Community

I've been working on a Master of Shrouds which I plan to run through the "Overpowered Casters" gauntlet. It could also serve as an updated version of my old "Possesser" build (see sig). I thought I'd start a separate thread to run through ideas for it, since early entry Master of Shrouds builds seem to be fairly popular, and so was the original "Possessor". I may turn this into a full-fledged Handbook eventually.

The Master of Shrouds is a prestige class in Libris Mortis that grants the ability to summon increasingly powerful incorporeal undead. It loses one caster level (at 1st), but stacks with all classes for Rebuke Undead. It can be entered "early" by multiclassing into any other class that also has a good Will save progression. This lets you get in at ECL 4 instead of ECL 7, which ramps up the relative power of your summoned monsters considerably. An earlier MoS build of mine won a level 10 arena challenge on the boards some time ago, which I think demonstrates the power of characters based on this backbone. Alot of materials have been published since then, so I'm sure we can do even better now. The purpose of this thread is to compile more updated builds and tactics based around this PrC.

The specific builds I'll be posting (at least initially) will be optimized for the "overpowered caster gauntlet". (So for facing multiple high EL encounters per day, alone, starting at Character level 5). I went back and forth between a Dread Necromancer (HoH)/Cloistered Cleric (UA) entry and a Dread Necro/Archivist entry. I have basically settled on the Cleric, but I'll post my ideas for an Archivist, also.

They are still works in progress, so feel free to offer suggestions for these specific builds, or for MoS characters in general. Surreal suggested a Cleric 3/Church Inquisitor (source?)1 entry in another thread, for those who'd rather preserve one of the lost caster levels. For my purposes (optimizing for level 5), I think I'd prefer the ones below.

Carnivore suggested the Knowledge Devotion domain feat, but I don't have the book for that (CChamp). A thread devoted to optimizing that can be found here.

For general information on optimizing clerics, check the Cleric Handbook. For decent spells to persist for clerics, here is a thread. For information about the Archivist, I'd suggest you just search through Surreal's Handy Links thread.

Hubert the Wannabe Wizard
Illumian (NaenHoon sigils, RoD), Cloistered Cleric2/Dread Necro 1/Master of Shrouds 2
True Neutral, Spontaneously Inflicts

Here is the first build. It is cloistered cleric/dread necro based. For later levels, he'll finish Master of Shrouds and then pick up another PrC that progresses his Rebuke ability, or just take more levels of cleric. If you don't care about Rebuking (I kind of like it for this), you could use any PrC that progresses casting.

I took the Trickery domain mainly for Invisibility, and Divine Magician (CMage) instead of a second domain. Cloistered Cleric (UA) gives him Knowledge as a third domain, and adds some more "wizardly" spells to his list. All together, he gets a decent skill list, and a fairly diverse spell list. I considered using domains like Planning and Undeath (for Extend Spell and Extra Turning bonus feats), but decided that since he can use his Sigils to Persist a couple of spells per day, that I could wait for DMM. He also doesn't really need Extra Turning, since he gets it once for free from MoS, and he has two classes granting Turning, anyway. It might be something to consider later in the build, if you can't buy Nightsticks, though. Also, since his cleric CL is only 3, there isn't all that much worth persisting at the start, IMO.

Practiced Spellcaster (Dread Necro) will help make his DN spells worth using, which is a decent increase in power at this level, since he can only cast 1st and 2nd level cleric spells. A Ray of Enfeeblement + summoned Shadows can quickly neuter or incapacitate most enemies at this level. Later, it would probably be a good idea to retrain this to Corpsecrafter or something.

