Would this be effective? 3.5

[EvulOne]

Hi all,

The group I'm with is rotating GMs and now I get to play. I'm running
with 2 barbarians, a sorcerer, a rogue/wizard, a druid and a favored soul.
I'm looking to run a mage that is a team player who debuffs the baddies
allowing the others to take them down. I'm hoping this is an effective
build as we're not an optimizing group. Ideas and opinions?


Kyber the Lifebinder
6th level Necromancer Immediate Mage (banned: Abjuration/Evocation)
S: 8
I: 18
W: 10
D: 15
C: 15
Ch: 16
Regional Feat: Dreadful gaze (attack or spel will save DC 16 or shaken
for 1 minute)
Immediate Magic: Cursed Glance (counters 60' attack, Will save DC 17 or -2
AC and saves)
Feats:
Human-Spell Focus (Necromancy)
1st-Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy)
3rd-Fearsome Necromancy
6th-Spell Focus (Enchantment)

Spells:
1-Ray of Enfeeblement, Backbiter, Benign Transposition, Identify, Lesser
Orb of Cold, Grease
2-Glitterdust, Blindness, Ray of Sickness, Mirror Image, Ghoul Touch
3-Ray of Dizziness, Stinking Cloud, Mass Snake Swiftness, Vampiric Touch,
Deep Slumber

[SirNMN]

Hi all,

The group I'm with is rotating GMs and now I get to play. I'm running
with 2 barbarians, a sorcerer, a rogue/wizard, a druid and a favored soul.
I'm looking to run a mage that is a team player who debuffs the baddies
allowing the others to take them down. I'm hoping this is an effective
build as we're not an optimizing group. Ideas and opinions?


Kyber the Lifebinder
6th level Necromancer Immediate Mage (banned: Abjuration/Evocation)
S: 8
I: 18
W: 10
D: 15
C: 15
Ch: 16
Regional Feat: Dreadful gaze (attack or spel will save DC 16 or shaken
for 1 minute)
Immediate Magic: Cursed Glance (counters 60' attack, Will save DC 17 or -2
AC and saves)
Feats:
Human-Spell Focus (Necromancy)
1st-Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy)
3rd-Fearsome Necromancy
6th-Spell Focus (Enchantment)

Spells:
1-Ray of Enfeeblement, Backbiter, Benign Transposition, Identify, Lesser
Orb of Cold, Grease
2-Glitterdust, Blindness, Ray of Sickness, Mirror Image, Ghoul Touch
3-Ray of Dizziness, Stinking Cloud, Mass Snake Swiftness, Vampiric Touch,
Deep Slumber

so long as you not a high op group it should be fine

[Crake]

The only problem I can see is that half of your necromancy spells have no save (the good ones) have no save, yet you have greater spell focus necromancy, and fearsome necromancy (which only triggers on spells that require a save). I would say you have 3 feats there that could be completely swapped out for something else without reducing the effectiveness of your build by much at all.

[Keld Denar]

Depending on how long the game goes on, there are plenty of Necro spells with saves coming down the pike.

I'd suggest Ray of Exhaustion on there though. It has a partial effect on a successful save, which is nice. Couple that with the other debuffs he has and enemies will be saddled with like, -7ish to hit on single bruiser foes. That's pretty fearsome. Better than Deep Slumber, IMO. You are a wizard, though, so getting more spells isn't hard.

[Fizban]

Backbiter's a cool spell that suffers from the low DC as much as it benefits from being only 1st level, I'd say the spell focii are worth it just for playing around.

Have you considered Master Specialist? 2/3 of the necromancer perks are for buffing minions, but the middle one at 7th (character level 10th) saves you a lot of time, money, and hassle in protecting yourself from a whole lot of things. Lost wizard bonus feats are compensated for with the Greater Spell Focus and Skill Focus (helpful for entering Archmage), and you get a few free spells known which is always easier than buying them.

[Eldariel]

I'd probably look at entering Master Specialist [Complete Mage] on level 4. It would get you Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy for free. Also, I don't think it's worth it to start down multiple Spell Focus-chains: pick the one you plan on mostly using and stick with it instead. I'd also consider instead going with Spell Focus: Conjuration for debuffing: it has probably the most impactful save-or-X spells on these levels in stuff like Grease, Glitterdust, Web, Stinking Cloud and company (that you are using anyways).

[EvulOne]

It is indeed a non-OP game, much more casual. I did consider Master Specialist but 2 of the 3 Esoterica pump up minions which I intend not to have. The groups last campaign lasted 15 years and still going (they play once a month) so this is meant to be a long term build hence the SF and GSF. I do want to get Ray of Exhaustion but I chose Deep Slumber for now along with Ghoul Touch so I have a couple of options for a complete Shut Down (ie sleep or paralysis) and removal of the fight in case the big dumb brutes (ie Barbarians) can't do it.

[Rerednaw]

I'd recommend taking a look at the Domain Mage from Unearthed Arcana. No banned schools. You don't get all the benefits of specialization but having access to all spells and +1 CL/extra spells with a single school is pretty decent.

[EvulOne]

I'd consider it but as a Specialist he can be an Immediate Mage which gives him the Cursed Glance possibly debuffing his attacker, to seek the debuff chain going.