Wizard//Artificer

[ExemplarofAvg]

My DM has now allowed us to Getsalt, so I'm thinking Wizard/Artificer, this is the same Diviner/Divine Oracle I intended to go before, but I'm not sure where I'm going to go with the Artificer. I know it's not optimized to go with those two, but that's a requirement for allowing it, no optimizing, well not a lot.

Question is, what to do with the Artificer, (besides y'know make stuff) and should I prestige it at any point? or just go with straight Artificer?

[Keld Denar]

Artificer doesn't PrC very well, assuming you are doing it for more than just a few level dip. Nothing really progresses it other than more artificer levels, so if you want to get the most out of it, its best to stick it out.

As far as what you want to DO with it, there are a few options. Bufficficer and Blastificer are two of the main concepts. Blastificers use things like Metamagic Spell Trigger, Metamagic Wand Grips, and other cool swag to basically overload a wand for MASSIVE damage. Take a spell with a decent starting base, like Scorching Ray or Seeking Ray (PHBII). Both do 4d6 damage as CL3 2nd level spells (so, 5400g per wand). Put them in a MM Wand Grip of Twin Spell, and activate MM Spell Trigger for Split Ray, and you'll deal 12d6 damage per shot at the cost of 4 charges up to 3/day. If you really want to overload, get a Rod of Many Wands, load in 3 Wands of Seeking Ray, and Metamagic Spell Trigger that...you could get like, 24d6 damage per round at the cost of like, 12 charges total. Its a direct conversion of cash into damage.

Bufficificers work similarly, just with Persist Spell. Take your favorite Clericzilla tools, load them into wands (Divine Powah is a fan favorite), and then use MM Spell Trigger to Persist them for a whole day. Use your infusions to get good enhancements on your gear like Bane on your weapon for whatever flavor monsters you think you'll be fighting that day, and go to town like Popeye on your own special magical brand of spinach.

Both couple well with being a Wizard. Toss a couple of control spells, then either Blastifice or Buffifice and you'll be a 1 man wrecking machine (not that you aren't already as a Wizard, this just gives you more longevity in a day).

[ExemplarofAvg]

Both the Bufficificer and the Blastificer (Which both sound very nice) also sound very powerful and optimized. I don't really want to go with the 1 man wrecking crew feat. My other party members are a "Machine Gun Assassin" Build, and a Goliath Unarmed Swordsage/ Shadow Sun Ninja. I think my poor DM let me Getsalt because I don't kill everything in sight generally because there's nothing left, Any suggestions for a non Swiss-Army Artificer, or should I turn down the Getsalt?

[HalfDragonCube]

Both the Bufficificer and the Blastificer (Which both sound very nice) also sound very powerful and optimized. I don't really want to go with the 1 man wrecking crew feat. My other party members are a "Machine Gun Assassin" Build, and a Goliath Unarmed Swordsage/ Shadow Sun Ninja. I think my poor DM let me Getsalt because I don't kill everything in sight generally because there's nothing left, Any suggestions for a non Swiss-Army Artificer, or should I turn down the Getsalt?

Gestalt Wizard/Artificer.

Not wanting to be versatile and powerful.

Turn down the gestalt unless you feel like making the DM weep.

[Keld Denar]

Well, you are gestalting 2 Tier1 classes together. In theory, there should be absolutely NO encounter you can't solve. That doesn't mean you HAVE to solve them. Keeping your old man walking stick (which is really a Rod of Many Wands loaded with 3 wands of Seeking Ray) around in case the proverbial fecal matter strikes the equally proverbial rotating blades. Its gonna be WAY to expensive to fire off regularly, but when you need it, it's a short range tactical nuke.

Just because you have nukes, doesn't mean you have to deploy them. Mostly use your powers for good. Craft a Wand of Knock, a Wand of Detect Secret Doors, a Wand of Detect Magic (for use with an Artificer's Monacle), and a bunch of other utility items. Craft permanent swag for your party members. Be generally a useful guy.

[ExemplarofAvg]

Well, you are gestalting 2 Tier1 classes together. In theory, there should be absolutely NO encounter you can't solve. That doesn't mean you HAVE to solve them. Keeping your old man walking stick (which is really a Rod of Many Wands loaded with 3 wands of Seeking Ray) around in case the proverbial fecal matter strikes the equally proverbial rotating blades. Its gonna be WAY to expensive to fire off regularly, but when you need it, it's a short range tactical nuke.

Just because you have nukes, doesn't mean you have to deploy them. Mostly use your powers for good. Craft a Wand of Knock, a Wand of Detect Secret Doors, a Wand of Detect Magic (for use with an Artificer's Monacle), and a bunch of other utility items. Craft permanent swag for your party members. Be generally a useful guy.

True enough.. Hmm. Do you know of any class or more likely prestige class focused around silence, or what not? I'm just not certain where to go after Wizard 5/Divine Oracle 10. And a class based on silencing people would work thematically for the character. I may just keep the Prestige class but use it to help the other PC's when they want an item to get it for cheaper.

