Sorceress of the Rainbow (Sorcerer 25 / Cleric 12 / Monk 3)

[Orion]

Comment:

This is an interesting and novel character.

It combines:

• Sorcerer 25 for great sorcerer spell disables, ‘undispellability’ (to greater dispelling), epic mage armor, epic warding etc.
• Cleric 12 for animal domain enhanced summons, divine favor (+4AB/DMG for 10-20 rounds), divine power (+7 AB for 12-24 rounds), battletide (+2AB/DMG for 12-24 rounds), bless/aid for +2 AB (ie +15 AB and +6 magical damage/hit from buffs)
• Divine might (+10-16 divine damage /hit) and divine shield (+10-16 dodge AC) accessed via cleric
• Monk 3 for 5-8 attacks per round (one extra attack each with flurry, haste, divine power), wisdom AC (+3-9), +8 AC from tumble, Deflect Arrows (with buffs one ranged projectile can be removed 95% of the time) and eventually Monk speed (to become a speed caster with Expeditious Retreat/Mass Haste, if you wish).
• Scribe scroll and Craft Wand to craft Sorcerer (up to level 9) and Cleric (up to level 6) magic.

I called it Sorceress of the Rainbow, because it will hit with many damage types (Fire, Physical, Divine, Magical) potentially from all colors of the rainbow, with devastating effect.

Starts as a fully armored cleric. Source: NWN EE (Beamdog), WoG PW

Wearing robes, 5-8 attacks / round protected by Wisdom AC, attack bonus boosted by cleric buffs. Hitting with all the colors of the rainbow (fire, magical, divine, physical – the kama has added sonic damage as well)

An enemy mage disabled by Bigby’s Grasping Hand, this mage would have otherwise dispelled my buffs. My character subsequently swiftly eliminates other enemies with 8 attacks/round, each attack buffed by Flame Weapon/Divine Power/Divine Might/Divine Favor.

Physical combat

With 8 attacks / round with Flurry, Haste, Divine Power, +1d4+10 fire damage/hit (flame weapon – cleric darkfire is an option too), +8 str damage, +5 damage/hit (GMW), +6 magical damage/hit and +16 divine damage / hit this character can pack quite a punch with just a mundane Kama. 8 attacks +1d4+1d6 +45 dmg (physical/magical/divine/fire) – 376 to 440 dmg/round. Maximized IGMS (level 9) in comparison does 240 damage in Vanilla NWN (in some environments such as WoG this spell is nerfed) so the damage output is quite powerful.

The low AB should be compensated by being able to hit enemies with Sorcerer spells to lower AC (ie Grease/Darkness/Web/Stinking Cloud/Evards/Bigby’s 6-7/Sunburst/Time Stop) while enhanced by either Cleric bonuses to hit the +20 AB Cap (as described) or True Strike (+20 AB for 9 seconds).

The low defenses can be compensated by using an animal domain empowered summon to take damage for the character, but also from sorcerer and cleric buffs, the above disabling spells, Divine Shield (for +10-16 AC), Epic Mage Armor, Epic Warding.

Ranged combat is also an useful option when this character does not want to engage in melee, and can be buffed with the cleric AB bonuses and damage adding abilities plus divine might (ie. +6 magic damage plus +10-16 divine damage / hit), while reducing AC via the described means as well.

Magical combat

There is a level 9 sorc spell book with plenty of disables (as described) to control combat and eventually deal damage with Fire Arrow (potentially empowered), Evards (inc. extended/empowered), Firebrand (inc. empowered), Issac’s Greater Missile Storm (inc. empowered), Sunburst, Horrid Wilting.

Additionally the cleric spell book allows for damage from Harm, Blade Barrier, Hammer of the Gods and Flame Strike.

There is scribe scroll and wand crafting which allows sorcerer spells up to level 9 and cleric spells up to level 6 to be crafted. These are scrolls such as Mordenkainen’s, Summon IX, Greater Sanctuary, Heal/Harm; and wands such as Restoration, Remove Fear, Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Prot vs Elements, Negative Energy Protection, Hammer of the Gods, ILMS, Evards, Stoneskin, Invisibility/ Improved Invisibility, Flame Weapon.

