Hiding spells as a wizard [3.5]

[herrhauptmann]

So I'm currently in a level 12 gestalt game where any non-divine magic is outlawed. Every player is a psion or wizard or sorcerer, some of our friendly NPCs consist of warlocks, binders, bards, arcanamachs, DFA's, etc. (We're also all warrior/casters)

The world is for the most part, controlled by an alliance of all the churches (The Inquisition) who are very careful to hunt down any 'witches.' Deities of magic like Mystra and Azuth are barely demigods in this world. While others like Corellon have their Magic portfolio severely understated. Churches like Bane and Torm (Or Cyric and Kelemvor) while they may fight one another for spheres of influence, will close ranks and cooperate when facing the threat of witches.

As a result of The Inquisition, dispel magic and detect magic seem to be commonly prepared spells. I also know that city gates are protected with a whole host of enchantments, including Maximized Greater Glyphs of Warding.
People who seem to own possessions worth a lot (WBL), or have a host of magic items are also treated with suspicion. Especially if those magic items don't directly relate to their livelihood. So a roofer might be expected to have a feather token or something with featherfall. A scribe might have a quill with Amanuensis. But a nonelven circus performer with a magic sword and relic armor dedicated to Corellon? Yeah, he's getting arrested.

Due to the whole "Magic must be hidden" theme, I have both Invisible Spell and Eschew Materials. Most of my spells are good gish-type spells, they boost me rather than hurt/hinder the enemy.

My question is, what other ways are there to hide my casting?
Apparently I do need to worry about Arcane Sight, since Archivists can get it. The specifics of the campaign might make it rare though.

Spells:

• Arcane Sight lets someone know I'm a caster, but I don't think it's on any list except sorc/wiz. So this isn't one which I have to worry about really. (Not unless we get arcane rivals)
  
• Secret page hides my spellbooks and scrolls.
  
• Nystuls Magic aura hides the secret page, as well as the enchantments on other items like my tunic of steady spellcasting and ring of spellbattle. (Anything that would out me as a wizard) With Extend Spell, I've got a schedule on when I renew the spell on these items, never more than one per day, and the spells always overlap a bit.
  
• Misdirection. Can be cast on people or objects. (Forgot about this one when I made my character)
  
• Whispercast. Next spell cast is a purely mental action so long as I whisper. 1 Round duration.

Skills:

• Conceal spellcasting trick. Opposed by sleight of hand.
• Sleight of hand in Races of Stone lets you conceal casting too.

Feats:

• Shadow weave magic. It would help me hide my active spells from anyone else who isn't another shadow weave user. But there are two feats which counter Shadow Weave from Champions of Valor.
• Silent spell (Have it, mentioned above)
• Eschew materials (Have it, mentioned above)
• Deceptive spell. Make it look like spell came from other location. Fails when range=Touch/Self.
• Surrogate Spell. Pretty much natural spell, just for people that aren't humanoid and can't normally talk/gesture. May be obtainable if spending a lot of time polymorphed.
• Spell thematics. Raises DC to identify a spell being cast by 4. Should help against counterspelling for this game.
• Sourthern Magician. (Races of Faerun). Cast a divine spell as an arcane, or vice versa. Thus casting in armor, or benefiting if a spell functions differently for arcane/divine casters.
• Mysterious Magic (Secrets of Xendrik). Raises DC to ID a spell by 5, both when casting, and while active.

Classes/Other

• I could go the Belkar route and carry a lead sheet.
• Eidectic spellcaster. ACF from dragon mag 357. My brain is my spellbook. Scribe new spells by burning incense.
• Be a wizard, but pretend to be an Archivist (HoH). Would have to restrict myself from learning any arcane spells that aren't also on a divine list of some sort.

I'm open to non-wizard/sorc methods too. But would prefer that they remain non-divine. Psionic, warlock, binder...

[gorfnab]

Check out the Easy Bake Wizard in my signature - no spellbook and no familiar, but still has lots of spells known and can somewhat pass as a sorcerer in some circumstances.

[With a box]

Get silent spell might useful
Pretent to be an archivist (he has a prayerbook)

[herrhauptmann]

Check out the Easy Bake Wizard in my signature - no spellbook and no familiar, but still has lots of spells known and can somewhat pass as a sorcerer in some circumstances.

Eidectic spellcaster looks great.

As for the rest of your guide, passing as a sorcerer is no better than not hiding as a wizard. I'll be attacked on sight. (Though I'll also suggest Suel Arcanamach for the Ultimate Magus entry in post 4. Suel+sublime is a build I've wanted to do, but I don't think it's really possible without houserules or gestalt)

When I do have spells up, I want to be able to hide my casting action as well as hide their effects from sight and other divinations.

editing my opening post.

