It's not can't it's 'won't' because that is all they are willing spend. These are skilled political actors who will not be lead around by their pride like that and trying to do so will win Visrys no friends.
Alright, it was worth a shot. 50% of the cost being funded by them as opposed to 40% is still a nice upgrade. @DragonParadox, can this also cover Darleth's expenses for advising on the fortress' construction?
"Fear Drinker, blood dancer... old... cold... lives in the stone... lives in the dark. It remembers, it remembers!" Somehow the dry dusty voice managed to hold a hint of fear.
Alright, it was worth a shot. 50% of the cost being funded by them as opposed to 40% is still a nice upgrade. @DragonParadox, can this also cover Darleth's expenses for advising on the fortress' construction?
Almost without thinking he moved a step to the side to let her go first, the gesture earning him a bemused look from Ser Justin and a grateful nod from the Fury herself. There might even have been a trace of a smile on her face, though Richard would not have wagered too much on that.
@TotallyNotEvil, you've got a few delegates hanging out there. Join the Magpie side of the Force and bring them in out of the cold.
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Jun 29, 2019 at 3:22 PM, finished with 118 posts and 16 votes.
[X] Show respect to Darleth and have the conversation in True Dragon form. Introduce ourselves as King Viserys. Highlight that we stand as allies with the Shaitan and the Djinn, having forged a pact with them in the Plane of Balance.
-[X] Under the assumption that he is warded against divination:
--[X] The primary reason to call on the dragon is that we plan to create and cast a ritual, that will make the Sultan of Brass apoplectic. We are expecting the strongest possible response, and need somewhere to bear his focused ire while it gets done. We fortunately have secured troops of a type he should be familiar in accounting for, for the ritual fortress. We have gotten our Shaitan and Djinn allies to not only agree to help fund and man the fortress, but also teach us their arts in constructing it.
---[X] His expertise and aid in creating the necessary defenses for such an endeavor would be invaluable. We will negotiate a suitable payment with Darleth when the time to build the fortress comes.
----[X] Besides the satisfaction in the task itself, the use of any resources we can offer to it and the aid of our greatest mages and runecrafters, we would offer a substantial direct reward.
-[X] Long-term exchange of knowledge on magical defenses would be of interest too, mostly to defend our cities in a way that works without causing extreme expanses compared to the low level of use any large, static defense has against magical foe
--[X] For the first part of our proposed bargain, we wish for insights into how to build passive & active, conventional & unconventional defenses that would stop infiltrators of Illithid, Devils and Demons, and anything else that could try its luck against us. This would be used to protect Sorcerer's Deep first, and later spread across the Imperium.
---[X] We do need defenses against infiltration, yes, but we'd want to remodel our existing and future fortifications to take into account the reality of high level magic. A set of blueprints for all sizes and levels of sophistication/effort for towers, armored outposts, forts, fortresses and castles that can vary from "the Legion camp the army builds this night while on the march" to "the holdfast of a Duke" would be magnificent.
----[X] As the first part of the payment, offer the books Memories of Ghael the Bold and Rooted in Stone as examples of the history of warfare in Prime Material as well as generally war-related lore from Plane of Balance (currently on +9 in our Library), along with what monetary compensation is necessary.
----[X] To additionally tempt him, offer a brief visit to the Plane of Balance to show him the Wall. Should he agree to later agreements we would aid him in studying it in-depth, along with other examples of legendary architecture from Prime Material. Also, if Viserys deems it will go over well, offer to show him around the Hall of Horrors. Additionally offer him a tour of Sorcerer's Deep.
--[X] For long-term goals, we wish to negotiate for insights into fortification methods of Illithid and Efreeti, so that we would find it easier to go around, or storm such, and for the long perspective - preparing SD for Efreeti Invasion Force, and the rest of the world for Long Night.
---[X] In particular, one goal of ours is to build the grandest castle in Prime Material.
----[X] For potential payments we could offer him aid in studying ancient fortifications like the Wall (perhaps with our own lore for how such structures were built), along with monetary compensation and perhaps other things, but the details of the agreement and subsequent payment can be finalized at a later date.
