Wizzie/Sorc vs Bladesinger vs Spellsword @ level 20. Help please!

[Avatar28]

Update:
Well, I finally figured that I would go ahead and update you guys on my character. I finally ended up going FTR1/Wiz17/Bladesinger2. I only have a BAB of 11, though with stregth enhancement bonus from my equipment, weapon focus, and plusses on my sword, I'm at +18 to hit normally, +22 with greater magic weapon. Yeah, still not good. The DM nixed my idea of having a sword equivalent to a bow of true arrows (true strike as a command word activated action each round). So I doubt I'll be hitting without close to a critical. :-( On the other hand, I DO have an insane 52 AC with haste. (+5 ring of prot, +8 bracers of armor, +8 dex, +5 natural armor, +12 bladesinger ac bonus, +4 haste). 59 AC if I were to cast shield.

My sword is WAS going to be a +1 keen, brilliant energy, sword of spell storing. But our DM recommended against having only a brilliant energy weapon since it won't affect undead of constructs, and I can't afford much of anything else (well, no, not strictly true. I COULD get a cheaper weapon. I've still got 35,000 gp left that I can spend on something). So I'm looking at maybe something like a +1 shocking burst icy burst sword of spell storing. I was thinking that a spell like vampiric touch (up to 8d6 damage for no save converted to temp hit points) would work nicely there.

So, anyways, just gotta figure out what to do about my weapon, and then a name for it. Gotta have a name for a special weapon like that.

 

[dead_radish]

And just remember, there are spells like Tenser's Transformation that will greatly increase your BAB. And if you can work it, try to get Divine Power cast on you, or see if you can convince your DM to let you spend some of that 35k researching a spell that is the equivalent for a wizard (divine power gives you 18 strength and a fighter BAB for your level).

 

[Avatar28]

I can afford up to a +4 weapon still.

I'm almost wondering if I should go back to the keen, brilliant energy, spell storing for the first weapon, and then for things that the brilliant energy CAN'T affect, have another sword for that, perhaps a +1 with sonic and thundering or perhaps frost and shocking burst. Oooh, how about holy and keen? Thoughts anyone?

Question though. When you're dealing with high CR creatures, what sort of armor bonuses do they usually have? Is very much of it armor? Or is it more likely to be natural armor, dex, etc? Cause if that's the case, it really woudln't be worth the money for brilliant energy.

 

[Moleculo]

I think a lot of epic level monsters have insight and luck bonuses, though many have natural bonuses. So brilliant might not be terrible, but i would go with a +4 sword over a brilliant because i am not completely sure but most creatures this high in level will have damage reduction which i am not sure a brilliant sword +! will penetrate.

jake

 

[dead_radish]

Ah, but the key is that the sword will be enhanced with Greater Magic Weapon, so it's a +5 weapon already. Adding more than the required +1 is lost under GMW.

Holy is good if you're playing a heroic campaign. Holy Burst (from Call of Duty, by Chainmail Bikini) is better - it's like holy, but the evil creatures have to make a save or be stunned as well.

Holy Foebane is very nice, if you know where you're going.

Holy Vicious is neat if you can cast negative energy protection, or if you're undead.

 

[Balgus]

Since you have 34K leftover- why not just buy a +4 mace and have a +x brilliant energy scimitar as your main wepaon.

I don't know if you can keen a brilliant energy weapon tho. I know there is no rule against it but keen means that it is super sharp. a weapon that has no blade can't really be sharp...or is there a fantasy element of belief that i am missing.

i really don't like stacking too many bonuses on a weapon. it should have character- and a purpose. stacking shocking/ flaming/ icy burst onto a sword just dilutes its importance- and uniqueness...

back to the point- the reason i chose a BE scimitar is its large crit range. taking impr crit would make it even better. During times when you cant use it (constructs) the mace is more handy. a +4 mace wil go through almost all DR and also you dont give half damage from pierce/slash weapons.

Oh yeah- by dropping the scimitar to a +7 weapon, you can domp that evtra money into the mace- taking it up to +5 or +6- but leave it plain. you are a caster- let the fighter deal out the damage in melee. You should be lobbing spells and killing things other ways...

and don't forget to use your int. you have like a 40 int for a reason. don't jump into every fight like a maniac...

