Powerbuilders unite II: Spellcaster?

[Cornflower]

Greetings powerbuilders!

I was thinking maybe, maybe I would try to play a spellcaster. Now, I can play sorcerer or wizard, but my question is: If i want to have at least a resemblance of a chance of levelling up alone on Blackstone Keep, how should I build?
Sorcerer, pure or RDD?
Wiz, pure or pale master?

I see a lot of different multiclass builds in the player list, but I don't want to pick one level rogue to get certain feats, then one level fighter for the BAB, etc, etc. That being said, I'm fairly open to suggestions.

Oh, also, I have another character that I craft with, but she's a fighter, so she can forge basic stuff, but not the good stuff. In any case, I'll probably end up buying forged items from the Illuminati guild, rather than grind a crafter up to lvl 40....

[Sorcy Sid]

Greetings powerbuilders!

I was thinking maybe, maybe I would try to play a spellcaster. Now, I can play sorcerer or wizard, but my question is: If i want to have at least a resemblance of a chance of levelling up alone on Blackstone Keep, how should I build?
Sorcerer, pure or RDD?
Wiz, pure or pale master?

I see a lot of different multiclass builds in the player list, but I don't want to pick one level rogue to get certain feats, then one level fighter for the BAB, etc, etc. That being said, I'm fairly open to suggestions.

Oh, also, I have another character that I craft with, but she's a fighter, so she can forge basic stuff, but not the good stuff. In any case, I'll probably end up buying forged items from the Illuminati guild, rather than grind a crafter up to lvl 40....

It's pretty much a hack and slash server, from my sorcerer point of view. The build detail is not so important because magic users are not meant to melee. For a magic user to live longer, IMO, it's how you play the game. Which is with a lot of ghostly visage, invisibility, and staying as far back as you can.

That said, I use and buff every familiar (hell hound) and summons I can get as personal tanks for my front line. Dont forget the attack dog. It also can be buffed to do a lot of damage. My ranged weapons and attack spells I use sparingly in order to avoid being attacked. For the lower levels both Foxmore and Bordermarch have powerful summoning items you can buy until you can add a hireling and or gain higher levels. The hireling can be extremely powerful going up to around level 20 when he's fully buffed. A few Ghostly Visage wands are great to have at at the start.

Lately my sorcerers are a spin off of the 'exalted sorceress' build. But I have dropped the recommended melee feats in favor of casting feats. This still gives me a good fortitude save and allows for maximizing my caster abilities. I also wont be taking the final class of the ES build. Remember, the ES build is designed specifically for PvP. Not the waves of monsters you run into on this server.

[Kane0]

Playing a straight caster is pretty much hard mode. As soon as you stop getting new spell levels (17th level) enemies start to dramatically outpace your ability to put them down via HP, Saving Throws, Spell Resistance, Immunities or a combination thereof. Note that this isn't unique to Blackstone, it's pretty common thanks to how epic levels work (especially Hit Point inflation) and how casting progression pretty much halts except for a few choice spells (eg Flame Arrow).

Focusing on blasting spells (HP damage) has many pitfalls but can be done to a reasonable degree. Save or Die spells are also plenty usable in the right circumstances but can become quite inconsistent.

But no matter what strategy you choose to go with, sooner or later you will need a meatshield, and more often than not it is most effective to buff that meatshield than try to deal with critters yourself, both in terms of slot expenditure and success rate.

A divine caster like a cleric can self buff quite well given the right setup, essentially becoming a bruiser in its own right but needing prep time and avoid dispels. Arcane casters can do similar but have a harder job of it because of Arcane Spell Failure, lower hit die and pretty much no proficiencies to speak of.

So the question is: are you willing to be reduced to party buffbot starting from around level 20, are you willing to gish, or are you a masochist

[Cornflower]

Playing a straight caster is pretty much hard mode.
....
So the question is: are you willing to be reduced to party buffbot starting from around level 20, are you willing to gish, or are you a masochist

Err... Since I play while everyone else is not, I think I might have to shelf the whole spellcaster idea.

