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Shas aia Toriia
2007-11-21, 06:04 PM
What would be the lowest ECL to defeat an ECL 20 straight wizard?

Please, no diplomacy or Pun-Pun (or anything else broken).


The wizard has INT 35, and 152 HP

Saves - Ref +18 Fort +18 Will +21

The wizard is within a partially crowded market square, and is unaware you are there.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-11-21, 06:09 PM
Do we assume the wizzo is using a belt of Magnificence for simplification? If I remember, it gives +6 to Every stat. Also, has the wizard upped himself with tomes?

Shas aia Toriia
2007-11-21, 06:11 PM
Sure, why not.

Icewalker
2007-11-21, 06:23 PM
Yeah, you gotta be more specific about what the wizard is exactly here. Write it up in the standard stat block format so we know exactly what we are dealing with.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-11-21, 06:30 PM
This should also include feats and all the jazz. We need a full char here.

Ganurath
2007-11-21, 06:32 PM
14th level ninja. Can't be scryed upon due to Ghost Mind + items, especially if the wizard doesn't know the threat is coming, and our hypothetical assassin can just wait for the wizard to sleep/trance/start preparing spells while sitting pretty on the Ethereal Plane.

greenknight
2007-11-21, 06:38 PM
We also need to know whether the Wizard (and challenge) is Core Only, any WotC published books allowed, WotC books + magazines, or anything goes. In addition, what are the Wizard's typical tactics - does the character go about on a Phantom Steed, sleep in a Rope Trick / MMM and walk around with Mind Blank, or is it a non-paranoid Wizard? More to the point, is finding the Wizard part of the challenge, or can we assume he's just standing there for us to ambush him?

Emperor Tippy
2007-11-21, 06:43 PM
What kind of wizard are we goign with? One of the 1's I'm liable to bring up? Or a blaster wizard who banned transmutation and conjuration?

I have made wizards that can't be defeated except by an equal or greater level caster.

Now if you go core only it gets slightly easier for the non wizard but not much.

Shosuro Ishii
2007-11-21, 06:43 PM
Assuming the best rolls possible and a wizard of average health (170 assuming +6 Con from buffs taht began at level 1) a second level human monk could do it.

Relevant Info:
Human Monk 2
Str 18 (+4)
Feat 1: Extra stunning fist (+4 uses of stunning fist/day)
Feat 2: Extra Stunning fist (+4 uses of stunning fist/day)

R1: Monk wins initiatve and stunning fists wizard. He confirms a crit and deals max damage (2d6+4=16). Wizard fails save (HP= 154)
R2: Monk uses stunning fist, crits wizard for max damage. Wizard fails save (HP= 138)
R3: Repeat R2. (HP=122)
R4: Repeat R2. (HP=106)
R5: Repeat R2. (HP= 90)
R6: Repeat R2. (HP= 74)
R7: Repeat R2. (HP= 58)
R8: Repeat R2. (HP= 42)
R9: Repeat R2. (HP= 26)
R10: Repeat R2. (HP=10)
R11: with no stunning fist left, Monk uses furry of blows, criting both times, for a possible 4d6+8 damage. Any combonation of rolls dealing more than 20 damage kills the wizard.

Now, assuming that the odds of the wizard failing his save and the monk landign a crit are the same (1 in 20) the odds of either even happening 11 times in a row is 2.048x10^11. The odds of both happening is 4.194304x10^22.

The odds are atronomical, but it is feasible for a Monk 2 to kill a level 20 wizard.

Thinker
2007-11-21, 07:10 PM
Assuming the best rolls possible and a wizard of average health (170 assuming +6 Con from buffs taht began at level 1) a second level human monk could do it.

Relevant Info:
Human Monk 2
Str 18 (+4)
Feat 1: Extra stunning fist (+4 uses of stunning fist/day)
Feat 2: Extra Stunning fist (+4 uses of stunning fist/day)

R1: Monk wins initiatve and stunning fists wizard. He confirms a crit and deals max damage (2d6+4=16). Wizard fails save (HP= 154)
R2: Monk uses stunning fist, crits wizard for max damage. Wizard fails save (HP= 138)
R3: Repeat R2. (HP=122)
R4: Repeat R2. (HP=106)
R5: Repeat R2. (HP= 90)
R6: Repeat R2. (HP= 74)
R7: Repeat R2. (HP= 58)
R8: Repeat R2. (HP= 42)
R9: Repeat R2. (HP= 26)
R10: Repeat R2. (HP=10)
R11: with no stunning fist left, Monk uses furry of blows, criting both times, for a possible 4d6+8 damage. Any combonation of rolls dealing more than 20 damage kills the wizard.

Now, assuming that the odds of the wizard failing his save and the monk landign a crit are the same (1 in 20) the odds of either even happening 11 times in a row is 2.048x10^11. The odds of both happening is 4.194304x10^22.

