Im a wizard trying to buff my meatshield any ideas?

[Drake2009]

I am currently in a campaign with some friends. Its a pathfinders campaign were facing drows a lot and such. We have the following character: Rogue level 6 Barbarian level 6 Cleric level 6 Gunslinger level 6 Wizard level 6 (thats me) and a Ranger/Gunslinger who is my 2nd character were gonna sack him and bring in a new character another friend who plans to be a ranger specialized in archery. The wizard is specialized in none so i can use any magic. We seem to have only one meat shield so im trying to get a good idea of buffs i can use. I am so you know using 3.5 rules and my DM is open to say dragon magazine stuff and by that i mean he is open to anything i just need to clear it with him. If you have any ideas they would be most appreciated!

[Archmage1]

Haste.
Really, they all like an extra attack.

[Drake2009]

Haste.
Really, they all like an extra attack.

Yeah I used that last session the rogue specifically LOVED it he was using 2 weapons so he had like 4 attacks it rocked! I talked to some friends and spent some time on the books too. So far ive got rage for the +2 to strength and con then shield to get rid of the -2 to ac rage creates. Also greater magic weapon cause the barbarian sometimes has trouble hitting her targets.

Edit: I also have heroism to help with attack rolls the barbarian can sometimes get very bad rolls lol

[dwlc2000]

Enlarge person. Bam. Large sized barb meat shield.

[Drake2009]

Enlarge person. Bam. Large sized barb meat shield.

ooh good idea! Hadnt thought of that we were mostly fighting in caves last campaign lol. I have been using my 1st level slots for magic missile lol!

[Drake2009]

Also my friend the gunslinger asked me to see about magic that improves crit range whenever he gets a crit the guy is down. I didn't find any spell that did this in the normal players handbook.

[Andezzar]

Also my friend the gunslinger asked me to see about magic that improves crit range whenever he gets a crit the guy is down. I didn't find any spell that did this in the normal players handbook.If the guns deal bludgeoning damage Weapon of Impact SPC p. 237, if not Keen Weapon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/keenEdge.htm).

Blur should also help the meat shields.

Next level you will want Polymorph. 7 headed Hydra means a lot of sneak attacks.

I would not buff them with rage, beacuse of the restrictions rage gives the characters. Better use Bull's Strength and/or Bear's Endurance.

[Drake2009]

ooh ok i hadnt looked at the specifics of rage lol

[jedipilot24]

Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, Magic Weapon

[Drake2009]

yeah we are buffing her with those and she at the moment has a overgrown bas sword that i think is +1

[Quietus]

Yeah I used that last session the rogue specifically LOVED it he was using 2 weapons so he had like 4 attacks it rocked! I talked to some friends and spent some time on the books too. So far ive got rage for the +2 to strength and con then shield to get rid of the -2 to ac rage creates. Also greater magic weapon cause the barbarian sometimes has trouble hitting her targets.

Edit: I also have heroism to help with attack rolls the barbarian can sometimes get very bad rolls lol

Haste should only give one extra attack total, not one per weapon. And Shield can't be cast on other people. A great option for the Rogue is Grease - not on the Rogue, but on the ground under his target. Even if the target makes its save, it's standing on a slippery surface, and has to make balance checks. If it doesn't have 5 ranks in balance, then that means it's flat-footed, and eligible for sneak attack.

[Eldariel]

Haste is one that's actually worth casting in combat. Enlarge Person can be strong if he can make use of the reach to do lots of attacks of opportunity. Other than that, just disable enemies.

[Zanthy1]

Would the rage spell conflict with the barbarian's rage ability? I feel like it would be a waste to cast the spell when he (or she) can just do that lol

[Drake2009]

Would the rage spell conflict with the barbarian's rage ability? I feel like it would be a waste to cast the spell when he (or she) can just do that lol

i thought it didnt conflict not sure though.

[Drake2009]

ARG I was all set to use these new spells and such but of course the session was canceled! Rars!

[Menzath]

Blur/displacement.
blink might hurt more than help at times, but can still be useful till
Blink, Greater.
Haste(already said, or course.)
Stoneskin (costly, but if he buys the components worth it)
Spider climb/fly. raging VS climbers, flyers, and others just out of reach can make meeles very sad pandas.(though you may have more than enough ranged to make that a non-issue)
Freedom of movement. (hold person, paralasyis, and being grappled suck, especially when the grapple leads to being eaten.)

[navar100]

Displacement

Opponent missing your warrior 50% of the time will please him a lot, especially when it was a critical threat.

Protection From Evil

It's the +2 to saving throws against evil bad guys more than the AC that's important.

