Overcoming Arcane Spell Failure (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Notes: Overcoming Arcane Spell Failure

Eldritch knights and eldritch hunters have a problem in that both casts powerful arcane spells and wears armor. Some ways around this problem are listed here.

• Spells Without Somatic Components There are a few of these, and you could make it your specialty to dig them out and use them. Unfortunately, the spell tables do not mention components, so finding them is a hassle. Here is a short list of candidates:
  Cantrips: Flare, Light

1. Feather Fall, Hold Portal, True Strike, Ventriloquism
2. Blindness/deafness, Blur, Knock
3. Displacement, Suggestion, Tongues
4. Dimension Door, Geas (lesser), Shout
5. Contact Other Plane, Teleport
6. Geas/Quest, Suggestion (Mass)
7. Phase Door, Power Word Blind, Teleport (Greater), Teleport Object,
8. Charm Monster (Mass), Irresistible Dance, Power Word Stun, Shout (Greater)
9. Mage’s Disjunction, Power Word Kill, Prismatic Sphere, Teleportation Circle, Time Stop, Wail of the Banshee

• Armored Kilt: An Armored Kilt offers one point of armor with no penalties whatsoever. This is a good option early on, before you can afford special materials.
• Very Light Using a mithral buckler and darkleaf cloth leather armor, you have an armor bonus of +3 without arcane spell failure, and that is before enchantment bonuses to armor.
• Light Using a mithral buckler, mithral chain shirt, and with Arcane Armor Training, you have an armor bonus of +5 without arcane spell failure. Without the shield, you still get a solid +4.
• Heavy Using a heavy mithral shield, mithral breastplate, and with both Arcane Armor Training and Arcane Armor Mastery, you have an armor bonus of +8 without arcane spell failure.
• Super Heavy:' If you are ready to accept 5% spell failure, mithral full plate gives an armor bonus of +9 and a heavy mithral shield can add another +2.
• Free Hand Also remember that you need a free hand for somatic components. Wielding a two-handed weapon, this is not a problem; it is a free action to shift the grip on the weapon from one to two hands. Staff-wielding spellcasters do this all the time. If you wield a buckler in your off-hand, you can shift your weapon from one hand to another. A weapon cord lets you release and then pick up your weapon, but spending move actions redrawing the weapon cuts down on your full attacks. The ultimate solution is the glove of storing, but it is expensive and occupies a valuable item slot.
• Metamagic Still Spell is an option, but it is costly, and unlike a normal spellcaster you do not want to hold a metamagic rod in your hand when fighting. Note that Quicken Spell is no help at all here - quickened spells do not trigger attacks of opportunity, but arcane spell failure is something else entirely.