 

[Avatar28]

well, because a BIG point (in metagame) of my taking the bladesinger level was for the +12 AC bonus I get due to a 34 INT.

In RP terms, she was the daughter of a famous elven warrior, and he, naturally, wanted her to follow in his footsteps. Shortly after beginning her warrior's training, she ran off to a (human) city. There she came under the tutelage of the mage Joachim. He taught her the ways of magic, though she remained a bit wild. A few months ago, her master died due to complications of age. On his deathbed, he begged her to reconcile with her father. She took an oath to do so and returned to her ancestral home after the funeral.

As she approached, she found her father and some other elves in battle with a demon summoned by a rogue wizard. She was able to use her magic to occupy the wizard and her father managed to slay the demon, but not before being mortally wounded. All of the elven magics were unable to save him, but before he died, he directed her to seek out an old friend of his. His friend would teach her the sacred ways of the bladesinger. She promised him that she would do so.

I dunno, is that too morbid?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

If you're going for smackdowns, get an iuon stone of spell storing and convince your cleric friend to cast divine power in it. Without doing that, your BAB will still only be +19 after you cast Tenser's Transformation. If you do use Divine power first, your BAB will be +30. If you use polymorph self (troll, fire or stone giant form before casting Tenser's transformation, your strength and AC will jump even higher too).

As for weapons, I would recommend going for something like a +1 adamantium holy, flaming longsword of spell storing (get your cleric friend to put a maximized searing light into it or put a triple empowered vampiric touch or a quadruple empowered magic missile into it yourself (metamagic technically doesn't increase the level of the spell so even a spell requiring a 9th level slot fits under spell storing's 3rd level limit--cheesy but arguable). Adamantium will help you survive sunder attempts. Back that up with something like a +1 adamantium construct bane longsword or an Undead bane morning star of disruption (or just a plain old +1 adamantium undead bane longsword if you want to keep your bladesinger AC bonus) and you'll be prepared for all eventualities. Bane weapons will probably be very useful for you when you fight epic monsters since bane makes the weapon function as if it were +2 higher than the enhancement bonus (+5 from GMW) so you will effectively have a +7 enhancement bonus on your weapon which will be needed against epic level DR.

 

[Avatar28]

I've already got a ring of spell storing, I could also do the divine power into that. Great idea, I wish I'd thought of that. My DM said he may also let me make an arcane version of Divine Power, but it'd be a level 4 spell, so not a whole lot better than Tenser's Transformation.

I like the idea of the three swords but, unfortunately, I can't afford that right now. Plus I can't see an RP reason right now that she would have an undead bane on construct bane sword. We probably will be doing a lot of planar travel, for what that's worth. And actually, I've got 55,000 gp left, but that's where I made my sword. If I make it, I can only afford 25,000 gp in value cause I've only got 1000 xp left I can spend. And just to ease things, I'd rather keep the value of my sword at +7, just because I've already got that calculated, though I DID add in the Admantium to the cost fairly easily. Though that only leaves me with 600 xp left. :-(

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

You're missing the point with the Divine Power/Tenser's Transformation. An Arcane Divine Power is better for you than Tenser's transformation because it gives a higher base attack and lets you continue to cast spells (and has no material component). However the real power comes when you first cast divine power which raises your base attack bonus to equal your character level and then cast Tenser's Transformation which gives you +1 BAB/2 caster levels. That way you end up with +29 BAB whereas just doing one or the other gives you +19 (Tenser's) or +20 BAB (Divine Power).

I've already got a ring of spell storing, I could also do the divine power into that. Great idea, I wish I'd thought of that. My DM said he may also let me make an arcane version of Divine Power, but it'd be a level 4 spell, so not a whole lot better than Tenser's Transformation.

I like the idea of the three swords but, unfortunately, I can't afford that right now. Plus I can't see an RP reason right now that she would have an undead bane on construct bane sword. We probably will be doing a lot of planar travel, for what that's worth. And actually, I've got 55,000 gp left, but that's where I made my sword. If I make it, I can only afford 25,000 gp in value cause I've only got 1000 xp left I can spend. And just to ease things, I'd rather keep the value of my sword at +7, just because I've already got that calculated, though I DID add in the Admantium to the cost fairly easily. Though that only leaves me with 600 xp left. :-(