Author Topic: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign  (Read 5305 times)

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Anklebite

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #20 on: April 15, 2010, 02:31:15 AM »
I saw the warmage, but a warmage isn't really an arcanist. He's just a laser gun. He'd probably be served better by the extra versatility of having all schools when he's not likely to have any other source of buffs/utility/BC.
what's wrong with the guy playing a divine caster? really.
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PhaedrusXY

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #21 on: April 15, 2010, 02:31:55 AM »
I saw the warmage, but a warmage isn't really an arcanist. He's just a laser gun. He'd probably be served better by the extra versatility of having all schools when he's not likely to have any other source of buffs/utility/BC.
I know what you're saying, but... Evocation is basically just all blasts plus a few utility spells like Wall of Force. The warmage gets all the blasty shit for free, and can pick up the others via Advanced Learning. So he really can cover Evocation, whether you consider him an "arcanist" or not.
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

MorgenTao

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #22 on: April 15, 2010, 03:55:03 AM »
Thanks PhaedrusXY, Leram, Endarire and Anklebite for your input.  :clap So... I've decided to go with a Combat Conjurer Wizard, because I'd like to start with a Lion Totem Barbarian lvl instead of starting with a Fighter lvl, and the two extra Fighter Feats from 5 lvls of Combat Wizard are really nice for that (especially when there is a tendency in our campaigns to almost never be able to do things like craft an item, or scribe a scroll - there will barely be time to scribe new spells into my wizard spellbook, I guess). And, more importantly, the DM allows that combination (sadly, not with Abrupt Jaunt, as he counts that as another Variant Wizard in itself). I looked at Enchantment once again and thought that if I'm missing 2 spell lvls towards spell progression, Necromancy would really be better to have than Enchantment, so I forbid myself Evocation and Enchantment. Evocation for the reason some of you quoted - the Warmage should be able to take care of the damage part of Evocation at least.

Arcane Strike is debateable, I guess. I intended to use it to finish off caster enemies as quickly as possible (using it combined with Power Attack for its attack bonus, and later combined with Abjurant Champion's Arcane Boost, and eventually Heedless Charge against hard-to-hit lower hitpoint enemies with a high mischief potential).

As for the divine caster, we already have a Favored Soul, and he is the other guy willing to do some helpful/utility spells, so there won't be a problem with the divine buffs.

So, I fiddled some with my feat chain, which I suspect to be far from optimum as well  :D though it really looked good at first. I'd be really grateful if you could tell me what's wrong there, in your opinion. The feat chain is based on my love for Power Attack (+ Leap Attack), Shock Trooper, and Combat Brute which I believe go well together. These feats should also go well with the possibilties to gain an Attack Bonus via Arcane Strike and Arcane Boost for use of Power Attack without a Charge. And with Pounce (combined with charge) - first in the way PhaedrusXY described (alter-self or polymorph), later also in my "human form". Leap Attack was a feat I could fit right in, seeing I would probably use Greater Mage Armor and Shield, and so I'll have no Armor Check Penalty on my Jump check.

Barbarian / Combat Conjurer (-Enchantment, Evocation)
Human Male Lion Totem Barbarian 1 / Combat Wizard: Conjurer 5 / Eldritch Knight 2 / Abjurant Champion 5 / Eldritch Knight 7
str 14
dex 12
con 17
int 15
wis 12
cha 13


level: Feats (I am mostly limited to the Completes, Unearthed Arcana and the different PHBs but the Favored Soul player has found he has the Tome of Battle book in his collection, so it will be allowed at last)

1: Improved Toughness, Combat Casting, Rage, Pounce
2: Power Attack
3: Practiced Spellcaster: Wizard
6: Quicken Spell, Improved Bull Rush
7: Improved Sunder
9: Arcane Strike, Abjurant Armor
10: Swift Abjuration
12: Arcane Boost, Master Arcanist, Shock Trooper
13: Martial Arcanist
15: Leap Attack
18: Combat Brute
« Last Edit: April 15, 2010, 04:05:01 AM by MorgenTao »

Endarire

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #23 on: April 15, 2010, 05:50:29 AM »
Hood can be a caster, too.  Search the guide for advice.

