help w phrenic gnome illusionist/scm

[darqueseid]

Where do I go next?

phrenic gnome illusionist/scm
lvl 1 phrenic/gnome illusionist 1 racial class substitution +chains of disbelief giving up familiar + focused specialist barring evoc/enchanment/conjuration and -1 caster level on transmutations. (+ maybe?)illusion mastery(losing an extra specialist spell/day to set up signature spell later?)
   Feats:Heighten spell, spell focus illusion, earth sense
   Flaws: noncombatant, (one other)
lvl 2 illusionist 2
lvl 3 illusionist 3
   Feats: earth spell
lvl 4 illusionist 4
lvl 5 Gnome substitution illusionist 5:no feat, extended illusions
lvl 6 Shadowcraft mage (early entry) (ecl 8) -buyback Level adjustment becoming ECL 7
   Feat: Metamagic school focus: illusion
lvl 7 SCM 2
lvl 8 SCM 3 (ECL 9) buyback last LA
lvl 9 SCM 4
   Feat: Residual magic
lvl 10 SCM 5

I think this is my theoretical best shadowcrafter build from lvls 1-10, but I'm open to feedback. 
at lvl 10 this SCM will be able to mimic spells up to one level higher than his caster level, 3x a day, and with residual magic do it 3x more the turn after(with cantrips). as well as mimicing my highest level available spells and using low level spells to power residual for my "non-metamagic school focused" spells 
 
-My problem is, where do i go from here??? I don't think I can meet prerequisites for incantatrix, mainly because of no iron will, should I just start taking levels in wizard again??  whats my best road here?  I can switch my lvl 6 and 9 feats up i guess, but that will reduce my early game power level..

lvl 11 ???
lvl 12 ???
   Feat: Signature spell(if you chose illusion mastery) Probably something like extend spell?? if you didn't like that option
lvl 13 ???
lvl 14 ???
lvl 15 ???
   Feat: Arcane disciple: for 6x shadow miracles a day....
lvl 16 ???
lvl 17 ???
lvl 18 ???
   Feat:  extend spell(have to work it in somewhere for 8x duration spells)???
lvl 19 ???
lvl 20 ???

Anyone have any build suggestions from 10+?

All published TSR 3.5 material is available.  I want to optimize to the best SCM that can be made(shadow miracles r good mkay), but not optimize completely out of the universe like pun-pun.

[altpersona]

fighter 10 

archmage?

ToB?

arcane order?

[Aradu]

Master Specialist? Or just make sure that you do qualify for Incantatrix. Does your DM do more than 100% shadow reality?

[Rebel7284]

You can get Iron Will from a magical location in Complete Scoundrel worth 3,000 gp.  You now qualify for Incantatrix.  If you do this, I strongly suggest not going focused specialist.  Too many schools gone.

[darqueseid]

master specialist might actually work within the OP build, I hadn't even thought about it but it looks viable, thanks!

Focused specialist is just too good to give up.  I can still bar necromancy (My DM has ruled that you only lose access to spells you haven't learned yet for incantatrix.  so I'd only be losing the top level necromancy spells.  no big loss there, and don't forget I am mimicing all evocations and most conjurations so its not like i'm THAT limited. 

final build would have:
conjuration (creation &summoning)
all evocations
all illusions
all transmutations(at-1 caster level)
up to 5th level necromancy (I keep this mainly just for ennervate anyway) 

as to the quasireality question, I actually don't know. I suspect that it would just be capped at 100%,  Why does that matter? should I be avoiding DC boosting things?

[Rebel7284]

(My DM has ruled that you only lose access to spells you haven't learned yet for incantatrix.

In that case, learn ALL the necro spell you want before you enter.  RAW, you can scribe a higher level spell to your spellbook than you can actually cast.  It'll cost you some serious cash

Also, banning conjuration hurts even with ScM.  Plenty of great spells are Conjuration[Teleportation], Conjuration[Calling], and some just Conjuration.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Phrenic still costs the LA+2 in your homegame ?

Party reaches level 8.
You buy-off 1 LA. You are level 7.
You start to catch up exp.

Party is about 1/2 way up level 10.
You reach level 10 as: X9 / LA+1.
You buy-off the 1 LA. You are level 9.
You catch up more quickly for a level,
perhaps soon enough to be level 10,
before the rest of the party reaches level 11.
Then you catch up exp at the more normal rate.

Anyway, the exp difference is gone by level 17.

[Aradu]

as to the quasireality question, I actually don't know. I suspect that it would just be capped at 100%,  Why does that matter? should I be avoiding DC boosting things?

If it's capped at 100% there's no point in taking the shadowcrafter PRC or the enhanced shadow reality feat.

[Hallack]

Are the Shadow Weave feats and/or Shadow Adept prc viable options for you?  They do a great deal of good for enhancing spell DCs and more for SCM

[darqueseid]

@awaken: the plan is to buy off the la, yeah

What is the official ruling on the quasi reality question? Is there even one? I think this dm will go with @100% it's just fully real unless there's convincing evidence to using higher % numbers...

@rebel yeah giving up conjuration hurts, but theres no way around it really, without losing a really major school... Losing tp sucks but I can shape change to something that's got it at high lvl so its alright, and planar travel is restricted till I get gate, but those are the only big problems.

@hallack, yes those feats and the prc is available, but I just don't see a good benefit there, every class feature is just minor boosts, nothing real exciting. 

Right now I'm thinking a 4, 6, or 7 level dip into master specialist is worth it.  Maybe 4 master spec, 3 incant 3 archmage, if it's doable...

[Rebel7284]

going strait incantatrix is probably more powerful.

[Hallack]

The Shadow adept suggestion really was for just a 1 level dip to get the other shadow weave feats for free.  It's the feats that you may find helpful more than the class. 

[darqueseid]

Yeah, I see your point as a one level dip, but it costs me a feat in an already starved build, and the feats I get are just meh imho

Pernicious magic: good but only against weave users.  -this means only against things with spells right?  I agree many high level things will hve magic, but I could just take the arcane mastery feat so I Can take 10 on caster level checks and get through most SR.

Tenacious magic: +4 to dispel DC for all spells, again, good but only situationally useful.  I'm sort of ok with the enemy spellcaster just dispelling/countering me instead of doing other nasty things to the party.  I Tend to think both dispelling and countering is a mistake in terms of the action economy, only if there's spell turning up would it make sense.  And furthermore I can get a ring of enduring arcana for 3000gp that does the same thing...

Insidious magic: probably the best feature that you get.  While this is pretty good, I had to give up a feat to get this one, and take a further hit to my spell casting level.  the effet it gives is just too situational to justify taking that hit. People have to actively be trying to detect my magic first, and then it comes into play, whereas the -1 CL for transmutation and losing light spells hurts all the time.

[Hallack]

Yeah, they are nice but not no brainers.  Just wanted to put them out there.  I agree overall with the others that Incantatrix is probably the best finish for you.