Requesting help with a SCM (again)

[Nytemare3701]

The more I look at the SCM, and the more I play with the mechanics of it, the more I fall in love with it. Therefore, I've decided to make it my default character to grab when I'm going to a game.

NEW LIMITATION: I don't want any version of this build to cast spells in a lower slot than the original spell. Residual Magic is the only exception.

Minimal Sources: Core, Spell Compendium, Races of Stone
Middle Ground Sources: +Complete Divine, Unearthed Arcana, PHB2, Underdark, Player's Guide to Faerun
Unlimited Sources used (So far): +Villian Design Handbook, Complete Mage

Worst Case Scenario
Gnome Cleric7/SCM5/Cleric+8

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Level 1: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Level 3: Earth Sense
Level 6: Heighten Spell
Level 9: Earth Spell
Level 12:
Level 15:
Level 18:

Middle Ground
Gnome Cloistered (Spontaneous Illusion) Cleric3/SCM5/Shadow Adept1/Contemplative1/Shadowcrafter8/???2

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Level 1: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Flaw: Heighten Spell
Flaw: DMM Heighten
Level 3: Earth Sense
Level 6: Earth Spell
Level 9: Shadow Weave Magic
Shadow Adept: Insidious Magic, Pernicious Magic, Tenacious Magic
Level 12: Residual Magic
Level 15:
Level 18:

Full Power
[Any Race] Cloistered (Spontaneous Illusion) Cleric1/SCM5/Shadow Adept1/???2/Contemplative1/Shadowcrafter8/???2

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Level 1: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Flaw: Heighten Spell
Flaw: DMM Heighten
Antifeat 2: Earth Sense
Level 3: Earth Spell
Antifeat 4: Shadow Weave Magic
Level 6: Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)
Antifeat 6:
Shadow Adept: Insidious Magic, Pernicious Magic, Tenacious Magic
Antifeat 8:
Level 9: Residual Magic
Antifeat 10:
Level 12:
Antifeat 12:
Antifeat 14:
Level 15:
Antifeat 16:
Level 18:
Antifeat 18:
Antifeat 20:

Optional: +Divine Minion of Sebek for wildshape/taint

[Gribel]

A cleric with the Shadow Domain, Trickery Domain, Domain Spontaneity (Shadow), Heighten Spell, DMM: Heighten. Trickery Domain gives you Hide and Bluff as class skills, Shadow Domain adds Shadow Conjuration to your list of spells known. Heighten a spell to 4th level with DMM and convert it spontaneously into a domain spell, Shadow Conjuration. This requires 2 flaws or 1 flaw, human and being in a shadow cabal. Qualifies at level 1.

EDIT: forgot about Spell Focus. Requires 2 flaws and human.

[Periaden]

There's a 2nd level cleric spell called, Dark Way it's an (illusion, Shadow) in the spell compendium, so all you have to do, is be capable of heightening that to 4th level, have the trickery and Illusion or Gnome domain, which both gives you silent image, the most perfect and wonderful spell for Shadowcraft Mages, also their granted powers is giving you a +1 caster level with all illusions.  Make the Illusion or Gnome your spontaneous, and you are good to go.

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ILLUSION DOMAIN
Granted Power: You cast all illusion spells at +1 caster level.

Illusion Domain Spells
1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound.
3 Displacement: Attacks miss subject 50%.
4 Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills subject or deals 3d6 damage.
5 Persistent Image: As major image, but no concentration required.
6 Mislead: Turns you invisible and creates illusory double.
7 Project Image: Illusory double can talk and cast spells.
8 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
9 Weird: As phantasmal killer, but affects all within 30 ft.

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GNOME DOMAIN
Granted Power: You cast illusion spells at +1 caster level.

Gnome Domain Spells

1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Gembomb†M: Gem becomes a bomb that deals 1d8 force damage/2 levels.
3 Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound.
4 Minor Creation: Creates one cloth or wood object.
5 Hallucinatory Terrain: Makes one type of terrain appear like another (field into forest, or the like).
6 Fantastic Machine: Creates a machine to perform a single simple task.
7 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
8 Otto’s Irresistible Dance: Forces subject to dance.
9 Summon Nature’s Ally IX*: Summons creature to fight.
*Earth elementals or animals only.

[NiteCyper]

I've dabbled in this myself.

