imbue with spell ability.

...Or cast plane shift and massively derail your campaign.

Gavinfoxx

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I used that already to find what I managed to find! And most of the useful things require material components, argh...
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 01:37:30 AM by Gavinfoxx »
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RelentlessImp

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Why is a 10th level Cleric, NPC or not, poor?

(Hint: Cast three of those spells in the proper order and get all the material wealth you would ever need.)
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I prepared irresistible phantasmal killer today... as a 4th level spell.
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Maat_Mons

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You could get skull watch cast six or so times and set the skulls up in a ring around your campsite each night.  Glowing orb seems kind of fun.  Both of those are from Spell Compendium. 

Gavinfoxx

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So... that's...

1.) Prepare spells for planar travel to plane of earth

2.) Plane Shift to plane of earth.

3.) Summon lots of Earth Elementals, or elementals that have something to do with earth that can burrow, of various sorts, and tell them to go get small amounts precious gems and metals and bring them to you.  Be sure to ask them for the name of a medium earth elemental of some sort that can burrow/earthglide/etc.

4.) Maybe then use that gem money to use as the payment for a task for a Lesser Planar Ally, which you call while on the plane of earth, who can then get you a MUCH LARGER amount of gems and mineral wealth and such, as it's task, since it will last longer to do the work.

5.) wait while that creature does the work, get the gems, then plane shift back.

6.) Pay us with that money?
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 02:23:13 AM by Gavinfoxx »
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RelentlessImp

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So... that's...

1.) Prepare spells for planar travel to plane of earth

2.) Plane Shift to plane of earth.

3.) Summon lots of Earth Elementals, or elementals that have something to do with earth that can burrow, of various sorts, and tell them to go get small amounts precious gems and metals and bring them to you.  Be sure to ask them for the name of a medium earth elemental of some sort that can burrow/earthglide/etc.

4.) Maybe then use that gem money to use as the payment for a task for a Lesser Planar Ally, which you call while on the plane of earth, who can then get you a MUCH LARGER amount of gems and mineral wealth and such, as it's task, since it will last longer to do the work.

5.) wait while that creature does the work, get the gems, then plane shift back.

6.) Pay us with that money?

This, or a variation. Make sure the Cleric's Lawful, or at least pop a geas on him, so he doesn't just say 'fuck you' the moment this simple tactic is explained to him and he realizes he never needs be poor again.
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I prepared irresistible phantasmal killer today... as a 4th level spell.
"He hit me with a flaming garbage can...and then the god damn hobo next to it!"

Maat_Mons

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How much wealth does that produce?  Having the cleric cast wall of salt 12 times produces 1,689,450 gp worth of salt, and salt is a trade good, so you don't have to sell it at half value.  Of course, the druid can cast wall of salt too, if he's at least 7th level. 

RelentlessImp

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How much wealth does that produce?  Having the cleric cast wall of salt 12 times produces 1,689,450 gp worth of salt, and salt is a trade good, so you don't have to sell it at half value.  Of course, the druid can cast wall of salt too, if he's at least 7th level. 

It depends on the GM entirely. But seeing as the Cleric could task a Medium Earth Elemental for 10 days to mine and gather all the gems up, it might crack 1 million. Again, GM's choice. Yours is better for definitive values, though. You'd completely wreck the salt market, though...
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I prepared irresistible phantasmal killer today... as a 4th level spell.
"He hit me with a flaming garbage can...and then the god damn hobo next to it!"

The_Mad_Linguist

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One option: Summon monster VI for a lantern archon.  Continual flame doesn't have an XP cost, and they have it as an at-will SLA, so you get CL*50 gp worth of everburning torches.  Only a 25% ROI; summon monster 5 gives you d3 of them, which is anywhere between a 0% to 200% ROI, much better.
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Gavinfoxx

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10th level Cleric, not 11th!
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The_Mad_Linguist

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IV, not VI
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Gavinfoxx

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So the DM likes the Elemental Plane of Earth thing, and he's okay with running a little mini-adventure with that, and busting the WBL curve.  But he says that the plan leaves a LOT of places where things can go on -- namely, we end up at the top of the mountain when we plane shift back, or some angry denizens or something!

*thinks* Er, should I wait till level 8, where the druid has access to a form that gives her the ability to burrow through stone?
« Last Edit: October 31, 2010, 06:53:39 PM by Gavinfoxx »
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Epimetheus

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Stalwart Pact (Cleric 5) works. Even if the cleric is poor, there is an alternative version that costs 250 XP instead of 250 gold. [and look at that, he'll spend enough for 2 castings.]

Works out perfectly in your guys' case. It's permanent until discharged. When things look bad (fall under half HP), here's a whole bunch of bonuses (saves, DR, attack bonus, tempHP).

There's another spell that costs 50 gold (a focus that's worth 50 gold) for a permanent light source.
You can also get a bunch of pebbles of Deeper Darkness that'll last 10 days each.

If you can get the cleric to help with crafting that's great, of course.