Flavor/background
Spoiler: Show

Feat progression (incomplete)
1 Cloistered Clr1 Domains: Knowledge, Trickery and "Divine Magician (CMage)", Rebuke Undead, Spell Focus: Conj. (1), Augument Summoning (flaw), Extend (flaw)
2 DN Rebuke Undead, Martial Wpn Prof (Composite Longbow), Charnel Touch
3 CClr2 Practiced Spellcaster (Dread Necro) [retrain later]
4 MoS1 Extra Rebuking
5 MoS2 Summon Undead (Shadow)

6 Persistant Spell, 9 DMM: Persistent, 12 Empower/Maximize?, ?

Rebukes per day: 16 (1d20+4 for rolls, cleric level 4, dread necro level 3). (See the Guide to Turning for a discussion of how the different classes stack for Rebuking.)
NaenHoon sigils: Twice per day, Hubert can apply a metmagic feat to a spell while casting it without increasing the spell slot used. This costs him a number of Rebuke attempts equal to the normal spell slot increase for that metamagic feat.

Stats (25 pt. buy)
Int 10
Con 14 (13 +1 at 4th)
Dex 12
Str 08
Wis 16
Cha 12

Skills (ranks): Bluff +9(5), Disguise +9(5), Diplomacy +6(0), Hide +10(8), Knowledge (Religion) +5(5), Knowledge (Arcana) +5(5), Spellcraft +2(0), Concentration +12(8) (bonuses include MW tools, but not consumable magic items)

Equipment (8684/9000): morning star (8), +1 chainshirt (1250), +1 darkwood heavy shield (1257), MW composite longbow (410), 2 vials holy water (50 gp), 2 alchemist's fires (40), 3 flasks of acid (30 gp), 1 scroll of Command Undead (150), Wand of Faith Healing (10 charges, 150 gp), 2 scrolls of Summon Swarm (300), 1 scroll of Spectral Hand (150), 2 scrolls False Life (300), 2 tanglefoot bags (100 gp), one CL 5 scrolls of Animate Dead (375+500onyx, can animate 20 HD), 2 scrolls of Unseen Servant (50), 4 Wooden Holy Symbols (4), Disguise kit (50), Everburning Torch with tight cap (110), MW tools for Hide, Bluff, Diplomacy, and Concentration (200), Oil of Magic Fang (50), Elixir of Hiding (250, +10 comp. to Hide for 1 hr), 1 scroll of Silence (150), 2 scrolls Invisibility (300), 2 scrolls Favorable Sacrifice (CL 5 with 250 gp sacrifice included, 1250 gp total), Pearl of Power 1 (1000), 1 scroll of Desecrate (150), other cheap adventuring gear (50 ft. silk rope, candles, chalk, paper, pen, ink, a couple of days rations, small mirror, waterskins, etc, all 50 gold or so).

Hit Points: 32
BAB/Grapple: +2/+1
AC: 19 (10+5armor+1dex+3shield)
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +11
Attacks: +3 Heavy Crossbow (1d10), +1 Charnel Touch (1d8+1), +1 morning star (1d8-1)

Dread Necro spells (any 4 per day, CL 5): Bane, bestow wound*, cause fear, chill touch, detect magic, detect undead, doom, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement, summon undead I*, undetectable alignment

Prepared Cleric Spells (CL3):
0th No Light (BovD 100), Detect Magic, Resistance, Read Magic
1st: Unseen Servant, Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Detect Secret Doors (D)
2nd: Spiritual Weapon, Resist Energy, Invisibility (D)

SLA: Summon Shadow 5 times per day, duration 4 (or 6) rounds.

Tactics: Summon an Unseen Servant, and have it drag/carry around a "dummy" or "scarecrow" disguised (with the Disguise skill) as a human. The scarecrow has an Everburning Torch in its "hand". Hubert follows 20-30 ft. behind it, Hiding. The Unseen Servant pokes the floor with the scarecrow to check for traps as it walks, and opens all doors it encounters.

If the dummy is attacked, Hubert deals with the threat using his spells or incorporeal servants. He continues to Hide, rarely attacking directly. If necessary, he casts (Extended) Invisibility. Many enemies can be dispatched with little risk by using a scroll of Summon Swarm, or a summoned Shadow. Ray of Enfeeblement and/or Chill Touch (delivered via Spectral Hand) can help the Shadow(s) take things down.