The odds are atronomical, but it is feasible for a Monk 2 to kill a level 20 wizard.

lol are you serious?

Inyssius Tor
2007-11-21, 07:28 PM
Okay, well done. You've proven it possible to kill a naked, retarded, totally unprepared 20th-level wizard with a second-level monk.

:smallsigh:

This is why we need to know all of the conditions at the start of the challenge. From here, it's all downhill -- monk-lovers saying "ha ha I totally got you" and the estimable Tippy saying "no you didn't, so there." We can't even change the terms of the challenge now, since no one here can be expected to read more than the first eight posts in any detail. In short, this thread's course is pretty much locked in place. Let's just let the thread die, and remake it in more detail on Friday.

EDIT: Sorry if I sound like a naysaying defeatist. Too many threads which superficially resembled this one have been flogged to death in just that fashion, though.

Shosuro Ishii
2007-11-21, 07:36 PM
Okay, well done. You've proven it possible to kill a naked, retarded, totally unprepared 20th-level wizard with a second-level monk.

:smallsigh:

This is why we need to know all of the conditions at the start of the challenge. From here, it's all downhill -- monk-lovers saying "ha ha I totally got you" and the estimable Tippy saying "no you didn't, so there." We can't even change the terms of the challenge now, since no one here can be expected to read more than the first eight posts in any detail. In short, this thread's course is pretty much locked in place. Let's just let the thread die, and remake it in more detail on Friday.

As an aside, I had no intent of killing the 'validiaty' of the challenge, or making it so other people wouldn't be able to take it seriously, I just worked with what was presented to me.

But your right about the conditions being needed (its sorta why I posted such a far-fetched scenario...that and because it was so absurd it was funny.)

Xefas
2007-11-21, 08:04 PM
I think I have an idea for a build for this...I'll begin work on the actual numbers in an hour or so...

Anyway, the idea is a Rogue 2/Hexblade 3/Warblade 11 with martial study twice for two devoted spirit maneuvers, and martial stance for Aura of Perfect Order.

A 20th level wizard's saves should be something like DC 18 + spell level, so if I can get the warblade's saves up to 16, he'll be more or less immune to all spells requiring a saving throw.

Options:
1) Warblade wins initiative, moves up to the wizard, uses Irresistible Mountain Strike to take away the wizard's next standard action. Swift action to recharge maneuvers. Repeat until dead, because the wizard can't cast any spells.
2) The Wizard wins initiative, teleports away. Comes back later with Solars.
3) The Wizard has a contingency.
4) The Wizard has celerity.

Given 3 or 4, the fight is useless and this challenge is useless.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-11-21, 08:20 PM
I assume fascigorgonzola is not allowed. Else, THAT'S the limit for lowest level with decent chance.

Manir
2007-11-21, 09:37 PM
1) Warblade wins initiative, moves up to the wizard, uses Irresistible Mountain Strike to take away the wizard's next standard action. Swift action to recharge maneuvers. Repeat until dead, because the wizard can't cast any spells.

This does not work. You need to spend a swift action as well as a standard action to make a STANDARD ATTACK OR FLOURISH YOUR BLADE, not make a strike.

Also, unless you kill the wizard in the first round, he still has all his spells with a casting time of an immediate or swift action (Wings of Cover, Arcane Spellsurge, Etcetera) that will end the lock.

Chronos
2007-11-22, 02:39 AM
As an aside, Shosuro Ishii, why are you not flurrying in any of the first ten rounds? There's nothing about Stunning Fist which says that it's the only attack you can make in the round. You can only use one Stunning Fist a round, but there's no reason you couldn't make each round a flurry of one stun plus one normal punch.

Armads
2007-11-22, 02:42 AM
ECL 1.

Use Profession checks to get 8400 gp. Then get a candle of invocation and cheese around.

BardicDuelist
2007-11-22, 02:52 AM
Factotum might work. Level 8. Casts lesser celerity and uses Cunning Surge about four times. Then spends the remaining IP on increasing his damage and attack bonuses. Assuming that all of his attacks hit (which may or may not be hard, depending on the wizard's AC), he may be able to kill the wizard in one round.

Ofcourse, the wizard can cast celerity, and then this whole thing goes to hell.

Inyssius Tor
2007-11-22, 02:55 AM
ECL 1.

Use Profession checks to get 8400 gp. Then get a candle of invocation and cheese around.
:smallconfused: ...and sometimes expecting new posters to read even "the first eight posts in any detail" is a wildly over-optimistic estimation.


Please, no diplomacy or Pun-Pun (or anything else broken).

Xefas
2007-11-22, 03:04 AM
This does not work. You need to spend a swift action as well as a standard action to make a STANDARD ATTACK OR FLOURISH YOUR BLADE, not make a strike.