If you're allowed to sell the Salt from Wall of Salt... (heck, I don't see how you can't just make a Wand of that, travel around, sell the Salt, and make boatloads of money.)

archangel.arcanis

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I was just going to say have an adamantine weapon and a large diamond. Have him continuously cast make whole as you break the diamond in half.
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Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Gavinfoxx

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BTW, I ran the 'wall of salt' thing by my DM, and he said it would be fine to try, and he would come up with a maximum amount of money that could make in any particular area, as we would max out the demand for wherever we happen to be selling the stuff.
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archangel.arcanis

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BTW, I ran the 'wall of salt' thing by my DM, and he said it would be fine to try, and he would come up with a maximum amount of money that could make in any particular area, as we would max out the demand for wherever we happen to be selling the stuff.
that may be a good idea long term as long as you have a way of transporting that much salt. Likely multiple portable holes (or enveloping pit) You just travel selling your salt to finance your adventuring habit.  ;)
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Gavinfoxx

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I, uh, got this item that I wrote approved from the DM for this game. We don't have one yet... what do you guys think?



Portable Home
[Relic]
Price (Item Level): 4,500 (9th)
Body Slot: -
Caster Level: 20th
Aura: Strong; (Dc 25) Conjuration
Activation: Move (Manipulation) or Swift (command); see text
Weight: -
This flat black square looks like a piece of silken cloth, folded many times upon itself.  Comforting images of family, laughter, and homemaking scenes play across the surface of the fabric.
The story of this item goes that Yondalla, the matriarch deity of the halfling pantheon and the halfling races, saw that a Cleric and one of her Chosen, an unnamed adventuring cleric of her, was having difficulties living her virtues of family and home and children and tradition as a travelling cleric, never being able to truly bond with a place like he wanted to.  He even took to trying to enchant, and decorate, and make a portable hole 'homey' so he would always have a place that is home with him.  Taking pity on him, she contacted the other deities with the Family domain of all the other pantheons, and successfully got all the other deities to sponser and disseminate the plans for a Relic to solve this problem for their travelling adventurers.
A Portable Home has an opening of at least 1 foot and up to 6 feet in diameter when opened fully, and when not using it's powers, can only be opened when placed on a vertical surface, to which it sticks automatically.  When opened, it is an open entryway to an extradimensional space, 10 feet tall by 30 feet wide by 35 feet long.  The doorway always opens up in the middle five feet of the 35 foot side of the space.  The interior is perfect for building in, and tapestries can be hung on the walls, or the walls can be painted, or normal construction can be create walls and a ceiling and a floor like a normal home.  Furthermore, a door can be built such that the entryway always opens to the door, and the temperature, unless heated or cooled, is always 70 degrees, and unlike the portable hole on which it is based, fresh clean air is continuously conjured and stale air destroyed in the home, even if the entry is closed.  Additionally, a fire built in the extradimensonal space has its smoke disappear when it reaches the ceiling.  Also, there is no issue with accessing or bringing other extradimensional spaces or items that use those into this area.  Also, anyone inside the home, immediately knows if the external cloth of the entrance is being handled, to the extent that, if sleeping they will even be awoken with a Dawn effect cast as a 7th level caster. Also, three times a day, someone from inside the portable home can open the hole even if it is not attached to a vertical surface.  Unless the cloth is physically prevented from moving, it will immediately spring to vertical, and can be opened as if it was attached to a wall.  It will stay vertical this way for up to five minutes.  When the item is created, it is set so that it will open, if physically handled from the outside for the family of the creator, the creator himself, and up to five other folk he names.  Otherwise, a Use Magic Device check must be made to open it, of DC 22, which involves physically pulling it open as well.
Relic Power: This can be opened or closed without being physically handled, with a word, from up to 60 feet away.  Also, someone who can access the relic power can key the 'immediate family' to a different person, and set the five other people that it will open to if handled, and they can also let it open vertically if not attached to anything from inside completel at will, and it will stay open this way for as long as they are within 60 feet, plus five minutes more.
To use the relic power, you must worship a deity with the Family domain (these are Yondalla, Ctrrollalee, Berronar Truesilver, Eldath, Hathor, Hiatea, and Isis), and either sacrifice a 4th-level divine spell slot granted by that deity, or have the True Believer feat and at least 7 hd.
Lore: A short time after the Time of Troubles, Yondalla coordianted with the other deities of the Family domain the dispersal of the capability of making this relic amongst their faithful (Knowledge [religion] DC 20).
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Sanctify Relic, plane shift.
Cost to Create: 2250 gp, 180 xp, 3 days
« Last Edit: November 01, 2010, 07:50:35 PM by Gavinfoxx »
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archangel.arcanis

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It doesn't seem bad. I would have probably just made something that was more like a Mord. Mag. Man. with a portable door, but this works.
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Gavinfoxx

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It doesn't seem bad. I would have probably just made something that was more like a Mord. Mag. Man. with a portable door, but this works.

This is made to be for lower level than Mordenkainen's, and to specifically not have the innate planar "Win Button" things unless you build them into it via more normal ways.
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