What is a good prestige class for a warmage?

[cignus_pfaccari]

I don't have the book on me right now, but I'm pretty (90%) sure it does say you gain proficiency with them. You gain the proficiencies as you level.

It's mentioned under the Weapons and Armor Proficiencies header.

Brad

 

[Gez]

Check out Complete Arcane again. Warmages do get proficiency in Medium Armors at 8th level, at the same time as the second Armored Mage ability comes in.

Time to switch up to Mithral Full Plate?

Mithral makes an armor considered as one category lighter for purpose of things like class features that are restricted by armor type (barbarians, rangers, scouts, etc. have such class features) and for movement. Not for proficiency.

 

[Shin Okada]

Mithral makes an armor considered as one category lighter for purpose of things like class features that are restricted by armor type (barbarians, rangers, scouts, etc. have such class features) and for movement. Not for proficiency.

In Races of Wild, Mithral armors are classified as actually 1 category lighter than the usual one.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Personally, I agree that Bladeweave and Wraithstrike are more useful overall. One day, I will play the Illumian Dragonslayer I've been tinkering with.

If you do remember the best antidragon spell- Earthbind - If you can get to close range the dragon is Hosed. Its transmutation, so out of reach for a warmage.

 

[Storyteller01]

To Henk-Thokk

Give me some time for the Battle Mage. Looks like I'll have to scan the info into my cpmputer, then edit out the non-OGL content. It would take too long to type it out.

 

[Darmanicus]

Some people aren't interested in OGL sources. If they like them, I'll pass the info on.

OGL?

 

[kigmatzomat]

OGL?

Open Gaming License. It's one of the two licenses that lets someone other than WotC publish D&D compatible books based on the System Reference Document (SRD) which is basically the DMG, PHB, MM, and XPH. The other license is the d20 STL.

The D20 STL (d20 system trademark license) says you can use the d20 trademark and indicate you are compatible with D&D but there are some restrictions that boil down to forcing the need for the PHB and DMG.

OGL says, in essence, that you can do what you want with the OGLd material (e.g. the SRD), including releasing your own game system. The restrictions are that you can't reference any other trademarked product in any fashion without a trademark license. (i.e. the d20 STL) The other caveat is that you have to indicate which portions of your book are OGL and give credit.

Many OGL books add OGL content. The great thing about OGL content is that it can be posted online, shared, and reused in other books legally. It means those rules become "immortal" and never disappear as long as someone is willing to keep them online.

The thing is that all OGL books are non-WotC books and some people don't play with anything that isn't WotC. It used to make more sense since many 3rd party books weren't balanced very well but given my opinion of the 3.5 splat books, I think it's irrelevant now.

 

[GreenMan76]

Very late piping in

I know this is an old friend and the OP probably has made all character decisions but if someone else is looking for the same info I suggest Havoc Mage out of the Minatures Handbook as the PrC. It is only 5 levels so some levels in Fighter, Ranger or even Swashbuckler would be good.

 

[DumbPaladin]

I am a level 2 human warmage. I want to become a prestige class that lets me keep casting spells, but also keeps me a good, strong fighter.

Since no one else has mentioned it, how about Abjurant Champion? Full BAB, d10 per level (which could definitely help your hitpoints out), perfect casting progression, and it'll boost the shield spell for you if you learn it via eclectic learning (which you probably should do when you can, since it'll max out at +9 shield bonus to AC while leaving your shield hand empty). [Abjurant Champion doesn't work on mage armor as written, but does work on luminous armor & greater luminous armor from Book of Exalted Deeds.]

You'd need to know one abjuration spell. This can be anything from level 0 resistance to level 1 shield to ... whatever. I don't think warmage has a single abjuration spell on its list, so you MUST learn one before you can join this class. You could learn resistance as a 1st level spell at Warmage 3, but you're probably better off learning shield for the future AC boost or nightshield (Spell Compendium) for a better save boost, and you can learn either as a 2nd level spell at level 6.

You also need proficiency with at least one martial weapon, BAB +5, and the Combat Casting feat. Both the martial weapon proficiency and BAB boost can be fixed by a 1-level dip into Barbarian, Fighter, Marshal, Paladin, Ranger, or a couple other perfect BAB classes who know all martial weapons. If you also take Combat Casting at level 3 or 6, you could end up entering the Abjurant Champion PrC at level 7 as a Fighter (or whatever) 1 / Warmage 6, or at level 6 as a Fighter 2 / Warmage 5. By the time you complete the PrC, your BAB would go from being +5 to +10, and you'll be the equivalent of a level 10 - 11 Warmage caster.

(You could also qualify by taking a level of Battle Sorcerer, which could give you access to your level 1 abjuration spell and exactly 1 martial weapon, but this wouldn't boost your BAB, so you'd have to be Battle Sorcerer 1 / Warmage 7 to do it, which isn't as useful as the other options.)

On top of the perfect progression and fighter BAB, the abjurant champion abilities are pretty neat. Way less useful for a warmage than, say, a sorcerer or wizard ... but you could still find use for them, especially the boosts you gain access to at level 4.

This PrC is in Complete Mage.

 

[Dandu]

A one level dip in Duskblade gets you BaB, weapon proficienies and a first level Abjuration spell, though you will need to use the Extra Spell feat to learn Shield if you want to have the Abjurant Champion's AC bonus apply to anything useful.