Epic: Where do I go from here?

[Hypersmurf]

Heh, it's funny that you should mention that, but I have a spell called Troll's Blood from S&S Hallowfaust. It gives me Regen 3/acid or fire, as a troll. I cast that and become immune to subdual damage. Hello free metamagic!

Regeneration doesn't make you immune to non-lethal damage. Regeneration converts lethal damage to non-lethal damage.

With Troll's Blood up, you could still knock yourself out with a metamagic spell, though you'd recover 3 points of non-lethal damage each round.

EDIT: Oh, and it gets more expensive the more you string together. So, to do an Empowered, Maximized, Admixed something would be (2+3+4)*(1+3(1 for each metamagic applied)) = 10*4 = 40 points of subdual. As opposed to 4+6+8 = 18.

If you're immune to non-lethal damage, what's the difference?

Gosh, even without abusing immunities, that's scary. Persistent Spell at no level increase, for 12 points of non-lethal damage that'll go away by themselves in an hour or two? Or one CLW? Sign me up!

-Hyp.

 

[Jack Simth]

Once I reach epic spellcaster, I want to create a spell or ritual that turns me into a dragon somehow. I have silver dragon blood pretty close to me in my lineage (my great-grandmother was a silver dragon), so I think it would be neat to make a spell that allows me to turn into a silver dragon, complete with abilities.

Thanks for the input!

Calypso

If dragon is your goal, go Dragon Disciple! Once you reach Dragon Apothesis (and pick up the Half-Dragon template from it) you can use Polymorph Any Object to be permanently changed into a dragon (Same Kingdom (animal, +5), same class (Dragon, +2), and either Same or lower Int(+2) (pick age category based on your Int, and it's the same!), or same Size(+2) (pick age category based on size, and it's the same!). Also, the bonus spell slots from Dragon Disciple are one of the very few ways to get them, although it doesn't increase your caster level. However, that PrC should be saved until after you get caster level 20 (so you have your entire non-epic spell list).

As for a spell to turn you into a silver dragon, complete with abilities, Shapechange (at least, the version in the SRD) gives all Ex and Su abilities. You can do it at caster level 18 (you did say you had a sorceror base under the Archmage, and it's a 9th level spell) three (or more, depending on your Cha bonus... but it's a ninth level spell, so that would require a Cha score of at least 28....) times a day for three hours (180 minutes) a day, for a total of nine hours a day. At 20th, that jumps to six times a day for three hours, 20 minutes each time, or 20 hours a day.

For an epic spell, that's just a fairly straightforward application of the Transform seed - which is by default permanent. Assuming you want an Adult Silver dragon (pulling stats from the SRD), that's a creature with 22 HD (7 HD above 15, +14 DC), Size Huge (assuming you are Medium, that's two sizes larger than you, +6 DC to spellcraft), Type Dragon (different than yours, +5 DC), ten Ex and Su abilities (Cloudwalking, Alternate Form, Keen Senses, Blindsense, Spell Resistance, Immunities, Frightful Presence, Breath Weapon, Tail Sweep, Crush, +10 DC each, +100 DC) with a base DC of 21; DC =21+14+6+5+100=146, before mitigating factors. If you are okay with taking your sweet time about the transformation, you can drop it down as far as you like with just the extra time; +10 minutes to casting time (-20, casting time: 11 mintues), +63 days to casting time (-126, casting time: 63 days, 11 minutes) would bring the DC to 0.... and would (nominally) make the spell free to research, and essentially gaurunteed to cast (unless you get interrupted).

 

[Jack Simth]

As for feats, try going for Master Staff at some point - essential for a Sorceror, as it permits the sorceror to buy spells (although the Sorceror can't metamagic them, and they can be removed from the sorceror by removing the staff from the sorceror's possession .... of course, you can do that for most spells on a Wizard, too, by taking away all his spellbooks) by buying staves and emulating all the charges.