[Andezzar]

It's the +2 to saving throws against evil bad guys more than the AC that's important.Too bad the OP is playing PF. In 3.5 you would also get immunity to mind-affecting abilities of evil creatures. In PF you only get a reroll.

[Daftendirekt]

Too bad the OP is playing PF. In 3.5 you would also get immunity to mind-affecting abilities of evil creatures. In PF you only get a reroll.

That's because blanket immunity to mind-affecting is way too good for such a low level spell -- or any spell, considering that in PF even Mind Blank only gives you a bonus on the saves.

[ericgrau]

I'll add:
Bull's strength
Magic circle against evil: dungeon entrance buff
greater magic weapon: morning buff
heroism: dungeon entrance buff
communal resist energy (UC)
fly: for hard to reach foes

When level 4 spells come:
telekinetic charge (UC): Chuck a fighter-doken. Melee does more damage than casters don't they? So outdo a damage mage by throwing the fighter. :smallbiggrin: Plus he gets to full attack when his turn comes.
greater invisibility: rogue will love you, others won't mind it either

Your biggest limitation is time, so it pays to prioritize your buffs. Morning buffs and dungeon entrance buffs are good time savers too so you can do other buffs once fights break out. I'd scribe protection from evil and enlarge person onto scrolls. They're only 12.5 gp each. You usually won't have time for them but this way you'll have them cheaply once you do finally use them. Potions of both are good for the meat shield too and cheap, so that he can buff himself while you buff him at the same time.

[Piggy Knowles]

EDIT: I see you're playing PF - I'm not too familiar with how spells were changed for PF, so some of this info may not apply...

The campaign I'm currently playing a wizard in was originally built for BFC, but the rest of the party is REALLY bad at organizing attacks and the like, so I've switched to mostly buffing. Here's what I've found most useful (many of these have been mentioned already, but it bears repeating):

1. Polymorph. It's a borked spell, but I don't feel so bad about it when I'm using it on the VoP monk.

2. Mass Snake's Swiftness. Give everyone around you an extra immediate attack. Especially when you've already buffed your party out the wazoo, this deals far more damage than any blasting spell I've ever come across, and it makes the rest of the party feel good about the kills, too.

3. Haste. Duh. It's the quintessential buff for a reason. I don't actually use it that much, because most of the party members already picked up items that grant Haste before I joined the party, but it's still amazingly good whether it comes from me or an item.

4. Enlarge Person. I have two wands I fall back on when I don't feel like wasting spell points - a wand of Enlarge Person, and a wand of Benign Transposition. This one gets used on the dwarven cleric, mostly, since the VoP monk is usually already a treant or something.

5. Extended Magic Circle Against Evil. I pretty much always keep this up as a mini-Mind Blank. I forgot once, and half the party got charmed by a pair of Erinyes.

6. Greater Mighty Wallop. At my current level (9) Greater Magic Weapon only gives a +2 bonus, and everyone but the monk already had +2 or better weapons by the time I joined the party. But Greater Mighty Wallop is still a pretty sizable damage boost even at level 9. The biggest draw is the 1 hour/level duration.

Hope this helps!

[Daftendirekt]

EDIT: I see you're playing PF - I'm not too familiar with how spells were changed for PF, so some of this info may not apply...

1. Polymorph. It's a borked spell, but I don't feel so bad about it when I'm using it on the VoP monk.


Yeah, the whole polymorph sub-school was nerfed in PF. They're still useful, but not nearly as powerful in 3.5

[navar100]

Polymorphing the warrior in Pathfinder is still a good idea. You're still increasing his ability scores, so if you're ok with Bull's Strength and Bear's Endurance Polymorphing does the same thing but with some extra stuff, and you can stack on Bull's Strength or Bear's Endurace on top.

[lsfreak]

While it won't be useful now, something to keep in mind is Greater Magic Weapon. Consider the price of a +3 weapon, compared to the price of a 3rd-level Pearl of Power. It's far, far better money-wise for a melee to pay for a wizard's Pearl of Power, and instead of going for flat +1's to weapons, get just +1 and everything else goes towards other enhancements. Or get the Pearl and take the rest of your gold and sink it into other areas like Str +2 gloves, belts of battle, heartseeking amulets...

Similarly with the cleric and Greater Magic Vestments, though that's not quite as important imo.

[ericgrau]

Polymorphing the warrior in Pathfinder is still a good idea. You're still increasing his ability scores, so if you're ok with Bull's Strength and Bear's Endurance Polymorphing does the same thing but with some extra stuff, and you can stack on Bull's Strength or Bear's Endurace on top.

