DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Ebiris]

Combo since it's mostly been a combo for them this week, along with Cor's vacation being internet unfriendly. The trip to Balmuria's been fun but slow due to circumstances, I fully plan to see it blossom next week. Marie remains a joy with or without Antenora, I'm just fond of her. The festival at the Cauldron was nice. It suffered a bit by last Friday being a shitty day for me (see above about Fridays), but I enjoyed it.

Yeah playing Marie's kinda fun, not a lot to say since not much has happened. But it's nice to have her out on her own rather than floating by Alicia's shoulder.

[Corwin]

I look forward to seeing her reinvent herself with Mystra's help!

[Anastasia]

Combo since it's mostly been a combo for them this week, along with Cor's vacation being internet unfriendly. The trip to Balmuria's been fun but slow due to circumstances, I fully plan to see it blossom next week. Marie remains a joy with or without Antenora, I'm just fond of her. The festival at the Cauldron was nice. It suffered a bit by last Friday being a shitty day for me (see above about Fridays), but I enjoyed it.

Yeah playing Marie's kinda fun, not a lot to say since not much has happened. But it's nice to have her out on her own rather than floating by Alicia's shoulder.

Yes, and also because the upcoming Mystra thing as noted.

[Anastasia]

Tryll level ups will be tomorrow sometime.

[Anastasia]

Dana reaches level 31.

- Dwarven Defender 18 and Psychic Warrior 23.
- 5 on a d12 for a total of 18 hit points and a grand total of 597 hit points.
- BAB rises by 1 to +31.
- Gains 31st level psychic warrior manifesting.
- Damage reduction rises by 3 to 14/-.
- No change to saves. The next bonus is at level 32.
- No change to ability scores. The next bonus is at level 32.
- Skills go up as normal.
- No new feats.

Psychic WArrior progression in the next post, due to needing a new power.

[Anastasia]

Okay, Dana's up to 457 power points, a rise of 30 power points.

Dana's Leap
Psychoportation (Teleportation)
Level: Psychic Warrior 9
Display: Visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal and touch
Targets: You and up to one touched willing creature/3 levels
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Power Points: 17

This power allows teleportation identical to greater teleport, except as noted here.

Augment

If you spend 4 additional power points, you can teleport between planes, as if by a gate spell.

Dana's done with her level now.

[Anastasia]

Okay, Marie rebuild for overdue promotion.

So something like Tulani 31//Caster class 5/Force Missile Mage 5/Argent Savant 5/whatever? I'm leaving the rebuild in your hands, she's really your NPC here (and gets grandfathered in). Will you need any epic progressions for her or custom material?

Generally, the way I do advanced outsides is this. I take them as written and advance them in hit dice. I don't do savage species, I don't add stats (except the normal +1 at every level divisible by 4) and then adjust as needed. Running racial hit dice means all of her racial powers continue to advance in DC (and sometimes improve, depending on the build and what I'm doing with them).

This generally works out well and prevents stat bloat - that's really the problem SS has, since you roll stats then add to it. At least in this level of play with gestalt, it ends up causing problems so I simply prefer not to use it.

Tulani stats are Str 20, Dex and Con 22, Int and Wis 24 and Cha 26, so she's more than fine with a stat booster and whatever poitns she gets from leveling. Lemme know what her stats are going to look like.

[Ebiris]

Any changes to the tulani statblock? As far as stuff running into our houserules there's a few issues.

Gaze is instant death to evil stuff with 5hd or less.
SLA list includes polymorph any object.

That's actually about it.

[Anastasia]

Drop the SLA and...lemme check, I haven't used too many tulani the way it's worked out. The Angel of Last Resort turned into a personalized fear gaze, Faerinaal dropped it in favor of a second ray attack. Just grab a lesser tulani's gaze if reasonable or make something fitting. Eladrin tend to be chaotic and sometimes mutate a bit, anyway.

[Anastasia]

Suggestions welcome for things beyond that.

Would like to talk about a few spells/ideas. Specifically:
-Trait Suppression combat spell. Regular spell removes a trait for hours and has a long cast time. Something with a sped up casting time and lasting either rounds or minutes. Maybe something with a condition like knowing/picking a specific trait so it'd have a soft built-in pre-req for knowledge checks/reserach type thing? Dunno.

Okay, gimme a quick sketch of a spell there and we'll go from there.

-Coordinated Spell uses/tactics. Planar artillery idea is still nagging my brain. It's a good visual.

