3.5 Direct Damage wizard

[herrhauptmann]

I know that casters in 3.5 should not be using direct damage, it's unoptimal. But sometimes it's a lot of fun.

There's a direct damage sorcerer, The Mailman. http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer

But I know I've seen a similar style build for a wizard with a name like "The UPS Wizard." But nothing comes up when I google for it.


edit: More info
Some additional info.

This is to be an alternate character in a gestalt pbp game. Every character is a gish (or psion) of some sort where my current char is level 12
Wizard3/Spellsword1/AbjChamp5/Incantatar3// Fighter6/Warblade6. Feats and spells known should make for a great gish.


I know that direct damage is a bad role for gishes, they do much better when just boosting themselves then wading into melee. But I want to make a character that won't feel like my current one.


In many groups, you don't need to try too hard to make damage spells a solid or even powerful choice. For example, play a Focus Specialist evoker with Bloodline of Fire and Energy Affinity to deal 4d6 damage (Ref half) at 140ft 4-5 times per day at level 1. That's thoroughly respectable.
While the DM is quick to respond to cheese with cheese, I have to make a character that's able to be more than just 'respectable,' since one or two other players seem to have difficulties in controlling their optimization levels. If I don't, I'll get crushed in a cheese war between the DM and those players.

Other options:
swashbuckler/rogue with penetrating strike, daring outlaw, and craven. Gestalted with eldritch claw Warlock.
Warlock does decent at damage with their blasts, and I should be able to apply my sneak attack to my blasts.

A debuff aura character (not sure if I can play an Evil pc or not):
Dark Companion Hexblade/Paladin of Tyranny. Gestalted with something. Maybe bard/suel arcanamach/sublime chord. Or the UPS wizard linked below.

[MeiLeTeng]

I know that casters in 3.5 should not be using direct damage, it's unoptimal. But sometimes it's a lot of fun.

There's a direct damage sorcerer, The Mailman. http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer

But I know I've seen a similar style build for a wizard with a name like "The UPS Wizard." But nothing comes up when I google for it.

UPS Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208620) is by Shneekey, but it's not direct damage, it's about status effects.

[herrhauptmann]

Whoops, no wonder it didn't come up when I searched for 'direct damage wizard.'

Thanks.


Now, to build a direct damage wizard, or use the UPS man?

[Fouredged Sword]

There is little about the mailman that wouldn't apply to wizards. A Wizard / incantrix could do some nasty things with orbs.

[ericgrau]

Higher level spells are usually more important on damage too, making wizards good at it. A battlefield control wizard can get by for a while with web.

But to do both control and damage is even better. Web + flaming sphere. Evard's tentacles + fireball. Still haste the first round. Resilient sphere has greater spell focus (evocation) synergy, targets the most common low save and has the fewest immune foes. Necromancy no save single target debuffs complement area damage well. So does greater invisibility on a beatstick against lone foes. Haste the first round regardless of what you do later. Single target damage isn't great, so mesh area damage with other things. Save orbs for high level SR when area damage and necromancies will no longer work, but only after trying buffs. Even with SR saving half your targets, against 4+ foes continue to go with area damage.

From there do the standard damage caster tricks on area damage. Don't forget to substitute energy types and exclude allies somehow.

Strong beatsticks mesh well with area damage casters, since your efforts stack. Giving them 24 hour greater magic weapon helps. [quickened] benign transposition with your familiar can hand out pseudo-pounce which ignores terrain. Together fights can end in about 2 rounds.

[JaronK]

If I were doing a super high damage Wizard, I'd just go Shadowcraft Mage. Something like this:

Gnome Illusionist 5/Shadowcraft mage 5/Shadowcaster 10 (IIRC that one's 10 levels, but I'm not totally sure... feel free to throw in Master Specialist or something).

Use the Gnome racial variant Illusionist substitution to make Silent Image level 0, and consider some of the UA Illusionist substitutions as well.

For feats, pick up some flaws, then go with Spell Focus Illusion (required), Earth Sense, Earth Spell, and Heighten Spell as your feats through level 5, which will let you qualify early for Shadowcraft Mage. Then just go to town, adding in Easy Metamagic (Heighten Spell), Arcane Thesis (Silent Image), and Residual Metamagic. Other metamagics to taste... I like Echoing Spell for this.

Now use your awesome illusion blasting to destroy all who dare stand before you.

