Help with a cold-focused Necromancy Wizard.

[Daebu]

In short, any 3.5 WotC source. 3rd party or Dragon Mag on case-by-case basis.

Do I want to use Lord of the Uttercold (Feat), Frost Mage (PrC), or both? It seems to me that each makes the other somewhat less effective, but perhaps there's something I'm missing. What other useful or flavourful classes would I be looking at? Any extra tricks? Perhaps I can only optimize this so far, and then I'm better off focusing the rest of my energy on Undead, Enervate or similar, or Fear effects?

[SorO_Lost]

I guess they were waiting for me to take first crack.

Spell Augmentation (excluding most metamagic & cl increases)

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Feats
Empower Spell (Core): noted because per PBH the entire range is Empowered (ie 1d6+15 is 16~21+50%).
Fiery Spell (Sand): any spell with the fire descriptor deals +1 damage per die.
Pyro(S&S): spells that light stuff on fire +1 damage per die
Reserves of Strength (DL): +3 to caster level and break cl caps, like wiz 9 can use this to shoot 12d6 fireballs.

Spells
Acid Sheath (SpC): any spell with the acid descriptor deals +1 damage per die.
Caustic Mire (CM): if an effect deals fire damage it does +1 damage per die.
Raging Flame (SpC): fire damage -only- is done with +1 damage per die.
Assay Spell Resistance (SpC): +10 to spell resistance check on the next spell cast.
Spell Enhancer (SpC): +2 to caster level on the next spell cast.
Sonorous Hum (SpC): removes the need to concentrate on the next spell cast.

Items
Ring of Mystic Fire (MiC): 3 charges/day, +[2/3/4]d6 to any fire spell. *Several variants of this exist*

Feats - [Cold]
Snowcast (FB): adds the [Cold] descriptor to all spells you cast if you have snow.
Frozen Magic (FB): up +2 to caster level with all cold spells if it's cold outside.
Cold Spell Specialization (FB): up to +2 damage per die with all cold spells if it's cold outside.
Draconic Aura (DM): up to +4 to the save DC of any elemental spell type chosen (scales by level).
Draconic Power (CAr): +1 to the save DC of any elemental spell type chosen you cast.
Cold Focus (FB): +1 to the save DC of any cold spell you cast, stacks with all the other focuses.
Greater Cold Focus (FB): +1 to the save DC of any cold spell you cast, stacks with all the other focuses.

Items - Cold
Icemail Armor (Online): +2 to the save DC of cold spells you cast.

Spells - Cold
Cold Snap (FB): lowers the temperature by up to 50 degrees, +1 damage per die with cold spells.
Control Temperature (FB): reduce or raise the temperature by one temperature band per five caster levels.

Other - Classes
Warmage (prc, DL:AoM): +3 damage per die.
Stormcaster (SW): +1 sonic damage per spell level if the spell deals electricity damage and adds a save vs stun.

Examples of use

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Warmage/Stormcaster casts a Snowcast + Energy Admixture(electricity) + (Energy Substitution(acid) + (Blistering Spell + Fireball)) under Cold Snap, Caustic Mire, and Cold Spell Specialization. The spell has the [Acid, Cold, Electricity] descriptor, deals electricity & acid damage plus 2 fire damage per spell level. Via Reserves of Strength @cl21 the Fireball deals 23d6+161 electricity, 23d6+161 acid, +3 sonic, +6 fire, and stuns. 494 avg, 733.5 empowered.

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Warmage casts Persisted Acid Sheath & Persist + Energy Admixture(acid) + Fiery Spell + Fire Shield using a Mystic Ring of Fire. The spell has the [Acid, Fire] descriptor and deals fire & acid damage. @CL15 Attackers take 5d6+40 fire, 5d6+40 acid, and 30 acid damage. 145 avg, 202.5 empowered.

Holy Fire Shield is like Fire Shield but is a spell level higher, it has some BoED fluff but as a separate Spell you can tack on it's Fire-Shield-ness for even more damage. And if you *really* wanted to go down this road. Radiant Shield & Cacophonic Shield can be used as well. Deal 800ish damage each and everyone time someone hits you. Who needs Roiler's Gambit?

Really it's more about damage augmentation that Spell, but never the less it's a list of stuff you should make usage of.

Unlisted is also the Black Lore of Moil. It's not a terrible Feat, up to +5d6 Negative Energy Damage added to a 9th level Necromancy Spell. But Necromancy isn't a very damage worthy School and said example consumes 375gp per use.

