First Caster Question

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dragonfire8974

Scout
so i'm going to go sword and board pyramid earth caster with extra armor

my idea for pyramid is that my group has access to two life spells already and the pyramid gives me a lot more flexibility because i have more spells. the tradeoff is the very few 9th level spells, but i will be able to throw more magic armors and spell shields than if i columned out hoping to be able to prevent the need for life's. also with sword and board and good armor, i could be close to front line and take care of my big fighters without really being in much danger.

basically i need advice regarding formal ranks because i have no idea what would be good for my group (we have no ritualist caster). otherwise i'll just keep expanding my pyramid when i get more build.

comments? glaring holes? comments on being an idiot for thinking about sticking into combat when i can get so many more spells by just sticking behind my fighters
 
Depends on what you plan to do with the formals. Presumably you're going Earth, so a Magic Augmentationed Purify is worthwhile. I'm kind of on the fence about Rebirth. For actual formals, Ritual of Woe is fun sometimes, and Spirit Recall is crazy useful for "suicide missions" and is spellcraftable.
 
Sword and baord is never a waste...

try and get a dot so you can cast spell shield and magic armor from scrolls The only earth formal worth it is rebirth the rest are a waste.
 
¿No love for Healers Resolve? I've yet to see it in action, so I have no idea whether the extra healing pool is any good.
 
Have no experience with high magic or rits, though my group has enough buying power to get some scrolls if we wanted
 
Mobius said:
¿No love for Healers Resolve? I've yet to see it in action, so I have no idea whether the extra healing pool is any good.
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In its current format, it's pretty much just what you do as an Earth caster when you've run out of Banes, Cloaks, Earth's Bounty and Magic Augmentations to buy, provided of course you already also have your Rebirth and don't actually need the Earth blade for the day.

In other words, it's pretty weak as a high magic ability. It could use a rework.
 
3 build for a "Magic Cure Wounds by touch-cast" effect doesn't thrill. If you could dispense it out in larger chunks and throw it, it might be worth it. It might be fine for a backline healer where any extra healing is good, but he's playing sword/board, front/second line. If he doesn't have the sticks and scrolls or toys, Earth Aura could be neat, but it requires a bit of advance knowledge.
 
so formals is a good thing to sink some points into as a front/second liner?
 
dragonfire8974 said:
so formals is a good thing to sink some points into as a front/second liner?
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I'm certainly working toward my rebirth for my templar. For now, I prep a Magic Purify.
 
dragonfire8974 said:
so formals is a good thing to sink some points into as a front/second liner?
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1 level for a Magic Purify, at least, 5 more if you don't have an earth aura'd weapon and really, really think you'll need one.

Cloaks and Banes are okay, but not something I'd suggest sinking build into formals for, especially given that you're pyramiding. I'm also not a big fan of Rebirth. As I've said before, any plan that requires you dying in order to make the build expenditure worth it probably isn't the best plan.
 
I certainly wasn't thinking rebirth. It also eats a life spell that might be sorely needed by someone who will hit a lot harder than I

thanks for the perspective y'all
 
jpariury said:
1 level for a Magic Purify, at least, 5 more if you don't have an earth aura'd weapon and really, really think you'll need one.
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2 now, for magic augmentation.

I'm also not a big fan of Rebirth. As I've said before, any plan that requires you dying in order to make the build expenditure worth it probably isn't the best plan.
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Depends on your race. Certainly far less of a problem for Humans than it is for, say, High Orcs and Sarr. If I were playing a human character, I'd probably agree with you. I pretty routinely go do stupid things with my Sarr so a Rebirth is kind of desirable.
 
A minor point on Healer's Resolve: It won't pop a spell shield/reflect (I'm like, 90% sure on that.)

So it can save you a 1st and 5th/8th level spell (one to pop the defense, and the other if you want to replace the defense) in addition to being a CW worth of healing.
 
I watched a PC who was getting circle-rezzed rebirth and save himself this weekend. It was the ultimate jail-break.

High magic made my 4-block 20-rit rank celestial scholar start learning earth. Mostly for rebirth. And Magic Purifies... because Dispel gets rid of Protectives and Release doesn't cover every situation. Plus, my PC is paranoid about Amnesias.
 
I was also wondering about Earth's Bounty, ¿is it worth it? Seems like a heckuva High Magic investment for very little return; on the other hand, at full investment it adds 23 effective levels of 'body-building' to a Scholar.
 
Mobius said:
I was also wondering about Earth's Bounty, ¿is it worth it? Seems like a heckuva High Magic investment for very little return; on the other hand, at full investment it adds 23 effective levels of 'body-building' to a Scholar.
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As a split class? Not really. You tend to have more body anyway for being a split, and have better defenses. As a pure caster? I see at least 1 of our earth scholars take it every event, without fail, for all 3 ranks you're allowed to buy.

YMMV.
 
Mobius said:
I was also wondering about Earth's Bounty, ¿is it worth it? Seems like a heckuva High Magic investment for very little return; on the other hand, at full investment it adds 23 effective levels of 'body-building' to a Scholar.
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This past weekend I did 2 buys in Earth's Bounty, as a ES with sword and board who likes to be on the front lines. I found it was good to have the extra body..
 
An earth scholar with high formals can slap on a 30 pts suit of AA + Earth's bounty. That adds a significant level of durability for a caster.

One of my Earth Scholars takes 2 levels every event and will likely take all 3 shortly.
 
Inaryn said:
2 now, for magic augmentation.
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My bad.

Depends on your race. Certainly far less of a problem for Humans than it is for, say, High Orcs and Sarr. If I were playing a human character, I'd probably agree with you. I pretty routinely go do stupid things with my Sarr so a Rebirth is kind of desirable.
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Well, yes. He didn't suggest he was planning on doing "stupid things". ;)

Mobius said:
I was also wondering about Earth's Bounty, ¿is it worth it? Seems like a heckuva High Magic investment for very little return; on the other hand, at full investment it adds 23 effective levels of 'body-building' to a Scholar.
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I wouldn't buy formals just for the sake of getting EB.
 
I already have a 30 suit of AA, so i'm going to buy the wear extra armor to really make myself a good substitute for the line.

though i'm going to need a preserve by the end of next year
 
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