Optimising with house rules

[Prime32]

• Cross class skills cost only 1 skill point, but may still only be trained up to the amount stated in the PHB
• No death from massive damage
• Encumberance is ignored as long as the amount of items you are carrying is reasonable. Character sheets are subject to occasional DM checks to ensure that your character can reasonably be carrying the items he has listed. Armor penalties still apply to movement speed.
• The +2 bonus from flanking applies to any allies that threaten the same creature in melee, however for certain classes that have features which require flanking, such as sneak attack, you must still be flanking the creature as per the PHB rules
• There are no penalties for multiclassing your character
• Off hand attacks have full strength bonus applied instead of half
• All arcane spells with an [elemental] tag are treated as though they are 1 level lower. For example a fireball becomes a level 2 spell rather than a level 3 spell, but its damage and area of effect remains the same.

EDIT: Oh, and it's starting level 5.

These are the house rules for a game I was going to join.

TWF and blasting receive a boost, but is it enough to play a wizard/warmage/ultimate magus?

Since flanking is easier, what about a swift hunter using that race from Dragon Compendium with two bodies?

[Runestar]

Even with direct damage spells taking up a lower lv, I am not sure if you have enough caster lv to power it or not. For instance, at 3rd lv, a fireball (2nd lv spell) deals 3d6 in a 20-ft burst (average 10.5 damage, or 5 on a reflex save, not factoring in possible fire resistance). Still fairly weak, IMO.

Human paragon or factotum give you quite a lot of class skills, so you can easily customize your PC however you want.

Death from massive damage was never an issue to begin with. By that time, you should have no problems making a dc15 fort save.

[bayar]

The active/passive use of the familiar is a nice thing. Until you get a good one (like an Imp), you can use the bonuses of the passive part.

It will be cheaper to train UMD now.

The part with off hand getting full strenght...can be abused. Get a TWF'r, grab Oversized TWF and wield 2 bastard swords with a high STR character (Water Orc should do  )

[Prime32]

I wonder how a diopsid would interact with the TWF rules

Extra Arms: Diopsids have four arms: their two primary limbs and a secondary, weaker set of arms. Their weaker limbs are poorly suited to carrying weapons or shields, but they do an excellent job of providing stability and support to the upper limbs.The diopsid's extra limbs allow it to use weapons one size category larger than normal without penalty. The diopsid's secondary arms must be free for it to gain this benefit. This benefit does not extend to larger weapons. For example, a diopsid can wield a Large longsword with a single primary arm without penalty by steadying the blade's pommel with its lower limb

A diopsid can wield a pair of two-handed weapons by using all four of its limbs. The diopsid gains the full benefits of wielding a two-handed weapon, such as 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus on damage rolls. The diopsid suffers the standard penalty for fighting with two weapons and carrying a non-light weapon in its off hand. A diopsid wielding a pair of two-handed weapons is a fearsome sight. It shifts and twirls the two weapons between its four hands, hammering its opponent with tremendous strikes while defying its normally clumsy, fumbling nature.

If a diopsid carries a weapon or shield in its secondary arms while one or more of its primary arms also carry an item, it suffers a number of penalties. When using a shield, the diopsid takes the shield's armor check penalty on its attack rolls and skill checks even if it has proficiency with the shield. When using a weapon, the diopsid gains only half its Strength bonus on damage rolls. It takes a -4 penalty on all attacks for each light weapon used in this manner. This penalty increases to -8 for one-handed weapons. The diopsid cannot carry a two-handed weapon with just its secondary arms. A diopsid with at least one empty hand can cast spells with a somatic component.

Limb Symmetry: A diopsid's four arms allow it to carry and use multiple items with relative ease. A diopsid can use its third and fourth limbs to steady a weapon held in its primary arms, shift its weight, and maneuver it to attack or defend. A diopsid ignores the Dexterity prerequisite, if any, for any feat that has the words "two-weapon" in its name, such as Two-Weapon Fighting. The diopsid must fulfill the rest of the feat's requirements as normal.

(Incidentally, diopsids work great with the exotic weapon master's Uncanny Blow)

[Akalsaris]

Personally I always feel slightly dirty when min/maxing house rules, because the rules were instituted by the GM with the intent of making the game more fair and balanced.  It doesn't stop me, but I still feel dirty   

Anyhow, in this case I would definitely go for a god-style mage (Conj/Master Specialist 10/etc), and look for dual threat elemental spells as a priority. 

