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View Full Version : [3.5] Wizarding Schools and Their Droppability



Endarire
2010-10-23, 08:13 PM
Work That Has Come Before
Treantmonk's Guide to Wizards: Being a GOD (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhome.a-eskwadraat.nl%2F~pwerken%2FKajel%2FTreantmonks_gui de_to_Wizards_Begin_a_God.php&rct=j&q=Treantmonk%20God&ei=5ofDTMvNJI68sQOCo52oCw&usg=AFQjCNG4mFzMBJ7Wl4pz28-MTUc-NZAelw&sig2=pipwogJPI6LNt1pnkPt9Tw&cad=rja)

LogicNinja's Guide to Wizards: Being Batman (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9749.0)

Pathfinder Wizards (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard) get special abilities based on their specialty. Also, their specialization makes spells of opposition schools require 2 spell slots instead of 1, but all Wizards can cast from all schools.

Alternative Class Features III (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872054/Alternative_Class_Features_III) compiles ACFs for all base classes, just in case something changes your mind. (Abrupt Jaunt, anyone?)

The Big Schools
Wizardry schools vary widely in usefulness. These two schools I will never drop unless I am forced; thus, these schools are priceless. Conveniently, most spells I cast are Conjuration or Transmutation.

Conjuration can do anything, if only indirectly. Even in core, it can target every save (even using no saves for solid fog and fog spells). Glitterdust is one of my favorite crowd control spells, since it's a 20' sphere I can cast at Medium range and it's a Will save that doesn't check SR and it reveals invisible creatures. When I'm hurtin' for level 6 spells to cast, I can Quicken it for extra joy.

But glitterdust ain't the end-all, be-all of crowd control. Evard's black tentacles is uber, so uber that one DM gave many foes antimagic field as a supernatural ability just to counter it. EBT combines well with stinking cloud, so people who fail their Fort saves can't act, and are auto-grappled. So long!

Solid fog will hold your enemies in place for a good, long time. Web is a flammable version of this two levels earlier that penalizes foes' movement speed even if they save. Grease will turn any solid surface (including weapons!) into a Slip 'n' Slide, and it deters grapples, and it's flammable if your DM says so.

Need I even mention teleport, plane shift, dimension door, gate, mount, and phantom steed for mobility? What about summon monster for reinforcements that usually have spell-like abilities? The planar binding series makes things even more nuts, but you probably already knew that.

All these options are core. Non-core spells don't change things much. Spell Compendium has freezing fog which is solid fog + grease + minor cold damage with no save. Booyah!

Trasnmutation is just uber, turning you into a creature whose melee abilities rival your party's Meat Shield™. If I can't use polymorph et al to assume uber forms, Transmutation becomes the #2 school. If I also can't easily persist my buffs, Transmutation falls into the debatably droppable category. Having access to non-core sources makes Transmutation a school I want to keep, even with polymorph and persisting gone.

Transmutation has merits besides polymorph and persistent buffs. Rope trick, levitate, spider climb, fly, overland flight, greater magic weapon, telekinesis (trip 'em, Dan-O!), haste, slow, the animal buffs, and enlarge person are all core. (If you ever get there, time stop and reverse gravity are uber.) Turn your team (or even your lil' ol' Wizard self) into a "Fighter" for a short while. I say "Fighter" because you can be a better melee man than a dedicated melee Fighter with the right build and buffs.

Outside core, Transmutation gets buffed. (Pun intended (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19869366/The_most_powerful_character._EVER.).) War Weavers (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5881.0) are uber! Spell Compendium gives bite of the were spells, which can turn you into a melee monster. Remember, bite spells stack with polymorph! Spell Compendium also has the lovely heroics, letting your party test drive Martial Stance, Martial Study, and any other Fighter feat for which the target qualifies. Debatably, heroics "stacks" and can grant as many Fighter feats as castings.

Probably the most powerful non-core Transmutation spell is draconic polymorph (Draconomicon). It's a self-only polymorph++, and you know what that means, right? Persist it! See your local Incantatrix for details.

I act like celerity (Player's Handbook II) doesn't exist, because it's been banned in all the games I've played, and probably should never have been printed.

I stress this: Spending actions in combat to buff, especially only one creature, is almost never worth it. Some exceptions include turning the scrawny guy into an X-headed pyro/cryohydra and cackling maniacally. Haste is also usually worth it, since it affects a group.

Other Schools
All schools have their gems, but I'd be willing to drop any other school in the right circumstance.

Abjuration and Divination have little in-combat use. (I know about dispel magic and explosive runes.) They're mostly used in planning and location defense. Together, they're worth losing 1 school, if that I'd throw in Enchantment as well and call it a day.

In core, Abjuration gets the dispel magic series, resist energy, protection from/magic circle against alignment, alarm, and dimensional anchor/lock. It's a small number of situationally useful spells that a Cleric is probably better off casting. Mind blank becomes necessary once you can cast it, though.

