Help on Wizard Build

[Claiff]

A friend of mine is going to be a first time DM so that some of his other friends can be first time players. He said that the campaign is going to be light on the story, and that we will mostly be fighting in an arena as a team against monsters and other gladiator teams. I decided I'd make a wizard since I had never been one before, and I was hoping I could get some critiques on my planned build. I'm not expecting this campaign to even get to mid level, but we will see.

TL;DR: Give me advice on my wizard build.

DM is open it most 3.5 sources, but no magazines, no feats like metamagic school focus or divine metamagic, and we used pathfinder rules for races (that's how I have 20 int as a human). The DM also doesn't really like changing the flavor of classes and feats from their sources, so no region/setting specific feats or PrCs.

Human Wizard (Conjurer)
Edit: Prohibited-Necromancy and Evocation. I'd be a focused specialist and cut enchantment if I didn't need charm person for the Mindbender PrC.
STATS
STR:8
DEX:14
CON:16
INT:20
WIS:10
CHA:10

http://puu.sh/6JpEJ.png
I gave up scribe scroll for augmented summoning, and even though my DM originally said no flaws, I got him to let me take one for able learner. The immediate magic is abrupt jaunt from Unearthed Arcana which replaces my familiar.

I'm not sure how good alacritous cogitation and versatile spellcaster are in the long term, but I do like having the extra castings and flexibility.

http://puu.sh/6Jtx8.png
These are the spells I have and the spells I am planning to learn ASAP. I spent some of my starting gold on scrolls of benign transposition and wall of smoke, so I can learn those as soon as I have the coin.

http://puu.sh/6Jqcf.png
Skill progression. Took the gambling for Fatespinner at level 1 and made it part of my backstory. In preparation to speak to summoned outsiders, my character already speaks Common, Celestial, Infernal, Terran, Abyssal, Ignan, and I plan to learn Aquan and Auran at level two.

As a question about wizard play in general, do you usually have the coin you need to learn all the spells you want? How badly does this eat into your magic item buying power?

[Claiff]

I went and took a look at level 3 spells and this is what I came up with.

http://puu.sh/6Jt9S.png

[Falcon X]

You might want to check out some of Treantmonk's handbooks:
http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1146876
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394

Also, if it's a new DM and you're just going to be doing arena battles, you might consider playing as a Warmage from Complete Arcane. It's simpler because you don't have to go finding spells to memorize, plus it gives you almost any spell you would use in an arena, cast like a sorcerer, with less utility getting in the way.

[Rastapopolos]

oh god the formatting!!! please spoiler the massive character sheet.

[Endarire]

What are your goals with this character? What about taking Mindsight (Lords of Madness) as a feat at Mindbender? Why the fascination with Master Specialist?

[Claiff]

You might want to check out some of Treantmonk's handbooks:

I've never been a wizard, so before starting to plan this character I read his guide and a few others.


Also, if it's a new DM and you're just going to be doing arena battles, you might consider playing as a Warmage from Complete Arcane. It's simpler because you don't have to go finding spells to memorize, plus it gives you almost any spell you would use in an arena, cast like a sorcerer, with less utility getting in the way.

Warmage might be okay, though I really just wanted to give wizard a go.


oh god the formatting!!! please spoiler the massive character sheet.
Done


What are your goals with this character? What about taking Mindsight (Lords of Madness) as a feat at Mindbender? Why the fascination with Master Specialist?

My current plan is to be invisible and make clouds and walls and summons while buffing. The character sheet plan I already posted has Mindsight on it already, as soon as it is possible for me to take Mindbender (which is at level 6). Master Specialist is just there because it is easy to qualify for and is better than straight wizard (gets me two feats), especially since I gave away my 5th level wizard feat for a different class feature (at level 5 wizard, my summons would be harder to dispel. This was part of giving up scribe scroll to get augmented summoning). I literally can't take Mindbender before 6 or Fatespinner before 8 due to the skill rank restrictions. If there is a better filler PrC, I'd like to know about it.

[Endarire]

From my experience, a Wizard can be powerful (especially as a force multiplier, such as a summoner or buffer or, occasionally, a debuffer) from level 1. This power is more noticeable starting around level 7 for level 4 tech, and level 9 for level 5 tech (and Incantatrix3 for many people).

Even with just core, your spell list rocks. You have probably the best spell list in the game. I have another suggestion: Collegiate Wizard (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20041114a) is a spiffy feat for getting a broader spellbook for no gold cost. You may be able to retrain or use psychic reformation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psychicReformation.htm) to replace it later, but the results (the extra spells in your spellbook you've already gained) should stay.