Also, unless you kill the wizard in the first round, he still has all his spells with a casting time of an immediate or swift action (Wings of Cover, Arcane Spellsurge, Etcetera) that will end the lock.

I was under the impression that strikes counted as standard attacks, since you can apply things like Power Attack and Combat Expertise to them.

But you're right, regardless, he'd still have quickened spells, sudden quickened spells, and immediate or swift action spells...

So, I guess the only one who could defeat a level 20 wizard is another full spellcaster (probably also a wizard), and then it'll just come down to who wins initiative...

Manir
2007-11-22, 04:43 AM
I'm not really too sure about that though, but even if you could, the wizard still has spells like Celerity to get him out of that. Not to mention that it would be extremely hard for you to get up to the wizard in the first place.

Armads
2007-11-22, 05:05 AM
Please, no diplomacy or Pun-Pun (or anything else broken).

Okay, it's impossible. You need something broken to kill an optimized wizard.

Against an unconscious, Int 9 wizard, however, an ECL 1 fighter can win.

herrhauptmann
2007-11-22, 05:40 AM
I think I say this way too often, but teh whispergnome can have a +20hide and +13 move silently at fifth level with no magic items and an 18 dex.
I agree saying rogue or assassin would be your best bet. Though the blackflame zealot(BFZ) is certainly strong enough. at say fifteenth level you have 8 effective caster levels (3 in base class, 5 more for PRC), at least one level in rogue (unless another base class grants sneakattack), and one more level in anything else (probably rogue, or something with full attack progression and/or high fort save)
So your hide will now be about +32, and +25 move silent (again no magic items).
If the wiz20 spends all his time in ropetrick, a pocket demiplane, MMM, or something similar, the difficulty will go up greatly. Same thing as if he's expecting an attack or there's a time limit on the kill.
I can't imagine the wizard having the actual skill ranks in spot, search or listen (well maybe listen) to find the BFZ. So what the wizard will need to detect his adversary, of course are his spells. The most likely I can think of: Detect evil can be foiled solely because BFZ does not require an evil character. More effective, but less common would be detect living.

I would put all of the above as possible for the killer to get close enough to the wizard. Also that the BFZ shouldn't even be considering using his divine spells OR his UMD for anything besides buffs or to even the odds beforehand. Casting anything besides a heal in combat will do nothing besides cause a magic battle he's sure to lose.

The BFZ can use a death attack after his rounds of studying the wizard and should have even odds of killing the wizard with just that. It would be nice to say that even with a failed death attack, the assassin has teh ability to cause a straight out death by massive damage, but to be honest, I can't see him making 50+points of damage unless he wields an axiomatic flaming burst assassins greatsword with powerattack(same magic as assassins dagger). Which smells a little cheesy to me...

Now all I did was try to work up to the first round of combat. Assuming a failed death attack and death by massive damage, I can't say what the wizard will do to teh BFZ, but I don't think it'll be pretty.
Now maybe contingency can be worded to activate between success of attack roll, but before making fort saves and damage rolls, but I can't think of something for the wizard.

I apologize if I missed some major points of interest in describing the time preceding the first attack roll, or if I missed some major wizard spells (which I'm sure I did)

kemmotar
2007-11-22, 05:52 AM
Actually...to use a strike maneuver from the ToB you need to ready an action first and then to use a standard action to use it. Plus you can normally recover a maneuver as a full round action, there is a feat, swift recovery, which enables you to recover a maneuver as a swift action 1/day.
Boots of temporal acceleration can help you get close and ready the maneuver before unleashing it against the wizard...

The consensus has agreed that you need to win initiative...so impr initiative and lucky start(from CoSc) to reroll if you roll low...Then you prepare the same maneuver you want a couple of times and burning blade, or some other boost maneuver for extra damage.

Then you can also use the time stands still/dual actions/belt of battle/dual actions to get 5 rounds in one to do all the jazz you got assembled....Dual actions is from the thrall of demogorgon PrC(if you're allowed BoEd). Needs rogue1/thrall 4...

Now the difficult part...assuming he has foresight or celerity or some crazy contingency what do you do? It's been argued whether mindblank goes around foresight...some say yay some say nay...take your pick..

Also death attack was found to probably not work in general since the wizard could be a number of undead or use a number of spells to be immune to SA and thus death attack too..

My proposition was a goliath archer using the above 5 round combo with a composite longbow +7 str. You max up str and dex. Enchant the longbow with double range. Have an npc wizard cast shrink item on collossal arrows to make them large(powerful build for goliath allows him to use large weapons normally). Now forsight won't do much since you're not relying in him having or not having his dex to ac and the +2 to AC from foresight isn't gonna help much...Thus you have a lot of pretty big arrows sticking out of the medium wizard...now how that is even possible in real word mechanics is beyond me but apparently in D&D a medium corpse can be hit with about 24 collossal arrows...mehh

Talic
2007-11-22, 06:40 AM
What would be the lowest ECL to defeat an ECL 20 straight wizard?