A cleric with the Shadow Domain, Trickery Domain, Domain Spontaneity (Shadow), Heighten Spell, DMM: Heighten. Trickery Domain gives you Hide and Bluff as class skills, Shadow Domain adds Shadow Conjuration to your list of spells known. Heighten a spell to 4th level with DMM and convert it spontaneously into a domain spell, Shadow Conjuration. This requires 2 flaws or 1 flaw, human and being in a shadow cabal. Qualifies at level 1.

EDIT: forgot about Spell Focus. Requires 2 flaws and human.

Elaborate on the shadow cabal?

There's a 2nd level cleric spell called, Dark Way it's an (illusion, Shadow) in the spell compendium, so all you have to do, is be capable of heightening that to 4th level, have the trickery and Illusion or Gnome domain, which both gives you silent image, the most perfect and wonderful spell for Shadowcraft Mages, also their granted powers is giving you a +1 caster level with all illusions.  Make the Illusion or Gnome your spontaneous, and you are good to go.

(click to show/hide)

ILLUSION DOMAIN
Granted Power: You cast all illusion spells at +1 caster level.

Illusion Domain Spells
1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound.
3 Displacement: Attacks miss subject 50%.
4 Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills subject or deals 3d6 damage.
5 Persistent Image: As major image, but no concentration required.
6 Mislead: Turns you invisible and creates illusory double.
7 Project Image: Illusory double can talk and cast spells.
8 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
9 Weird: As phantasmal killer, but affects all within 30 ft.

(click to show/hide)

GNOME DOMAIN
Granted Power: You cast illusion spells at +1 caster level.

Gnome Domain Spells

1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Gembomb†M: Gem becomes a bomb that deals 1d8 force damage/2 levels.
3 Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound.
4 Minor Creation: Creates one cloth or wood object.
5 Hallucinatory Terrain: Makes one type of terrain appear like another (field into forest, or the like).
6 Fantastic Machine: Creates a machine to perform a single simple task.
7 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
8 Otto’s Irresistible Dance: Forces subject to dance.
9 Summon Nature’s Ally IX*: Summons creature to fight.
*Earth elementals or animals only.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/sc275dmns5gnmgrdhlflnht.png/
Spell Compendium > page 275 > Appendix: Domain Spells > The Gnome and Illusion Domains.

[Gribel]

I've dabbled in this myself.

A cleric with the Shadow Domain, Trickery Domain, Domain Spontaneity (Shadow), Heighten Spell, DMM: Heighten. Trickery Domain gives you Hide and Bluff as class skills, Shadow Domain adds Shadow Conjuration to your list of spells known. Heighten a spell to 4th level with DMM and convert it spontaneously into a domain spell, Shadow Conjuration. This requires 2 flaws or 1 flaw, human and being in a shadow cabal. Qualifies at level 1.

EDIT: forgot about Spell Focus. Requires 2 flaws and human.

Elaborate on the shadow cabal?

Races of Stone suggests an adaptation to the requirements from a gnome racial requirement to membership in a cabal of illusionists.

[NiteCyper]

I think you're looking for this.

Source: Player's Handbook II > page 37 > Chapter 2: Expanded Classes > Cleric > Spontaneous Domain Casting alternate class feature (ACF)

[Nytemare3701]

I think you're looking for this.

Source: Player's Handbook II > page 37 > Chapter 2: Expanded Classes > Cleric > Spontaneous Domain Casting alternate class feature (ACF)

PERFECT. That was the only thing about being a cleric that I didn't like.

Wait...Does anyone know of a 1st level Illusion (Shadow) Spell? I know pathfinder has them, but I don't know of any 3.5 sources.
EDIT: Spell Compendium has "Dead End".

[NiteCyper]

Two domains: Trickery for skills and Shadow for Shadow Conjuration level 4. Whence cometh Silent Image?

[Nytemare3701]

Two domains: Trickery for skills and Shadow for Shadow Conjuration level 4. Whence cometh Silent Image?

I don't actually use shadow conjuration do I? The silent image acts as one, and heighten shenanigans handle all prerequisites.

If you are speaking of the minimal books build, then yes, there is a problem there.
EDIT: No problem there, as the delayed progression allows for trickery to be tossed out.

[NiteCyper]

NEW LIMITATION: I don't want any version of this build to cast spells in a lower slot than the original spell. Residual Magic is the only exception.

