non-Wishers need not apply

[Solarious]

I was looking at the Complete Arcane and thinking man, thank God WotC finally put out a book like this, because there just weren't enough options for arcane spellcasters.

Please. Tell me you're joking. No, really.

I'd go Wizard/Initiate of the seven Veils 13/7, and laugh.

Haven't you heard? Complete Mage has given us all an update to that build. Now we go Abajurer3/MasterSpecialist10/IotSV7. Yes, you need to loose 2 schools, but the abilities you get in return are quite potent (bonuses to saves, +es to dispel checks, and casting 3 self-only spells on others!!!). As a plus, you'll be Epic ready and primed for Archmage in case you wanted to pick up one of those High Arcanas.

That being said, at 20th level, a group of 4 arcanists are emmiently playable. You might run into problems from anything that shuts down spellcasters though... although you can probably run over it if you toss enough splatbooks or Gates at it.

 

[jeffwik]

DMG: Loremaster

And probably there are also divers INTERESTING PrClasses like that, too!

 

[jeffwik]

Please. Tell me you're joking. No, really.

I've never added it up, but I strongly suspect there are about as many wizardish-oriented prestige classes in 3.5 as all the other kinds put together.





"Every problem has a solution. That solution is gate."

 

[Barak]

I haven't looked at Complete Mage yet.. But really, did that build -need- any boost? It's the easiest powergaming build in history, for my taste.

 

[Morrow]

So given the following restrictions, what 20th level character would you want to play?

And could a party of four 20th level arcane casters make it through that adventure without a TPK?

Hmm... As you say there are few problems that Gate won't solve. I'm currently playing a conjurer/ alienist. That's a lot of fun and pretty flexible, but if it were me I'd want to try something different. Maybe a necromancer. I'd rely on magic jar. (Assuming I could get around the 'you can't tell who your target is' problem. Maybe a custom higher level version of the spell?) It just seems like it would be fun. Turning my fallen foes into undead monstrosities would be amusing as well. "You thought that pit fiend was tough? Well, meet my new friend the pit fiend wraith."

In any event I'd probably advocate loading up on divinations to locate the goal and then using etherealness to bypass the whole dungeon. If I'm a 20th level wizard and I ended up hiking through a dungeon fighting my way through an army of giants I've probably done something wrong.

With judicious use of use magical device, gate, leadership, and abjurations a party of four 20th level arcane casters would do just fine, at least until the banishments and disjunctions started flying in their direction.

That said, it will be a real pain to run as a one shot. Your players will be paralyzed by a multitude of options that they're not familiar with and will spend half the time reading spell descriptions. And preparing for a party like that will be a real strain on the DM.

Morrow

 

[Joshua Randall]

In any event I'd probably advocate loading up on divinations to locate the goal and then using etherealness to bypass the whole dungeon. If I'm a 20th level wizard and I ended up hiking through a dungeon fighting my way through an army of giants I've probably done something wrong.

Well said, and good plan.

To answer an earlier question -- no, I don't think wish is gamebreaking necessarily, but allowing the players to toss them off without XP cost will definitely make things interesting. Because really, when wish can duplicate almost any effect, why wouldn't you just cast wish every round? (Followed by a quickened 5th-level spell.)