PM options.

[AllTheWorld]

I've been thinking about Bard / Pale Master, probably in a 20/10 split in order to pick up specifically Lasting Inspiration + Deathless Mastery.

How does this look for PvE in general, and possible PvP?
What would be the best ways to improve it beyond a high AC supporting bard?
What are the better options if I wanted to go more for a focus in animating undead creatures?

[One Two Three Five]

'the' PM build is 4 bard/10 fighter/16 PM. You can pick up EMA/Dragon Knight/Mummy Dust, a load of feats, and hit 4 APR with divine might scrolls.

Unless you really, really want bard song, this is what you're actually looking for with a 'full' PM. If you don't mind A. losing feats and B. making people on the forum Big Mad, you could do 4 bard/10 (Purple Dragon) knight/16 PM and retain some of the bardic 'buffing allies' flavor.

[Wytchee]

P sure that last build is impossible on Arelith. Characters are limited to a total of 20 prestige class levels.

[One Two Three Five]

Wh- what? No? You're limited to 20 levels of a single prestige class because you can only take ten levels of any given single prestige class before level 20. This is a mechanical bioware thing. 10 before 20, 10 after 20. 20 prestige levels. If you mix prestige classes you can get as many prestige class levels as you can squeeze in.

So, you can only take 10 assassin levels pre-epic, leaving another 10 levels space, right? But if I were to, say, take 5 palemaster levels and 10 assassin levels pre-epic, we're fine. You can then be a 16 PM/10 assassin. 26 levels. This is perfectly fine and functional.

[Jagel]

I've never heard of any other restrictions on prc than tokens (various versions), max 10 of one prc pre-epic and three lvls minimum when you first select any class.

[Rwby]

Wh- what? No? You're limited to 20 levels of a single prestige class because you can only take ten levels of any given single prestige class before level 20. This is a mechanical bioware thing. 10 before 20, 10 after 20. 20 prestige levels. If you mix prestige classes you can get as many prestige class levels as you can squeeze in.

So, you can only take 10 assassin levels pre-epic, leaving another 10 levels space, right? But if I were to, say, take 5 palemaster levels and 10 assassin levels pre-epic, we're fine. You can then be a 16 PM/10 assassin. 26 levels. This is perfectly fine and functional.

This is correct.

[AllTheWorld]

Could those fighter levels be replaced with something else, or are they just there for the bonus feats? Would this attempt to be melee focused?

[Hunter548]

Could those fighter levels be replaced with something else, or are they just there for the bonus feats? Would this attempt to be melee focused?

Yes, melee focused. Some folks do barbarian-based PMs. Going full bard/PM is probably a bad idea owing to a lack of BAB.

[AllTheWorld]

Can any other caster-based PMs work?
Wiz, Sorc, Cleric, Warlock? Would Bard/PM/AA be possible?
Druid/PM?

[Shadowy Reality]

Druid PM, seems a bit odd and questionable.

[AllTheWorld]

Could be done! Maybe it's a druid that worships Talona and focuses in on disease and decay in nature, not actually raising the dead but doing horrible things to their own body as a form of sacrifice and worship to Talona. It could walk the line between life and death, or specifically narrow in on that particular cycle in nature.

[Lorkas]

Could be done! Maybe it's a druid that worships Talona and focuses in on disease and decay in nature, not actually raising the dead but doing horrible things to their own body as a form of sacrifice and worship to Talona. It could walk the line between life and death, or specifically narrow in on that particular cycle in nature.

Death ≠ undeath

Death is natural and Primal. Undeath is neither.

[AllTheWorld]

Yeah. Aware of that, but what I'm saying is that the character might choose not to summon the undead, and the graft may represent diseased and decaying flesh being stripped from the arm. Look, nevermind, this is a topic to ask about builds. I just made that stuff up on the spot to pose a possible counter example for the random brainstorm of caster/PM builds I mentioned.

[Cortex]

PM requires 3 levels of an arcane casting class, so you'd need bard or something to make it work with a Druid, and even then... what would you get from PM levels as a druid?

[Baron Saturday]

I've played around with the idea of a feylock/PM before. It's a fairly stupid concept, and damage would be bad unless PM caster levels count for warlock blast, but the survivability should be impressive.

[Astral]

I've played around with the idea of a feylock/PM before. It's a fairly stupid concept, and damage would be bad unless PM caster levels count for warlock blast, but the survivability should be impressive.

It actually is REALLY strong if 20 feylock 10 PM sums in 25 CL for all feylock spells/abilities.

[AllTheWorld]

Same would go for the fiend warlocks, right, hitting the final summon?

[Astral]

Same would go for the fiend warlocks, right, hitting the final summon?

Probably no because the PM lvls do not grant new spells, only spell slots which are irrelevant to infi-casters (so you get new spells only if you're a wizard and you learn them from a scroll). So just to clearify, as a 20 feylock you can only cast the spells 20 lvl feylock can cast but your caster lvl is 25, ~if~ this mechanic works the same as it does with mages. How does this interact with the blast? Anyone knows?

[gilescorey]

Pureclass warlocks are always better than their multiclassed alternatives.

Consequently, their "range" (if you can call CONlock or bust a range) of viable building options is singular and boring. Who would've thought.

[AllTheWorld]

What about Bard4/BG16/PM10, or 16PM, depending on which epic summon you aim for?

[Peppermint]

Playable, not great.

The epic summon is useful to be sure, but it doesn't make up for losing EMA, which represents a +11 AC increase assuming adamantine/barkskin potion.

Moreover, a dedicated PM could easily take EDK or Mummy Dust as a second epic spell. They don't really need the BG summon.

[RamblerTeo]

dex pm

[Midnight In A Perfect World]

dex pm

Do not ever do this.

[Rabbid]

dex pm

Do not ever do this.

Unless you're masochistic.

I'll go hide my Favoured Soul Palemasters while I think of it.