----[X] Make sure Darleth is made aware of what runecrafting is capable of, both so he can plan around it as well as to sufficiently tempt him for future transactions.
[X] Under the assumption that he is warded against divination:
-[X] The primary reason to call on the dragon is that we plan to create and cast a ritual, that will both greatly anger the Sultan of Brass, and likely make him send considerable forces to disrupt it.
-[X] His expertise and aid in creating the necessary defenses for such an endeavour would be invaluable.
-[X] Besides the satisfaction in the task itself, the use of any resources we can offer to it and the aid of our greatest mages and runecrafters, we would offer a substantial direct reward. Further, access to fortifications that have held back the local iteration of whatever caused planes to shatter. Speak of Bran the Builder and his work. //Legendary creatures always interest dragons for the potential glimpse into their power and insight, if nothing else.
-[X] Long-term exchange of knowledge on magical defenses would be of interest too, mostly to defend our cities in a way that works without causing extreme expanses compared to the low level of use any large, static defense has against magical foes. Lore of millennia in regards to wars and sieges without magic. //We are in a unique advantage here, people, no one else can offer this. With such, can build a fortress fully within an antimagic field and laugh as enemies flounder.
That's not too bad. Draconic Bloodline covers Enchantment and Divination, so you only really need three more schools. There are a ton of eligible spells that would be good for Zherys to learn.
SAVES (+2 against Sleep, Paralysis or Fire from Draconic Heritage) (+2 against effects from Undead or Cold Creatures) (+4 against Polymorph as well as directly harmful compulsion effects such as Confusion, Insanity and Feeblemind): FORTITUDE: 4 + 1(Con) = 5 REFLEX: 4 WILL: 11 + 1 (Wis) = 12
Spells Known (Caster level 15) (17 to overcome a Fiend's SR):
Level 0 (9):
Level 1 (5):
Level 2 (4):
Level 3 (4):
Level 4 (4): Lesser Planar AllyB,
Level 5 (3): Firebrand, Undying Vigor of the Dragonlords, Greater Blink
Level 6 (3): Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Shadow Enchantment, Hellfire Ray
Level 7 (2): Arcane Spellsurge, Bloodwish
Features:
Focus Caster
A familiar offers companionship and, when necessary, an effective scout or spy. It does little for your spellcasting, however. This option presents you with a less generally useful item that instead enhances your spellcasting in some way. Level: 1st (4th for hexblades). Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain a familiar. Benefit: Instead of a familiar, you bind yourself to a masterwork item that acts as a focus for all your spells and that enhances the power of spells of one school. Once you have a masterwork item to bind to, you must perform a ritual that requires 24 hours and reagents costing 100 gp, much as if you were summoning a familiar.
When casting any spell, you must hold, wield, or wear this item (as appropriate), in addition to providing the normal components of the spell (even other foci). Your focus item is used in addition to the spell's normal components, not instead of. You are automatically considered proficient with your focus item, but you do not gain proficiency with any other item (weapon or armor) of the same type. For example, if your focus item is a longsword, you are proficient with your focus longsword but not with any other longsword, unless of course another feat or class feature grants you proficiency. When you cast a spell from the school to which your focus belongs, that spell is enhanced. At 7th and 15th levels, your focus grants additional abilities.
You may have only one focus item at a time. A specialist wizard may select only the focus appropriate to her specialty school. Bonuses gained from a focus item stack with similar bonuses gained from feats such as Spell Focus or Spell Penetration.
Your focus item grows tougher as you advance in level. The hardness of your focus item increases by one-half your caster level, up to double its normal hardness. In addition, your focus item gains additional hit points equal to your caster level, up to double its normal number of hit points. These bonuses are in addition to any increase in hardness or hit points the item gains for being made into a magic item.
If your focus item can be enhanced with magic, it costs you less XP to do so. When determining your XP cost for making your focus item into a magic item (or for upgrading it later), reduce the base cost by 10%. This reduction stacks with any other reduction you might gain, such as from the Legendary Artisan feat. Another character enhancing your focus item does not gain this reduction in XP cost.
If your focus item is destroyed, you must bind yourself to another masterwork item. You cannot bind to an item that is already a magic item. You can only bind to masterwork items. The item can be made of special materials (such as adamantine, cold iron, or darkwood).
