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View Full Version : Coming Back after years of absence


salarus
2011-08-12, 06:28 PM
Hey Everyone!

This is my first post here as I've just recently discovered this place. My gaming group is getting back together after literally taking years and years off. We're going to be starting up a new 3.5 campaign and was really hoping for a little help.

I've searched around all of the internets for the past week and repeatedly ended up back here with all sorts of great advice in getting my character going. I definitely want to play an Gray Elf Generalist Wizard, they seem like a ton of fun but I'm a bit lost as where to take him. Currently I have the build looking as such:

We're Starting at lvl 7 with DMG assigned Gold Pool for a starting character of that lvl (19,000). I've asked about the Domain Wizard variant and the DM has decided not to allow it.

First Lvl I'll be using the Elf Wizard Sub from Races of the Wild. I've read in a number of places that it's great for generalists and after having read it, I completely agree

From there I was going to start taking lvl's in Wizard but I wasn't sure how many I should take and what PrC's I should be looking at for a Generalist. I was also hoping for some help with Feats...Since I don't think I'll be getting very many I figured it's a good idea to really take the ones that will make the difference. Also any advice on magical equipment to spend my loots on would be great!

Anyways, I would really appreciate any advice you guys could offer...I've been out of this for quite awhile and could really use a bit of direction for my character.

Thanks!
Tvtyrant
2011-08-12, 07:00 PM
What kinds of abilities do you want? If your a generalist I assume you want heaps of options, so Archmage or Wildsoul might interest you. Initiate of the Seven Color Veil is good for keeping yourself safe.
Drachasor
2011-08-12, 07:05 PM
What are the other people in your party?
salarus
2011-08-12, 07:05 PM
Yea, I was really hoping to do a lot of battlefield control and buffing for my fighters and pokers. Would definitely have my focus on many of the conjuration and transmutation spells, but versatility is really what I'm after. Seven Veil seems like a cool option, I'll take a closer look at it for sure.
salarus
2011-08-12, 07:08 PM
What are the other people in your party?

We have a Wild Shape Druid, a Cleric, a Swashbucker and a Barbarian. We're rolling characters this week coming up, so I would suspect they might change their minds when we sit down at the table, hehe
Redshirt Army
2011-08-12, 09:40 PM
In my opinion, Mage of the Arcane Order (Complete Arcane) is an exceptional prestige class for a generalist Wizard, as it gains the Spellpool ability, which enables you with some (short) preparation to grab any spell in the Player's handbook. This means that you can grab any utility spell you may need, even if it's not in your spellbook, much less prepared.

EDIT:

If versatility is what you're after, Mage of the Arcane Order can't be beat. Generally, as a Wizard, you want to cover your bases. You'll want:

-A good spell that's resisted by Reflex
-A good spell that's resisted by Fortitude
-A good spell that's resisted by Will
-A good spell without a Save
-A good spell without SR

If you're going to be blowing stuff up, remember to know spells based off of multiple elements, to avoid being stuck up a creek without a paddle.
salarus
2011-08-12, 09:48 PM
In my opinion, Mage of the Arcane Order (Complete Arcane) is an exceptional prestige class for a generalist Wizard, as it gains the Spellpool ability, which enables you with some (short) preparation to grab any spell in the Player's handbook. This means that you can grab any utility spell you may need, even if it's not in your spellbook, much less prepared.

I was just looking at that myself and considering Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil to go with it. What do you think about adding in 2 lvls Geometer for the Spellbook, worth it?
Optimator
2011-08-12, 09:51 PM
You're a Wizard; pretty much any PrC that doesn't lose casting levels is great for you, and even some of the ones that do.
salarus
2011-08-12, 09:57 PM
You're a Wizard; pretty much any PrC that doesn't lose casting levels is great for you, and even some of the ones that do.

Hehe, yea, you're definitely right about that. It's just been so long I really wanted to have a plan setup to get all my skills and feats right to ensure I can get the classes in there I wanted. Probably shouldn't worry to much about it the end. Spell selection is by far the more important task of any good wizard.
Redshirt Army
2011-08-12, 10:10 PM
I was just looking at that myself and considering Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil to go with it. What do you think about adding in 2 lvls Geometer for the Spellbook, worth it?

Initiate, Geometer, and Mage of the Arcane Order are all great, that said, Initiate's prerequisites become significantly less enticing if you can't stick around to grab the better veils, and you assuming you want to sick around till Spellpool III and Violet Veil, there's no room for Geometer pre-epic. (Wizard 6/MoAO 7/IotSFV7) You're gonna have to make some sacrifices somewhere.

Not that thats a bad thing when you're overloaded with AWESOME OPTIONS!

So, essentially, pick one:

-Miss out on Book of Geometry/Spellpool III/Violet Veil
-Skip Initiate, lose the awesome veils, free up three feats.
-Skip MoAO, lose the awesome spellpool, free up one feat.
salarus
2011-08-12, 10:22 PM
Not that thats a bad thing when you're overloaded with AWESOME OPTIONS!


Haha! Yea there really is a ton of great options for this...I can't wait to start rolling dice again. I started pulling out all of my old books and got the, "Here we go again" look from my wife, lol. No, but she's really cool about my nerdness =)

Thanks for the ideas with the build as well! Been doing a little more roaming around, what do you think about ditching MoAA and try to get Archmage in there...? What's the thought process on losing spell slots (yikes!)

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it's already been a huge help!