THE NEW SITE IS UP AND RUNNING!

STILL SETTTING SOME STUFF UP BUT IT’S GOOD TO START USING!

READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE VISITING IT!

1. You should use dnd.alchemistsfire.com to go directly to it, however there will be a link on my site, alchemistsfire.com, in good time.
2. You will need to re-register. It’s not through another site, like wordpress, you get to register specifically for Alchemists Fire! All current members usernames are reserved, so Adalore, for instance, will definitly get his name.
3. I can make groups and stuff, so there will be mods and such.
4. WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE WANT WITH THIS SITE! It’s OURS! Have fun, and bare with me while I continue to set it up.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!??!?! GET OVER TO DND.ALCHEMISTSFIRE.COM AND REGISTER!!!!

Now, I know it’s always good to have the core rulebooks, especially the PHB.  However, there are countless other supplements  that add to the  players’  knowledge  and make playing the game  more fun.   What I want to know is which ones are essential  to  the game.   I’m starting to look for new books to increase my collection,  as are plenty of other D&D  players.  This is especially aimed at Dom, seeing as he has so many.  Just post below which books you think are most needed, or just cool to have, when playing D&D.

We’ve got some exciting changes goin on here at AF. I don’t wanna spoil all of the suprises, but I can promise you all it’ll be cool. Hang with us while we make Alchemist’s Fire its best yet.

Thanks for all of your help, Chris! Chris is an amazing web designer with a good amount of experiance. You can ask him questions about his services through his AIM screen name, Sential Being.

Bards, as Ryan put it, are used far less than any other class, possibly because they are the worst. There are ways to “beef them up”, though, you just need to know what you are doing. This guide will help you realize your Bard’s full potential. Note: This build is meant for a solo-Bard. That doesn’t mean it won’t be good in a team, just that you are able to support yourself. (This is also for a human Bard, you will need the bonus feat. )

Level 1: Extra Music (Complete Adventurer)

The main ability of the Bard is his Bardic Music. Too bad for him, he doesn’t get that much of it. This feat counteracts that obvious shortcoming.

Level 1 (bonus): Skill Focus (Perform):

Many of the Bard’s key Bardic Music abilities require a saving throw. You may think that, at high levels, you will be able to affect any monster. This isn’t true, though, as monsters’ saving throws rise just as fast as your Perform skill does. This feat gets you a head start on those monsters.

Level 3: Lingering Song (Complete Adventurer)

If you thought Bardic Music effects didn’t last long enough after you stopped singing, this feat changes that. Without any negative effects, you can add a whole minute, that’s ten whole rounds, to the effect of your Bardic Music.

Level 6: Battle Dancer (Player’s Handbook II)

This feat gives you a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls if you are using Bardic Music and have moved at least five feet in this round. This effectively allows you to use Bardic Music on one extra person (yourself) at a time. Even better, the morale bonus stacks with the competence bonus from Inspire Greatness, so you can have an extra bonus from your Bardic Music.

Level 9: Subsonics (Complete Adventurer)

So you can sing enemies into submission, make them attack each other, and buff yourself, all with Bardic Music. That doesn’t stop their teammates from killing you before your (temporary) minions do it to them. This feat, however, does. With this feat, you can have your Bardic Music affect creatures without them ever actually hearing you. You still sing, just so softly that no one consciously hears you. This way, you can be hiding, sneak up on the enemy and fascinate them all. Once this is done, it is a simple matter to use suggestion and get them killing each other. And they will never know what hit them.

Level 12: Arcane Flourish (Player’s Handbook II)

If your Bardic Music is just not affecting as many enemies as you want it to, or you are going to fight a monster with a high will save, you use this feat to sacrifice a spell. You then get a bonus on the Perform check equal to the spell level + 1. While Bard spells only go up to level six, you may think this feat isn’t as useful as it would seem, but even a +3 bonus will tip the scales in your favor.

Level 15: Acrobatic Strike (Player’s Handbook 2)

If you have been putting ranks into Tumble so that it is at its current max (and you should have been, it is a very useful skill), then this feat allows you to get a +4 bonus (that’s an untyped bonus, so it stacks with everything) on an attack. To use this feat, simply Tumble by an opponent so that you avoid an attack of opportunity by going through a threatened square or the square they occupy, and then attack. Use this in conjunction with Bardic Music and Battle Dancer, and you have a killer combination.

Level 18: Extra Music (Complete Adventurer)

If you see a better feat to use here, go for it, but I’ve run out of Bard-enhancing feats. Still, more Bardic Music is always a good thing.

Hi, sorry about the long wait in between updates (couldn’t be helped).

Fletching of Daggers.

