What +1 LA template suits wizard well?

[ayvango]

I had read plenty of times that best template for a wizard is just another caster level. But I need an actual template since I went for warforged + incarnate construct path which give me extra 2 levels to spend for templates.

I had considered two templates already. The first is Dragonborn which has 0 LA, takes nothing from me and gives some semi-useful extra abilities. All three major enhancements are dull though. Breath weapon is irrelevant and subpar to other damage options available for a wizard. Draconic senses are overpowered by 5th level spell (coincidently called Dragonsight). Flight option has too bad manoeuvrability and only 30ft speed. But I lose nothing nevertheless, so why not take immunity to draconic frightful presence?

The second is 1 LA template Vecna Blooded. The most dangerous enemy for a caster is another caster. And Vecna Blooded works well to protect against them from the very first level.

I need to fill vacant 1 LA with something. The party enjoys full power of all three major spell lists: cleric, druid and wizard. So many trivialities may be solved with mere casts. Mental stats are to be bumped with the Awaken spell. Physical stats are irrelevant due to Polymoprh, Polymorph any Object, and finally the pillar of 9th level - Shapechange. Good stats are just buster for early game, but becomes less relevant later. Contrary to Vecna Blooded benefits that becomes more and more valuable at higher levels.

So, what options are available?

Lolth-touched? Give extra 3hp per dice, which is nice. Other boosts are irrelevant.

Mineral warrior. Extra 2hp per dice. DR 8/adamantine is efficient early levels buster. -2 Int could be fixed with the Awaken, but reduces skills available on first levels. Other abilities are irrelevant for a wizard.

Feral. +10 movement speed that stacks with busts from spells. +6 NA is irrelevant since wizard could get them from Alter Self to Troglodyte. And if he uses Alter Self to another form, than he would lose aforementioned NA. Fast healing is always useful, but wands of Lessor Vigor are cheap.

What other templates should I consider? Probably some template to get outsider type would be nice. What else?

[Zaq]

Three questions.

1) What level are you playing at? Some templates are more useful at low levels, and some are more useful at high levels. Your post recognizes that different abilities are better suited for different levels of play, but which levels of play are you more concerned about?

2) How optimized is the group you're in? Do we need to try to keep up with people, or do we need to try to not step on anyone's toes? I know you said that you've got all of the Big Three lists, but that doesn't mean that everyone's at an equal power level.

3) What does your character not already do that you'd like them to do? Are we interested in SLAs to increase staying power? Defensive abilities that we then don't have to spend buffs to cover? Higher numbers to simply make your chosen tactics better? Exotic creature types to make Alter Self more useful?

[ayvango]

1) I'm focused on 5-15 interval

2) Moderately optimized - just spell-casters with few metamagic feats. Incantatrix and Dweomerkeeper are ok, but current party roster misses them. Craft contingent spell is out of play. ETF and other equivalent madness are removed from ruleset. Players agreed to ban ToM, Incarnum and Psionics. DM banned ToB. No ebberron 4th edition heresy like action points.

3) It is not an easy question to answer. Wizard is pretty self-sufficient. You can take wizard 10 (abyssal specialist with planar spellcasting of course) and it could fill many roles with spells. Anything that make him perform better, increase survivability, breaks actions economy, give more spells and spell options are appreciated.

I doesn't seek for the one and the best template. I'd like to collect several good templates and decide build based on them.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Incarnate Construct is an acquired template, and it gives -2 LA when it's applied but your LA won't stay below 0, so any other templates you use must be applied before Incarnate Construct. That means any inherited templates must be able to be applied to a construct, they cannot be applied after an acquired template, and even if they could it would defeat the purpose. Incarnate Construct specifically says you lose all of your special attacks and special qualities when it's applied, that would include anything granted by another template, other than ability scores.

Vecna-blooded is an acquired template, and it can only be applied to an evil creature who can cast 2nd-level or higher arcane spells. That means you'll need to be a Wizard 3 (or maybe a Wizard 1 with Precocious Apprentice) before adding Incarnte Construct, because any template whose LA you wish to negate must be applied before that one. Incarnate Construct causing you to lose all of your special attacks and special qualities is not limited to racial abilities, you'll actually lose all of your class features when it's applied, plus it makes you lose all of your current feats, so you want to gain it before your first character level.

The only things you'll keep after applying Incarnate Construct are your shape and ability scores, so you should ignore anything a template grants apart from those things. Land speed prior to Incarnate Construct is also irrelevant. This is why Draconic Creature is useful, because it can be applied to a Warforged before Incarnate Construct, and it gives useful ability score bonuses. The same goes for Lolth-Touched, and templates that grant flight. It's a lot easier to get physical ability scores from low-LA templates than mental stats, so it's only ever worth going Incarnate Construct Warforged on a physical character.

