Sheep Overlord
2012-10-29, 08:47 PM
I know this topic has been done before (and I've seen the handbook, though in my personal experience just because it's RAW doesn't mean the DM will allow it so I've taken it with a grain of salt), but I've been mulling over the idea of a wizard based on using his familiar in combat. So far what I've come up with is pretty much this:
Human Wizard (Evoker) (Banned: Illusion and Enchantment)
H: Lurking Familiar
1: Bonded Familiar
B: Scribe Scroll
B: Obtain Familiar (Raven)
3: Combat Familiar
B: Empower Spell
6: Arcane Thesis (Combust)
9: Improved Familiar (Imp [w/ Raven form])
B: Retributive/Blistering Spell
I also have a list of spells to take, which I won't copy/paste here to save space; suffice to say, it's mostly a mix between offensive touch spells (such as Shocking Grasp and Combust), 'self'-targeted spells (including the Light of Luminia line from the Spell Compendium, which becomes rather more powerful than intended when shared with a familiar) and general buffs (Mage Armor and False Life spring to mind).
My group usually starts play around the 3-6 level range, and we rarely go above level 10. I could use some help with making the build playable at levels 1-2 and with keeping the familiar more survivable, though (2-4 hp at 1st level really stings, and it doesn't increase much past that).
At first level, even as a specialist, I can't expect to prepare more than 3 spells per day (4 at second level). For now I have marked one casting of Mage Armor, one casting of Light of Luminia, and one casting of Benign Transposition. BT gives a bit of utility, as at 1-3 level I'd pretty much be rogue-support most of the time (sneaking in or breaking out is easier for a Tiny flier than a small or medium humanoid, and spot/listen mods will be pretty good for a first level character). Mage Armor is pretty much necessary to survive - a single solid hit will likely put me negative, so I need to avoid that if at all possible. This leaves one casting of Light of Luminia, which can serve as minor utility (flying torch) and decent offense at range, or else a first-level nova if the raven perches on the wizard's shoulder and they share it (range 'you', so both the wizard and the raven could be affected and subsequently fire off 2 bolts each for d6 damage/bolt).
Are there any particular spell or skill selections to make low-level play easier or less dangerous? Is there a cheap way to make the raven's natural attack damage a bit more relevant, so it can continue to contribute in combat beyond that single nova attack?
Also, what sort of equipment should I look into buying? Should I buy things that affect the familiar directly, or which benefit the caster and by extension the raven? Some things are obvious (Headband of Intellect +X for example) but I don't really know much about familiar-specific equipment.
I'm aware that evocation (as a general rule) is considered to be an inferior school for specialization, but it'll get used a lot in this build (light of X, shocking grasp, and I believe combust as well are evocation). It hurts a bit to get rid of Illusion but I don't know what else to ditch (Necromancy is important for False Life, Evocation is my main offense, Abjuration/Conjuration/Transmutation provide defenses and some offensive abilities, and I can't lose Divination anyway).
I'm also a bit inexperienced with play above 8th level, so how should I keep the build competitive from 8-10? Targeting Touch AC goes a long way, but keeping my familiar alive is a big concern.
Advice?
Human Wizard (Evoker) (Banned: Illusion and Enchantment)
H: Lurking Familiar
1: Bonded Familiar
B: Scribe Scroll
B: Obtain Familiar (Raven)
3: Combat Familiar
B: Empower Spell
6: Arcane Thesis (Combust)
9: Improved Familiar (Imp [w/ Raven form])
B: Retributive/Blistering Spell
I also have a list of spells to take, which I won't copy/paste here to save space; suffice to say, it's mostly a mix between offensive touch spells (such as Shocking Grasp and Combust), 'self'-targeted spells (including the Light of Luminia line from the Spell Compendium, which becomes rather more powerful than intended when shared with a familiar) and general buffs (Mage Armor and False Life spring to mind).
My group usually starts play around the 3-6 level range, and we rarely go above level 10. I could use some help with making the build playable at levels 1-2 and with keeping the familiar more survivable, though (2-4 hp at 1st level really stings, and it doesn't increase much past that).
At first level, even as a specialist, I can't expect to prepare more than 3 spells per day (4 at second level). For now I have marked one casting of Mage Armor, one casting of Light of Luminia, and one casting of Benign Transposition. BT gives a bit of utility, as at 1-3 level I'd pretty much be rogue-support most of the time (sneaking in or breaking out is easier for a Tiny flier than a small or medium humanoid, and spot/listen mods will be pretty good for a first level character). Mage Armor is pretty much necessary to survive - a single solid hit will likely put me negative, so I need to avoid that if at all possible. This leaves one casting of Light of Luminia, which can serve as minor utility (flying torch) and decent offense at range, or else a first-level nova if the raven perches on the wizard's shoulder and they share it (range 'you', so both the wizard and the raven could be affected and subsequently fire off 2 bolts each for d6 damage/bolt).
Are there any particular spell or skill selections to make low-level play easier or less dangerous? Is there a cheap way to make the raven's natural attack damage a bit more relevant, so it can continue to contribute in combat beyond that single nova attack?
Also, what sort of equipment should I look into buying? Should I buy things that affect the familiar directly, or which benefit the caster and by extension the raven? Some things are obvious (Headband of Intellect +X for example) but I don't really know much about familiar-specific equipment.
I'm aware that evocation (as a general rule) is considered to be an inferior school for specialization, but it'll get used a lot in this build (light of X, shocking grasp, and I believe combust as well are evocation). It hurts a bit to get rid of Illusion but I don't know what else to ditch (Necromancy is important for False Life, Evocation is my main offense, Abjuration/Conjuration/Transmutation provide defenses and some offensive abilities, and I can't lose Divination anyway).
I'm also a bit inexperienced with play above 8th level, so how should I keep the build competitive from 8-10? Targeting Touch AC goes a long way, but keeping my familiar alive is a big concern.
Advice?