Spellwarp Sniper

[7threalm]

http://alcyius.com/dndtools/classes/spe ... index.html

Spellwarp Sniper

(Complete Scoundrel variant, p. 64)
The spellwarp sniper contorts spells, changing area effects into rays that deliver precise, devastating attacks.
Requirements
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks , Spellcraft 8 ranks
Feats: Point Blank Shot
Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd-level spells.
Special: Sneak attack or sudden strike +1d6.

Hit die
d6
Skill points
4 + Int
Class Features
Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a spellwarp sniper, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Spellwarp (Ex): You can alter the form of certain area spells into rays as you cast them. As a free action, you can warp a 1st-level area spell with instantaneous duration and a range greater than touch. The spell's level, components, range, and damage (if any) remain unchanged. However, the spell's area entry is replaced by an effect entry of "ray." The spell acts in all ways as a ray, and is considered a ray for the purpose of effects that modify or depend on rays (such as the other abilities of this prestige class). You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to affect an opponent with the spell. Even if the original spell allowed a Reflex save to reduce or negate its effect, the ray does not. However, if the original spell allowed a Fortitude or Will save to reduce or negate the spell's effect, the save still applies.
You must decide to warp the spell as you cast it. You do not need to prepare it as a warped spell. You can apply metamagic feats as normal to the spell, as long as they can affect ray spells.
Each time you advance a level in this class, the maximum level of spell that you can affect increases by one. For example, a 3rd-level spellwarp sniper can warp spells of up to 3rd level.
Sudden Raystrike (Ex): If you can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from your ray attack, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Whenever the target of one of your ray spells is denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus of not), you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage with your ray spell. (If your ray spell doesn't deal hit point damage, this extra damage doesn't apply.) At 4th level, the extra damage increases to 2d6. If you get a sneak attack or sudden strike bonus from another source (such as rogue or ninja levels), the bonuses on damage stack whenever both abilities would apply to the same target. This damage applies only to targets within 30 feet. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to your sudden raystrikes.
Precise Shot: At 3rd level, you gain Precise Shot as a bonus feat. If you already have Precise Shot, you can select any other feat that has Point Blank Shot as a prerequisite, as long as you meet the prerequisite for the chosen feat.
Ray Mastery (Ex): At 5th level, you attain unequaled control over your ray spells. This control manifests in three ways:
You can apply the extra damage from the sudden raystrike ability (as well as any additional sneak attack or sudden strike damage from other sources) to ray attacks against a target within 60 feet, instead of 30 feet.
You can deliver a coup de grace with a ray spell that deals hit point damage. You must be adjacent to your target to deliver the coup de grace.
Once per day, you can empower a single ray spell, as though with the Empower Spell feat, without any adjustment to the spell's level or casting time. This effect applies equally to spells that are already rays and those you warp into rays.
Advancement

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spellcasting
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Spellwarp +1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Sudden raystrike +1d6 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Precise Shot +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 Sudden raystrike +2d6 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 Ray mastery +1 level of existing spellcasting class

[chad878262]

seems cool, has a lot of synergy with AT for creating a Thief/Mage archtype. Not sure how it would work changing non-ray spells in to rays to apply sneak attack/ray strike damage... Because the class requires Sneak Attack for entry you still have the same issue that AT does, in that you need 3 levels of a non-casting progression class to qualify and then if you want HiPS you now have max CL of 28 and you have to decide which classes to take since you can only have 4... So you can have W/R/AT/SWS or W/R/SD/SWS, but you can't get both SWS and AT if you want HiPS, unless you went W/A/AT/SWS, which is possible to do, but assuming W7/A8/AT10/SWS5 the CL is 26 and the BAB is only 17...so you will need some DEX For those RTA's.

In any case, if it is possible to implement turning an AoE in to a single target spell is taking away power in most cases IMO so I don't see it being overpowered, especially being limited to level 5 spells. Some spells such as Flame Arrow will be problematic since there are multiple attacks, so not sure how that would work, but maybe Valefort can comment on the potential.

