Spellsword build

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Bunny
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Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:49 am

Drow
12 str 18(24) dex 10con 10 wis 18(19) int 10 chr

Wizard
1. Expertise
2. Skills
3. Weapon finesse
4. Int +1
5. Maximize spell
6. Spell focus abjuration
7. Skills
8. Dex+1
9. Spell focus transmutation
10. Spell focus evocation
11. Skills
12. Dex +1, greater spell focus abjuration
13. Skills
14. Skills
15. Greater spell focus evocation and transmutation
16. Dex+1
17. Skills
18. Arcane defense abjuration
19. Skills
20. Dex +1, spell penetration
21. Epic spell focus transmutation
22. Skills
23. Epic spell focus abjuration
24. Dex +1, epic spell focus evocation
25. Skills
26. Greater spell penetration
27. Combat casting
Ranger
28. Dex +1, improved combat casting
29. Skills
30. Epic spell penetration

Concentration 30
Discipline 30
Heal 30
Hide 15
Listen 15
Move silently 15
Spot 15
Tumble 15

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Scylon
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Scylon » Wed Oct 30, 2019 3:12 am

Why not just use defence casting mode? Would save 2 feats?

Sea Shanties
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Sea Shanties » Wed Oct 30, 2019 3:44 am

You need at least 14 constitution to have decent hitpoints. Wisdom and Charisma could be ignored. You should take the gift of melee if a drow.

Also I think you should consider going strength based. Dex can work but the benefits of strength outweigh the extra AC on a spellsword. That would free a feat from weapon finesse too. If you can get your hands on a lesser moonblade, even better.

You need to take a weapon focus. And an epic weapon focus. And epic prowess ideally.

I don’t think anyone ever takes combat casting feats. Just have a decent concentration score. Not worth two epic feats at all. Take epic weapon focus, epic prowess, armor skin if you can instead.

If you’re dipping ranger instead of bard you may consider a 25/5 split instead— 4 pre epic, 5th at 30. The Arcane Defense: Abjuration would be mandatory on that build and you’d be a little more dispellable but in return you’d get an extra attack.

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Bunny
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Wed Oct 30, 2019 11:56 am

Take two

Drow
18(24) str 10 dex 12 con 10 wis 18(19) int 8chr
+Con/-chr gift

Wizard
1. Expertise
2. Skills
3. Weapon focus 1h edge
4. Int +1
5. Maximize spell
6. Spell focus abjuration
Ranger
7. Greater spell focus abjuration
8. Str+1
9. Spell focus transmutation
Wizard
10. Skills
11. Skills
12. Str +1, spell focus evocation
13. Greater spell focus transmutation
14. Skills
15. Greater spell focus evocation
16. Str+1
17. Skills
18. Arcane defense abjuration, spell penetration
19. Skills
20. Str +1
21. Epic spell focus transmutation
22. Skills
23. Epic spell focus abjuration
24. Dex +1, epic spell focus evocation
25. Skills
26. Greater spell penetration
27. Epic weapon focus 1h edge
28. Str +1
29. Epic spell penetration
Ranger
30. Epic prowess or armor skin

Concentration 30
Discipline 30
Heal 30
Hide 15
Listen 20
Move silently 15
Spot 20
Tumble 15

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Bunny
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:24 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:09 pm

Do i need 60 hp or the love of my god? I usually take the altar gift for consecration. I can take the hp but ill spend 4x the time praying.

What is the significant difference between lvl 27 wizard and 26 vs 25? Particularly to casting effectiveness? I can try for 5 ranger levels but i expect my feats will shift again.

Wrips
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:06 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Wrips » Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:45 pm

I'd suggest the 23/4/3 Wizard/Fighter/Specialist. Use a Lesser Moonblade as your main weapon.

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Bunny
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:58 pm

Wrips wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:45 pm
I'd suggest the 23/4/3 Wizard/Fighter/Specialist. Use a Lesser Moonblade as your main weapon.
Thought that was a crafting class for commoners? What is the nuance?

Sea Shanties
Posts: 426
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:45 pm

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Sea Shanties » Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:14 pm

Bunny wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:09 pm
Do i need 60 hp or the love of my god? I usually take the altar gift for consecration. I can take the hp but ill spend 4x the time praying.

