New to D&D, playing Favored Soul, suggestions welcome

[AesirsChampion]

As the title states, I am new to D&D, and am playing a Favored Soul, and am at a loss for where to go. I chose Favored Soul, mainly because the party lacked Divine Spellcasters (We have a Paladin and a Cleric, though the Cleric is played by the DM and I have a suspicion he may discard him later to focus on being a DM), and the Favored Soul was the closest I could get to being a Divine version of a Duskblade, the class I really wanted to play. Not that I'm complaining, as I am quite enjoying my new PC, but I do want to get the most out of him in my own way. I want to play him as close to a Duskblade as possible, but with a Divine flavor rather than Arcane. He will be the back-up healer when needed, focuses on swinging his sword a little more than casting, but has some nice buffs for himself and his party, as well as a couple offensive spells and debuffs for the enemy.

The House Rules about my character:

1. Charisma, rather than Wisdom, determines the saves to my spells
2.The DM is giving me the option of applying my Bonus Spells to Spells Known OR Spells per Day, but not both
3. My Favored Soul is a follower of the entire Asgardian Pantheon, but uses a longsword for his Deity favored weapon feats.
4. Knowledge (arcana) has been dropped in favor of Knowledge (religion)
5. I am allowed to use any and all source books so long as they are 3.5E.

Race: Human
Level: 3

My stats that I rolled:

STR- 14
DEX- 13
CON- 13
INT- 10
WIS- 14
CHA- 18

They are not set in stone yet and I can switch one or two, but I cannot reroll anymore and they will be set at the next game.

My spells:


0 Level Spells
Create Water- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 215
Read Magic- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 269
Purify Food and Drink- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 267
Detect Magic- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 219
Resistance- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg.272

1st Level Spells-

Cure Light Wounds- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 215
Divine Favor- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 224
Shield of Faith- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 278
Nimbus of Light- Ref. Complete Divine pg. 170
Vigor, Lesser*- Ref. Complete Divine pg. 186

At fourth level, I plan on picking up the following spells:

Cure Moderate Wounds- Ref. Player’s Handbook pg. 216
Deific Vengeance- Ref. Complete Divine pp. 161-162
Animalistic Power- Ref. Player’s Handbook II pg. 101
Curse of Ill Fortune*- Ref. Complete Divine pg. 160

I chose Animalistic Power over Bull's Strength, because although the STR benefit is greater, AP is more versatile, offering a +2 bonus to DEX and CON as well as STR. Also, at Level 5, I plan on picking up Impede or Blade of Blood, the other being picked up at Level 7.

*If I decide to apply Bonus Spells to Spells per Day instead, I will be dropping these spells.

Feats:

Combat Casting- Ref. Player's Handbook pg. 92
Power Attack- Ref. Player's Handbook pg. 98
Augment Healing- Ref. Complete Divine pg. 79

I chose Augment Healing because not only does it benefit my party, but so far our campaign seems to be Undead heavy from what I have observed, and it does give my cure spells an added bite should I use them against undead. Again, I am able to switch these around, but again, once the next game session starts, these will be fixed. Unlike Spells, however, I am at a loss for what I want to do Feat-wise at later levels. I toyed with switching my DEX score with CON, adding a point a 4th level, and then at 6th, take Two Weapon Fighting, but I don't know if this is wise.

PrC-

Eventually, when I do decide to Prestige, I'd be interested in taking an adaptation of Shining Blades of Heironeous (Adapted for my pantheon, probably called Shining Blades of Asgard, with a few alterations, mainly alignment as few of the Asgardian Gods are Lawful, and obviously the patron God requirement as well). However, I'm not sure if this would be best for my Party, as I am currently a back-up healer and may in fact become the main healer at least for a little while.

As far as plans, this is all I got. Hopefully, it's enough to get some help.

 

[Empath Negative]

The Shining Blade of Heironeous is a terrible PrC.

Avoid it at all costs.

Really Flavored Soul has some pretty reasonable bonuses as you increase in level, it's not a terribad idea just to keep going.

However, consider the Stormlord PrC with a few changes based on your pantheon. Rather than spears/javelins it could be longswords.

Because of the Enhanced Longsword grants you (eventually) a +3 bonus to attack you could stack the sword with other enchantments, along with your shocking burst, and thundering bonuses.

 

[Jackinthegreen]

Depending on who you worship or whether you can refluff it, Ordained Champion is probably closer to Duskblade in theme for a divine caster than anything else thanks to its 3rd level ability Channel Spell.

If you're going to prestige I recommend trying for Sacred Exorcist, which will get you Turn Undead. From there you can get some great feats based on that like Divine Metamagic. You could go the Persist route and have Divine Power up all day once you get to that point. Sadly it requires 10 ranks in Knowledge: The Planes, so you'd have to get it as a class skill another way (like Ordained Champion) if you want to go into this class.

Augment Healing might do decently at lower levels, but as you get higher the 2hp per spell level will start to lag behind.

