Well according to my search there is no documented build with this class spread, and that's just before anybody starts saying how close it looks from the Exhalted Sorcerer.
It is quite similar of course, based on pretty much the same idea, that the high CHA on a Sorcerer can be easily combined with Paladin for a big saves boost, but instead of Monk this one adds Blackguard, for an even greater saves boost, as Divine Grace stacks with Dark Blessing. Granted, Evasion with a high save can evade a lot of damage, but it will simply won't work if your check is against a combat feat like Dev Crit or Stunning Fist, or if DCs are really high, checking the Exhalted Sorcerer's saves I notice that high DCs can actually surpass its saves (I will suppose those numbers are correct, if not the difference should be very slight). This build gets much higher saves that will make you forget Dev Crit exists, and no spell DC can match those saving throws.
Pros -Very High saving throws -High spell DC, damage and durations
Cons -Low AC (reliance on Epic Warding) -No Discipline -Only focused in one school (might not be too much of a problem)
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good --> Any Evil (Lawful Evil should be easiest)
Level 40 PvP
Stats: STR 14 DEX 8 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 8 CHA 18 (38)
1 Sorcerer1 - Toughness, Power Attack 2 Paladin1 3 Sorcerer2 - Cleave 4 Sorcerer3 - CHA +1 (19) 5 Sorcerer4 6 Sorcerer5 - Extend Spell 7 Sorcerer6 8 Sorcerer7 - CHA +1 (20) 9 Sorcerer8 - Empower Spell 10 Sorcerer9 11 Sorcerer10 12 Sorcerer11 - CHA +1 (21), Maximize Spell 13 Sorcerer12 14 Sorcerer13 15 Sorcerer14 - Spell Focus: Necromancy 16 Sorcerer15 - CHA +1 (22) 17 Sorcerer16 18 Sorcerer17 - Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy 19 Blackguard1 20 Sorcerer18 - CHA +1 (23) 21 Sorcerer19 - Epic Spell Focus: Necromancy 22 Sorcerer20 23 Sorcerer21 24 Sorcerer22 - CHA +1 (24), Great Charisma I (25) 25 Sorcerer23 - Great Charisma II (26) 26 Sorcerer24 27 Sorcerer25 - Great Charisma III (27) 28 Sorcerer26 - CHA +1 (28), Great Charisma IV (29) 29 Sorcerer27 30 Sorcerer28 - Great Charisma V (30) 31 Sorcerer29 - Great Charisma VI (31) 32 Sorcerer30 - CHA +1 (32) 33 Sorcerer31 - Epic Spell: Epic Warding 34 Sorcerer32 - Great Charisma VII (33) 35 Sorcerer33 36 Sorcerer34 - CHA +1 (34), Great Charisma VIII (35) 37 Sorcerer35 - Great Charisma IX (36) 38 Sorcerer36 39 Blackguard2 - Great Charisma X (37) 40 Sorcerer37 - CHA +1 (38)
*Blackguard2 taken last for skilldump, this is after all a level 40 build, it might be more playable to take the 2 Blackguard levels 11 and 12 and get saves sooner.
This build greatest weakness is that you won't resist knockdown, a big drawback actually, while he can kill very fast with Necromancy or Time Stop + IGMS techniques, in close combat only Epic Warding, Mestil's Acid Sheath and Elemental Shield (probably also Death Armor) will make a reliable defense against melee, upon dispelled he can be knocked down to death quite easily, but only Mordenkainen's Disjunction could dispel those shields on a level 37 Sorcerer, which last a decent amount of time, so he's not completely defenseless.
Oh right, I'm terrible with names, so suggest a change if you don't like it
I'm afraid you'll need Str 13 to take PA and Cleave
(Unless you take Monk and get Cleave for free ) _________________ The curve is more powerful than the sword -- BG courtesan
Tested builds only!
Lockdown
(now if you can PM me something legal, I'll edit in what's needed) _________________ Epic Character Builds Posting Rules
Build legalized, what about moving the 2nd blackguard lvl since discipline bump ain't an issue anymore? _________________ Heavy metal Or no metal at all Whimps and posers Leave the hall!
Sure, why not? it'll be more playable to earn the saves earlier, Blackguard can be taken at minimum levels of 12 and 13.
I'm pretty sure the build still isn't legal as posted. Don't paladins need 11 starting Wis?
Easy fix, just switch levels 1 and 2. You lose 8 skill points, but no biggy.
My fault. BTW, you don't lose any skillpoints. _________________ Heavy metal Or no metal at all Whimps and posers Leave the hall!
Oops, thought Paladin was 4/level, but I was wrong.
You also need to take 5 ranks (cross classed) in Hide for Blackguard
Thank you for pointing it out. Once more my bad, I leveled up the build myself to check it out and then made a sloppy work at editing the original post. _________________ Heavy metal Or no metal at all Whimps and posers Leave the hall!
Seeing as you've already taken PA, what about dropping one of the metamagic feats and taking an extra level of Blackguard for Divine Shield, giving a +15 (assuming haste, mage armour and eagles) bonus to your dodge AC? A second pally level may not be a bad Idea to gain Aura of Glory too - It's not a big gain, but you don't lose anything big either.
Edit: Fixed typo. _________________ "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence" - Albert Einstein
Edited By Dracolich92 on 01/21/07 21:55
You can do that easily but it will be worthless, Divine Shield is Dodge AC and gets negated when flat-footed, or say, casting.
Well, level 2 Paladin gives Aura of Courage and Smite, you will only lose a caster level (spell duration and penetration) and you win 6 HP, but it's really no gain other than the HP, only with a roll of 1 you could miss on such a save and that only because of auto-fail, who uses fear until the enemy rolls 1?
Thanks for the editing Kail.
I thought you weren't flat-footed when casting against the target of your spell. Is this incorrect?
To my knowledge, you are not considered flat footed if you are casting/about to cast a spell (or if there is a spell on the action queue in the top right hand corner). According to the Wiki, a character is considered flat footed when:
They are performing a non-combat task. They are in ready mode (have not yet acted in a combat). They move outside of the combat radius. They are entangled. They are prone. They are sleeping.
Casting fits under none of these criterion, which would mean that you are not considered to be flat footed while casting a spell. However, both I and the Wiki have been known to be wrong on many an occaison.
On the Aura of Courage note, I agree that the gain is small. I agree that you won't run into many fear spammers, but the Barbarian feat terrifying rage is a different matter. In a Pvp arena, you're likely to get mordsed, and it's always nice to have something which covers at least one of your weaker bases. The sugestion was made from more of a PvM point of view (almost all the dragons on the PW I play on have mords), but the descision would really have to depend on the abundance of dispells and fear effects on whatever server you're playing on.
Edit: Fixed another typo. _________________ "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence" - Albert Einstein
Thank you for pointing it out. Once more my bad, I leveled up the build myself to check it out and then made a sloppy work at editing the original post.