RE domains Animal (empowered summons) and Healing (empowered cure spells, potions and scrolls) are the best here. However I playtest my builds on WoG and this is not allowed, so I chose Animal / Plant with play testing.

Vulnerabilities and their management

The buffs especially cleric buffs are quite vulnerable to dispels. The durations are not long. The idea behind those are to use them extended when there are no enemies which could dispel you, or there are limited numbers of potential dispellers who you can disable or eliminate quickly.

Dealing with Dispels and Mordenkainen’s Disjunction is the biggest challenge for this character. Against NPCs, the counter play is to firstly try to eliminate or disable the dispeller before the engagement starts (ie Bigby’s), or if this is not possible to use Invisibility or Greater Sanctuary to protect buffs, and try to get the caster to expend spells on the summons you cast (which are boosted by animal domain) before engaging. If one gets Dispelled or Morded, to use Greater Sanctuary/Invis to rebuff again and return to the fray. When Sorc level 25 is achieved, the character is immune to Greater Dispelling (and afterwards buffs are only vulnerable to Breach/Mords), but Sorc level 25 is obtained at level 39, which is quite some time.

Traps are another challenge. Sorcerer can use the Pixie Familiar to deal with these, and this character can cast Find Traps as a cleric spell (potentially put it on a wand).

The Fort save is low, and devastating critical enemies, implosion and petrification spells presents an issue in that there are no immunities to these in this build. The best way to deal with these opponents is to disable them with the sorcerer spells. Implosion and Petrification could be countered by spell mantles provided they don’t get breached or Morded. Devastating critical could be countered using the Shapechange: Iron Golem (for Crit Immunity – ideally from a scroll or sequencer) + Damage Shield (ie Mestils/Elemental Shield) however no equipped magical item properties transfer, so this means any bonus spells from equipped items (ie +Cha/Wis bonuses) will usually be lost.

Other similar builds 

The most similar build I could find in the ECB search engines or ECB filter search was Xylophone’s Blessed Sorceress Sorc 26 / Cleric 13 / Monk 1, however it isn’t similar at all in that in Xylophone’s does not consider ‘Melee Mage’ combat to save spells and deal damage.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to TheSquid for reviewing an earlier draft and suggesting a pre-epic Cleric 12 Sorc 6 Monk 2 split (which provides Monk power earlier and better saves, at the cost of a slightly longer 20% exp penalty time in the build and slightly slower sorc spell progression).

Build details:

Sorcerer(25), Cleric(12), Monk(3), Human

Lawful alignment (I chose Lawful Neutral)

STR: 14
DEX: 8
CON: 10
WIS: 16
INT: 14
CHA: 14 (30)

Human: (Quick to Master)
01: Cleric(1): Power Attack, Toughness, Domain Animal (and Plant, or Healing if possible)
02: Sorcerer(1)
03: Cleric(2): Extend Spell
04: Cleric(3): CHA+1, (CHA=15)
05: Cleric(4)
06: Cleric(5): Craft Wand
07: Cleric(6)
08: Cleric(7): CHA+1, (CHA=16)
09: Cleric(8): Divine Shield
10: Cleric(9)
11: Cleric(10)
12: Cleric(11): CHA+1, Divine Might, (CHA=17)
13: Cleric(12)
14: Monk(1): {Cleave, Evasion, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist}
15: Sorcerer(2): Empower Spell
16: Sorcerer(3): CHA+1, (CHA=18) <– 20% exp penalty starts here
17: Sorcerer(4)
18: Sorcerer(5): Scribe Scroll
19: Sorcerer(6)
20: Monk(2): CHA+1, {Deflect Arrows}, (CHA=19)
21: Sorcerer(7): Great Charisma I, (CHA=20)
22: Sorcerer(8)
23: Sorcerer(9)
24: Sorcerer(10): CHA+1, Great Charisma II, (CHA=22)
25: Sorcerer(11)
26: Sorcerer(12)
27: Sorcerer(13): Great Charisma III, (CHA=23)
28: Sorcerer(14): CHA+1, (CHA=24)
29: Sorcerer(15)
30: Sorcerer(16): Great Charisma IV, (CHA=25)
31: Sorcerer(17)
32: Sorcerer(18): CHA+1, (CHA=26)
33: Sorcerer(19): Great Charisma V, (CHA=27)
34: Sorcerer(20)
35: Sorcerer(21)
36: Sorcerer(22): CHA+1, Epic Spell: Epic Mage Armor, (CHA=28)
37: Sorcerer(23): Epic Spell: Epic Warding
38: Sorcerer(24)
39: Sorcerer(25): Great Charisma VI, (CHA=29)
40: Monk(3): CHA+1, (CHA=30)

