Anyone got a good Fighter/Mage build?

Rystil Arden · Apr 8, 2005

Zadam said:
I personally don't really see whats so good about an Eldritch Knight? Seems to me all you get is 1 Fighter feat at the expense of one spellcasting level? Oh that and 1d6 for HP instead of 1d4. The reason I wanted levels in Fighter was for the higher level Fighter Feats (Weapon Specialization etc), which Eldritch Knight wont give you.

Buh-huh? Eldritch Knight gives full base attack bonus and nigh-full spellcasting progression. That's pretty good if you ask me.

Hypersmurf · Apr 8, 2005

Zadam said:
I personally don't really see whats so good about an Eldritch Knight? Seems to me all you get is 1 Fighter feat at the expense of one spellcasting level? Oh that and 1d6 for HP instead of 1d4. The reason I wanted levels in Fighter was for the higher level Fighter Feats (Weapon Specialization etc), which Eldritch Knight wont give you.

Fighter/Wizards suck as wizards, 'cos they're at half spellcasting level, and they suck as fighters, because their BAB is only three-quarters normal... which means a/ they hit less reliably, b/ they get fewer iterative attacks, c/ they get access to BAB-prereq feats later, and d/ they get less breadth out of feats like Power Attack and Combat Expertise, limited by BAB.

Eldritch Knight stays competitive with spellcasting level, so they don't suck so much as wizards, and stays competitive with BAB, so they don't suck so much as fighters.

It's also worth looking into the FRCS Militia feat (from memory), which grants full Martial Weapon Proficiency... so you can get into EK without the first level in fighter, and you end up only one casting level down instead of two.

-Hyp.

Rystil Arden · Apr 8, 2005

It's also worth looking into the FRCS Militia feat (from memory), which grants full Martial Weapon Proficiency...

You're right about that feat existing, but do they still have that one in 3.5?

Hypersmurf · Apr 8, 2005

Rystil Arden said:
You're right about that feat existing, but do they still have that one in 3.5?

I didn't realise it existed in 3E. I first saw it in PGtF (3.5).

But I'm not much of an FRer.

Edit - Oh, when I said FRCS, I meant the setting 'Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting', not the book 'Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'. I don't know if Militia is in the 3E book or not.

-Hyp.

Rystil Arden · Apr 8, 2005

Hypersmurf said:
I didn't realise it existed in 3E. I first saw it in PGtF (3.5).

But I'm not much of an FRer.

Edit - Oh, when I said FRCS, I meant the setting 'Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting', not the book 'Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'. I don't know if Militia is in the 3E book or not.

-Hyp.

Ah, when you used the FRCS abbreviation I assumed you got it from the book of the same name, but if its in PGtF, then its 3.5 legit. Still, that book is seriously whacked though.

the Lorax · Apr 8, 2005

I have to agree with the "Go to Eldritch Knight" crowd.

However, I think I would pick a build technique something like

Ranger 1
Ranger 1/Wizard 1
Ranger 1/Wizard 2
Ranger 1/Wizard 3
Ranger 2/Wizard 3
Ranger 2/Wizard 4
Ranger 2/Wizard 5
Ranger 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 1

and from there on
Eldrich Knight, with the possibility of gaining a few Spell Sword levels

Rystil Arden · Apr 8, 2005

the Lorax said:
I have to agree with the "Go to Eldritch Knight" crowd.

However, I think I would pick a build technique something like

Ranger 1
Ranger 1/Wizard 1
Ranger 1/Wizard 2
Ranger 1/Wizard 3
Ranger 2/Wizard 3
Ranger 2/Wizard 4
Ranger 2/Wizard 5
Ranger 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 1

and from there on
Eldrich Knight, with the possibility of gaining a few Spell Sword levels

Curiosity insists: Why the 2nd level of Ranger? It can't be the Combat Style, can it?

Storyteller01 · Apr 8, 2005

Zadam said:
That site has some cool ideas, but its mostly focused on making a mage who wears armor, and casts spells which can be cast without somatic(sp?) components. What I want to go for though is a mostly combat oriented character who replaces his ability to wear armor with protective spells, plus has some offensive spells up his sleave.

Are you willing to go with OGL sources? Mongoose has an Arcane swordsman. Basically enhances the Armor, Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength and True Strike spells (you can divide your +20 to hit across mjultiple attacks, for example). Also allows for weapons bonding (You can't be disarmed) and increases your spellcasting abilities. You can keep your fireball!

It is meant for a fighter/sorcerer combo though.

Let me know if your interested.

Corsair · Apr 8, 2005

Some I'm a fan of:

Paladin2/Sorcerer4/Spellsword3/DragonSlayer1/EldritchKnight10

Only gives you one 8th level spell, but +18 BAB and charisma to saves to keep you alive. Also I'm a whore for spontaneous casters. It also minimizes d4 HD to what is absolutely necessary. This falls more on the side of a warrior who happens to also cast spells. If you don't mind trading out a few more caster levels, you can also swap out pairs of EK levels for additional pairs of Spellsword levels.

CrazyDrake · Apr 8, 2005

yeah. why is it that no one mentioned spells word until jsut now. one level, jsut one level, give you +1 spellcasting class, d8 HD, AND ignore arcane spell failure 10%.

if you like sorcerers, this build works great: pal 2/ sor 5/ spellsword 3/ e-knight 10.
final scores:
BAB = 16, fort = 14, flex = 5, will = 10. Caster Level = 16. take practised spellcaster to boost your caster level (though it won't raise your spells perday/known/etc.)

if you prefer wizards, then try ftr 2/ wiz 5/ spellsword 3/ e-knight 10.
BAB = 16, fort = 14, flex = 5, will = 10. Caster Level = 16. take practised spellcaster to boost your caster level (though it won't raise your spells perday/known/etc.)

alternatively, you could do: ftr 1/ wiz 6/ spellsword 3/ e-knight 10. this gives you a BAB of 16, so four attacks, but it also give you a caster level of 17, which gets you 9th level spells. still take practised spellcaster.