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So I'm planning out this city where pretty much everyone is a very powerful adventurer (there are minor NPCs, there are just a lot more powerful individuals than normal), but I wanted to "flesh out" the Blaster a little more.
I'm looking for a prestige class that offers full casting progression, but I can accept losing a level or two if it's other abilities are really good. There are other groups of people, or "factions" that have different abilities, but they mostly just hang back in the city unless if someone in the field needs backup. There are, however, adventuring teams that consist of a Rogue, a Monk, a Cleric, a Ranger, and a Sorcerer. I have prestige classes picked out for everyone else, but I really thought that I'd try to give the Sorcerer an "oomf" and get some cool abilities out of him. Here's what you need to know:
Spoiler
1. It is almost entirely underground. It's more of an "Underdark" setting, like in a Drow city, but we're not Evil (but not Good, either).
2. The city has very many powerful people. The weakest individuals that are not 1st-level merchants visiting from the next town over will be about 8-9th level, with many more being higher levels than that. There are also "Alphas," who are the leaders of their factions (there are around 10 or so factions), and are the most powerful citizens in the area.
3. The monarch of the area is very powerful (we're talking very high level, if not Epic level here), specializing in Enchantment effects, and has his own personal guardsmen, impervious to all but the most powerful of onslaughts.
4. The citizens here work together in a sort of hive mind. Any sort of plotting against other citizens will either be settled out civilly or the offenders could face prosecution (Divination is also a strong suit in the city).
That's about it for the backround, but here are some things that you don't need to worry about (because they are already taken care of):
Spoiler
1. Skills and other stealth-oriented abilities, such as subterfuge.
2. Healing and divine magic, as well as undead.
3. Wilderness survival, archery, and protecting spellcasters from melee opponents.
4. Melee. The Monks will take care of it; don't worry.
5. Massive sieges. The Paladins have that area covered.
6. Sentries and guards; we've got living trees and moving walls; you know, things like that.
7. Magic weapons; we can crank out a few thousand in a week.
8. Psionic powers, as well as cannon fodder (We have some Thrallherds)
9. Loyalty. Everyone, besides free-willed outsiders, is completely loyal to the city and would never betray it.
10. The ability to make more tunnels or other trade routes.
11. Help against invisible enemies, mundane liars (probably not ones under a Glibness effect), and strangely-elevated areas (no need for stairs, and no risk of falling).
12. Help against most humanoids (or most creatures who are not completely immune to mind-affecting effects) and undead.
13. Travel and escape plans; almost everyone can flee at a moments notice.
And so with all that in mind, I want to complete the teams that go out and loot castles and other lairs, bringing back riches for the kingdom. There will be very many adventuring teams, each one is specially trained within the city and will work together in the field, but I can't quite put the finishing touches on it. The rest of the party:
Spoiler
1. Rogue/Assassin/Shadowdancer
2. Cleric, and will become a Contemplative (C. Div.) after 10th level
3. Monk/Tattooed Monk
4. Ranger/Cavestalker (a sort of Underdark-based Ranger in Drow of the Underdark)
I envisioned a "Blaster" archetype, throwing out some Disintegrates when a dragon or miscellaneous behemoth shows up and the rest of the party can't take it on, but he can be whatever best suits the party. I mainly want a prestige class that allows for him to keep his powerful spellcasting abilities, but contribute more abilities that are not already covered by the other members. Preferably not homebrew unless if it's balanced, but I will accept most 3E, 3.5E, and even PF sources for this.
Remember.
There will be hundreds of these groups. They are all "cookie-cutter" groups, being almost the exact same strength-wise.
My personal favorite go-to arcane PrC is Incantatrix from Player's Guide to Faerun. You'll get full spellcasting progression along with the ability to apply metamagic to other folks' spells or to on-going spell effects. It also nets some metamagic bonus feats and a metamagic reducer built in.
When just blasting isn't appropriate he can help extend or persist the cleric's buffs on the party, steal control of an enemy's spell, etc.
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My personal favorite go-to arcane PrC is Incantatrix from Player's Guide to Faerun. You'll get full spellcasting progression along with the ability to apply metamagic to other folks' spells or to on-going spell effects. It also nets some metamagic bonus feats and a metamagic reducer built in.
When just blasting isn't appropriate he can help extend or persist the cleric's buffs on the party, steal control of an enemy's spell, etc.
I can second this as being a solid blaster, but in general an over-powered option; meta-magic cost-reduction essentially takes the breaks off of a truck that was already screaming down-hill.
To offer a suggestion and put my money where my mouth is, I'd vote for Spell-warp Sniper as a blaster. Sneak attack progression and precision. All you'd need is a set of Sniper Goggles from Pathfinder to use the sneak-attack at any range, or a similar magic item in 3.5 if you can find it (The capstone feature extends S.A. range out to 60 as well). Even without the precision damage, the class offers precision potential in that you can warp AOE spells into Ray forms, so you don't need to worry about friendly fire after you pick up Precise Shot.
Though upon inspection I must say I feel silly as the capstone also gives a 1/day reduction of the cost of Empower Spell.
