[3.5] protecting a squishy caster from AoE attacks

[Choco]

Specifically, I got a lvl 5 sorcerer/3 frost mage, and can usually rely on the rest of the party to be between me and the things that make me hurt. However, all it would take is one well-rolled fireball/lightning bolt/etc. to fry my godawful reflex-save-having ass.

So any ideas specifically how I can keep myself from going squish, and in general how casters of around my level can protect themselves from direct/area damage spells cast by other casters?

[Optimystik]

Try ignoring them. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/protectionFromEnergy.htm)

[Sinfire Titan]

You obviously have a good Concentration check, right? There's a 2nd level Diamond Mind counter that works wonderfully for you. Action Before Thought, I believe?

[jiriku]

Cloak of resistence! Yes, thank you! I am Blatantly Obvious Man!

Ok, serious answers. Dragon Magic has a sorcerer-only spell, Primal Speed, IIRC, that will give you +5 Reflex saves all day, and some other goodies too. However, if memory serves, it's 6th level, and thus out of your reach for now.

Any spell or effect that grants flight at perfect maneuverability is a great way to avoid AoE effects. When you're hovering 30 feet above the battlefield, you're not going to get caught in an AoE unless the enemy is specifically targetting you. Even a humble levitate will do.

Greater Invisibility would make it less likely that enemies try to include you in a blast. Works especially well with flight.

Edit: Hmmm, I'm struggling to recall the name, but I believe in Spell Compendium there's a 3rd-level spell called shadow form or shadow something-or-other that gives you a 20% miss chance against spells. Blink would also give you a miss chance against AoE spells.

[Fishy]

Wings of Cover and Ruin Delver's Fortune say hi.

[Person_Man]

Also, you can just cast Invisibility on yourself and then spend every round casting buff, Summon, or battlefield control spells. As long as you don't attack, the spell won't be broken. Once you get access to Greater Invisibility, you can do anything. And that's just the better known core option. There are dozens of protective spells that will make you very difficult to hit.

[Choco]

Cloak of resistence! Yes, thank you! I am Blatantly Obvious Man!

Ok, serious answers. Dragon Magic has a sorcerer-only spell, Primal Speed, IIRC, that will give you +5 Reflex saves all day, and some other goodies too. However, if memory serves, it's 6th level, and thus out of your reach for now.

Any spell or effect that grants flight at perfect maneuverability is a great way to avoid AoE effects. When you're hovering 30 feet above the battlefield, you're not going to get caught in an AoE unless the enemy is specifically targetting you.

Greater Invisibility would make it less likely that enemies try to include you in a blast. Works especially well with flight.

Edit: Hmmm, I'm struggling to recall the name, but I believe in Spell Compendium there's a spell called shadow form or shadow something-or-other that gives you a 20% miss chance against spells. Blink would also give you a miss chance against AoE spells.

Heh, invisibility would work well, mixed with my anklet of translocation. The problem is, I am now usually the FIRST target of EVERY enemy in an encounter, at least if they have heard of our group. Web, black tentacles, grease, mixed with some maximized (metamagic rods FTW!) fireballs have given me a rep for being a pain in the ass, which is cool and all but can get annoying when trying to survive. Hiding behind the meatshields usually does the trick, but AoE always gets me..

Even if I boost my reflex save, I will still have a 50% chance of making the save at best, and even then taking half damage will still mess me up, so I am looking for ways to avoid the damage. Protections would be good if we had any idea what was coming, but one of our DM's ways of balancing the game was to neuter Divination, so that is useless to me. Looks like staying in constant motion and/or being invisible, or killing the enemy casters first (which has worked like 60% of the time!) are my only real options.

[Telonius]

How much of a goody two-shoes are you? The Saint template gives you immunity to several forms of energy attacks and resistance to several others. (+2 LA, but among the more powerful of those).

Rod of Absorption works for Lightning Bolt attacks, but not AoE's like Fireball.

Ring of Blinking gives you half damage on area effect attacks (though it has some pitfalls, in that your own spells might not work).

EDIT: Also, anything that gives you Spell Resistance would help protect against most Evocation.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Wings of Cover and Ruin Delver's Fortune say hi.QFT. Rune Delver's Fortune is basically a free +7 to your save at this point, and Wings of Cover is basically trading a spell slot for NO to any one attack.

[jiriku]

Heh, invisibility would work well, mixed with my anklet of translocation. The problem is, I am now usually the FIRST target of EVERY enemy in an encounter, at least if they have heard of our group. Web, black tentacles, grease, mixed with some maximized (metamagic rods FTW!) fireballs have given me a rep for being a pain in the ass, which is cool and all but can get annoying when trying to survive. Hiding behind the meatshields usually does the trick, but AoE always gets me..

Even if I boost my reflex save, I will still have a 50% chance of making the save at best, and even then taking half damage will still mess me up, so I am looking for ways to avoid the damage. Protections would be good if we had any idea what was coming, but one of our DM's ways of balancing the game was to neuter Divination, so that is useless to me. Looks like staying in constant motion and/or being invisible, or killing the enemy casters first (which has worked like 60% of the time!) are my only real options.

Wow. You know, your DMs are much smarter than mine. My wizards are total PITAs just like your character, but my DMs generally don't realize they can balance that by painting big target on my back.

In agreement with the others, I think the various forms of invisibility and wings of cover (a.k.a. Bigby's middle finger) are the only way you can deal effectively with that. As a bonus, those spells will remain useful to you even at very high levels.

[Johel]

If you can cast it, Resilient Sphere is pretty good if you just want to defend yourself. Realistic options to destroy it are a Disintegrate spell or a targeted Dispel Magic spell.

Now, if you want to actually fight back, I'd go for a combination of Protection from Energy and Blink for short fights.

If the battle is a lengthy one, you'd rather go for Resist Energy instead of Protection from Energy.

[Temet Nosce]

Wings of Cover and Ruin Delver's Fortune say hi.

This. I'd also probably suggest the 24 hour superior resistance spell (+6 to all saves I seem to recall), but even without it you're golden with those two spells.

[Choco]

Alrighty, I guess I'll go check out Wings of Cover and Ruin Delver's Fortune. Could y'all please tell me what books they are in?

[Temet Nosce]

Alrighty, I guess I'll go check out Wings of Cover and Ruin Delver's Fortune. Could y'all please tell me what books they are in?

Wings of Cover is in Races of the Dragon, and Ruin Delver's Fortune is in the Spell Compendium.

[Godskook]

If you have a spare ring slot, a ring of evasion will help as a last line of defense.

[Choco]

Wings of Cover is in Races of the Dragon, and Ruin Delver's Fortune is in the Spell Compendium.

Ah, got it, thanks!

Once I get some more money I can add evasion to one of my existing rings, would have done it by now but spent almost all the money I had saved up on that Maximize metamagic rod...