A wizard and his spellbook.

[LanSlyde]

So, some time ago I made a direct damage sorcerer for my other half to play in an upcoming campaign. Initially I was going to use one of my mundanes in it but our cleric dropped out as well as our bard.

So in response I have taken to building a batman wizard to complement her Just Shoot It play style.

The build is going to be Changling Wizard 3 (duel-specialization sub-levels) / Master Specialist 10 (duel-specialization ruled to work) / Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7 (because I couldn't decide and it squeezes in perfectly).

Banned schools are Necromancy, Evocation, and Enchantment;

Now I'm in the process of building and planning his spellbook. So in your own opinions, what spells are absolutely essential for a wizard to have access to that fall outside the banned schools?

[Pickford]

Moment of Prescience.

[TaiLiu]

Knock can be nice.

[Snowbluff]

Power Word Pai- dammit.
Force Ca- CRAP!
Clone... You know what? Forget it.

[ahenobarbi]

In the Treant Monks Guide to Wizards: Being a God (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19873034/Treantmonks_guide_to_Wizards%3A_Being_a_God&post_num=5) you have a section with links to threads about spells in every school.

Remember to make your spell selection varied. I made a big mistake of picking similar spells (Obscuring mist, Fog Cloud, Solid Fog, Black Tentacles - for good spells but all that they can do is obscuring vision and hamper movement). Pick something useful when fighting crowds (like black tentacles), something good against single opponents (like ray of exhaustion), some direct damage (usually you don't want it but sometimes you do), some buffs (good thing about buffs is that they affect your team mates so they almost always work). Look for long-duration buffs (Mage Armor, Create Magic Tatoo). Use low-level slots for utility (when you hit level 12 there is no reason not to have unseen servant non-stop).

Also:
- Shadow evocation (greater). Contingency spell is Evocantion, which you banned. Get it back.
- Shadow Conjuration. Create magic tatoo costs 100 gp, but it can get you or your party nice bonuses (+1 caster level, +2 to-hit). This lets you get it in 1 round and without paying gold.
- Black tentacles, solid fog (prepare one of them - they do very similar thing).
- Orb of X - for your direct damage needs.
- Haste, Slow.
- EDIT: Ray of Exhaustion (I missed that you banned Necro).
- Greater Magic Weapon - make weapons of your buddies better.
- Greater Mighty Wallop - very good if one of your melee guys uses bludgeoning weapon.

[HMS Invincible]

No focused specialists? You've already banned the weak schools, might as well go all the way and make conjuration and transmutation go the distance.

[LanSlyde]

Power Word Pai- dammit.
Force Ca- CRAP!
Clone... You know what? Forget it.

So... Are you saying I chose my schools poorly?

I'm on the fence about banning necromancy. I'm debating swapping it out for Conjuration.


In the Treant Monks Guide to Wizards: Being a God (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19873034/Treantmonks_guide_to_Wizards%3A_Being_a_God&post_num=5) you have a section with links to threads about spells in every school.

Remember to make your spell selection varied. I made a big mistake of picking similar spells (Obscuring mist, Fog Cloud, Solid Fog, Black Tentacles - for good spells but all that they can do is obscuring vision and hamper movement). Pick something useful when fighting crowds (like black tentacles), something good against single opponents (like ray of exhaustion), some direct damage (usually you don't want it but sometimes you do), some buffs (good thing about buffs is that they affect your team mates so they almost always work). Look for long-duration buffs (Mage Armor, Create Magic Tatoo). Use low-level slots for utility (when you hit level 12 there is no reason not to have unseen servant non-stop).

Also:
- Shadow evocation (greater). Contingency spell is Evocantion, which you banned. Get it back.
- Shadow Conjuration. Create magic tatoo costs 100 gp, but it can get you or your party nice bonuses (+1 caster level, +2 to-hit). This lets you get it in 1 round and without paying gold.
- Black tentacles, solid fog (prepare one of them - they do very similar thing).
- Orb of X - for your direct damage needs.
- Haste, Slow.
- EDIT: Ray of Exhaustion (I missed that you banned Necro).
- Greater Magic Weapon - make weapons of your buddies better.
- Greater Mighty Wallop - very good if one of your melee guys uses bludgeoning weapon.

