Building a character for stand alone versatility -help please

[Jeffrie]

Well it started with a concept, and evolved into a concept.

See, there are relatively few characters that i get into role playing. I don't want to be a gnome or a minotaur or a ghost. I don't want to be evil, or chaotic, or good.

What rings truest, and captures my attention as far as storyline, is the Aragorn story (prince blood has to hide his true identity, even from his party) with some adaptions.

My character slips away at night and gathers information, or climbs the social ladder. He trust nobody, and keeps alias and disguise, and perhaps full fledged 'cover identity'. An intrigue character that needs to be ready to take the leadership role someday, but is willing to pretend to be a henchman or dabbler till then.

If i tried to make a list of what i wished to squeeze into a character :
32 point buy

*Half Elf or Human
*True Neutral or Lawful Neutral (later seems more feasible)
*Multifaceted (skills, spells and melee)
*9th level spells in at least one class, and probably two caster classes
*At least 17th level caster in one class
*At least some spontaneous casting
*Specialize in Listen Spot Hide Diplomacy Disguise, etc
*Perhaps divination?

Things i'd rather not do (or we don't use):
*Totally break the game
*Need faults/flaws just to make the build work
*Specialize in Summons
*Make myself a target (by being a blaster, etc)
*Need things just to make my gig work (For instance: items and spells are nice, but good old Disguise skill sometimes works better)

*No DMM Persist Allowed
*No casting when Polymorphed Allowed
*No Greater AnySpell, or Spell Domain Allowed

I probably skipped alot, and i have plenty of ideas, but because this post is long enough i wonder what y'all think ... . . .. .

more to come.

 

[Dandu]

Beguiler sounds like it fits the concept well.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Beguiler sounds like it fits the concept well.

I second this.

To add to the list:
-A very well thought out Artificer might be able to do this.
-A Cleric or Favored Soul of Olidammara might be able to be built to do this.
-Maybe an Urban Druid could do this?
-If you're willing to trade spellcasting for something similar, a Warlock could do this.

 

[Jeffrie]

I see Warlock in CA and it looks to be prereq: "Alignment: Any evil or any chaotic."

The only Artificer i can find is a Gnome Artificer, and thanks but no.

Favored Soul is very tempting but it's slower progression is problematic if multiclassed. Still, those saves are nice, and Spontaneous Divine Casting.


Beguiler sounds pretty good, but i should add "I'm fully willing to multiclass." I'll look at some beguiler handbooks (got any?). Have suggestions for multiclass?
What about beguiler makes it better than sorcerer? Sorcerer seems to have a larger spell selection. . . ? Skills rock, of course. ++ Uhoh, slow spell progression. . .

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If it werent for the spellcasting part, I'd say Factotum.

Wizard/Druid/Arcane Heirophant would work, unless no casting when polymorphed extends to a wildshaped druid with natural spell, which would be dumb. AH is in Races of the Wild, it advances arcane and divine casting and wildshape, as well as your familiar and animal companion, with the ability to merge them into a single entity sharing all the bonuses. It also has 6 + int skill points. Advance the Wizard side after finishing AH to get to 9th level casting in it and pick up Spontaneous Divination (C.Champion; swap a bonus feat to spont. cast any divination spells you know) and you'll be able to spontaneously cast a whole lot of divinations as well as summon nature's ally spells.

 

[nonsi256]

If it werent for the spellcasting part, I'd say Factotum.

Wizard/Druid/Arcane Heirophant would work, unless no casting when polymorphed extends to a wildshaped druid with natural spell, which would be dumb. AH is in Races of the Wild, it advances arcane and divine casting and wildshape, as well as your familiar and animal companion, with the ability to merge them into a single entity sharing all the bonuses. It also has 6 + int skill points. Advance the Wizard side after finishing AH to get to 9th level casting in it and pick up Spontaneous Divination (C.Champion; swap a bonus feat to spont. cast any divination spells you know) and you'll be able to spontaneously cast a whole lot of divinations as well as summon nature's ally spells.