The following items are typical foci for each of the standard schools. Abjuration: Usually a set of bracers, a buckler, or a small shield (wooden or steel), your focus grants any nonpersonal abjuration spell you cast with one or more targets one additional target. The additional target is affected by the spell for half the normal duration. At 7th level, the additional targets of your spells receive them for the full duration. At 15th level, you may cast any personal abjuration spell as a touch spell.
Promises and Temptation (Sp): At 3rd level, you gain insight into the end of the rule of Dragons. Their slaves, trained in conflict between their masters, grew strong enough to recieve attention and aid from creatures fair and foul against the Dragons.
Once per day, as a swift action, you can ask for advice from great Outsiders taking interest in your development, gaining a +10 profane or sacred bonus (depending on alignment, or if neutral a choice each time it's used) to a single Knowledge, Craft or Sense Motive check.
Ghiscari Secret (Ex): The resistance of the Ghiscari Empire proved an exellent opportunity for the young Freehold to sharpen its many skills into fine tools of conquest and war. Now everytime you use an Evocation or Conjuration spell foes within 30ft of the targeted point or area have to make a willsave against the spell's DC or are Shaken for 1 minute. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Doom of Rhoynar (Su): Your study of Rhoynish wars allows you to copy a peace of the overpowering fury Valyria's Dragonriders brought to bear against the Rhoynar in their northwestern conquests. 3/day you may create a 20ft blast-radius within 400ft of you and in your line of sight is affected by dreadful fire, dealing 5d6 +1d6 per level as Cataclysm Mage points of Fire damage that ignores Hardness of objects and reduces the fire-resistance of targeted foes by 10 points, or reduces immunity to 30 points of resistance, for 1 minute. The damage can be halved by a reflex save DC 16 +INT, WIS or CHA bonus, whichever is more advantageous for the caster.
This ability is affected by Ghiscary Secret as an Evocation spell.
The Doom (Sp): In study of the Doom of Valyria and consequently the decline of magic through the world the mage has gained the ability to replicate a tiny fraction of that dreadful event. Once per day the mage may speak a word of sundering, tearing apart magic itself around him. He creates a 40ft zone with the effects of an Antimagic Field. This field does not move with the mage, but stays in one location, shrinking by 10 ft every 10 minutes. Any Outsider, Undead or other creature reliant on magic for its existance in the radius when the word is spoken must make a willsave or flee in Panic for 10 rounds. This effect ignores resistance or immunity to fear or mind-affecting effects.
The DC is 18+ INT, WIS or CHA bonus.
Using this ability deals 2 points of damage to the mages main casting-stat, detracted only after the instant of the effect. This damage can be healed normally
Grafts:
Dragonwing
3/day swift action for spellcasting, price unknown?
Equipment:
@Goldfish
These 5 cover the schools, but the whole build feels like a mess that can do nothing particularly well?
He doesn't have the Draconic Feats to build those boni in serious numbers, he doesn't have enough Metamagic to do much with it, his Spell Foci are not helping much, etc.
I think I should either step back from the Cataclysm, or give him one more level time to reach the requirements for Archmage.
Though maybe two flaws could save the build.
SAVES (+2 against Sleep, Paralysis or Fire from Draconic Heritage) (+2 against effects from Undead or Cold Creatures) (+4 against Polymorph as well as directly harmful compulsion effects such as Confusion, Insanity and Feeblemind): FORTITUDE: 4 + 1(Con) = 5 REFLEX: 4 WILL: 11 + 1 (Wis) = 12
Spells Known (Caster level 15) (17 to overcome a Fiend's SR):
Level 0 (9):
Level 1 (5):
Level 2 (4):
Level 3 (4):
Level 4 (4): Lesser Planar AllyB,
Level 5 (3): Firebrand, Undying Vigor of the Dragonlords, Greater Blink
Level 6 (3): Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Shadow Enchantment, Hellfire Ray
Level 7 (2): Arcane Spellsurge, Bloodwish
Features:
Focus Caster
A familiar offers companionship and, when necessary, an effective scout or spy. It does little for your spellcasting, however. This option presents you with a less generally useful item that instead enhances your spellcasting in some way. Level: 1st (4th for hexblades). Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain a familiar. Benefit: Instead of a familiar, you bind yourself to a masterwork item that acts as a focus for all your spells and that enhances the power of spells of one school. Once you have a masterwork item to bind to, you must perform a ritual that requires 24 hours and reagents costing 100 gp, much as if you were summoning a familiar.
