Incantatrix - how to get the highest spellcraft check?

[grautry]

I'm starting a gestalt game soon(current plan is Wizard//Factotum but I'm flexible about the Factotum) and I've been given the permission to go with Incantatrix. I'm wondering how to get a Spellcraft check to the point where I could reliably Persist spells.

The problem is - custom items(which would automatically solve this problem) are banned.

So, barring infinite loops, how would you go about pumping Spellcraft checks to the highest possible level? The only real requirement I have about this is the CO standard of "thou shalt not loose caster levels". It won't be much fun applying overpowered metamagic when you don't actually have the casting to back it up. 

[Bozwevial]

Custom items may be banned, but would Item Familiar be acceptable?

[grautry]

Custom items may be banned, but would Item Familiar be acceptable?

Probably. The problem with that method however is that there's no real guarantee about actually retaining that item - and item familiars are the sort of thing that are godly if retained but crippling if stolen.

EDIT: Ah, wait, Item Familiars were from Unearthed Arcana, no? Unfortunately there are only a few specific things allowed from that book and everything else is banned.

[PhaedrusXY]

Divine Insight spell (Spell Compendium) + Guidance of the Avatar = < +35 bonus to one skill check

They're both 2nd level spells, and so are fairly spammable at the levels where you need this.

[Operation Shoestring]

They're cleric spells, though so your cleric buddy will have to help you.

or you could get them yourself through Unseen Seer.

(some argue that you can automatically access them through spontaneous divination, but that's probably banned too)

[PhaedrusXY]

They're cleric spells, though so your cleric buddy will have to help you.

He should be happy to when you're making all his spells Persistent as payment.

[KellKheraptis]

Halruuan Adept - +3 Spellcraft, used to get into the perfect dovetail class for Incantatrix

Apprentice - +2 Spellcraft, turns into a cohort later

Item Familiar - +BOOKOO Spellcraft, make it out of a graft or something internalized.

Tome of Ancient Lore - +5 I believe, requires True Believer, but gives access to every spell in the game.

Incantatrix is my baby

[Negative Zero]

Synergy, Masterwork Tool of Spellcraft, and (possibly) Aid Another should all help you out, too. You'll have to ask your DM about Aid Another, though. Skill Focus (Spellcraft) is there if you get desperate.

[Bozwevial]

Synergy, Masterwork Tool of Spellcraft, and (possibly) Aid Another should all help you out, too. You'll have to ask your DM about Aid Another, though. Skill Focus (Spellcraft) is there if you get desperate.

You could always buy Iron Will from an Otyugh Hole and retrain it.

[Endarire]

Items that give a bonus to Spellcraft.  Get a ring of +X Spellcraft for when you need to persist and swap it pre-combat.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Item of legacy can get you pretty good competence bonuses (+10 or so).  Not nearly as good as Gouda of the Avatar, but probably more allowable.

[Operation Shoestring]

Item of legacy can get you pretty good competence bonuses (+10 or so).  Not nearly as good as Gouda of the Avatar, but probably more allowable.

Up to +5 at level 5, up to +10 at level 11, up to +15 at level 17.

But if custom items are banned, i can't imagine custom WOL not getting the ax too.

[Naldor]

If you really want to ascend the heights of skill cheese and are worried about item familiar, you could (though mileage sneaking past the DM will vary) try the skill-point quickstep that I posted over on 339 to put 30 + ranks in a skill at low levels.  Additionally, some familiar from a dragon mag gives +3 spellcraft, which can be doubled to a +6 with the level 3 elven racial sub level.

[Bloody Initiate]

A party member or cohort with a decent charisma and 1 level of marshal never hurt anyone.

It requires someone else to compromise their build for yours, but as long as you're not a jerk about it and don't lack any RL charisma it's not far-fetched. I talked our greediest party member into buying us all rings of evasion, so getting someone to dip one level of a decent class for the good of the party is plenty doable.

[Tshern]

One level dip into Master Specialist gives Skill focus (Spellcraft) for free.

[Hitoshura]

Yeah, but that makes 3 prohibited Schools [or 4, with Focused Specialist], that always means some awesome spells will be sacrificed, i would say it isn't worth it.

Just get an Butterfly or Moth with Racial Substitution Level for elves for a +6 Spellcraft, must be generalist, though [that' s not really a bad thing]

[Operation Shoestring]

Yeah, but that makes 3 prohibited Schools [or 4, with Focused Specialist], that always means some awesome spells will be sacrificed, i would say it isn't worth it.

Just get an Butterfly or Moth with Racial Substitution Level for elves for a +6 Spellcraft, must be generalist, though [that' s not really a bad thing]

Uhm, master Specialist doesn't make you lose another school.

[Negative Zero]

Yeah, but that makes 3 prohibited Schools [or 4, with Focused Specialist], that always means some awesome spells will be sacrificed, i would say it isn't worth it.

Just get an Butterfly or Moth with Racial Substitution Level for elves for a +6 Spellcraft, must be generalist, though [that' s not really a bad thing]

Uhm, master Specialist doesn't make you lose another school.

He's probably thinking Focused Specialist.

[Bloody Initiate]

For some reason I missed the part where you were gestalt the first time around.

We had a truenamer in our gestalt game. One of the problems with Truenamers is they can't really make the Truespeech checks required of them. However, this is gestalt and I think the lowest number I heard him say was 56.

You can easily make sacrifices on one side to beef your incantatrix side. YOU can take that level of marshal I mentioned. YOU can take a level of Dragonfire Adept for the Draconic Knowledge Invocation (+6 to Spellcraft and all knolwedges). You might also be able to pick up a template (Phrenic comes to mind). I find the most consistently effective way to make gestalt characters is not to grab two of the most awesome bastards and put them together, but to grab one awesome class and perfect it with your second class(s).

One side is full caster, the other shameless dips and cheese to make the full caster's life even easier than before.