-Is their a good reason to unban evocation just for Contingency when I get Celerity anyway?
- Already aware of Shadow Conjuration
- I know to avoid the pitfall of preparing too much of the same thing
-Orbs already acquired
-As well as Haste, Slow
-Might go back and swap out Conjuration for Necromancy
-Greater Magic Weapon already acquired
-No bludgeoning (yet)


No focused specialists? You've already banned the weak schools, might as well go all the way and make conjuration and transmutation go the distance.

What exactly are you referring to as as Focused Specialist?

[Snowbluff]

So... Are you saying I chose my schools poorly?

I'm on the fence about banning necromancy. I'm debating swapping it out for Conjuration. I am just saying don't be so quick to ban those three. They can be pretty awesome (when they work). I would suggest getting a spell list before you figure out what to ban.


What exactly are you referring to as as Focused Specialist?

Focused Specialists gain an extra 2 spell slots/spell level for their school, for the cost of another banned school and 1 slot/spell level.

[Lonely Tylenol]

So... Are you saying I chose my schools poorly?

I'm on the fence about banning necromancy. I'm debating swapping it out for Conjuration.

Thou shalt not ban Conjuration.

Conjuration is Batman's absolute favorite school. It is the second-largest (tailing only Transmutation) and quite possibly the best-supported.

Necromancy may be a painful ban, but that's the risk you take with dual-specialization (or focused specialization). That's why any specialist who goes into Incantatrix waits until Incantatrix 1 to ban it--that way, they at least get some of the good spells from the early levels. :smalltongue:


-Is their a good reason to unban evocation just for Contingency when I get Celerity anyway?

Contingencied Celerity.

[LanSlyde]

Thou shalt not ban Conjuration.

Conjuration is Batman's absolute favorite school. It is the second-largest (tailing only Transmutation) and quite possibly the best-supported.

Necromancy may be a painful ban, but that's the risk you take with dual-specialization (or focused specialization). That's why any specialist who goes into Incantatrix waits until Incantatrix 1 to ban it--that way, they at least get some of the good spells from the early levels. :smalltongue:



Contingencied Celerity.

Excellent, So what exactly do you people suggest I do?

[LanSlyde]

I am just saying don't be so quick to ban those three. They can be pretty awesome (when they work). I would suggest getting a spell list before you figure out what to ban.



Focused Specialists gain an extra 2 spell slots/spell level for their school, for the cost of another banned school and 1 slot/spell level.

I see, Duel-Specialization already nets me 3 illusion or transmutation per level, without the -1 spells per day.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Excellent, So what exactly do you people suggest I do?

Honestly, barring Spontaneous Divination shenanigans, it sounds like you have everything in order. Just make sure you have a relevant save-or-die or no-save-just-suck at every level (1: Grease, 2: Web, 3: Sleet Storm, 4: Solid Fog, and so on), ideally with diverse saves in case of save-or-sucks/save-or-dies. Also try to find a buff that stays relevant, etc., at every level. That way, if you need to throw yourself whole-heartedly at one thing for the day, you can prepare multiple instances (or multiple different spells) at each level as the situation arises.

Beyond that, pick up the staples, and then look at what the party isn't doing, or needs help doing, and do that. Even if it means picking up shark repellant.

Wizard spell usage is super situational and group dependent, so focus on the Wizard's strength, which is adapting to different situations.

[LanSlyde]

Honestly, barring Spontaneous Divination shenanigans, it sounds like you have everything in order. Just make sure you have a relevant save-or-die or no-save-just-suck at every level (1: Grease, 2: Web, 3: Sleet Storm, 4: Solid Fog, and so on), ideally with diverse saves in case of save-or-sucks/save-or-dies. Also try to find a buff that stays relevant, etc., at every level. That way, if you need to throw yourself whole-heartedly at one thing for the day, you can prepare multiple instances (or multiple different spells) at each level as the situation arises.

Beyond that, pick up the staples, and then look at what the party isn't doing, or needs help doing, and do that. Even if it means picking up shark repellant.

Wizard spell usage is super situational and group dependent, so focus on the Wizard's strength, which is adapting to different situations.

Excellent, all so Oz is all set. (I named the wizard Oz)

Now I can focus on applying a basilisk cannon to the back of a Bulldozer so I can actually offer my 40k group a challenge tomorrow. Damn PCs just don't know when to stop chasing heresy. :smalltongue: