High Arcana and Arcane Help for the Clueless

[Planehopper]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

High Arcana: Arcane Fire
Specifics: At the cost of one 9th level spell you gain the ability convert spells of any level into Arcane Fire. This ability can be used at will. Arcane fire requires a ranged touch attack to hit and does 1d6 magic damage for every level of the spell converted and an additional 1d6 magic damage for every Archmage level with the possibility of a critical hit. If no sacrificed spell slot is available the ability cannot be used. Spell slots are sacrificed the first time the feat is used after resting and must contain a memorized spell.
Use: On / Off

I like the idea of it. That said I realize that it probably isn't the most optimal, mechanically, as you lose a 9th level spell to gain some blasting flexibility. With 6 levels of archmage and a ton of level 1 spells, I am looking at 7d6 on an RTA. Costing me a 9th level spell and High Arcana feat.

Buuuut, what does it look like? What are the VFX? If anoyone can take a screenshot (or better yet a youtube vid) and show me what it looks like on screen, the way it looks may just talk me into gimping myself with it. I am a sucker for uniqueness.

Anyway, anyone ever use this? Anyone?

[Lockonnow]

it is really ugly it, is ugly blue ray and it is looklike something from a amiga games now you know

[Tsidkenu]

Decent ability. Basically, you activate your Conversion toggle in your spell book quick-bar (similar to how a cleric or druid converts their spells to healing/harming/summoning), and select the spell you want to convert and then choose your target.

You make a ranged touch attack, and if successful, the target receives 1d6 per Archmage level + 1d6 per spell level in irresistible magic damage (no save, no SR). Max 19d6 for a 10th level archmage + 9th level spell converted.

Spells converted in such a manner are lost until your next rest, identical to the way conversion works for clerics/druids.

It can be a good way to convert excess buff spells into burst damage if your party really needs the extra DPS to take down some big mob, but at the initial cost of a 9th level spell just to unlock the ability some would say it's not that great and choosing a SLA (Spell Like Ability) can be better.

And the ray indeed looks like a bluish-purple blast of arcane fire, similar to warlock bedazzling blast or something. I don't think its as bad as lockonnow suggests

[Lockonnow]

it is more then great truat me i know what iam talking about from Master beyond yuore dreams

[Glowfire]

I'd say to max the potential of it, 10 AM levels is the way to go. It -is- costly but it does have its uses. I have it on my wizard and mostly memorize RP spells or plain utility spells. Not much firepower, so it's a nice back-up but most of the time of course, any damage spell would do a better job. For me it was an obvious pick as well, due to SR and that my mage is in the UD.

The only negative about it IMO is that the ray has some kind of delay in its damage dealt. Think magic missile. The delay is noticeable. I should maybe just nudge the devs and see if it can be shortened.

[Deathgrowl]

It's probably only really worth it for a specialist (in my opinion). Losing a level 9 spell is just not nice.

[chad878262]

From a cost/ benefit perspective some of the reserve feats are better since you can keep a level 8 spell of whatever type you need for unlimited uses. Would still be unique as the reserve feats aren't much used from what I've seen.

[K'yon Oblodra]

So much for uniqueness, wanted to take 10 levels of Archmage to utilize this as well... Could anyone post a Screenshot of the effect? Would be cool if that would look at least decent .

Heya Conjurer you got it on your toon? Which level of Archmage are you and where do you plan to end at?

[Planehopper]

I will have 10 levels eventually, but I don't really play-to-level (aka grind) these days so I have no delusions about reaching 30 anytime in the forseeable future.

It seems like, in the current form, it isn't worth taking then? Even for RP purposes it seems a little sketchy.

Chad, ever any QC talk about improving it? Or adding additional high arcana choices? I'd totally burn a high arcana on a true name ceremony, a greater familiar, or something else rp-oriented but semi-useful.

[Deathgrowl]

It probably is worth taking on a specialist with 10 levels of archmage.

Converting those level 1-3 utility spells into 11d6 to 13d6 damage rays is great. Not to mention that 11d6 is already better than any level 1 blast spells.