Outside core, Abjuration gets the ironguard series (Spell Compendium) to make normal and magical metal pass through you, disobedience.(Complete Scoundrel) to make an ally mind control immune for 1 hour/level, and maw of chaos (Spell Compendium) is a blast spell worthy of its 9th level slot. Sorry, meteor swarm!

Divination is meant to be so intrinsic to a Wizard that Wizards can't ban Divination. Divination is probably the most bipolar school: Its effects are mostly, "DM shows you all or part of his notes." Scrying and contact other plane are the most famous Wizard divinations, and for good reason. Learn what you need via scrying's remote viewing capabilities or/and a contact other plane question algorithm, and do it! Scry 'n' Die (Scrying + teleport) is core.

Otherwise, core Divination is see invisibility, true strike, and true seeing, with foresight if you ever get that far.

Outside core, Wizards get assay spell resistance (Spell Compendium) to help bypass SR. This is mostly for Illusionists, Enchanters, and Evokers. To reiterate: I'd have a hard time relying on Divination spells in a typical game, especially when Conjuration is so uber.

Necromancy has many debuffs and save-or-dies. Animate dead is here, though requires desecrate and often heavy investment to make it worthwhile. Many parties and DMs dislike someone who can turn the DM's favorite creatures into their Pokemon.

Necromancy's combat usefulness also varies. Necromancers depend on pre-placed undead for command undead. Living targets can be debuffed with waves of fatigue/exhaustion and enervation. Ray of enfeeblement's STR penalty applies to all.creature types.

A Wizard's Necromancy is short in AoE spells, especially in core. Its spells are mostly situational. Necromancy is probably worth losing 1 school, but only if the DM supports an undead-heavy campaign.

Enchantment is a school of mind-affecting Will saves that check SR. Really. Heroism is an exception only because it's a buff. Enchantment is more specialized than Necromancy. Its spells are largely non-combat, and Enchantment is the smallest school. Most of what Enchantment can do another school can do at least as well. Despite this, dominate person and confusion can cause massive chaos and secure long-term loyalties, respectively.

Specializing in Enchantment may be worth losing 1 school over. I'd rather be a Psion (Telepath) (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/psion.htm) or Thrallherd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/thrallherd.htm) for mind control, though.

Illusion is a tricky one. Illusion has a small number of highly useful spells, but its greatest uses come from having lots of non-core sources. See the Shadowcraft Mage Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5638.0) and Shadowcraft Mage Spellbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7731.0).

First, silent image and major image are staples of Illusion. BUT! Your DM determines how effective these are. If they work, you can be uber. "Collapse" bridges, "reshape" terrain, "summon" big 'n' nasty creatures in large numbers into opportune positions, show your "identification" or "credentials," and let your imagination run wild. With major image, you can make a room seem to spin, causing nausea and proneness among believers, if your DM lets you.

Spells with guaranteed effects include these: The invisibility series, the mirror image series (Player's Handbook II contains greater mirror image - wow!), blur, and displacement.

Simulacrum is incredibly powerful if you can swing it, but convincing your DM to let you have a sim Solar or Great Wyrm Dragon or Genie in the party will probably be a challenge.

Illusory script is often forgotten, but its results can be incredible (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9685.0)! Have your enemies run from you, or have them give you their stuff, or make them believe you have the proper identification or credentials.

The shadow evocation/conjuration series is handy, especially for reproducing contingency or a semi-permeable wall of force. They're versatile, but I'd probably not prepare them on a regular basis. If you can use shadow conjuration/evocation to bypass material/focus/XP costs (which is RAW legal since the target spells aren't cast, but mimicked) then bring on the shadow create magic tattoos (Spell Compendium)!

Illusion is probably worth losing a single school over. Despite shadow spells, Illusion lacks the raw power and great reliability of Conjuration and Transmutation.

Evocation is the iconic boom school. Of the 3 main schools to drop (Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy), Evocation is usually the last to go. I enjoy wall of force, Bigby's grasping/forceful hand and CONTINGENCY. No idea why CONTINGENCY is Evocation, but I'll take it!

Most people don't realize how useful Leomund's tiny bunker really is. My party can shoot out, but things can't target us inside. That's a bunker, folks.

'Tis a pity that Evocation's Keeper List is 8 spells long, or 3 more if you're stuck on fireball, scorching ray, and magic missile. Fire shield (and Spell Compendium's mass fire shield) are spiffy damage shields which grant a mini-Evasion. Persist them if you can!

Non-core does a bit to expand this, so boom spells have a chance of inflicitng status effects as wsll. See great thunderclap (Spell Compendium) for a save vs. deafening, stunning, and falling prone and sonorous hum (Spell Compendium) for maintaining concentration with no action. Telekinesis is probably better at repeated tripping, but Spell Compendium's howling chain can do that for you, no concentration required.

Evocation has obvious application (blasting) and some more subtle aspects (tripping, bunkering, CONTINGENCY), making it worth 1 dropped school.