Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
randomsome1 </features/recognition/71994.html>
Version 1.1, Last Updated 2007-10-31 View/Download Original File
<http://dw.com.com/redir?asid=0&astid=8&siteid=19&edid=107&destCat=&destURL=http
%3A%2F%2Fdb.gamefaqs.com%2Fcomputer%2Fdoswin%2Ffile%2Fneverwinter_nights_2_motb_
favored_soul.txt>
Hosted by GameFAQs </>
Return to *Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC) FAQs &
Guides* </computer/doswin/game/939027.html>
Liked this FAQ? Click to recommend
</computer/doswin/file/939027/50501?rec=1320995434> it to other GameFAQs
users.
v1.0 Initial version
v1.1 Updated Sacred Fist info, few other minor changes.
Favored Soul Guide for Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to my guide on Favored Soul for Neverwinter Nights 2.
The favored soul is a new base class available that is similar to clerics.
They use the clerical spell list, but have a sorceror-based spell system
where they choose a small list of spells and can cast any of them up to a
daily limit for that spell level.
This and other factors make the FS very versatile in combat, being able to
cast the right spell for the situation. However, they are unable to function
well as offensive spellcasters and almost always engage in melee and cast
spells to support the party.
FS are the best healers in the game due to their casting system, once they
hit around level 15. Most FS will have a very high CHA for bonus spells.
They should always take advantage of their high Charisma to use high saving
throw bonuses, Divine Might or Divine Shield abilities.
This guide covers some concepts of healing, defensive casting, and how to build
an effective character.
Feel free to contact me with questions.
My info is at the end of the guide.
---------------------------------------------------Table Of Contents:
I. Differences between Cleric and Favored Soul.
a. Domains
b. Turn Undead
c. Special Abilities
d. Less Armor.
e. Great Saving Throws
II.
a.
b.
c.
d. Offensive Casting?
III. Role of Healing
IV. Role of the Favored Soul
V. Defensive Casting Analysis
VI. Race Selection
VII. Stats
VIII. Feats
IX. Skills
X. Weapon Selection
XI. Spells
XII. Multiclassing Considerations
XIII. Sample Builds
XIV. Clerical Prestege Classes.
XV Conclusion/Copyright/Contact Info.
--------------------------I. Favored Soul Differences
--------------------------The best way to understand Favored Soul is to compare it to the Cleric, which
we are all fairly familiar with. This helps us understand their strengths
and limitations.
a) Domains
Favored Soul does not get domains. This means they lose some versatility, as
they cannot cherry-pick certain nice spells to have such as haste, stoneskin,
barkskin, chain lightning, icestorm, and so forth. They miss out on free
feats that are also customized for that character.
However, FS make up for this in some of their other abilities, so the domain
lack is not a critical factor for a warrior-based favored soul.
Lack of domains IS actually the main reason why Favored Souls cannot be
offensive spellcasters, as we will discuss further.
b) Turn Undead
FS does not get turn undead either. This is not really so terrible, since
most clerics do not get a usable turn undead either, due to their multiclassing
tendencies. This does mean no easy access to Divine Might/Shield which uses
your naturally high CHA to pump your melee damage or AC.
But, that is what multiclassing is for, right?
c) Special Abilities
In contrast a cleric must hardcode, or select exactly what spells they wish to
store up and have no latitude to change it, until the next rest period.
However, they DO have the full clerical list to choose which ones to learn.
Whenever a FS levels up, they get to choose new spell(s) to put in their
known list. The manual says this follows the sorceror known progression.
However, this IS A LIE! A Favored Soul kinda follows the sorc chart, but
gains extra known spells per level, most of which are received on the first
levelup when they access the new spell level.
So, at level 20, a Favored Soul may know the following:
All cantrips
6 level 1 through 7 spells.
5 level 8 spells.
4 level 9 spells.
Sure beats the sorc system!
Whether the FS system is better than the clerical spell system is much debated.
I do have to say that FS can know more spells than the sorc, and the clerical
list of good spells is shorter than that for mages.
It really depends on the situation. To help illustrate the pros and cons,
here are some "real life" examples that highlight these:
Imagine 2 characters. A FS and a cleric in the same situation:
1) Both are about to enter a dungeon crawling with undead.
