Author Topic: Building A Dread Witch  (Read 6911 times)

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atewi

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Building A Dread Witch
« on: September 29, 2010, 09:35:35 PM »
Hey everyone!  I'm trying to get the most out of a dread Witch and would love some input. I looked at the Fear handbook, but nothing was really oriented towards being effective at level 10.

First some details:
Level 10, 32 point buy, almost all sources, aside from Dragon and Psionics, are acceptable.

Which is better as a base class, Sorcerer, Wizard or Dread Necromancer?  I would like to avoid becoming undead, as well.

Considering I haven't really written anything in blood yet everything is open to suggestion.

For feats I was thinking Fell Frighten no matter what.  If dread necromancer the list grows to Spell focus Necromancy, Fell Frighten, Black Lore of Moil and Tomb Tainted Soul.

I'm open to Suggestions on "race".

Any input would be welcome.  Thanks for taking the time to read this.

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2010, 09:41:38 PM »
You should be a lesser planetouched and take the dreadful wrath feat.  No-action, no HD limit fear is nice, even if it allows a will save.
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ninjarabbit

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2010, 10:31:08 PM »
There's also the cloistered cleric if you're willing to use the divine magician ACF.

strider24seven

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2010, 10:35:20 PM »
Relying on Charisma is good if you want to use traditional fear methods as well. 
Imperious Command+Fearsome Armor is excellent if you rely on standard action (i.e. most non-illusion) spells.  Demoralize as a move action and then stack magical fear on them, or vice versa.  Or make your neighboring foes cower and your foes at ranged panicked. 

Ideally for the armor you'd want a Fearsome Twilight Mithral Chain Shirt.  That may, however, be a bit out of your price range.  It is worth the cost, however, ten times over.  Until you can afford it, hire a Zhentarim Fighter ally.

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2010, 09:21:26 PM »
At what point to people stop recommending Twilight Mithral Chain Shirts?  It's a waste of gold.  If you need a high AC, then the BSF isn't doing his job right.  If you want a high AC, there are better ways to go about it.

Lesser Crystal of Arrow Deflection + +1 Mithral Buckler: 5,650 gp, +2 shield bonus to AC (legal Magic Vestment target), +5 untyped bonus to AC vs ranged attacks (including rays)
Lesser Crystal of Screening + +1 Thisledown Shirt: 2,400 gp, +2 armor bonus to AC (legal Magic Vestment target), -5 penalty to incorporeal touch attacks against you
Greater Mage Armor spell: basically free, +6 armor bonus to AC (also effective vs. Incorporeals)

Solo

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2010, 09:23:39 PM »
At what point to people stop recommending Twilight Mithral Chain Shirts?  It's a waste of gold.  If you need a high AC, then the BSF isn't doing his job right.  If you want a high AC, there are better ways to go about it.
You can tack on enchantments.

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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2010, 09:24:42 PM »
Also, cyrite mithral gives a +1 (ex) resistance bonus to saves.
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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2010, 09:28:34 PM »
At what point to people stop recommending Twilight Mithral Chain Shirts?  It's a waste of gold.  If you need a high AC, then the BSF isn't doing his job right.  If you want a high AC, there are better ways to go about it.
You can tack on enchantments.
Lesser Crystal of Arrow Deflection + +1 Mithral Buckler: 5,650 gp, +2 shield bonus to AC (legal Magic Vestment target), +5 untyped bonus to AC vs ranged attacks (including rays)
Lesser Crystal of Screening + +1 Thisledown Shirt: 2,400 gp, +2 armor bonus to AC (legal Magic Vestment target), -5 penalty to incorporeal touch attacks against you
Greater Mage Armor spell: basically free, +6 armor bonus to AC (also effective vs. Incorporeals)

Total: +8 vs. melee, +13 vs. missiles, +11 vs. incorporeal touch, top functionality until dispelled.

vs.

Lesser Crystal of Screening + +1 Twilight Mithril Chain Shirt: 6,350 gp, +5 armor bonus to AC (legal Magic Vestment target)
Masterwork Mithral Buckler: doesn't do anything, but is a target for enhancements.
sometimes Shield spell: basically free, +4 shield bonus to AC

Total: +9 vs. melee, +9 vs. incorporeal touch, not always at top functionality.

I like the top better.