I doubt you can find a way to improve it, to be honest. Sure, you are getting bad conversion rates for level 7-9 spells (19d6 damage for converting a level 9 spell is a bad deal), but the lower levels are fantastic, and that's where you keep most of your buffs and stuff. Just prepare a bunch of re-casts for buffs and when you find you don't need them, convert them to arcane fire.

Is it worth it for you? Depends on how you want to play and what you want to achieve. I personally would never take archmage beyond level 4, but I don't particularly enjoy blasters so mastery of shaping and elemental mastery isn't of interest to me, and I would never trade in a wizard's versatility for SLAs. So my personal interest stops with Spell Power II.

The Improved Familiar feat has been added already, by the way. Not as a high arcana, though. But worth checking out!

[K'yon Oblodra]

Converting those level 1-3 utility spells into 11d6 to 13d6 damage rays is great. Not to mention that 11d6 is already better than any level 1 blast spells.

That's what I wanted to use if for mainly and a little bit of RP.

Say Deathgrowl in your signature is Luna at the end of the SoundCloud link... You're not the old Luna developer though right?

[Planehopper]

Is it worth it for you? Depends on how you want to play and what you want to achieve. I personally would never take archmage beyond level 4, but I don't particularly enjoy blasters so mastery of shaping and elemental mastery isn't of interest to me, and I would never trade in a wizard's versatility for SLAs. So my personal interest stops with Spell Power II.

Yeah I am starting to have my doubts about extending out Archmage to 10. That said, I am on lvl 5 so I need to either cut my losses, or take at least one more! Then, when I am in too deep already, I should probably go 8 to pick up Spell Power III. Oh the sweet, sweet mechanical decisions that tempt my RPing heart.

Who am I kidding, I am probably good for another level or two at the most...

The Improved Familiar feat has been added already, by the way. Not as a high arcana, though. But worth checking out!

I saw those. I am not sure the choices available right now fit the RP/Style/Theme I have going. Considering it though, in the hope that more will be added eventually.

I was kind of squeaking in a suggestion of something even one more step beyond, (Familiar->Improved->Greater) sort of thing. Perhaps more spells per day, something like that. You know, because getting something new and awesome automatically requires us to want more.

Oooh or perhaps the Improved Familiar feat could be included as a High Arcana choice?

[K'yon Oblodra]

Sorry to high jack this a bit but my wizard has 5W/4EK/3ASoC.

I am thinking about a W5/AM10/EK/ASoC build.

Now I am not sure how to do the distribution between ASoC and EK.

Guess there are 5/7/10 ASoC levels and then respectively 10/7/5 EK levels... Kinda looking at your advice Chad but everyone else is welcome to chime in .
Thinking mainly AB - > extra attack vs meta magic... Also is it at all viable to play that wizard melee oriented even if there might just be 5 ek levels in the end?

Edit: would the Arcana that grants spell like abilities allow the use of the arcane fire with it?

[Deathgrowl]

Also is it at all viable to play that wizard melee oriented even if there might just be 5 ek levels in the end?

Probably not.

Mechanically, it will always be best to focus on one or the other. Either you're a great gish or you're a great blaster or DC mage.

What are you trying to achieve, mechanically or RP wise, with your build? Much easier to give you advice if you have a clear goal in mind.

[Glowfire]

Yeah I am starting to have my doubts about extending out Archmage to 10 (as was my original thought - Wiz 15/Thaum 5/AM 10). That said, I am on lvl 5 so I need to either cut my losses and go for wiz 20 and the bonus feat, or take at least one more! Then, when I am in too deep already, I should probably go 8 to pick up Spell Power III. Oh the sweet, sweet mechanical decisions that tempt my RPing heart.

Why do you need Spellpower III? You should have 30 CL, and with Spellpower II end up on 32 CL. Which nets you another +1 DC. 33 CL only gives you +1 CL, no DC. It's not worth it IMO. Just saying if this was something you hadn't thought of.