Few Questions about my Conjurer

[Sugarbear007]

Howdy all :P

So I have been playing a little while now, still very new to the game. I’ve got a wizard who will hit level 5 if I kill a mouse. Since our game allows retraining I think now is the time to ask this question. I’ve found a few guides that make me fairly happy with what I’ve got so far, however I’ve never seen anyone mention the Tattoo focus feat. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s no good or if its situational since you have to be from Thay in the Forgotten Realms.

On a side note I’ll have to hit up a tavern and call a cleric if I retrain because I’m not sure medieval style tattoo removal will be particularly safe or pleasant.

My build thus far.


Human Focused specialized conjurer
ACF: Rapid and Enhanced summoning
Banned schools: evocation, enCHANTment (dragon age dwarf savant pronunciation), and Illusion (that third school was a hard decision) Necromancy is on everyone’s list but it fits better thematically with my guy, think necromancer from Diablo II, minions and curses for justice.

Levels,Feats, & Powers

Lvl1 Wizard Feats= Improved Initiative Lvl1 (human) Tattoo Focus Lvl1 (flaw) Spell focus (conjuration)
Lvl2 More Wizard
Lvl3 more Wizardness Feat= Cloudy Conjuration
Lvl4 Master Specialist Bonus Feat = Skill focus (spellcraft)
Lvl5 (will be) Master Specialist Bonus= Extended Spellbook

In case anyone wanted/needed more information.

Base classes are limited to whats shown in PHBII.
Prestige, feats and ACF can be from anything official.
We're using the XP penalty rules for multi-classing like in the PHB however its 2 classes for free, three if one of them is a favored class to prevent what our DM likes to call "frivolous dipping"

I’ve a secondary question to pose as well. I recently found out about a prestige class called the Malconvoker. It is mind blowingly perfect thematically for my guy. I plan on taking it on either level 6 (the earliest I can qualify for it with its need of Bluff 4) or 7. My second question is Which do you think is more beneficial? Master Specialist 3 for a free greater spell focus? The other option is Malconvoker 1 for Deceptive Summons & unrestricted conjuration so I can start using fiendish things without the chance of alignment change.

Using the fiendish things will work awesomely with the Character thematically becoming darker as he becomes more powerful. I could put it off for a level though if it helps out though. I mean he'd be level six he's not THAT powerful.

[eggynack]

Starting from the beginning, tattoo focus probably doesn't see much play because it's utterly numerical, though it does read like a strictly better version of spell focus, so you should be fine. As for malconvoker, it loses a caster level, which is usually a bad idea, but it's powerful enough to overcome that issue. You seem to be missing augment summoning though, so you need to pick that up. Anyway, in addition to the standard wizard handbook, treantmonk has also written one specifically for malconvokers (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1131936), so that's worth a look.

[Sugarbear007]

I traded my scribe scroll feat for augmented summoning as per the unearthed arcana ACF, its at the top of the spoiler, probably just missed it.

Edit
I named it after what it says in the book Enhanced summoning, that's confusion point.

[eggynack]

Ah, right. Missed that one. It's also hanging out in the ACF section, which is a location I didn't think to look. Thus, you may proceed in good faith through your crazy summoning focused career.

[Sugarbear007]

Just occurred to me to mention that I when I started taking Malconvoker I planned on going from 1-5 straight through so I could get all of those great summoning boosts.

I was thinking that I should probably take the third level of Master specialist to get the greater spell focus (conjuration) bonus feat first, or do the benefits from Malconvoker weigh demand immediate procurement?

[macdaddy]

You want Malconvoker 5 ASAP. Infernal Legion is the whole point of this class. Getting it at level 10 is infinitely better than waiting until level 11. The two best features of Malconvoker don't come online until class levels 4 and 5.

GSF(Conj) is useful, but honestly, +1 DC to saves isn't all that. Especially since you will be casting Summon monster a lot followed by the occasional buff. Just get a headband of intellect for the same result.

When you target your BC spell, just try to use the right one (i.e. grease vs reflex, glitterdust vs will, fog of bewilderment vs fortitude, etc al). And you won't notice that extra +1 DC. (appropriate knowledge skills plus skill trick collector of stories helps identify the "weak" saves).

It is unlikely my campaign will go pas level 10 or 11. So I made my build Wizard 5(rapid summon, enhanced summoning) and Malconvoker 5.

5th level wizard gives me +2DC to my summons for dispel purposes. Seemed like a better deal than Skill Focus (spellcraft). If we play beyond a certain point, I can always "retrain" my character and do Wiz 3/MS 2/MC5 or 6/MS 2

And for what you are doing, I agree that Malconvoker would be good. Personally I kept illusion, just felt it was too hard to give that up; though it was a tough choice. Being invis while summoning or clicking on Mirror image and having access to contingency tipped it over the edge for me.

[Sugarbear007]

Ok, so now I've got a different conundrum.

The PHB says greater spell focus gives an additional +1 over your +1 for having regular spell focus.

So I looked it up on realms help and found the feat as a +4 to the school altogether, instead of +2.

The tome of blood, epic handbook, forgotten realms players campaign setting (which I found it in the first time) all say its +4.

That's why I was asking in the first place +4 is kind of great, though I really want the before mentioned level 4 and 5 of Malconvoker.

Further, which one is the real greater spell focus? +2 stacked with spell focus or +4?

[Karnith]

Further, which one is the real greater spell focus? +2 stacked with spell focus or +4?
Greater Spell Focus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#greaterSpellFocus) is an additional +1 on top of Spell Focus's +1 in 3.5. The 3.0 version (found in sources like Tome and Blood) granted a +4 that overlapped (did not stack with) Spell Focus, but it has been superseded by the 3.5 version of GSF.

[Sugarbear007]

Greater Spell Focus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#greaterSpellFocus) is an additional +1 on top of Spell Focus's +1 in 3.5. The 3.0 version (found in sources like Tome and Blood) granted a +4 that overlapped (did not stack with) Spell Focus, but it has been superseded by the 3.5 version of GSF.

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I'll definitely jump straight into Malconvoker now.

I thought +4 seemed really strong but I was busy trying not to stare into a gift horses mouth.