Eldritch Theurge

[satori01]

A level 1 Wizard/Sorc can take Precocious Apprentice feat (Complete Arcane p. 182) and take Melf's Acid Arrow as their 2nd level spell. Then they can do Acidic Splatter all day long and deal 2d6 acid damage all day long. Not bad for a level 1 Character

Not to be harsh here, but you tout that feat like you were it's agent. Any 'build' off Precocious Apprentice is fragile at best, as Complete Arcane identifies the Feat as an optional feat appropriate for High/Advanced Magic games.

Any time a feat is segregated from the other feats in the book, makes me think that many DMs will consider it a bad apple.

 

[rgard]

Yes. The only drawback is that you have to make a caster level check vs DC 8 to cast it. Since you are not going to be casting it though, no problem . Once you get 2nd level spells, the feat basically becomes "Extra Slot" as it doesn't do much for you at that point.

I'd have the pc roll the claster level check vs DC 8 every time you try to use the feat. That should even things out.

 

[Shellman]

The first sentence of the Practiced Spellcaster feat does say 'spells', but we always let it apply to EB blast damage. Rationale was that the EB's save can be boosted by Spell Penetration.

Really!

I always thought Practiced Spellcaster did not apply to a Warlock. The EB is a SLA not a spell. Being a SLA, EB cannot be boosted by Spell Penetration but it can be with ability focus.

Thats the way my DM's have all rulled it.

 

[rgard]

Really!

I always thought Practiced Spellcaster did not apply to a Warlock. The EB is a SLA not a spell. Being a SLA, EB cannot be boosted by Spell Penetration but it can be with ability focus.

Thats the way my DM's have all rulled it.

See Practiced Invoker above. It solves any hair splitting nicely.

 

[rgard]

Really!

<SNIP>

EB cannot be boosted by Spell Penetration but it can be with ability focus.

Thats the way my DM's have all rulled it.

Yes it can. Read the 3rd paragraph of the Warlock's Eldritch Blast description. Specifically mentions Spell Penetration as it applies to Eldritch Blast (being used to overcome spell resistance.)

Your DMs are welcome to rule otherwise.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Shellman]

See Practiced Invoker above. It solves any hair splitting nicely.

OK, but that was a house rule not a published option by WoTC.

 

[Darklone]

I'd have the pc roll the claster level check vs DC 8 every time you try to use the feat. That should even things out.

I wouldn't care so much about Acidic Splatter... the range is 10 ft. Fiery Burst looks worse.

And the Precocious Apprentice feat only helps at the first few levels to get a 2d6 touch attack or area damage both at poor ranges. Compared to a fighters greatsword, I don't care.

 

[Votan]

I wouldn't care so much about Acidic Splatter... the range is 10 ft. Fiery Burst looks worse.

And the Precocious Apprentice feat only helps at the first few levels to get a 2d6 touch attack or area damage both at poor ranges. Compared to a fighters greatsword, I don't care.

Heck, this is the time frame in which wizards and sorcerers have a very hard time contributing to the party (1st and 2nd level). Sure, it is true that many tricks have been proposed to make this time frame less painful. This one is hardly an unbalanced option and means that the character is stronger at low levels but weaker at high levels (the precocious apprentice feat rapidly beocmes useless).

I would be happy with a player who made his or her character more linear in power curve to the benefit of a smoother game.

 

[Seeten]

The benefit of Precocious apprentice is not in the ability to keep up with the greatsword, its the ability to sneak into PrC's several levels early, by means of being able to cast "2nd level Arcane Spells" as a 1st level wizard.

 

[diggerariel]

Armor Advice?

One of the advantages of a Warlock is the ability to wear light armor & still use invocations. If you were to go the Eldritich Theurge route, then you would either mulit-class as a warlock/wizard or warlock/sorcerer. I'm not a huge rules guy, but wouldn't this mean that once you started gaining levels as say a sorcerer that you would have arcane spell failure possiblities due to your wearing light armor? If this is true, then wouldn't this mean that your going the Eldritch Theurge route is taking away a fairly good warlock advantage for good (abiility to wear light armor)??

Is there something I'm missing here? What are your options to getting around this or should you just accept that as an Eldritch Theurge, you won't be wearing armor? Any & all advice is appreciated.