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This is a build for a venerable grey elf sage (wizard), where my goal was
maximizing Int and Int-related skills. His stats are based on the same points
(25) as the elite array. The +2 on race makes up for the loss of +1
skill/level for human.
At venerable age, he gets -6 per physical ability (min 1
MG) and +3 per
mental ability. Since these Int increases affect skill points, I had to
decide at what age he levels. The simplest is to assume he reaches level 20
by middle age, so age-related ability boosts don't affect skill points. Less
credible is assuming all his leveling up happens after reaching venerable age,
which gives an extra skill point per level at level 1-3, and 2/level at level
4 and above (so he *could* be even more of an Int munchkin). I gave him the
tome at level 16, the first level where its cost was about half the total
value of his treasure.
I could have made him an expert for +4 skills/level but didn't want to lose
the nifty spells. The wizard sage, with elven lifetime, can learn just about
any spell s/he wants.
Str 1= min[8-2(race)-6(age), 1]
Dex 2= 8-6(age)
Con 2= 8-6(age)
Int 40=18+2(race)+4(levels)+5(tome at 16th level)+6(headband of
Int)+3(age)+2(ioun stone)
Wis 26=14+3(age)+1(levels)+6(periapt of wisdom)+2(ioun stone)
Cha 24=13+3(age)+6(cloak of charisma)+2(ioun stone)
Skill points: [28/lvl 1, 7/lvl 2-7, 8/lvl 8-15, 11/lvl 16-19, 12/lvl 20]
As a sage he would invest in knowledge skills; as a mage he needs Spellcraft.
As a non-adventurer he might want Profession -- though that skill doesn't need
to be high. Since he would be consulted a lot I think he also needs Sense
Motive (even though it's cross-class). Is there a feat somewhere that adds
some skills to your class list? I have some vague memory of such a feat but
can't recall where I saw it. I'd like to have a choice to add a few Wis or
Cha skills. Even untrained, a Wis-based skill would be +7.
A typical knowlege skill maintained from first level would be 24 ranks + 15
Int mod = 39. Thus he is guaranteed to make a DC 40 skill roll, or DC 50 if
he can take 10 (which would be most of the time). These are even tougher than
the DC 30 "really tough questions" mentioned in the SRD.
Magic:
tome of clear thought 137,500
headband of intellect 36,000
periapt of wisdom 36,000
cloak of charisma 36,000
ioun stones (I,W,Ch) 24,000 8000*3
plus 514,500 in other gear. He could conceivably invest 36,000*3 and 8,000*3
in the other ability boosters, taking physical skills to 9/10/10. I'm
wondering what else is worthwhile?
He probably needs to invest in a home; it would be in character to have a
personal library, and someone as infirm as this probably needs followers to
take care of him and keep nuisances away. So I think he would take the
Leadership feat for his last feat before settling down at 18th-20th level.
His leadership store is 20+7(cha)+2(great reknown as a sage)=29, he gets a
17th level cohort, 135 1st-level followers, 13 2nd, 7 3rd, 4 4th, 2 5th, and 2
6th.
I'm not sure what to pick for the other feats. Various "Craft magical item"
feats make sense for many mages, but as a retired adventurer he might not want
to use them too much because of the XP cost. Unless there is some way for him
to still adventure despite his frailties...
One of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books, "The Spell Sword", had a sword
with the magical property that someone without sword skill could take the
sword, and someone else with the Alton gift (mental coercion) could "take
over" and fight using the first character's body, but his/her own skill
levels. Accompanying this was the ability to see through the wielder's eyes
and hear through his/her eyes. This suggested to me another possibility: an
item that lets the sage see and hear through someone's senses, but allows
him/her to talk to the item's bearer. Adventurers might be glad of having an
on-call advisor whose Knowledge skills are broad enough to identify most wierd
monsters. This might permit him to earn enough XP to make up for what he
would lose in making items.
--
"Yo' ideas need to be thinked befo' they are say'd" - Ian Lamb, age 3.5
http://www.cs.queensu.ca/~dalamb/ qucis->cs to reply (it's a long story...)
