Top prestige classes for specialist wizards

[ZhanStrider]

What are your personal favorite prestige classes for each specialization (Master Specialist not included)?
Abjuration
Conjuration
Evocation
Necromancy
Divination
Illusion
Enchantment
Transmutation
(Did I miss any?)

[Ger. Bessa]

Abjuration : Initiate of the sevenfold veil. Noctumencer seems cool too.
Conjuration : (if summoner) : Malconvoker
Evocation : anything blasty and metamagic friendly (ultimate magus, incantatrix, halruaan elder, Spellwarp sniper).
Transmutation : same plus War weaver.
Illusion : Shadowcraft mage
Enchantment : Master specialist ? I'd probably theurge with another system like psionics, or go fiendbender (ToM).
Necromancy : as Evocation (Halruaan elder) plus recaster.
Divination : Unseen seer.


Most wizards specialize in conjuration just for the utility and play as generalists.

But I'd rather chose what I want to do and select my prcs and schools accordingly. I don't build a character to be a specialist.

golden rule : your class isn't your character.

[Edenbeast]

Abjuration: Initiate of sevenfold veil
Conjuration: Alienist (3e version)
Evocation: Red Wizard
Necromancy: see evocation
Divination: Divine Oracle
Illusion: Shadowcraft Mage
Enchantment: Wild Soul
Transmutation: War Weaver

[ZhanStrider]

Abjuration : Initiate of the sevenfold veil. Noctumencer seems cool too.
Conjuration : (if summoner) : Malconvoker
Evocation : anything blasty and metamagic friendly (ultimate magus, incantatrix, halruaan elder, Spellwarp sniper).
Transmutation : same plus War weaver.
Illusion : Shadowcraft mage
Enchantment : Master specialist ? I'd probably theurge with another system like psionics, or go fiendbender (ToM).
Necromancy : as Evocation (Halruaan elder) plus recaster.
Divination : Unseen seer.


Most wizards specialize in conjuration just for the utility and play as generalists.

But I'd rather chose what I want to do and select my prcs and schools accordingly. I don't build a character to be a specialist.

golden rule : your class isn't your character.

Yeah, for sure. I'm just interested in people's thoughts. My character is a sorcerer :p

[ZhanStrider]

Abjuration: Initiate of sevenfold veil
Conjuration: Alienist (3e version)
Evocation: Red Wizard
Necromancy: see evocation
Divination: Divine Oracle
Illusion: Shadowcraft Mage
Enchantment: Wild Soul
Transmutation: War Weaver

Red Wizard doesn't look that good to me. Am I missing something?

[A_S]

Red Wizard doesn't look that good to me. Am I missing something?
Circle Magic is selectively broken (if you use it with spells that scale well with caster level above 20). Spell Power on a 10/10 advancement is pretty strong even without Circle Magic.

[Dread_Head]

Abjuration: Abjurant Champion, Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, War Weaver
Divination: Unseen Seer
Enchantment: Mindbender (just the one level)
Evocation: Force Missile Mage, War Mage (Dragonlance Prestige)
Illusion: Shadowcraft Mage, Nightmare Spinner, Dread Witch
Transmuter: War Weaver

[Telonius]

Conjuration: Thaumaturgist is a sensible thing to take. (Arcane Disciple for the Summoning domain can make it work).

[Pluto!]

None of these are power choices, but in terms of good design:

Conjuration: Wild Soul, Malconvoker
Enchantment: Dread Witch
Evocation: Argent Savant, Stormcaster, Dragon Prophet
Illusion: Nightmare Weaver
Necromancy: Pale Master

[ZhanStrider]

None of these are power choices, but in terms of good design:

Conjuration: Wild Soul, Malconvoker
Enchantment: Dread Witch
Evocation: Argent Savant, Stormcaster, Dragon Prophet
Illusion: Nightmare Weaver
Necromancy: Pale Master

Pale Master is great. Our resident wizard is one.

[Seto]

Holy crap, I'd never read the War Weaver class before. It's crazy useful to a buffing wizard !

[tadkins]

Master Specialist for Necromancy is really good I think.

[Svata]

Holy crap, I'd never read the War Weaver class before. It's crazy useful to a buffing wizard !

It's even okay on a buff-centric bard.

[Rubik]

Legacy champion and uncanny trickster are good if you have another prestige class that has a clear progression but doesn't last as long as you want it to, such as war weaver and mystic theurge. L.C. and U.T. can extend the class beyond its original number of class levels, though they aren't 10/10 progression classes.

Bloodlines can do something similar.

[Khedrac]

Holy crap, I'd never read the War Weaver class before. It's crazy useful to a buffing wizard !

So true - it's so good that in an area where the first and only commandment is "don't sacrifice a casting level" it's worth taking despite the loss of one level of casting...

[ben-zayb]

Abjuration: Archmage, Master Specialist, Spellguard of Silverymoon:smallamused:, Noctumancer
Conjuration: Master Specialist
Evoker: Silver Pyromancer, Wyrm Wizard (Dictum/etc), Red Wizard, Archmage, Spellwarp Sniper, Unseen Seer, Wild Mage
Transmuter: Spellguard of Silverymoon, War Weaver

[atemu1234]

Red Wizard is good on most things, really.

[Fouredged Sword]

Red Wizard is good on most things, really.

Uncanny trickster can spend another spellcaster level but allow you to weave 7th level spells into your weave. Legacy champion can work in up to 9th level spells.

Now, that said, I do love a good Bard 5 / warweaver 5 / Sublime Chord 10. It seems hard to do, but you just have to gain versatile spellcaster and heighten to pull off early entry into warweaver. I prefer to pick up healing hymn because you are going to lose out on your high end songs anyway. This lets you stick healing spells into the weave pre-buffed by the healing hymn. This means each of your healing spells adds your ranks in preform to the amount healed. Dump a few cure light wounds into the weave to heal 1d8+29 Hp each to all members of your party.

[Svata]

I use Bard 9/War Weaver 1/Sublime Chord 1/War Weaver +4 (advancing Chord)/Sublime Chord(or other PrC advancing it. Abjurant Champion, perhaps) +5

[Fouredged Sword]

I use Bard 9/War Weaver 1/Sublime Chord 1/War Weaver +4 (advancing Chord)/Sublime Chord(or other PrC advancing it. Abjurant Champion, perhaps) +5

Yeah, I just don't like waiting until 9+ to enter what is a PRC that most the classes enter at 6th level. My groups normally started at 6th level, so starting with my main trick was nice. Starting at 10+ I would think your build was better.

[Svata]

Fair enough. I just like my feats and like bard levels rather than Sublime Chord levels (if we're getting max Chord casting anyway, that is).

[Rubik]

You can always use wizard, then war weaver, then prestige bard. Or you could go with warrior skald, or even a master fiddle and UMD, if you want to qualify for prestige bard using an item.

[Edenbeast]

None of these are power choices, but in terms of good design:

Conjuration: Wild Soul, Malconvoker
Enchantment: Dread Witch
Evocation: Argent Savant, Stormcaster, Dragon Prophet
Illusion: Nightmare Weaver
Necromancy: Pale Master

Instinctively one would pick Wild Soul for Conjuration, but the class actually suits better an illusionist or enchanter, because it gives you +1 to DC's in those schools.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

War Weaver + Legacy Champion means you can apply even higher level spells to your weave. With the right build, you can get Mind Blank in there.