Character Optimization

[Zerek229]

Hello all, I've come back to Giantitp once again seeking the help of all those on the forum in order to make a character that is fully optimized to its potential. My goal is do get my DM to throw several heavy books at me. I decided sometime last year that i would educate myself on the 3.5 system after having played it for a few years. I made too many crappy characters that ranged from absolutely terrible, to subpar at best, and would be on par with the man in our party that would try to make a 1sorc/1wiz/1barb/1fighter/3rogue, and say that he is the most efficient person in the party. Since then i have made a variety of characters that eventually led up to my brokenly overpowered druid. My dm says that there is no way to create a character more broken than my druid, and i intend to prove him wrong. Recently with the near TPK except for myself and the original party fighter, 3 of the other 4 members have decided they will make fighters essentially, so i told him i would make another class and have my druid re enter the campaign when possible. He laughed and told me that the party would surely die without my druid in it. I couldn't possibly create a character that could even hold a candle to what my druid can do, and i can understand his point, but i want to prove him wrong. I want to build an arcane caster, who borders on the lines of practically being as powerful as the DM himself. Obviously that's a little much, and is overstating what i actually want, but i want to create something immensely powerful, and rivaling that of my druid, which he says no arcane caster can do. I was hoping to see a variety of builds that would help me accomplish this, so i would very much appreciate as much feedback as possible from you guys. And i do ask that no posts such as "20 wizard is optimized by itself" because while being true it isn't at all what i'm asking for. I've just gotten so tired of being so poor that i want a couple of highly optimized characters before i settle back down at tier 3, because honestly its going to become extremely boring to be THAT powerful, and its unsportsmanlike, which i completely understand. We are not open to eberron, and most faerun books, however feats and classes not in eberron can be on a case by case basis. Such classes like the incantatrix i have already gotten approved by him. Some eberron PRCs might be open, but again those are on an even less case by case basis, and the only reason for faerun is something specific with the campaign, which i forget, but it isn't important. All other books are open, including psionics, but i'd rather avoid them all together if possible. I thank everyone in advance who helps me out on this one. I just have to mess with my DM a little haha.

[Darth Stabber]

To answer your question I need to know a little more, like namely what specifically you want to out do from before. I suggest the brilliant gameologists handbook section particularly the handbooks about wizards, and tln's famous guide to being batman. Solo's Stupendously Superior Sorcerer Strategems is also a good read if you prefer to take the spont casting route. A mailman sorcerer type of build might be just what your after, since metamagic abuse on orb spells is a relatively easy path to DMG to face levels of power. Batman wizardry is a favored path to power, it's not easy, and requires a lot of thought and carefully agonizing over every choice your character makes, but if done appropriately you will be far better at what a druid does than a druid. Just remember that druid doesn't take as much continued planning and absolute optimization to keep up, it's self contained, unlike wizard/sorc builds that are usually a massive list of prcs from obscure sources. Druid has every thing it needs to achieve increadible levels of power built into it's progression, as opposed to wizard and sorc which are pretty much a mass of dead levels.

Look at things like incantrix, IOT7FV, abjurant champion, dread witch, which ever prc uses corruption to set save dcs, archmage. These classes offer you continued spell progression and amazing abilities, as such they are you friends, and should be utilized heavily. Also metamagic abuse + orbs or enervate ends fights.

[Tvtyrant]

Make an Artificer and go the blastificer route. It's not strictly more broken than the Druid, but it insta-kills everything that comes into its line of sight, so it feels like it.

[Zerek229]

I actually had a wizard created that contained 4 Incantatrix and 7 IoSFV, which i really enjoyed thematically, but had problems with getting my spellcraft as high as I wanted. I forgot to mention that at the point in time we are lvl 10. Also, I was just hoping for a list of different prestiges for wizards that people thought were really powerful, as I had pretty much assumed that a wizards power trumps a sorcerers even if by a smaller margin than many may think. I wanted to specifically make a battlefield controller, or summoner most likely, unless i see something more interesting. I've always loved transmutation abjuration, and conjuration, although two of those are seen as THE broken wizard schools. I have already taken a look at guides such as the Batman, Dictum Mortuum and Treantmonk, but what i really want are prestige classes, like dweomerkeeper, incantatrix, tainted scholar (which i'm told is really good, but don't entirely understand it). Anything that gives a good amount of power, and is something my DM wont see coming, because he is set in the fact that i cannot create a better character. Also, if there are arcane casters (or divine casters) that want to be mentioned, I am in no way set on just wiz/sorc. I just figured that would give the most bang for my buck.