You should seriously reconsider even using Incarnate Construct at all for any spellcaster, it's generally not worth starting with zero racial traits apart from ability scores. If you want to make a Warforged Wizard without the arcane spell failure chance from composite plating, use Dragonborn. If you want to make a Warforged spellcaster and want a way around the composite plating without removing it (or even take Mithral Body or Adamantine Body), play a Psion or a (spell to power) Erudite.

[ayvango]

I got some funny idea. Dustform creature is acquired template as well as Incarnate Construct. So I could interchange them until I get ridiculously high Str. Two hundreds would be enough for low-optimized game :)

[flappeercraft]

I got some funny idea. Dustform creature is acquired template as well as Incarnate Construct. So I could interchange them until I get ridiculously high Str. Two hundreds would be enough for low-optimized game :)

200? Those are rookie numbers! You gotta pump those up!

[khadgar567]

I got some funny idea. Dustform creature is acquired template as well as Incarnate Construct. So I could interchange them until I get ridiculously high Str. Two hundreds would be enough for low-optimized game :)


200? Those are rookie numbers! You gotta pump those up!
this is wizard we are talking not pun pun uber charger build

[ayvango]

Lets put aside order of template application. Just pretend that we somehow get +2 LA for templates. Which could be useful for a wizard? Improving stats has a little effect on wizard efficiency since he would rarely use his own stats unless she is an evocker with transmutation and conjuration as prohibited schools.

What else could a template give to a wizard? Mulhorandi Divine Minion provides outsider type with access to martial weapons and alter self to dwarf ancestor. Is there any way to get easy metamagic with templates?

[Rebel7284]

I hear saint is good for this. Doesn't work well with Vecna blooded though.

[Arael666]

Phrenic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/phrenicCreature.htm) always comes to mind when someone asks for a wizard template. It's not very good at +2LA, but if you get it for free...

Spellwarped (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/spellwarped.shtml) is another one that comes to mind. Again, it's not very good at +3LA, but if you get +2 for free, it's a very good template at +1LA.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

White Dragonspawn gives decent flight, +6 natural armor, a high Con bonus, a breath weapon that can enable breath-modifying spells, and a free level of Sorcerer spellcasting, for +1 LA. Use that level of spellcasting to pick up Nerveskitter and Benign Transposition, and whatever cantrips you want spontaneous access to, and it allows you to use wands of Sorcerer spells like Wings of Cover.

[Gildedragon]

The Deep racial variant from Dragmag gives +2 int for +1 LA

[ayvango]

White Dragonspawn gives decent flight, +6 natural armor, a high Con bonus, a breath weapon that can enable breath-modifying spells, and a free level of Sorcerer spellcasting, for +1 LA.
What an amazing template. And someone brags that feral is too powerful. And if you would like to build an sorcerer then template goes virtually for free.

[torrasque666]

What an amazing template. And someone brags that feral is too powerful. And if you would like to build an sorcerer then template goes virtually for free.
Until you realize that playing with it as anything but Human or Half-Elf it also brings along with it the Dragonspawn Abomination template with another +1 LA. Course if your lucky (or are allowed to just pick the traits) you can get an additional sorcerer level so eh.

[ayvango]

Until you realize that playing with it as anything but Human or Half-Elf it also brings along with it the Dragonspawn Abomination template with another +1 LA. Course if your lucky (or are allowed to just pick the traits) you can get an additional sorcerer level so eh.
I read the 222 page, it says nothing about Dragonspawn Abonimation. Where should I look for it?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I read the 222 page, it says nothing about Dragonspawn Abonimation. Where should I look for it?

Beastiary of Krynn, starting on page 24. You could get get +1 effective Sorcerer level, Fast Healing 3, +4 to a physical ability score, +3 natural armor, etc. for that extra +1 LA, but it adds a -4 Int and Wis. I never even realized that was a thing, so I guess it's not really worth using it unless you're using Human or Half-Elf as the base creature.

I had heard there was another book that added an additional ~2 LA if you have the template without being under a dragon's control, but I can't recall the source on that and it's not in any of the books I have.

[ayvango]

Well, there is 1/20 chance to get extra sorcerer level. With 3 rolls on the table you have 1083 of 8000 chance to roll +1 sorcerer level, 57 of 8000 to get +2, and 1 of 8000 to get +3. It still suits well for a sorcerer.