The Healing Lorecall spell is great for healers and might be worth it to you if you have the skill points in Heal for it.

By the way, welcome to ENworld!

 

[AesirsChampion]

The Shining Blade of Heironeous is a terrible PrC.

Avoid it at all costs.

Really Flavored Soul has some pretty reasonable bonuses as you increase in level, it's not a terribad idea just to keep going.

However, consider the Stormlord PrC with a few changes based on your pantheon. Rather than spears/javelins it could be longswords.

Because of the Enhanced Longsword grants you (eventually) a +3 bonus to attack you could stack the sword with other enchantments, along with your shocking burst, and thundering bonuses.

What makes the SBoH so bad? I'm not defending it by any means, I'm just curious. I'll look at the Stormlord as well, but it may be a no go depending on what would need refluffing. My DM's already letting me get away with alot.

 

[AesirsChampion]

Depending on who you worship or whether you can refluff it, Ordained Champion is probably closer to Duskblade in theme for a divine caster than anything else thanks to its 3rd level ability Channel Spell.

If you're going to prestige I recommend trying for Sacred Exorcist, which will get you Turn Undead. From there you can get some great feats based on that like Divine Metamagic. You could go the Persist route and have Divine Power up all day once you get to that point. Sadly it requires 10 ranks in Knowledge: The Planes, so you'd have to get it as a class skill another way (like Ordained Champion) if you want to go into this class.

Augment Healing might do decently at lower levels, but as you get higher the 2hp per spell level will start to lag behind.

The Healing Lorecall spell is great for healers and might be worth it to you if you have the skill points in Heal for it.

By the way, welcome to ENworld!

Thank you for the welcome, it was well received. I will look at the Ordained Champion, as that might be worthwhile to consider. I was considering Sacred Exorcist, but as I use RP to dictate, or at least influence, any move I take in building my character, Sacred Exorcist wouldn't be a path he would choose. I'm playing him a bit like Perseus from Clash/Wrath of the Titans; a champion chosen by the Gods for a specific purpose, even if that doesn't fit into his plans for the future. The only difference is, he's got the divine flavor of D&D of a Healer, party and self buffer, etc.

EDIT: Also for the time being, I only intend to use him as a backup healer, as needed. I don't want to go overly crazy with a bunch of heals, heal-buff feats, and such, but to have a few healing spells and one or two heal buff feats to be useful in a pinch, at the very least keeping a character alive.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You might want to check out the Reserve feats- many give caster PCs reusable minor magical effects as long as they keep a spell of a certain kind & level uncast.




This is a useful tool for finding feats:
http://www.realmshelps.net/datafind/feats.shtml

 

[Jackinthegreen]

What makes the SBoH so bad? I'm not defending it by any means, I'm just curious. I'll look at the Stormlord as well, but it may be a no go depending on what would need refluffing. My DM's already letting me get away with alot.

Number 1 rule of playing a caster: You'd better get some awesome abilities if you're giving up caster levels. The abilities gained from SBoH do not make up for the lost casting at all. An extra 1d6 or 2d6 damage for your weapon a limited number of times per day is rather crappy compared to the potential spells gained.

The reason Stormlord was mentioned is it fully progresses spells and it also gains some weapon damage in the form of all javelins and spears getting enhancement bonuses, then becoming Shocking, then Thundering, and then Shocking Burst. And the Stormlord doesn't have to spend any action to do that. The Gloves of Endless Javelins from the MiC synergize very well with the class, but since you're using a longsword primarily, it probably wouldn't fit too well. But it does show the big differences between good and bad prestige classes.

Edit: Some additional things you might look at for this build. If you go Ordained Champion, you can take the feat Holy Warrior if you're inclined to get extra damage for free since you're a spontaneous caster. The War domain has some pretty good spells, though I recommend staying the smeg away from Power Word: Blind because Blindness/Deafness pretty much makes it useless, although it does allow a save unlike the Power Word.

 

[Dordledum]

I'm, currently playing a Favoured Soul4/Paladin3/Fist of Raziel. Maybe something worth checking out?

Fist of Raziel is an amazing prestigeclass from Book of Exalted Deeds focused on smiting evil. You can use it to boost you Favoured Soul spellcasting and get more paladin-like features.

 

[Empirate]

Maybe if you take out those 3 Pally levels...

First Commandment of Optimization: Thou shalt not give up caster levels.
.
.
.
Fifth Commandment of Optimization: Thou shalt not give up caster levels. Verily, this Commandment is like unto the first; but of such magnitude that it bore mentioning twice

Everything Paladin, Shining Blade or whatever can give you, more levels of Favored Soul can give you as well, and better, in that your spellcasting improves. You're a primary spellcaster, and although Favored Souls can get away with going into melee much of the time, good spell selection and access to the highest-level spells available is really what makes or breaks them.




