Advice on a Kobold Wizard [PF/3.5]

[Blackfish]

The game we're playing is Pathfinder, but the DM has allowed 3.5 books to be used. The campaign will start at level 1, but may go as high as level 20. The current idea for the character is to be able to supply items to the group at low levels and to be able to pump out low-cost metamagic at higher levels.

I'm looking for advice on the following character. Are there feats that I should change out for others? Is there a better prestige class to choice at level X? Is there any spell I should definitely choose? What skills should I focus on? I'm starting with 900 gp from the Rich Parents trait, but have no idea what to do with it. Any ideas?

Desert Kobold Wizard 1
Spellhoarding, Riddled (Dragon 313)
Dragonborn Template (RotD)
Wizard 5/Mindbender 1/Incantatrix 10/Halruaan Elder 4
Favored Class (Wizard)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Traits: Hedge Magician, Rich Parents
HP 11 (d6 + Con [4] + Favored Class [1])
Attributes: 11, 13, 13, 16, 17, 17
Strength 9, Dexterity 16, Constitution 19, Intelligence 28, Wisdom 6, Charisma 14

FEATS
Level 1: Dragonwrought
Flaw 1 (Level 1): Nymph's Kiss
Flaw 2 (Level 1): Collegiate Wizard
Spellhoarding (Level 1): Eschew Materials, Scribe Scroll
Wizard (Level 1): Scribe Scroll
Desert Race (Level 1): Heat Endurance
Level 3: Craft Wonderous Item
Wizard (Level 5): Extend Spell
Level 5: Iron Will
Incantator (Level 7): Chain Spell
Level 7: Spell Thematics
Level 9: Arcane Thesis (Shivering Touch)
Incantator (Level 10): Quicken Spell
Level 11: Craft Contingent Spell
Incantator (Level 13): Empower Spell
Level 13: Easy Metamagic (Quicken Spell)
Level 15: Halruaan Adept
Incantator (Level 16): Maximize Spell
Level 17: Easy Metamagic (Maximize Spell)
Level 19: Persistent Spell

I plan to use an Otyugh Hole to gain Iron Will so that I can use the level 5 feat slot for something else.
At level 15, when I can cast 8th level spells, I plan to use the Dark Chaos Feat Shuffle to change a Scribe Scroll out for Master Artisan and Heat Endurance for Reach Spell. I'm not sure what to do with the second Iron Will, providing I do find an Otyugh Hole.
As for Halruaan Adept, my DM has no problem with my being a kobold and taking the feat. Circle Magic is probably going to be pretty circumstantial, since my group loves to play barbarians and rangers and fighters and rogues.

I think that's about everything. My DM has also told me that most NPCs in the campaign are going to be racist, but there's nothing to be done about that. If I remember something else critical to the character, I shall be sure to post it.

Thanks in advance, everyone. :smallsmile:

[Critical]

Everything looks in order, but won't the DM sew you for playing this? :smalltongue:

[Blackfish]

There is a good chance that he'll try to kill the character off whenever he can, but that's some of the fun, since my characters in 3.5/Pathfinder tend to be durable casters. They try to kill them because they're overly-optimized, and I optimize them so that they don't die quickly.

Also, my DM was just taking shots at the spellhoarding feature, but he got sleepy before he made any sort of decision. Safe for another day!

[Marnath]

For some reason, i just got the mental image of a pair of half-orc thugs playing keep away with the poor little kobolds spellbook in the morning before he prepared spells. Poor little guy is crying. :smallfrown:

My mind does odd things when i'm sleep deprived.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You only missed one thing...

You're playing a Kobold, and not going Sorcerer with Greater Rite of Heretage... I mean, you're already going Dragonwrought

Or, if you really want to piss off the GM... Whisper Gnome Shadowcraft Mage

[Blackfish]

Hey, I'm not trying to piss off the DM.
...
It just happens.

And thanks to spellhoarding, I don't have a spellbook to toss around! Either that, or I'll fill it with explosive runes. The orcs will be more likely to be tossing the kobold himself around.

Shneeky, my DM has also banned LA adjustments. I made a horrifying Effigy Incarnate Feral Half-Ogre Barbarian for a friend, but the DM reacted by banning Half-Ogres. He also forbid me from helping the other players with their characters. That barbarian had 40 strength, too.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Hey, I'm not trying to piss off the DM.
...
It just happens.

And thanks to spellhoarding, I don't have a spellbook to toss around! Either that, or I'll fill it with explosive runes. The orcs will be more likely to be tossing the kobold himself around.

Shneeky, my DM has also banned LA adjustments. I made a horrifying Effigy Incarnate Feral Half-Ogre Barbarian for a friend, but the DM reacted by banning Half-Ogres. He also forbid me from helping the other players with their characters. That barbarian had 40 strength, too.

