[3.5] Help choosing my Wizard feat and PrC.

[Petrocorus]

Good day everyone.

I'm joining a new table for a 3.5 game. But i lost my habits of 3.5 since i move to 5E years ago, and i was more used to play gish before.
Most of the books are available, though uncommon options must be check with the DM.

For what i know so far, the party includes a Sha'Ir/ Binder/ Anima Mage, a OA Samurai, a Cleric, a Scout, and another one whose class i don't know yet.
I don't know how the Cleric plays.

The party is mostly neutral with a few evil PC, hence why the DM hasn't given me all the info on the others.

The party is level 5 and soon to get level 6.

I'm building a Wizard, after having thought about playing an Artificer. There are no other Int PC in the party.

We get 32 point-buy. I'm thinking taking a Strongheart Halfling or a Whisper Gnome, yeah, i know it's cheesy.

So, i'm thinking about going straight Wizard up to level 5. Wether a Transmutation Domain Wizard or a Conjuration Specialist. I'm leaning toward the former if the DM allows it.

I am very hesitant about the feats.
I thinking about taking Alacritous Cogitation to combine with a couple of reserve feats, like Fiery Burst and Dimensional Jaunt later.
I'm also thinking about taking Scult Spell, which mean i would need another metamagic feat too (probably extend spell). I don't know if i can afford them at this level, though.
How good is Cloudy Conjuration in actuality?
Do i need Improved Initiative?

So any help or idea on this ?

Concerning the PrC, i leaning toward Ruathar (at level 6 maybe) as a step-up and then Paragnostic Apostle and MoAO. Maybe Master Specialist if i go Conjurer.
I want to avoid Incantatrix, SCM, and Iot7V. Even as a French, there is a limit to the amount of cheese i can take.

What do you think of the PrCs? Do you have others in mind?

[Biggus]

Do i need Improved Initiative?


The 2nd-level spell Heroics (SpC) can get you Improved Initiative. It's 10 minutes/level so it depends on the adventure how useful that is at low levels (at high levels it can last all day with a couple of castings and a Lesser Extend Rod).

There's also the 1st-level spell Nerveskitter (SpC) which gives +5 Initiative as an immediate action.

[Aracor]

Honestly, a lot of this comes down to a simple question. What do you want your wizard to DO? Since they can do anything but not all at once, what do you picture your role being? Buffing? Direct damage? Summoning? Debuffing? Controlling enemies? Battlefield control?

If you're buffing, initiative isn't as important. Battlefield Control it is (because you want to hit the enemies before your allies get mixed in).

As for your classes, they're perfectly serviceable. Ruathar is likely the most generic class there is.

If you're looking for a great buff class, War Weaver from Heroes of Battle can be completely amazing. It makes single target buff spells into multiple targets.

[Ramza00]

Repeat after me. Uncanny Forethought.

Uncanny Forethought gives you Int Mod spells slots that are spontaneously each day. The cost of that spontaneity is


a) The Spells are cast at -2 Caster Level
b) The Spells take a Full-Round action, a Move and a Standard.
Exception) These "costs" do not occur if you have those spells memorized with spell mastery.


Thus with Practiced Spellcaster feat, or a trait (if you can port PF back to 3.5 the trait Magical Knack. Two traits are worth one feat so you can grab Magical Knack and Reactionary for +2 to Initiative and +2 CL to Wizard.)

3 Feats Total means you are almost as good as a Sorcerer but with way more spell knowns.

So at HD 05 we are talking about

18 Starting Int
+2 Item
+1 HD 4
+0 to +2 with Race
=21 Total, that gives you 2/1/1 Bonus Spells with 5 Spells Slots Spontaneous

5th level Wizard is 3/2/1. Specialist is 4/3/2. Focus Specialist is 5/4/3. But Focus Specialist has 3/3/3 being specialist slots and 2/1/0 being any other school.

Thus with Focus Specialist Wizard plus 21 Int Bonus means 7/5/4 with 5 spells spontaneous. For comparison a 5th level sorcerer is 8/5/0 with 4 1st level Spells Known and 2 2nd levels spells known.

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So Focus Specialist is what you should do, but what else you do depends on play style. Do you want a familiar who can do magic wands for action economy? Do you want to go summoner and cast summon monsters as a standard action? Do you want to control the battlefield with fogs, walls, dimension step (teleport your allies)? Do you want to focus on haste / slow? Spontaneous Divination and then prestige out where divination spells do not even count against your Int Mod of free spontaneous spells per day? Abrupt Jaunt? etc, etc.

You have choices, and 3 feats is a low cost pretty much making your class a "template" / "archetype" and then you build on top of that template depending on what style you wanted.

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You can consider Uncanny Forethought "Cheesy" but the great thing about it is that it is scalable cheese where it plays like a normal wizard or it can play like a know it all depending on how much cheese you play. Think of Uncanny Forethought as a save my bacon option.

[Petrocorus]

The 2nd-level spell Heroics (SpC) can get you Improved Initiative. It's 10 minutes/level so it depends on the adventure how useful that is at low levels (at high levels it can last all day with a couple of castings and a Lesser Extend Rod).

There's also the 1st-level spell Nerveskitter (SpC) which gives +5 Initiative as an immediate action.

Thank you. I'll try to grab this ones.



