Scorching Ray Build

[Mistwell]

In a different thread some folks were asking to see the "Scorching Ray Build".

The other thread concerned wraithstrike. The thread was closed, and for a good reason. Let's not revive that topic here. This thread is just for discussion of a Scorching Ray build, and is not intended for comparison to a wraithstrike build. I really hope folks will respect that request.

Thanks to MyLuckyDice over at the WOTC boards for writing this up.

It was restricted to level 12 at my request, as that was the level mentioned at the time I asked about it. If anyone has an improvement, criticism, continuation to level 20, comparison to similar ray-type spell builds, etc., I'd like to hear about them.

Evoker 5 Incantatrix 7
Variant: Focused Specialist (PHB2)
1 Evoker 1 Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot
2 Evoker 2
3 Evoker 3 Iron Will
4 Evoker 4
5 Evoker 5 Searing Spell (Sandstorm)
6 Incantatrix 1 Arcane Thesis Schorching Ray, Burning Spell (Sandstorm)
7 Incantatrix 2
8 Incantatrix 3
9 Incantatrix 4 Empower Spell, Extend Spell
10 Incantatrix 5 Twin Spell
11 Incantatrix 6
12 Incantatrix 7 Quicken Spell, Persistent Spell


Prohibited: Necromancy, Enchantment, Conjuration, Illusion*
*Gained with Incantatrix.


Spells per Day (Including Bonus spells, specialization, and focused specialist, 26 INT)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 9 9 9 8 7 6

@ Three Fights Per Day

Round 1
6th Twinned Empowered Searing Burning Scorching Ray = (12d6)*1.5+12+12d6 = 117 average damage.
6th Quickened Empowered Searing Burning Scorching Ray = 12d6*1.5+12 = 75

Round 2:
5th Twinned Searing Burning Scorching Ray = 12d6+12+12d6 = 96 average damage.
5th Quickened Searing Burning Scorching Ray = 12d6*1.5+12 = 75

Round 3:
4th Twinned Searing Burning Scorching Ray: 12d6+12d6 = 84
4th Quickened Searing Burning Scorching Ray: 12d6+12 = 54

Round 4:
3rd Empowered Searing Burning Scorching Ray = 12d6*1.5+12 = 75

In the final fight of the day he'd be using more of the same stuff as above in round 4, or simply searing burning scorching rays. He's still got some slots left over to buff with of course, but for the most part he's all damage. Thanks to burning spell he can ignore fire resistance and even does half damage to fire immune creatures (or was it searing spell? One gives 1 fire damage per damage die)

Thinking about it, He'd be about the same as above as a sorcerer with the PHB2 reduced casting times for your quickened spells. More versatility as well, since you wouldn't have to sack so many schools just to get your spells per day up.

[Note: I think he left out the point blank shot damage, which is fine since that is variable depending on range anyway]

 

[hong]

Wraithstrike is still broken.

 

[Mistwell]

Wraithstrike is still broken.

Ooi!

 

[SlagMortar]

Do you have attack bonus, hit points, AC, and saving throws?

 

[Mistwell]

Do you have attack bonus, hit points, AC, and saving throws?

You have a high dex, precise shot and point blank shot, and they are ranged touch attacks. So hitting shouldn't be too much of a challenge, though it's an issue that will sometimes come up. Fortunately, it's not a hit or miss tactic - you are shooting 6 rays a round, and can afford to miss with one without it being a huge problem.

Hit points will be low I assume. You are a ranged attacker that is a wizard, so it should be played like a wizard. You do have meta-magiced buffs to help, however, and your Incantatrix abilities help with them as well. I might consider switching Necromancy to be the school you lose with Incantatrix, as you will still have access to an empowered False Life if you do that (though you lose out on useful illusions like the image spells, mirror image, and invisibility, so not sure it's a great trade off). You also can metamagic wands with the Incantatrix ability, so that also will help with hit points.

AC should be decent. You have enough spell slots for meta-magiced buffs, and your Incantatrix abilities help with them as well. Mirror Image, Invisibility, Mage Armor, etc...will all be available.

Saving throws are pretty good actually, though a bit lopsided with that Iron Will in there.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Wraithstrike is still broken.

But that's not what this thread is about--Mistwell did ask to just discuss this build

In this case, I'd say the only problem (in my opinion) is the Arcane Thesis feat. Arcane Thesis is horribly broken in almost all cases where you would want to take it. Incantatrix is also possibly the strongest Wizard PrC around (plus many GMs don't allow the Player's Guide to Faerun in a typical game, as an FR supplement), but I allow the PrC in my game anyway. Arcane Thesis is the problem. Also, the guy on the WotC forums did not apply a "minimum +1" rule to the Arcane Thesis feat, which is technically okay by the letter of the rules, since the feat doesn't speak to it at all, but I'll note that other metamagic reductions do have a "minimum +1" rule (at least he didn't take Energy Substitution and try to make it cost -1 level, which some Arcane Thesis builds do, though).

