This build is inspired by Mestil's Pale Emissary by Grizzled_dwarflord. I like his idea to take hits, reduse the damage with damage reduction feats and spells and deal damage directly back with damage shields and other nasty spells. I took this concept to the sorcerer. Took a paladin level to boost saves. The build is completly ignoring AC and AB. Pick up a staff to look cool and you want to get hit

- Nice spell DC and epic spell focus in 2 schools
- 35+1d20 SR penetration
- 9/- DR and good amount of hitpoints
- Shield damage 2d6 + 1d4 + 110 (MAS, ES, DA)

Human, lawful good
PvM 1-40
STR: 10
DEX: 8
CON: 18 (22)
WIS: 8
INT: 10
CHA: 16 (30)

Leveling:

01: Sorcerer(1): Extend Spell, Combat Casting
02: Paladin(1)
03: Sorcerer(2): Spell Focus: Necromancy
04: Sorcerer(3): CON+1, (CON=19)
05: Sorcerer(4)
06: Sorcerer(5): Spell Focus: Evocation
07: Sorcerer(6)
08: Sorcerer(7): CHA+1, (CHA=17)
09: Sorcerer(8): Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
10: Sorcerer(9)
11: Sorcerer(10)
12: Sorcerer(11): CHA+1, Maximize Spell, (CHA=18)
13: Sorcerer(12)
14: Sorcerer(13)
15: Sorcerer(14): Greater Spell Focus: Evocation
16: Sorcerer(15): CHA+1, (CHA=19)
17: Sorcerer(16)
18: Sorcerer(17): Silent Spell
19: Sorcerer(18)
20: Sorcerer(19): CHA+1, (CHA=20)
21: Sorcerer(20): Epic Spell Focus: Necromancy
22: Sorcerer(21)
23: Sorcerer(22)
24: Sorcerer(23): CON+1, Improved Combat Casting, Great Charisma I, (CON=20), (CHA=21)
25: Sorcerer(24)
26: Sorcerer(25)
27: Sorcerer(26): Epic Spell Focus: Evocation, Great Charisma II, (CHA=22)
28: Fighter(1): CON+1, Epic Damage Reduction I, (CON=21)
29: Fighter(2): Epic Damage Reduction II
30: Sorcerer(27): Great Charisma III, (CHA=23)
31: Sorcerer(28)
32: Sorcerer(29): CHA+1, Epic Spell: Epic Warding, (CHA=24)
33: Sorcerer(30): Great Charisma IV, (CHA=25)
34: Sorcerer(31)
35: Sorcerer(32): Great Charisma V, (CHA=26)
36: Sorcerer(33): CHA+1, Great Charisma VI, (CHA=28)
37: Sorcerer(34)
38: Fighter(3)
39: Sorcerer(35): Great Charisma VII, Great Charisma VIII, (CHA=30)
40: Fighter(4): CON+1, Epic Damage Reduction III, (CON=22)

Skillpoints: 129
Concentration 43
Discipline 43
Heal 1
Spellcraft 42

HP: 430
Saves (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 34/30/25
Spells pr. day: 6/9/9/8/8/8/8/7/7/7/1
Spell selection:
0: All
1: Ray of enfeeblement, Magic Missile, Protection from alignment, Grease, Negative energy ray
2: Death Armor, Cloud of bewilderment, Melf's acid arrow, Endurance, See invisibility
3: Negative energy burst, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Haste
4: Elemental Shield, Isaac's lesser missile storm, Evard's black tentacles, Stoneskin
5: Ball lightning, Mestil's acid sheath, Energy buffer, Dominate person
6: Undeath to death, Greater spell breach, Isaac's greater missile storm
7: Finger of Death, Spell mantle, Shadow shield
8: Horrid Whilthing, Bigby's Clenched fist, Premonition
9: Wail of the banshee, Time stop, Bigby's crushing hand
Epic: Epic Warding

Notes: Focus schools and select spells as you prefer. Spells like Premonition, Shadow shield and stoneskins are essential to reduse damage. Some anti-mage spells is also recommended (breaches, mantles etc). The rest just offensive spells!

You can choose to focus in only 1 school and take epic spell penetration instead. You may choose to take empower spell for silent spell. I took silent spell if some bard or something cast silence.

Edited By blixen71 on 10/06/06 13:36

As a caster in general, I think he's pretty reliable. The thing I'm wondering, though, is does the lack of crit/sneak immunity make him more succeptible to death as he waits for damage shields to do the job? Particulary since his low AC is an open invitation that says, "Crit me, please." I suppose if one knows his enemy, one just adapts his stategies as needed, especially since Sorcs can change spellslinging on the fly.
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Ariel, Ookla, RIDE! 9 DR won't save you with that AC. With a pally level and 3 fighter levels you can easily go Autostill. When they don't hit you they don't hurt you, so even if you have damage shields up, it doesn't matter if you reduce the number of hits against you a bit, since you reduce the number of crits significantly. All other DR will be useless against +5 or better weapons, not counting EW.
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I see the fear you have inside, you can run but never hide.
I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb.

I run the Pre-Epic Builders guild. Join and share your experience. When I have to fall back on the Mestil's Acid Sheath strategy for defeating an opponent, I often cast Shapechange and use the Golem shape to be immune to crits. The HP boost in nice too.

The downside, of course, is the loss of the extra spells due to the de-equiping of the Charisma-boosting items. Good point.
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Ariel, Ookla, RIDE! Thanks for the tips. You are right about the crit/AC problem. 9/- DR is why I went this way, but if I receive a lot 50 or even 100+ damage criticals, it is not much help.

I maxed AC this way. Dropped one spell focus or metamagic feat for still spell. Autostill at levels 24,27,30 and epic mage armor (35 hours) at level 33.
AC = 10 - 1(DEX) + 8(Full plate) + 3(Tower shield) + 20 (EMA) = 40
That will help against crits. I will try it out.

I could lower STR to 8 and raise INT to 12 and get 20 Tumble, but carrying capacity would be too low, 80. Only the plate and shield is 70, so I'll need the 100 I have.
This cost 4 points of charisma. -2 all saves, -2 overall spell DC and approx. 1 less spell pr. spell level.
Will have to find a Nymph cloak and a magic bag