[Daebu]

Awesome, so that answers part of the second question. Anyone want to take a crack at LotUc vrs. Frost Mage's Piercing Cold?

[phaedrusxy]

Get a way to cast your spells spontaneously (Uncanny Forethought, Spontaneous Divination + Versatile Spellcaster, etc), and take LotUC and the Piercing Cold feat (instead of Frost Mage class). You'll probably also want Easy Metamagic applied to Piercing Cold. Then you can choose whether to apply PC or not based on whether you want to heal your undead minions, or nuke a white dragon. If you also add Black Lore of Moil, your undead will still come out ahead even if you make it a Piercing Cold spell.

[Jalle]

I myself have not long ago created a cold-themed wizard with MASSIVE DC's boosted with Snowcasting (making every spell cold-type), snow focus, draconic aura: Energy (cold), spell focus and tattoo focus. He is Silerbrow Human human (dragonblood subtype) which makes his draconic aura (boosts DC's of all cold spells) scale with character levels, thus having +9 DC to specialized school and +6 DC for EVERY spell regardless of school at 20th level and +7 and +5 respectively already at 9th level!. Mine is an enchanter but the specilization can be whatever (I have picked no enchantment only feats like shadowweave magic [I was not allowed to pick it]). The build can be seen here:



To turn your spells into cold-spell you need some kind of snow. The way my character would deal with this would be using a wand of Summon Component. Some argue that the feat Eschew Materials can deal with the snow, but as I read the feat it is only able to conjure components the spell require to be cast (and the snow used with snowcasting is added AFTERWARDS), but ask your GM how he interpret it.

All the snow feats are from frostburn.

On top of that you can also get the Icemail armor (also from Frostburn) that adds an extra +2 DC to all cold spells. It's expensive though (52,000 GP). If you feel really cheesy you can ask you GM if your character can be of old age with Necropolitan template (+0 LA) on top of that. The 2nd old age step grants you +2 int, +2 wis, +2 cha and "only costs you -3 str, -3 dex, -3 con, but as undead that con penalty doesn't matter and STR is dump stat already, meaning that for +2 to all your mental stats all you really are losing is 3 dex (fair trade I would say). On top of that you swap your d4 Hit dice out with a d12 and you are immune to all mind affecting effects and almost every fortitude based affect aswell. Muhahaha. In fact if you are specializing in necromancy being undead fits your theme.

I hope it is of any help.

[sirpercival]

The Spellstrike feat from Dragon 311 allows you to add the Concussive template to any spell which deals hit point damage. That way any creature damaged by the spell must make a Balance check (DC 10 + CL) or be knocked prone. Particularly nice when you remember that any creature with <5 ranks in Balance is flat-footed while balancing.

[SorO_Lost]

Awesome, so that answers part of the second question. Anyone want to take a crack at LotUc vrs. Frost Mage's Piercing Cold?

Frost Mage's Piercing Cold has an added Bonus in that it ignores Spells & Items. For instance, Piercing Cold can still be blocked by the 120 absorption from Protection from Energy but a Frost Mage ignores it entirely.

LotUC has a dual edge to it. It's not one half of the damage bypasses Immunity, it's one half of the damage is another Damage type. They has it's own positive and negative aspects. For instance, Undead are typically Immune to Cold and heal from Negative Energy, whilst PC still deals 1/2 damage, LotUC heals them for 1/2. This is why LotUC is typically seen in Necromancer builds, an area Spell is a way to damage your enemies as well as heal your allies.

So which would I think is better? Snowcast.
Because with Snowcast every Spell is Cold themed but you can deal any Energy Damage you want. Use Acid and call it "biting cold" or w/e.

[Daebu]

Thanks guys. This nicely ran the gamut with the information I needed. Incidentally Jalle, I'm fairly certain the SWM Feat would be as good for a Necro. or Illus. as for an Enchanter. I'm fairy certain it's not Enchanting only. It just hits Transmutation and Evocation Spells with a nerfbat.

[Jalle]

Incidentally Jalle, I'm fairly certain the SWM Feat would be as good for a Necro. or Illus. as for an Enchanter. I'm fairy certain it's not Enchanting only. It just hits Transmutation and Evocation Spells with a nerfbat.

Yeah it was just me failing at saying what I really wanted to say: The build works for every specilization because no feats are bound to specific school(s), like SWM . Obviously the feat is equally good for a enchanter, illusionist or an necromancer as long as you are not taking the amount of spells not allowing a save from each school into consideration (where necromancy wins afaik) .