As he adventures, if he encounters (or creates) a suitably powerful corpse, he'll animate it with his scroll of Animate Dead and adjust his tactics to use it also. Arguably, he automatically controls the most recent one made, regardless of caster level, due to the wording of the spell. However, he has a couple of scrolls of Command Undead, just in case.

Spell list and domain details: Spoiler: Show


Archivist version:
True Neutral Illumian (NaenHoon), Archivist2/Dread Necro 1/MoS2

1 Archivist Spell Focus: Conj. (1), Augument Summoning (flaw), Fell Animate (flaw), Scribe Scroll (bonus)
2 DN Rebuke Undead, Martial Wpn Prof (Composite Longbow), Charnel Touch
3 Archivist Extra Turning
4 MoS1 Extra Rebuking
5 MoS2 Summon Undead (Shadow)

6 Extend
9 Persistent
12 DMM: Persistant

13 Rebukes per day

Skills (45 ranks): Spellcraft +11, Concentration +10, Search +9, Knowledge (Arcane +9, Religion +10, Planes +9), Gather Information +7

Int 16
Con 13+1
Dex 12
Str 08
Wis 08
Cha 14

Equipment: darkwood morning star, chainshirt, bronzewood tower shield, dagger, 3 vials of Agony (BoVD 46, +2 to caster level for Evil spell), A vial of unholy water and 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of silver dust, 2 scrolls of Command Undead, Wand of Faith Healing (25 charges, 375), 3 scrolls of Summon Swarm (450), 2 scrolls Spectral Hand (300), 2 scrolls False Life (300), Metamagic Rod of Extend (Lesser, 3000)

Dread Necro spells (any 4 per day): Bane, bestow wound*, cause fear, chill touch, detect magic, detect undead, doom, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement, summon undead I*, undetectable alignment

Prepared Archivist Spells: 4 3 2
0th No Light (BovD 100), Detect Magic, Resistance, ?
1st: Entangle, Darkvision
2nd: Invisibility, Desecrate

Archivist Prayer Book (incomplete)
1st (8 free): Eyes of the Avoral, Summon Monster I, Summon Icebeast I, Cure Light Wounds, Inflict Light Wounds, Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith, Entangle (Plant), Hunter's Mercy (Ranger), Sleep (Adept), Lay of the Land (Ranger, SC), Resist Energy (Ranger), Silent Image (Gnome domain), Delay Poison (Ranger), Darkvision (Vile Darkness domain), Enlarge Person (Strength) (325 gp for scrolls)
2nd (2 free): Eyes of the Zombie (Clr), Desecrate (Clr), Invisibility (Trickery domain), Blade of Pain and Fear (Blackguard, LM), Barkskin (Plant), Ghoul Glyph (Hunger, SC), Web (Adept), Listening Lorecall (Druid/Ranger, SC), Master Air (Druid, SC), Scorching Ray (Adept)

3rd: Know Vulnerabilities (Cleric, SC), Bahamut's Blessing (Palladin, SC)
4th: Negative Energy Aura (SC, Persistable)


Sources: Races of Destiny (RoD), Heroes of Horror (HoH), Libris Mortis (LM), Unearthed Arcana (UA), Spell Compendium (SC), Book of Exalted Deeds (BoED), Book of Vile Darkness (BoVD), Complete Mage (CMage), and I'm sure I forgot a few.

Reserved..

You can pull off some Ur-priest shenanigans too, though it delays your MoS abilities by two levels.

XYZ 3/MoS 2/Ur-priest 2/MoS +8/whatever

Ah, I see your mistake. For some reason, you haven't taken Tomb-Tainted Soul. I guess you were drunk when you posted this, haha!

No, seriously.

TTS gives you infinite healing. There really isn't any excuse not to take it.

I don't think there's any way to do it without flaws. Ur-priest has the annoying Fort +3 requirement which means you need at least two levels of a strong fort class, which rules out human paragon.

Maybe there's an obscure cleric domain that gives us one of the required feats? Trickery gives us the bluff skill, which is the only tough skill to get.