[Keld Denar]

Unseen Seer is a PrC in Complete Mage that gives you a lot of neat abilities. Unfortuantely, it won't progress Sneak Attack if you don't already have SA, but the other abilities are nice. The 5th level ability, which you'd get at 20, is Guarded Mind, which is a persistant Non-Detection spell, which is handy. Its d6 HD, 6+Int skill points/level, which is decent.

[ExemplarofAvg]

It sounds great, but I don't I can qualify skill wise, I'll keep looking, but thanks, and thanks for all the other help you've given today.

[Eldariel]

It sounds great, but I don't I can qualify skill wise, I'll keep looking, but thanks, and thanks for all the other help you've given today.

You can crossclass them just fine. You could also preface the whole build with one level of Rogue or Spellthief for easy access, though that's a bit painful. With Able Learner, you could quite cheaply crossclass the whole lot of them.

[ExemplarofAvg]

It's not that I don't have access to enough skills, I'm sure a level of Spellthief and a Feat for master spellthief as well would really increase the power. All my skills are spoken for pretty well.

[Eldariel]

It's not that I don't have access to enough skills, I'm sure a level of Spellthief and a Feat for master spellthief as well would really increase the power. All my skills are spoken for pretty well.

It would be a power decrease overall; losing a level of casting is pretty major.

[deuxhero]

You only get 1 set of actions, which make Wizard//Artificer eh. You aren't doing much a Wizard or Artificer could do on their own.


Factotum (I think they get an extra action at some point, forget) or Warblade//Wizard=good.

[Eldariel]

You only get 1 set of actions, which make Wizard//Artificer eh. You aren't doing much a Wizard or Artificer could do on their own.


Factotum (I think they get an extra action at some point, forget) or Warblade//Wizard=good.

Artificer/Wizard > Warblade/Wizard; the two synergise quite well actually. Artificer's abilities are mostly extremely long duration buffs (Metamagic Effect Anything, all the Magic Vestment/GMW variants and all that) and out of combat stuff (crafting; dedicated wrights and all that) while Wizard can do in-combat stuff just fine and cover everything higher level for a much cheaper price. They only lose out to Factotum//Wizard 'cause of the serious sick synergy those two have going on (or Factotum//Anything, really).

[Big Fau]

You only get 1 set of actions, which make Wizard//Artificer eh. You aren't doing much a Wizard or Artificer could do on their own.


Factotum (I think they get an extra action at some point, forget) or Warblade//Wizard=good.

Rod of Many Wands+Celerity Wands=3 Standard Actions every other turn. A 1.5 increase in his normal allocation of standard actions. And that's not counting all of the Sorcerer-only spells that mess with your spellcasting (all of which his Artificer side could craft before-hand). Arcane Surge=Broken Wizard.

[Eldariel]

Rod of Many Wands+Celerity Wands=3 Standard Actions every other turn. A 1.5 increase in his normal allocation of standard actions. And that's not counting all of the Sorcerer-only spells that mess with your spellcasting (all of which his Artificer side could craft before-hand). Arcane Surge=Broken Wizard.

You mean Arcane Fusion? Or Arcane Spellsurge?

[Big Fau]

You mean Arcane Fusion? Or Arcane Spellsurge?

Spellsurge. I get the name confused sometimes.

[Eldariel]

Spellsurge. I get the name confused sometimes.

It's on Wizard-list too; only has Dragonblood benefits :smallwink:

[Big Fau]

It's on Wizard-list too; only has Dragonblood benefits :smallwink:

Wait, wha… why… how… Who was responsible for that? Seriously, why did they put it on the Wizard list too?

[deuxhero]

Artificer/Wizard > Warblade/Wizard; the two synergise quite well actually. Artificer's abilities are mostly extremely long duration buffs (Metamagic Effect Anything, all the Magic Vestment/GMW variants and all that) and out of combat stuff (crafting; dedicated wrights and all that) while Wizard can do in-combat stuff just fine and cover everything higher level for a much cheaper price. They only lose out to Factotum//Wizard 'cause of the serious sick synergy those two have going on (or Factotum//Anything, really).

Wait, I was thinking of the divine book based spellcaster that I forget the name of, not the item maker class. Nevermind.

[Eldariel]

Wait, wha… why… how… Who was responsible for that? Seriously, why did they put it on the Wizard list too?

Wizards need all the help they can get :smalltongue: Good part is, ASS isn't quite as bad as Arcane Fusion far as wrecking action economy goes (especially since Wizards lack a mechanic to easily make a standard action spell into a full-round action like Sorcs can do with Metamagic). Oh, and someone was probably smoking some good stuff.


Wait, I was thinking of the divine book based spellcaster that I forget the name of, not the item maker class. Nevermind.

Yeah, Archivist =/= Artificer. Archivist/Wizard is a bit redundant, though it's still two Tier 1s so it's not that bad. Would prolly want to DMM on Archivist-side and cast on Wizard-side primarily, or so.

[FMArthur]

(especially since Wizards lack a mechanic to easily make a standard action spell into a full-round action like Sorcs can do with Metamagic).

Uncanny Forethought (EoE) is pretty much the pinnacle of Wizard dominance as far as feats go, and unsurprisingly continues to be such in more and more ways. Even the 'drawback' part of it just makes it synergize with Arcane Spellsurge.