Problem with spellcasting drow (or any other LA+2)

[marune]

I would need a feat that would give a +2 manifester level and a little extra benefit that would be equivalent to the Praticed spellcaster feat (from C.A.)

This feat is for a drow wizard that suffer a lot from the + 2 L.A.

Edit : Look at my next post bellow.

 

[Krelios]

Why not just use Practiced Spellcaster? The LA is there because Drow are more powerful than other races. This feat helps overcome a weakness that presents for spellcasters.

 

[Henry]

This is, Practiced Spellcaster (Practiced Manifester?) Wouldn't do it; you can only go as high as your hit dice. That feat is for split classed spellcasters, or high hit dice monsters who have only taken a few levels of spellcasting, but should be a lot stronger than that would suggest.

Your better bet, skeptic, would be to look into the Overchannel and Talented Feats from Expanded Psionics Handbook. It would help the difference until you had gained a few levels so that the low hit points and manifest level wouldn't matter as much.

 

[Krelios]

Quite right. I guess Practiced Spellcaster wouldn't help at all in this case.

 

[marune]

Quite right. I guess Practiced Spellcaster wouldn't help at all in this case.

I don't know what I was thinking, Praticed Sp. is limited by HD.

I still got a problem with this drow wizard who is currently the "weakess" character in the group :

2 less HD means that he suffer more from HD based spells (Holy word and the like)

Of course, being one spell level behind the others spellcasters (Cleric, Psion) is really bad.

His SR is weaker than the monk's one (little dif.).

The bonus to ability scores doesn't shine so much because other party members have items that does the same.

The only advantage that shined over all the campaign is the 120' darkvision.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

So if he's weak just reduce his LA.

Drow should only be LA +1 IMO.

 

[Jack Simth]

As a caster(cognate), yeah, the LA on a drow bites hard, especially as the abiltiy bonuses don't push the save DC's above where they would be otherwise.

Now, if you were playing, say, a Phenric Human Wilder (+4 Charisma, +2 LA), your manifester level would still be down by 2, but your save DC's would be up by 2; as most of the powers save DC's scale up at +1 DC per 2 PP's spent, that puts you at a net gain of +1 DC (at a cost of power points, manifester level, power access, saves, BAB, Hit Points, Hit Dice, and Feat Progression). For primary casters (and caster cognates, such as Psions or Wilders), Level Adjustments greater than 0 bite ... hard.

You might, for example, have been a Grey Elf (+2 Int, -2 Str + regular elf traits; LA + 0), put those extra two levels into Psion, and picked up the Touchsight power, possibly Psionic Darkvision, and Incarnate. Poof! Permanent Darkvision-60, in addition to elven low-light vision. Granted, Darkvision-60 is not as good as Darkvision-120, but you have noticed the drawbacks inherent in an LA, and with the extra powers known and power points, you could manifest an augmented Touchsight when needing a longer sight range. LA > 0 is generally not worth it for a primary caster (there are a small handful of exceptions - usually, overpowered templates, or those that add to your effective spellcasting level in a spellcasting class you were taking anyway).

 

[JohnSnow]

Buy off his LA. There's rules for doing so in Unearthed Arcana. Once that's done, he'll catch up quick.