Cleric: Guess I will memorize LOTS of death to undeath and sunbeam...
FS: Gee, wish I had Death to Undeath and Sunbeam on my list...
steady damage.. regen works great. Sure is nice to use the appropriate
spell for the situation!
4) Runs into nasty lich with godly AC and damage resists.
Cleric: Um, don't suppose call lightnign will help much. Only got 2 hammers
left, 3 implosions won't help much... Hmm. Melee time I guess for 3 magic
damage per hit from div favor. Great...
FS: Ack, lich! K, Mr Lichie. Eat Maximized Searing light spam for 80HP each!
Then, eat empowered, then normal ones. Take 100s of damage from my divine
damage casting spam while everyone else stands around helplessly.
5) Just leveled up to level 7
C: Yay! Ill take 1 stoneskin, 1 div power, 1 deathward, 1 freedom move...
FS: At level8, I only get a few spells to put on my list. Wonder
which one I should get first?
Well, that gives you an idea as to the advantages and limitations of each.
b) Attribute usage.
------------------A "normal" caster such as a cleric uses WIS in 3 ways.
a. Spell access - Requires 15 WIS for level 5 spells, 18 for lvl8, etc.
b. Bonus spells are determined by the primary casting attribute.
c. Spell DC is increased for all spells by the primary casting attribute bonus.
In other words, a 16WIS gives a cleric +3 to all spell DC. 20 = +5, etc.
A favored soul uses CHA for a. and b. above. Therefore a high CHA is needed
for spell access (19 at least), and bonus spells per day.
HOWEVER, WISDOM is used for spell DCs! This is a serious problem, as a FS
needs both CHA AND WIS to cast effectively.
This is completely unlike ALL previous casters, which have a SINGLE main
attribute. So, keep this in mind.
BUG ALERT! Currently, NWN2 is bugged such that CHA actually IS used for
spell DC as well. So, a FS works just like a sorc in that CHA is the only
attribute needed, and WIS is worthless. THIS IS A BUG THOUGH. Do NOT
count on this being the case for long...
you gain almost no bonus spell slots and must wear a +CHA item to even
have access to your higher level spells! A high WIS cleric can actually
out-slot you due to those bonus slots.
3) Pump CHA and WIS both - This splits your stats, and thus makes you mediocre
at both spell DC, and bonus spell slots.
As you can see, this is very disappointing. It means the favored soul casting
is inferior to the clerical system due to this Multiple Ability
Dependency(MAD)
c. Caster level Explained
------------------------The effectiveness of your spells depends on your Caster Level.
This includes damage, duration, and ALSO ability to penetrate
Spell Resistance, and avoid getting Dispelled.
When you take a level in FS, you gain 1 caster level in FS also.
Normally, it is a 1 to 1 correspondance.
When you multiclass, you do not usually keep getting caster levels.
A 16FS/4fighter has a 16 caster level. However, there is a feat
called Practiced Caster, that adds +4 to your caster level. It ONLY
works if you have enough total character levels.
i.e. the 16FS/4fighter with practiced caster, will still ONLY get
level 8 spells (as a 16 FS). BUT his spells are cast as if he
is level 20! A 16FS/2fighter would have 18 caster level, since
it cannot exceed total levels.
Some prestege classes add partial clerical progression. A warpriest
gives a FS full caster level every TWO levels.
So a 12FS,8warpriest is really a 16FS for ALL spellcasting
purposes. He casts 8th lvl spells AND casts as a 16 FS.
Therefore, taking Practiced Caster would make him a 16FS for
spell selection purposes, but a 20 FS for spell effect, duration,
etc purposes.
It becomes confusing as people refer to Caster Level as two DIFFERENT
things!
a) How many levels worth of caster for SPELL PROGRESSION purposes.
b) How many levels worth for damage and effect purposes.
So, favored souls want a high caster level to have longer lasting
spells (ext battletide = 40 rounds instead of 32 for example), and
be harder to dispel (dispel check = 1d20 +15 to exceed Caster Lvl),
and get better effects (+5 magical vestment vs +4)
D. Offensive Casting?
---------------------
One would think that Favored Souls would be great battle-casters, just like
sorcs. Unfortunately not. There are three primary limitations.
