Magic Missile Build?

[Kris Strife]

Why not dip into Warmage for Warmage edge? add your Int bonus to damage on the first missile, a slighty better hit die, armored casting and nearly the same spell progression as Sorcerer. Sorcerer gets one extra ninth level spell at level 20.

[Skjaldbakka]

There is a feat called Transcendent Spell that removes the caster level cap on the spell it is applied to. It is like +5 or +6, and I don't remember what book it is in. I think it is one of Monte Cook's sourcebooks.

[Eclipse]

While I doubt this is exactly what you're looking for, it might be a nice addition for your build if you can acquire it.

That is the staff of wands. I have no idea what source book it's in or how much it costs, but it can hold up to four wands, and activating the staff activates all the wands at the same time.

Using four lvl. 9+ wands of magic missile, that's 20d4+20 damage, all in magic missiles.

Using force missiles from the spell compendium, the number of missiles never caps, but it only goes up every four levels. At level 12, you'd get 3 missiles of 2d6 each from each wand, for a total of 24d6 damage to a single target using four wands, as well as half of that damage to anyone adjacent to the target. Or you can spread the missiles around like with a magic missile. This option is quite a bit pricier though.

No save or attack roll either way.

[Deth Muncher]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

While I doubt this is exactly what you're looking for, it might be a nice addition for your build if you can acquire it.

That is the staff of wands. I have no idea what source book it's in or how much it costs, but it can hold up to four wands, and activating the staff activates all the wands at the same time.

Using four lvl. 9+ wands of magic missile, that's 20d4+20 damage, all in magic missiles.

Using force missiles from the spell compendium, the number of missiles never caps, but it only goes up every four levels. At level 12, you'd get 3 missiles of 2d6 each from each wand, for a total of 24d6 damage to a single target using four wands, as well as half of that damage to anyone adjacent to the target. Or you can spread the missiles around like with a magic missile. This option is quite a bit pricier though.

No save or attack roll either way.

You're thinking of the Rod of Many Wands in CArc, which can hold three wands. It should also be noted that this item drains as many charges from all the wands inside as there are: that is to say, with three wands inside of it, they all get drained three charges, thus draining 9 charges from the total 150 charges (that it, unless you're a UMD monk who bought these wands partially-charged...).

EDIT: It's in CMage, sorry.

[Mephit]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

force missiles

Yes, the spell is definitely on Miss Sile's spell list (although a proud guild member as she is, she doesn't work with wands) But an empowered Chained Missile deals more damage than that, so it will only be used in tactical situations, where the damage to adjacents is effective enough.

As for the staff: It's a good idea, but as you said, very expensive.

[Rei_Jin]

I did a build based on this once.

Sorceror6/Force Missile Mage5/Argent Savant5/Archmage5 (Yes, we went to level 21)

Everything he cast was Force based (for damage purposes, anyway).

I was putting out around 180 damage per round, reliably.

Definitely not an optimal use of a spellcaster, but fun as all hell.

[Vinotaur]

Quick skim hasn't shown anything, so I'll mention it:

Go Sorcerer, more spells per day, and:

Arcane Fusion/Greater Arcane Fusion

Arcane Fusion, cast a Force missile and a Magi Missile, Greater Arcane Fusion, Cast a [high level missile spell] and Arcane Fusion for the above.

Build is: Sorcerer 6/Force Missile Mage 5/Ardent whatever.

Get metas to apply to it, Arcane Thesis of course, and Blade of Force and Invisible Needle.

Go to town.

[Skjaldbakka]

That magic missile PrC is pretty much a necessity though. IIRC, it eventually lets you ignore shield with your magic missiles.

[Flickerdart]

Miss Sile needs no spellbook. Miss Sile only has a scrap of paper with the words Magic Missile written on it.

Sorcerer is a sub-optimal choice because they can't apply Metamagic without casting full-round. An Evoker Wizard is the better option (I can't believe I just said that).

[Vinotaur]

Originally Posted by Flickerdart

Sorcerer is a sub-optimal choice because they can't apply Metamagic without casting full-round. An Evoker Wizard is the better option (I can't believe I just said that).

1) Rapid Metamagic Feat.

2) Arcane Fusion, Greater Arcane Fusion.

[The Glyphstone]

Originally Posted by Vinotaur

1) Rapid Metamagic Feat. PHBII substitution to exchange your familiar, then Obtain Familiar feat at 6th level.

2) Arcane Fusion, Greater Arcane Fusion.