[Erik Vale]

Races of stone allows Sleight of hand to oppose Spot to hide the fact your casting. There's also another metamagic that makes it seem like it comes from another source [Deceptive Spell, +1 Level Adjustment], combine those two and people will never know you're the caster unless they're walking around with magic detectors.

Item's can be concealed with Magic Aura.

[herrhauptmann]

Get silent spell might useful
Pretent to be an archivist (he has a prayerbook)

Archivist, a VERY wizardy cleric. Good idea.
A good number of my spells would have to be spells from both the Wizard and Cleric list. There may be questions about how I'm finding so many spells that aren't cleric only of course, but I'll remember it for my alt. Added to the list.

[herrhauptmann]

Races of stone allows Sleight of hand to oppose Spot to hide the fact your casting. There's also another metamagic that makes it seem like it comes from another source [Deceptive Spell, +1 Level Adjustment], combine those two and people will never know you're the caster unless they're walking around with magic detectors.

Added.

Item's can be concealed with Magic Aura.

Way ahead of you there.

[With a box]

An archivist he might have a lot of domain spells form various church and druid(druid is a divine caster)

[herrhauptmann]

An archivist he might have a lot of domain spells form various church and druid(druid is a divine caster)

I see my mistake above. Archivist is a divine only caster. It's just not a "Cleric only" caster. It does not get wizard spells ever, right? (Unless that wizard spell is also on the cleric/druid/whatever list)
I'll keep it on the list, but the game is for "witches." According to the DM, us having similar powers to our enemy ruins much of the feeling of the game.

[With a box]

I see my mistake above. Archivist is a divine only caster. It's just not a "Cleric only" caster. It does not get wizard spells ever, right? (Unless that wizard spell is also on the cleric/druid/whatever list)
I'll keep it on the list, but the game is for "witches." According to the DM, us having similar powers to our enemy ruins much of the feeling of the game.

No if any divine caster can cast it, then an archivist can do that.(he can bring disintigrade form destruction domain or get reinbocation from a druid)
And it's very large (1000+)list so they won't notice it a spell isn't on that list

[herrhauptmann]

No if any divine caster can cast it, then an archivist can do that.(he can bring disintigrade form destruction domain or get reinbocation from a druid)
And it's very large (1000+)list so they won't notice it a spell isn't on that list

I get that.
Archivist is still divine casting though. As I said in previous posts, we're a non-divine party ("Witches" only)

I could probably pretend to be an Archivist, until someone asks why I'm not touching the standard cleric spells like Cure Light Wounds. At least 2/level are off the cleric list; making it a noticeable part of my spell list. The enemies are meta-enough to arrest a circus performer who's kitted out like an adventurer without any indication of casting/manifesting. (As stated) They're probably meta-enough to notice the spell thing.

[With a box]

And i wonder how a roofer got a item of feather fall
I cant find a divine class that can cast it..

[herrhauptmann]

And i wonder how a roofer got a item of feather fall
I cant find a divine class that can cast it..

Yeah I know. It was an example of magic item appropriate to job.

[Red Fel]

Have you considered hiding the Wizard, instead of the spells?

In Savage Species (admittedly, 3.0, so check for availability) there's a feat called Surrogate Spellcasting. Basically, if you are in a nonhumanoid or nonhumanlike form, this feat allows you to replace all verbal and somatic components with the equivalent of your cat flailing around wildly and yowling at nothing.

And then something catches fire. Funny coincidence.

Basically, take your Wizard, find a way to be something not-humanoid (Shapechange and Polymorph Any Object work nicely, or perhaps play a Tibbit) and take this feat. Now, nobody will accuse you of being a Wizard. Have a good enough Bluff check, and nobody will even realize that you've been casting spells.

Speaking might be a problem, mind you.

[herrhauptmann]

Have you considered hiding the Wizard, instead of the spells?

Not in so many words.

In Savage Species (admittedly, 3.0, so check for availability) there's a feat called Surrogate Spellcasting. Basically, if you are in a nonhumanoid or nonhumanlike form, this feat allows you to replace all verbal and somatic components with the equivalent of your cat flailing around wildly and yowling at nothing.

Pretty much natural spell for nonwildshapers?
Looking at it, can it be taken by a humanoid who spends a lot of time polymorphed?

Also, it sounds like familiar... Sir Bearingtons wizard brother? http://www.funnyjunk.com/channel/dun...ngton/uzgdGhm/

[dextercorvia]

There is the old standby of just leaving no witnesses.

Spell Thematics increases the DC to id all your spells by 4.

[herrhauptmann]

There is the old standby of just leaving no witnesses.