Honestly, a lot of this comes down to a simple question. What do you want your wizard to DO? Since they can do anything but not all at once, what do you picture your role being? Buffing? Direct damage? Summoning? Debuffing? Controlling enemies? Battlefield control?

Oh my... Can't believe i forget about this. I'd like to major in BFC with minors in buffing (Haste notably) and teleportation and maybe some summoning.
Though i'll try to keep some versatility, one well-placed Color Spray is hardly a waste.
I think i'll avoid direct damages except against mobs of mooks, hence Fiery Burst.

The DM told me he'll allow some rebuild after a while if necessary.


If you're looking for a great buff class, War Weaver from Heroes of Battle can be completely amazing. It makes single target buff spells into multiple targets.
I'll look into this.


Repeat after me. Uncanny Forethought.
Is this a feat? From what book?



Uncanny Forethought gives you Int Mod spells slots that are spontaneously each day. The cost of that spontaneity is


a) The Spells are cast at -2 Caster Level
b) The Spells take a Full-Round action, a Move and a Standard.
Exception) These "costs" do not occur if you have those spells memorized with spell mastery.


Thus with Practiced Spellcaster feat, or a trait (if you can port PF back to 3.5 the trait Magical Knack. Two traits are worth one feat so you can grab Magical Knack and Reactionary for +2 to Initiative and +2 CL to Wizard.)

No PF allowed.




3 Feats Total means you are almost as good as a Sorcerer but with way more spell knowns.

So at HD 05 we are talking about

18 Starting Int
+2 Item
+1 HD 4
+0 to +2 with Race
=21 Total, that gives you 2/1/1 Bonus Spells with 5 Spells Slots Spontaneous

5th level Wizard is 3/2/1. Specialist is 4/3/2. Focus Specialist is 5/4/3.
That's seems good.



But Focus Specialist has 3/3/3 being specialist slots and 2/1/0 being any other school.
Thus with Focus Specialist Wizard plus 21 Int Bonus means 7/5/4 with 5 spells spontaneous. For comparison a 5th level sorcerer is 8/5/0 with 4 1st level Spells Known and 2 2nd levels spells known.

I've decide against Focused Specialist. I know how good it can be, notably thanks to Treantmonk's argument about it, but the cost are too painful to me, i really dislike dumping schools.



You can consider Uncanny Forethought "Cheesy" but the great thing about it is that it is scalable cheese where it plays like a normal wizard or it can play like a know it all depending on how much cheese you play. Think of Uncanny Forethought as a save my bacon option.
I'm not against some cheese.

[schreier]

Can you use Unearthed Arcana? If so, Domain Wizard all day every day:

https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm

Gives you +1 spell per level without needing to sacrifice a school.

Uncanny Forethought is a no brainer. I also always take Eidetic Spellcaster, a dragon magazine variant. It sacrifices both your familiar and your scribe scroll feat and makes your brain into your spellbook. You still need to pay for spell scribing (it covers incense instead of ink), but you will never lose your spellbook, nor fill one up.

As far as prestige classes - I personally like rainbow servant if your DM is text over table (the text says spells every level, the table misses 4 of the 10 levels). The FAQ supports the 6/10 spellcaster advancement, but that is not official.

If you take that class with 10/10, you get some useful abilities, 3 domains, and eventually all cleric spells.
If it is 6/10, avoid the class.

Other prestige classes - initiate of the sevenfold veil is incredibly powerful on the defense, Incantatrix for offense are the two most powerful. Dweomerkeeper is right up there, but requires some divine spellcasting.

I like Archmage but that is higher level.

[Particle_Man]

If you are going for Ruathar and generalist wizard anyhow, maybe see if your DM will let you retrain some wizard levels for some elf wizard racial substitution levels?

[Ramza00]

Repeat after me. Uncanny Forethought.
Uncanny Forethought gives you Int Mod spells slots that are spontaneously each day.



Is this a feat? From what book?
I'm not against some cheese.

Uncanny Forethought is from the book Exemplars of Evil (it is 3.5 book from the year 2007 aka late in the 3.5 cycle of books so it got less press in the forums than the earlier books like The Completes.)

I more or less described it already without putting the precise language of the feat up on this website. It is like Alacritous Cogitation but much better in most ways.

Exemplars of Evil also has some other gems feat and spell wise.

[Darg]

I thinking about taking Alacritous Cogitation to combine with a couple of reserve feats

That feat or uncanny forethought qualifies you for versatile spellcaster. As a wizard, you might be able to find spells above your level and this gives you greater flexibility along with the possible power hike.

[Petrocorus]

Uncanny Forethought is from the book Exemplars of Evil (it is 3.5 book from the year 2007 aka late in the 3.5 cycle of books so it got less press in the forums than the earlier books like The Completes.)

I more or less described it already without putting the precise language of the feat up on this website. It is like Alacritous Cogitation but much better in most ways.

Exemplars of Evil also has some other gems feat and spell wise.
Thank you.
I never grab Exemplar of Evil. I'll try to find it.



That feat or uncanny forethought qualifies you for versatile spellcaster. As a wizard, you might be able to find spells above your level and this gives you greater flexibility along with the possible power hike.
That's becoming feat-intensive.

What is the opinion on reserve feat?