 

[calypso15]

As for feats, try going for Master Staff at some point - essential for a Sorceror, as it permits the sorceror to buy spells (although the Sorceror can't metamagic them, and they can be removed from the sorceror by removing the staff from the sorceror's possession .... of course, you can do that for most spells on a Wizard, too, by taking away all his spellbooks) by buying staves and emulating all the charges.

Nice! I wish I could take that now. I even have Craft Staff (my DM required it for a special function I wanted on a family-heirloomy staff).

Calypso

EDIT: Thanks for the Epic spell DC! I'll probably make it into a ritual instead of making it take 2 months to cast. Include 4 other level 12ish casters. I also want to include the factor that increases the difficulty of dispeling it.

The reason I don't want to go for Dragon Disciple is because it's not a very caster-friendly class.

 

[calypso15]

Regeneration doesn't make you immune to non-lethal damage. Regeneration converts lethal damage to non-lethal damage.

With Troll's Blood up, you could still knock yourself out with a metamagic spell, though you'd recover 3 points of non-lethal damage each round.

If you're immune to non-lethal damage, what's the difference?

Gosh, even without abusing immunities, that's scary. Persistent Spell at no level increase, for 12 points of non-lethal damage that'll go away by themselves in an hour or two? Or one CLW? Sign me up!

-Hyp.

Huh, right you are (of course!) Dunno why I thought it did. Oh well! I quite enjoy chained Finger of Death (DC 31 fort save, DC 27 for secondary targets )

Calypso

 

[Jack Simth]

EDIT: Thanks for the Epic spell DC! I'll probably make it into a ritual instead of making it take 2 months to cast. Include 4 other level 12ish casters. I also want to include the factor that increases the difficulty of dispeling it.

You're welcome. As I mentioned, it's a pretty straightforward application of the seed; the instructions are all laid out, it's just a matter of following them. Be wary of Anti-Magic Fields, Dispels, and Disjunctions, however, unless you can convince your DM to add an Ad-hock DCx2 Duration: Instant (Special: Must already be Permanent) modifier or something.

The reason I don't want to go for Dragon Disciple is because it's not a very caster-friendly class.

Funny thing about Dragon Disciple - it has different characteristics for casters when the character is below level 20 than it does when the character is above level 20; Below 20, the lack of a caster progression is downright oppressive to spellcasters, as it really leaves them behind. Above level 20, however, that doesn't matter so much, as you aren't getting new spells from level advancement, nor new spell slots, so the bonus spells it provides are much more difficult to get any other way. Additionally, it has all of what are (usually) considered the more important class skills for a spellcaster - Knowledge (all, individually), Spellcraft, and Concentration. For an (effective) Sorceror 20, who isn't learning new spells from advancing as a sorceror (unlike a Wizard, who continues to gain spells), nor is gaining new spell slots (no caster gains spell slots without burning feats, improving ability scores, taking classes that add them, or making items that add them past 20th), the main price for taking DD is the lack of caster level increases.... and past 25th, about all that affects is spell durations and SR penetration checks.

 

[Jack Simth]

Oh, almost forgot - that's not a "hard" DC; if your DM rules that each immunity counts as a separate ability, then there are three of them (one for Cold, one for Sleep, one for Paralysis) for another +20 (one already accounted for); likewise, a silver dragon technically has two breath weapons, and your DM may rule that even though they are listed together, they count separetly, for another +10.

And just for laughs, turning a Human into a Tarrasque with the Transform seed:
Base DC: 21
Size: Colossal: Four steps over medium, three out of default range, +18 DC.
Type: Magical Beat (different from Humanoid) +5 DC
Ex and Su abilities: 6 Ex, 1 Su: +70 DC
Hit Dice: 48 (33 over 15) +66 DC
Pre-Modifier DC: 179

Also, note that for this spell to apply to something, either the something needs to have 48 HD, or the caster needs to have 48 HD. Either way.