(There, I went a post without advocating Hood.)
Hood - My first answer to all your build questions; past, present, and future.

Speaking of which:
Don't even need TO for this.  Any decent Hood build, especially one with Celerity, one-rounds [Azathoth, the most powerful greater deity from d20 Cthulu].
Does it bug anyone else that we've reached the point where characters who can obliterate a greater deity in one round are considered "decent?"

Brainpiercing

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #24 on: April 15, 2010, 07:22:06 AM »
You've got metamagic in there without a way of mitigating the cost. How likely are you ever going to use a quickened spell? Even a quickened Shield is a fifth level spell, and competes with staples like Teleport, etc. Usually metamagic is best if you find a way to optimise the use of it, i.e. reduce the cost. There are several feats that can do that, for example here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94941

Also, with Swift abjurations, you have the option of casting a few quick buffs - most notably aforementioned shield, as quickened spell anyway.

I still doubt the usefullness of improved toughness at level 1.

Anklebite

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #25 on: April 15, 2010, 01:18:59 PM »
you won't get any use at all out of quicken spell til you can cast 5th or 6th level spells.
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Endarire

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #26 on: April 15, 2010, 05:19:34 PM »
Metamagic is usually a greatly deferred benefit.
Hood - My first answer to all your build questions; past, present, and future.

Speaking of which:
Don't even need TO for this.  Any decent Hood build, especially one with Celerity, one-rounds [Azathoth, the most powerful greater deity from d20 Cthulu].
Does it bug anyone else that we've reached the point where characters who can obliterate a greater deity in one round are considered "decent?"

MorgenTao

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #27 on: April 16, 2010, 05:52:25 AM »
Thanks Endarire, Brainpiercing and Anklebite  :thumb ... now I'll have a lot to think about, especially since I have a "free" feat still if I leave out Imp. Toughness. Maybe that Arcane Thesis "Trick" mentioned in the link.

Edit: I hope I can convince my DM to accept the "Easy Metamagic" feat. It'd really be a boon. I'll check back when I know more. So long: good DnDing :)

Edit2: No Easy Metamagic for me. Metamagic School Focus wouldn't make sense with a gish, I guess.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2010, 07:19:26 AM by MorgenTao »

MorgenTao

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #28 on: April 16, 2010, 10:38:07 AM »
It seems my DM added a house rule for Spell Resistance - Instead of a Standard Action to remove it, it is ignored for beneficial spells from the party, so it is treated like a harmless saving throw for beneficial spells. Would that make the houseruled Drow (only 1 LA, +1 Caster lvl, SR 11 + Character Level, + 2 INT, Darkvision) a viable choice again, in your eyes?

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #29 on: April 16, 2010, 07:13:38 PM »
It helps, but it's still not worth the loss of a caster level, unless you can buy the LA off.
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #30 on: April 16, 2010, 07:14:40 PM »
It helps, but it's still not worth the loss of a caster level, unless you can buy the LA off.
you mean casting progression, right?
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PhaedrusXY

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #31 on: April 17, 2010, 02:46:26 AM »
It helps, but it's still not worth the loss of a caster level, unless you can buy the LA off.
you mean casting progression, right?
Yes. CL without progression doesn't even deserve to be called CL. :P
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Anklebite

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Re: Help with a 3.5 Fighter / Wizard Gish in a Homebrew Campaign
« Reply #32 on: April 17, 2010, 05:03:47 AM »
It helps, but it's still not worth the loss of a caster level, unless you can buy the LA off.
you mean casting progression, right?
Yes. CL without progression doesn't even deserve to be called CL. :P
I would like to have a word with you.
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