Nifft, I'm not talking about spell slots that have "--" listed. I'm talking about spell slots that have "1" listed. For those slots, where you get a bonus spell, you get that bonus spell slot by virtue of having a high intelligence. You don't get it through experience. Look at the Spells Per Day table for the wizard class. At first level, you can cast 3 0th level spells and 1 1st level spell. For 2nd level spells, 3rd level spells, etc, it has "--" listed, meaning you can't cast those spells at all. But under the bonus spells table (next to the general ability modifier table), it shows that ALL wizards with a 17 Int have a bonus 3rd level spell per day. Again, obviously you can't use that slot to cast a 3rd level spell until you have actually LEARNED a 3rd level spell (which comes with experience). But the slot is there from the very beginning, assuming you have a 17 Int.
Gnome Illusionist level 1
- Thread starter doosler
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Nifft
Penguin Herder
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#abilityScoresdoosler said:
You need to be able to cast 2nd level spells in order to gain bonus 2nd level spell slots.SRD said:
Once you have 2nd level spell slots, you can fill them with 1st level spells if you wish.
Cheers, -- N
Arkhandus
First Post
Doosler: The wording you need is in the Player's Handbook. In the Rules As Written, bonus slots for high ability scores do not work that way.
To quote the first chapter of the PHB, a few sentences down in the ABILITIES AND SPELLCASTERS section: "In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster must be of a sufficient level in order to gain a bonus spell of a given level. (See the class descriptions in Chapter 3 for details.) For instance, the wizard Mialee has a 15 Intelligence, so she's smart enough to get one bonus 1st-level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get the 2nd-level bonus spell until she is 3rd-level, the minimum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)"
Thus why your DM's ruling on it is a houserule; as I said, there's nothing wrong with houserules, I'm just pointing out that it is not an actual, by-the-book rule.
Felix: Of course, a good illusionist is one who never allows himself to get hit in the first place. Higher Constitution would help, but the illusionist's goal should be to knock out enemies as quickly as possible with as high a chance of success as possibe, rather than hoping to survive when they get through and hack at his fragile self with a big nasty axe, high Constitution or no high Constitution.
And as another already mentioned, illusions effectively do nothing but waste the caster's time when they're resisted; they don't do half damage or partial effect, aside from a few higher-level illusions like Phantasmal Killer (and even that does absolutely nothing if the target makes both saves). Still, I do acknowledge Constitution as important for saving a caster's life when they find themselves in a terrible position.
To quote the first chapter of the PHB, a few sentences down in the ABILITIES AND SPELLCASTERS section: "In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster must be of a sufficient level in order to gain a bonus spell of a given level. (See the class descriptions in Chapter 3 for details.) For instance, the wizard Mialee has a 15 Intelligence, so she's smart enough to get one bonus 1st-level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get the 2nd-level bonus spell until she is 3rd-level, the minimum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)"
Thus why your DM's ruling on it is a houserule; as I said, there's nothing wrong with houserules, I'm just pointing out that it is not an actual, by-the-book rule.
Felix: Of course, a good illusionist is one who never allows himself to get hit in the first place. Higher Constitution would help, but the illusionist's goal should be to knock out enemies as quickly as possible with as high a chance of success as possibe, rather than hoping to survive when they get through and hack at his fragile self with a big nasty axe, high Constitution or no high Constitution.
And as another already mentioned, illusions effectively do nothing but waste the caster's time when they're resisted; they don't do half damage or partial effect, aside from a few higher-level illusions like Phantasmal Killer (and even that does absolutely nothing if the target makes both saves). Still, I do acknowledge Constitution as important for saving a caster's life when they find themselves in a terrible position.
Nifft said:
Here is the language from the SRD that you quote, "In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster must be of high enough class level to be able to cast spells of a given spell level."
That says the same thing that I've been saying all along. If your intelligence gives you a bonus 3rd level spell SLOT, you can't use that slot to cast a 3rd level spell until you've reached 5th level and can cast 3rd level SPELLS.
The language you quote does not say that you can't use a bonus spell slot to cast a lower level spell. The rules specifically permit that:
Spell Slots
The various character class tables show how many spells of each level a character can cast per day. These openings for daily spells are called spell slots. A spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower-level spell. A spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score to cast spells that would otherwise be his or her due still gets the slots but must fill them with spells of lower level.
I always thought the Illusionist's strength was that he was able to distract the enemy with illusions so the other members of the party could take them apart piecemeal; illusion spells aren't as good as other schools at knocking someone out as quickly as possible. If you Silent Image a wall in front of the enemy, they'll spend at least one round figuring out if it's real before they try to find a way around it; at the very least they won't be able to shoot at you through it.Arkhandus said:
Color Spray is the exception, but the danger is that you already have to be close to the enemy to have it as a viable option; such proximity is inherently dangerous, and I would not seek that proximity, but hold that spell in reserve for self-defense.
If you both lower your HP by 3 and seek out proximity to the enemy to knock them out in exchange for a 5% greater chance of doing so, I'd say you're putting yourself in a sticky situation without a reasonable payoff for doing so. But at that point it's a playstyle thing.
roguerouge
First Post
At level 20, it will be the difference between 60 hp and +3 on Fort saves vs. an extra mid-level spell, 23 skill points, and a +1 on your spell DCs. I'd take 60 hit points every time.
I'd take Constitution as well. Trust me, you're a gnome... people will want to hit you. When you consider everything that massive Con score is going to give you:
-Another 3 hit points per level... this bumps your average up to 6.5 hit points per level. This is the same as a Cleric or Ranger with a 14 Constitution; a Rogue or Bard would need a 16 Con to match your average. You're going to be much more durable than your average wizard.
-+3 on Concentration checks... this is essentially a feat, in and of itself, and not a bad one for a wizard to grab at that. That right there balances out the drop in your save DCs if you're focusing on illusions. And your illusion DCs are going to be the same as, say, a human with a 17 Intelligence, since you're a gnome.
-A +3 bonus on your Fortitude save... which is worth more than a feat, and shores up a major weakness.
I mean, overall, you essentially get two bonus feats and the massive bump to your HP, for a spell slot, a +1 drop on saving throw DCs, and a drop in skill points. You're going to be a slightly less effective wizard, but you're going to survive much, much, much longer. I'd call that a very good trade.
-Another 3 hit points per level... this bumps your average up to 6.5 hit points per level. This is the same as a Cleric or Ranger with a 14 Constitution; a Rogue or Bard would need a 16 Con to match your average. You're going to be much more durable than your average wizard.
-+3 on Concentration checks... this is essentially a feat, in and of itself, and not a bad one for a wizard to grab at that. That right there balances out the drop in your save DCs if you're focusing on illusions. And your illusion DCs are going to be the same as, say, a human with a 17 Intelligence, since you're a gnome.
-A +3 bonus on your Fortitude save... which is worth more than a feat, and shores up a major weakness.
I mean, overall, you essentially get two bonus feats and the massive bump to your HP, for a spell slot, a +1 drop on saving throw DCs, and a drop in skill points. You're going to be a slightly less effective wizard, but you're going to survive much, much, much longer. I'd call that a very good trade.
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
By the way, you may find this thread useful on what to do with your Silent Image spells: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=145903
Arkhandus
First Post
Felix said:
Yeah, but I was talking about low level characters, not high level ones. Good low-level choices are often not the same as good choices for a character's high-level career, assuming they get that far.
Illusions of obstacles or distractions won't always work to keep the enemy distracted. Especially not for long, unless you've got ideal conditions (like a tight dungeon corridor, in which an illusionary wall might actually make enemies think they can't reach you).