Kelgore's Grave Mist (PHB II)is now a 1st level spell, Acid Arrow is 1st, Incendiary Slime is 1st (identical to grease, but with a Scorching Ray built in! from Complete Mage), the Heart of X series from Complete Mage.  All of the Orb spells are now cantrips.  Summon Monster, when used to call an elemental, is a spell of that element.

I'd go on, but frankly I think the house rule is going to be revoked by 3rd level.

Oh, and since you have a huge int, you might as well spend it on solid cross-class skills too

[ksbsnowowl]

Summon Monster, when used to call an elemental, is a spell of that element.

Now Rashemi Elemental Summoning is as good for a wizard as it normally was for a Druid.  Yea "free" Cones of Cold.

On the whole, I'd say that lower level spell rule could be handy, but I still don't think it'll make an evoker especially effective.  But hey, you can get Wall of Fire one level earlier.

[DaveTheMagicWeasel]

I'd play an elemental themed caster - blasting and elemental summoning.  Conjurer for the summoning and cantrip orb spells will still piss all over the poor evoker tho.

May not be the most optimal character ever, but it'll be well capable of pulling it's weight and you may as well take advantage of the houserules when they're there to play something you wouldn't normally.

Be sure to get plenty of CL boosters tho - Spell Thematics, maybe Earth Spell, etc

[Sunic_Flames]

Massive damage is normally an issue because it just becomes a random 5% chance to kill on every hit after a certain point, adding nothing except pointless deaths. Death is fine, pointless deaths just lead to the disposable character mindset.

[Prime32]

I've submitted my request for a venerable dragonwrought kobold wizard/sorcerer/ultimate magus with two flaws and Arcane Disciple (Kobold).

Now to see if the DM allows it.

[Cyrocloud]

Would the idea of the use of the snowcasting feat (Frostburn) to make all your spells to recieve the [cold] tag and make them one level lower be recieved with a book upside the head?

[Surreal]

Were I the DM, I would smack you upside the head with a bear bottle and revoke your cheetos priveledges.

edit: and I just realized I misspelled "beer" as "bear"... which makes it much funnier.

[Akalsaris]

Heh...I love the snowcasting idea.  As long as you're going ultimate magus, make sure to grab that feat that lets you swap a couple of low-level spell slots for higher level ones

[Prime32]

It seems I now need to choose two non-opposed elements - I cannot learn spells from any others (whether I can use magic items was not specified, and I have enquired about Energy Substitution and "coldball"-type alternate spells).

water - water and ice/frost spells and effects
Air - wind/air and electricity spells and effects

Fire - fire/heat spells and effects
Earth - earth and stone spells and effects and some strength and fortitude related ones as well

I was going to have earthen grasp, scorching ray, sleet storm and wind wall on my spell list...

Level 0 spells with an elemental descriptor can be cast at will.

Air - Electric Jolt
Water - Ray of Frost
Fire - Flare
Earth - Resistance

Which two elements would be Good fOr battlefielD control? The campaign starts around a chain of islands, so that's a plus for water.

[Cyrocloud]

Being on Islands does make water appear to be one of the most obvious choices (since fire is mainly for blasting and you want BC, that means there is little reason not to take it.).  So then your left with either air or earth, air seems to cinemantically go better with water, but I'm unaware of many air and electricity related affects that deal with bc, while earth and stone affects seem to be mainly BC so I'd go water and earth (...Islands=beaches=babes in bikini's....Babes in bikini's+earth+water=mud wrassilin'  I'd be sold at this point).

One question though were do acid and force affects lie in this or are they not included.

[Prime32]

I've asked and...

For the purposes of "elemental spells drop a level", acid =/= earth, but cold = water and electricty = air
Spells of opposed elements can be cast from magic items other than scrolls
Learning a version of fireball that deals cold damage is out of the question
Mastery of Elements and Energy Substitution cannot be used to change a spell into your opposed element, but can be used to deal both sonic and force damage

[Cyrocloud]

Force is nice...very nice...almost too nice...

[AndyJames]

Hmm... I wonder... when you get to 9th spell level casting (say level 17 Wizard), would you be able to cast Epic level blasting spells in level 9 spell slots?