Need help with a level 7

[Drinzor]

DND 3.5 character.

level 7.

we only have core and complete books..

I am going to be Battlefield control wizard/sorc/arcane spell caster.

and we are going to progress at least to level 10. so a character there peak around level 10-12 would be perfect.

my group have a "tank" and a skill monkey there is melee also, and a healer / ranged.


Was thinking Human most likely.

need help with:

class choice(s)
Feats.
Gear (19.000g)

and further progression then level 7 :)


come on geeks :) gogo

oh and its 32 point buy but pretty low key, so not toooo much optimizing

[Gwendol]

Druid? Or maybe Bard. That way you get to boost everyone (including yourself) and have access to some really good spells.

With UMD and alter self variants you can equip yourself for various fights (flying, swimming, burrowing, high AC etc) and wands for stat boosting.

Inspire courage is fairly easily optimized, see the various handbooks for details.

[Esgath]

Have you read these guides: Playing a God (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.0), Wizard Handbook (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19869222/The_Wizards_Handbook), Being Batman (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9749.0), Conjurer Handbook (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19863086/The_Conjurers_Handbook)?

I'd suggest you go focused specialist conjurer and give up evocation, necromancy and enchantment. You will have tons of spellslots to throw your battlefield control spells. It certainly works for my character :)

Sculpt Spell (CArc, p. 83) is THE best feat for a battlefield controll wizard, especially with combination of Metamagic School Focus (CM, p.45).

[Ursus the Grim]

so not toooo much optimizing


Being Batman (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9749.0)

:smallwink:

If you want help with a build, you're going to have to be a little more exact with what "toooo much optimizing" entails for you. Generally the suggestions will entail a crash course on Practical Optimization.

Luckily, playing control/support means you won't be killing everything.

Wizards get some decent 4th-level spells that do what you're looking to do. Evard's Black Tentacles, Wall of Fire/Ice, Solid Fog, Ice Storm. If you're looking to buff your allies, go Bard instead. Still Arcane but easier to help your allies and is fairly balanced.

Yeah, if you pick up Wizard, I second the Sculpt Spell. Also, decide on your class before you try to decide on your gear.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Just PHB, DMG, MM, and Complete X? No PH2, SpC, MIC, UA/SRD variants, etc.?

I'd recommend something like Wizard (Conjurer) 3/ Master Specialist 2/ Paragnostic Apostle 2 starting out, with Spatial Awareness and either Mind Over Matter or Backhanded Attack for your PA abilities, and Evocation and Enchantment prohibited. Get a Lesser Rod of Extend, Headband of Int +2, a Heward's Handy Haversack, and maybe a Cloak of Resistance, along with a Wand of Web.

Get the Abrupt Jaunt ACF in PH2 along with Martial Wizard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizard) (UA) for Improved Initiative instead of Scribe Scroll if possible, or Rapid Summoning and Enhanced Summoning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#conjurerVariants) (UA) if you can't get Abrupt Jaunt, though if none of those are available it's not a big deal.

Consider taking Obtain Familiar (CA), which counts prestige class levels toward your Wizard level for its benefits, and Improved Familiar (DMG) to get an Imp, Quasit, or Pseudodragon familiar (Imp is the best, you can be LN and get one). You can take Improved Familiar as early as 3rd level, then just wait until you're high enough level to get the one you want. Give it a bunch of Tanglefoot Bags to throw around, especially at flying opponents. Craft: Alchemy would be a good idea, and your familiar can Aid Another on your craft checks!

You'll need Spell Focus: Conjuration for Master Specialist, so if you go Human you'll have one more feat. Improved Initiative is good, or you could go Gnome instead for the Con bonus, small size AC bonus, and you'll even get a bonus on Craft: Alchemy checks but remember that you should always take ten on those.

For 32 point buy, I'd go Str 8, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 8, Cha 8 if Human, or switch Dex and Con if Gnome. If you want more balanced stats, go Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 8, Cha 10. All of your level-up points should go into Int.

[Drinzor]

okay new rules:

I am allowed everything.. but need to be wizard.

and I would like to maybe be a conjurer or transmuter..

but dont want to focus on summoning. purely battle field control.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

My previous advice still stands:

Human or (Whisper) Gnome, Wizard (Conjurer) 3/ Master Specialist 2/ Paragnostic Apostle 2 starting out. Get the Abrupt Jaunt ACF in PH2, use Martial Wizard to get Improved Initiative instead of Scribe Scroll. Get Spatial Awareness and either Backhanded Attack or Mind Over Matter. Maybe go into Incantatrix, and consider getting one more level each of Master Specialist and/or Paragnostic Apostle. Another decent choice would be Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, in which case you should get flaws to get its Spell Focus prerequisites. Reserve feats are also useful, depending on what you get. Note that if you start higher than 1st level, you can take a flaw higher than 1st level as long as it's still taken during character creation. Obtain Familiar and Improved Familiar are still highly recommended, as is Craft: Alchemy.

