E6 Quick and sneaky wizard

[Gwazi Magnum]

Basically I'm looking to making a wizard, but one that acts like a rogue in some sense. Not as in trap-finding or sneak attacking. But in regards to stuff such as being clever, stealthy or just so quick so enemies don't have much time to respond.

So other than just looking for general Wizard Build advice I'm basically also asking.

1. In E6 (Or D&D in general) what are fairly powerful, effective and creatives ways to use spells that a Level 6 Wizard is capable of casting?

2. How can I get a high Initiative as a Wizard?
-Initiative is priority, but movement speed, AC and reflex would also be nice (Fortitude too, but that's less theme based and more trying to be mechanically safe)

3. Is there any general E6 advice you have?

[ArcturusV]

Well, it's E6 right, so enemies are unlikely to ever have True Seeing or anything. So the go to in my book would probably be the Image line of spells. Illusionist bread and butter, if you can't figure out some way to use an image to good effect then it's probably because your DM is being a jerk about thinking outside the lines and just Noping things or taking a very overly broad view of the "Interacting" rule that gets them an autopass (Kid you not I had one DM that tried to tell me that looking at an image was interacting with it visually which let him autopass it. Probably because he got tired of me using images, but still).

Downside, it's not quick. But it is sneaky. If your DM is willing to play ball with Images you can do all sorts of weird things like, one of my favorites is a cheap displacement. For example if an area is trapped and you know it? Make the traps look like they're say, 5 or 10 feet from where they actually are. Enemies know there are traps. They'll look for it and go "Oh, there's the pressure plate" and stumble into the real one still thinking they have room (Course also works great for camouflaging traps you actually make). Course easy things like the spying thing that was in the comic here (Make an illusion of a door on top of the door so you can open the door and peer into the room). Using Images to create concealment to hide and sneak and blinds for your team's rogue to snipe from ain't exactly a stick in the eye either. Course the usual bluff stuff like using an image to pretend that you cast something like Summon Monster and bluff out an enemy into running away from your Archon or something.

It's just one of those things that I look at the images as the swiss army knife in the hands of a wizard who wants to be "Tricky".

[Gwazi Magnum]

Well, it's E6 right, so enemies are unlikely to ever have True Seeing or anything. So the go to in my book would probably be the Image line of spells. Illusionist bread and butter, if you can't figure out some way to use an image to good effect then it's probably because your DM is being a jerk about thinking outside the lines and just Noping things or taking a very overly broad view of the "Interacting" rule that gets them an autopass (Kid you not I had one DM that tried to tell me that looking at an image was interacting with it visually which let him autopass it. Probably because he got tired of me using images, but still).

Downside, it's not quick. But it is sneaky. If your DM is willing to play ball with Images you can do all sorts of weird things like, one of my favorites is a cheap displacement. For example if an area is trapped and you know it? Make the traps look like they're say, 5 or 10 feet from where they actually are. Enemies know there are traps. They'll look for it and go "Oh, there's the pressure plate" and stumble into the real one still thinking they have room (Course also works great for camouflaging traps you actually make). Course easy things like the spying thing that was in the comic here (Make an illusion of a door on top of the door so you can open the door and peer into the room). Using Images to create concealment to hide and sneak and blinds for your team's rogue to snipe from ain't exactly a stick in the eye either. Course the usual bluff stuff like using an image to pretend that you cast something like Summon Monster and bluff out an enemy into running away from your Archon or something.

It's just one of those things that I look at the images as the swiss army knife in the hands of a wizard who wants to be "Tricky".

I will probably have a good amount of Illusion spells. But I don't want to focus just on Illusion either, I have some fun being the buff/blaster kind of caster as well. But for this build I'm putting stuff requiring creativity higher up the priority list so I'll be sure to have Illusion near the top of it.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Also, please correct me if I'm wrong.

But I'm having trouble finding a feat I saw before. I think it was for halfling's only that let me use my Intelligence Modifier for Initiative checks.

Edit: Found it, but I had my attribute confused. It let me use Wisdom, not Intelligence.