Spell Thematics increases the DC to id all your spells by 4.

Added, thank you sir/ma'am/neuter.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Why don't they like people with WBL? I see the conversation going like this:

"Where did you get that sword?"
"I killed a dragon. Y'know, those things that are kinda the embodiment of arcane power."
"Well then, carry on, sir!"

Also, divine casters can take craft feats.

[Troacctid]

And i wonder how a roofer got a item of feather fall
I cant find a divine class that can cast it..

Shugenjas get it.

[RolandDeschain]

i've never used it, and i don't if it's effective at all, but isn't there a spell called "Whispercast" or something that might be applicable here?

[herrhauptmann]

Why don't they like people with WBL? I see the conversation going like this:

"Where did you get that sword?"
"I killed a dragon. Y'know, those things that are kinda the embodiment of arcane power."
"Well then, carry on, sir!"

Think of it like a tax inspector...
Man has a job paying <30gold/month. But he's carrying 10 years worth income in magical gear. At best he's a murderer/thief. At worst, he's been doing unapproved digging in old ruins, maybe while looking for magic secrets.
Anyway, it was a surprise to us when it happened too.

Also, divine casters can take craft feats.

I dont see your point. The relic thing?
What was Indiana Jones response to Nazis trying to get the Grail and the Ark? Since the fluff of relics is that they're given to the faithful, sometimes by the deity, imagine how a cleric wpuld react to seeing one not in the hands of a high priest?

[herrhauptmann]

i've never used it, and i don't if it's effective at all, but isn't there a spell called "Whispercast" or something that might be applicable here?

NICE!
I'll add it to the list when i get home.
Thank you.

[Akkristor]

Races of Faerun has a feat, Southern Magician (Region specific to Mulan, check with your DM to open it to his campaign setting. Also human only), which allows you to cast your Arcane Spells as Divine spells 1 per day per 2 spellcaster levels. This allows them to qualify for things like Divine Metamagic, but if your campaign has some campaign-specific spells or items that specifically work against arcane spells or detect arcane spells (for example, if they had an arcane-only anti-magic field), this would allow you to not only bypass it, but also go "Hey, no, I'm a DIVINE spellcaster, look at me cast in armor with no chance of failure!"

Plus, since now you are able to cast divine spells, you can take the Alternate Spell Source feat and prepare ALL of your Arcane spells as Divine (at -1 caster level), and since all your prepared spells are divine, you wouldn't show up on their Arcane sight.



As for concealing your spellcasting, even if you have a Silent Still Eschewed Material spells, people can still notice the effort of will it takes to cast a spell. Here's a quote from a "Save My Game" article.

In D&D, good, bad, or indifferent, people can tell when you are casting a spell or using a power, unless it specifically states otherwise (e.g., a feat such as Disguise Spell lets you camouflage your casting as a performance). They can't tell what you're casting without a Spellcraft check, but they can notice your casting and, sensing your distraction, can make AoOs on you.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20060901a


So you should be able to disguise WHAT you are casting with Silent, Still, Deceptive, and Invisible spell, but it's much harder to disguise the fact that you are casting SOMETHING.

[dextercorvia]

I dont see your point. The relic thing?
What was Indiana Jones response to Nazis trying to get the Grail and the Ark? Since the fluff of relics is that they're given to the faithful, sometimes by the deity, imagine how a cleric wpuld react to seeing one not in the hands of a high priest?

He's saying that just carrying around a +x sword does not mean Arcane Magic. A Cleric, Paladin, or Ranger could just has easily have made that kind of basic item.

[Miss Disaster]

You really want the Mysterious Magic feat for this wizard of yours. You can Google the feat. It's in the Secrets of Xendrik sourcebook for Eberron. In essence, it gives you a +5 to the DC to ID your spells with Spellcraft ... in addition to +5 to the DC to ID the spell's school of magic (such as through Detect Magic or Arcane Sight). Plus, the DC to dispel your spells increases by +2 ... for all those dispel-happy Inquisitors you'll soon be facing.

Also, a Nystul's Magic Aura spell that is also Reach Spelled and Chain Spelled ... is a 6th level spell. But, assuming your wizard has a CL of 12 (it might be higher, depending upon your level of CharOp), that's 12 of your magic items nulled to detection for 12 days. So it provides a sensible off-camera casting to wallpaper all your gear into appearing non-magical and mundane. Plus, those 2 feats are obviously good, bufftastic, utilitarian combat feats to boot.

Finally, you may want to play a Skill Wizard of some sort. So you can easily have access to maxing out the Sleight of Hand skill (there's lots of ways to get Sleight of Hand added to your skill list). Now, go to page 133 in Races of Stone. Cranking your SoH skill via magic gear, mundane special items and spells, you should be able to conceal *ALL* your spells all the time. And don't waste skill slots on the Concealed Spellcasting trick.