Minimal Sources: Core, Spell Compendium, Races of Stone
Middle Ground Sources: +Complete Divine, Unearthed Arcana, PHB2, Underdark, Player's Guide to Faerun
Unlimited Sources: +Villian Design Handbook, Complete Mage

Worst Case Scenario
Gnome Cleric7/SCM5/Cleric+8

(click to show/hide)

Level 1: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Level 3: Earth Sense
Level 6: Earth Spell
Level 9:
Level 12:
Level 15:
Level 18:

(1) Re: LIMITATION: How can casting spells be done "in a lower slot than the original spell"? Arcane Thesis + low-cost metamagic seems like the obvious, but what about interpretation of level 1 Silent Image as "the original spell" vs. Gnome Illusionist racial substitution level 0 Silent Image? Metamagicked spells? That's what you seem to imply with the mention of Residual Magic.

(2) What do the adjectives mean to the sources? Unlimited being completely open and without need for permission from the DM vs. minimal requiring explicit permission?

(3) Your Worst Case Scenario is missing Heighten Spell for Earth Spell.

Two domains: Trickery for skills and Shadow for Shadow Conjuration level 4. Whence cometh Silent Image?

If you are speaking of the minimal books build, then yes, there is a problem there.
EDIT: No problem there, as the delayed progression allows for trickery to be tossed out.

I suppose that by "delayed progression" you mean "normal progression" meaning no early entry, which I recall being the original purpose of this thread.

Choice of domain (as a Cleric) is explicitly listed on table 8-2 for class feature retraining options (Player's Handbook II, page 193).

[phaedrusxy]

I think you're looking for this.

Source: Player's Handbook II > page 37 > Chapter 2: Expanded Classes > Cleric > Spontaneous Domain Casting alternate class feature (ACF)

PERFECT. That was the only thing about being a cleric that I didn't like.

Wait...Does anyone know of a 1st level Illusion (Shadow) Spell? I know pathfinder has them, but I don't know of any 3.5 sources.
EDIT: Spell Compendium has "Dead End".

Is that on the cleric spell list? The online version I saw didn't list it as being so.

[Nytemare3701]

(1) Re: LIMITATION: How can casting spells be done "in a lower slot than the original spell"? Arcane Thesis + low-cost metamagic seems like the obvious, but what about interpretation of level 1 Silent Image as "the original spell" vs. Gnome Illusionist racial substitution level 0 Silent Image? Metamagicked spells? That's what you seem to imply with the mention of Residual Magic.

I meant no shenanigans that let you cast a spell using a slot lower than the spell's level. Residual Magic is the exception.

(2) What do the adjectives mean to the sources? Unlimited being completely open and without need for permission from the DM vs. minimal requiring explicit permission?

Minimal means assume the DM is a hardass and the Killer Gnome is barely allowed. Unlimited means the DM doesn't care what's on the sheet, as long as it plays nice with the group.

(3) Your Worst Case Scenario is missing Heighten Spell for Earth Spell.

Noted and fixed.

I suppose that by "delayed progression" you mean "normal progression" meaning no early entry, which I recall being the original purpose of this thread.
Choice of domain (as a Cleric) is explicitly listed on table 8-2 for class feature retraining options (Player's Handbook II, page 193).

The unlimited build will enjoy that greatly for the required skill points.

Is that on the cleric spell list? The online version I saw didn't list it as being so.

You sir are correct. Apparently Haste applies a penalty to spot checks. I'll probably go Paizo-diving for a first level spell. In my excitement when pathfinder was relatively new, I bought one of their spell collections as a pdf, which I remember had one.

EDIT:

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Gloomlight   
School: Illusion (Shadow) [Light]; 
Level: Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: Object touched
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No
The touched object sheds an eerie radiance in a 60-
foot radius, enabling creatures with darkvision the
ability to perceive color. Both darkness and light
spells counter gloomlight.

[Nytemare3701]

Now that the boards are back, I'm going to take another stab at this. I'd like to play it in the E6 campaign starting this weekend, so I officially have a deadline now 

I'm Co-DMing this game (balance checking and whatnot) and I'm pretty sure the killer gnome will be the strongest thing at the table, so I'm going to put some new restrictions on him:

• Pacifist: Doesn't want to hurt anyone, instead resorting to things like the Streamers spell, which give the enemy the option of not acting instead of taking damage.
• Specialist: Only taking shadow themed spells. Might relax this to taking the Spell Thematics feat later depending on the party optimization level.