Best Warrior/Mage Combos

[KarinsDad]

We have a Dwarven Fighter 2 / Sorcerer 4 / Spellsword 4 in our group.

He is very effective with Arcane Stirke, Haste, Fist of Stone, Spell Channeling (Scorching Rays), and Mithral Platemail (he had an Adamatine Maul which he used with Monkey Grip and Power Attack, but he lost it some time back and they have not gone back for it yet, too many other missions).

I suspect he will be going Eldritch Knight soon.

 

[Quikill]

Thanee, just curious, but would you mind posting your sorceress build?

I'm interested in why your DM thinks she is broken.

If you don't wish to post her entire build, if you could list her spells known I would appreciate it since I am currently playing a sorceress at level 8 and would like to see where I might improve, or vary her spell selections.

Thanks!

 

[Thanee]

There's really not much to it, she's a 6th level Sorceress/9th level Incantatrix (caster level 17th protects nicely against many dispels) with Draconic Polymorph and a number of minor buff spells with decent duration (like Dragonskin, Magic Circle against Evil, extended Shield, and Bull's Strength, the latter being nicely provided by the friendly Mystic Theurge, who is constantly complaining, that he has too few spells per day (WT...!?)), a +2 flaming heavy mace and Arcane Strike. She doesn't even have boots of speed and has to resort to using scrolls of haste for now.

Fully buffed, she has something close to 200 hit points, AC 40, +30 attack bonus and deals ~50 damage per hit with three attacks (hasted). Not bad, for a pure spellcaster, that is not built for combat.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Plane Sailing]

My 11th level sorceress was a formidable melee opponent, her preferred option at that level was false life, stoneskin and fireshield for protection and polymorphing to a large fire elemental for attacking purposes. Admittedly elementals are out for most arcane users until very high levels, but the combination of reach, burninating attacks, extra temp hp + DR + anyone hitting her got caught for some nasty fireshield damage. She's 12th now, and she'll be using empowered fire shield for that extra bit of defensive oomph

 

[KarinsDad]

Fully buffed, she has something close to 200 hit points, AC 40, +30 attack bonus and deals ~50 damage per hit with three attacks (hasted). Not bad, for a pure spellcaster, that is not built for combat.

My 11th level sorceress was a formidable melee opponent, her preferred option at that level was false life, stoneskin and fireshield for protection and polymorphing to a large fire elemental for attacking purposes. Admittedly elementals are out for most arcane users until very high levels, but the combination of reach, burninating attacks, extra temp hp + DR + anyone hitting her got caught for some nasty fireshield damage. She's 12th now, and she'll be using empowered fire shield for that extra bit of defensive oomph

Targeted Greater Dispel Magic is an NPCs best friend.

PS. What spell/ability did you use to Polymorph into an Elemental since Polymorph typically prohibits it? Was your Sorcerer already an Elemental type (i.e. one of the special races out of Forgotten Realms or something)?

 

[Thanee]

Targeted Greater Dispel Magic is an NPCs best friend.

Of course, but usually it doesn't really do that much, unless the opponent is a fairly high level caster.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Plane Sailing]

Plus there are not a whole lot of challenges which have greater dispel magic handy, and anything with that kind of arcane oomph to it deserves to be dealt with via arcane methods (telekinetic grapple being my favourite at my current level, I can imagine much better solutions at higher levels though)



p.s. that's right KD, my PC can polymorph to elemental because of her type

 

[SBMC]

I've played a fighter/wizard from level 1-17 in Living Greyhawk and this is my take on it:

First: In 3.5, you have no cause to worry that fighter/wizard is an inherently weak combination.

Really? That is certainly a strange statement....

Especially with wraithstrike, you will put most other builds to shame as a melee damage dealer and still be able to cast high level arcane spells. Even without wraithstrike, you can be a very powerful character who can easily hold his own against any other equal level melee fighter. (My build: Fighter 1/Wizard 6/Spellsword 1/Eldritch Knight 9; In eberron, Phantom Knight is probably better than eldritch knight).

So I see - this is not a straight up "fighter/wizard" at all; not even close. Far more fighter here than wizard with the fighter, spellsword and eldritch knight in there - you get the nice HD with that...

And holding hsi own against a 17th level fighter...seen it, done it, it ain't gonna happen unless you have 10 rounds before hadn to prepe with spells,

 

[SBMC]

Of course, but usually it doesn't really do that much, unless the opponent is a fairly high level caster.

Bye
Thanee

If you caster is high enough in level to get a 30 AC - the EL he faces will be (or should be at least) of a high enough level to make it work - just as the PC could do to the NPC.

And to note - Fully buffed takes time...

 

[KarinsDad]

Of course, but usually it doesn't really do that much, unless the opponent is a fairly high level caster.

Sorcerers who go into melee tend to have multiple spells on them ahead of time (as you indicated as well).

So, even in your case of caster level 17 for the PC Sorcerer (and probably less for the CL of the MT in your party who helps and real low for the Scrolls of Haste) and caster level 15 for an equal level NPC opponent caster, the odds per spell are still 40% (13 or higher) for the spells you cast on yourself:

1 spell: 60% no spells (40% one spell)
2 spells: 36% no spells (48% one spell, 16% both spells)
3 spells: 21.6% no spells (43.2% one spell, 28.8% 2 spells, 6.4% all 3 spells)
4 spells: 12.96% no spells (34.56% one spell, 34.56% 2 spells, 15.36% 3 spells, 2.56% all 4 spells)

The more spells you have up, the higher the chances the opponent will take down at least some of your spells.

This too assumes your DM challenges you with same level opponents.

PS. How did you get your caster level two higher than normal?