Just because I'm curious, I'm going to try to see what this build would look like without Arcane Thesis (because even though it has some very powerful stuff, I don't think any of the things in this build except Arcane Thesis are actually broken--it's very focused, but other than that it's a perfectly fair build):

Lessee--he'll get another feat. I'm not sure what to take for him, though. Mistwell, if the WotC guy has a good suggestion for another feat, I'm willing to take it--I don't want my comparison build to be too weak because I wasn't imaginative enough. Without the other feat, though, the build seems much more reasonable--in fact, it's almost enough to prove that Arcane Thesis is broken by itself.

6th-level spells:

Twinned Scorching Ray + Quickened Scorching Ray (36d6) averages to 126, strongly resistable by fire resistance, but he can throw in Searing if he finds Fire Resistance--hey, maybe he could be a Sorcerer so he could do that on the fly? You suggested that, Mistwell, and I think that works--it even gets rid of the feat, since he won't have a bonus feat at 5. What if he had Maximize and Searing as an alternative to Twinned if he finds someone with Fire Resistance?

Lest you think I'm just picking on something random to call broken in the build, I promise that I am not. My main FtF campaign is a fairly high-powered game compared to most people here. I have Incantatrixes with Metamagic rods who fire off powerful meta-ed spells, and other such things. There aren't very many things that aren't in Complete Divine that I've banned from my game, but Arcane Thesis is on that short list. For the four original Completes plus core, it's a short list that includes nothing in Complete Warrior, things in Complete Divine like Divine Metamagic, Wraithstrike from Complete Adventurer (and I nerfed a few other things for preferences sake), and a nerf to the orbs in Complete Arcane (making them subject to SR--they make high level play less fun). From PHII, the only thing I can think of that I've banned is Arcane Thesis. Whatever books have the spells that basically eliminate SR, those are banned too, and there's a few more from other books.

 

[MyLuckyDice]

I'll admit, most of the improved damage from the build comes from the arcane thesis feat. I don't have the time at the moment but I might try to stat one up as a sorcerer without arcane thesis tomorrow perhaps, I suspect it will be much less impressive.

O, and the build above has 1 more spell per day of each level than it should, I mis-remembered the focused specialist ability.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I'll admit, most of the improved damage from the build comes from the arcane thesis feat. I don't have the time at the moment but I might try to stat one up as a sorcerer without arcane thesis tomorrow perhaps, I suspect it will be much less impressive.

O, and the build above has 1 more spell per day of each level than it should, I mis-remembered the focused specialist ability.

Cool, the extra slots should allow it to maintain the damage and still have space for some survival buffs (though admittedly no Mage Armour because it is barred from Conjuration).

 

[MyLuckyDice]

Okay so I was bored before going to bed....

Ah, sorry It’s not searing spell but rather Fiery Spell from sandstorm that gives +1 damage per die. Got the name mixed up.

I did this guy at 13th level simply because it looks better, damage drops a bit in that one level as he gains the instant metamagic ability.

Sorcerer 6 Incantatrix 7
1 Sorcerer 1 Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot
2 Sorcerer 2
3 Sorcerer 3 Iron Will
4 Sorcerer 4
5 Sorcerer 5
6 Sorcerer 6 Extend Spell
7 Incantatrix 1 Fiery Spell (Sandstorm)
8 Incantatrix 2
9 Incantatrix 3 Empower Spell
10 Incantatrix 4 Twin Spell
11 Incantatrix 5
12 Incantatrix 6 Energy Substitution: Fire
13 Incantatrix 7 Persistent Spell

Instant Metamagiced Persistent Fire Substituted Acid Sheath (From spell compendium)
*Acid Sheath gives +1 damage per die to acid descriptor spells.

6th Twinned Scorching Ray = 24d6+24 = 108

5th Empowered Fiery Scorching Ray = (12d6+12)*1.5+12) = 75

3rd Fiery Scorching Ray = 12d6+24 = 66

Turns out simply empowering is weaker than a fiery scorching ray for average damage, so you’re better off using the 3rd level version in 4th level slots.

As you can see, much less impressive than above. He’d grab that feat that lets you cast metamagic without increasing casting time at 15, then grab quicken at 16 with his incantatrix bonus feat.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Interesting. Still a powerful and effective build, no doubt at all, but I'd not have a problem at all with this in my game.

Note that even the original build with Arcane Thesis had an Achilles' Heel that I forgot to mention--the character would be completely powerless against Globe of Invulnerability.