Magehunter build challenge with "bounties"

[Albions_Angel]

Hi all

As the title suggests, but Im no good at actually judging things so the "bounties" arnt for extra points, just extra challenges that would end up helping me. The intended outcome of this is of me to get a general feel of mage hunter builds because I have never actually seen them, and get a feel for when they are appropriate to throw at a party, or when to build one myself and the time and level investment I would need, as well as what books I will need to use to typically build them.

Basically, I want to see some mage hunters, and what is the earliest point they come online.

So, throw your builds down below, with special care for how your builds actually perform at levels 5, 10, 15 and of course 20. I dont really want just a list of what they take at each level, culminating in a level 20 char, because frankly I have never seen a game get to level 20 and a lot of builds I have seen just dont work until they are complete, which isnt all that helpful.

This isnt really an optimization challenge, so much as it is a selection of chars and npcs at various levels.

The Bounties are as follows. Please specify which ones you are going for at the TOP of our post.


No Dragon Magazine
No Dragon Magazine or ToB
DMGs, PHBs, MMs, Complete, Races, Sand, Frost, Storm, Dragon Magic, UA, MiC (my usual play list)
DMGs, PHBs, MMs, Complete, Races, Sand, Frost, Storm, Dragon Magic, UA, MiC, NO PSIONICS
DMGs, PHBs, MMs, Complete, Races, MiC
DMGs, PHBs, MMs, Complete, Races
DMGs, PHBs, MMs (Expanded Core)
Core



Use a format of:

Bounty:
Build and items:
Tactics at lvl 5 (if appropriate)
Tactics at lvl 10 (Should have this)
Tactics at lvl 15 (need this)
Tactics at lvl 20 (Obvious really)
Give some indication of the downtime and money required (dont need exact values, just ballparks of hours and coppers, or weeks and thousands of GP, or years and the global GDP).

Thanks and have fun.

[Kelb_Panthera]

What grade of spellcaster are we hunting? There is a world of difference between a fireball chucker and an optimized godkiller.

[Muggins]

Are these builds supposed to be mundane? Because otherwise, there's this obvious build for any of the bounties.

Bounty: Core
Build and items: Wizard 17/Fighter 1/Arcane Archer 2
Tactics at lvl 5: Wizard 5
You're a wizard. Cast spells.
Dispel magic takes care of buffs.
Colour Spray, Glitterdust, Deep Slumber, Suggestion, and Hold Person win combats.
Summon Monster gives you beatsticks.
Nondetection, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Locate Object and Rope Trick make sure you have the upper hand from the start.
Alter Self and Haste are good for beatsticking yourself.
Tactics at lvl 10: Wizard 10
As above.
Globes of Invulnerability protect from spells. Dimensional Anchor prevents escape. Teleport and Dimension Door make sure you escape. Freedom of Movement stops all grappling nonsense.
Evard's Black Tentacles is supreme battlefield control.
Animate Dead and Planar Ally Binding join Summon Monster for beatsticks.
Dominate Person, Phantasmal Killer, and Baleful Polymorph are your new save-or-dies.
Telekinesis to levitate a bunch of +colossal greatswords or pin down enemies, Greater Invisiblity to render you untargetable.
Scrying, Contact Other Plane, Arcane Eye, Locate Creature nail down your scry-or-dies.
Tactics at lvl 15: Wizard 12/Fighter 1/Arcane Archer 2
Arcane Archer lets you cheat around casting times on area spells. For example, you can effectively cast Control Weather (which has a regular casting time of 10 minutes) as a standard action. Or Halucinatory Terrain. Or you can just attach standard area spells to your arrows, like Incendiary Cloud, Acid Fog, or Otiluke's Freezing Sphere.
Keep in mind that you've got other spells. Antimagic Field (usable with Arcane Archer) and Greater Dispel Magic are here.
Have I mentioned how you have spells like Stone Shape, Wall of Stone/Iron/Force, or Guards and Wards? Because you do, and you can make any arena to your favour.
Create Undead is more minions. True Seeing stops any illusionist funny business.
Circle of Death, Eyebite, Flesh to Stone and Disintegrate are save-or-dies.
Contingency means you never die or be caught by surprise, because you can always just teleport to safety or to another arena you've prepared in advance.
Tactics at lvl 20: Wizard 17/Fighter 1/Arcane Archer 2
As above. Spell Turning, Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, Simulacrum, Polymorph Any Object, Time Stop. You're a Wizard with 9th level spells and the ability to cheat around casting time restrictions on area spells, so just do what you want.
Downtime and Money: As much or as little as you want. Stacking Explosive Runes always works, as do elaborate Simulacrum/Clone/Astral Projection shenanigans to make to functionally immortal.

Or really, anything which is just "wizard" will do the trick, I feel. For example, swapping out 7 levels of Wizard for Initiate of the Seven Veils if the Completes are allowed.