Ftr/Wiz Gish setup help

[macdaddy]

After going back and forth on sorcadin vs ftr/wiz I am leaning towards a Ftr/Wiz build. A Sorcadin won't get 4th level spells until 10th level, a ftr/wiz will get it at 9th level. Since our campaigns usually fizzle out around 10th-12th level, a Ftr/Wiz would seem to give me the biggest bang for the buck. Also, as a focused specialist, the number of spells available per day are the same, and have a little more variety.

Stats:
S: 14, D: 14, C: 14, I: 18, W: 11, Ch: 13

1. Ftr - Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes
2. Ftr - Power Attack
3. Wiz (focused specialist Transmuter) - Scribe Scroll, Practiced Spell caster
4 Wiz
5 Wiz
6 Wiz - Knowledge Devotion
7 Spell Sword
8 Abjurant Champ
9 Abjurant Champ - Arcane Strike
10 Abj Champ
11 Abj Champ
12 Abj Champ - Minor shape shift
13-20 Sacred Exorcist (2 undecided feats)

How does this progression look?

[NeoSeraphi]

There's a UA version of wizard that lets you drop Scribe Scroll and your other bonus feats for fighter combat feats (including Improved Initative, which is a common trade for Scribe Scroll) so I suggest you look into that, unless you actually plan to be scribing anything. (The option for switching feats for combat feats is also on the SRD if you don't have the book)

Also, I believe in UA but not the SRD (I could be wrong) there's a version of fighter which, IIRC, lets you trade your medium and heavy armor proficiency for the ability to cast low level arcane spells in light armor. The highest spell level you can cast is equal to your fighter level, so in your build it would be two...so you would get free casting of 2nd level spells before you got Spellsword. You would trade your survivability at 1st and 2nd level to improve it significantly at 3rd and 4th level. (I'm AFB so I can't guarantee at all that this is how the ACF works, sorry)

You should tell us which schools you're dropping, by the way. Obviously you have transmutation and abjuration to work with, but what else?

[Cog]

Also, I believe in UA but not the SRD (I could be wrong) there's a version of fighter which, IIRC, lets you trade your medium and heavy armor proficiency for the ability to cast low level arcane spells in light armor.
Complete Mage, and the spell level limit is your Fighter level +1.

[macdaddy]

I will drop Enchantment/charm, Evocation, and Necromancy. The only spells I miss out on are grease and contingency, and I believe that I can duplicate contingency with Greater Shadow Conjuration.

I don't know if unearthed arcana is available to us. I'll have to check it out. There are sooooooooooo many books in 3.5 and its not very well organized in my opinion, so its difficult to know what's worth taking and from where...

I thought scribe scroll would be a good feat to keep as I could put spells on that are useful, but that I would not necessarily want to keep memorized (an Alter Self scroll for example). Once more fighter feat doesn't seem as useful....

Since I don't plan to wear anything more than Light Armor, being able to cast 2nd level spells without ASF, would be pretty good and act as a nice bridge to spellsword. And it is in complete mage, page 32! Thats fricken awesome, the requirement is just 1 skill rank in knowledge arcana. I will definitely add that!

[macdaddy]

Armored Mage variant doesn't work because you need to be proficient in all armors to take spellsword, which would not happen if you give up Med/Hvy armor....

So I guess I won't take it.

[gorfnab]

Since I don't plan to wear anything more than Light Armor, being able to cast 2nd level spells without ASF, would be pretty good and act as a nice bridge to spellsword. And it is in complete mage, page 32! Thats fricken awesome, the requirement is just 1 skill rank in knowledge arcana. I will definitely add that!
Abjurant Champion + Greater Luminous Armor + Shield (spell) = no need for physical armor

[NeoSeraphi]

Abjurant Champion + Greater Luminous Armor + Shield (spell) = no need for physical armor

We don't know if he's good, or if he's using the Book of Exalted Deeds (See also: Number One Book Banned By Your DM)

@OP: If you'd prefer Scribe Scroll, by all means, take it, though I think you'll find that paying XP and gp costs is a bit off-putting after extended use.

[Hirax]

What level are you starting at? I'm not sold that fighter is necessary to do what you want to do, you might get more mileage out of a 1 level dip in cleric (cloistered cleric if Unearthed Arcana is available) than a 2 level dip in fighter. In particular, since Complete Champion is available, you can trade your cleric domains for devotion feats instead.

[NeoSeraphi]

What level are you starting at? I'm not sold that fighter is necessary to do what you want to do, you might get more mileage out of a 1 level dip in cleric (cloistered cleric if Unearthed Arcana is available) than a 2 level dip in fighter. In particular, since Complete Champion is available, you can trade your cleric domains for devotion feats instead.

To qualify for his spellsword class, he must be proficient with all martial weapons and all armor. Not going to do that without fighter/paladin

[Coidzor]

Or the militia regional feat, but that's another feat to add to the pile. And BAB is the main reason to be taking any fighter levels so that one can get in a decent number of gish PrC levels as soon as possible to maximize the playability of the build.

[macdaddy]

I am starting at level 1. Maybe we have access to exalted deeds, but most likely not, I wouldn't allow it as a GM....

I need a 2 levels of ftr/pal for:
1. martial weapon prof, all armor prof
2. BAB
3. Survivablity at early levels

a level of cleric would set me back on BaB in getting into spellsword or abj champ.