1) Too short of a spell list - The least significant limitation is that sorcs
have a lot of battle spells and a few buffs. FS has a lot of buffs, several
so-so combat spells, and several heals. You are therefore a bit limited
on spells. However, a FS knows quite a few more spells per level than
a sorceror... plus there are fewer useful cleric spells. So this is not
so much of a factor.
2) MAD slots
only,
begin
A level 30 cleric with 44WIS (max possible) would have the following bonus
slots from 1 to 9: 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 That is 30 extra slots that a caster
cleric receives that FS mostly forfeits.
(A FS with 20CHA gains 2 1 1 1 1 bonus slots)
It is doable, but is just an irritating waste to gain half the benefit for
a high WIS as a cleric does.
3) Domains - The biggest hurdle for FS offensive casting is that of domains.
A cleric can take Air and Water and pick up Call Lightning, Chain Lightning,
and Icestorm. These 3 spells alone fill huge gaps in clerical offensive
capabilities.
At level 3, FS has no AoE offense. 4 will be all Hammer of Gods.
Lvl 5 only has flamestrike, which is a very weak spell, and Slay Living
which is so-so. 6 has bladebarrier which is very situational. 7 has Word
which is nice but no damage. 8 has firestorm which stinks. 9 is pretty
strong.
As can be seen, an offensive FS simply does not have enough good spells to
use, and is sorely lacking in offensive AoE spells.
The conclusion is that favored souls can cast offensively, but should not
attempt to play primarily as an offensive spellcaster. Stick to spells that
have 1/2 effect and assume all enemies will make their saving throws.
if needed, or to go rescue a mage that is getting beat on. Fight, but don't
necessarily be the first one into the battle.
Really quick note: When making a new character, you MUST click the CUSTOMIZE
button when it gives you the option of several character builds such as
"default favored soul", and so on.
This gives you control over your initial feats, skills, and DIETY SELECTION.
---------------------V. Defensive Casting
---------------------Ok, I wanted to toss in this interesting sidenote that is important to all
clerics. One new choice is whether to use Defensive Casting mode or not.
The short version is: Leave defensive casting on at high level,
otherwise keep it off unless surrounded by several opponents.
Defensive Casting lets you avoid any attacks of opportunity when casting
a spell. However, it forces a concentration roll of 15 plus the spell level.
Casting without it in melee gives all baddies a free attack of
opportunity against you. For each one that hits, you will take damage
and force a concentration roll that is likely to be pretty high.
(The DC increases as more damage is taken)
The best way to do it is toggle it on and off as needed.
The trick is... whether it is needed or not.
And also, when is it correct to use.
I will try to answer this with the following chart. For each level below,
it gives the percent failure chance for casting the highest spell level.
I
-
55%
50%
50%
45%
45%
40%
40%
35%
35%
30%
30%
25%
13:
14:
15:
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
25%
20%
20%
15%
15% (max of 9th lvl spells = 24DC)
10%
5%
0%
16
12
14
10
8
16
(Good AB/dmg)
For AC purposes. 16 needed for max Mithril Plate bonus w/items.
(Decent HP bonus)
(3 skill points per level w/human bonus)
Max this!
Feel free to lower DEX and raise INT. The only use for DEX is to
get to 12 (or 16 for mithril plate) for AC reasons. Items can
certainly easily make up the difference, and you get extra skill
points for doing so.
There are 2 schools of thought. Many FS will go for maximum CHA in order to
gain big bonuses from it with proper multiclassing. These include bonus spell
slots, Divine Might/Shield, and +saves from pally/BG/Warlock.
Others will take enough CHA to gain spell access, then pump STR.
In this case, you can take a 14CHA and use an item to get spell access and
just crank up your strength. This is a good strategy for an Earth Genesai
for example to get maximum STR and high CON.
----------------------VIII. Feats Recommended
----------------------For a melee based favored soul, your feat choices are pretty loose.
They vary based on your multiclass choices since that gives you more or
less feats to work with. Very few of them are essential though.
Here are the recommended ones:
Certain other prerequisite feats may be needed for some multiclass combos.
Feats to avoid in general are:
-- Great Cleave - Getting more than 1 cleave per round is rather unlikely,
making this feat a waste. FS rarely use 2handed weapons,
which is best with great cleave.
