Feats/spells for a pure-Wizard Gish?

[Rossebay]

I know I've been making a lot of threads lately.

And after the work I did on my bard, I'm sorry to say, he died.
However, we're still in a moderately low-power seafaring campaign, and my only real entry into the campaign is as a swashbuckling Evoker wizard.

I've already picked up Imbued Staff (DM's allowing it to be a rapier instead), and I'm running Sun Elf.

Scores:
Str: 10
Dex: 17
Con: 16
Int: 20
Wis: 15
Cha: 13

He's a Focused Evocation Specialist, and I've given up Enchantment, Illusion, and Necromancy (really couldn't stand giving up Abjuration, Conjuration, or Transmutation, and Evocation and Divination can't go).

So far, my feat ideas are
Flaw: Spell Focus (Evocation)
Flaw: Collegiate Wizard
Wizard Combat Bonus Feat: ???
1. Energy Substitution (Sonic [praise be to this DM])
3. Item Familiar
Free: Weapon Finesse

Ideas?

[Urpriest]

Why are you going Evoker on a Gish? Evocation doesn't have a lot of good Gish spells.

This is further confusing, because you've got a lot of casting-boosting feats already, which again, seems very odd for a Gish build.

[Rebel7284]

Idea 1. Don't stay full wizard... you have a tiny hit die and no BAB...

Go into things like Ruathar (BAB), Spellsword 1, Abjurant Champion as soon as possible.

Spelldancer, while feat hungry, will allow you to persist buffs so you can hit things without spending a minute buffing first AND fits a swashbuckling flavor. Incantatrix may be better, but the flavor is less yummy. =)

Arcane Disciple [War Domain] gives you access to Divine Power, best if persisted of course.

[Dread_Head]

Is this the basis of a build you have to proceed from or can you change any of that?

What is the exact breakdown of your current levels? Wiz 3 / Swash 1 or something different?

If you definitely want to gish it up then head for one of the traditional Gish PrCs such as Abjurant Champion, Swiftblade, Spellsword 1, Eldritch Knight or Jade Phoenix Mage. You'll also have to decide if you want to stay in Swashbuckler long enough for the tasty Int to damage or if you'd prefer the more powerful option of sticking with wizard and / or casting progression classes to progress your wizard casting.

[Rossebay]

Why are you going Evoker on a Gish? Evocation doesn't have a lot of good Gish spells.

This is further confusing, because you've got a lot of casting-boosting feats already, which again, seems very odd for a Gish build.

The thing about it is that it's a pretty low power campaign with newbies galore (5 first-timers and then me), so rather than make a normal character powerful character, I'm making a bit of a fun build. That said, I realize how vulnerable I am, and I do not wish to repeat my poor Bard's death.

In essence, I'm intentionally gimping my character.



Is this the basis of a build you have to proceed from or can you change any of that?

What is the exact breakdown of your current levels? Wiz 3 / Swash 1 or something different?

If you definitely want to gish it up then head for one of the traditional Gish PrCs such as Abjurant Champion, Swiftblade, Spellsword 1, Eldritch Knight or Jade Phoenix Mage. You'll also have to decide if you want to stay in Swashbuckler long enough for the tasty Int to damage or if you'd prefer the more powerful option of sticking with wizard and / or casting progression classes to progress your wizard casting.

Nope, just Wizard 3. I'm doing two things with this. 1.) Avoiding taking up the party sorcerer's role, and 2.) presenting them with interesting (if not suboptimal) character builds.

I'm probably running with Abjurant Champion when I can enter. I don't see any ways to get that weapon/armor proficiency for EK/Ss without losing caster levels. Also thinking of going master specialist, because there's nothing else going on at level 4 or 5.


The character is being played as a full spellcaster, mainly, but he occasionally resorts to swordsmanship for dueling, or when he wishes to conserve his spells for a later battle.

[Callin]

Could you try for a duskblade or since you seem to have a cool dm working the Magus from Pathfinder into the game?

If not then I really dont see the Gish as a Full Caster. I would drop the "gish" aspect and just go with a full blown caster theme. Specially with a 10 Str and 1 BaB.

[Urpriest]

Yeah, this seems more like a "sometimes, for honorable duels, my character doesn't use his class abilities and instead goes after people with a sword" rather than "my character is a gish". That's fine, especially in a low-OP game, but it's a rather different direction.

[Rebel7284]

[snip] I realize how vulnerable I am, and I do not wish to repeat my poor Bard's death.
[snip]

If that is your goal and if you are on the front lines with a d4 hit die, you are doing it wrong.

Yes a pure caster CAN pull this off, but you need to be higher level and have a bunch of long lasting/quickened buffs going.

Edit: And you don't even have access to Mirror Image... sigh

[KorbeltheReader]

Seconding the duskblade suggestion, especially with your interest in blasting. Three levels to let you start channeling some of that evocation might be worth it.

My primary concern with this character involves said "dueling," though. I don't know that I'd bet on having the time, or an understanding enough opponent, to be able to do the amount of buffing it would take to survive a duel with a half-decent melee type.

[Rossebay]

Okay, just took a big turn.

It's now level 5, and I'm in a party with a (lightly nerfed) Shade Rogue 3, and a Half-Ogre Goliath Crusader 3.

So I've got a couple more levels of wizard to work with (or master specialist or something).

Huh...

[Xerlith]

Don't intentionally make yourself useless (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus), your team will NOT like it. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/kensai)