De-powering my wizard

[Squark]

So, I recently joined a new campaign. My DM told me that it was pretty open season when it came to sourcebooks, since he had quite a few himself, so I made, well, voila.

Middle-Aged Gnome Focused Conjurer 5
S 9 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 19 Wis 11 Cha 15
Alternate Class Features: Fighter Bonus Feats (Improved Innitiative), Focused Specialist (Banned Schools: Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy), Spontaneous Divination, Rat Familliar
Feats: Collegiate Wizard (1st), Cloudy Conjuration (3rd), Improved Innitiative (Wizard 1), Alertness (Familliar)
SKills: Concentration +10, Craft (Alchemy) +12, Knowledge (Arcana) +13, Knowledge (Nature) +13, Knowledge (The Planes) +10, Spellcraft +15
1st Level Spells: Grease, Mage Armor, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Unseen Servant, Lesser Orb of Acid, Wall of Smoke, Alarm, Endure Elements, Protection from Evil, Shield, Comprehend Languages, Identify, Magecraft, Color Spray, Disguise Self, Silent Image, Enlarge Person, Reduce Person, Ray of Clumsiness, Swift Expeditious Retreat, Familliar Pocket
2nd Level Spells: Glitterdust, Web, Baleful Transportation, Arcane Turmoil, Locate Object, See Invisibility, Mirror Image, Invisibility, Bull's Strength, Rope Trick, Greater Slide, Unseen Crafter
3rd Level Spells: Stinking Cloud, Dispel Magic, Fly, Haste, Halt
Equipment: (~2000 GP above WBL due to loot division) Headband of Intellect +2, Healing Belt, Travel Cloak, 2 scrolls of Feather fall, scroll of water breathing, assorted adventuring equipment, 1242 GP


So, a pretty well optimized character, although whether I'd be able to play him to his full potential is another matter. However, as I joined the party, I found I'm adventuring with a Generalist Wizard who focuses on evocation spells and aspires to use still spell and silent spell to blow things up while staring at them, an elf rogue with a longsword, and an elf druid determined to adopt as many animals as humanly possible (Probably the most optimized by virtue of being a druid and planning to take natural spell next level). And, given my DM's reaction to the description of collegiate wizard and dispel magic*.... he's not an optimizer either. So, what would you recommend I start taking out of the build to bring him down a bit closer to his party members? I already de-whisper gnomed him prior to last session, and I expect Focused specialist needs to go, but what else?


*No seriously, he thought Dispel Magic was overpowered.

[Extra Anchovies]

If you already removed Whisper Gnome, you're fine build-wise. With caster classes, the main place for optimization is play style. Try not to outshine the other party members; the reason the T1 casters are T1 is that they can make the non-casters redundant. Focus more on buffs and passive battlefield control (e.g. nondamaging but still detrimental to the enemy). Then you're making the whole party more effective, rather than just optimizing your own ability.

[Dalebert]

If you want to go to a little extra effort to not outshine your party while still remaining very effective, you could consider transmutation specialist. But I think you can do just fine with conjuration in that respect. Those are my two favorite schools.

[ramrod]

I think that it just has to come down to playstyle. Ultimately any class with access to such a wide range of spells will always have the potential to be overpowered. Most damaging and battlefield control effects can be replicated by other classes. Avoid action economy breaking spells unless you are sharing them with the party such as haste and I can't see the problem with casters.

Look at your spells on a one to one basis and if you think they are pure filth, don't use them or at least ask the DM for his/her opinion. A psion in my group would have taken 'damp power' but it is filth of the highest order for a DM (immediate action minimum damage on spells/powers for the party, very small power point investment). The psion knew it was filth and we agreed not to run it. If you go down this line, I would avoid doing it in front of the party as it effectively ruins the illusion of power in the group. A DM should not be seen as limiting the power of the party, but enabling it. Some things need to be controlled, but the party doesn't need to know it.

However, it shouldn't come down to you to control your playing, others around you should raise their game (you can help with this) and the DM should be running the game to give love to lower tier classes whilst limiting tier 1. DM should primarily be holding casters back by preventing novas (dumping all of your spells in one-two encounters) and preventing the old Baldurs Gate fight/rest/fight/rest strategy. If you don't know what might come next before you can rest, you're less likely to outshine with novas. Even in a boss battle, you shouldn't unload unless you can be infinitely certain that there is nothing else to come (I try to plan in resurgences, another wave or even another boss that is not evident when the battle starts in a good proportion of battles to add suspense and get the casters to hold a moderate reserve).

If a level 10 party is fighting a battle and the caster lets off say a control spell and four damaging spells worth roughly 10D6 each, that is hardly out of the realms of non tier 1 classes given their own fragility (or need to cast spells to offset it) especially if the DM is planning in creatures with high saves, immunity, spell resistance and concealment . A skirmish scout in the same time could have fired off 2 arrows, with magical arrows giving 20-30d6 per round, minus missed shots (equivalent to spell saves?). Alternatively a control tank could easily have tripped, dazed, grappled and/or bullrushed 2 enemies and dished out a pretty good level of damage with a high chance of landing each and every attack. Your power simply comes from being able to AOE that damage, land it with a high degree of certainty or pick from a whole range of effects that does not require you to be in a specific location.

There are areas where you should outshine. You trade a lot of durability (without spells) and other features to be able to do what you do and there can be some pretty hefty limitations on casting (ever been caught in an antimagic zone or been captured and had your spell components taken from you (no eschew materials?)? A barbarian can function with reasonable effect naked with a plank of wood and can stand a good beating in any occasion. Don't be afraid to be good at what you do. If you see the party becoming low/sad/frustrated with not being able to compare just given them some love and start using your spells to make them more awesome... god knows there are enough spells to pick from!