volklore
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2018
- Messages
- 1,924
Continuing on with the azata sorcerer, at the ivory sanctum now (although I might reload before getting there because I heard you get an azata specific option after ivory sanctum to end the chapter early but I have loads of stuff to explore and other quests to do) and I have been really enjoying the favorable magic + persistent metamagic combo.
Making enemies have to make 3 saves in a row on my illusion spells is amazing as all hell.
However a couple of infos/caveats for people if they wanted to make a DC caster with azata:
-Favorable magic seems to not trigger 2 saves on anything leaving a persistent hazard behind i.e sirocco, grease, glitterdust (this one is weird, but technically you cover the people in the aoe with glitterdust (no save) and then the dust makes them save against blindness), web... Understand everything that creates a hazard and then the hazard makes the mobs in it roll saving throws. On the other hand AoEs that affect all the enemies straight away and without the intermediate of a conjured hazard get affected and trigger 2 saves (phantasmal web, phantasmal putrefaction, confusion, shout ...). I do not know if the behavior is intended or not.
-On the same note, every saving throw triggered after the initial cast of any spell isn't affected by favorable magic. So enemies will roll their will save twice when phantasmal web is cast, but the fort save against nausea on the next rounds will be rolled only once.
-Persistent metamagic stacks up with favorable magic but contrary to favorable magic (who triggers two rolls and keeps the worst result), you will only see the extra roll if the first two saves (from favorable magic) were both made.
-You can't pick favorite metamagic : persistent with the favorite metamagic mythic feat to lower the spell level increase by 1. Big Sad. In fact, favorite metamagic is extremely shortlisted, it seems like none of the metamagics introduced in Wrath are pickeable at all.
-Expanded arsenal is a big buff to caster flexibility, allows you to switch guns and, well, expand your arsenal to help answer the changes in enemies immunities.
-Once the first level of loremaster gets fixed for arcane casters, I can't see myself not picking a level or 3 to pick some of the goodies from other spell lists, or ray combat feats if you're into using your powers to shape reality to make slightly fancier arrows!
As far as spell schools are concerned, Conjuration is insane early game : glitterdust and grease are encounter winners and stay relevant the whole game. Stinking cloud is particularly strong against gargoyles (only 1 subtype of them is poison immune), but since then everything has been immune. Illusion is supper strong at spell level 4-5-6, especially since around that time, the game throws a ton of support for the school (1 ring, 1 amulet each with 2 DC and 1 staff with 1 DC on will saves) and mind-immune enemies are almost nowhere to be seen.
A super underrated spell that I see mentioned almost nowhere is Dismissal - it's basically a save or die spell vs. Will for outsiders with no descriptors so almost all demons seem affected. Sadly it's abjuration so not super great to take focus in it, but some high end demons are immune to phantasmal killer (through death immunity) so it's a good replacement if you can debuff their will save.
Enchantment is probably really strong as well because it has a riddiculous amount of itemization support (even higher than illusion) and also can reach really high early game DCs. The only reason I don't like enchantment as much for the early/midgame game for full arcane casters is that they don't get cacophonous call (only bards get it or a few ecclesitheurge domains), enchantment lacks that 1 single target control spell that does not rely on prone (a lot of dangerous enemies are prone immune) - but I bet a enchantment focused caster will do really well in act2-act3.
Casting is really fun in Wrath!
Making enemies have to make 3 saves in a row on my illusion spells is amazing as all hell.
However a couple of infos/caveats for people if they wanted to make a DC caster with azata:
-Favorable magic seems to not trigger 2 saves on anything leaving a persistent hazard behind i.e sirocco, grease, glitterdust (this one is weird, but technically you cover the people in the aoe with glitterdust (no save) and then the dust makes them save against blindness), web... Understand everything that creates a hazard and then the hazard makes the mobs in it roll saving throws. On the other hand AoEs that affect all the enemies straight away and without the intermediate of a conjured hazard get affected and trigger 2 saves (phantasmal web, phantasmal putrefaction, confusion, shout ...). I do not know if the behavior is intended or not.
-On the same note, every saving throw triggered after the initial cast of any spell isn't affected by favorable magic. So enemies will roll their will save twice when phantasmal web is cast, but the fort save against nausea on the next rounds will be rolled only once.
-Persistent metamagic stacks up with favorable magic but contrary to favorable magic (who triggers two rolls and keeps the worst result), you will only see the extra roll if the first two saves (from favorable magic) were both made.
-You can't pick favorite metamagic : persistent with the favorite metamagic mythic feat to lower the spell level increase by 1. Big Sad. In fact, favorite metamagic is extremely shortlisted, it seems like none of the metamagics introduced in Wrath are pickeable at all.
-Expanded arsenal is a big buff to caster flexibility, allows you to switch guns and, well, expand your arsenal to help answer the changes in enemies immunities.
-Once the first level of loremaster gets fixed for arcane casters, I can't see myself not picking a level or 3 to pick some of the goodies from other spell lists, or ray combat feats if you're into using your powers to shape reality to make slightly fancier arrows!
As far as spell schools are concerned, Conjuration is insane early game : glitterdust and grease are encounter winners and stay relevant the whole game. Stinking cloud is particularly strong against gargoyles (only 1 subtype of them is poison immune), but since then everything has been immune. Illusion is supper strong at spell level 4-5-6, especially since around that time, the game throws a ton of support for the school (1 ring, 1 amulet each with 2 DC and 1 staff with 1 DC on will saves) and mind-immune enemies are almost nowhere to be seen.
A super underrated spell that I see mentioned almost nowhere is Dismissal - it's basically a save or die spell vs. Will for outsiders with no descriptors so almost all demons seem affected. Sadly it's abjuration so not super great to take focus in it, but some high end demons are immune to phantasmal killer (through death immunity) so it's a good replacement if you can debuff their will save.
Enchantment is probably really strong as well because it has a riddiculous amount of itemization support (even higher than illusion) and also can reach really high early game DCs. The only reason I don't like enchantment as much for the early/midgame game for full arcane casters is that they don't get cacophonous call (only bards get it or a few ecclesitheurge domains), enchantment lacks that 1 single target control spell that does not rely on prone (a lot of dangerous enemies are prone immune) - but I bet a enchantment focused caster will do really well in act2-act3.
Casting is really fun in Wrath!
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