Damage dealer wizard

[Lisselys]

Hello everybody.

In my group, where I play a Wizard God, people like to play a more classic Kick and Smash, where my wizard really can't shine.
The whole group isn't at all optimized and they'd like me to kick the encounters.
My build, as by now, is as follows:
Wizard 5/Incantatar 6 Elven generalist with fire domain (Unhearted Arcana, Fluff reasons) 62 HP
Str 15 Con 17 Dex 17 Int 23 (25 with a +2 item) Wis 12 Cha 14
Feats so far: Iron Will, Extend spell, Empowered spells, Chained spells, Far Spells, Split Ray and sculpt spells.
Important Items: 2 Pearls of power I, Lesser rods: Extend, Acid Substitution, Silent, Quickened; A creation table which gives create wondrous items.

We just leveled up (Going to level 12) and I talked to my dm into changing the build in order to have a more combat oriented mage.

I never ever built one, so what are your suggestions?
I have to remain a full wizard, but I can change around feats and prestige class in order to be relevant. We are in a timed campaign, so going full god isn't really the way to go, as is the creation of objects, it requires too much time.
The group is composed of a Paladin, a Fighter/Favored Soul/Hammer of moradin and an npc Cleric (Pretty much a healbot, the dm controls her in being an idiot)

We can use only a limited number of books, as is:
PHB, Complete Arcane, Divine, Warrior and Adventurer; Faerun books, the various races of, Draconomicon and the Book of exalted deeds.

As you can see Spell compendium is out of the way, which is a huge hit, but I think not a too big one.
Thanks in advance for your help!

[Eldariel]

You could do it but are you sure you want to? You're already probably capable of contributing more than any other party member by disabling enemies; that works just fine with the kick-in style. Use more save-or-X effects (targeting enemies' weak saves; you can generally make educated guesses with Knowledge-checks) and eliminate enemies yourself I guess.

Though you can certainly do damage too. What's your race? I suppose you don't have access to Practical Metamagic [Races of the Dragon] (requires Dragonblood)? That makes damage speccing a bit harder. Are you using Persistent Spell with buffs? You could certainly make the party way more powerful by just using Metamagic Effect to Persist a ton of everything (you're using the newest, that is the 3.5 Player's Guide to Faerun version of Incantatar, right?).

Split Ray Enervations are nice; use Metamagic Rod of Empower for good measure. Abuse the Complete Arcana Orb of X-spells; they got nerfed in Spell Compendium but you don't have it so guess you have to use the prenerf versions. Terrible, eh?

You can also do "damage" by buffing. Polymorph also does a ton of damage as do buffs to the tune of Greater Magic Weapon, Spikes, Haste, etc. So that's one path.


Incantatar level 10 ability turbocharges any damage capability you have so that's still good 3 levels ahead but at that point you can metamagic stack with the best of them even without Arcane Thesis.

[Lisselys]

The real problem is that I already do this. My party doesn't appreciate, they only want a boomer XD

[Draken]

Wizard isn't really ideal for a blaster build, far as I am aware.

If you can, in this proposed rebuild, take different classes, you should go sorcerer (check out the mailman build), in case you can shift around your mental ability scores a bit. Or artificer (looking for blastificer guides) in case you can't.

If you need to stick to wizard, then your best bet is probably to do a faux blastificer. Complete Mage has a feat that allows you to apply metamagic to wands.

[Anthrowhale]

If you can get access to Dragon Magic (Forestlord elf, Wyrm Wizard) or Player's Handbook II (arcane thesis), that would help substantially in (ab)using metamagic for excessive damage by routine means.

If you want to do deep surgery, Human Wiz 7/Halruaan Elder 5 has possibilities.

But, the easy thing to do is pick up Twin spell and Persistent Spell at 12th level. Persistent metamagic effect will let you buff up so you aren't so fragile in combat while Instant Metamagic (Twin) Empower Split Ray Scorching Ray inflicts an expected 168 damage if you hit. Instant Metamagic (Twin) Split Ray Enervation inflicts 10 negative levels.

[Eldariel]

Wizard isn't really ideal for a blaster build, far as I am aware.

If you can, in this proposed rebuild, take different classes, you should go sorcerer (check out the mailman build), in case you can shift around your mental ability scores a bit. Or artificer (looking for blastificer guides) in case you can't.

If you need to stick to wizard, then your best bet is probably to do a faux blastificer. Complete Mage has a feat that allows you to apply metamagic to wands.

Wizard can honestly match a Mailman far as blasting goes. The only prob Wizard has is, it's a bit harder to qualify for Practical Metamagic and they have some less spell slots. Overall, a Wizard Blaster can give any Sorc a run for their money; they just usually don't choose to.

[JusticeZero]

Your party wants you to contribute less? They are idiots who do not know how to play a Wizard, and who have the supreme audacity to think that they should be able to play your character for you. Honestly i'd just ignore them. Let them go through a fight or two unbuffed and see how awesome they feel when all those effects they're used to having aren't there.

