Flaws for a spellcaster

[Reprimand]

Flaws: solved.

I have a new problem I'm having with this character that suddenly came up as I was doing feats!

let me post my feat list

My build is Wiz5/Incantatrix 3(8)/Initiate of the sevenfold veil 7/ Archmage 5(0)

Flaw1-Iron Will
Flaw2-Spell Focus Abjuration
1-Spell Focus Abjuration, Greater
Wiz1-Scribe Scroll
Human-Skill Focus: Spellcraft
3-Chain Spell
Wiz5-Craft Wand
6-Extend Spell
9-Quicken Spell
12-Craft Wonderous Item
15-Craft Contingency
18-Persist Spell

So basically I realized how close I was running on feats and I was wondering if people could give me some pointers on flaws that I'm taking

Iron will, spell focus, skill focus etc must be present on this character for getting into my prcs


Would it be reasonable to ask my DM to buy spell focus skill focus and iron will with gp Since they don't really DO much for me?

is it worth it to take crafting feats as well since their kind of bogging me down.

Please do not suggest precarious apprentice elven generalist domain wizard and so on. I already have this covered!

[Rebel7284]

Whichever flaw gives penalty to ranged attacks? Makes rays harder to use, but doesn't seem like they will be a priority for you.

Maybe the -1 armor class one. It applies all the time, but you have other ways to defend yourself...

[JBarca]

For spellcasters, I like the following:

Inattentive (Too narcissistic to notice those around her/ too focused on magic to notice/ Nose in her book constantly)
Meager Fortitude (Just makes sense for the frail caster stereotype)
Noncombatant (Seriously, why are you making melee attacks? Although you did want meaningful, so maybe not)
Poor Reflexes (Why are you making a Reflex save in the first place? Easy to argue for relevance; "My HP's so low, one failed Reflex save will be really harmful to me!")
Vulnerable (You've got spells. Miss chance means AC doesn't matter. But it still can be argued to matter, especially at high levels; "True Seeing and ranged attacks? My AC needs to be high!")

[Reprimand]

Think this would qualify as a flaw?

Forlorn Flaw- Cannot gain follower unless they are forced by authority (such as a king or other ruler), under extreme duress or forced by a spell effect such as geas/quest.

Further more, Animal companions, familiars, special mounts and so on are not gained and cannot take leadership.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Think this would qualify as a flaw?

Forlorn Flaw- Cannot gain follower unless they are forced by authority (such as a king or other ruler), under extreme duress or forced by a spell effect such as geas/quest.

Further more, Animal companions, familiars, special mounts and so on are not gained and cannot take leadership.

Only if you don't trade your familiar away anyway. That said i'd rather take ANY other flaw because familiars are incredibly useful when you use them right.

[Reprimand]

well right but I'm not using any alternate class features that would get rid of my familiar.

Posting a new problem I've run into int he OP and changing the title.

[Crake]

Please do not suggest precarious apprentice elven generalist domain wizard and so on. I already have this covered!

Did you mean precocious apprentice? I can hardly see why that would be useful for this build, but Collegiate wizard would net you 2 more spells per level, and you could retrain it via phb2 retrain rules just before you need the feat to get into another class. Like skill focus for archmage: keep collegiate wizard until level 15, then just before you level to 16, retrain it for skill focus and enter archmage, that way you net yourself an extra 31 spells (3 at level 1 +2 at every other level) with no real significant change to your build and much more mileage out of the feat instead of just a mediocre +3 to spellcraft.

Personally I would also take the martial wizard ACF to trade scribe scroll for improved initiative and the spontaneous divination ACF at level 5 instead of craft wand, but those are just personal preferences.

Edit: Also what did you mean by "buying" iron will and skill focus? I've never heard of people buying feats.

Edit2: That said, Iron will can be taken for "free" by entering the otyugh pit. If this character isnt starting at level 1, you can get that as part of your wbl, taking up 3000gp, but I cant think of any such method for skill focus, short of going an elf and using the dark chaos shuffle on your elven proficiency bonus feats.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Edit2: That said, Iron will can be taken for "free" by entering the otyugh pit. If this character isnt starting at level 1, you can get that as part of your wbl, taking up 3000gp, but I cant think of any such method for skill focus, short of going an elf and using the dark chaos shuffle on your elven proficiency bonus feats.

There's a location for Skill Focus, too. Frog God's Fane iirc, but i could be wrong on that. There might be one for Spell Focus in Complete Mage too.

[Bullet06320]

if you went specialist wizard, take a level of master specialist and you get skill focus spellcraft for free

ive used the slow flaw on a morbidly obese wizard once, it was fun to roleplay his waddling around in dungeons

[Crake]

There's a location for Skill Focus, too. Frog God's Fane iirc, but i could be wrong on that. There might be one for Spell Focus in Complete Mage too.

If there's one in complete mage, I'll be so angry, cause I've wanted one for sooo long.

[magicalmagicman]

Noncombatant seems like a flaw that fits spellcasters. After all, they don't engage in direct combat. They throw spells or traps or magic items or contingencies or armies.

But noncombatant has 0 effect on a spellcaster.

From reading d20srd, it seems like you can only choose flaws that affect your playstyle, as in, you're an inept spellcaster who tried hard to compensate, so gets a bonus feat, instead of: you're an inept fighter so you decided to become a wizard instead.

So likewise, if you want to choose the right flaw, make a list of what you want to do, and any flaw that hurts that is the one you may take.

[sideswipe]

there is a place you could buy a trip to. i cannot spell it but its the ogyeir hole or something. it gives you iron will for 3000gp i believe

[Crake]

Noncombatant seems like a flaw that fits spellcasters. After all, they don't engage in direct combat. They throw spells or traps or magic items or contingencies or armies.

But noncombatant has 0 effect on a spellcaster.

From reading d20srd, it seems like you can only choose flaws that affect your playstyle, as in, you're an inept spellcaster who tried hard to compensate, so gets a bonus feat, instead of: you're an inept fighter so you decided to become a wizard instead.

So likewise, if you want to choose the right flaw, make a list of what you want to do, and any flaw that hurts that is the one you may take.

No, anyone can take any flaw, there's no restrictions, barring the ones that the flaws themselves specify. You're probably thinking of sidebar about homebrewing flaws, where it explains that a flaw should have an impact on things that aren't class related, so for example, if a flaw were to reduce your caster level, that could be mitigated by not taking a caster, or if required to, just taking 1 level then multiclassing out.

The reason why most flaws have a greater penalty than a typical feat would provide benefit (-3 to specific saves vs +2 to specific saves for example) is because it is assumed that players are going to take flaws that will have the least impact, thus the flaw must hit harder than a feat would gain to offset. Basically you make yourself marginally better at one thing you're good at at the expense of being significantly worse at something you're not good at. For a crude example, take an archer who takes noncombatant to get weapon focus with his weapon of choice. He's traded -2 in melee for +1 at range. Since he's not likely to spend time in melee, that +1 will get him a lot of mileage, but in the times he IS in melee, he's hit hard with the -2 to hit.

Remember that mages who have touch attacks for example, will still get the -2 to hit, so it still does affect them, either by the penalty, or the aversion to those spells.