[PF] Elf Battlefield Control Diviner Wizard

[4BR4]

Hi Ground,

I read you from time and now I'm here to ask your help starting a PF campaign that will take my PC from the 1st to the 15th level.

I'll role an Elf Wizard, and the idea was to make him a God, as Treantmonk called him (yeah, I read the Treantmonk's Guide to Pathfinder Wizards)

At the moment we are allowed to use only CRB + APG and the Ultimate Equipment, but I hope that soon we can use also the other Ultimate books as well as the ARG.

So, for be a God I think useful have a good Initiative, so I decided for the Foresight Wizard, having Enchantment and Necromancy as Opposed School.

I took also Reactionary and Dangerously Curious as Traits and a Greensting Scorpion as Familiar. My first Feat was Improved Initiative.

My Wizard has STR 10 / DEX 19 / CON 15 / INT 20 / WIS 15 / CHA 11

Relevant equip is a Cloak of Resistance +1

I'm 2nd level now and my 1st LV Spells are: Grease, Color Spray, Enlarge Person, Identify, True Strike, Comprehend Language, Protection from Evil, Shield, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist and Silent Image.

So, I'd like to receive your help om which Feats I could take leveling up, and on which Spells choosing, having in mind that one of the 2 Spells obtained each level has to be a Divination Spell.

So far I'm thinking to take a Craft Wondrous Item as Feat at 3rd level, but still it's not clear for me how the DM wants to manage crafting.

Then my other thoughts are about the bonus spell slot that I receive from my specialization School. Not at each level there is a very useful Spell to fit in this slot, so I was thinking about a couple of Preferred Spell Feats, so I could spontaneously cast the preferred spell in a Divination Slot, or to take some Metamagic Feats (Heighten Spell, Dazing Spell and Quicken Spell) and have it located in a Divination Slot +1 after added the Metamagic effect.

Other Feats that I have in mind are Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration, Crafting Rod.

If we will start to use more books, Improved Familiar as level 7 Feats taking a familiar able to use Wands (Azata, Lyrakien, and so maybe I'll go for a Craft Wand Feat too) and Opposition Research as level 9 Feats, taking back Necromancy.

Seems that I told you everything, I'll wait your suggestions!

[4BR4]

DM added some books, not what I was waiting for:

Varisia, Rise of the Runelords Players Guide and Inner Sea Primer.

Then he added the 3 books Faiths of, and last the Golarion books about elves and humans.

[Addi]

It's a pity that no one replied so far.
I'm currently playing that exact same concept of a character. And I'm stuck with the exact same choices. Maybe I can help you if I share my thoughts on this.
At the moment I'm stuck with the idea of Preferred Spell and Heighten Spell and I can't decide what to take as my Preferred Spell.
I like the idea of Magic Missile combined with Dazing Spell at Level 7. That gives your Party a potentially good start in the combat.
Hydraulic Torrent may have some potential with Dazing Spell too but(just for damage spells) it might be enough to use your prescience roll or True Strike with it.
Resist Energy- maybe because when you need it, you need it five times. (or take the communal variant)
Maybe Frigid Touch combined with Reach Spell for a definitely staggered opponent.
Level 7 is a difficult one. I think something like Improved Familiar or a Metamagic Feat (Dazing, Reach,...) can't hurt. Better if you can combine the Preferred Spell with this.
At Level 9 I would take Craft Rod followed by Opposition Research on Level 10. Because this gives you more time to craft your precious metamagic rods. And less trouble with the Level 7 Feat Slot.
Have fun and let me know if you've come up with some nice ideas.

[4BR4]

Hi Addi, thank you for your suggestions.

My 1st thought for a Preferred Spell will be Haste, because you know your mates want it, and because you can take it at the same moment when you can take the Feat for the 1st time. It's always a good starting option, buffing the party.

I like the Magic Missile + Dazing Spell combo, but not so much as a combo with a spell that already targets Reflex or Fortitude out of Will, usually a bad call against other spellcasters.

[Addi]

Oh yeah...Haste of course. :smallbiggrin:
That would've been my first choice, too. But there is this Spontaneous Caster in our group who chose Haste as one of his spells, so I totally forgot about it.
The downside of Preferred Spell is imo that I can't really bring the required Heighten Spell to use with the more conservative rules interpretation.

[4BR4]

About Heighten Spell do you mean that even adding a different Metamagic effect the spell lv is stuck at the +1 given from Heighten Spell, and not as sum of the Metamagic effect + Heighten Spell? In this case I'm agree with you, most of the value depends from the rule interpretation.

Anyway I'm thinking that Preferred Spell can be a better choice that taking several Metamagic Feats, as far as you can afford the expense of a Create Rod Feat:

- you can chose in each situation if the spell needs the Metamagic effect;

- adding a Metamagic effect by a Feat to a spell increase the spell lv, reducing the number of spell you can prepare in an higher spell slot. You can prepare the same spell in the same level slot with Heighten Spell, and then ad the Metamagic effect you need by the Rod, but in this way the lv of the spell will be the one in which you prepare it.

[Corlindale]

I played pretty much this exact concept from level 1-7 (before I died horribly).

Preferred Spell is extremely nice, especially for swapping out those often very situational Divination spells that you are forced to prepare. I ended up going with Glitterdust since it works on most things and benefits from Heighten Spell.

The Pit spells were also very useful for battlefield control, although not optimal for Preferred Spell since there are many enemy types they won't Work on (fliers and big Things, mainly).

[4BR4]

So far I'm now lv.6

My Wizard has STR 10 / DEX 19 / CON 15 / INT 23 / WIS 15 / CHA 11

Relevant equip are Cloak of Resistance +2 and Headband of Vast Intelligence +2 (UMD)

And my feats selection is:

1. Improved Initiative
1b. Scribe Scroll
3. Craft Wondrous Item
5. Preferred Spell: magic missile
5b. Heighten Spell

We are close to lv.7 and at the moment my ideas are:

7. Preferred Spell: dispel magic or Improved Familiar (Azata, Lyrakien at lv.7 or Imp Consular at lv.8)

and for the future feats:

9. Spell Penetration
10b. Craft Rod
11. Preferred Spell: lightning bolt or fireball
13. Dazing spell
15. Greater Spell Penetration
15b. Quicken Spell

Magic Missile and Lightbolt or Fireball, so I can make them a Dazing battlefied control on the fly, and Dispell Magic because when you need it you want it, also if an improved familiar can be a great choice, expecially considering that our Cleric will take Craft Wand at his lv.7.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Your character is very similar to the first wizard I ever played. Same subschool specialization and everything.

I wouldn't take any more preferred spell: X feats. Toppling spell (for magic missile), quicken spell, or spell Focus (Conj.)+Augment Summong would be more useful. You also probably won't need greater spell penetration yet.

If you're going to take improved familiar, faerie dragons are amazing.

[4BR4]

Toppling Spell is not in the books allowed for this campaing until now, and I prefer Dazing Spell because I can use it with more spells and I find the effect more useful.

I like the Faerie Dragon, but it lacks of any scrying ability.

I don't think to use a lot of summonings, also because we already have a bard and a cleric that use to put these creatures off.