[The Glyphstone]

That's a little passive-aggressive, and if the DM fudges monster HP or difficulty to let them still win, it'll be no different to their eyes. Better to turn the heat up to 11 for a few battles, just effortlessly steamroll everything before they can so much as blink (pack some SR-No orb spells for when the DM tries magic-immune enemies), then ask them which they liked better, you magically devastating everything singlehandedly, or you buffing them to the gills so that they were the ones wrecking face?

[Lisselys]

Already did it. I steamrolled an encounter against two elementals. They loved it :| That's why I'm here XD

[killem2]

It's funny when someone asks on here for suggestions for a damage dealing wizard.

Sort like when someone wants to be a healing cleric.


Personally, I would go focused specialist, evoker. Mostly for the flare. Conjurations has better damaging spells but evoker is more iconic to me.

[ericgrau]

Evoker wizard into archmage for shaping and energy type changing. Fireball, scorching ray and orbs for SR. Boost with metamagic. Empower, twin, quicken, etc. I'd still get other spells, but mesh them with your damage. For example Evard's black tentacles will survive a fireball. Ban abjuration and enchantment. If you need a third school or if the party doesn't want you using no save debuffs then ban necromancy. Empower, quicken and sometimes twin work well with it though.

You might also go arcane trickster or spellwarp sniper for the sneak attack rays. Then greater invisibility is a must.

But I think the classic control wizard would be more party friendly. Not save or dies, but battlefield control with barriers, mass buffs and area save or sucks. It really is a support build, just don't be arrogant about it.

[JusticeZero]

I dunno, if you are able to control a battle into kittenpunching in a combat-oriented group, I see no problem in taking some very arrogant actions once you've got the stage set. They grumped about you not dishing enough damage, so now you solo the encounters for them using the tactics they asked you not to use.

[Thespianus]

Seems like being OOC grumpy and kill encounters in a sour mood , just to show the others in the party, is not very fun.

If they want a blaster-kill-the-encounter-dead-with-fire wizard, give it to them and make sure you have fun doing it.

Searing Spell Meta Magic can make your Fire be Extra Fiery
Fiery Burst for moar fire AND +1 CL
Spell Thematics for MORE Fire theme and better CL, etc.

Just make it ridiculous :)

[JusticeZero]

If THEY want YOUR character to be X, then THEY need to roll an X and play it themself. I'm pretty easygoing on party makeup - as long as someone can fix people up during downtime, and with items works for me, i'm pretty much happy - because I understand that I need to work with what i've got. Having other party members micromanage me tends to make me see red, though.

[Sith_Happens]

You barely need to "rebuild" the setup in the OP at all. Just swap Extend Spell and Far Spell for Twin Spell and something else, get a few different piles of d6's to cast, and go to town.

[Thespianus]

If THEY want YOUR character to be X, then THEY need to roll an X and play it themself.

So, no room for a bit of adjustment to make the game more enjoyable for the entire group?

[JusticeZero]

It isn't my responsibility to play whatever the fighters want me to play. There is a common dynamic where the combat types feel like their job is to hit things, and the other spellcasting players are there to serve the fighters in whatever way, including redesigning their characters at the whim of the warriors. I don't buy into it. Just because my concept wasn't "guy with a big sword" doesn't mean that it is my responsibility to please the people who were.

[dascarletm]

So, no room for a bit of adjustment to make the game more enjoyable for the entire group?

I don't think this is a bit of adjustment. Sure it is still a wizard, but play style is so immensely different that it might-as-well be a different class. Debuffer/Controller/Buffer Treantmonk style "God" Wizard is so very different than an enchanter or a blaster, it is a whole other roll entirely. I could see an argument if they wanted you to switch from control/buff to controll/debuff or the other way around.

[Thespianus]

It isn't my responsibility to play whatever the fighters want me to play.
No one has said it is your responsibility. But if a group thinks it would be more fun if you occationally blew stuff sky high, there's nothing wrong in satisfying that as long as you are still having fun.

Which is kinda my point: Maximising your own fun < Making sure everyone has fun.


I don't think this is a bit of adjustment. Sure it is still a wizard, but play style is so immensely different that it might-as-well be a different class.

It doesn't seem like the OP is upset about changing the tactics of his Wizard, he seems to be asking for advice on how to do it. So the OP seems to think it's an ok adjustment.

But, sure, I might read him wrong.

[Slipperychicken]

The real problem is that I already do this. My party doesn't appreciate, they only want a boomer XD

I just want to say I love the damage-wizard concept. Sure you can be all "subtly influencing the battle" by putting up pretty walls, sparkles, and grease stains, but at the end of the day you really just want to turn your enemy into a crispy pile of bacon at the bottom of a crater. Don't let anyone stop you from playing something awesome because it isn't "optimal". Being a badass is far more rewarding than optimal play will ever be.

Rock on, blasters!

Also Searing Spell. Watch the look on your DM's face when you kill a fire elemental with the most hardcore flames this side of the omniverse. See how those smug bastards like a taste of their own medicine.