Help! I play caster, and need advice!

[mireigi]

Entropic Husk is by far the most evil one

False.

I'll show my reasoning, which is quite simple, if you show yours.

Entropic Husk

If you succeed at a melee touch attack, and the target fails the saving throw, its soul is instantly annihilated, and its body is animated by primal entropy. For the duration of the spell the creature becomes a juggernaut of destruction, gaining +8 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and randomly attacks former allies and enemies alike. After 20 rounds, the entropic force animating the creatures body burns itself out and the creature collapses into dust.

What can possibly be more evil than destroying a living beings soul, denying it the chance to pass on to an afterlife, while also reanimating the lifeless body as a mindless creature that self-destructs after harming, or attempting to harm, everyone within range at random.

It's not just an Evil spell, it's a Chaotic Evil spell. It's the kind of spell that would make Lolth wet herself with glee as she laughs hysterically, screaming "That's so wrong, but it's so fun! Give me more!"

[Aelcar]

What can possibly be more evil than destroying a living beings soul, denying it the chance to pass on to an afterlife, while also reanimating the lifeless body as a mindless creature that self-destructs after harming, or attempting to harm, everyone within range at random.

It's what Vampiric Feast does, except for the fact it does it AoE, and you also "feast" on the souls (plural) you destroy. Entropic Husk is not any more evil, dont worry about it.

As for which Epic Spells are really worth it, the answer is: Vampiric Feast. The other ones are mainly RP choices, as none of them is worth as much as Epic Spell Focus on the chosen school or a +1 INT/CHA. If you do not want to end with an odd INT/CHA, they are already very high, and you already have ESF, you can consider the one that complements your build/RP concept best. An Evoker could pick Greater Ruin or Hellball for instance (both dmg spells that avoid Evasion issues), a blaster without SF feats but with high INT/CHA might go for Mass Fowl to give him/herself a good DC save or die spell, and so on.

[dzidek1983]

i also love Damnation... its a stun without a save.. that can kill... a really neat combination on a warlock...

go invisible, walk by the victim, touch him - and he is dead if not stun immune, either he fails the save and dies or gets stunned so you kill him with blasts... also a good fight opener when you have to disable some enemy in a crowded room to finish him later....

[Scarth]

The build I'm working towards was kindly supplied by Thorsson, it's a Monk/Wiz/Assn/EK build. He suggested Vampiric Feast. Entropic Husk is the coolest sounding, but Feast sounds as though it has the most utility (Multiperson PVP, AoE vs Monsters etc). Is it possible to justify it on a Lawful Neutral character, or is it (feast) simply too evil for anyone who would be disciplined to consider it?

I also have some recollection of someone mentioning that Epic Gate has some utility. How true is this, for a Semi-Gish build like the one I mentioned above?

I might as well ask here as well, is there a preferred school of magic for a gish?

[dzidek1983]

preffered school is always necromancy on current rules... its the best choice no matter how you look at it... being evil or not...

epic gate summon is nice on a good aligned character
but its only 4 minutes on your character

why monk in that build???

just play Lawful Evil and have no problem with morals... yes its evil...

[Scarth]

Wanted Monk just because Monks have always been my favorite class, and it allows me to Flurry with Quarterstaff.

I chose Illusion for my Wizard School, but I suppose I can still access Necromancy.

[duracele]

Ok. Forgive me but for someone new to the game the problems of casters aren`t which epic feat to take...

It is just hard to play a caster because the D&D system usually let s you just hit the pause button ^^.

I recently started a pure sorcerer. It all comes down to choosing the right low level spells imo.
You don`t want magic missile for clearing the graveyard.. obviously, say mage armor, is a far more sensible choice there... Protection from evil obviously, which is likely to make you popular with other players.
I tried to clear the hilltop ruins with a high level summon bought at High Hedge. Didn t work out for me though. The summon is always in the wrong place, does next to no damage and dies too fast. Granted i haven`t tested all the different summons.
Mirror image is a absolute must, too. At least in the lower levels. Pick up invisibility as fast as you can, it can save your behind on many occasions. Spells like grease and slow need somewhat of a tactic to use them. Very useful though for crowd delaying, though.
Most important of all of course. Be a party player. You just don`t have enough spells in the low levels to wreak havoc on your own.

Mind you all this is from a newbie stance.
Just wanted to turn in my two cents.

[dzidek1983]

Wanted Monk just because Monks have always been my favorite class, and it allows me to Flurry with Quarterstaff.

I chose Illusion for my Wizard School, but I suppose I can still access Necromancy.

illusion is a bad choice for a gish... cos you loose greater heroism... :/

[Scarth]

Oh..
Oh well, too late. Is there anything else I miss out on? I don't really want to RCR and lose a bunch of XP (I already RCR'd with an unused character) just to change something like that.

[dzidek1983]

you loose the whole enchantement school.... so besides the mentioned herosim you loose a bunch of controll spells but as your DC isnt high you probably wouldnt use them...

only usuable i can think of is touch of idiocy vs a wizard.. but its situational and not important...

[Valefort]

Greater heroism is perhaps the most important spell on a fighting wizard unfortunately, it makes up for their lower base attack bonus, that's a big loss.

[dzidek1983]

yes that +4 AB, +4 saves and a bonus HP... its a big deal... bigger then the additional spell per level...

[Scarth]

Lovely, time to RCR again and waste even more time

[dzidek1983]

im sorry but it seems so.. Deez is an illusionist but he is not a gish... so he doesnt care

but +4 AB on a melee build matters, so does HP... its THE key buff of a gish...

[Deathgrowl]

Entropic Husk is by far the most evil one

False.

I'll show my reasoning, which is quite simple, if you show yours.

Vampiric Feast has Evil DESCRIPTOR. It is ALWAYS evil.

Entropic Husk does not, which means that while it is a brutal spell it can still be used in a non-evil purpose.

Entropic Husk is not in and of itself evil. Here it is the use of the spell that is. Vampiric feast is objectively evil.