Fixed for you.

[RMS Oceanic]

Originally Posted by Kris Strife

Why not dip into Warmage for Warmage edge? add your Int bonus to damage on the first missile, a slighty better hit die, armored casting and nearly the same spell progression as Sorcerer. Sorcerer gets one extra ninth level spell at level 20.

"Dipping" into a spellcasting class is usually a bad idea. Also, the Warmage Edge only applies to spells cast as a Warmage.

[Kris Strife]

Originally Posted by RMS Oceanic

"Dipping" into a spellcasting class is usually a bad idea. Also, the Warmage Edge only applies to spells cast as a Warmage.

Use warmage instead of sorcerer then. you get free sudden metamagic feats that way too.

[only1doug]

Originally Posted by Mephit

<snip>
3: Practiced Spellcaster
<snip>
CL check (1d20+16)
<snip>

I'm surprised no one else mentioned this but Practiced spellcaster doesn't work in that fashion.

Practiced spellcaster can only increase your caster level upto a maximum of your total character level. (basically allows you to buy off some of the penalties of multiclassing outside of pure caster levels).

[Keld Denar]

Human Evoker5/Incantrix10/FMM5
Iron Will from Otyuthe Hole
1 Empower Spell
1 Fell Draining
3 Fell Weakening
6 Fell Sickening
8? Arcane Thesis:MM
9 Maximize Spell
12 Quicken Spell
13? Twin Spell
15 Repeat Spell
18 Sanctum Spell

So, now you cast a Magic Missile with:
Empower +0
Fell Draining +0
Fell Weakening -1
Fell Sickening -1
Maximize +1
Quicken +2
Twin +2
Repeat +2
Sanctum Spell -2

Therefore, your MM is a 4th level spell, followed by a non-quickened 2nd level spell. Each missile hits for 10 + 1d4 points and gives 2 negative levels, a -4 str, the sickened condition. Thats about 37 damage (10 from 2 neg levels) and the penalties against what, 7 different targets? The next round, you fire it all off again, plus your repeats trigger for 74 damage which includes 2 more negative levels. Continue until you run out of 2nd+ level spells or bad guys.

Also note, this is an awesome way to raise an army of Wights, since Wights naturally raise from targets killed by negative levels. Thus, you could create aproximately 14 Wights per round if you started casting from a crowded city square on a bunch of commoner 1s and 2s. Swap out Sanctum Spell for Invisible Spell from Cityscape and you could do this all day from a rooftop with over a dozen people dropping a round that seem to shrivel up and die for no reason. Just blast anyone you see, anyone who shows up to stop you, and wait until nightfall for your undead legion to rise up. Well, technically not YOUR undead legion, since they won't be under your control, but thats such a minor detail

[Callos_DeTerran]

Originally Posted by Keld Denar

Also note, this is an awesome way to raise an army of Wights, since Wights naturally raise from targets killed by negative levels. Thus, you could create aproximately 14 Wights per round if you started casting from a crowded city square on a bunch of commoner 1s and 2s. Swap out Sanctum Spell for Invisible Spell from Cityscape and you could do this all day from a rooftop with over a dozen people dropping a round that seem to shrivel up and die for no reason. Just blast anyone you see, anyone who shows up to stop you, and wait until nightfall for your undead legion to rise up. Well, technically not YOUR undead legion, since they won't be under your control, but thats such a minor detail

Should be noted that not ALL level drained corpses will rise as wights though. Even if you figure a...25% wight rate for level drained corpses though that's still a good chance...especially considering each wight can start a 'wightpoclapse' all on it's on in a busy city.

[Emperor Tippy]

Off Topic:

Is it wrong that when I saw the title I thought that this thread was going to be about how to make a magical missile and that I started coming up with ways to create said missile and make it even better?

I even came up with a bunker buster.

[Fax Celestis]

My Arcane Sniper PrC may be worthwhile for you.

[Collin152]

Originally Posted by Emperor Tippy

Off Topic:

Is it wrong that when I saw the title I thought that this thread was going to be about how to make a magical missile and that I started coming up with ways to create said missile and make it even better?

I even came up with a bunker buster.

You should make that thread.

[Arakune]

Originally Posted by Emperor Tippy

Off Topic:

Is it wrong that when I saw the title I thought that this thread was going to be about how to make a magical missile and that I started coming up with ways to create said missile and make it even better?

I even came up with a bunker buster.