Okay cool, what ideas do you have there?

-Do some testing with the debuff type transmutation spells and DCs to see how viable they really are.

Sure. What spells?

-Talk with you about transmutation school in general and get a better feel for the general focus/aesthetics of it for future spell design.

Sure, what precisely do you have in mind?

[Iron Dragoon]

Would like to talk about a few spells/ideas. Specifically:
-Trait Suppression combat spell. Regular spell removes a trait for hours and has a long cast time. Something with a sped up casting time and lasting either rounds or minutes. Maybe something with a condition like knowing/picking a specific trait so it'd have a soft built-in pre-req for knowledge checks/reserach type thing? Dunno.

Okay, gimme a quick sketch of a spell there and we'll go from there.

Ability Hamstring
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched living creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

Make an immediate knowledge check. Based on the result, you may temporarily remove one extraordinary or supernatural ability of your choice from the target creature revealed by the result of the knowledge check.
This spell does not work on constructs, oozes, or undead.
Material Component: A pinch of ash.

-Coordinated Spell uses/tactics. Planar artillery idea is still nagging my brain. It's a good visual.

Okay cool, what ideas do you have there?

Something like having mages at the order set up in spell circles, with a leader of the circle connected to whoever (let's call them a spotter for simplicity's sake). The circle leader lets the spotter know when they're ready to cast the spell and the spotter opens a portal for them to fire the spell through. Spotter then closes the portal and moves to find a new target or new angle.

Things like that. Since spell circles can, with enough people, dramatically increase the CL and DCs of spells that would otherwise simply bounce off of higher level creatures, it can be super useful. Same with buffs. If there's a minute/level spell, like say, Dolorous Blow, then with enough people I can make it last hours and hours, or having a group of mages casting a Dispel and maxing out the CL, so it's more of a pinning down the mechanics of it before I really sit down and come up with ideas.

-Do some testing with the debuff type transmutation spells and DCs to see how viable they really are.

Sure. What spells?

Well like the one that turns you into a salt statue. Normally that's more or less a death effect spell and you don't allow those, so I was thinking of something more like turning a limb into salt (or whatever else). See if my DCs are reasonably reliable or not, and how balanced a spell like that is.

-Talk with you about transmutation school in general and get a better feel for the general focus/aesthetics of it for future spell design.

Sure, what precisely do you have in mind?

Well, the school description is changing properties or turning one thing into another, and that's pretty damn vague. I mean, like, can I turn the air around someone/thing into water? Acid? How about their blood? Can I like turn them into a sheep? What about their weapons or armor? Can I make their armor cloth or their weapons into pillows? I'm basically looking for some sort of thematic structure to go from.

[Ebiris]

Oh, Power Word Kill is on the SLA list. Any swap or just drop it?

Also does the Dream Ray or Sword of Light improve for advancing levels? And does the DR 15/cold iron or evil change for being epic?

[Ebiris]

Marie chargen stream of consciousness.
Extra stat points at levels 20, 24, and 28. Dumping it all in charisma.
Her size increases to large at 19hd (and she'll become huge at 36hd). If/when Alicia proxies her she'll probably take alter size so she can be fairy sized again. For now she'll keep the Change Shape Su ability that Morwel gave her so she can be a medium sized elf when out of combat. Being large means she gains +8 str, +4 con, +2 natural armour, and -2 dex. She especially dislikes that last part.
Using the outsider side for skills/bab/saves/hp/etc.

Mental note, gaze swap.

She also keeps Familiar Toughness. Alicia can make her a familiar with her divine ability, maybe it'll give her more hp than she normally has!
As far as class breakdown goes... Warmage, plus Force Missile Mage, plus Argent Savant... and anything else I can fit in for fun.
Force Missile Mage needs 9 skill ranks (treat it as 6 with our system since we don't get extra at first level but do get a +3 bonus for class skills) and combat casting, so can enter that at level 7.
Argent Savant needs 12 skill ranks (treat as 9 as above) and 5th level spells, so can enter that at level 10.
Abjurant champion pretty much fits with force effects and Alicia copying, that can be entered at level 6 with ease. Tempting.

So Warmage 5/Abjurant Champion 5/Force Missile Mage 5/Argent Savant 5/... Warmage 6-16? Or can I fit another PrC in?

Incantrix could be good. Lots of metamagic and goodies. Have to give up a school but there's probably one unrepresented on the warmage list I can sacrifice easily.
War Wizard of Cormyr? I admit a big part of the allure of this build is that massive radius sandalphon epic spell and that could make it even more crazy.