When casting any spell, you must hold, wield, or wear this item (as appropriate), in addition to providing the normal components of the spell (even other foci). Your focus item is used in addition to the spell's normal components, not instead of. You are automatically considered proficient with your focus item, but you do not gain proficiency with any other item (weapon or armor) of the same type. For example, if your focus item is a longsword, you are proficient with your focus longsword but not with any other longsword, unless of course another feat or class feature grants you proficiency. When you cast a spell from the school to which your focus belongs, that spell is enhanced. At 7th and 15th levels, your focus grants additional abilities.
You may have only one focus item at a time. A specialist wizard may select only the focus appropriate to her specialty school. Bonuses gained from a focus item stack with similar bonuses gained from feats such as Spell Focus or Spell Penetration.
Your focus item grows tougher as you advance in level. The hardness of your focus item increases by one-half your caster level, up to double its normal hardness. In addition, your focus item gains additional hit points equal to your caster level, up to double its normal number of hit points. These bonuses are in addition to any increase in hardness or hit points the item gains for being made into a magic item.
If your focus item can be enhanced with magic, it costs you less XP to do so. When determining your XP cost for making your focus item into a magic item (or for upgrading it later), reduce the base cost by 10%. This reduction stacks with any other reduction you might gain, such as from the Legendary Artisan feat. Another character enhancing your focus item does not gain this reduction in XP cost.
If your focus item is destroyed, you must bind yourself to another masterwork item. You cannot bind to an item that is already a magic item. You can only bind to masterwork items. The item can be made of special materials (such as adamantine, cold iron, or darkwood).
The following items are typical foci for each of the standard schools. Abjuration: Usually a set of bracers, a buckler, or a small shield (wooden or steel), your focus grants any nonpersonal abjuration spell you cast with one or more targets one additional target. The additional target is affected by the spell for half the normal duration. At 7th level, the additional targets of your spells receive them for the full duration. At 15th level, you may cast any personal abjuration spell as a touch spell.
Promises and Temptation (Sp): At 3rd level, you gain insight into the end of the rule of Dragons. Their slaves, trained in conflict between their masters, grew strong enough to recieve attention and aid from creatures fair and foul against the Dragons.
Once per day, as a swift action, you can ask for advice from great Outsiders taking interest in your development, gaining a +10 profane or sacred bonus (depending on alignment, or if neutral a choice each time it's used) to a single Knowledge, Craft or Sense Motive check.
Ghiscari Secret (Ex): The resistance of the Ghiscari Empire proved an exellent opportunity for the young Freehold to sharpen its many skills into fine tools of conquest and war. Now everytime you use an Evocation or Conjuration spell foes within 30ft of the targeted point or area have to make a willsave against the spell's DC or are Shaken for 1 minute. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Doom of Rhoynar (Su): Your study of Rhoynish wars allows you to copy a peace of the overpowering fury Valyria's Dragonriders brought to bear against the Rhoynar in their northwestern conquests. 3/day you may create a 20ft blast-radius within 400ft of you and in your line of sight is affected by dreadful fire, dealing 5d6 +1d6 per level as Cataclysm Mage points of Fire damage that ignores Hardness of objects and reduces the fire-resistance of targeted foes by 10 points, or reduces immunity to 30 points of resistance, for 1 minute. The damage can be halved by a reflex save DC 16 +INT, WIS or CHA bonus, whichever is more advantageous for the caster.
This ability is affected by Ghiscary Secret as an Evocation spell.
The Doom (Sp): In study of the Doom of Valyria and consequently the decline of magic through the world the mage has gained the ability to replicate a tiny fraction of that dreadful event. Once per day the mage may speak a word of sundering, tearing apart magic itself around him. He creates a 40ft zone with the effects of an Antimagic Field. This field does not move with the mage, but stays in one location, shrinking by 10 ft every 10 minutes. Any Outsider, Undead or other creature reliant on magic for its existance in the radius when the word is spoken must make a willsave or flee in Panic for 10 rounds. This effect ignores resistance or immunity to fear or mind-affecting effects.