Please, tell us

[AmberVael]

Originally Posted by Emperor Tippy

Off Topic:

Is it wrong that when I saw the title I thought that this thread was going to be about how to make a magical missile and that I started coming up with ways to create said missile and make it even better?

I even came up with a bunker buster.

This post contains 100% Tippy thought. May contain dangerous amounts of ludicrousness and/or awesomeness.

And I second this getting its own thread.

[Emperor Tippy]

Thread made.

[shadow_archmagi]

Wait, what about having an artificer with a belt of battle using his class feature to metamagic the bajeebus out of a wand of magic missile?

That is, surely he can fire a twin chain repeating maximized empowered quickened....

And blow every charge in his wand in one round in return for obscene damage?

[Deth Muncher]

Originally Posted by shadow_archmagi

And blow every charge in his wand in one round in return for obscene damage?

That's the best kind of damage!

[Vinotaur]

First: Also, I found a meta feat worth taking, not mentioned. If you intend to be using high level slots for this sort of thing, you should take Fortify Spell, It's like Heighten, but instead you get a +2 to penetrate SR per spell level heightened. You could even get through high SR with that.

Or you could just Earth Spell it, but that's just cruel.

Originally Posted by The_Glyphstone

Fixed for you.

No thank you, I'd rather have the ability infinite times per day instead of 5 times a day. Especially if I intend to use it on nearly every combat spell cast.

Originally Posted by Keld Denar

Human Evoker5/Incantrix10/FMM5
Iron Will from Otyuthe Hole
1 Empower Spell
1 Fell Draining
3 Fell Weakening
6 Fell Sickening
8? Arcane Thesis:MM
9 Maximize Spell
12 Quicken Spell
13? Twin Spell
15 Repeat Spell
18 Sanctum Spell

So, now you cast a Magic Missile with:
Empower +0
Fell Draining +0
Fell Weakening -1
Fell Sickening -1
Maximize +1
Quicken +2
Twin +2
Repeat +2
Sanctum Spell -2

The Incatatrix ability has a Minimum 1, so you can't actually do that, you'd have a 6th level spell, and 4th unquickened. You also added Repeat wrong, it would only be plus one.

[Emperor Tippy]

Originally Posted by Vinotaur

The Incatatrix ability has a Minimum 1, so you can't actually do that, you'd have a 6th level spell, and 4th unquickened. You also added Repeat wrong, it would only be plus one.

You can Instant Meta + Arcane Thesis for +0. And throw in a ton of +0 meta to build up credit to pay for the more expensive ones.

[Roderick_BR]

Twin spell works only with rays, so it's out.
The feat that removes spell caps is an epic feat, I believe.

@SydneyLosstarot: Funny enough, the elf and the magic-user did that in their magic missile animation in that old Dungeons & Dragons arcade games by Capcom.

[Keld Denar]

Originally Posted by Roderick_BR

Twin spell works only with rays, so it's out.

Split Ray only works on rays, Twin Spell works on all spells.

[Collin152]

Originally Posted by Keld Denar

Split Ray only works on rays, Twin Spell works on all spells.

But could you apply Split Ray to Polymorph when using it to turn someone into a Manta Ray?
You could get a copy of someone in Manta form!
Or bisect them, I guess.

[Paul H]

Hi

Seen a lot of complicated suggestions here, but I think the simplest was the Warmage.

Shield will always overcome MM, even with the extra Edge/Extra Edge ablities, so it's always good to have other options. Warmage does this. Also, 'flavour' your character with the 'Advanced Learning', you can go Argent Savant for even more damage. You're also better armoured, better armed and a Spontaneous Caster to boot...

My suggestion:
3) Tenser's Floating Disk
6) Leomund's Tiny Hut
11) Wall of Force

You now qualify for Arg. Sav. You do lose 1 CL, but each MM does extra point of damage, and you get +2 to hit with all your Force attacks. (Orb of Force, etc). Dont forget that attacking from within a Leomund's Hut you count as an Invisible Attacker. (Unless target is in there with you). Of course, the globe is a Fireball magnet....

Eg, Int 20 Warmage/AS with Extra Edge does 5D4+19 damage (Total between 5 missiles).

Cheers
Paul H
Edit:
PS There's a set of gloves in the MIC (Gaunlets of Starry Sky, Pg204) that allow you to spont any spell to a MM. Sounds stupid, until you remember that Blades of Fire is a 2nd Lvl Swift spell, so you can get of two sets of missiles a round. (Gloves work 3/day, plus emit Light spell at will. Cost 1100gp)