Going Elven Generalist Domain Wizard is an option if you don't want to specialize - though I understand full well why you'd go Conjurer for Abrupt Jaunt. Look at the Easy Bake Wizard Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16813695) for inspiration.

[Sal Trebov]

Versatile Spellcaster is only for Spontaneous casters like Sorcerers. Also, you can't take Augment Summoning without Spell Focus Conjuration, so the Spell Focus has to be first. To my knowledge, you don't need Greater Spell Focus Conjuration for much of anything: your summoned creatures don't use DCs and anyone failing a DC on a Cloud spell is mostly just icing on the cake anyway: everyone with a metabolism will try to get the hell out of a Stinking Cloud in the first round, so you're casting it to shape the battle field on your terms. Sculpt Spell is fun, though.

[BrokenChord]

First, I'd like to say, you're probably blowing your power way out of proportion if this is a first-timer DM. You know your DM way better than I do, so if he's expecting you to optimize this much then power to you, but it's no fun for anyone if you're stronger than everyone (and everything) by a huge margin. Remember, what the average D&D player expects and utilizes tends to be much different from what somebody on these forums, or the MinMax forums, tends to expect and utilize.

That aside...

You've got a pretty strong chassis here for your character, and the other people here have managed to recommend most of what there is to recommend. However, I would like to point you in the direction of a different race, depending on what your DM considers "setting-specific". Dragonborn Grey Elf would normally be a better choice than human, but since your preferred build requires all the feats you've chosen that might be hard to work with. Alternatively, since it's not really setting-specific in any way even though it was introduced in a setting sourcebook, I think you might want to look in the direction of Strongheart Halfling. No wizard minds a bit more Dexterity even with all your other defenses, losing Strength isn't even worth batting an eyelash at, the small size brings with it a number of benefits, and best of all you get to keep that bonus feat that made you choose human in the first place; the only thing you lose in the transaction is the extra bonus skill point per level, and while that might have some repercussions, overall wizards don't care TOO much about losing that.

Another idea to bring up is that as a wizard, you will be the main source of information-gathering for your party, from figuring out your opponents abilities and weaknesses during or mid-fight to the many other things Divination does for you. As such, I'd recommend putting off Fatespinner a little longer and foresaking the third level of Master Specialist entirely in order to get the fifth level of Wizard and make use of the Spontaneous Divination ACF. Quite useful indeed, and pretty thematic since Fatespinner is (fluff-wise, at least) mostly based around Divination.

Good luck with your game, by the way!

[Claiff]

Even with just core, your spell list rocks. You have probably the best spell list in the game. I have another suggestion: Collegiate Wizard is a spiffy feat for getting a broader spellbook for no gold cost. You may be able to retrain or use psychic reformation to replace it later, but the results (the extra spells in your spellbook you've already gained) should stay.

Collegiate Wizard did look nice, but doesn't fit with my characters background, and I'd have to give up Versatile Spellcaster. I'll have to ask my DM how he feels about retraining, but the general feeling about retraining in my group is that it should be for players who don't like the way their character is panning out, not for optimizing builds.


Going Elven Generalist Domain Wizard is an option if you don't want to specialize - though I understand full well why you'd go Conjurer for Abrupt Jaunt. Look at the Easy Bake Wizard Handbook for inspiration.

Elven Generalist Domain Wizard is pretty good, but yeah, Abrupt Jaunt just seems too hard to give up. The Easy Bake guide was interesting, though the core component for it (Eidetic Spellcaster ACF) is from Dragon Magazine, as thus off limits to me.



Versatile Spellcaster is only for Spontaneous casters like Sorcerers. Also, you can't take Augment Summoning without Spell Focus Conjuration, so the Spell Focus has to be first. To my knowledge, you don't need Greater Spell Focus Conjuration for much of anything: your summoned creatures don't use DCs and anyone failing a DC on a Cloud spell is mostly just icing on the cake anyway: everyone with a metabolism will try to get the hell out of a Stinking Cloud in the first round, so you're casting it to shape the battle field on your terms. Sculpt Spell is fun, though.

The requirements for Versatile Spellcaster only says "The ability to spontaneously cast spells", not "be a spontaneous caster class", so my DM agreed with me that I could use Alacritous Cogitation to qualify for it. The Augmented Summoning isn't a feat that I am picking, it is an alternate class feature. I trade in Scribe Scroll for the feat, and instead of getting the normal wizard bonus feats at 5, 10, etc, my summons are harder to dispel. If not for the loss of those feats, I would take wizard to 5, but since I wanted that Augmented Summoning ACF, I figured Master Specialist would be better. Though perhaps it isn't worth taking the Spell Focus: Conjuration for. I would certainly like some enemies to fail their saves sometimes.


