gaming thoughts

DC to resist spell is spell level plus caster bonus plus 10. This means in my experience that most lower-level spells can be overcome - a 20 Int, 8th level wizard casting a 1st level spell still has a DC of 16 unless the spell's somehow bolstered. I don't think there's any way to do this other than Heighten Spell, to a lesser extent Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus. Either I game with very lucky people or DCs of 14-17 will just slide off most things' hides. I'd missed this because prior to this past few game sessions, I just hadn't played an offensive caster (and um, it's actually kinda fun).

This means that my original idea, 'way back when, to have my character do Cleric/Bard/Mystic Theurge was bad, but not terrible (and to some extent limited by feats) since I won't have as many higher level spell slots available. We are beginning to hit the levels where the opposition are like, like, DOOMGUARD ABYSSAL ROT GIANT with rogue levels or whatever. I wonder if there's a way to salvage that? I've been tempted to ask to just swap out to a different character - probably a straight Bard kitsune (automatically +1 to all enchantment spells, they and gnomes are the only races that get bonuses to any spell DCs).

Any thoughts?

everything sounds funnier as fake-Norse epic

Hear! We of the Spear-Danes in olden days of the kings
Have heard of this fated trip
That trod the whale's road from Tromso
Aboard this small vessel!

The helmsman was a skilled sailor
Who served his liege, a jarl brave and sure
Five chosen bondsmen in bright hauberks chose to sail that day
For a voyage of but three hours

Bitter winter's blasts called out their path
Waves tossed the small ship
The crew's courage did not falter
And was thus the Long Serpent saved from dooms

The ship set ground in a foreign land far away
With Sigifrith Fork-beard
His thegn
A wealthy man and the ring-giver, his wife
A skilled swordsman already told of in many sagas
A wise man [runic magician?] and Asgunnr
Here on Sigifrith's Island

Attend this story of castaways stranded for many years
As though an uphill climb on a tall mountain
Mate and liege-lord alike would grant these others comfort
In their rocky island nest
Without mead, nor mill, nor fine cloths, nor luxury
[fragment ends]