[Wing--Zero]

Which one you want? Sorc or Wiz? I can give you a build for both that can be the meat sheild and cast all spells just send me a Pm

[Sorcy Sid]

Playing a straight caster is pretty much hard mode.
....
So the question is: are you willing to be reduced to party buffbot starting from around level 20, are you willing to gish, or are you a masochist

Err... Since I play while everyone else is not, I think I might have to shelf the whole spellcaster idea.

Dont give up so quickly. There are quite a few monsters in the Underdark and Waste that you can dominate for your meat shields. Umgah comes to mind.

[Kalizzle]

Which one you want? Sorc or Wiz? I can give you a build for both that can be the meat sheild and cast all spells just send me a Pm

Yessss listen to wing! Hes a pro at great builds!

[nicmercy]

Which one you want? Sorc or Wiz? I can give you a build for both that can be the meat sheild and cast all spells just send me a Pm

I'd be interested in seeing both a sorcerer and wizard build that would do well on Blackstone. I'm currently leveling a melee character but have always had a fondness for casters.

[Sorcy Sid]

Sorcerer Build.
Note. This is a post in progress. Things may be edited, since I am at work. If Digger doesn't like this post I wont mind him deleting it.
This build is a variant on the Exalted Sorcerer build. But drops anything to do with melee. No monk level at 40.

Lawful Good for the Paladin level. Research your deity for the best perks.

Str 10. I like this so I can carry more loot.
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 8
Cha 18

Spells: http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Recommended_spells

As other posters have stated elsewhere for solo fighter builds, you typically have to be a few levels higher than the monsters.

01: Sorcerer(1): Toughness, Combat Casting --- Familiar = Hell Hound or Panther.
02: Sorcerer(2)
03: Sorcerer(3): Extended spell
04: Sorcerer(4): CHA+1,
05: Sorcerer(5)
06: Sorcerer(6): Empower Spell---
07: Sorcerer(7)
08: Sorcerer(8): CHA+1,
09: Sorcerer(9): Maximise spell ---
10: Sorcerer(10)
11: Sorcerer(11)
12: Sorcerer(12): CHA+1, Silent Spell
13: Sorcerer(13)
14: Sorcerer(14)
15: Sorcerer(15): SPELL PENETRATION----
16: Sorcerer(16): CHA+1,
17: Sorcerer(17)
18: Sorcerer(18):
19: Sorcerer(19)
20: Paladin(1): CHA+1,

The rest is basically maxing out Great Charisma.

As for skill points, it all goes into Spellcraft, Concentration, and Tumble. No Lore needed when you can cast Identify.

Final base stats for Fortitude, Reflex and Will are 29 to 33. Forties with the your magic items.

I would love to see other posters suggestions.

Pro Spellcaster tip: Carry a ranged weapon but no ammo in order to avoid accidentally attacking a monster and taking attacks of opportunity when invisible. There is a ranged weapon that has +2 charisma.

As I said earlier, familiars, summons, and hirelings are essential to keep the monsters at bay so you can rain fire down on them.

It's pretty much a hack and slash server, from my sorcerer point of view. The build detail is not so important because magic users are not meant to melee. For a magic user to live longer, IMO, it's how you play the game. Which is with a lot of ghostly visage, invisibility, and staying as far back as you can.

That said, I use and buff every familiar (hell hound) and summons I can get as personal tanks for my front line. Dont forget the attack dog. It also can be buffed to do a lot of damage. My ranged weapons and attack spells I use sparingly in order to avoid being attacked. For the lower levels both Foxmore and Bordermarch have powerful summoning items you can buy until you can add a hireling and or gain higher levels. The hireling can be extremely powerful going up to around level 20 when he's fully buffed. A few Ghostly Visage wands are great to have at at the start.