This Item is put on an arrow when the arrow is first created and takes the place of normal fletching (feathers). This fletching has an enchantment placed upon it so that on impact the fletching will turn into 3 blades the size of small daggers and impact on the enemy causing 3d4 damage. The daggers will only hit an enemy if the arrow strikes the enemy and the daggers are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. an arrow using this fletching can only be used once then the spell is gone and the arrow is rendured useless. It cost an extra 50 gold per arrow for this modifacation. (note: this can be done to a crossbow bolt too).

The Armor-piercing Arrowhead.

This is a special arrow head that is heavier than a normal arrow and packs more punch. This arrow head gets an extra +4 to hit bonus against armored foes and does an extra +4 damage against unarmored foes. This arrowhead has a 50% chance to break if it misses because it falls at a high speed. This arrowhead cost 50 gold more per arrow to put on the arrow. also one last thing this arrow head lowers the effective range of the ranged weapon by 10 feet. (note: this can be used on either arrows or bolts).

-Mike

As you know, not many new posts are made lately by us, the editors. Part of the reason is not enough time, however sometimes its difficult just to choose any random topic to talk about. We really want to know what the rest of you guys want to know. Just post some ideas below this post. I’m sure all the members of our staff would appreciate it if you did. Anytime you think of something to ask us or discuss, please post it below. Again, we would all really appreciate this.

Check out the new page play D&D. I’m trying something new, and through this page you can track my progress and participate in some online D&D games through chat services!

A few of our hits this week are thanks to treasuretables.org. An interesting discussion is occuring at the following address concering Dom’s builds. Many of them have cons to the sorc builds Dom has been posting. The discussion was fun to read, and I highly suggest taking a look at it.

Here’s the link. Thanks, TT!

This new layout kicks ass, does it not? I’m liking everything about it, especially because it has been customized by yours truly. Leave some comments!

Sorcerers, to put it plainly, are severely limited in their spell selection.  Without the ability to take spells from scrolls you find, you’re stuck with what you’ve already picked in terms of spells.  There are two possible solutions:  Increase your versatility by getting feats which allow you to use more spells, or god-mod the spells you already have so much, that you don’t need anything else.  I prefer the second choice. :)  This is a list of Sorcerer feats (and the levels I suggest you get them at) to maximize your ability to maintain an undead army.  (Note: this is list was made for human characters, who get an extra feat)

Level 1:  Corpse Crafter (Libris Mortis)

                Though you can’t yet make undead, you need this feat as early as you can get it.  It opens the way to get a multitude of other extremely useful feats to augment your soldiers (i.e. your undead slaves).  This feat gives every undead you create a +4 bonus to Strength, and 2 more Hit Points per Hit Die.  Not only does this give a great bonus to melee damage, it makes up for the Constitution score your undead lose upon creation.

                Again, this feat isn’t useful until you can make undead, but get it anyway.  It gives a +4 bonus to initiative checks, and a +10 foot increase to land speed.  I use this to make Skeleton horses that move extra quickly and never tire, but it also helps make up for your Zombie slaves’ inherent slowness.

Level 3:  Deadly Chill (Libris Mortis)*

                Yes, yes, yes, you aren’t able to use any of these feats yet, but stick to it!  This feat makes your undead deal an extra 1d6 cold damage with their natural weapons.  With this feat and Corpse Crafter, I’ve had 12-headed Hydra Skeletons that deal over 250 points of damage in the first round of combat!

Level 6:  Craft Wand

                Finally, something you can use!  This feat is ideal for making Wands of Command Undead so you don’t waste any spells on keeping extra minions under your control, but can potentially be used to make any spell fourth level or lower available after your normal spells run out.

Level 9:  Craft Wonderous Item

                This spell, besides being extraordinarily useful for making permanent items so you have more free  spell slots, allows you to become a Lich.  Liches, if you live under a rock and have never heard of them, are awesome undead with some pretty good spell-like abilities and undead immunities.  Need to know more?  Look it up and be amazed.

Level 12:  Destructive Retribution (Libris Mortis)*

                If they weren’t already dead, this spell would allow your undead minions to strike back from the grave.  Upon destruction, the undead explodes in a 10’ radius burst.  This explosion deals 1d6 damage per two Hit Dice of the destroyed undead, but not to your minions.  Actually, since the explosion does negative energy damage, nearby undead are actually healed by the blast.

Level 15:  Bolster Resistance (Libris Mortis)*

                Tired of your undead being turned by those pesky good Clerics?  This feat gives your undead a+4 turn resistance.

Level 18:  Harden  Flesh* (Libris Mortis)

                Undead don’t generally have good armor classes, so get this feat and give them a +2 natural armor bonus.

* Feats with an asterisk next to them don’t have a required order.  While I do suggest getting Nimble Bones and Deadly Chill as early as possible, the rest is up to you.  Feel free to experiment with what you think is the best order for these.