[Sun Wukong]

[...] Some spells such as Flame Arrow will be problematic since there are multiple attacks, [...]

Flame Arrow (level 3) is a single target spell, so it would not gain anything from this PRC. I think you must have mixed it with Firebrand (level 5). As for how Firebrand would work... It would behave in the exact same way a regular fireball would, you attack a single target with a ray attack that deals spell's damage dice. In this case, it would do do up to 21d6 points of damage. (73.5~ On average, a Maximized Lesser Orb (level 1) would deal 72 points of damage and take either a level 3 or 4 spell slot.)

I do not really see any issues with turning level 1-5 AoE spells into ranged touch attacks, regardless of which arcane or divine spell books I look into.

Thus I would like to discuss more about; Ray Mastery.

• At first the possibility to deal sneak attacks within 60 feet may seem like a lot because distance adds survivability, however, it would be limited to 'RAY' spells. If you look here for the changed damage dices - the list of ray spells you have access to and the AoE spells you can convert into rays - are limited in number and deal less damage than your other spell options.
• The coup de grace rules can be safely ignored as coup de grace does not really exist in NWN2.
• The one daily use of Empower Ray Spell would only really apply to Polar Ray, because there are not that many Ray spells to begin with. What other uses are there, a potentially maximized AND empowered Ray of Enfeeblement, and a '3d4' Energy Drain?

So what kind of builds could you make?

A Wizard 12/Rogue 3/Arcane Trickster 10/Spellwarp Sniper 5? Sneak attack of 9d6 on top of a 30d6 Polar Ray?

A Wizard 12/Rogue 3/Arcane Scholar 10/Spellwarp Sniper 5? Sneak attack of 4d6 on top of 45d6 Polar Ray?

A Wizard 12/Rogue 3/Frost Mage 10/Spellwarp Sniper 5? Sneak attack of 4d6 on top of a 30d6 Polar Ray that ignores cold damage immunity?

As a comparison, a Wizard 6/Rogue 4/Arcane Scholar 10/Arcane Trickster 10 would get a sneak attack of 7d6 on top of a 45d6 Polar Ray. Thus in my books, Spellwarp Sniper is the inferior choice when it comes to direct damage output.

(And that Precise Shot ability might be easiest to implement as a free Blindfight feat. It would be nice to ignore all concealment below 50%, but... could that even be done? Has it been done?)

However, if we are to ignore our caster level and the many - many defences it would bring, I suppose it could be possible to go for a such a build as: Rogue 11/Assassin 9/Wizard 5/Spellward Sniper 5.

• You would have sneak attack dice of 11d6, 13d6 with your ray spells.
• Caster level of 14 at best and access to fifth level spells.
• Thus you could use a 9d4 Burning Hands (level 1), 12d8 Fireburst (level 2), 12d4 Frost Breath (level 2), 14d6 Fireball (level 3), 14d6 Shout (level4), or 14d6 Firebrand (level 5) as a sneak attack Ray. You might also apply empower and/or maximize to increase the spell damage.
• With base intelligence of 16, you would get 6 level 1 slots, 5 level 2 slots, 4 level 3 slots, 2 level 4 slots, and 1 level 5 slot. A total of 18 longer range sneak attacks with your spells.
• Your BAB would be measly 18 - so you only get 4 attacks per round. But it is enough to give you two ranged sneak attacks with a bow. Crossbow sniper feats are a valid option to boost out your damage output.
• Then Epic Precision lets you have some sneak attack damage against critical hit immune foes.
• And although very, very easily dispelled, Mirror Image has decent spell duration and therefore can grant you some extra survivability.

I think the above build is pretty much the only build where Spellwarp Sniper would be better than an Arcane Trickster - simply because of the extra sneak attack distance granted with ray spells.

Thus to sum it all up, Spellwarp Sniper is an interesting peculiarity to put it kindly. It has a niche with low caster level Rogue/Arcanists. I do not think that it will be breaking the server.