[Eldest]

Beguiler would be a possible alternative. Sneaky wizardish guy, focused on illusions and enchantments. If you wanted, you could even squeeze on a Sandshaper level at the end, for bonus spells known. But that's not a wizard, just an alternative. Don't actually know much about wizards, since I don't actually care for playing them. ^^'

[gorfnab]

Beguiler 5/ Mage of the Arcane Order 1 can make for a decent sneaky wizard substitute.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Since this is E6, you can get the Dark Creature template and just have a lower point buy instead of the +1 LA. It makes you native to the plane of shadow and vulnerable to dismissal and similar, so get Natural Denizen (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/spelltouchedFeats.htm#naturalizedDenizen) (include the prerequisite in your backstory, cast by a Lammasu or Naga or Dragon or similar) if you think you'll need it.

Dark Creature Illumian, you'll need to use flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) (more here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258440#30)) for this to work out right.

1. Beguiler 1, Krau sigil, two flaws, Able Learner, Natural Denizen, Subtle Sigil
2. Martial Wizard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizard) (Focused Conjurer) 1, Improved Initiative, Abrupt Jaunt ACF, lose Enchantment, Evocation, and Necromancy
3. Wizard 2, Naen sigil, Obtain Familiar: Hummingbird
4. Wizard 3
5. Wizard 4
6. Martial Wizard 5, one of the ACFs in CC, Darkstalker
Additional E6 feats: Practiced Spellcaster: Beguiler, Versatile Spellcaster. The E6 feats Ability Training and Ability Advancement for just about every stat could also be useful. You can use Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) and/or Ancestral Relic (BoED) to get items not normally available in E6, such as a staff or lesser metamagic rod (an Item Familiar upgraded to a rod would start out as a +1 light mace).

Your +1 level adjustment gives you a 25 point buy, so you could go Str 8, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 8, Cha 8. Your 4th level point will obviously go toward Int.

The Hummingbird familiar is from Dragon issue 323 page 98, it uses the Thrush stats in the DMG and it gives you +4 initiative. That's +4 for the familiar, +4 for Improved Initiative which you got for free, and the spell Nerveskitter will give you another +5 every encounter.

Skills: Illumians are Humanoid (Human) and can take Able Learner, so you can buy cross-class ranks at the same cost as a class skill, though your max ranks in cross-class skills are unchanged. Any skill that was a class skill for any class you have (i.e. the Beguiler class skill list) can be treated as a class skill for your entire career. Since this character is basically Int-SAD, you should have plenty of skill points to spend on those.

Equipment: As many things from Shax's Indispensable Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101) as you can obtain in E6. As many Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851) as you can get in E6 that you don't already get from spells. +1 Mithral Buckler with a Wand Chamber, Wand of Nerveskitter. Elvencraft Shortbow with two Wand Chambers, you can get the Magic domain's granted power at Wizard 5 via the CC ACF and use wands of spells from prohibited schools such as Command Undead and Darkness. You can also use Eternal Wands (MIC) of any arcane spell in the game, and wands of Beguiler spells such as Glibness. Just remember that as of the DMG errata, an item's caster level is not one of its prerequisites (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#casterLevel), so many items with a default caster level above 6th should still be available in an E6 game.

Note that Versatile Spellcaster (RotD) allows you to spend two spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher. That means you can spend two Beguiler spell slots to spontaneously cast any 1st or 2nd level Wizard spell you've learned and put into your spellbook.

Dark Creature gives you Hide in Plain Sight, and you should have a silly Hide bonus. Darkstalker makes it so opponents using Scent, Blindsense, Blindsight, Tremorsense, and similar will still have to make a Spot or Listen check (whichever would be more difficult) to notice you. Super-sneaky, super-Wizardy, tons of tricks thanks to items, skills, and Beguiler spells, and you can keep using Hide in Plain Sight during combat to be better-than-invisible at all times, since See Invisibility can't even beat it.

[lsfreak]

Dark Creature gives you Hide in Plain Sight, and you should have a silly Hide bonus. Darkstalker makes it so opponents using Scent, Blindsense, Blindsight, Tremorsense, and similar will still have to make a Spot or Listen check (whichever would be more difficult) to notice you. Super-sneaky, super-Wizardy, tons of tricks thanks to items, skills, and Beguiler spells, and you can keep using Hide in Plain Sight during combat to be better-than-invisible at all times, since See Invisibility can't even beat it.