Not sure what you want in terms of potential characterization, but the class brings Mass Effect's Gaurus to mind; everything needs to be made more accurate.
If it's all underground, look into Earth Dreamer from Races of Stone. You get to Earthglide and you can see through stone. That just has ABUSE written all over it in that setting.
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To be a little more concise, I'll just say that any prestige class will do, as long as it has full/nearly full spellcasting progression and is not from Complete Arcane, Complete Adventurer, or Libris Mortis. Those three books don't have what I am looking for, and I've already read them.
Incantatrix is pretty much the go-to for powerful arcane spellcasters. You can get its Iron Will prerequisite via the Otyugh Hole in Complete Scoundrel for 3,000 gp without having to spend a feat on it. For hundreds of such characters, just say it's a traditional rite of passage.
Paragnostic Apostle (CC) is a decent choice, and Divine Oracle (CD) can be useful. You can get Divine Oracle's feat prerequisite from the Frog God's Fane in CS for 2,000 gp, call it some sort of pilgrimage.
Wild Mage is a good option for a blaster sorc. Give him/her Practiced Spellcaster and no matter what, their blasting will be more powerful than their level should allow.
You could also go for a focused approach - say, Magic Missile, and therefore Force Missile Mage.
Once your BAB gets to +5, Abjurant Champion is amazing (CM, pg. 50). It is only 5 levels, but full BAB progression and spellcasting progression, plus some nice abilities. Love it.
If Pathfinder material is available, Pathfinder Savant is good for a 3-level dip. You lose one level of spellcasting progression, but you get to take 10 on UMD, Knowledge: Arcana and Spellcraft checks, use your own spellcaster level when casting from a scroll, and most importantly, can add any two spells from any spell list to your own.
To be a little more concise, I'll just say that any prestige class will do, as long as it has full/nearly full spellcasting progression and is not from Complete Arcane, Complete Adventurer, or Libris Mortis. Those three books don't have what I am looking for, and I've already read them.
earth dreamer is full casting. ranks in nature might be problematic, and I'm not sure how many you have in spellcraft. earth sense is a good feat for everyone though, especially underground
what level are you right now? what exactly is your build at the moment? what feats and ACFs and stuff do you have?
what kind of spells and stuff do you specialize in?
are you specced for metamagic (ab)use?
sand shaper and nightmare spinner are some of the only classes sorcerer is better suited for than wizard, since cha does stuff for nightmare spinner and sand shaper gives a ton of bonus spells. nightmare spinner gives fear and illusion based stuff (more spell slots are always good for a sorcerer, it kinda lets you "specialize"
sand shaper gives some free metamagic with weird abilities, and the feat tax boosts your cha, which sorcerers will enjoy.
Unless these adventurers are all trained by the same place and organized in a military fashion, at the very least they would have minor differences in their build.
You don't need a full build for every adventuring team, squad, league, organization or duchy in the city. A simple appearance will do. Only design builds for the teams your group is going to see in action - if things take a turn you didn't predict, have a couple of 'generic' adventuring groups on hand, or design the stats of a specific or special group at the time (I find a measure of a good GM is one who can ask their group for a ten minute drink break to do up some stats or get something ready they hadn't prepared for).
If you really want to create the feel of a 'city of heroes', or a city where large numbers of it's citizens have lived through deadly and dangerous situations and consider themselves relatively capable, there is no better way than to a) have them all be dressed differently and interestingly (it's a fact that over time combat units tend to accumulate non-regulation gear the more combat they see - and it's also a fact that people with more life experience and the pizazz one would expect from someone who can punch an umber hulk into submission tend to dress relatively snappily - either for effect, or to a well-understood personal taste - and in a world with magic and multiple humanoid races in a scarcity economy, clothing styles would be both more flamboyant, more elaborate, and sharply defined) and b) have them all have unique combat styles that aren't necessarily easily defined by class.
When a group of four adventurers consists of a dark-skinned man wearing grey mining gear, a leather harness, and a crisscrossing mishmash of spell component pouches and weapon harnesses, tools and ammunition cases, a young elf wearing a shapeless grey felt hat and a long leather waistcoat covered with mithral plates, with a swirling blue tattoo over half his face and a rapier at his hip, an older female human with the other half of the woad tattoo on her face and a hard look in her eye, dressed in dwarven platemail scored with runic markings and with the hilts of a half-dozen exotic weapons on her, and a gnome wearing leather armour with the hilts of two wands at his hips, that's far more interesting to the listener than that it appears to be a monk, a ranger, a fighter, and a sorcerer.
And when one adventurer the party runs into fights using massive bladed discs flung in complex patterns, another uses street-style fisticuffs with a pair of knuckleblades longer than his forearms, a third is a master of a 2-handed longsword style that emphasizes perfect single strikes, a fourth is a skillful user of force spells to stymie and block, a fifth flies and uses himself as a battering ram, a sixth indiscriminately slams everything around her with ice and cold spells, and a seventh is a healer of a specific order of healers and is sworn to never do harm... well, it adds up to a city that is a lot more interesting than otherwise.
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Looking for an arcane prestige class