First, I'd like to say, you're probably blowing your power way out of proportion if this is a first-timer DM. You know your DM way better than I do, so if he's expecting you to optimize this much then power to you, but it's no fun for anyone if you're stronger than everyone (and everything) by a huge margin. Remember, what the average D&D player expects and utilizes tends to be much different from what somebody on these forums, or the MinMax forums, tends to expect and utilize.

My DM knows all about my character, as I have been talking with him while making it. His opinion seems to be that I can do whatever I want, but he will just try harder to kill me. Part of the reason I chose this setup was so that I could be invisible and play a passive role in combat while the newer players (I myself am not that experienced) could run around hitting things more easily.


You've got a pretty strong chassis here for your character, and the other people here have managed to recommend most of what there is to recommend. However, I would like to point you in the direction of a different race, depending on what your DM considers "setting-specific". Dragonborn Grey Elf would normally be a better choice than human, but since your preferred build requires all the feats you've chosen that might be hard to work with. Alternatively, since it's not really setting-specific in any way even though it was introduced in a setting sourcebook, I think you might want to look in the direction of Strongheart Halfling. No wizard minds a bit more Dexterity even with all your other defenses, losing Strength isn't even worth batting an eyelash at, the small size brings with it a number of benefits, and best of all you get to keep that bonus feat that made you choose human in the first place; the only thing you lose in the transaction is the extra bonus skill point per level, and while that might have some repercussions, overall wizards don't care TOO much about losing that.

Gray Elf would probably be OK, but Dragonborn is probably a no. However, I did mention that we are using Pathfinder races, rather than 3.5, so my human gets a +2 to an ability score of my choice. A bonus feat and +2 Int is hard to pass up. Better than +2 Dex from Strongheart IMHO, though I could be wrong about that.


Another idea to bring up is that as a wizard, you will be the main source of information-gathering for your party, from figuring out your opponents abilities and weaknesses during or mid-fight to the many other things Divination does for you. As such, I'd recommend putting off Fatespinner a little longer and foresaking the third level of Master Specialist entirely in order to get the fifth level of Wizard and make use of the Spontaneous Divination ACF. Quite useful indeed, and pretty thematic since Fatespinner is (fluff-wise, at least) mostly based around Divination.

Spontaneous Divination is certainly worth taking, but if I take Augmented Summoning as an ACF, I don't have the 5th level feat to trade away. This campaign may never even get to level 5, so I was planning on front-loading this character a bit. If I did decide to go for it, I think I'd just go wizard 5 -> Mindbender 1 -> Master Specialist 1 -> Fatespinner 4 so I don't have to delay Fatespinner. How do you feel about that?


Good luck with your game, by the way!
Thanks!

[BrokenChord]

Gray Elf would probably be OK, but Dragonborn is probably a no. However, I did mention that we are using Pathfinder races, rather than 3.5, so my human gets a +2 to an ability score of my choice. A bonus feat and +2 Int is hard to pass up. Better than +2 Dex from Strongheart IMHO, though I could be wrong about that.

Ah, I kind of derped on that part, sorry. Yeah, Human is probably your best choice then, though while Int is certainly the most important stat for a wizard, Dex is not something to slack on. Granted, I figure you know this.


Spontaneous Divination is certainly worth taking, but if I take Augmented Summoning as an ACF, I don't have the 5th level feat to trade away. This campaign may never even get to level 5, so I was planning on front-loading this character a bit. If I did decide to go for it, I think I'd just go wizard 5 -> Mindbender 1 -> Master Specialist 1 -> Fatespinner 4 so I don't have to delay Fatespinner. How do you feel about that?

Oops, thought the Augmented Summoning thing was Homebrew rather than a legitimate ACF, forgive my misinformation. Also, that build looks quite good. And I get the front-loading thing, but in my personal opinion, having more power early on isn't worth losing power in the future; again, it's entirely a playstyle thing, but I think using the early levels to open up opportunities and build a foundation is usually better than going straight for big guns unless you actually know for certain that the game will end at lower levels. But yeah, wizards are wizard, even if the game ends early, you'll still be able to do your job pretty dang well, so I think that build is probably the better choice.


Thanks!

No problem!