Looking for a good prestige class

[yonah]

Hello! I am trying to find a good prestige class for an elven wizard/fighter (3.5e) to aim for. We're currently level 11 and I've been collecting magic swords and also spamming Magic Missile. I'm trying to find some sort of wizard-with-a-sword class to spec into?

Anyone have any good ideas? I haven't done prestige classes before and I want to try it out.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There's a ton of options, actually, just google 3.5 gish handbook or similar.

Abjurant Champion on Complete Mage is the gold standard, it's just a shame it's only five levels.

Eldritch Knight (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/eldritchKnight.htm) in the DMG and Knight Phantom (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050706a&page=4) in Eberron's Five Nations book will both serve to advance your BAB and your spellcasting simultaneously, though both are fairly lackluster in class features.

Spellsword in Complete Warrior is decent but loses too many levels of spellcasting, you generally don't want to take more than one level of it. It's most often used as a jumping off point to qualify for Abjurant Champion sooner than you would with base classes.

The ideal 20-level build would go something like Fighter 2/ Wizard 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Eldritch Knight or Knight Phantom 8. You can replace one Fighter level and two Wizard levels with three levels of either Human Paragon or Elf Paragon (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm) from UA if you qualify for either, Human Paragon is generally better especially if you take it at 1st level for the skill points.

The Player's Handbook II in Chapter 8 has rules/guidelines for retraining. Since you're 11th level you really should consider swapping half of those levels for prestige class levels as above so you have a viable build for the higher levels.

Regarding your collection of magical swords, if you're good aligned take the feat Ancestral Relic in Book of Exalted Deeds, or trade Fighter for the Oriental Adventure version of Samurai. With either of those you can sacrifice magic items you don't need as well as loot to put 100% of its market price toward updating your ancestral relic item or your diasho weapon. In either case make it an elvencraft composite longbow from Races of the Wild, which counts as both a quarterstaff and a longbow. You'll need to make it masterwork three times, but put three wand chambers from Dungeonscap in it and as long as you're holding it you can activate any wand it contains as though you were holding that as well. It can be upgraded as a weapon, it has two quarterstaff ends and a bow portion and each is counted separately for magic weapon pricing. It can also be upgraded into any type of staff, such as a magic staff with spell charges and even a custom runestaff in Magic Item Compendium p224.

[Venger]

In addition to the advice already given, are all sources allowed? I ask because it sounds like you might be in a core only game. It sounds like you might have fun playing a swiftblade (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327). Check out the gish handbook (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?321715-The-Gish-Handbook) as well for an overview of good "wizard with a sword" classes.

[Anthrowhale]

For something with an Elf-flavor, Arcane Archer 2 provides a unique and powerful ability in high-level game play. For example, you can shoot an opponent with an arrow that centers an Antimagic Field on them or reshape the entire battle field with Blinding Glory as a standard action.

[yonah]

In addition to the advice already given, are all sources allowed?

Yup, all sources! Actually, another player got away with taking Pathfinder feats, so I could easily get away with even a wacky homebrew thing.

[GrayDeath]

In that case. ask if you canretrain as a Magus.

Its the best "Casts and Swords, and both well" Class there is.

Even has some really well fluffed out Archetypes. ;)

[Yak folklore]

It isn't sword plus mage, but I really enjoy a good force missile mage, and you did mention the titular spell by name.

[rel]

seconding abjurant champion. you already have the weapon proficiency from elf, and BAB from level. Grab combat casting and take all 5 levels of abjurant champion.
If you don't use fractional BAB then you might want to take your 12th level of wizard for the +1 BAB depending on your personal levels of OCD.

That takes you to level 17 with BAB of +11 / +6 / +1 a bump to HP and some neat abilities.
Grab luminous armour (if good), ecoplasmic armour (if not good), faerie mysteries initiate for int to HP then pick a full casting PRC to take you to 20.

I'd go with Incantatrix 3 since that gets you metamagic effect as a level 20 capstone. Free persists for all your buffs.