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Chosen of Velsharoon - Clr(1),Sor(12),ASC(10),PM(7)

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Cleric 1/ Sorcerer 12 / Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep 10/ Pale Master 7

Contents

[edit] Description

This is a pretty common Sorcerer/ASOC build which combines high AC, nice detection abilities and no delay in spellcasting progression.

Advantages:

  • 30 level arcane caster
  • High buffed AC value
  • High buffed Listen score
  • Can be used under any magic setting (Spell list should be tweaked according to the magic setting)
  • No XP penalty if human
  • No delay in spellcasting progression, gets all his spells as early as possible

Disadvantages:

  • Low HP
  • Needs different spell lists for solo/party PvP/PvM
  • No melee abilities, useless when runs out of spells
  • Must rely on Assay Resistance to beat racial/monk SR. Spell Penetration/Greater Spell Penetration may be taken but still you wont have 100% chance to beat racial SR without Assay Resistance or SR debuffs. (Your chances will be fairly high combined with debuff from Greater Spell Breach though)
  • Low saves (Your spell mantles should protect you from most spells, but some spells that ignore mantles can be pretty nasty(Grease of Swamp Lung for example). Protection from Spells may help you to boost your defenses vs these spells)

[edit] Why these classes?

Sorcerer:

  • Base class for this build

Arcane Scolar of Candlekeep:

  • Discount metamagic

Cleric:

  • Turn Undead, prerequisite for the Divine Shield which dramatically increases your AC
  • Armor and shields proficiencies
  • Free feats from domains

Pale Master:

  • Easy to qualify
  • Partial spellcasting progression
  • AC bonuses
  • class skill Listen


[edit] Character Creation

AttributeInitial
value		Final
value
STR1313
DEX1212
CON1414
INT1616
WIS0808
CHA1926

Cleric 1/ Sorcerer 12 / Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep 10/ Pale Master 7


Race: Yuan-ti pureblood (This build will work fine as Human or Drow too)

Alignment: Any non good (neutral recommended)

Deity: Any

Background: Ladies Man

Familiar: Bat


[edit] Character Progression Table

Listen UMD
Spellcraft Tumble
Concentration Bluff
CL Class Feat Bonus/Class Feats Attributes
1 Sorcerer Spellcasting Prodigy summon familiar 4 4 2 2 4
2 Sorcerer 1 1 1
3 Sorcerer Skill Focus Concentration 1 1 1 1 1
4 Sorcerer 1 1 1 CHA+1
5 Sorcerer 1 1 1 1 1
6 Sorcerer Empower Spell 1 1 1
7 Pale Master Bone Skin I 7
8 Sorcerer 2 2 1 CHA+1
9 Sorcerer Skill Focus Spellcraft 1 1 2
10 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Maximize Spell 1 1 1 1
11 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Spell Knowledge 1 1 1
12 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Practiced spellcaster: Sorcerer Improved Empower Spell 1 1 1 CHA+1
13 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep 1 1 1
14 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Quicken Spell 1 1 2
15 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Still Spell 1 1 1
16 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Improved Maximize Spell 1 1 1 CHA+1
17 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep 1 1 1 1
18 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Power Attack 1 1
19 Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep Improved Quicken Spell 1 1 1
20 Sorcerer 1 1 5 CHA+1
21 Pale Master Vampiric Feast of Feat of your choice Animate Dead 1 1 4 1
22 Pale Master 1 1 3
23 Cleric Divine Shield Luck (domain), Earth (domain) 1 1
24 Pale Master Bone Skin II, Summon Undead 1 1 6 CHA+1
25 Pale Master Automatic: Still Spell 0-3 Deathless Vigor 1 1 3
26 Pale Master Undead graft x2 1 1 3
27 Sorcerer Automatic: Still Spell 4-6 1 1 1
28 Sorcerer 1 2 CHA+1
29 Sorcerer Automatic: Still Spell 7-9 1 1
30 Pale Master Tough as Bone 1 7




Final skill scores: Comcentration 33, Spellcraft 30, Listen 33, UMD 16, Tumble 10, Bluff 17

Notes:

  • This build has 2 feats you may want to swap: Vampiric Feast and Spellcasting Prodigy.
  • Other possible level distributions:
    • Sorcerer 14/Arcane Scolar of Candlekeep 10/Pale Master 4/ Cleric 2 - this version has lower saves and no Tough as Bone feat, but 15 BAB(for better accuracy with touch attacks)
    • Sorcerer 11/Arcane Scolar of Candlekeep 10/Pale Master 8/ Cleric 1 - this version has additional +2 bonus to AC but caster level 29(to partially compensate this you may want to take Spell Penetration feat)
  • If you are not Human you will have multiclass penalty(20%) starting from level 23
  • To take Tower Shield Proficiency instead of Vampiric Feast you should take cleric level earlier, probably at level 21. You will be able to take Tower Shield Profiiency on level 23 in that case.

Despite Yuan-ti's better constitution score and +1 bonus natural AC Drow may be a better pvp choise because of Keen Sense. Yuan-ti character can turn Search Mode on too but it will reduce his movement speed an it will be turned off when he attacks an opponent. That means that Drow's average listen check in many situations will be 5 points higher.