JaronK

[Malroth]

Still prepare a couple Hastes in your 3rds that you throw on your Fighter/Shadow Illusion Summoned Kython and a couple non Illusionary Orbs just in case of SR. The rest of your spells can be converted into Silent Image spells via Spell Mastery to be whatever Spell LV+1 Direct Damage spell you need on the fly

[Yuki Akuma]

Take Arcane Disciple (Luck) if you want your DM to throw books at you. :smallwink:

(Note: whether this actually lets you cast Shadow Miracles is debated. If your DM lets you, try not to cast them out of cantrip slots with Residual Metamagic too often.)

Edit: Wow I don't know how I got that feat name wrong.

[Silva Stormrage]

Take Arcane Thesis (Luck) if you want your DM to throw books at you. :smallwink:

(Note: whether this actually lets you cast Shadow Miracles is debated. If your DM lets you, try not to cast them out of cantrip slots with Residual Metamagic too often.)

You mean arcane disciple correct? Arcane thesis is good for that build but it reduces the metamagic cost applied to a particular spell (Usually put on silent image). Arcane Disciple(Luck) is the one that gets you miracle on your spell list.

[Anthrowhale]

There is a variant of the stutter caster (see sig) that works for wizards. The amount of damage they can cause is large enough that it doesn't matter in any reasonable situation---something greater than 500K at 20th level.

[Urpriest]

As has been said, much of the Mailman stuff applies to Wizards too. Cindy, Tippy's famous "example Wizard", is sufficiently good at killing things with Orbs while still maintaining a good set of other wizardly capabilities.

[Eldariel]

Wizards can pull off Mailman just as well as Sorcs so you can basically just copypaste Incantatrix and get it done. It's ridiculously boring, easy and efficient. Hell, if you want you can even use some of the Sorc-only spells through Recaster or Wyrm Wizard or some such.

But yeah, basically copypasta Mailman, replace Sorcerer with Wizard and you're done with the basics of a Blastizard

[Piggy Knowles]

Well, minus arcane fusion. Losing access to that puts a pretty big hamper on the mailman wizard. Of course, it's all just for bragging rights at that point - both builds will deal significantly over the maximum HP of most epic level encounters.

[Eldariel]

Well, minus arcane fusion. Losing access to that puts a pretty big hamper on the mailman wizard. Of course, it's all just for bragging rights at that point - both builds will deal significantly over the maximum HP of most epic level encounters.

Well yeah, Arcane Devotee and Marshal also make no sense. Spellsword is a pointless filler anyways. You can just toss Recaster in there and call it a day; that gets you both Arcane Fusions too. You can actually fit all 5 levels if you toss it since you enter Incantatrix at Wizard 5 with no trickery.

The biggest difference of course is that Sorc can access Marshal for the spell penetration bonus, which can be beneficial in case the target is immune to targeted spells and thus you have to rely on AOE. Still, it's hardly the end of the world.

[Incanur]

In many groups, you don't need to try too hard to make damage spells a solid or even powerful choice. For example, play a Focus Specialist evoker with Bloodline of Fire and Energy Affinity to deal 4d6 damage (Ref half) at 140ft 4-5 times per day at level 1. That's thoroughly respectable.

[herrhauptmann]

Some additional info (I'll add it to the opening post).

This is to be an alternate character in a gestalt pbp game. Every character is a gish (or psion) of some sort where my current char is level 12
Wizard3/Spellsword1/AbjChamp5/Incantatar3// Fighter6/Warblade6. Feats and spells known should make for a great gish.


I know that direct damage is a bad role for gishes, they do much better when just boosting themselves then wading into melee.


In many groups, you don't need to try too hard to make damage spells a solid or even powerful choice. For example, play a Focus Specialist evoker with Bloodline of Fire and Energy Affinity to deal 4d6 damage (Ref half) at 140ft 4-5 times per day at level 1. That's thoroughly respectable.
While the DM is quick to respond to cheese with cheese, I have to make a character that's able to be more than just 'respectable,' since one or two other players seem to have difficulties in controlling their optimization levels. If I don't, I'll get crushed in a cheese war between the DM and those players.

Other options:
swashbuckler/rogue with penetrating strike, daring outlaw, and craven. Gestalted with eldritch claw Warlock.
Warlock does decent at damage with their blasts, and I should be able to apply my sneak attack to my blasts.

A debuff aura character (not sure if I can play an Evil pc or not):
Dark Companion Hexblade/Paladin of Tyranny. Gestalted with something. Maybe bard/suel arcanamach/sublime chord. Or the UPS wizard linked above.