Sorceror to Alienist - Fastest path?

[Janthkin]

Alienist requires the ability to cast at least one level 3 summoning spell, and Knowledge (the Planes), 8 ranks.  I'd want to keep a familiar (given nifty familiar boosts), and take all 10 levels of Alienist. 

Knowledge Devotion is an option to get 8 ranks of Knowledge by level 5.  What else?

(Another option would be a wizard, maybe a Focused Specialist.  Isn't there a feat that gives wizards spontaneous casting for summoning spells?)

[ninjarabbit]

The planar sorcerer ACF gives you Knowledge (the planes) as a class skill.

[Ithamar]

Be a level 10 binder that uses Zceryl.  So much cooler than a Sorcerer / Alienist.

[Janthkin]

The planar sorcerer ACF gives you Knowledge (the planes) as a class skill.

Where's that from?  (Not UA, PHB2, or the Planar Handbook, barring incipient blindness on my part.)

[Negative Zero]

I think it's from the Manual of the Planes.

There's a (bad) Conjurer ACF that lets you spontaneously cast SMX spells, but at a lower level than normal.

Don't forget 'that feat from cityscape' that lets you take one rank in a skill past your maximum.

[Ithamar]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

[Havok4]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the most overpowered thing the binder has going for it.

[Anklebite]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the most overpowered thing the binder has going for it.

you forgot the free template.

[Janthkin]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

Binders are interesting, but neither of my current DMs is likely to accept one as a PC; too much new material for them to learn, and we're all getting old.  Thanks, though!

[Solo]

Versatile Spellcaster + Heightened Summon Monster I

[snakeman830]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the one of the coolest things the binder has going for it.

Fixed that for you.

[Solo]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind affecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the one of the coolest things the binder has going for it.

Fixed that for you.

Fixed what you didn't fix for you.

[Garryl]

If anyone wants to look at the specifics of what's being discussed, Zceryll and the Sorcerer Planar Substitution levels are available online.

The Sorc sub level is at 5th, which doesn't leave much time to get 8 ranks at 2+int skills/level, although its actually pretty nice if you ever need to just blast something.
Knowledge Devotion at 3rd gets you into Alienist for 6th if you also nab Sanctum Spell or similar to up a Summon Monster II to 3rd level. You'll have to eat 2 ranks cross class in Know (planes) at 1st or 2nd level if you don't have an Int bonus in order to make it in time, along with 5 more ranks in any other Knowledge to qualify for Knowledge Devotion in the first place. You could also try Education or Apprentice (spellcaster I think?) for Know(planes) at 1st level.

[Ithamar]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the most overpowered thing the binder has going for it.

you forgot the free template.

No I didn't.

[Anklebite]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the most overpowered thing the binder has going for it.

you forgot the free template.

No I didn't.

my bad.

[Havok4]

Tome of Magic has a new base class called the binder in it.  They bind vestiges to themselves to fuel their own power.  Zceryl is a vestige from the WotC website that gives you the pseudonatural template and allows you to summon pseudonatural creatures as a sorcerer of your level.

And it gives you telepathy, mind sight, a bonus to saves vs mind effecting, and a save or be dazed for 1d3 rounds touch attack once every 5 rounds. It really is the one of the coolest things the binder has going for it.

Fixed that for you.

True it is amazingly awesome and if I got the chance to be a binder in a high powered campaign I would never unbind that vestige.

[Janthkin]

If anyone wants to look at the specifics of what's being discussed, Zceryll and the Sorcerer Planar Substitution levels are available online.

That version of the Planar Sorcerer is the same as the one in the Planar Handbook (I missed the Class Skill change the first time around).  The problem is trying to get all those ranks of Knowledge (the Planes) in, while it's only a class skill for one level.  :/

Assuming Human and/or an int bonus of +2, I guess I could go Sorcerer 1-4 (pick up 2 ranks of K(tP) at chargen), take Planar Sorcerer @ lvl 5 and pick up another 4 ranks of K(tP), then back to Sorcerer at 6, taking Knowledge Devotion & 2 more ranks of K(tP); that'd clear me for Alienist @ 7.

[DavidWL]

Apprentice (Spellcaster) will give any knowledge as a class skill.

If you were really min-max (and wasteful of feats), and had access to flaws, I bet you could qualify by 4th level, taking your 1st level at 5th.

Best,
David

[Anklebite]

Apprentice (Spellcaster) will give any knowledge as a class skill.

If you were really min-max (and wasteful of feats), and had access to flaws, I bet you could qualify by 4th level, taking your 1st level at 5th.

Best,
David

some call it wasting feats. I call it retraining fodder. 

and by retraining, I mean retraining/rebuilding/psyref/DCFS; whatever strikes your fancy.