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2010, 09:30:30 PM »
Top spends more money and spells.
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Praef

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2010, 11:29:51 PM »
Try a gnome metamagic specialist Sorcerer 4/Dread witch5/nightmare spinner5/shadowcraft mage 5

At low levels use daunting presense, then invisible spell and fell frighten to make an invisible kellgore's grave mist that frightens anything in it.  other than that, its your spell choices.  I played one for a while and it was pretty fun.  talk to the dm first though to see if you'll be facing a lot of undead and the like, cuz nothing really works on them.

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2010, 11:56:18 PM »
Top spends more money and spells.
The difference is insignificant, and it's mostly the Crystal of Deflection, anyway.  I should have noted the difference in AC vs. Ranged Touch attacks: +5 top vs. +0 bottom.  Also, Greater Mage Armor has a duration of hours/level, Shield is minutes/level, so top spends 1 3rd-level spell for the day while bottom spends a 1st-level spell every encounter (which could also taking an action that he could otherwise be using to win).

As an aside... I think I messed up the calculations.  The buckler + crystal should cost 4665.  Don't know how I got 5650.

Also, the chain shirt is going to cost more to add further enhancements to because it's a +2 armor already, while the Thistledown Coat is just +1.  Getting it to +3 to attach a Greater Crystal of Screening will cost 4k less on the Thistledown Coat.  That basically pays for the Crystal.

Endarire

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2010, 03:28:16 AM »
Also, you can casterify your mithril chain shirt more cheaply and its ASF negation is (Ex)!

Chain Shirt, Casterfied [Mithral, Feycraft, Githcraft]: 2200G, 11.25lb, 0ACP, 0% ASF
No armor check penalty?  Check.  No arcane spell failure?  Check.  Fully nonmagical?  Check.  Costs less than a +1 Twilight Mithril Chain Shirt?  Check.  Requires DM to avoid thinking too hard about how it was made?  Double check.

Feycraft is from Dungeon Master's Guide II 275.  Githcraft is from Dungeon Master's Guide II 276.

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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?"

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2010, 03:38:58 AM »
Also, you can casterify your mithril chain shirt more cheaply and its ASF negation is (Ex)!

Chain Shirt, Casterfied [Mithral, Feycraft, Githcraft]: 2200G, 11.25lb, 0ACP, 0% ASF
No armor check penalty?  Check.  No arcane spell failure?  Check.  Fully nonmagical?  Check.  Costs less than a +1 Twilight Mithril Chain Shirt?  Check.  Requires DM to avoid thinking too hard about how it was made?  Double check.

Feycraft is from Dungeon Master's Guide II 275.  Githcraft is from Dungeon Master's Guide II 276.

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Well, IF you can do that then go ahead.  Strikes me as a tad bit silly, though.

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2010, 04:56:38 AM »
Yeah, but I don't think you can stack feycraft and githcraft.
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Epimetheus

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2010, 05:14:10 AM »
There's something inherently wrong with stacking Feycraft and Githcraft..., but if it is allowed, it's better than Twilight by a lot. I guess this is why the DM mustn't think too hard about why the Fey were working with the Githyanki...

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2010, 05:19:32 AM »
Of course, with snowcasting you could just wear blue ice armor with no ASF. It even forms frost on its own, so you always have snow on hand for a material component. 
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strider24seven

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2010, 11:04:34 AM »
At what point to people stop recommending Twilight Mithral Chain Shirts?  It's a waste of gold.  If you need a high AC, then the BSF isn't doing his job right.  If you want a high AC, there are better ways to go about it.

I recommended it not for the AC, but for the fact that it's a way to have armor spikes (required for the Fearsome enhancement, which lets you demoralize as a move action with a mere 5000gp) with no ASF.

Personally, I think that Feycraft+Githcraft=Cheesy.  But if you can do it, then go ahead, it's better than the Twilight Chain.

atewi

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2010, 11:27:25 AM »
I'll run the Casterfied Shirt by my DM, hopefully he'll accept it.

Linguist, any particular Lesser Planetouched you'd recommend?  I know Aasimar is generally considered the best, but thematically it doesn't quite fit.

Solo

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2010, 11:33:53 AM »
Sorcerer5/Mindbender1/Dread Witch5/Nightmare Spinner5/Fatespinner4?

"I am the Black Mage! I cast the spells that makes the peoples fall down!"

The Legend RPG, which I worked on and encourage you to read.

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Building A Dread Witch
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2010, 02:59:37 PM »
Lesser Maeluth or Wispling (Fiend folio planetouched) seem like decent fits.  Both of them have excuses to be scary bastards.
Linguist, Mad, Unique, none of these things am I
My custom class: The Priest of the Unseen Host
Planetouched Handbook
Want to improve your character?  Then die.