[herrhauptmann]

You really want the Mysterious Magic feat for this wizard of yours. You can Google the feat. It's in the Secrets of Xendrik sourcebook for Eberron. In essence, it gives you a +5 to the DC to ID your spells with Spellcraft ... in addition to +5 to the DC to ID the spell's school of magic (such as through Detect Magic or Arcane Sight). Plus, the DC to dispel your spells increases by +2 ... for all those dispel-happy Inquisitors you'll soon be facing.

Also, a Nystul's Magic Aura spell that is also Reach Spelled and Chain Spelled ... is a 6th level spell. But, assuming your wizard has a CL of 12 (it might be higher, depending upon your level of CharOp), that's 12 of your magic items nulled to detection for 12 days. So it provides a sensible off-camera casting to wallpaper all your gear into appearing non-magical and mundane. Plus, those 2 feats are obviously good, bufftastic, utilitarian combat feats to boot.

Finally, you may want to play a Skill Wizard of some sort. So you can easily have access to maxing out the Sleight of Hand skill (there's lots of ways to get Sleight of Hand added to your skill list). Now, go to page 133 in Races of Stone. Cranking your SoH skill via magic gear, mundane special items and spells, you should be able to conceal *ALL* your spells all the time. And don't waste skill slots on the Concealed Spellcasting trick.

Nope, CL12. I've no desire to go overboard on this. Given that I've used Mageslayer to reduce my CL, then took Abjurant CHamp 5 to tie my CL to my BAB, I think I've got enough CL tricks.
Sleight of Hand from Races of Stone is already on the list. I already have the trick on my character, so I'm SoL on SoH. As a gestalt, it was trivial getting SoH as a class skill, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

I've got extend and persist, so my Nystuls is 24 days, and I can turn even a round/level buff into a 2day if I need to. (Cast normally, then an incantatrix ability for persist then extend. I haven't done it yet because of escalations)
I felt as a gish, I needed to spend feats to ensure I could be okay at combat even when unbuffed, so there wasn't room for Chain. Given how many dispels have been thrown around by the enemies, that's probably a good thing. I'm not sure the Reach spell part is necessary when doing Nystuls on my gear. Chain says anything within 30ft. (At least the online version I'm looking at)

Going to add Mysterious Magic to the list. Thank you. All my sources are Faerun, not sure if I can grab cross-campaign or not. Will check houserules and keep it in reserve. Thank you.

He's saying that just carrying around a +x sword does not mean Arcane Magic. A Cleric, Paladin, or Ranger could just has easily have made that kind of basic item.

I know. Here's the conversation in question. (player names removed)

Spoiler: Story

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Players G and D (D polymorphed into a small snake)

The false circus performers don't look all that pleased to be interrupted in their totally innocent not-at-all-strange inspection of the circus by a mere animal trainer. They're about to make some excuses to avoid work when one of them looks harder at G--the abundance of magic items on his person, specifically, and fortunately he doesn't notice a polymorphed D--and his eyes widen; he motions the others over as discreetly as he can.

When they hear G's story about the chimera, they trade significant glances. "It looks like someone's trying to cause a distraction," one of them, a male human, murmurs. "We should follow up on this." "Yes," one of the others, a female elf, replies suspiciously, "someone certainly is. Tell me, animal trainer," she addresses Ghola accusingly, "how did you manage to purchase all of those enchanted items on a performer's wage...and do you really need all of them for your act?"

Spoiler

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Sense Motive: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]

Spoiler

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Bluff for years as member: [roll0]+4=[23]
Bluff for receiving from deity: [roll1]+4=[21]
Bluff for rat droppings in chimera cage: [roll2]+4=[12]

G's face scowled. "For starters, I've been a member of this circus for nearly 10 years, and was a child performer with another circus before that. Besides that, I payed for these to be crafted by a friendly cleric of Corellon Larethian." G got in closer before turning away in disgust. "We don't have time for this! I found rat droppings in the chimera's cage, which mean she's likely been bitten. She's probably wounded and frightened, and in that fragile state she could very well attack anyone who gets too close! Now you can help me or get out of the way, but we need to find her." G shifted his weight, preparing to run off, while still remaining in place long enough to here their response. "I've got to tell Ringmaster."

The false performers trade some more glances and subtly shift around to give themselves more room to move. "A 'friendly cleric of Corellon Larethian' took time out of his busy day to craft equipment, not for a priest or a warrior, but for a circus performer? And a non-elf at that?" the female elf asks skeptically while the third of their number, a male elf, rolls his eyes at the very idea. The male human chimes in, "And you expect us to believe that a rat was a threat to a chimera, even a baby one?" "I'm afraid," their apparent leader continues, "that we are going to have to ask you to come with us to the Hall of Justice to answer a few questions."

