Rogue/Wizard: How to make spells silent?

[Tessarael]

Hey folks,

You're hidden and want to stay that way, while casting some spells. Maybe the spells are buffing for combat, and maybe they're not (e.g. could be Detect Magic, Knock, etc.).

How do you ensure things are quiet? Silent Spell works, but your spells have to be memorized at one level higher and you spend a feat on a relatively crappy metamagic feat.

Carrying around a wondrous item with the Cleric spell Silence won't work - you need that verbal component for your spells.

Anyone tried a Rogue/Psion or similar? Does that work better for subterfuge while still being sufficiently versatile?

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Scion]

lots of rods of silent spell

they are pretty cheap, so you should be able to have several easy.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, lesser metamagic rod of silent spell is your friend.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Antoine]

You're hidden and want to stay that way, while casting some spells. Maybe the spells are buffing for combat, and maybe they're not (e.g. could be Detect Magic, Knock, etc.).

How do you ensure things are quiet? Silent Spell works, but your spells have to be memorized at one level higher and you spend a feat on a relatively crappy metamagic feat.

List spells with no V.
Never consider silent spell as a crappy metamagic feat : silence is just your basic most efficient low-level equivalent of an AMS against spell casters.
I remember many occurences when higher level spell casters were defeated with a swift and cheap silence + entangle combo. Or cornered silenced mages in dungeons.

Apart from this, their must be some sort of sound bubble spell in 3.X.
Song and silence ?
Must check.

 

[Thanee]

As a Wizard Silent Spell is not too great, unfortunately.

I once played a Wizard with Silent Spell. I used this feat exactly zero times during a whole campaign!

The only reason to learn the feat I can see is, to prepare a silent Dimension Door to escape a silenced grapple/pin. Not too bad a reason, tho.

Anyways, it's much better to get a metamagic rod or two and prepare (note: I am of the opinion, that metamagic rods have to be used during preparation for prepared casters, but I am aware, that this is not completely clear) a few spells without the additional level cost at least.

If you play metamagic rods in the way, that prepared casters can use them spontaneously, then there is no contest whatsoever, Wizards will always use rods over feats then (given standard D&D terms and the ability to actually get items you want) and only learn the most powerful feats (Quicken Spell mainly) themselves.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hypersmurf]

I introduced a custom metamagic feat for casters in my 3E Campaign that obviated the need for a Verbal component to be 'in a strong, clear voice'.

So for zero level adjustment (and the cost of a feat), they could mumble their spells instead of declaring them. And as metamagic, it still took a full round action for a sorcerer or bard.

Since the V component still exists, it's no help against a Silence spell or casting while gagged or pinned, and obviously Language-Dependent spells still need to be heard and understood by the target.

But it's a house rule, so if you're restricted to published rules, it's no help for you

-Hyp.

 

[Liquidsabre]

I'd look into the 1st level spell Ventriloquism. Let's say you cast this baby and then invisibility, while you're casting summoning spells for example you can throw your voice (while speaking the verbal component) across the room/hall/field/etc. Just a thought...

 

[Tessarael]

All my spells (1st level) except Tongue of Fiends have a verbal component. Tongue of Fiends helps you speak Fiendish ... not very useful.

The silent metamagic rod and ventriloquism ideas sound very good. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Regards Silent Spell feat, similarly Still Spell feat, these would be much more useful if they applied x times/day rather than having to be 1 level higher. Oh well.

 

[Antoine]

Found that sound bubble, back in 3.0 :

Joyful Noise, negates silence in 10 ft.-radius emanation centered on you. Smaller than silence, can be used to create the bubble.
Trouble is : duration = concentration.

Solution (for a rogue/wizard)
Max out your Use Magic Device skill.
Spend 1 500 gp on cheap 2nd CL Joyful noise wand (bard 1)
Acquire raven familiar.
Have raven activate the wand, since it speaks, uses your skill levels, and doesn't need much more than holding the wand to activate it… OK, charisma = 6, but DC 20, with retries, is not to hard.
Then have your cleric cast silence around the party.
Showtime…

 

[Mephistopheles]

The following spell from the 1E Unearthed Arcana might be a useful base for a new spell your character could look into researching. It used to come in handy for me with a grand master RBDM behind the screen.

Vocalize (Alteration)

Level: 2
Components: S, M
Range: Touch
Casting Time: 1 round
Duration: 5 rounds
Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: One spell-casting creature

Explanation/Description: This spell allows the recipient to cast spells that normally require a verbal component without having to make a sound, so long as the casting of the subsequent spell(s) takes place entirely within the duration of the vocalize spell. This spell is of great use in situations where quiet is desired, or when the recipient is under the influence of a silence spell. The vocalize spell does not negate possible effects upon other vocal communication (a message spell could be cast from within an area of magical silence, but no information would be transmitted back to the caster). The spell does not negate the effect of silence, but merely offsets it for the purpose subsequent spell casting. If a spell cast by means of a vocalize spell has some audible effect, that sound will be masked for as long as the silence spell remains in force. The material component of this spell is a bell without a clapper, or else a jailbird's tongue.

A 3.0/3.5E version might look something like this, with descriptive text similar to the 1E version.

Vocalize
Transmutation
Level: Brd 2, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 5 rounds
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)