Abjurer build advice

[Falcon X]

I have a guy who needs me to make a character for him. The game runs through levels 7-10, so let's build for 10th level. It must start as a Vancian Wizard of a core race (forgotten realms sub-races might be okay).
This does not need to be optimized. Flavor comes first.

Situation: We are giving a Shadowrun hacker an avatar in D&D3.5. The hacker specializes in electronic warfare, especially intercepting communications and buffing allies.
The player knows little about D&D, but says that if his hacker were a Mage it would focus on buffs, and would be accustomed to illusions and divinations.
He would stray away from combat spells (most evocations) and manipulation spells (ones that mess with the environment. Ex. Ice rain, magical darkness, levitation). I also gather that summoning won't be his thing.

My thoughts so far: I'm thinking a focused specialist of abjuration, with bans on evocation and conjuration (I know, right?).
Spontaneous divination feat would fulfill his use of divinations.
Of course, I'm not stuck on any of that.

Any thoughts on a build?

[Aegis013]

I don't know if Gray Elves are Forgotten Realms, but they're available on the SRD here (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Elves,_Gray_%28Race%29). They're probably the best racial option for their Int bonus. Though if by core you mean PHB only, then maybe not.

Depending on what all material is available advice will be wildly different, and not knowing the optimization level of your table it's a bit tough to give suitable advice.

I do think the Fatespinner PrC from Complete Arcane might be of interest. Qualifying is quite easy (in at level 8) and provides some pretty nice abilities that will allow him to hack reality in a way by altering chance, something I suspect he'd find interesting.

[Falcon X]

Feel free to quote any book and op. I can bring it down if I think it's inappropriate. I just want some great ideas.

Fate spinner might just be appropriate. In SR they have similar enough things and I'll look into how much he uses it.

[Aegis013]

Well, optimally, the player would be a Domain (probably Divination given the flavor) (UA), Elven Generalist (Elf sub level from RotW) with Faerie Mysteries Initiate (Dragon Mag) to key HP off of Int. Probably grabbing Spell Master feat to qualify for Uncanny Forethought (EoE).

Probably going Necropolitan for undead immunities, especially since no Con score really won't hurt much with FMI fueling his HP.

That would eat up feats from level 1, 3 and 6. Grab a Metamagic Rod of Chain spell to turn single de/buffs into group de/buffs, particularly things like Greater Magic Weapon and similar will be nice for the whole gang.

[Urpriest]

Your description also fits Transmuter. Abjurer is a bit more limited, but a Transmuter would still be focused heavily on buffing allies.

[Falcon X]

Well, optimally, the player would be a Domain (probably Divination given the flavor) (UA), Elven Generalist (Elf sub level from RotW) with Faerie Mysteries Initiate (Dragon Mag) to key HP off of Int. Probably grabbing Spell Master feat to qualify for Uncanny Forethought (EoE).

Probably going Necropolitan for undead immunities, especially since no Con score really won't hurt much with FMI fueling his HP.

That would eat up feats from level 1, 3 and 6. Grab a Metamagic Rod of Chain spell to turn single de/buffs into group de/buffs, particularly things like Greater Magic Weapon and similar will be nice for the whole gang.

That is definitely how I'll make my next personal Mage. Thanks for that :)

However, for this build, I'm mostly going to look at things directed at character flavor. That means necropolitan is out, and I don't think he's spiritual, so I won't go the Domain Wizard route (domain wizards are religious, right?)

Even so, there are things I haven't thought about. If he was originally a hacker, his intelligence would have been his hit points modifier in Shadowrun. So it might actually make sense for int to go to hp in D&D. Good stuff!

I like that rod of chain spell. Spell mastery and uncanny forethought might be up his alley too.

[Aegis013]

...character flavor. That means necropolitan is out, and I don't think he's spiritual, so I won't go the Domain Wizard route (domain wizards are religious, right?) ...

I don't see how being an age old arch-mage who extended his own life through undeath isn't flavorful, but to each their own.

Unearthed Arcana doesn't have anything regarding religion under Domain Wizards. Since it's a an alternative to being a specialist, I assume it's just a different flavor of specialization, though fluff regarding that is pretty well non-existent, so if you want to use that, you may choose to come up with a different fluff (perhaps the Wizard this guy was apprenticed to in his youth was a Diviner specialist or what have you and some advanced knowledge of the school trickled down) to make it fit with being an Elven Generalist.