arcane schools to ban for arcane hierophant

[molten_dragon]

I'm building an arcane hierophant druid/wizard for a high level game, and I want to make him a focused specialist wizard. I'm debating what to specialize in and what three schools to ban though. Normally I'd go conjuration or transmutation, but I'm wondering if the druid does those well enough to go another route.

[eggynack]

Starting off, I'd ban enchantment. It seems like a bad move at first, because druids don't get much enchantment, but the effects aren't that great, and you can kinda hit some of the better effects with summoning of various types. I'd also ban evocation, as is traditional, as the effects you're not getting efficiently from shadow evocation are pretty accessible from the druid list. The third one, as is traditional, is the tricky school. I think I'd go with abjuration over necromancy or illusion, because you're already getting the biggest effect of the school, dispel magic, albeit at a reduced rate of competency. Then again, losing magic circle does make working planar binding less doable, and that's an annoying thing, so the school might be worth keeping on that basis.

Keeping illusion seems like a pretty obvious move, as druids get very little of it, and it provides really good effects, so the competition is between abjuration and necromancy. I suppose banning necro fits flavor better, though I do have a bit of a passion for the necro-druid. You don't really lose that much by ditching the school, and it's not like a wizard/druid is particularly hurting for either minionmancy or debuffs. Therefore, I'd think that the ideal banning plan is about the same as usual. Enchantment, evocation, and necromancy. Druids do cover some of the ground of conjuration and transmutation with their various abilities, but not nearly all of it, given how massive the list is. Tons of utility and power on those lists.

[heavyfuel]

Much like eggynack suggested, I'd go for enchantment and necromancy. I would, however, leave evocation alone just so you can get Contingency. Otherwise you'll only get access to it when you get Greater Shadow Evocation, an 8th lv spell. Craft Contingency just doesn't do it for me, with WBL cost and XP cost. If you have a way to break either with Ambrosia and Cow to Salt farming or something along these lines, Evocation can be banned, but since most DMs might ban things like these, it's good to leave your options open.

Don't ban Abjuration either. Magic Circle, Dimensional Lock and AMF are too good to pass up on. Conjuration is also a no-go because Druids don't get teleports.

Honestly, I'd ban Transmutation. It's not that crazy, because Druids have access to the best of spells in Transmutation, Shapechange.

[Brackenlord]

Much like eggynack suggested, I'd go for enchantment and necromancy. I would, however, leave evocation alone just so you can get Contingency. Otherwise you'll only get access to it when you get Greater Shadow Evocation, an 8th lv spell.

I'm away from my books but isn't Shadow Evocation: Contingency a nombo? Since you automatically disbelief your own illusions.

As for the OP, if you're wizard focused, I say go with a cookie-cutter Abrupt Jaunt conjurer. The moment you choose to specialize you might as well pick the real benefit of doing so.

[Zaq]

Why, specifically, do you want to be a Focused Specialist? You're going to have the spells of two casters, after all, so you don't really need the extra spells per day that badly. Why not just be a regular specialist, if not a generalist?

[molten_dragon]

Why, specifically, do you want to be a Focused Specialist? You're going to have the spells of two casters, after all, so you don't really need the extra spells per day that badly. Why not just be a regular specialist, if not a generalist?

Because I intend to cap him off with a level of spelldancer for a ton of persisted buffs and I figured the extra spells per day would come in handy.

[eggynack]

Because I intend to cap him off with a level of spelldancer for a ton of persisted buffs and I figured the extra spells per day would come in handy.
You can't really persist all that many buffs with spelldancer. Assuming you dip a single level, you need a constitution mod of +5 to persist one spell, and then you need to hit +11 to persist a second, which is difficult but not impossible. This isn't much reason to be a focused specialist, in other words. Maybe consider something like domain wizard instead, possibly with elven generalist backing it up.

[heavyfuel]

You can't really persist all that many buffs with spelldancer. Assuming you dip a single level, you need a constitution mod of +5 to persist one spell, and then you need to hit +11 to persist a second, which is difficult but not impossible. This isn't much reason to be a focused specialist, in other words. Maybe consider something like domain wizard instead, possibly with elven generalist backing it up.

Or you can extend Sheltered Vitality for a 300 round immunity to fatigue and ability damage. Or you can be a Necropolitan. If you have reach spell, you can also persist Sheltered Vitality.

[eggynack]

Or you can extend Sheltered Vitality for a 300 round immunity to fatigue and ability damage. Or you can be a Necropolitan. If you have reach spell, you can also persist Sheltered Vitality.
You can still only spelldance a number of rounds/day equal to your spelldancer level plus your constitution modifier. You might be able to reach three/day, if you seriously push things (I'm thinking a high constitution form plus beast spirit here), but anything more than that is pretty much impossible without cheese.

[Karnith]

You can't really persist all that many buffs with spelldancer. Assuming you dip a single level, you need a constitution mod of +5 to persist one spell, and then you need to hit +11 to persist a second, which is difficult but not impossible.
Immunity to fatigue (which is not at all hard to get) lets you Persist as many spells as you want via Spelldancing. Spelldancer is stupidly broken, and is basically the best class for Persisting.

You can still only spelldance a number of rounds/day equal to your spelldancer level plus your constitution modifier. You might be able to reach three/day, if you seriously push things (I'm thinking a high constitution form plus beast spirit here), but anything more than that is pretty much impossible without cheese.
Friend, I'd suggest re-reading Spelldancer. You can only safely spelldance class level + Con score rounds/day, after which you must start making Fort saving throws to avoid taking Con damage and becoming fatigued (if you fail the save twice, you become exhausted). You can continue spelldancing after that for as long as you are not exhausted; immunity to fatigue means that you can spelldance for as long as you can put up with the Con damage (say, through Restoration).

[eggynack]

Immunity to fatigue (which is not at all hard to get) lets you Persist as many spells as you want via Spelldancing. Spelldancer is stupidly broken, and is basically the best class for Persisting.

Friend, I'd suggest re-reading Spelldancer. You can only safely spelldance class level + Con score rounds/day, after which you must start making Fort saving throws to avoid taking Con damage and becoming fatigued. You can continue spelldancing after that for as long as you are not fatigued.
Right. Definitely missed that majig. Still, those feat requirements be crazy.