Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Yes I can cast cleric spells, but unlike clerics I have to choose a spells known list. Since I joined specifically as the party healer, one of my 2nd level spells known had to be Cure Moderate Wounds. I filled up four of the rest with as many prereqs for crafting ability score increasing items (Headband of Wisdom, Belt of Giant Strength, Cloak of Charisma, Shirt of Health) as I could, which left only one for other things. That last one is currently Resist Energy (energy resistance 30 for 10 min/level, could be useful for making someone Fireball bait), but I could switch it out for Align Weapon next level.

The biggest problem with Align Weapon, however, is that its duration is short enough that it has to be cast at the start of battle, which means I can't attack for that round. Consider that I use a ranged weapon, so even my first round of attacking is a full attack, and that my bow is holy and therefore pierces most demons' DR, and you should see why I would much prefer having a continuous effect like the holy special property.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Then Sword it shall be, when the time doth arrive.

Edit: Also, inserting a limit into polymorph:
The caster must have detailed knoweledge of the selected form (appropriet Knoweledge check, DC 15+critter's HD; shouldn't be too hard, as Kaylin has a +12 modifier to each knoweledge check - she makes a 5 HD critter on a roll of 8 or better, 10 HD critter on 13 or better, 13 HD critter on a roll of 16 or better)

and noting a limit that's already there that I missed earlier:
and
- so no 12 sneak attacks a round with 12 heads; you are limited to your three iterative BAB attacks, at those BAB amounts (11/6/1, for Kibin) modified by the new ability scores.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Bleh. Guess polymorph won't be quite as useful, kibin... get used to being a wolf unless I have a spare round http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Can I change my character? I've decided I'd much rather play this guy than my current character http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif.








Just kidding http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif. My favorite quote from that thread is "XP is for wimps with no universe shattering power." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif Just goes to show that no matter how overpowered you think someone's character is, there's always something much worse out there somewhere - unless, of course, someone actually managed to sneak Pun-Pun into your campaign before you could forbid it.

Anyway, we're playing at 3:00 Eastern time tomorrow, correct?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I guess so. That's noon PST for all of you western type people.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Well, I'll try to get enough sleep so I'm not 20 minutes late or however much I was last time :/

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Actually, he comes pre-forbidden; I don't have access to Serpant Kingdoms, and thus the creature and ability simply don't exist in my campaign.

Even if I did, he would find he had difficulties when a very, very large cow fell out of the sky on top of his head to reclaim it's cheese while he was still working on building up. It's the only sane way to deal with that kind of thing, you know?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Server online (and I'm awake this time!)

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

'Awake'? What is this 'Awake' of which you speak?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Server crashed while I was away at dinner - restarted.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Server closed; lots of plot at the end, make sure to read the log (hopefully attached)

1 Retriever dismantaled, CR 11, 390 xp each for Derrel, Jason, Elorin, and Kaylin; 225 xp for Kibin.
1 Maralith killed, CR 17, 3120 xp each for Derrel, Jason, Elorin, and Kaylin; 1800 xp for Kibin.
1 twice double Half-Dragon Troll, Advanced, CR 18, 4680 xp each for Derrel, Jason, Elorin, and Kaylin; 2700 xp for Kibin.

Lots of loot, too, and a spirit bonded to Derrel's sword.

And 2000 xp to everyone for traps overcome and plot points past.

Which gets Jason up a level... hmm.... also Derrel, and anyone else in the party that isn't a special case (Kibin) and hasn't spent XP on items.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Hmm... new feat for Jason.... what to take... what to take.... leadership for a barbarian friend to possess and equip (and spellcast through, for things requiring expensive MC or focuses)? Heighten Spell, to increase DC's? Hmm.... worry about it when I'm a little more awake....

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Well now, that's a lot of xp! That puts me over the mark for 14th level with 3198 to spare. Will we have some downtime next session for crafting/hiring crafters to spend our loot? Or will we have to settle for seeing what we can get with trade-ins?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Oh, Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicke has a portal to a quick-time plane they let crafters use, both their own crafters and others who are willing to part with 100 gp (it's a permanent portal.... doesn't cost them much) that's highly regulated to the point where crafting is ALL that happens there.

Shucks, one could probably convince Jason to come along, and help craft scrolls of spells the Wizard doesn't know yet.... long as it doesn't cost Jason anything....

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Quite a handy little place they've got there. I will definitely be making use of it just as soon as we get back there and figure out how much my share of the loot is. Going by the wealth by level table, I should have about 40000 to spend.

