character build help

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't expect magic walmarts, but it is assumed by the rules that even moderate sized towns will have magic items on the scale of 1st level wands.

Shopping is part of "adventuring", so yes, our characters can and do buy R/S/Ws...but just because I want a wand of Mage Armor doesn't mean the shop I went into has one to sell... Ditto any other magic item.

And if I'm too eager in my inquiries about certain magic items, the price may just go up...especially if a rival of mine ALSO wants that item.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

So you use your godly sorcerer charisma score to make a diplomacy check, using the C.Adventurer haggling rules, to bring the price back down?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I happen to be the God of Rolling Four! The price would go Up!

 

[Wyvernhand]

Wow dude, you are being unnecessarily argumentative...nobody's said that its ALWAYS a bad idea. I even said, if your DM bans PrCs or multiclassing, its a decent way to go. If you are PrCing heavily, you lose a lot more than you gain though. As I said, in a typical Sorcadin build (Pal2/Sorc4/Spellsword1/AbjChamp5/SacEx8), you only have 4 levels of Sorc. The difference between the d8 and the d4, on average, gives you 2 HP per level, for 4 levels, resulting in 8 extra HP. Thats not even one hit's difference at level 3-4. Considering most of your HP comes from Con and temp HP like False Life or Minor Shapeshift or a well timed Vampiric Touch from your spellstoring weapon. Also, you gain a total of 1 more BAB. Converted to Power Attack, thats ~2 extra damage per hit, with slightly earlier access to your next iterative.

Contrast with what you lose. You lose 9 spells known. 9!!!!!! Considering you only get 3 total known for the higher levels, that knocks you down to 2 each. That really hurts. That might be the difference between knowing the Heart of X line (which give you full fortification and a bunch of other benefits) and not. Negating one crit due to fortification pays off those 8 HP really quick. I mean, the whole point of playing a gish is to have spells, and using those spells to augement your combat abilities. This is intentionally disarming yourself for negligable benefits.

And if you do get stuck in a dead magic field, the difference between 14 AC and 18 AC (Mith Chain Shirt vs Mith Fullplate) is negligable. Anything with a +16 AB or higher is still gonna hit you most of the time. Not to mention that you've spent an extra ~9000g (equal to +2 Con, +2 Cha, and +1 Resistance items together) and a WHOLE FEAT for that extra +4 AC. Thats a pretty bad trade for the 99% of the time you WON'T be in a dead magic area. If your DM makes you adventure in a dead magic area all the time, you might want to reconsider playing a gish.

Nobody's saying that Battle Sorc is always a bad option, but in most cases, especially where you'll be PrCing out, it is a bad choice that lowers your options, versatility, and daily staying power. It has its place, but in a Sorcadin build is not one of them, and a Sorcadin build is what I was recommending.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Wow dude, you are being unnecessarily argumentative

Me?

What part of "personal preferences" and "IME" didn't you get from my previous posts?

I know what you lose, and PERSONALLY, I'd rather my martial arcanist be able to wear full mithral with zero ASF in melee than 15%- lose the wrong spell at the wrong time and it's TPK time. And a 20% difference in your chances of being hit is NOT insignificant to PC survival.

As for spell selection, again, I tend not to favor "me only" spells for my martial arcanists, so False Life & Vampiric Touch aren't on the list. For me.

And if my caster DID go the creator route, ther are a bunch of nifty enchantments he could lay down on his own armor, should he so choose.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Your preferences are fine. But 1k for a mithral shield, 1k or 4k for mithral light or medium armor, Spellsword 1 for another -10%, Twilight +1 enhancement if that still isn't enough...a normal sorcerer can wear some pretty hefty armor without any ASF, too.
Breastplate: 25% ASF
Heavy Shield (a buckler works fine, but just to emphasize how much a regular sorc can tank himself out): 15% ASF

Twilight mithral breastplate +1 (8350): down to 5% ASF
Mithral heavy shield (1170 for steel): down to 5% ASF
Spellsword 1: All ASF eliminated!

Not sure I'd want mithral full anyway, it hampers movement speed and prevents tumbling for like +1 AC over breastplate (assuming you can max the dex allowed with it).

 

[Sharkon]

Duskblade is melee with very good damage, some utility spells and if you spend a good amount of gold for a mithral full plate and a cloack of resistance you can get good AC and good saves (hight fort and high will , the 2 most important ones) True strike is a very good combo with power attack or combat expertise (or both if you are crazy )

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, like everything else, permitted sourcebooks also matter: for example, I haven't played in a single campaign where Twilight was an option. (Ran a couple, though.)

Were I going a self-buffer route, I'd probably go monk or something else that doesn't have Med to Heavy armor proficiencies- it seems like such a waste to have & not use.

...a normal sorcerer can wear some pretty hefty armor without any ASF, too.

Well, remember you're talking to the goofball who came up with the Mage-Brute, the first of whom was a standard Sorc wearing Scale and swinging a maul from Day 1 (no ASF for Dragon's breath or Arcane Strikes)...no Sorc variants were permitted.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Definitely depends on sourcebooks allowed. When Battlesorc first came out, it seemed like a really nice gish class to use. But after Spellsword, and Duskblade, and Abjurant Champion, and a ton of swift action self-buff spells in SpC (swift = no somatic components = who cares about ASF?), and Twilight enhancement, and...

I just don't think it's worthwhile if the other stuff is an option, unless you just want to keep your character as uncomplicated as possible.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Definitely depends on sourcebooks allowed. When Battlesorc first came out, it seemed like a really nice gish class to use. But after Spellsword, and Duskblade, and Abjurant Champion, and a ton of swift action self-buff spells in SpC (swift = no somatic components = who cares about ASF?), and Twilight enhancement, and...

I've played all of those classes, and find each to have their own unique charms and disadvantages- BttlSorc is a full-casting base class, for instance, while the Duskblade seems to me to be an "Arcane Paladin" done right. Ive always liked the spell channeling of the SpSwd (esp. w/reach weapons)...and everyone knows what the AbjChamp can do.