Well bull's strength is already mediocre compared to simply damaging the foes yourself. It's a good secondary buff when you've already used your other options. Bear's endurance is even worse; I wouldn't cast it at all (mass bear's endurance, however, is decent). Pathfinder polymorph is perhaps worse than bull's strength for raw stats. You can get more with the animal or elemental forms, but then without a weapon your damage actually goes down. If you presume an earth elemental can wield a weapon then it's maybe a hair better than bull's strength and perhaps more than a hair for a tank. Otherwise for all forms except an earth elemental with a weapon (if that's allowed), it's only good if you need a form's mobility along with the stat buff. Mostly for swimming, until you get greater polymorph. Greater polymorph is good for stats too, but it's level 7.

[Chilingsworth]

Sure, buff your allies.

But also debuff your enemies!

Grease: fail reflex? fall down! Make a reflex save? ok, better have some balance (or arcobatics in PF, I guess?) or the rogue'll shank ya! Oh, and you'll be moving at half speed through the grease, so no tumbling and no 5ft steps.

Ray of Enfeeblement: Thog Smash! ZAP! Watch his muscles shrivel for awhile. Not hitting so hard (or so often) now, are you? Alternate Use: Hit a low strength character, and there's a good chance he/she will be encumbered. (Unfortunately, not imobilized as you can't reduce the target's strength below 1. But if you can deal some strength damage after hitting the poor sap with this... :smallwink:)

Glitterdust: Oh... pretty sparkles- OH MY GOD I CAN'T SEE! (remember: blind creatures treat all other creatures as if they were invisible. That means bonuses for everyone's attacks, massive penalties to the monster, and more shanking oportunities for the rogue.)

Stinking Cloud: What's that sme-- *noises* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugJ05G5rTqA) Nasuea is a nasty status ailment. You want to inflict it on your foes as often as possible.

When you get 4th level spells:

Enervation: Spell casters lose spells and effective caster level, any target loses hp as well as to hit and save bonuses. If you hit them with enough of these, they just die.

5th level spells:

Cloudkill: Wipes out the weaklings quickly and costs even the big threats Con.

Wall of Force, Wall of Stone: You know how they say "Never Split the Party?" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWcCskvU3vE) Sure, your party. Try splitting your enemies' parties and defeat them in detail. Or, use it to prevent pursuit in the event you need to retreat (and are out of the spell below).

Teleport: Get you and your party anywhere you're familiar with (that's even remotely nearby.) Great escape button, or just so you and your party can fight in the dungeon, but rest in a nice inn.

[Urpriest]

While it won't be useful now, something to keep in mind is Greater Magic Weapon. Consider the price of a +3 weapon, compared to the price of a 3rd-level Pearl of Power. It's far, far better money-wise for a melee to pay for a wizard's Pearl of Power, and instead of going for flat +1's to weapons, get just +1 and everything else goes towards other enhancements. Or get the Pearl and take the rest of your gold and sink it into other areas like Str +2 gloves, belts of battle, heartseeking amulets...

Similarly with the cleric and Greater Magic Vestments, though that's not quite as important imo.

Note that in Pathfinder, flat +1s do have some value, since higher enhancement bonuses can beat material and a alignment-based DR, while Greater Magic Weapon can only help with DR/magic.

[Drake2009]

Not sure ive been totally clear here lol. Were using Pathfinder maps as far as i know but 3.5 rules. not sure how this works but it does. Thanks for so much help and please feel free to keep giving suggestions lol.

[Urpriest]

Not sure ive been totally clear here lol. Were using Pathfinder maps as far as i know but 3.5 rules. not sure how this works but it does. Thanks for so much help and please feel free to keep giving suggestions lol.

Ah ok sorry, looks like I didn't read things clearly.

[Drake2009]

Ah ok sorry, looks like I didn't read things clearly.

nah i was unclear but hopefully its clear now

[Chilingsworth]

Wait... Pathfinder... maps? :smallconfused:

Didn't realise those any significant differences from 3.5 maps. :smallconfused:

[ericgrau]

I think he means campaign setting.

Snake's swiftness is nice. All your allies attack when you cast it. Polymorph is a lot better without the PF nerf.

[Andezzar]

If only the campaign setting is PF get the four Protection from Alignment spells ASAP, wands or scrolls are probably the best option.

A good debuff for big scary monsters (especially dragons) is the reach spelled Shivering Touch (Frostburn) combined with a rod of maximize spell. If you are feeling brave/stupid forgo the reach spell. Anything with DEX 18 or less will be helpless (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#helpless), as long as you overcome SR (monsters with the cold subtype unfortunately are immune).

[Gavinfoxx]

Is this a PF-Only game, or a 3.PF game (ie, you can import 3.5e stuff)?