Kobold has no level adjustments, you already have Dragonwrought. Rituals will effectively increase your level of spellcasting (not simply CL, but granting spells and everything) by two. That puts you a level ahead of Wizard, rather than a level behind.

Str 40 isn't impressive. Should have used the Bag O' Puppies trick on him.

Great Cleave + the 5th level class ability from War Mind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/warMind.htm).

I have a bag of puppies. I throw it down to my opponent's feet I swing at a puppy. It dies horridly. I get a free hit on my opponent, thanks to Sweeping Strike. Then, thanks to Great Cleave, I get another shot, which kills another puppy... continue until you are either out of puppies or your opponent is Chunky Salsa.

[Blackfish]

I have a bag of puppies. I throw it down to my opponent's feet I swing at a puppy. It dies horridly. I get a free hit on my opponent, thanks to Sweeping Strike. Then, thanks to Great Cleave, I get another shot, which kills another puppy... continue until you are either out of puppies or your opponent is Chunky Salsa.

Wow. That is... evil.

I'm pretty sure my DM would smite me out of rage if I tried that. I think I've broken my DM's spirit though; he's given up on fighting against me being a true dragon, and before I could give him most of my counterpoints, too.

I was trying to make the character half-ogre a basic meatshield for my kobold. I was going to ride on his shoulder as he used two claw attacks at a +15 attack modifier (level 1) to do 4d6+30 damage on two successful hits. It was going to be the buffer between my character and the DM's angry gaze.

I did get some good points by agreeing not to use Opalescent Glare earlier.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Mindbender has a prerequisite of "any nongood" which is not compatible with Dragonborn or Exalted feats.

Since you have Spellhoarding, there's no reason not to have a few levels of Battle Sorcerer, preferably combined with Stalwart Sorcerer from Complete Mage. That gets 1d8+2+Con bonus HP/level, 3/4 BAB, and a few martial weapon proficiencies of your choosing plus Weapon Focus. Your Sorcerer spells/day and spells known are severely hindered, but that gets traded for Wizard spellcasting of equal level so there's no drawback. You could then use the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a) to get +1 level of Sorcerer spellcasting, which would also be converted to a level of Wizard spellcasting. Finally, you would be able to use the Loredrake archetype from Dragons of Eberron to increase your Sorcerer spellcasting ability by +2 levels, which will also be contributed to your Wizard spellcasting, again for no drawback.

With Spellhoarding, don't forget that you can scribe higher level spells than you can cast, and then expend one from your spellhoard to cast it as though from a scroll. Also note that scrolls are always used as though the costly material and XP components have already been paid, so this would circumvent those costs. You can scribe the same spell onto your scales as often as you want, just as a wizard can write the same spell in his book multiple times, to fuel these abilities.

[Blackfish]

Mindbender has a prerequisite of "any nongood" which is not compatible with Dragonborn or Exalted feats.

Since you have Spellhoarding, there's no reason not to have a few levels of Battle Sorcerer, preferably combined with Stalwart Sorcerer from Complete Mage. That gets 1d8+2+Con bonus HP/level, 3/4 BAB, and a few martial weapon proficiencies of your choosing plus Weapon Focus. Your Sorcerer spells/day and spells known are severely hindered, but that gets traded for Wizard spellcasting of equal level so there's no drawback. You could then use the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a) to get +1 level of Sorcerer spellcasting, which would also be converted to a level of Wizard spellcasting. Finally, you would be able to use the Loredrake archetype from Dragons of Eberron to increase your Sorcerer spellcasting ability by +2 levels, which will also be contributed to your Wizard spellcasting, again for no drawback.

With Spellhoarding, don't forget that you can scribe higher level spells than you can cast, and then expend one from your spellhoard to cast it as though from a scroll. Also note that scrolls are always used as though the costly material and XP components have already been paid, so this would circumvent those costs. You can scribe the same spell onto your scales as often as you want, just as a wizard can write the same spell in his book multiple times, to fuel these abilities.

I understand how Mindbender clashes with Nymph's Kiss, but all I can find about Dragonborn alignment requirements is 'non-evil'.

My character is currently looking like this:
Dragonborn Loredrake Desert Kobold Stalwart Sorcerer 5/Incantatrix 10/Halruaan Elder 5.

I'm going Arcane Bloodline, and I have a few bonus feats I will never use from Kobold Web Enhancements to Dark Chaos Feat Shuffle later on. I'm dropping Collegiate Wizard in exchange for Extend Spell now that I need to grab Draconic Reservoir at level 3. I hope to take Versatile Spellcaster and Improved Metamagic at some point, but I'm not sure when. Maybe they will be what Martial Weapon Proficiency for Light and Heavy Picks turn into.

Thanks for the help everyone, but I am still hoping for more of these great ideas before the game begins.

Edit: How does trading sorcerer spellcasting for wizard spellcasting allow me to end up with no drawback?