What is the significant difference between lvl 27 wizard and 26 vs 25? Particularly to casting effectiveness? I can try for 5 ranger levels but i expect my feats will shift again.
The 60 hp is way more valuable. It's a melee class and you need all the hp you can get. I think with 14 constitution you can end up with 450 hp at level 30 or so.. Any less would be dangerous.

You shouldn't need to pray that much on a spellsword but it does depend on your deity, I mean you're not using piety for spells so it's only going to drain from -pray, death or crafting which are all situational and occasional. Once you get to 100% you should be able to maintain it naturally especially if magic or war & destruction are aspects. I think gift of consecration is only taken for RP instead of having practical value.

I'm not going to say 5 ranger is the best option but it is AN option and you get two spell focus feats with it so it synergizes well. If you only want to dip 3 levels bard is probably better. 25 vs 27 levels on a spellsword barely matters as far as casting goes and you can only take one epic spell feat (Epic Mage Armor) so you're not losing any of those but it does make you a little more vulnerable to being dispelled.

This is just one opinion though so see what other people say. Spellsword is a pretty finicky class and there are a few good ways to make one but it's also easy to screw it up and wish you'd done it differently later on.

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Bunny
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:42 pm

Sea Shanties wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:14 pm
This is just one opinion though so see what other people say. Spellsword is a pretty finicky class and there are a few good ways to make one but it's also easy to screw it up and wish you'd done it differently later on.
Thanks. You've given me some good tweaks. Ill try with 25/5 and if i get all the feats mapped ill prolly go with that. I think ill want more attacks from lvl 10 than a slightly better resist at 30 given ill need to make it to 30 for it to matter any time soon.

Wrips
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:06 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Wrips » Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:52 pm

Bunny wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:58 pm
Wrips wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:45 pm
I'd suggest the 23/4/3 Wizard/Fighter/Specialist. Use a Lesser Moonblade as your main weapon.
Thought that was a crafting class for commoners? What is the nuance?
Anyone can take Specialist levels as long as they're at last level 21 and have Skill Focus: Something. Specialist gives you a free Epic Skill Focus every three levels.

Here's my suggestion, you can select Gift of the Melee for +2 CON and -2 CHA on your drow. If want another gift, you'll need to eat the CON penealty

Code: Select all

STR: 16 (24) 
DEX: 11
CON: 12 (14 with melee gift)
WIS: 8
INT: 19
CHA: 10 (8 with melee gift)

01: Wizard(1): Expertise, {Scribe Scroll}
02: Wizard(2)
03: Wizard(3): Extend Spell
04: Fighter(1): Improved Expertise
05: Fighter(2): Weapon Focus (1 handed slashing)
06: Fighter(3): Skill Focus: Lore
07: Fighter(4): STR+1, Blind Fight
08: Wizard(4): STR+1, (STR=18)
09: Wizard(5): Spell Focus: Abjuration, Spell Focus: Transmutation
10: Wizard(6)
11: Wizard(7)
12: Wizard(8): STR+1, Arcane Defense: Abjuration, (STR=19)
13: Wizard(9)
14: Wizard(10): Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration
15: Wizard(11): Greater Spell Focus: Transmutation
16: Wizard(12): STR+1, (STR=20)
17: Wizard(13)
18: Wizard(14): Improved Critical (1 handed slashing)
19: Wizard(15): Maximize Spell
20: Wizard(16): STR+1, (STR=21)
21: Wizard(17): Epic Weapon Focus (1 handed slashing)
22: Wizard(18)
23: Wizard(19)
24: Wizard(20): STR+1, Armor Skin, Epic Spell Focus: Transmutation, (STR=22)
25: Wizard(21)
26: Wizard(22)
27: Wizard(23): Great Strength I, Epic Spell: Mage Armor, (STR=23)
28: Specialist(1): STR +1, (STR=24)
29: Specialist(2)
30: Specialist(3) Epic Skill Focus: Discipline, Epic Prowess or Toughness

Skills: Concentration 33, Discipline 33*, Lore 33, Spellcraft 33, Taunt 26*, Tumble 30*, UMD 16*
* Only take ranks on them them on Specialist levels