-- Dodge - Not bad, but 13dex requirement is a waste of attribute points for
a +1AC against just 1 foe. Compare to luck of heroes which adds 1ac
always, AND a saving throw bonus.
-- Improved Power Attack - It's just not very good for a 1hander.
EPIC Feats:
In general, you want your basic feats at 21,23,25,27,29 to be mostly Great
Strength. This increases damage and AB. Ideally you would use bonus feats
to purchase other feats on the list below.
CHEEZE ALERT! If you take your 5,10,15,or 20th Favored Soul level post epic,
you can instead select certain EPIC FEATS. Let's see... do I want 10 cold
resist or do I want an Epic Spell. ;-)
** Epic Prowess - It is a +1AB bonus. Solid and nice to have.
** Epic Weapon Focus - Grants a +2AB bonus. Requires Greater Weapon Focus,
which needs 8 fighter levels. Great if you can fit it into your build.
xx Epic Weapon Specialization - +4 damage. Pretty nice, but it is impossible
to acquire the many prerequisites which would need 12 fighter levels.
It would not nearly be worth it.
-- Epic Armor Skin - +2 AC. Stacks with natural AC amulets and is quite nice.
However, currently bugged to only +1AC.
** Damage Reduction - 6 points of DR. Unsure about stacking n stuff in NWN2.
If it stacks with Damage Reduction items, it would be a valuable feat.
-- Epic Toughness - So-so. +30HP is good, but not worth an epic feat in my
opinion.
-- Epic Spell: Vampiric Feast - This spell is really really good and worth
the feat slot. Almost all of the foes would be expected to make their
saving throw. Even so, all foes within 20 feet of you lose 50% of their
HP and you GAIN those HP as healing (up to your max HPs). If you do
manage to kill something with this spell, it creates shadows that fight
for you temporarily.
This is a great panic-button spell that can make
a huge difference in very tough fights.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST take this spell on a FS level! Fighter,
stormlord, etc will NOT allow you to take this feat.
Also requires 25 spellcraft to take.
xx Overwhelming Crits - This was just a bad prerequisite for Devastating Crits
back in the day. There is no reason to take this weak feat.
---------------
Skills Overview
--------------You have rather few skillpoints, so you are somewhat limited here.
Remember you can always subtract DEX to get INT, ONLY if you expect to
find an item with DEX on it very soon to avoid AC loss.
Best skills are:
-- Concentrate - Important since you need to rebuff or heal in combat
occasionally. Max it out, as you do NOT want a mass heal
fizzling because you were hit while casting.
-- Tumble - Even at 1/2 value in most cases, it is useful for the +1AC and small
chance of avoiding attacks of opp. Works especially well with
Mithril Full Plate due to lower AC penalty check.
16 ranks +3dex mod -2hvy shield -2Mit Plate = 15 = never fails
a tumble roll.
-- Spellcraft - The saving throw bonus is nice. In fact, it is very much
underrated. Adding up to +6 to all saving throws at level 27 is
really strong! Lets face it... 90% of the saving throws you
make are due to enemy spells, so the bonus usually applies.
You NEED 4 ranks to multiclass and take practiced caster!
Higher levels of spellcraft are needed for epic spells too.
-- Healing - Very useful, as a good heal roll can cure poison/disease too.
Saves spellslots. It does not scale well though. A bandaid
+1 heals 21 HP with 0 heal skill. Each point adds 1 HP to it,
such that a lvl 30 FS might heal for 50ish maximum.
Still, you will be using bandaids quite a bit during the first 10
levels.
-- Use Magic Device - Even 5 ranks (adjusted for CHA) allows use of scrolls
and other minor items. Maybe split Spellcraft and UMD.
Consider taking, but DO NOT raise above 5 (adjusted).
With 30 levels, it MIGHT be worthwhile to grab 15 to use
Sun Soul boots, and other clickie items.
Note: On hard difficulty, using a Scroll requires a pretty high
UMD roll or the spell fizzles.
---------------Weapon Choice
---------------Your choice of weapon depends on which
You can pretty much pick whatever you
since you can use Weapon of Impact on
sword since they do the most damage.
