Not QUITE a Warmage- (de)Gimp my Gish!

In this thread:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=167190

I was getting all jazzed about the prospect of playing one of the non-Core classes for the first time since...well since 3.0 got released. Then the DM felt my joy and crushed it, telling me (among other things):

...the war mage is not really appropriate to the world I have
in mind. I will allow a sorcerer that instead of being able to summon a
familar may have two extra feats (presumably Battle Caster and Armor
Proficiency (light).)

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(more on that later)

and

1. We will just be using the standard creation method found in the PHB.
2. We will just be using the standard classes in the PHB.
...
4. Feats may be taken from Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, Complete Adventurer and the PHB.
5. No prestige classes will be used. Any ability you feel you must have will be constructed from feats.

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Of course, its not all bad news- we're starting off at 3rd Lvl.

I know the concept & background I have in mind is still workable, but I'm going to need some help- the DM has borrowed my entire Complete series. I still want to be as "Warmage-ey" as possible.

The PC in question will be a CG Elf or half-elf with a strong affinity for electrical type spells. I won't be using Sleep or Magic Missile for ANY reason- I don't like them, and at least one was absent from the Warmage list.

There is a 2nd level Warmage spell that lets the caster throw a slashing weapon with which he is proficient and have it do an attack & damage to all targets within a certain area of effect (using his Cha modifiers intsead of Str). I was planning to optimize by having taking levels in a class that got the PC a martial weapon proficiency in Greataxe or 2hd sword- that would have doubled the damage/casting. Would its area be affected by Sculpt Spell? Is that spell also on the Sorc/Wiz list? If not, I might not multiclass this PC.

The feats under consideration this time:

1) Reach Spell (makes touch spells into ranged touch spells)
2) Split Ray (doubles # of rays from a ray spell)
3) Weapon Focus: Ranged Touch Spells
4) Point Blank Shot (improve utility of his archery & ranged touch spells)
5) Precise Shot (improve utility of his archery & ranged touch spells)
6) Empower Spell (50% increase in variables related to a spell, inc. damage)
7) Sculpt Spell (change spell's area of effect)
8) Ranged Spell Specialization (further improve accuracy with ranged touch spells)
9) Arcane Strike (channel spell energy into melee strikes- based on spell level)*
10) Arcane Disciple (Air domain)
11) Energy Substitution (bump number of electrical spells)
12) Weapon Finesse (its in my notes- how does it interact with weaponlike spells again?)
13) Practiced Spellcaster (down the road)
14) Combat Casting (utility)
15) Energy Admixture (a little jolt in EVERY attack spell)
16) Battle Caster (pending ruling on how he thinks it will work with Sorcerer)
17) Consecrate Spell (a little goodness in every attack spell)

* The campaign info includes a background that says that flashy magic might get you in trouble with "EEEEEVIL POWERS", so Arcane Strike has even MORE reason to be used.

Battle Caster, as written, is completely useless to a sorcerer.

It improves an existing ability to ignore ASF in armor; it does not grant that ability to someone who does not possess it.

Whirling Blade is a Sor/Wiz 2, and a 60 foot line... so Sculpt Spell will work just fine. As an elf, you'd be proficient with longsword; you could see if you could swing the FR regional feat 'Militia' for all martial weapon proficiencies, to avoid the caster level hit when looking for greatsword. Alternatively, use a Large Longsword: -2 on attack rolls, but at least you're proficient, and it does damage equivalent to a greatsword.

-Hyp.

It improves an existing ability to ignore ASF in armor; it does not grant that ability to someone who does not possess it.

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I know- I pointed this out to him, but he has yet to respond.

I even pointed out that if he wants to let my PC take it with Armor Prof. Lt, as he suggested and let it work, that leads to problems with my concept which I already told him would probably include warrior multiclassing.

Whirling Blade is a Sor/Wiz 2, and a 60 foot line... so Sculpt Spell will work just fine. As an elf, you'd be proficient with longsword; you could see if you could swing the FR regional feat 'Militia' for all martial weapon proficiencies, to avoid the caster level hit when looking for greatsword. Alternatively, use a Large Longsword: -2 on attack rolls, but at least you're proficient, and it does damage equivalent to a greatsword.

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Cool...I like that spell! If I go Elf, I might not multiclass with a warrior class- 1d8/hit would be sufficient without losing spellpower or burning a precious feat.

I know he won't let us use FR stuff...My guess at this point is that we may be using some of the stuff from Black Company- a series he loves and a sourcebook I gave him as a prezzie- but I don't own it myself.

D'ya think a PC needs both Energy Substitution AND Sculpt Spell? There is a little overlap in their effect, after all, but not all energy spells have area effects, and not all AE spells do energy damage.

Honestly? I would ask him to let you use the Battle Sorcerer variant from Unearthed Arcana.. you lose some spells but get fighting ability (d8 hit die, cast in light armor, etc.) Hopefully he will let you.. otherwise at 3rd level you aren't really going to be a "war" anything..

Looks liek your DM is too restrictive, and does not want to take the effort to fit a fairly common class into his game world.

Seriously "is not really appropriate"? Even if the campaign is so magic-rare that there arent any mages trained for war, it is not unrealistic to say that several mages have paid more attention to the martial arts/destructive spells than normal. Its like the school of thought saying that rogues must go around stealing stuff, stabbing people in their sleep, etc.

He probably thinks its overpowered, or something.

Question said:

Looks liek your DM is too restrictive, and does not want to take the effort to fit a fairly common class into his game world.

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A DM has every right to determine which material he wishes to allow in his own game.

-Hyp.

I've been gaming with this guy for 20 years or so. The surprise was that he considered a non-Core class at all before nixing it.

The "reason" for the ban, however, has at least the semblance of a legitimate campaign-specific reason. The campaign world as he has described it is something like Midnight- there are no schools of magic, and magic practitioners can get themselves in trouble if they appear to be too powerful. This goes exactly opposite of the flavor text of the Warmage class, so I don't have a real problem with it...even though it ignores the fact that RW Eastern monks & Capoirists did perfectly fine developing their martial arts under the watchful eyes of oppressors...

As for the Battle Sorcerer, I don't think it will pass muster either. I handed him UA a week ago to ask him about Racial Paragon classes and Bloodlines and have heard nothing but grumbles about it. No definite answers either way, though- fingers crossed.

Smurf : Erm yea i dont think we were discussing whether a DM is "allowed" to control the available material for his campaign.

If the DM wants to rule that wizards get spontaneous casting, all proficiencies, can cast in all armor without penalty, infinite spells per day, start with all spells known, can fly at 1000 feet(perfect) and rolls 1,000,000d1 for HP per level, with a cantrip that instant kills over-deities, all the power to him.

Danny : Ah i see, the "core only!" type. I see. Well you are up against the wall of china. Good luck.

Hey Hyp,

What are the penalties for using an oversized longsword with Monkey Grip?

Another consideration to up the Whirling Blade damage was to eventually get my hands on a magically tempered gold or platinum slashing weapon- see Magic of Faerun (which he might permit)- and take the Exotic Weapon proficiency Heavy Weapon Feat...which would bump a 1d8 or 1d10 to 2d6 or 1d12 to 2d8.

Monkey grip is a horrible feat.....you take a -2 penalty to hit with it. This doesnt seem like much, until you consider that in most cases you are getting an average of 2 damage, and you can power attack for 4 damage with a 2H weapon with that penalty.