Lately my sorcerers are a spin off of the 'exalted sorceress' build. But I have dropped the recommended melee feats in favor of casting feats. This still gives me a good fortitude save and allows for maximizing my caster abilities. I also wont be taking the final class of the ES build. Remember, the ES build is designed specifically for PvP. Not the waves of monsters you run into on this server.

[Ming]

I don't know about dropping imp expertise in that build. Even if you are trying to avoid combat, at some point you will get attacked, and sitting in imp expertise while casting is kinda a no-brainer in most situations. Same thing for dropping the one level of monk, you only get 4ac from cross class tumble. Where as one lvl of monk gets you both tumble maxed and much more importantly it gives you Evasion.

Also I am assuming you are taking improved combat casting in the epic lvls then? Cause your first lvl combat casting does literally nothing unless you are using the defensive casting combat mode. Though of course its the prereq for improved combat casting.

When I run the exalted sorc build on nonpvp servers, I tend to change the spell focus feats to spell penetration feats, and I change some of the spells up as I find timestop more useful then Wail of the banshee, some of the others could be tweaked as well of course. Horrid wilting isnt nearly as good without the other 6 to its dc, though its still pretty good.

[Kane0]

Note that some critters are flat out immune to spells, not just high SR or saves. Those ones are the worst.

A lot of the time you will want single target spells over AoEs, Blackstone doesnt feature a lot of swarms. The Bigbys line is popular.

One cool trick of casters is retributive damage. Get your DR as high as possible with things like stoneskin and energy buffer then load up empowered death armor, acid sheath and elemental shield to let enemies beat the selves to death on you.

I would recommend wizard over sorc, it allows you to change up your loadout of spells much more freely sonyou can experiment and find what works for you.

[Kane0]

What would be interesting is if you could polymorph your familiar or animal companion, so you could get a buffable, scaling combat buddy after 9th/epic summons start to wear a bit thin.

[Cornflower]

OK, I'm probably missing something obvious, but why paladin at lvl 20???

Also, I'm guessing you could build the same thing with a wizard?

Sorcerer Build.
Note. This is a post in progress. Things may be edited, since I am at work. If Digger doesn't like this post I wont mind him deleting it.
This build is a variant on the Exalted Sorcerer build. But drops anything to do with melee. No monk level at 40.

Lawful Good for the Paladin level. Research your deity for the best perks.

Str 10. I like this so I can carry more loot.
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 8
Cha 18

Spells: http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Recommended_spells

As other posters have stated elsewhere for solo fighter builds, you typically have to be a few levels higher than the monsters.

01: Sorcerer(1): Toughness, Combat Casting --- Familiar = Hell Hound or Panther.
02: Sorcerer(2)
03: Sorcerer(3): Extended spell
04: Sorcerer(4): CHA+1,
05: Sorcerer(5)
06: Sorcerer(6): Empower Spell---
07: Sorcerer(7)
08: Sorcerer(8): CHA+1,
09: Sorcerer(9): Maximise spell ---
10: Sorcerer(10)
11: Sorcerer(11)
12: Sorcerer(12): CHA+1, Silent Spell
13: Sorcerer(13)
14: Sorcerer(14)
15: Sorcerer(15): SPELL PENETRATION----
16: Sorcerer(16): CHA+1,
17: Sorcerer(17)
18: Sorcerer(18):
19: Sorcerer(19)
20: Paladin(1): CHA+1,

The rest is basically maxing out Great Charisma.

As for skill points, it all goes into Spellcraft, Concentration, and Tumble. No Lore needed when you can cast Identify.

...

[Kane0]

Cha to saves, and proficiencies if you’re auto-stilling. I can post the wizard i have planned too if youre interested.

[Sorcy Sid]

OK, I'm probably missing something obvious, but why paladin at lvl 20???

In the original Exalted Sorceress build you dumped 23 saved skill points into discipline.

Cha to saves, and proficiencies if you’re auto-stilling. I can post the wizard i have planned too if youre interested.

Please do. I would like to see that.