In general DO NOT use a 2handed weapon ever. You do not have the super
high STR to make the 50% more STR bonus effective. Also, with your
damage bonuses from various buffs, the extra few points of average damage a
larger weapon does is not worth the loss of the huge shield AC you can get.
Since you do not have any special AC bonuses such as Red Dragon Disciples,
Dex-based characters, or even 20 tumble, losing the shield will cause you
to absorb a lot more damage in melee. You are guaranteed a shield that is
+1 every 4 caster levels thanks to Magic Vestment remember.
Dualwielding is out as well, due to the number of feats needed and the fact
that you dont have the DEX to get more than 1 offhand attack. Not to
mention the AB penalty and huge loss of AC.
If you love dualwielding, you would have to forego Divine Might/Shield for sure.
It is possible to go with DEX instead of STR and dualwield. It will require
heavy multiclassing to gain the needed feats.
----------------Spell Selection
----------------This is a very important topic for the FS. Since you only can have a small
number of spells known, you much choose very carefully.
As a reminder, a lvl20 FS has more known spells than a sorceror, so you have a
lot more latitude in choosing.
Also, every 2 levels a FS may dump an existing spell and replace it, as long as
it is 2 levels BELOW your current spell max.
i.e. A 10th lvl FS can replace a 1st,2nd, OR 3rd lvl spell, but NOT 4th or 5th.
These are my recommended spells per level:
Key: xx means replaced later on. ?? is a situational pick.
Level 1: 6 known at lvl20.
----------Prot Alignment - A key buff. Has built-in extension, and provides
immunity:Mind. The +2 saves is nice too.
Bless - Affects whole party and stacks with almost everything.
Divine Favor - A Key spell, especially at later levels. Persistable!
Shield of Faith - Great from 1 thru 20. Adds an AC Deflection bonus up to +5
xx Cure Light Wnds - Replace later. Handy early on.
Entrophic Shield - Just in case you are against ranged attackers. Rarely used.
Remove Fear - Just in case.
Level 2: 6 max at lvl20.
----------Aid - So so. +1 Stackable AB.
xx Bear's endurance - Pumping
Note though that it adds +2
very handy at mid-levels to
from 10% to 0%... until you
by a big party
decide whether
a tank.
they Save.. plus
------------------------------Multiclassing Considerations
------------------------------In epic levels, you don't need much more than 20-25 total FS casting
levels max. So you have more latitude for multiclassing after level 20
or so. Note that extra caster levels serves to prevent your spells from
being dispelled, as well as extending duration some.
There are a few things to consider:
a) You will want practiced caster feat, which requires 4 spellcraft ranks.
b) You want 18 caster levels of FS for 9th level spells.... ideally
obtained earlier rather than later.
c) You would probably want several warrior levels to get feats and more
BAB.
d) Obviously, watch for XP penalty if you went nonhuman.
e) Do NOT put points into Concentration and other skills if they are not
class skills of the new class. Just hold the skillpoints, or put into
tumble as paying double is wasteful. Plan accordingly.
In other words, weave the class levels so you can pay minimum price for
things like concentration and spellcraft.
f) Your BAB CONTINUES TO GROW after 21, unlike PnP or NWN1. You want high
BAB classes to help your fighting ability grow.
f2) However, you can use Divine Power to "cheat" your BAB to 30, regardless
of multiclassing... while the spell stays active of course. :-)
g) Remember that you MUST take Divine Might or Divine Shield WHEN LEVELING WITH
A TURN UNDEAD CLASS! In other words, that 4th pally level where you gain
turn undead had BETTER be on a feat-lvl(9,12,15,18). Otherwise, you will
NOT be able to take the feat, even though you qualify for it.
Here are the top options:
1) Paladin - 4 levels of pally gives you weapons and armor proficiencies with
solid BAB and HP gains. You pick up a +CHA bonus to saves at level 2, which
is very strong with your high CHA. You gain Turn Undead at level 4, which
Rogue - access to rogue skills like tumble and sneak. Weak due
to weak BAB and lack of enough skillpoints to take advantage of
the better skill access. With 30 level cap, rogues do look up
however.
Red Dragon Disciple - You must take 1 level of bard also. You gain many
benefits, but your BAB will suffer greatly. It makes you too dependent
on Divine Power. Watch alignment issues with Paladin.