Hitpoints: 260
Skillpoints: 221
Saving Throws (Fortitude/Will/Reflex): 23/29/18
Saving Throw bonuses: Spells: +7, Mind Effects: +2
BAB: 23
AB (max, naked): 25 (melee), 22 (ranged)
AC (naked/mundane items only): 20/28
Spell Casting: Sorcerer(9),Cleric(6)
Alignment Changes: 0

Concentration 37(37), Disable Trap 1(3), Discipline 43(45), Listen 43(46), Open Lock 1(0), Search 9(11), Set Trap 1(0), Spellcraft 34(36), Tumble 40(39)

01: Concentration(4), Disable Trap(1), Open Lock(1), Search(2), Set Trap(1), Spellcraft(4), Save(2),
02: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(5),
03: Concentration(1), Search(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(6),
04: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(9),
05: Concentration(1), Search(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(10),
06: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(13),
07: Concentration(1), Search(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(14),
08: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(17),
09: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(20),
10: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(23),
11: Concentration(1), Save(27),
12: Concentration(1), Save(31),
13: Concentration(1), Save(35),
14: Discipline(17), Listen(10), Tumble(15),
15: Concentration(2), Spellcraft(3),
16: Spellcraft(3), Save(2),
17: Save(7),
18: Save(12),
19: Save(17),
20: Discipline(6), Listen(13), Tumble(5),
21: Concentration(5),
22: Concentration(2), Spellcraft(3),
23: Concentration(1), Search(2),
24: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(4),
25: Concentration(1), Search(1), Spellcraft(2),
26: Concentration(1), Search(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(1),
27: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(4),
28: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(7),
29: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(10),
30: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(13),
31: Concentration(1), Spellcraft(1), Save(16),
32: Concentration(1), Save(20),
33: Concentration(1), Save(24),
34: Concentration(1), Save(28),
35: Save(33),
36: Save(38),
37: Save(43),
38: Save(48),
39: Save(53),
40: Discipline(20), Listen(20), Tumble(20),

Expected end game spell list:

Sorcerer

• Epic: Epic Mage Armor, Epic Warding
• Level 9: Time Stop, Mordenkainen’s Disjunction, Summon IX or Wail of the Banshee
• Level 8: Horrid Wilting, Sunburst, Premonition
• Level 7: Shadow Shield, Bigby’s Grasping Hand, Summon VII or Finger of Death
• Level 6: Bigby’s Forceful Hand, Issac’s Greater Missile Storm, Mass Haste
• Level 5: Mestil’s Acid Sheath, Firebrand, Lesser Spell Mantle, Lesser Mind Blank
• Level 4: Improved Invisibility, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Elemental Shield, Lesser Spell Breach/Ice Storm
• Level 3: Flame Arrow, Haste, Greater Magic Weapon, Stinking Cloud
• Level 2: Darkness, Bull’s Strength, Ultravision, Endurance, Flame Weapon
• Level 1: Grease, Color Spray, True Strike, Expeditious Retreat, Protection versus Alignment

Cleric (Memorised, Spells/day with Wisdom capped at 28)

• Level 6: Extended Battletide (4x/day)
• Level 5: Extended Divine Power (6x/day)
• Level 4: Divine Power (6x/day)
• Level 3: Extended Darkness, Ext Aid, True Seeing (7x/day)
• Level 2: Extended Divine Favor, Silence, Ext Bless (7x/day)
• Level 1: Divine Favor (9x/day)

Heal / Greater Sanctuary to be scribed on scrolls.

[Aquarius]

This build is very interesting, and surely can serve me as an introduction to kama-wielding pcs!

Also it is available to good-aligned creatures….sorcerer buffs undispellable (apart from Mords), many attacks….monks brings tumble dumps, flurry of blows, WIS AC and different AB progression: a bunch of useful additions!

[Author]

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