Concerning your spell selection:
Try to avoid overlap as much as possible. Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Vigor is not needed, skip CLW. Lesser Vigor is the most efficient means of out-of-combat healing, and CLW won't save your friends if you have to cast it in-combat. Similarly, get rid of Cure Moderate Wounds entirely. If you're feeling daring, you might want to skip healing spells altogether until you reach 12th level, and just rely on Wands of Lesser Vigor (supposing they're available to buy).
One good healing spell to consider is Close Wounds. As an immediate action, save somebody (including yourself) from imminent death. Has saved countless PCs in my group.

Nimbus of Light is a bad spell, since its functions are provided by a torch and a light crossbow. Not needed. You might want to get Light on your Orison list if you want a magical, hands-free light source badly.

Deific Vengeance is a weak, one-target blast. When you're going into melee, you're going to lay the hurt down better than this spell ever will. Avoid at all cost.

Curse of Ill Fortune imposes some nice penalties, but isn't anything to write home about, as it's single target, will negates, SR: yes... not very powerful at all. Replace it with Wave of Grief, and you have a much superior spell if you want debuffing. It affects a really big area.

Depending on the campaign you're playing, and on how much your DM enforces penalties due to heat or cold, Endure Elements could be a lifesaver - or a waste of space. I know that in my campaigns, my players love this spell... YMMV though.

Shield of Faith is a nice spell, but Protection from Evil practically does the same, plus a lot of other things. PfE is the superior spell in most campaigns (unless you're constantly fighting neutral opponents).

Resist Energy is practically a must-have, it affords very good protection against a lot of enemies.

Despite the off-putting name, Calm Emotions is actually powerful battlefield control. It also gets rid of fear effects, which a lot of enemies can cause.

Obscuring Mist is an excellent spell for its level. Not being seen means not being hit!

You might want to spread out a bit, to make you more flexible. The Divine Insight spell is excellent for this, making you very good at any one skill you might happen to need at the moment.

Further recommendations: Shatter, Lesser Restoration, Silence. All of these are just as good on a wand or eternal wand, though.

 

[AesirsChampion]

Maybe if you take out those 3 Pally levels...

First Commandment of Optimization: Thou shalt not give up caster levels.
.
.
.
Fifth Commandment of Optimization: Thou shalt not give up caster levels. Verily, this Commandment is like unto the first; but of such magnitude that it bore mentioning twice

Everything Paladin, Shining Blade or whatever can give you, more levels of Favored Soul can give you as well, and better, in that your spellcasting improves. You're a primary spellcaster, and although Favored Souls can get away with going into melee much of the time, good spell selection and access to the highest-level spells available is really what makes or breaks them.




Concerning your spell selection:
Try to avoid overlap as much as possible. Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Vigor is not needed, skip CLW. Lesser Vigor is the most efficient means of out-of-combat healing, and CLW won't save your friends if you have to cast it in-combat. Similarly, get rid of Cure Moderate Wounds entirely. If you're feeling daring, you might want to skip healing spells altogether until you reach 12th level, and just rely on Wands of Lesser Vigor (supposing they're available to buy).
One good healing spell to consider is Close Wounds. As an immediate action, save somebody (including yourself) from imminent death. Has saved countless PCs in my group.

Nimbus of Light is a bad spell, since its functions are provided by a torch and a light crossbow. Not needed. You might want to get Light on your Orison list if you want a magical, hands-free light source badly.

Deific Vengeance is a weak, one-target blast. When you're going into melee, you're going to lay the hurt down better than this spell ever will. Avoid at all cost.

Curse of Ill Fortune imposes some nice penalties, but isn't anything to write home about, as it's single target, will negates, SR: yes... not very powerful at all. Replace it with Wave of Grief, and you have a much superior spell if you want debuffing. It affects a really big area.

Depending on the campaign you're playing, and on how much your DM enforces penalties due to heat or cold, Endure Elements could be a lifesaver - or a waste of space. I know that in my campaigns, my players love this spell... YMMV though.

Shield of Faith is a nice spell, but Protection from Evil practically does the same, plus a lot of other things. PfE is the superior spell in most campaigns (unless you're constantly fighting neutral opponents).

Resist Energy is practically a must-have, it affords very good protection against a lot of enemies.

Despite the off-putting name, Calm Emotions is actually powerful battlefield control. It also gets rid of fear effects, which a lot of enemies can cause.

Obscuring Mist is an excellent spell for its level. Not being seen means not being hit!

You might want to spread out a bit, to make you more flexible. The Divine Insight spell is excellent for this, making you very good at any one skill you might happen to need at the moment.

Further recommendations: Shatter, Lesser Restoration, Silence. All of these are just as good on a wand or eternal wand, though.

Alright, I get it, I get it, though shalt not give up caster levels. Interesting feedback, though. I think I will drop Deific Vengeance, and replace Nimbus of Light with Blade of Blood, as I hear that's a useful spell. But I do like the other spell selections, so I might think twice about what to replace Nimbus of Light with.