With MIC you've got quite a few great item choices:
Bracers of Arcane Freedom (MIC, 2,300 gp)
Third Eye: Clarity (MIC, 3,000 gp)
Headband of Conscious Effort (MIC, 2,000 gp) with a +2 Enhancement bonus to Int (MIC, 4,000 gp), optional
Heward's Handy Haversack (DMG, 2,000 gp)
Ring of Sustenance (DMG, 2,500 gp)
Amber Amulet of Vermin, Huge Monstrous Scorpion (MIC, 700 gp, use it to grapple foes)
Healing Belt (MIC, 750 gp)
Wand of Web (DMG, remaining charges x 90 gp)
+1 Cloak of Resistance (DMG, 1,000 gp) or Vest of Resistance (CA, MIC, 1,000 gp), optional
Otyugh Hole visit for Iron Will (CS, 3,000 gp) to qualify for Incantatrix, optional
Tanglefoot Bags

Don't forget a few extra Spell Component Pouches, stuff to put new spells into your spellbook, and maybe an extra spellbook even. You can save quite a bit of gold by filling an entire spellbook with the same 1st level spell, and any time you would add a new spell just cast Secret Page to turn one of those 1st level spells into the new one, and it still takes only one page regardless of its level.

Open a fight with Web or Glitterdust or Stinking Cloud or Black Tentacles, then Haste the party, then either use more area CCs or focus on one target.

[Keld Denar]

Luckily, summoning is only one trick in the bag of a successful Conjourer. Follow BF's suggestions, they are pretty straight. Abrupt Jaunt will save your bacon from level 1 to 20. Lots of the best BC/control spells are in Conjouration. Grease, Web, Glitterdust, Solid Fog, Black Tentacles of Forced Intrusion, Freezing Fog, etc.

Lots of people like to ban Necromancy over Abjuration for Focused Specialist, but I'm a fan of it. Ray of Enfeeblement is so nice as a no-save screw spell that neuters any big bruiser. Its particularly fun for shutting off Power Attack, and subsequently the PA dependant feats like Cleave and Shocktrooper. Ray of Exhaustion is also nice, since even with a sucessful save, you still get screwed. Escalating Enfeeblement is another nice one, if you have access to Complete Mage, and Kelgore's Grave Mist from PHBII is a duel school spell that requires both Conjouration and Necromancy open. Leave the dispel magic to the divine types, you have more important things to do!

[Drinzor]

where do find all those prc classes

[Drinzor]

Bah never mind. some of the other decided they wanted to be the wizard, and I dont really mind being something else.. but thx for the imput

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You can't have enough Wizards.

[Drinzor]

maybe true... going to make a character, just dont know what yet. exept that a ranged dps and a tank is made..

so if anyone got a great idea for a level 7 build I am all ears...

just need a theme

[Keld Denar]

Silverbrow Human Bard5/Mindbender(CArcane)1/Bard+1

1 Melodic Casting (Complete Mage)
H Dragonfire Inspiration (Dragon Magic)
3 Songs of the Heart (Eberron Campaign Setting)
6 Mindsight (Lords of Madness)

You'll just barely have 3rd level spells, so Haste is a good pick. Most combats are going to start with you first casting swift action Inspirational Boost (Spell Compendium), standard action Inspire Courage (Dragonfire or vanilla), and then moving somewhere. Immedaiately after your turn ends, but before the next character's turn, activate your Badge of Valor (MIC, 1400g) to amp up your Inspire Courage. You'll have 1 base +1 Songs of the Heart +1 Inspirational Boost + 1 Badge of Valor = +4 bard song. This manifests either as +4d6 fire damage (Dragonfire), or +4/+4 to hit and damage (vanilla IC). Your second combat round should probably be spent casting Haste or attacking or casting Whirling Blade. Everything from there on is gravy.

Mindsight keeps you from ever being ambushed. Ever. Well, except by mindless undead, which generally aren't terribly sneaky or difficult to defeat. Since you know where invisible foes are, you can also paint them with Glitterdust to make them easy for your friends to target as well.

If you don't want the Suggestion song, the ECS has an alt class feature that'll let you swap it out for a music feat. Take Lyric Spell (CAdventurer) to burn music for more spell slots. You can get an extra Haste/day for 4 musics, which may or may not be worth it. If you do, see if you can snag a feat and pick up Extra Music at 1st as well.

[hex0]

May I suggest Dragon Shaman as a fit for the role of buffer in your party? Maybe Paladin of Freedom 2/Copper Dragon Shaman 5. Take entangling exhalation for sure. Or Barbarian 1/Copper Dragon Shaman 6 is nice too. Or just Dragon Shaman 7. It is a non-MAD class that can fill many roles.

Or maybe just play a Bard? Bard/Gnome Paragon/Shadowcraft mage build?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Keld's Bard idea is extremely good. Might I suggest you use Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) with it, use flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) to get Obtain Familiar + Improved Familiar and/or Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a). Also note that you can use a Shortbow and still benefit from Dragonfire Inspiration.

[hex0]

So what is your party now? A tank, a wizard, a skill-monkey, a healer
?

And then you? Need a buffer/face? If you are worried about Dragon Shaman being a little weak, in my game we gave it 4 skills per level and the same spell-casting progression of a spellthief. Balanced out nicely.