Complete Mage and Book of Nine Swords questions

[Marshall]

If you have to learn a spell from a highly limited subset every few levels, it's not worth it to bother with reserve feats, especially since you are going to have spells spread out through many levels, anyways, then, which are usually more effective than your magic trick. That's a too high cost for a sorcerer for the limited gain.

You're also making the assumption that all the reserve feats are only useful if they are kept at maximum effect.

Once a SOR knows D-Door a free 20'+ teleport is still pretty cool even if he could know Greater Teleport

 

[Thanee]

You're also making the assumption that all the reserve feats are only useful if they are kept at maximum effect.

Yep, as I said (at least I think so), I'm considering the damage reserve feats only, which are quite surely among the most useful of the bunch.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Marshall]

Not really. Shining Eyes lets you see in the dark. Elemental Summoning gives you, essentially, an Elemental Bodyguard. Fly speeds, Teleports, Dimensional Reach could be annoying....The damage stuff is just gravy.

 

[Plane Sailing]

The sorcerer, however, can still cast lightning bolt multiple times. As long as he has at least one 3rd-level spell slot he hasn't used up, he's always able to cast a 3rd-level electrical spell,

He could have used up all his 3rd level slots and still be able to cast lightning bolt with a higher level slot, couldn't he? So technically the sorcerer can still cast lightning bolt as long as he has any slots of 3rd level or higher.

Cheers

 

[dshai527]

Quick question on the reserve feat for lightning (I forgot the name and don't have my book here) I noticed that it does not list a save or mention that it is a ranged attack, so is it an autohit within 20 ft with no chance to save for half? Wouldn't this alone make it better than a lightning bolt wand? Please correct me if I misread it. I only got a quick look at it last night after I picked the book up, but one of my players wants to use it.

 

[Asmor]

There is no save, but the fact that it's a 20-foot line is pretty limiting since you have to be close and you can't easily have a meat shield between you and your target, and the fact that the damage dealt is equal to your highest prepared spell's level, not your caster level, means it will likely be half as potent as your spells or worse.

 

[dshai527]

There is no save, but the fact that it's a 20-foot line is pretty limiting since you have to be close and you can't easily have a meat shield between you and your target, and the fact that the damage dealt is equal to your highest prepared spell's level, not your caster level, means it will likely be half as potent as your spells or worse.

My player will love it though since her main complaint is people with evasion. And since her highest level lightning spell is 7th level it would be just as good as if she hit them with a chain lightning and they were one of the secondary targets. At least she deals damage now, where it was hard to these people before and she doesn't have to expend a spell slot. And since she flies most of the time and has good defensive tactics the range is not that limiting to her.

 

[Asmor]

That's what ranged touch attacks are for!

Of course, people with evasion generally have relatively good touch ACs, but then again they're still not amazing.

 

[dshai527]

That's what ranged touch attacks are for!

Of course, people with evasion generally have relatively good touch ACs, but then again they're still not amazing.

Now she won't even need the touch attack its an autohit for 7d6 damage and unlimited number of times per day. And if things get too hairy she has a rod of quickening that will dim door her away afterward.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I've just reexamined the wording of the Reserve feats, and they say that must have "a [blah] spell available to cast."

If the level and [blah] designator is determined at moment of casting I'd say it doesn't count for the reserve feat. So no tricks with a sorcerous Heighten Spell, or a summon monster or whatever. Although if the summon monster were specified as a [blah] spell at preparation it would work. Can wizards even do that? I'd let a PC do that if he wished.

At least if I were designing the feat I'd try exclude these tricks. I don't know how exactly I would phrase the rules, though. It'd be easier if I could use different language for the wizard and the sorcerer. For the wizard I might say "must have a spell prepared as a [blah] spell". For the sorcerer I might say "have a spell known that is always a [blah] spell, and a spell slot high enough to cast it" or something.

If I wished to cover both cases, I don't know if I could do much better than "must have a [blah] spell available to cast." At least I don't know how I could say what I want to say in a clear and concise manner.