The DC is 18+ INT, WIS or CHA bonus.
Using this ability deals 2 points of damage to the mages main casting-stat, detracted only after the instant of the effect. This damage can be healed normally
Grafts:
Dragonwing
3/day swift action for spellcasting, price unknown?
Equipment:
@Goldfish
These 5 cover the schools, but the whole build feels like a mess that can do nothing particularly well?
He doesn't have the Draconic Feats to build those boni in serious numbers, he doesn't have enough Metamagic to do much with it, his Spell Foci are not helping much, etc.
I think I should either step back from the Cataclysm, or give him one more level time to reach the requirements for Archmage.
Though maybe two flaws could save the build.
What about this? It's one of several Sorcerer PrCs I pulled off the internet long ago, from pre-3.5 days.
Could do five levels of Sorcerer, then ten levels of Meta Magus.
I would clean it up to be more presentable if ya'll wanted to use it.
Meta Magus
Hit Die - d6
Requirements
To qualify to become Meta Magus, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Concentration - 7 ranks
Knowledge[Arcana] - 7 ranks
Spellcraft - 7 ranks
Feats - Rapid Metamagic and any other metamagic feat
Spellcasting - Ability to spontaneously cast arcane spells of 2nd level or higher.
Class Skills
The arms mage's class skills are; Alchemy[Int], Bluff[Cha], Concentration[Con], Craft[Int], Diplomacy[Cha], Intimidate[Cha], Knowledge[Any][Int], Listen[Wis], Profession[Wis], Scry[Int], Sense Motive[Wis], Spellcraft[Int], Spot[Wis]
Skill Points at Each Level - 2 + Int modifier
Class Features -
Weapon and Armor Proficiency - A Meta Magus gains no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
BAB/Saves - As sorcerer
Special
1st-Bonus Metamagic Feat +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
2nd-Free Metamagic[1/day] +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd-Innate Metamagic +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th-Bonus Metamagic Feat +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th-Free Metamagic[2/day] +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6th-Innate Metamagic +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
7th-Bonus Metamagic Feat +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8th-Free Metamagic[3/day] +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th-Innate Metamagic +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10th-Improved Metamagic, Bonus Metamagic Feat +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
Spells per Day - A meta magus continues to study magic while honing his metamagic prowess. Thus, when a new meta magus level is reached he gains new spells per day as if he gained a level in the spellcasting class he previously belonged to before becoming a meta magus. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.
Bonus Metamagic Feats - At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, the meta magus may select a new metamagic feat.
Innate Metamagic[Su] - At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, the Meta Magus is able to select one of his spells to permanently apply a metamagic feat to. The metamagic feat to be applied at 3rd level must be selected from those that increase the spell's level by no more than one level, at 6th level a metamagic feat that increases spell level by up to 2 may be applied, and at 9th level a metamagic feat with a cost of 3 levels may be used. This Innate Metamagic may be applied to different spells or stacked atop a single spell. Once applied, the feat cannot be changed. The spell level of spells enhanced with Innate Metamagic does not increase.
Free Metamagic[Su] - At 2nd, 5th, and 8th levels, the meta magus gains the ability to once per day cast a spell augmented by metamagic without raising its level. Spells altered by this ability cannot exceed the maximum level of spell able to be cast by the Meta Magus even though its level does not increase. For example, a 4th level Sorcerer/6th level Meta Magus could Maximize a Flaming Sphere spell, because he can cast 5th level spells, but he could not Quicken it because his can not yet cast 6th level spells.
Improved Metamagic[Su] - As per the same Incantrix ability.
But first I'd like to try if I can fix the current build tomorrow..
Kinda attached to the idea of making our favorite Valyria-fan actually draw power from that history.
Huh, a Westerosi lordling with a spine. Not only ventures forth to battle an ancient horror, but has yet kept his reason while doing so, even at the face of magic. This is far from numb acceptance.