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Bunny
Posts: 106
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:23 am

Take three

Drow
18(24) str 10 dex 12 con 10 wis 18(19) int 8chr
+Con/-chr gift

Wizard
1. Expertise
2. Skills
3. Weapon focus 1h edge
4. Int +1
5. Extend spell
6. Spell focus abjuration
Ranger
7. Greater spell focus abjuration
8. Str +1
9. Blind-fighting
10. Skills
Wizard
11. Skills
12. Str +1, Improved critical 1h edge
13. Skills
14. Spell focus transmutation
15. Greater spell focus transmutation
16. Str+1
17. Skills
18. Arcane defense abjuration,
19. maximize spells
20. Str +1
21. Epic spell focus transmutation
22. Skills
23. Skills
24. Str +1, epic spell focus abjuration, epic prowess
25. Skills
26. Skills
27. epic spell magic armor, armor skin
28. Str +1
29. Skills
Ranger
30. Spell penetration, Epic weapon focus 1h edge

Concentration 30
Discipline 30
Heal 30
Hide 15
Listen 15
Move silently 15
Riding 6
Spot 15
Tumble 16

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Royal Blood
Posts: 418
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:12 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Royal Blood » Thu Oct 31, 2019 4:05 am

I wouldn't worry about spell.penetration but focus on melee stats.

I would not take any hide listen or move silently. To max AC you want 30 tumble.

If you want ride that is super fun but I don't think you can cast on horses??

Also, If you take an epic skill focus you could take it in lore and dump lore to get to 50 for using WoF scrolls
I am not on a team.
I do not win, I do not lose.
I tell a story, and when I'm lucky,
Play a part in the story you tell too.

Sea Shanties
Posts: 426
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:45 pm

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Sea Shanties » Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:27 am

Yes I don't think spell penetration is worth a feat. Maybe take epic skill: discipline instead to keep knockdowns away? Or just keep it open, you may want to take wand or potion for enchantment purposes or something by the time you get to 30.

Tumble can't get to 30 on a ranger so 16 is best you can do and 15 is all you need (the extra point does nothing.)

With hide, MS and spot I think you should have enough points for either sneaking or spotting. Maybe all 3, I'm not going to test it. But those skills are all-or-nothing. 15 hide/MS or 15 spot aren't effective enough to be worth spending points. Either go all the way to 33 or don't bother.

I can't tell you about the value of WOF scrolls.. You do have access to banishment and dismissal, not to mention Mords so I would think a spellsword could live without them, but I'm not diehard enough to say. I think if you do want to use them you can get to 50 lore without using a feat for epic skill focus myself.

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Royal Blood
Posts: 418
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Re: Spellsword build

Post by Royal Blood » Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:17 am

I actually had ESF Disc but had past 65 disc without it. So I swapped it to Lore to get to 50. The WoF scrolls are one shot dismiss on any undead summons then pair it with a Disjunction a very good shot on any other summon like an EDK ontop of just being able to blind people which is nice.

The other poster is right about hide and.move silently. You have to commit to it or not at all.

A better class to pair with Spellsword is rogue or Bard. My build I think is like 23 SS 4 fighter 3 bard. The last 3 are bard for tumble dump, and UmD.

Also, you want to get spell craft maximized too. It offers savea against spells.

Just to note the advice I'm giving is just for like being optimized not really accounting for RP stats or classes
I am not on a team.
I do not win, I do not lose.
I tell a story, and when I'm lucky,
Play a part in the story you tell too.

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Bunny
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:24 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Thu Oct 31, 2019 2:05 pm

The build is not optimized to meta rather to my playing style. I don't want a character built for item effectivity or a crafting dependancy. Too much grind and never have luck on rare components.

Im flexible on the spell penetration. Given the adjustments, that was the only feat where it isn't a clear choice and timing.

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Bunny
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:24 am

Re: Spellsword build

Post by Bunny » Thu Oct 31, 2019 2:29 pm

Riding was for fun. If the difference between 30 and 33 is significant then ill reassess distribution. The pgcc leveling tools get weird when you relevel skills so total points seem to vary.

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