Note this only works when you have concealment or cover and only when you're not in the sunlight. That's a pretty hefty limiting factor for in-combat use, though afaik the better version of HiPS that lack these limitations aren't available in E6.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Note this only works when you have concealment or cover and only when you're not in the sunlight. That's a pretty hefty limiting factor for in-combat use, though afaik the better version of HiPS that lack these limitations aren't available in E6.

Hence the suggestion of a Wand of Darkness.

Alternatively, hire an NPC spellcaster to cast (Extended) Deeper Darkness on a tiny bauble you wear on a cord around your neck. You can put the object in your mouth to block the effect, and 'drop' it as a free action by spitting it out. It will fall back into place hanging around your neck and instantly plunge the area into darkness.

[JaronK]

I'd go with Gnome Illusionist/Shadowcraft Mage. Use the UA Variant Illusionist to get Hide as a class skill, and use Earth Sense + Earth Spell to qualify early enough for SCM. You won't get the full powers of SCM, but you will definitely be a sneaky Wizard.

JaronK

[Duke Arioch]

I'd go with Gnome Illusionist/Shadowcraft Mage. Use the UA Variant Illusionist to get Hide as a class skill, and use Earth Sense + Earth Spell to qualify early enough for SCM. You won't get the full powers of SCM, but you will definitely be a sneaky Wizard.

JaronK

Shadowcraft mage is not possible in e6 (1 4th level illusion spell as req). Have you thought about Spellthief (or rogue) 1/Focused conjurer 4/Unseen seer 1?
Use arcane thesis on lesser orb of [element] and some other feats (Bloodline of fire is a good start if you pick fire as your [element] of choice) to do whooping 3(4 if fire)d8+2d6(sneak attack) damage. Throw in craven.
As was already suggested, Dark template is gold for what you want to do (+10ft speed, hefty hide/m. silently bonuses, HiPS). Spellthief makes hide/move silently easier to raise early. You would get a fast walking/fast acting character (nerveskitter, imp. initiative, Warning enchant on weapon) who can really blast away.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Ok, thanks for all the help guys. I'm getting some good stuff for what I can use for a stealth wizard. :)

However I'm starting to think I should just drop the 'Wizard' part and just aim for a stealthy spell caster. Probably will specialize in illusion spells but I'd want to be competent in other spells as well.

Other things that'd be nice but are not in any way needed so feel free to ignore them if it get's in the way of the main concept. I'll bold the ones I care most about here though.

-High Reflex & Will Save (I assume High Will comes with any spellcaster though :P)
-Good amount of SP per level (6 + Int Mod hopefully)
-Good Movement Speed
-Small Sized (Just wondering, is there another way to double the Familliar bonus like the Elf Sub Levels do without actually being an Elf?)
-Spell Casting based off Intelligence or Wisdom (But if Wisdom I want to be the Halfling Race for the Yondalla's Sense feat for Wisdom to Initiative)
-Decent Health
-Decent AC
-Decent BAB (Least important, it's really in case some get's close so I smack them with a mace or something)


I'd go with Gnome Illusionist/Shadowcraft Mage. Use the UA Variant Illusionist to get Hide as a class skill, and use Earth Sense + Earth Spell to qualify early enough for SCM. You won't get the full powers of SCM, but you will definitely be a sneaky Wizard.

JaronK

I'd rather not go with anything though that requires rule bending and cheese to accomplish.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Elf Wizard 3 substitution level only doubles certain types of bonuses gained from familiars, the initiative bonus from the hummingbird wouldn't be doubled by it.

Whisper Gnome (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=3) is quick and stealthy, and gets bonuses to Dex and Con.

You could just go Beguiler 5/ Mindbender 1. That gets lots of skills, tricky spellcasting, and has a great chassis overall.

[JaronK]

However I'm starting to think I should just drop the 'Wizard' part and just aim for a stealthy spell caster. Probably will specialize in illusion spells but I'd want to be competent in other spells as well.

Beguiler then.


I'd rather not go with anything though that requires rule bending and cheese to accomplish.

No rule bending, though you could call it cheese I suppose. But just go with Gnome and UA Substitution Illusionist. That gives you Hide as a class skill and a nice focus on illusions in general.

JaronK