What about something for evasion/mettle/divine grace? Nah. Feel kinda naked being without any of those at epic but I can't see Marie as a paladin, even a paladin of freedom. Can't really afford to drop caster levels either. At least she can get improved evasion whenever Alicia uses divine familiar on her.

I think I'll try for Incantrix, see how that works out. So as far as prereqs go I need to drop feats on Combat Casting and Iron Will, plus a metamagic she would've grabbed anyway. The rest are free to go wherever. So build chart will be warmage 5, then abjurant champion 5, then force missile mage 5, then argent savant 5, then incantrix 10, then go back to warmage. This means I get advanced learning at level 31 where it can do the most good.

There's no table for warmage epic spell slots, but I can copy Xandra, she casts as a 29th level warmage which is what Marie works out to as well since she drops 2 caster levels. She takes floating disc for her level 3 advanced learning.

Into Abjurant Champion now. And... wait. No, she can't because she can't cast any abjuration spells. Haha wtf. Warmage doesn't have like mage armour or shield or anything like that?

You know what, no. Fuck this.

Sorcerer, she's a sorcerer now. Fuck you warmage, you suck. I thought you could be cool but adding like 7 damage to a magic missile with warmage edge is so not worth this bullshit.

Okay, just do sorc 6 then go ham into all the other classes, it's fine. She can ACF her familiar too, and isn't that fun? She'll do like Afina and take spell shield. Gets eschew materials for free at 1, and a bonus feat at 5 which will be... fell drain. Because negative levels on magic missiles are fun.

Okay, into Abjurant Champion for real now. A few nice goodies that Alicia has and I don't need to belabour, and also martial arcanaist maps her CL to her bab, which saves her having to take practiced spellcaster to recover those dropped caster levels. Yay, things are back on track again.

Now for Force Missile Mage. She gets 2 extra missiles on her magic missiles! She casts magic missile as stilled! She can make her missiles do energy damage while still counting as force effects! She can cast shield as an immediate action! Her magic missiles get +2 CL and ignore shields/broches of missile shielding! She can reflect magic missiles back at other people foolish enough to cast it at her!

You know it's not even that great, but fuck it it's fun.

Onto Argent Savant next. She gets +2 attack and +1 damage per die on her force spells. Any force effects that give a shield or armour bonus to AC give 2 more. That stacks with what abjurant champion gives which is nice. Her force spells are harder to dispel. She subtracts 5 damage from any force damage she takes. She can dispel force effects for free as a standard action and they explode if she succeeds.

That's some fairly neat stuff but again not really stellar or anything.

Onto Incantrix now. 4 bonus metamagic feats, I'll get back to that. Focused studies means she has to give up a school, I'll go with necromancy. She has fell drain for inflicting negative levels anyway. She can apply her metamagic feats to an ally's spell by readying an action which is really neat. Also apply her metamagic to spells already in place which probably has uses. Metamagic spell trigger is useless without crafting feats. Seize concentration is really neat for stealing elemental monoliths and rituals. Instant metamagic is worthless for sorcs. Snatch spell is more hilarity. Improved metamagic is just like the epic feat and always welcome.

Okay, onto feats. Rapid metamagic is of course mandatory. Spell penetration is very important. Arcane thesis for magic missile boosts its CL by 2 and reduces all metamagics used on it by 1 (with no minimum, so applied after various improved metamagic abilities... could be nice!). 2 feats left at 15 and 18. I'll cover off her metamagic bonus feats from incantrix then see what needs to be filled in.

Twin spell and quicken spell are both good of course. Entangling spell's a funny debuff to apply on the magic missile spam since it's no save. And enlarge spell because that doubles the range of the amazing barrage. I'll need to take arcane thesis for the barrage as well actually. Is more metamagic needed? Why not, I'll take repeat spell. One feat left at level 18. She'll take blade of force for some extra melee damage if ever needed and +1 CL to force spells.

Epic feats next. Epic spell capacity is a feat tax. She wants all the improved metamagic, but sadly she can only take it at 27 and 30. She does so anyway, but that sadly puts the barrage out of reach. She will have to dream big for the future. One day Marie, just remember your journey is only beginning!