[ericgrau]

Was bored so I cracked open the spell compendium. Starred the really good ones.

Level 1
benign transposition: swap the melee with your familiar to save him or to bring him to the front line for a full attack
*nerveskitter: +5 initiative, immediate action
shieldbearer: give a two handed fighter a lot more AC by touching a regular or magic shield and having it float in front of him


Level 2
greater slide: move ally 20 feet
*create magic tattoo: wide variety of very good 24 hour buffs to choose from so it doesn't eat your combat turn. The material component is tolerable now and later it will be practically nothing. If you expect trouble you may even want 3 tattoos.
(Bigby's) Slapping Hand: Good when the meatshield and rogue are flanking to give them both an attack of opportunity. Similar to mass snake's swiftness but at a lower level and requires your melee allies to always next to the same foe to be efficient. Also amusing fluff.
*heroics: grants a fighter bonus feat for 10 min/level. Talk to the meatshield and I'm sure there's some feat he's been itching to take next. Might take some roleplaying to get the material component.
*quick potion: now your ally can give himself a bull's strength for free, instead of you wasting a round on it. Great way to save time and break action economy.
mass curse of impending blades: At -2 AC technically it's a mass debuff, but really you might as well be giving all your allies a +2 to hit because there's no save


Level 3
*hamatula barbs: for 10 min/level makes the subject return 1d8 damage every time he is hit
*mass snake's swiftness: All your allies attack again. Haste first, then cast this, and make the number of attacks downright silly. True it's only once, but unlike haste it works even if your allies just made a single attack.

[Urpriest]

Is this a PF-Only game, or a 3.PF game (ie, you can import 3.5e stuff)?

From the OP's recent posts, looks like it's more of a PF.5 game, if that makes sense. 3.5 rules, they're just using PF's campaign setting and/or adventure paths.

[TopCheese]

ooh good idea! Hadnt thought of that we were mostly fighting in caves last campaign lol. I have been using my 1st level slots for magic missile lol!

Enlarged person doesn't really help the barbarian as much as people think. Most of their damage isn't coming from the weapon but from power attack and charging (plus the weapon property that I forgot the name of). If you want reach then the polearm and sword combo (drop free action, draw a weapon as part of move/5ft step) works just fine.

Really all enlarge person does is gives you a larger barbarian that is no better off.

Besides the barbarian is going to kill the monster with 30+ damage in one round, letting it do 38 damage in one round doesn't help that much (this is without weapon damage).

Spend you spells other places since giving the barbarian more damage isn't really needed.

[ericgrau]

Well since it keeps coming up... enlarge person is a small damage buff combined with an AC debuff, and sometimes but usually not a reach attack of opportunity. The net gain of buff minus debuff is very little and a round of your time is a high price to pay for such a thing. That's why I suggested scrolling it or potioning it, as a 3rd or 4th buff to cast when you have an unusually large amount of prep time or to give the fighter a cheap way to buff himself at the same time as your buffs. Not prepare it when usually you shouldn't use it. Heck for that matter the rogue should get reduce person as a buff. He needs the help hitting and the defense.

For the meatshield I'd actually prefer protection from evil for AC & saves, and I'm not saying it's that great of a buff. But it's all gain without drawbacks, and it makes for a cheap potion or scroll too.

[TopCheese]

Well since it keeps coming up... enlarge person is a small damage buff combined with an AC debuff, and sometimes but usually not a reach attack of opportunity. The net gain of buff minus debuff is very little and a round of your time is a high price to pay for such a thing. That's why I suggested scrolling it or potioning it, as a 3rd or 4th buff to cast when you have an unusually large amount of prep time or to give the fighter a cheap way to buff himself at the same time as your buffs. Not prepare it when usually you shouldn't use it. Heck for that matter the rogue should get reduce person as a buff. He needs the help hitting and the defense.

For the meatshield I'd actually prefer protection from evil for AC & saves, and I'm not saying it's that great of a buff. But it's all gain without drawbacks, and it makes for a cheap potion or scroll too.

+1 for Protection from Evil scrolls.

[Piggy Knowles]

The reason I like Enlarge Person is because it provides a solid damage boost (~5-7 points of damage per attack, generally... not amazing, but not bad for a first level spell) while also serving as solid BFC. You're putting a big wall of meat in the way of your enemies, one that hurts them if they try to walk around it.

Also, Bear's Endurance has been mentioned. I do like to keep a Bear's Endurance prepped or on a wand, not because it's such a great buff, but because it's what I like to think of as the wizard's cure spell. Giving a flagging ally 2 HP/HD for a couple of minutes can mean the difference between life or death in certain situations. It's not often that I have to use it, but the times I have, it has saved lives.