Question - arcane-casting prestige classes

[cataclysm]

I've got a sorcerer and I'm seriously considering taking the Eldritch Knight prestige classes which is cited to give spell advancements like the base class. However, there are a few things I'm not clear about:

First of all, a lot of spells have an added damage per spellcaster level. Do levels taken in the prestige class count? If not, what can I do to offset this severe disadvantage?

Secondly, as far as I know prestige classes are limited to 10 levels until you go epic. Let's say I take 6 levels of Sorcerer, then 10 levels of Eldritch knight. Now I'm effectively a level 15 caster (1st level of EK does not count towards spellcasting), do I continue to progress to level 16 spellcasting when I take another level of sorcerer or is it like a 7th level sorcerer because of the EK levels?

Thirdly, there are no special or RP prerequisites for EK on this server, are there?

Thank you for your responses.

~Cataclysm.

[whenwizardswar]

No real RP requirements.

If you have six level of sorcer and say ten level of EK, your a 15th level caster (since the first EK level doesnt give you extra spells) if you took a seventh level in sorceror your caster level will be come sixteen and so on.

Also, sadly with nwn2 came some heavy level caps for Prcs. Some of them have five levels so when you hit 5 levels in that class you can not put any more levels into that class period, even when you hit the epic levels.

Five and ten is the max level for prestiage class's, period even when taking an epic level, so not more level 20 assassins or level 20 blackguards heh.

[mingming]

Levels in the prestige class count as real spellcasting progression for purposes of both gaining new spells per day, spells known, and caster level. If you take Sorceror 6 and then EK 10, you will end up with a caster level of 15, and the equivalent of a 15th level sorceror's spells known and per day.

I recommend you look into the Practiced Caster feat, which gives up to +4 caster levels (up to a cap of your total character level), which is ideal for multi-classed casters. The only requirement for this feat is to have a Spellcraft Rank of 4 or more.

Furthermore, I don't know if this fits your roleplay, but the Harper Agent five level step class is an excellent choice for Eldritch Knights seeking a bit more casting and BAB progression for their career. The pre-reqs in the manual are not quite right, so do check the NWN2 Wiki (nwn2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page) for the needed requirements.

I'd also make the suggestion that you seriously consider a feat into Shield Proficiency, as there are several light shields which are well-worth it for a casting warrior to use for additional defense, particularly if you are not a strength based combatant. The trick here is to realize that the Shield Spell gives you a Shield bonus to AC of +4, whereas a good magical shield with even a modest +2 enchantment and made of a material like Zalantar or Mithril could give you that AC bonus or higher if the enchantments are better. Of course in these cases, the clerical spell Magic Vestment is of great aid when cast upon your shield. Get a priest buddy if you take this option.

If you plan out your build well in advance, you might also look into armor proficiencies and the Still Spell to Auto-Still Spell progressions of feats. These take a bit of forethought to stagger in terms of leveling, so you may wish to use a module like Vordan's to practice first levelling and planning accordingly.

I hope this helps a bit more. Let me know if you need help in-game. :-)

[needcoffee]

unless am mistaken practice caster feat only works for base classes and gives no bonuses on prestige class...i could be wrong:) but test it for your build before you take it

[eldur(retired)]

If you start out as sorcerer and take the EK class, you will have an option to take "Eldritch Knight Spellcasting (Sorcerer)" which counts as Sorcerer spell casting, including spells learned. (as stated earlier, the first level of EK does not count)

If you take Practiced Spellcasting (Sorcerer) it credits you up to 3 levels of Sorcerer for your non-sorc levels, including the first level of EK. These levels count toward things like spell duration and difficulty checks, but not toward spells learned.

[cataclysm]

Thanks for the clarifications guys, one Eldritch Knight coming right up