The human fetches a pair of small silver chains about a foot long from one of his pockets while the male elf reaches a hand inside his shirt, most likely to rest on a concealed holy symbol. "Please remove your magic items and place your hands across your chest. If you do not comply," the female elf says in the harsh but slightly bored voice of one long used to talking to suspected criminals as she pulls out a small pendant identifying her as an Inquisitor of Corellon Larethian, "we are authorized to use lethal force."

Races of Faerun has a feat, Southern Magician (Region specific to Mulan, check with your DM to open it to his campaign setting. Also human only), which allows you to cast your Arcane Spells as Divine spells 1 per day per 2 spellcaster levels. This allows them to qualify for things like Divine Metamagic, but if your campaign has some campaign-specific spells or items that specifically work against arcane spells or detect arcane spells (for example, if they had an arcane-only anti-magic field), this would allow you to not only bypass it, but also go "Hey, no, I'm a DIVINE spellcaster, look at me cast in armor with no chance of failure!"

Plus, since now you are able to cast divine spells, you can take the Alternate Spell Source feat and prepare ALL of your Arcane spells as Divine (at -1 caster level), and since all your prepared spells are divine, you wouldn't show up on their Arcane sight.

I'll add Southern Magician to the list. Question about the feat description. It says some spells function differently for arcane/divine, like Magic Weapon and True Seeing. Near as I can figure, those spells have no differences. So how would it help like that?
Also, Arcane Sight picks up on your casting being Arcane or Divine. Please don't say "Arcane only AMF" too loudly.

If you concentrate on a specific creature within 120 feet of you as a standard action, you can determine whether it has any spellcasting or spell-like abilities, whether these are arcane or divine (spell-like abilities register as arcane), and the strength of the most powerful spell or spell-like ability the creature currently has available for use.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20060901a


So you should be able to disguise WHAT you are casting with Silent, Still, Deceptive, and Invisible spell, but it's much harder to disguise the fact that you are casting SOMETHING.

Yup, which is why I'm looking for help. Hiding that I'm casting, and hiding the spell after it's been cast (if it's not instantaneous)

[Miss Disaster]

The first text line of the Chain Spell metamagic feat (the most recent version - in Complete Arcane) is:

"Any spell that specifies a single target and has a range greater than touch can be chained ..."

Nystul's is 'Range: Touch'. Hence the Reach Spell metamagic feat as a bridge-enabler to being Chain-legal.

Your build sounds very cool! Both in thematic concept and in buildcraft. I'd definitely welcome seeing more of it if you desire to post some more details.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Think of it like a tax inspector...
Man has a job paying <30gold/month. But he's carrying 10 years worth income in magical gear. At best he's a murderer/thief. At worst, he's been doing unapproved digging in old ruins, maybe while looking for magic secrets.
Anyway, it was a surprise to us when it happened too.

Again, you could have gone and killed some dragons, or even a wizard. Or you could be independently wealthy and hired a Cleric to make your stuff. At the very least the law man would have to ask instead of "arresting on sight," right? If not, this robber baron theocracy is starting to look like one of those campaign devices that no good god should support, at all. Not as bad as the Wall of the Faithless, but still.

[herrhauptmann]

The first text line of the Chain Spell metamagic feat (the most recent version - in Complete Arcane) is:

"Any spell that specifies a single target and has a range greater than touch can be chained ..."

Nystul's is 'Range: Touch'. Hence the Reach Spell metamagic feat as a bridge-enabler to being Chain-legal.

Your build sounds very cool! Both in thematic concept and in buildcraft. I'd definitely welcome seeing more of it if you desire to post some more details.

"Greater than touch." Missed that line. I just saw the jump to other targets in 30ft.

Thank you. I had a bit of help, especially with the Incantatar thing.

Spoiler: Personal backstory

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Like I said, arcane magic was bad. (Cataclysm a few hundred years back, no one quite knows the reason/origin. Like Netheril, but worse, as almost all mages died, but enough clerics survived to pick up the pieces and say "Never again.")

But I spun a backstory of one city-state silently breaking from the arcane=bad line and starting a mage school. Only people already trained in mage-hunting, and trusted, were considered. As well as their families. In my case, my father was a trusted warrior for the inquisition in that city, and I and my sisters were taken in for magic training alongside the children of nobility. Of course the city failed in its rebellion/war, lots of death. Lost contact with some of my family, others are dead, utterly hate father. Managed to flee to another a city as a refugee and conceal my own spellcasting. Did not conceal my status as a former member of the army, nor being trained in mage hunting. Work as a scribe and professor in a couple of classes like History. Actually live in a professors dormroom at one of the churches of knowledge. Yeah, I live in the lions den, so I'd love to keep buffed at all times and keep those hidden. Semi-regularly I sense a scrying attempt in my room which I don't fight/resist/block, it's just there to make sure my search for mundane knowledge doesn't become a lust for forbidden knowledge.

Very conflicted views on magic. Loves how it can help, but has trouble reconciling that with how it can also hurt or be seen as bad. Has an almost irrational hatred of certain magics: Summoning spells, (demons and angels are equally bad in his book), as well as necromancy and blasting spells (banned evocation).
Goal is to destroy the inquisition and stop the murder of budding mages. And need to do it without seeming like monsters in the public eye. So I've got some meta-game plans, things my character will pounce on if they happen. Like saving a kings life and him loving us.
Wants a governing body of mages to police its own members and train budding mages to harness their power safely and for the betterment of all. Think White Council in Dresden Files.

Anyway, the start of the game was an NPC in our resistance cell announcing he'd found some new budding mages. Turns out, a few were my students. DM let me make up names and some background on a few of them.

Build:

Spoiler

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Wizard/Spellsword/AbjChamp/Incantatar //Fighter/Warblade

Feats:
Collegiate Wizard, Extend Spell, Power attack, Improved bullrush, Mageslayer, Combat Casting, Invisible Spell, Leap Attack, Eschew Material, Shocktrooper, Pierce Magic Protection, Persist Spell, Blindfight, Pierce Magic concealment.
Did the Otyugh hole for Iron Will.

ACF's:
Arcane re-absorption, Martial Wizard

The Sixteen Questions

Spoiler

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1. System
2. Type of Game

D&D 3.5. Everyone is a gish of some sort, valiantly resisting the Inquisition.

3. Number of Players
4. Location

4-5 players, no alternates, on this forum.

5. Starting Level
6. Starting Gold

Level 12, gestalt, standard WBL (but see Houserules below)

7. Classes
8. Races

Everyone's build should have at least one side heavy on some form of non-divine primary casting (arcane, shadowcasting, psionics, 5th level spells or the equivalent are a good benchmark) and at least one side with as close to full-BAB martialness as possible; two split sides like a duskblade//mystic ranger works too. Generic classes are not allowed. One divine caster is allowed, but they'll need to have a good reason to side with the rest of you. Dual-progression PrCs are allowed but they take up both sides of the gestalt, you may only have one PrC at once, and you may not double-advance anything (e.g. if you have wizard on one side of the build, the other side can't progress wizard casting).

As a houserule, all full BAB PrCs that don't already progress some form of casting will progress one of your martial class's main feature: a fighter's bonus feats, a barbarian's rage, a warblade's maneuvers, etc. Sufficiently gish-y half-casting PrCs like Acolyte of the Skin and Green Star Adept will fully advance casting; ask me if you're not sure if a given PrC qualifies.

Any races are allowed. There is no LA buyoff, and LA and RHD all go on one side of the gestalt (which still must abide by the one casty side/one martial side restriction). No homebrew for either races or classes.

9. Stats

Everyone gets one 18 in a physical stat of their choice, one 18 in a mental stat of their choice, and 25 point buy to fill out their other scores (and see Houserules below). Hit points are max at 1st level, average after that.

10. Alignment

Go wild, as long as you're not playing a Stupid alignment and will work with the party.

12. Die Rolling

You roll yours, I'll roll mine and some of yours (like initiative) when it'll save time.

13. Houserules

My standard PbP houserule for Big Six items: Any items granting enhancement bonuses to attack rolls, stats, or AC, resistance bonuses to saves, or deflection or natural armor bonuses to AC) no longer do so, and those items that only do that no longer exist (this also means you don't need to pay for a +1 before putting special abilities on weapons and armor). Instead, to mimic these bonuses and grant more all-around competence, everyone gains +1 to all stats at each even level and adds half their level as an untyped bonus to AC that applies to touch and flat-footed AC.

Additionally, feats are now gained at every odd level instead of at 1st and every 3rd.

14. Background

Tell me about your character's personality, why they took up study of the mystical arts despite it being shunned and outlawed, and why they decided to fight back against the Inquisition. Stuff beyond that is optional but encouraged.

15. Game Composition

Since you're all going to be fairly combat-focused, the game will have plenty of combat, and the degree of roleplaying, exploration, etc. will depend on your preference and actions.

16. Sources

Anything 3e, including setting-specific material, un-updated 3.0, and Dragon Magazine are allowed. I don't have a banlist, but remember these two rules: #1, don't be a ****, #2, anything you use or abuse is fair game for NPCs.

Spoiler: History

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Knowledge (History and Geography)

Currently the following is just copied from the recruitment thread, but once you guys get out of Iatirroch and into the wider world I'll flesh it out a bit.

A Chronology of Important Historical Events (Or, Why Everyone Hates Mages)

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A Very Very Very Long Time Ago: The Rise of Magic
The common races, which at that time uniformly possessed weak inherent magical powers, begin refining their magical knowledge. Scholars attempt to codify and understand their intrinsic magic, and in the process develop what becomes known as wizardry; people who interbreed with magically-strong families develop sorcerous and mental powers; mystics who can communicate with the local spirits of their lands discover the worship of greater beings.

~8,000 B.C. (Before Cataclysm): The Luminous Age Begins
Civilization has advanced to incredible heights. Spellcasters of all sorts reach the fourth circle of magic through study, devotion, strength of will, and other means, and massive empires arise that are infused with magic at every level; the Age is named for the fact that magical lights were so numerous as to banish darkness from entire continents.

~5,000 B.C.: The Sculpting of the World
Priests discover the sixth circle of magic and are able to provide civilization with never-before-seen luxuries and heal many of the world's ills; however, they are somewhat envious of the world's mages and mentalists, who have reached the eighth circle of magic and are able to shape the world to their whims. While the churches tend their flocks, mages create new species of beasts, travel to other dimensions, and otherwise push the limits of their new-found technology. Mountain ranges are laid low and plains raised up as they play with their powers.

~3,000 B.C.: The Winnowing
Thanks to the population's long reliance on non-inherent magic, suddenly members of the common races begin to be born without magic. This forces them to turn to “artificial” magics; few take up the priesthood, as they feel that their gods have forsaken them, but the churches (who blame “heretical” arcane magics for this disaster) grow in political and economic power due to the fact that they are the only organizations not suffering from a depletion or changing of magical power.

~2,500 B.C.: The Schism
Only the strongest bloodlines remain magically-gifted as the priesthood discover the seventh circle of magic and users of “unnatural” magics reach the ninth circle. Desperate to regain their lost magic, the population turns to making pacts with fiends, binding souls, and other distasteful methods of gaining power. Followers leave the churches in droves, and the churches begin to resent the more unnatural spellcasters even more than they already do.

~800 B.C.: The Grand Departure
While divine spellcasters remain stagnant in their magic due to the deities' tight control over their gifts, some arcane spellcasters and mentalists reach the eleventh circle of magic and begin to display godlike power. The common folk, their views strongly influenced by centuries of church teachings, vilify these spellcasters, who gather up their fellow magic-users and leave the material world for planes where they can form their own societies in peace. Every arcanist capable of using the fifth circle of magic and above departs, leaving their less powerful brethren at the mercy of the churches and paranoid for their lives. Tension mounts between the social, political, and magical juggernauts that are the world's theocracies and what is increasingly viewed as selfish and unnatural powers.

0 B.C.: The Falling of the Sky
Tensions finally reach the breaking point, and when 90 percent of the population possesses magical powers of the third circle or higher, the “breaking point” is quite dramatic indeed. The churches attempt to squash the users of unnatural magic once and for all, but they have grown too powerful and fight back. Mages and priests who have both reached the tenth circle of magic rain devastation down on the world.

No one has an exact record of the Cataclysm, but by the end of it half the world was completely uninhabitable due to being sunk beneath the sea, rendered dimensionally unstable, poisoned for generations, or some other cause. Only one continent remained intact, and even there the most powerful magic-users had destroyed each other and the once-great society was reduced to pockets of civilization in the midst of dangerous wilderness. The gods entirely abandoned their children in horror at what they had done, leaving the surviving arcanists to set themselves up as tyrants.

~200 M.R. (Modern Reckoning): The Resurgence
Two centuries after the Cataclysm, the gods' power returned to the world, and their servants were much more powerful than the surviving arcanists. Mageocracies where worship was outlawed turned into mage-hunting theocracies overnight, and the Inquisition was formed as a joint effort among the churches of every city-state to stamp out the evil magic that had destroyed the world and enslaved its people. Though the vast majority of arcanists were good people, they were all demonized and hunted down as efficiently as possible.

~520 M.R.: The Purification Wars
Noble houses of non-magic-using bloodlines arose after the Resurgence, as the church was not as powerful as it once was, magic was much less common, and political power no longer depended on magical power. Some families did retain strong magical powers, however, and rebelled against the churches' control for the right to govern their city-states as they saw fit. Battles raged for almost a decade, but at the end the churches prevailed and wiped out every member of those bloodlines that they could.

