Combat Caster Feat Tree (need help balancing)

[Magius del Cotto]

This is a feat tree that I thought up while driving in my car, designed for fighter-mages of high (maybe even epic) level. Thing is, I don't know what the prereqs for them should be, so I'll post the tree up here, and I'll listen to what you have to say about them.

Combat Caster
You can split your focus between casting and combat.
Prereqs: ...
Benefit: You no longer draw an attack of oppertunity when you cast spells.
Normal: You draw an attack of oppurtunity when you start casting a spell.

Weapon Caster
You can hold a weapon when casting spells.
Prerequisite: Combat Caster...
Benefit: You can now hold a weapon or shield while casting a spell.
Normal: You cannot cast a spell while holding a weapon or a shield (other than a buckler).
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, it applies to a different weapon or type of shield.

Spell Dancer
You can now make an attack while casting a spell.
Prerequisites: Weapon Caster with the weapon...
Benefit: You may now make a single attack a round (including Attacks of Oppurtunity) while casting a spell without penalty.
Normal: You cannot make any attacks while casting a spell.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, it applies to a different weapon.

Single-Weapon Caster
You can now attack normally while casting a spell while wielding a single one handed weapon.
Prerequisites: Spell Dancer with the weapon...
Benifet: You may now attack normally with a one handed weapon while casting a spell.
Normal: You cannot attack while casting a spell
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, it applies to a different weapon.

Double-Handed Weapon Caster
You may now attack normally with any single two handed weapon while casting a spell.
Prerequisites: Single Weapon Caster with the weapon...
Benifit: You may now attack normally with any two-handed weapon.
Normal: Blah-blah-blah, see above.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, it applies to a different weapon.

Two Weapon Caster
You may now attack normally with any two one handed weapons while casting a spell.
Prerequisites: Single Weapon Caster with the weapon...
Benifit: See description.
Normal: See above.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, it applies to a different weapon.

OK, there's the feat list. Obviously, they all build off each other (except for Two Weapon and Two Handed), and are progressively more powerful. One thing I was thinking of was a scaling Concentration requirement for the feats, but that may not work out right. Well, I'll leave it up to you to discuss.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Here is some feedback, although you might not like it


I think that the first one in your tree itself is too powerful. Eliminate all AoO when casting in combat? Not on your life!

Weapon caster is not necessary since you only need 1H free for somatic guestures - so you can already cast a spell while you have a weapon in your hand.

Several of these feats would allow more than one standard action in a turn, and you normally need a third level spell (haste) to do that - so they are far too powerful.

....

Basically some of what you are trying to do is wrapped up in the spellsword prestige class, and you might want to have a look at how that is handled and see how you might turn that into feats (or use the p-class) It is in Tome and Blood.

For a lot of the other things, a fighter mage just needs to know the still spell feat and prepare stilled versions of the spells he wants to cast - thus not needing his hands (and ignoring armour penalties).

Cheers

 

[Magius del Cotto]

Hey, I'll take all input. And, as I said, these are probably going to be epic level feats, since they are so powerful. Yes, yes, I know how powerful they are, but understand, I came up with these in the car, and I really didn't take any time to research the stuff, so that's why some of them would be unimportant (such as the Weapon Caster...).
Well, I think I'm starting to ramble again, so I'll just say thanks for the input, and send out a general call for more.

 

[Ringmasta]

Have you considered, rather than feats, making it into an Epic Prestige Class? That would seem to fit in fairly well with how you've laid it out.

Basically, it's very similar to a Bladesinger as-is, and it probably wouldn't take much to create an Epic version using these abilities...

 

[Al]

Bearing in mind that Improved Combat Casting in an Epic feat and allow the same as the proposed Combat Caster, I can't help but feel that it is overpowered.

HOWEVER, consider the following:

Combat Caster
You can split your focus between casting and combat.
Prereqs: ...
Benefits: You may take 10 on a Concentration check to cast defensively in combat.
Normal: You can't.

Since it would likely have Combat Casting as a prereq, this means that whilst the caster would still draw an AoO if he were to cast the spell normally, he can cast defensively with a 100% chance of success, hence effectively negating the AoO. It's not overpowered, and is nicely in synch with Skill Mastery (though, of course, Skill Mastery is not a feat).

 

[Tony Vargas]

Well, there's already a 'Combat Casting' feat, all it does is give you a +4 on the concentration check to 'cast on the defensive.'

You only need one hand to cast a spell with somatic components, so you can cast while either using a shield or holding a weapon (just not both). A Small Shield is a definite advantage, here, in that you can transfer the weapon to the shield hand and cast, then return the weapon to your primary hand.

If you want to be able to cast while holding something in each hand, you can simply take Still Spell and/or specialize in spells that don't have somatic components (like True Strike, Blur, Blindness/Deafness, or Shout, just for example).

...

The concept of a feat that allowed you to intersperse spellcasting with attacks from a Full Attack Action has also been discussed here. Here's one version:

Battle Casting
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp You have integrated your spellcasting with your fighting style, allowing you to fight effectively while casting a spell.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Prerequisites: Combat Casting, BAB 6+
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Benefits: When you use the Full Attack action, you can substitute the casting of a spell for one of your attacks. The spell must have a standard one action casting time - it cannot be a full-round spell or a spontaneous metamagic spell, for instance - and you must meet all the other usual requirements for casting. Casting the spell requires a successful Concentration Check, identical to a Casting on the Defensive check, except that the roll must be made even if you are not being threatend and takes any penalties being suffered by the attack it substitutes for (due to being a second or later itterative attack or using Power Attack, Expertise, TWF, or whatever). If you fail the Concentration check, you lose the spell and do not get to make the attack you substituted it for.

Note that this version doesn't actualy give you the ability to cast somatic spells without a free hand, so you'd probably have to use a one-handed weapon and no shield, or use Stilled/non-somatic spells, and, that it requires a concentration check, which takes penalties to the attack roll, so you can't simply trade in your last itterative attack (which is unlikely to hit anyway) or max out expertise, without running a higher risk of losing the spell.

 

[the Jester]

Tony: you're making it almost as good as haste. Attack at your highest value, then cast a spell. I think that's too good, though YMMV.

del Cotto: Improved Combat Casting in the ELH allows you to cast spells without drawing aoo's. It's an epic-level feat. As has been pointed out, you can cast a spell with one hand so a lot of your lower-end feats aren't really necessary. One that allows you to take 10 wouldn't be bad.

Attacking and casting a spell in the same round is prolly too much, but how about a feat to cast a spell as an attack of opportunity?

 

[Tony Vargas]

I'd consider the ability to cast a spell as an AoO pretty extreme: the spell effectively becomes a free action, (that's usally worth +4 spell levels (Quicken)), and then some, because it's between your phases. You'd have to account for Combat Reflexes, too.

...

Yes, with the feat I posted, you could take an attack at full BAB and cast a spell - but you get a -5 to the concentration check to cast that spell. Or, you could cast the spell at no penalty and use an itterative attack at -5.