Warlock - One warlock level is tempting, for Dark Ones Luck, which adds yet more
saving throw bonuses. It will cost you 1BAB and may introduce XP
penalties, so I do not generally recommend using this option.
Cleric - One cleric level gives you bonus feats (toughness and evasion are best)
and gives the Turn Undead ability plus heavy armor. You lose 1bab tho.
Epic characters with 30 levels opens multiclassing builds a LOT.
I still recommend getting in most of the FS levels early on for quick
spell access.
i. Sample Build:
---------------The following is a simple build that uses high CHA for excellent spellcasting
with tons of bonus slots, and also takes advantage of huge saving throw bonuses
and a divine might that is very powerful.
Divine Champ is used for more Smite, bonus feats, even more save bonuses, and
divine wrath. It is a great choice in place of fighter due to XP penalties.
Human Lawful Good 20FS/4pally/6DivChamp
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
16
8
14
14
8
16 +7pumps +5Great CHA = 28 natural
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
BAB = 25
Div Might adds up to +15dmg per hit for 15 rounds.
Up to +21 saving throws from Div Champ and lvl2 Paladin abilities.
(40CHA = +15 modifier from pally, +3 constant DivChamp, +3 from Div Wrath)
Other ideas:
FS16/WarPriest4/Fighter8/2BG - STR-based, use CHA-item to get 20CHA. 26BAB,
with lots of free feats, especially epic wpn focus, and some +saves.
More independent of AB buffs thanks to very high natural AB.
FS18/Bard1/RDD10/Cleric1 - Weak BAB, but Super High stats.
RDD adds 8STR,2CHA,2INT,2CON so getting EPIC divine might is easy.
Easily gives +20 DIVINE damage PER HIT for 20 rounds or more. Sick!
Has full tumble access too.
Optional: Replace 2FS and cleric with 3Blackguard. Adds +saves, but costs
several feats.
Human,
STR 17
DEX 8
CON 14
INT 11
WIS 8
CHA 16
Cha Evil.
+1pump +2GreatSTR +8RDD = 28 natural
(needs item bad)
+2RDD = 16 natural
+2RDD = 13 natural
+6pumps +2RDD = 24natural
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Conclusion: Stormlord is quite powerful. But as you find epic weapons with
4d6 x3 elemental damage, the 2d8 +3 bonus from SL starts to pale in
comparison. Do not sacrifice excessive feats just to pick up SL.
Build Ideas:
FS12/SL10/FB5/BG3 - Super Poker. Go with massive STR and 2handed spear with
improved pwr attack and supreme cleave to wreak havoc.
FS10/SL10/Pally4/DivChamp6 - CHA based build that uses Divine Might for extra
damage. Use monkey grip to play 1hand/shield style.
variant: FS8/SL10/Pally4/Fighter8 - Very lategame build that eats XP penalty
and is shorted on caster level and pickable 9th lvl spells. However,
using 8 fighter allows access to Greater and Epic Weapon Focus for a +3 AB
stacking bonus advantage. This might be used for a persistent world.
FS9/SL10/Bard1/RDD10 - Weak BAB build that relies on Divine Power. Has amazing
stats though, and delivers heavy damage, good HPs, great AC, strong immunities.
Use Monkey Grip for 1handed style.
This build is used when resting is not limited much due to buff reliance.
See my StormLord guide for more information if desired.
B) Sacred Fist:
-----------Sacred Fist is a Cleric/Monk hybrid. At first glance it seems extremely
powerful. However, it does not work as well for Favored Soul.
Heres why:
i. FS uses CHA instead of WIS for spell access. Clerics are forced to have
decent WIS, which happens to help with AC bonuses from monk and pumps
their stunning fist. Favored Souls however rely on CHA, which does not
really help the SacredFist combo much.
ii. FS needs 1 level higher for each new spell level threshold compared to
cleric. i.e. Needs 18FS lvls for 9th lvl spell access vs 17 for cleric.
iii. FS will not take advantage of their level up abilities gained by taking
SF levels. Clerics basically get no freebies while they level, so
sacrifice nothing to take SF levels, as opposed to FS which will lose
their elemental resists, wpn specialization, and so forth.
iv. FS gain no domains, which means no ability to customize their freebie
feats. They DO gain weapon focus:unarmed though from their diety.
v. Sacred Flame which is the big ability for SF adds WIS bonus plus SF lvl.
The WIS bonus will be less for a FS than a cleric. Therefore, expect
the Sacred Flame ability to be less powerful for a favored soul.
I would HIGHLY recommend playing a cleric to go with sacred fist.
The favored soul is a powerful divine class, and thus the FS/SF combo WILL
WORK! It is playable and can be fun. My point is that a cleric/SF combo
has more favorable game mechanics going for it, and will just work out
better.
If you really want a Favored Soul/Sacred Fist, read on:
The trick is determining exactly how much FS vs. how much monk you want to
go with. I should note that you CAN NOT use SF as a free BAB booster, then
play normally.
The bottom line is that you must play as a monk hybrid.
Note that equipping ANY weapon will cause a -8AB penalty!
You will need 1 level of monk plus combat casting to quality. DO NOT try
to go SF without taking a monk level! This basically means that most
races are unsuitable since they eat 20% XP penalty right off the start.
The primary advantages of the SF are as follows:
* Move speed bonus - SF levels stack with monk levels and provide speed
bonus based on the Monk movement chart.
* AC bonus - +3 at level 10. This compensates for not having monk levels
which give +1ac per 5 levels.
* Spell Progression - Gains full spell levels as if a FS level was
taken, EXCEPT at levels 4 and 8. So SF costs 2 levels to take.
* FULL Fighter BAB progression! This is really nice, being better than
either monks OR FS. If only one could take SF past 10 levels...
* Sacred Flame - The main combat ability. Adds around 10 fire damage
per hit to attacks for 10 rounds. This is a decent ability, but
only usable once per day. Great for boss fights!
* Uncanny Dodge - Even monks dont get this. Really good for chars with
lots of dex-based AC.
* Inner Armor - +4dodge AC for WIS modifier rounds. I would expect pretty
low duration though, since you likely have weaker WIS vs a cleric.
* Unarmed Damage - Derived by adding monk levels to SF levels, and checking
the monk chart.
Other factors:
SF must use Gloves as a weapon slot. That means no +8AC bracers!
Of course, this is a Sacred Fist/monk issue, and has nothing to do with
being a favored soul. Just something to note.
Problems with Sacred Fist:
- Monk gloves are usually inferior to weapons. A weapon has special
materials to penetrate DR. Open hand does not. Nor will you have
enough monk levels to gain their DR pierce capabilities.
Plus, monk gloves have no enhancement bonus.. it is +AB only.
I mean, you can do alright, but even a +8ab 4d6 acid, +8dex glove is weak
compared to having a +8AC +8dex bracelet AND a seperate +8 ENHANCEMENT
admantite weapon with 6d6 fire and cold.
- You get no glove slot, as mentioned above. Your glove IS your weapon slot
now.
- You get no Spell Resistance. The divine Spell Resistance spell can
compensate though.
- You don't remove Flurry penalty until monk lvl 5 and lvl 9.
flurry is achieved with 11 monk levels for an extra attack.
Greater
Plus with a short-cast range, you have to CATCH them first.. :-)
- 3:Mass cure light wounds - Here comes the big problem with these spell-like
abilities. They are cast at the WP level! That means as a 10th level
caster, BEST CASE SCENARIO! Wow, watch my 17th level character drop a
huge 11-18 point heal on everyone.
- 5:Fear Aura - A clickie ability that casts Fear once per day. The DC will
actually be pretty good! DC is: 10 +WPlevel +CHA bonus.
- 6:Battletide - Hey great! Except for the 10 round maximum duration. A 30
FS can extend battletide to last 60 rounds in comparison. At once
per day, it is not worth even putting on the bar.
- 7:Haste - 3x per day. Lousy duration, and battletide does the trick anyways.
Concievably useful in groups though if you are hard-up.
- 9: Mass Heal - Onc per day. Finally, something useful! Except will only
heal for 100 maximum. Any undead targeted will easily Spell Resist.
- 10: Implacable Foe. All allies (cept you of course), get 20 HPs!!!
Ten rounds later, they all LOSE 20 HPs. Apparantly this is SO powerful,
that it is only usable once per day and HALVES your movement for 10rounds.
I can't see this being useful for anyone...