That gives her one free feat at 24 to blow on something random. Multiaction maybe? Wait no, prereqs she has no room for. Hey she has level 31 bardic music now, I could do something with that. Words of creation maybe? Eh, nah. Her job is to spam magic missiles, if anyone ever gets buffed by Marie they should consider themselves privileged. So... shame enhance spell won't give her more magic missiles, that would be nice.

Are there any epic feats that boost caster level? Would be good for seize concentration/snatch spell. Actually I'll take spell stowaway and time stop. More copying Afina but she can murder people with magic missiles when they think they're safely time stopped, and also steal their spells and stuff with snatch spell. Stealing someone's time stop while they're time stopped has got to smart.

Okay, it's late. Skills, spells, and inventory (which will basically just be pilfering from Alicia's collection of trophy items she never uses and maybe selling stuff to afford a belt of magnificence. She's gonna get proxied as soon as Alicia hits DvR 2 anyway though) and final touching up still to go. Progress has been made though, even if we ended the journey in a place far different than expected when we started.

Marie would tell you there's a moral in that.

[Anastasia]

Oh, Power Word Kill is on the SLA list. Any swap or just drop it?

Drop.

Also does the Dream Ray or Sword of Light improve for advancing levels? And does the DR 15/cold iron or evil change for being epic?

Say the ray's Charisma damage rises to 2d4.

Sword of Light becomes +6 and counts as an epic weapon to bypass damage reduction.

Damage reduction becomes damage reduction 20/cold iron, epic and evil.

[Anastasia]

Ability Hamstring
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched living creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Make an immediate knowledge check. Based on the result, you may temporarily remove one extraordinary or supernatural ability of your choice from the target creature revealed by the result of the knowledge check. This spell does not work on constructs, oozes, or undead.

Material Component: A pinch of ash.

I'd rewrite it and we can try it, though I may bump it up a spell level or two and add a bit of clarifying text based on what the campaign deals with. The basic idea's worth trying in any case.

Ability Hamstring
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched living creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

You temporarily remove one extraordinary or supernatural ability of your choice from the target creature. You must know of the ability you wish to remove, either from seeing it, experiencing it, with a Knowledge check or some other means.

Oozes, constructs or undead are immune to this spell. Spellcasting cannot be removed by this ability, nor can deific abilities.

Something like having mages at the order set up in spell circles, with a leader of the circle connected to whoever (let's call them a spotter for simplicity's sake). The circle leader lets the spotter know when they're ready to cast the spell and the spotter opens a portal for them to fire the spell through. Spotter then closes the portal and moves to find a new target or new angle.

Things like that. Since spell circles can, with enough people, dramatically increase the CL and DCs of spells that would otherwise simply bounce off of higher level creatures, it can be super useful. Same with buffs. If there's a minute/level spell, like say, Dolorous Blow, then with enough people I can make it last hours and hours, or having a group of mages casting a Dispel and maxing out the CL, so it's more of a pinning down the mechanics of it before I really sit down and come up with ideas.

Okay, whip up some mechanical examples - assumptions are fine here for this sake, don't worry about getting it perfect there - and let me see how they'd work.

Well like the one that turns you into a salt statue. Normally that's more or less a death effect spell and you don't allow those, so I was thinking of something more like turning a limb into salt (or whatever else). See if my DCs are reasonably reliable or not, and how balanced a spell like that is.

Sure. Whip up some spell ideas - bare bones are fine here for the sake of example - and test it out.

Well, the school description is changing properties or turning one thing into another, and that's pretty damn vague. I mean, like, can I turn the air around someone/thing into water?

Sure, why not? Would be a good way to drench something and maybe make it hard to breath and move.

Acid?

Sure. Transmute the air around something to acid. The thing is as you're seeing already, transmutation is a -highly- flexible field. All the baseline description of it says is that transmutation changes the properties or conditions or something. You can get pretty creative there.

How about their blood?

Sure. There's a Blood to Water spell that deals 2d6 Con damage by transmuting blood into water. (Oddly, it's necromancy rather than transmutation, despite using the word transmute in the spell description. Really that should be transmutation or a dual school spell if you really feel necromancy applies.) There's a ghostblood spell, about 18th level or so, in the spell collection that deals massive damage by transmuting a creature's blood to ghostly vapors.

You don't see a ton of damaging transmutations, but they do exist. Go check the Spell Compendium, I have that open and you can see some damaging transmutations in there.

What about their weapons or armor? Can I make their armor cloth or their weapons into pillows? I'm basically looking for some sort of thematic structure to go from.

Sure, you could.