This is a build for a venerable grey elf sage (wizard), where my goal was
maximizing Int and Int-related skills. His stats are based on the same points
(25) as the elite array. The +2 on race makes up for the loss of +1
skill/level for human.
At venerable age, he gets -6 per physical ability (min 1
MG) and +3 permental ability. Since these Int increases affect skill points, I had to
decide at what age he levels. The simplest is to assume he reaches level 20
by middle age, so age-related ability boosts don't affect skill points. Less
credible is assuming all his leveling up happens after reaching venerable age,
which gives an extra skill point per level at level 1-3, and 2/level at level
4 and above (so he *could* be even more of an Int munchkin). I gave him the
tome at level 16, the first level where its cost was about half the total
value of his treasure.
I could have made him an expert for +4 skills/level but didn't want to lose
the nifty spells. The wizard sage, with elven lifetime, can learn just about
any spell s/he wants.
Str 1= min[8-2(race)-6(age), 1]
Dex 2= 8-6(age)
Con 2= 8-6(age)
Int 40=18+2(race)+4(levels)+5(tome at 16th level)+6(headband of
Int)+3(age)+2(ioun stone)
Wis 26=14+3(age)+1(levels)+6(periapt of wisdom)+2(ioun stone)
Cha 24=13+3(age)+6(cloak of charisma)+2(ioun stone)
Skill points: [28/lvl 1, 7/lvl 2-7, 8/lvl 8-15, 11/lvl 16-19, 12/lvl 20]
As a sage he would invest in knowledge skills; as a mage he needs Spellcraft.
As a non-adventurer he might want Profession -- though that skill doesn't need
to be high. Since he would be consulted a lot I think he also needs Sense
Motive (even though it's cross-class). Is there a feat somewhere that adds
some skills to your class list? I have some vague memory of such a feat but
can't recall where I saw it. I'd like to have a choice to add a few Wis or
Cha skills. Even untrained, a Wis-based skill would be +7.
A typical knowlege skill maintained from first level would be 24 ranks + 15
Int mod = 39. Thus he is guaranteed to make a DC 40 skill roll, or DC 50 if
he can take 10 (which would be most of the time). These are even tougher than
the DC 30 "really tough questions" mentioned in the SRD.
Magic:
tome of clear thought 137,500
headband of intellect 36,000
periapt of wisdom 36,000
cloak of charisma 36,000
ioun stones (I,W,Ch) 24,000 8000*3
plus 514,500 in other gear. He could conceivably invest 36,000*3 and 8,000*3
in the other ability boosters, taking physical skills to 9/10/10. I'm
wondering what else is worthwhile?
He probably needs to invest in a home; it would be in character to have a
personal library, and someone as infirm as this probably needs followers to
take care of him and keep nuisances away. So I think he would take the
Leadership feat for his last feat before settling down at 18th-20th level.
His leadership store is 20+7(cha)+2(great reknown as a sage)=29, he gets a
17th level cohort, 135 1st-level followers, 13 2nd, 7 3rd, 4 4th, 2 5th, and 2
6th.
I'm not sure what to pick for the other feats. Various "Craft magical item"
feats make sense for many mages, but as a retired adventurer he might not want
to use them too much because of the XP cost. Unless there is some way for him
to still adventure despite his frailties...
One of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover books, "The Spell Sword", had a sword
with the magical property that someone without sword skill could take the
sword, and someone else with the Alton gift (mental coercion) could "take
over" and fight using the first character's body, but his/her own skill
levels. Accompanying this was the ability to see through the wielder's eyes
and hear through his/her eyes. This suggested to me another possibility: an
item that lets the sage see and hear through someone's senses, but allows
him/her to talk to the item's bearer. Adventurers might be glad of having an
on-call advisor whose Knowledge skills are broad enough to identify most wierd
monsters. This might permit him to earn enough XP to make up for what he
would lose in making items.
--
"Yo' ideas need to be thinked befo' they are say'd" - Ian Lamb, age 3.5
http://www.cs.queensu.ca/~dalamb/ qucis->cs to reply (it's a long story...)
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