537 M.R.: The Present Day
Today, all magic other than that used by the churches is outlawed and practicing it is punishable by death; the remaining city-states are solidly theocratic and the common people depend on the churches for sustenance and protection. The amazing pre-Cataclysm magitechnology has been lost, and technology has fallen back to pre-Luminous Age levels and remained there for centuries thanks to the common association of technological development with witchcraft (the common term for all “unnatural” magics). Non-theocratic freeholds exist, but even there the population is dependent on priests to protect them from the beasts created before and during the Cataclysm by irresponsible mages.

A Geo-Political Overview (Or, All The Places That Want To Kill You)

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The Land
The continent of Negiarkos is bordered on three sides by the ocean; to the west are the Slain Lands where nothing grows and only unnatural beasts live. Deserts and volcanic regions dot the continent, sticking out of the surrounding land like a stab wound in the body of Mother Nature. The rest of the land is temperate, mostly forested terrain with plenty of lakes, rivers, and swamps

The City-States
There exist seventeen theocratic city-states throughout Negiarkos, each dominated by one or more main churches but accepting of (and dependent upon) all other religions: in every city-state the priests of the goddess of order serve as lawyers and police, the priests of the god of beauty serve as entertainers and artisans, and so forth. Each city-state grew up around some significant natural feature or location after the Cataclysm, and all of them work together to provide for each others' needs, essentially serving as individual cogs in the machine of civilization. The teachings of a given religion greatly influence life in their city-states, and travel among them is rare for all but church-sponsored merchant caravans due to the danger of travel through the wilderness.

Numerous freeholds exist outside the borders of city-state territories, usually five or six near each city-state, but the number varies. Each is either independent territory run by noble families or other organizations (usually trading hubs run by the few independent merchant companies or outlaw towns run by criminal groups) or outposts for other city-states for easier travel and evangelization.

The following are some of the city-states and their main attractions:

Iatirroch, the City of Lights, is overseen by the church of Horus-Ra, god of the sun. It is a port city through which most of the continent's ocean and river trade travels, and it has more canals than roads.

Poradnis, the Last Bastion, is overseen by the church of Erathis, goddess of order. It is an ancient fortress-turned-city that stands at the edge of the Slain Lands, tirelessly defending the continent from the twisted aberrant creatures that make their home there.

Ur-Talduur, the Verdant Tower, is overseen by the church of Tiamat, goddess of wealth. It lies near a mountain range that has become rich thanks to the many valuable metals and minerals it mines and tradaes with the other city-states.

Enkavmolis, the City of Silence, is overseen by the church of Thanatos, god of death. It is situated in the midst of one of the unnatural deserts in Negiarkos and its citizenry rely heavily on necromancy to survive the harsh environs.

Vindasaam, the Bountiful Wonder, is overseen by the church of Freyja, goddess of fertility. It is a treetop city situated between fertile plains and one of the continent's largest swamps, and it provides much of the food and clothing for the smaller city-states that cannot produce or conjure enough for themselves.

[/QUOTE]

One of my alts is a bit odd. Made him over a year ago with help from the forums (especially Biffonacious_Furiou), so I'm having trouble remembering all the details of my backstory there. Also, since I've tried a fear build fighter in another pbp since making this alt, I may try something different; Archivist for the 1 divine caster in the party rule. Or a Sublime Arcanamach build, like a sorcadin, but a little weaker and with a lot of different abilities.

Spoiler: Alternate Char

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Thug fighter 9 with Zhentarim fighter ACF/ Paladin of Tyranny3//Warlock8/HFW3/Binder1
Yes this one has a divine class. But DM said it's okay so long as I don't any divine casting. Either by low levels, or low stats.
Feats: Dreadful wrath, power attack, improved initiative, eldritch claws, darks peech, imperious command, cleave, dark whispers, improved sunder, Quicken SLA, Combat Brute, Skill Focus: Intimidate.

Potential ACFs: Wyrmslayer, AngelDevilsight, Gaze of Truth.

Have an intelligent sword I call Banes Blessing, it calls itself Soulcrusher. I keep grabbing Prince Ashram pictures for my mythweavers sheet. A keen dragoncraft (red dragon claw) longsword, with Nervewrack (Check Weapon Effects on my sig)
Enamaled red and black mithral Breastplate of Terror. With smoking dragoncraft spikes. Also has durable and soulfire enchantments. Helmet of wounding sight, Mask of Mastery,

[Erik Vale]

Is this a game still in recruitment?

And I suggest you don't go with the CE Paladin, unless that alignment section means you can ignore alignment restrictions/codes.