Let's see, now what should I get for my new spells known? I get to pick one 4th, one 5th, one 6th, and three 7th level spells, and switch out any one spell of 5th level or lower. So many choices...

Edit: Can this plane also be used for copying spells from scrolls to a spellbook?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Ummm... sure.

Careful, though - you need to bring rations for the trip, and the time you are there (assuming you still eat food... unlike, say, Jason, who is Undead, and Elorin - your character, Douglas - who has a Ring of Sustenence.)

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Meh, if I was still a kobold I would multiclass into a sorcerer... I think Kaylin knows to let me handle the chests from now on. As for the axe... I think the negative levels are only given when you wield it in your hands, not if you carry it around. And the negative levels are only given when you touch it. As for the alignment.. I wonder if it's possible to use a helmet of opposite alignment on it.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

It's actually quite clearly spelled out in the rules... but I ain't sayin. Not until someone passes an appropriet Knoweledge roll, at least.... assuming it worked, for the moment, that would just make it LG, so only the Paladin could use it without repercussions... and intelligent items don't like to share....

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I just lucked out on rolling my hp for the level up - see attached screenshot.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Well, Jason rolled a 3.... but it's hard to hurt him, so it doesn't much matter.

Congrats.

Hmm... leadership, or metamagic...

Well... Jason could you some body....

Yeah.... go with leadership... and a kind interpertation of ECL/leadership...

Nah ... too much work ... Improved Initiative... now that's tastier.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Assuming nothing important happens very early next session to prevent it, could we go ahead and get everything identified and the total loot value totalled up here so we can start planning our purchases/crafting? We were going to analyze all the magic items the next morning anyway, we can dump the gems at the same shop as last time, and I'm sure between Gather Info and Kaylin's Knowledge skills we can find a good place to sell the rest. Note that we'd identify the axe too, as Analyze Dweomer doesn't require touching it.

Are we going to count the rather drastic increase in the value of Derrel's sword (52500 gp) out of his share of the loot?

What, if any, are the limits on what Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicke has available for sale or hired crafting/upgrading?

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I suppose we could do that now, yes....
Let's see....
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
Maralith treasure
art
ancient calendar, embellished with turquoise (862.7 gp)
bizarre idol, made of serpentine (587.1 gp)
black velvet mask with numerous lapis lazuli gems (135.2 gp)
carved bone statuette (9.4 gp)
carved harp of exotic wood with jade inlay and emerald gems (457.8 gp)
ceremonial electrum dagger with a star ruby in the pommel (938.3 gp)
ceremonial silver dagger with a star sapphire in the pommel (741.5 gp)
ceremonial silver dagger with golden yellow topaz in the pommel (375.7 gp)
chased silver jewel coffer with dryad scene (86.1 gp)
choker, wrought silver, with a small sapphire pendant (93.7 gp)
choker, wrought silver, with a small sapphire pendant (941 gp)
cloth of gold vestments (166.8 gp)
coronet, wrought silver and gold, of illithid origin (1,538.5 gp)
crystal flagon, polished smooth (131.2 gp)
elaborate ship in a bottle (2,112.2 gp)
golden flagon, intricately decorated, with a long emerald dominating the neck (2,725.6 gp)
golden phoenix cloak pin with garnets (993.2 gp)
hairpins, gilded, with sard stones (437.4 gp)
large gold ring, curlicue motif, with a claw holding a large round alexandrite gem (1,185.1 gp)
large, well-done wool tapestry, depicting a pastoral scene (180.4 gp)
necklace of ancient pierced coins (654.5 gp)
oaken staff, shod with meteoric iron, and smoky quartz gems set in the head (1,021.3 gp)
ornate helmet (570.2 gp)
pirate's hook, mithril, with gold-plated stump set with golden sapphire stones (746.2 gp)
platinum flask inlaid with gold and silver designs (1,481.9 gp)
silver and steel slave-girl outfit (312.3 gp)
silver comb with moonstones (305 gp)
silver locket with platinum filigree depicting a rose (588.7 gp)
silver-plated greataxe with chrysoberyl jewel in the hilt (564.2 gp)
small painting, a pastoral scene (627.4 gp)
small painting, a pastoral scene (280.2 gp)
small, intricately beaded pouch (70.6 gp)
wrought gold anklet (1,069.7 gp)
wrought gold eating utensils (69.8 gp)
coin
7,435 gold coins (7,435 gp)
ring
ring of invisibility (20,000 gp)
scroll
divine (1,450 gp)
Cure Serious Wounds (l3, cl5)
Discern Lies (l4, cl7)
Water Walk (l3, cl5)
wand
Summon Monster IV (l4, cl7) (7 charges) (2,940 gp)
curse: item actually has a completely different effect (Secure Shelter)
with a small engraving of some animal
wondrous item
necklace of prayer beads (healing) (29 semiprecious stones) (10,000 gp)
something provides a clue to its function
weapon
dwarven waraxe +2 (25,830 gp)
Int: 15 (2)
Wis: 14 (2)
Cha: 16 (3)
Ego: 12
Communication: speech
Alignment: chaotic evil
Languages:
common
elven
orc
'locate object' in 120-ft. radius
'haste' (self only, 10 rounds) (1 per day)
sheds light in a 20-foot radius (as a torch)
nunchaku +1 (2,302 gp)
-------------------
Total Value: 93,017.9 gp
</pre><hr />
34 art pieces to evaluate, 6 magic items. One casting of Detect Magic to sort, 1 of Analize Dewomer to identify, and 34 gp of hiring evaluations.