1. Actually, that's 4 + Int skill pouints, which is quite good.
2. There's nothing to stop you from iterating AH with MT and gain dual progression to 9th level spells pre-epic.
3. I'm not sure, but I think I saw somewhere a feat that boosts your familiar/companion level a bit, capped by your char-level.

 

[nonsi256]

Try this combo:
Race: Dragonborn Raptoran (choost the Dragonborn's Mind aspect);
Classes: Rogue 1 / DFA all the rest
This alone grants you flight, enhanced senses (which will save you some precious invocations), as well as breath weapon, SA and trapfinding.
Go over the DFA handbook and choose the build that suits you.



Another option is to go Gish:
- Fighter 1 / Wiz 5/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Eldritch Knight or Knight Phantom 8
- Paladin 2/Sorcerer 4/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Sacred Exorcist 8

There's also a feats that grants you domain spells, for some divine touch.

 

[Empirate]

Your request screams "Fochlucan Lyrist" to me: full progression in arcane AND divine spellcasting, full BAB, full bardic music... However, getting into the class without unacceptable sacrifice is difficult and requires a bit of wriggling. Check out this for a start.

Concerning Beguilers, here is a (not so great, but still) handbook for you.

 

[Jeffrie]

It screams Lyrist to me also, but as much as i wriggle, i can't get 9th level spells without nearly cheating.

R2/ CC3 / W1/ MT4/ FL10 with speak druid from a regional feat called Bardic College, but whoops, no bardic knowledge, which only comes from bard. So16th level caster and 8th level spells. not bad really. But it needs Heighten Spell cheese to qualify like this.

Something i'm really starting to consider just today though, is settling for 8th level spells and going all Spontaneous Caster.

```` R2/ beguiler1 / favored soul1 / MT4 / bard1 / FL10 ````or sum'n

This gives lots of spells per day, and by going Martial Rogue the build will be gish/skill in the early levels, lag a bit from 5-7 and again at 9, but begin to really kick with the spell/skill combo around 12th.
While it's true that this build never gets 9th level spells, it does have spontaneous builds on both sides that pick from large list. The amount of spells is staggering, and though it still sucks Versatile Spellcaster almost tempts me.

I have tons of Fochlucan Lyrist builds around, but i could never make one work without either taking an alignment i just couldn't stand, or going human, or just putting up with only 8th level spells.

I just found Archivist, which might be what he meant earlier by artificer. I love the ability to add any spell to my list, and am trying now to find the perfect way to blend it with a spontaneous caster and maybe MT and FL or some silliness.

When i see the character (at low levels) in my mind, most folks don't think of him as the most powerful in the group, or even really take him seriously as a gun. But his Disquise is maxed and he has Invisible Spell and Greater Invisibility and Power Attack and that 'metamagic music' bard feat. Oh and all that hide from the world nondetection stuff. And Still Spell and Silent, and Eschew, so he's always on the down low.

D'ya think that beguiler/favored soul/lyrist thing can get all that? It looks like it has enough skills to make me happy.
Or maybe i should keep the archivist/sorcerer/lyrist idea? larger spell list for sure but less spells per day and not as many spontaneous.

Either way, i can change the spell list as i go, or even retrain feats to get what i need, so. . what about those? Got any ideas or options that might sway me?

I also have a Cloistered DweomerKeeper with about 7 domains and a fair bit spontaneous that's kinda cool. . . .

I also have an idea for a Cloistered Beguiler that takes at least 10 Beguiler for the Silent and Still, and then tack on some other metamagic classes, though i hadn't looked at that yet. I can't see enough to interest me.

 

[Jeffrie]

I've been thinking about the feats. As i said, i have a concept. This fellow wants to be able to be fairly powerful and yet be able to hide his power as much as possible. So his feats might run something like.

versatile spellcaster
Heighten Spell
practiced spellcaster
silent
Invisible Spell
practiced spellcaster
still

That's 7 feats

Is Eschew a dumb feat for this cat or does an artificer/sorcerer not need it? The idea is of course to seem like i'm in the back row doing little, or cast while invisible or disguised.