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[Stea1k]

So for a long time reading the threads of this site, I have noticed a clear pattern: the wizard/artificer/druid is largely considered too powerful (and yes i understand why). What I have noticed, however, is that no one appears to provide instances where a caster can soup up party members to ridiculous heights, much like one is often considered to perform on their person. If such instances are suggested, then it is typically provided under the notion of "polymorph the fighter". Such instances are less than creative.

As such, I would like to hear of creative methods for casters to dramatically improve their allies capabilities. If there has, what was the instance in a game where you or your fellow caster had utilized RAW to make super PC allies?

Feats, PrC's, and spells are all good to hear.

[eggynack]

The general go to ally helpers are bards using dragonfire inspiration, war weavers, and warblades or crusaders focusing on white raven maneuvers. I have a preference towards combining the bard thing and the war weaver thing, while sticking sublime chord levels in the middle. That build is pretty sweet. Anyways, the reason why people don't talk about druids helping out their team mates is that they're not all that good at it. Most of their best buffs are personal or animal based. They can BFC to help their team, but I dunno if you count that.

[Saintheart]

At the risk of self-promotion, read my handbook on the Runecaster out of the Forgotten Realms. It's basically a PrC that allows you to literally craft "I Win" buttons for yourself or other party members. A level 8 Runecaster -- which is a 10/10 divine caster PrC -- can make permanent, i.e. unlimited number of use, runes. These runes can contain any divine spell the caster has access to and which are activated by touch, whereupon the person who touches the rune becomes the spell's target.

(And for a divine caster who worships Mystra and has the Spell domain, "any divine spell" means "any divine spell and any arcane spell of fifth level or below" with Greater Anyspell.)

Runes may cost a standard action to activate (your DM may be prevailed upon to say it's a free action), but the spell the rune contains has no casting time, because the casting time is spent at the point of the rune's creation.

The reason it applies to others? Because anyone can trigger the rune. Awwww, the poor widdle War Hulk can't use INT/WIS/CHA-based skills, which locks him out of UMD? No problem. Just have him stab his stubby, melee fingers on a permanent rune of Divine Power and he becomes 2,500 tons of pure awesome even more insanely beatstick than he already was. Party rogue a bit inept with his fingers? Permanent rune of Divine Insight gives him a +15 to any skill check he makes. And to get the same benefit again, he just touches the rune one more time.

[KillianHawkeye]

Well, I am definitely neither the best optimizer in the world nor am I the most experienced playing tier 1 spellcasters, but what I CAN do is to make a character and understand what their capabilities are.

When I play a Wizard (something that I am growing to enjoy doing more and more), I usually focus less on killing the enemies and more on disabling, nerfing, or trapping them. That way, everybody else can feel great for killing the enemies, and I can feel good about making it easier and/or safer for everyone. The best part about it is that by eschewing most of my killing options, my character needs his fellow party members and can't just go it alone, and by using my spells intelligently to most dramatically swing the odds in our favor, my party recognizes and appreciates my value to the team's success.

For example, just last week my party got ambushed by a pack of were-rats. Unfortunately for the DM, they were coming into a room from a 10-foot wide hallway where our Paladin and Fighter managed to bottleneck them. So I dropped a glitterdust and blinded almost all of them, completely nerfing their primarily Dex-based Armor Class and allowing the three ranged-attack Rogues in the party to have a field day. One spell (and a little luck) turned the tide of the battle, and I was able to leave the bad guys to their slaughter and chase after the enemy leader who made his saving throw. (Managed to stop him from getting away, too, thanks to a quick hold portal spell on the secret door.)