Well... I dropped that on Derrel for the simple reason that when looking over the new character sheets, I had been rather remiss on handing out treasure; Derrel was still running at only a little over 11th starting capital, and the newer characters were coming in with 13th; so I worked out roughly what the difference was, and selected the added abilities based on that. It's fine for Kibin to be a bit behind on wealth, as he has two extra HD (pretty good HD, too - full Bab, good Fort and Ref saves), and wealth doesn't matter near so much for Jason as it does for others (granted, he could probably use an Amulet of Resistance or something to help with his saves, but he's immune to a good many effects that require them, and he already has +10 Deflection to AC, +4 Dex to AC, +3 AC from a Monk's Belt (+1 belt, +2 Wis), and +4 Shield, +4 Armor when he casts Shield and Mage Armor - his AC already tops out at 35 vs. critters on the Material Plane... and all but 8 of that both touch and constant). They follow Fungibility ... as adjucated by myself, of course... but not many limits, no.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Let's see, the only thing in there I think we might want to keep is the Ring of Invisibility and the cash. Selling everything else for standard half price gives a total of 60266.45 gp value, and that's assuming the temple we deliver the axe to pays us for the privilege of having the opportunity to redeem it.

The Ring of Blinking, Ring of Aid, and sale price for everything else from the mega-Troll and Oraneormu's chest gives another 48737.5.

The Manual of Gainful Exercise and gems from the previous session add 29648.25 more, assuming we keep the Manual either to use or upgrade eventually.

Add it all up and take off the 34 this time and 12 last time for appraisal services, and that's a total gain of 138606.2 gp for the party, not counting Derrel's sword which was just to make up for the previous lack.

Divided among five party members, the new characters still need another 12-13 thousand or so to meet the starting wealth for 14th level PC's. If Derrel was still stuck around 70k before his sword upgrade, your generosity with treasure has improved immensely, but we're still a little bit behind where we're supposed to be. Of course, this is in large part because we started with minimum 13th level equipment but considerably more than the minimum 13th level xp, but it's still something that should be considered. I can't really comment on the status of Derrel, Kibin, and Jason's wealth, as I don't know what they've got.

Hmm, are they capable of increasing the maximum strength bonus of a composite bow or transferring its enchantment to a new bow? I probably won't want to do this right away, but eventually I will upgrade my belt to +6 strength and (pretty far down the line) get a +4 or +5 Manual, and I'll want to be able to get the bonus damage from that.

Oh, and Violist don't forget to spend skill points on Knowledge (Arcana). You get 7 per level right now, and 10 of them over this level and the next need to go into Knowledge (Arcana) in order to qualify for Archmage.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Not saying at this point; needs to be RP'd when we get to it.You may find you have difficulties convincing Kibin to part with the Ring of Aid.... it gives him back several of his skills. ... gems were sold during the 9/17/2005 session, towards the end, shortly before logging off, and were mentioned as sold in the summery on the 17th:

They won't mess with the physical stuff much (other than adjusting the leather straps and whatnot to fit a suit of Platemail to a new, same-size and same basic-shape user), but they can transfer - it just costs what you would get for selling it outright - and so is usually only worthwhile for rather unique items, such as intelligent ones you wish to keep for non-commerce reasons.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Which is why I counted it at full value instead of expected sale price. He can keep it, but it should count towards his share of the loot.
I only counted them because I was adding up the total gp gain for all the time I and Violist have been playing so I could compare it to the 40000 difference between starting wealth for 13th and 14th level characters.
So I might as well sell and buy new for the bow as far as what this shop can do is concerned. Would it be worthwhile to search for an expert bowmaker to do the job? I'm not really sure whether strengthening an existing bow would be possible or not through mundane means, but I think my character would have some knowledge on the subject as a long-time expert with a bow and follower of a deity that favors the longbow. Of course, the existence of magic in D&amp;D should make near anything possible, but finding such a craftsman might be a bit harder.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

My share of the loot! You need a rogue! Otherwise, you'd be stuck at the first mechanical trap you come across, and we'd still be trying to open that chest. So no, it shouldn't count as my share of the loot. It's for the party.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

There may be some interesting party interactions in the next session....So a few more double/triple treasure critter... hmm...I suppose a quest could be made from it ... find the anchient elven zen bowmaster ... convince him to work your bow ... do the chore he wants done as payment ... and find the material he needs to hold the enchantment whilst he works on the actual bow... yes... could be done, when the time comes.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Arrgh, I'm not used to chests being that dangerous... Next time we're in town I'm buying a frying pan and sticking it on my head.

That's some really juicy loot we've got going there... a lot of decorative stuff...

I added Greater Teleport and Waves of Exhaustion to my spellbook for levelling up, but I heard rumour someone had a Teleport scroll - if that's true and I could use that, I could ditch Greater Teleport if we think it's not worth it.

Only got +2 to HP http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif All the way up to 51 now. Also put a bunch of ranks in Knowledge (Arcana).... I really want the Archmage thing, if I can make little holes in spell areas of effect...

Hey, cool, the axe speaks elven... we could have a little chaotic moment without having to get rid of Derrel http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Lookin' forward to it

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Well, ok, I'll let it pass as a special case. But if you want the Ring of Blinking, that is definitely counting towards your share of the loot.

Just for the record, leaving the Ring of Aid out of the calculations puts me and Violist another 1600 gp behind the curve.

Yes, I do have a scroll of Teleport, bought specifically to give to you because you ran out of money for spells when creating your character. Now that we have a reason to travel long distance quickly, assuming a suitable temple can't be found nearby, I'll probably hand it over free of charge with a comment along the lines of "Oh, so that's why I had a strange inspired impulse to pick this up on the way out here." Of course, if you volunteer to pay me for it I'll accept graciously, but it's all for a good cause.

You'll probably want to pick up Delayed Blast Fireball at some point, but it might not be worth it until your caster level is a little higher - the real reason to learn it is not for the optional delay, but for the higher cap on damage dice. Mage's Sword could be good. Banishment would be very useful against demons if we could put together a large array of anti-demon items. Reverse Gravity can be fun. There's always Limited Wish, of course.
You city-bred softy http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif. All the more reason to stay in the back, just like almost any sane wizard.
Oh, Archmages can do much more than just that, though they can only learn one special ability per level. It's Mastery of Shaping that you want for that effect. Mastery of Elements is another good one, though a tad expensive with an 8th-level spell slot as the price. Then there's Spell Power - +1 to penetrate Spell Resistance, +1 damage dice on all your blasting spells (up to the cap), etc. I think Spell Power can even be taken multiple times for another +1 bonus each time.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I was pretty sure the ring of blinking went to my character, and he'd like to keep it.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Whoever gets it, it's coming out of someone's share of the loot. Whether that's Derrel or Kibin is up to them to argue about.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Wait, ring of invisibility? MINE!

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

MUWAAHAAHAA! I AM INVISIBLE NOW! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Oh wait. It cancels if you attack. Okay, we sell the ring then, for moolah...

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Mastery of shaping is just a 6th level spell slot. You're thinking of Mastery of Elements.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Ah. Whoopsy.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Hmm, so I'm at the same XP as Douglas (who's he playing? I forgot)?

Also, for the sake of roleplaying, Kaylin would like some shiny things http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

And yes, while I would get lots of goodies with Archmage, first thing I'm doing is getting able to blast stuff without killing the party in the process.

I'm not a city-born type! Bah. (well, I am, but Kaylin isn't) We just get horrible HP rolls. I'm going to stay fairly neutral about the loot division, but unless any of you have plans on chokers for your male characters (eww)...

Banishment sounds great against all the demons we've been battling, and Reverse Gravity sounds like it has some very evil uses http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif I'll volunteer to pay for the Teleport scroll, I am a decent character (even if I consort with evil axes)

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

You might want to consider keeping the Payer Beads (Healing), as I believe Derrel is the only one who can remove disease and remove Blindness/Deafness... also, it's always handy for someone to have command-word healing for in the middle of combat.... especially those fragile caster types....Healing's trigger mechanisim is unspecified, and thus defaults to command word, useable by anyone....

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I have no need of such puny spells http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif. I have Heal:
Granted, that is a bit overkill in some situations, but I am at least capable of dealing with such problems.
Hmm, maybe Kaylin should get it.
Actually, you're a bit ahead of me in XP. I spent some on crafting items. Elorin's XP + the 2880 spent on crafting is 97078.

As long as you buy them out of the loot pool, go right ahead.

That is definitely the best of the goodies available with Archmage.

Well, you certainly haven't been acting like Kaylin's used to roughing it like adventurers typically do. All that talk about beds and having slept two nights in the wagon... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
I'm pretty sure you will almost always have uncontested claim on any artwork we find. Now, if we find a particularly masterfully made longbow of extraordinary beauty, Elorin might make an exception, but I doubt you'd be very interested in that kind of ornamentation anyway.
The best part about Reverse Gravity is:
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Of course, if you can manage to get enough items distasteful to the subject, Banishment is functionally the same in that respect...

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Cool, I'm going to buy some pretties next session.

Yeah, well, in the mystical happy elven lands, people have these things called mattresses... wagons are splintery http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

So pack a mattress in your Bag of Holding if you have to. At the very least get a bedroll and a blanket, standard adventuring gear.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I think that Elorin's longbow would be distasteful. As well as maybe the prayer beads... Get some holy water!

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Hmm... and the party level has reached 14.9 ... close to 15 ... time to up the BBEG again....

Edit:
BBEG upped.
Also, as we haven't run a session with the new level yet, swapped out Jason's Improved Initiative for Spell Penetration, as he has been having difficulty with SR lately...

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Are we allowed to swap our feats when we level up? Kaylin's been having trouble with SR lately too... I don't want my cool high-level spells to not work http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

Not really; level up decisions aren't decided until the session after the level gain; with a +5 Level Adjustment, Jason hit 9th when most everyone else hit 14th, and so picked up a feat ... started with Improved Initiative, but hasn't really been having a problem with that, so set it for Spell Penetration, instead.

However, if you have Limited Wish or Wish, and are willing to pay the XP, you can duplicate a Psychic Reformation on yourself and reassign your feats that way (of course, that costs XP....). It won't replace the spells in your spellbook, nor the items you've purchased (it alters your mind, not your possessions), but changing your feat and skill selection is within it's purview, as is changing a Sorceror's spells known list. Careful though; it costs XP; on yourself, the 300 xp for limited wish will permit you to re-choose 6 levels worth (300/50=6); on another, that would be 12 (but both would pay 300 xp; (300+300)/50=12); more than that, and you need more XP - re-choosing 14 levels worth of stuff would cost 700 xp, all told, by that means.

Doesn't work on Jason, though, as it's a mind-affecting effect.

Edit: fixed link - hopefully....

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

300 xp isn't much at this level, and Limited Wish is one of your options for new spells for the level up. Assuming your feats are listed in the order you took them on your character sheet, separated by normal and wizard bonus feats, you could go back far enough on the minimum xp cost to switch out Improved Counterspell, which you haven't used at all yet, for Spell Penetration. Another 150 xp, and you could also swap out Improved Initiative, making Greater Spell Penetration achievable or taking the second Spell Focus feat required for Archmage. A total of 600 xp would be enough to swap out Iron Will, Improved Initiative, and Improved Counterspell for Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, and retroactively move some skill points into Knowledge (Arcana) at the same time, giving you +4 on checks to penetrate SR and allowing you to take Archmage at level 15, instead of waiting another level to get the final feat and Knowledge (Arcana) skill ranks.

Hmm, while we're on this topic, I've never understood why things like Spell Focus and Spell Penetration aren't options for the Wizard bonus feats. They are directly related to improving spellcasting ability, so it seems to me that the same logic that puts metamagic on the list should also add them to the list.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

XP is a valuable commodity, better not waste it. Use gold instead, it's much less expendable.

Re: OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.
 

I don't think 2-4% of a level is excessive for the ability to do something like this, especially if it brings Archmage a level closer.

Edit: I just noticed, this is the 1000th post in this thread. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif