help designing a wizard for another player (3.x)

[Somensjev]

so, i'm going to be in a camaign full of new players, and i'm going to be the only experienced player there (including the DM), so i'm helping a few people make their characters

Now, the problem is, we're going to be playing a roleplay heavy campaign, and one of the players asked me to make him a gray elf wizard. i know how i could make a combat oriented gray elf wizard, but i've got no idea how to make one more for roleplay (there will be combat, but it'll mostly be on the side, and unimportant)


so, my question to the playground is, will you help me make a level 5 gray elf wizard, that can deal with lots of roleplay, and a little combat? (any questions you need to ask i can either check with the DM, or answer if i already know the answer)

thanks in advanced :smallbiggrin:

[Jeff W]

Why not make a beguiler instead?

Otherwise, just take a Grey Elven Wizard and tune it up with lots of Divination, Enchantment and Illusion spells + useful utility spells. Urban Savant is a great prc for this sort of campaign if you can qualify.

[eggynack]

I don't think your question here really makes sense. There's not really such a thing as a "wizard that's good at roleplay," because that's fundamentally a player's end thing. If the player wants his character to be a guy who runs into every situation guns ablazing, then the best character for roleplay could be something as combat oriented as a blaster. That's true even in a low combat campaign, because that's just who the character is, and how they interact with the world. On that basis, you should try to find out who this character is supposed to be.

[adriana]

I don't think your question here really makes sense. There's not really such a thing as a "wizard that's good at roleplay," because that's fundamentally a player's end thing. If the player wants his character to be a guy who runs into every situation guns ablazing, then the best character for roleplay could be something as combat oriented as a blaster. That's true even in a low combat campaign, because that's just who the character is, and how they interact with the world. On that basis, you should try to find out who this character is supposed to be.


Pretty much this. I always figure out my characters personality, then I build the specs around what he or she wants to do in life.

[Somensjev]

i was thinking a more diplomatic wizard, because that's what the player seems to want, he didn't really explain himself well, and said he wanted a wizard that was good at roleplaying, so i threw that up here and saw what i got

he seems to want a wizard that can contribute to social encounters, by means of diplomacy/bluff/things like that. but he also wants most of his spells to be able to help in a social situation, while still having spells to use in a dungeon

[Eldariel]

Well, that's just a matter of which spells you prepare; Charms, skill boosts, illusions, etc. can work wonders in a social settings. Nothing out of the ordinary build-wise, except perhaps a bit higher Charisma and perhaps e.g. some feats (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=9071.0) that add class skills. Multiclass into Unseen Seer [Complete Mage] (unfortunately that can only be done on level 6).

[facelessminion]

i was thinking a more diplomatic wizard, because that's what the player seems to want, he didn't really explain himself well, and said he wanted a wizard that was good at roleplaying, so i threw that up here and saw what i got

he seems to want a wizard that can contribute to social encounters, by means of diplomacy/bluff/things like that. but he also wants most of his spells to be able to help in a social situation, while still having spells to use in a dungeon

So, a Beguiler then. All the social benefits of a wizard with less power, but a lot more panache.

[eggynack]

Yeah, you basically want a beguiler, or a wizard pretending to be a beguiler in order to keep some extra tricks up his sleeve.