[edit] Stats Calculation

BAB: 14

HP: 228

Saves:

Fortitude 18

Reflex 11

Will 22

Listen score 

33 base
-1 wisdom modifier
+2 Alertness (or Skill Affinity (Listen) if Drow)
+1 Ladies Man
+3 Bat Familiar
----
38

+10 Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
+2(4) Heroism or Greater Heroism(You probably wont take Greater Heroism as there are more important level 6 spells you should take)
----
50(52)

+4 (+8wis gear)
----
54(56)

+whatever you get from items that increase listen skill(if any)


AC with BOTB Gear: 

10 base
+1 Racial natural armor
+4 Bone Skin
+10 Heavy shield +8
+10 bracers of armor 10
+8 Mithril full plate
+8 Cloak of Protection +8
+5 Natural Armor Amulet +5
+5 Boots of the sun soul +5
+3 Dex bonus (with +8 Dex equipment)
+1 tumble
+1 Luck of Heroes
+1 Haste
----
67

+ 12 Divine Shield (with +8 Cha equipment)
----
79

+ 2 (If using Tower Shield)
----
81 

+ 2 (If you decide to take 8 levels of Pale Master)
----
83

+ 1 Reduce Person(It increases your vulnerability to Knockback so its use is questionable)
----
84

Note: you can take Combat Expertise and Improved Combat Expertise feats instead of Spellcasting Prodigy and Vampiric Feast. This actually will give you 88 AC (you will be unable to take Tower Shield Proficiency unless Human, but Human will have 2 less AC compared to the Yuan-ti) but I probably wont advise that on high magic settitgs as your AC is really high allready and you have better uses for these two feats.


AC with +6 Gear(I find it balanced, just my oppinion): 

10 base
+1 Racial natural armor
+4 Bone Skin
+8 Heavy shield +6
+14 Mithril full plate +6
+6 Deflection
+6 Natural
+6 Dodge
+3 Dex bonus
+1 tumble
+1 Luck of Heroes
+1 Haste
----
61

+ 11 Divine Shield (with +6 Cha equipment)
----
72

+ 2 (If using Tower Shield)
----
74 

+ 2 (If you decide to take 8 levels of Pale Master)
----
76

+ 1 Reduce Person(It increases your vulnerability to Knockback so its use is questionable)
----
77

[edit] Spell list

Solo PvP spell list for high magic settings:

, Dispel Magic

[edit] Tactics

  • Fighting against wizards. Wizards ussually have higer dc then sorcerers due to some bonus feats. Red wizards have much higher dc and caster level in their school of choice. Your main advantage is your spontaneous spellcasting and more spells per day. So a good anti-wizard tactic is mantle spam. Let him spend his breaches/disjunctions and then strike back. But be prepared for attacks that ignore spell mantles(orbs,grease etc).
  • Fighting against mantle spam. Due to how Quicken Spell actually works the best attack sequences are quickened Breach/ some other quickened spell(ussually Bigby) or quickened Breach/quickened Breach/ some other quickened spell(See Example later).The only way for your enemy to cast spell mantles in time is quickening them. Not many builds can cast as much quickened mantles as you can cast quickened breaches. If you see your enemy casting it try to cancell your next spell(So you wont waste it). You also can use some spells that ignore mantles (Orbs,Grease,Hiss of Sleep). If you manage to knock your oponent from his feet with Grease spell then you can just use Breach/Bigby and he wont be able to defend himself. Using orbs is a good idea only when your opponent doesnt have access to healing spells/items. Another aproach is to use spells like Cloudkill to strip enemy mantles over time. But you need to find a way how to keep your enemy in the area for some time. 
Example:
starting time - 0
----
you cast quickened Breach - effect will trigger at 1.5
----
your enemy casts spell mantle(usually he'll have to cancel his action before casting mantle and it will
take some time so usually Breach / Offensive spell is enough. But lets look at the worst scenario - he starts to
cast it immediately) - effect will trigger at 3
----
now you cancell your quickened offensive spell and replace it with a second quickened Breach - effect will
trigger at 4.5
----
your enemy casts his second mantle - effect will trigger at 9(!)
----
now you cast your quickened offensive spell - effect will trigger at 7.5
----
in this way your opponent can defend himself only with quickened mantles
  • Fighting against Clerics/Favored Souls using mantle spam. Starting with Shadow Simulacrum might be a good idea. If your enemy starts casting Word of Faith to counter the Simulacrum he looses 1 round (it cannot be quickened) leaving himself defenceless against a quickened Breach/quickened spell sequence. If not then he'll have to endure attacks from his clone.
  • Countering Silence. Gust of Wind can remove Silence areas. The problem is you must leave the Silence area to cast it. If you find this limiting you may want to take Silent Spell feat to cast silent Gust of Wind. You may also cast some offensive spell this way, surprising your opponent.
  • General anti-spellcaster tip. It seems that Greater Shout applies deafness effect whether your opponent makes his saving throw or not and also ignores SR/spell mantles. Deafness effect also stacks(Im not sure how this works but probably your opponent will have 100% spell failure after 5 shouts). This may be used to severely cripple enemy spellcaster. The main problem with this spell is that it cannot be quickened. (Ill think about some spell combos that may be actually used with Greater Shout. If you have any ideas you want to share feel free to post them in the discussion section)

Author:MANoob

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