Please, no diplomacy or Pun-Pun (or anything else broken).

Level 11 wizard/ Level 3 rogue. 17 Ranks of Move Silent and Hide. Ring of Mind Shielding.

Sudden Quickened Disintigrate, or any save or die Level 6 or lower spell. Quite plausible that this would elude detection in a non-threat environment - Like a town market. Quite plausible that this would kill the wizard. Would work against most undead variants of wizard, however, liches do come back.

If the Wizard/Rogue had a 24 Int (17 base, 3 stat boosts, +4 Int Circlet), and a greater spell focus, you're looking at a DC 24 save for a 6th level spell. Put that against a wizard's fort save, and it's not unimaginable.

Armads
2007-11-22, 07:15 AM
Sudden Quickened Disintegrate, or any save or die Level 6 or lower spell. Quite plausible that this would elude detection in a non-threat environment - Like a town market. Quite plausible that this would kill the wizard. Would work against most undead variants of wizard, however, liches do come back.

It doesn't deal enough damage to kill the average level 20 wizard (assuming he has Con 22, which isn't unlikely). Average level 20 wizards have 171 hp. Your disintegrate only deals 77 damage on average. Of course, you could use twinked out save-or-dies of doom, but finding the wizard in the 1st place is difficult.

Shosuro Ishii
2007-11-22, 01:13 PM
As an aside, Shosuro Ishii, why are you not flurrying in any of the first ten rounds? There's nothing about Stunning Fist which says that it's the only attack you can make in the round. You can only use one Stunning Fist a round, but there's no reason you couldn't make each round a flurry of one stun plus one normal punch.

Honestly, I hadn't thought of that...in theory that lets me take it down to a level 1 monk because you wouldn't need the second feat of improved stunning fist.

Yami
2007-11-22, 05:09 PM
I would think a choas beast might have a decent change, provided it can hit. Perhaps with a socrceror to cast truestrike on it. ECL 7 if I recall.

If the wizard fails his fort save, he is rather screwed. Well, unless he has limited wish or wish. Or a cleric comes by and offers to help.

Best I can think of though.

Edit:

Alrighty, then, let's plan this out for maximum probability of success. Grab a level 7 sorcerer so we up the ECL to 9. Have the srorcerer cast suggestion on the chaos beast, sos we have a reasonable scenario, the invisiblity on the both of them before they approach, so as not to panick the whole crowd.

Once suprise round engages, cast truestrike on our Chaos Beast, and move to flank the target, for added benefit. +32 to hit for 2 strikes. A pre fight buff to our little Beasties' Con makes the Fort DC 17. Sadly still rather unreliable. We need more power.

Hmm, can I use a 3.0 template for my sorcerer? Grab unseelie fey and the wizard suffers a penalty of at least 7 to his fort save. Equivelant DC of 24. That should do it.

OneWinged4ngel
2007-11-22, 05:54 PM
What would be the lowest ECL to defeat an ECL 20 straight wizard?

Please, no diplomacy or Pun-Pun (or anything else broken).


The wizard has INT 35, and 152 HP

Saves - Ref +18 Fort +18 Will +21

The wizard is within a partially crowded market square, and is unaware you are there.

If he's unaware, and is not being properly paranoid, he can easily be killed by a level 5 guy with a happy-go-lucky charger build (if you don't consider charge feats broken. I disallow Shock Trooper and Leap Attack in my games, personally.)

Getting the jump on a guy in D&D is a very powerful advantage.


ECL 1.

Use Profession checks to get 8400 gp. Then get a candle of invocation and cheese around.

Candles of Invocation count as broken. The OP said no brokenation.

kemmotar
2007-11-22, 07:00 PM
Whisper gnome assassin. Cast sniper's eye...6th level spell from the assassin spell list in spell compendium, SA and death attack from 60 ft range. Wait for him to pass under the rooftop you're sitting on, Death attack him. Buff up int and max assassin level. So min level for that is 15. Start of with 16 dex and 18 int. Add +3 from levels to int.

WBL for level 15 is 200.000 buy:
+6 item for dex and +5 int 61000
scarlet and blue ioun stone +2 int 8000
tome of clear though +4 110000

179000...that worked out nicely. Now a +3 longbow. You still have 3000 left...

total int:16+3+5+4+2=32
1:cast true strike
2:cast sniper's eye
3:impr rapid shot+death attack when he's passing under you.

death attack DC=10+10(assassin level)+11(int)=31

as for feats, you only need rapid shot, manyshot and improved rapid shot.
Maybe ability focus if it works with death attack...which i doubt but anyway.

If you go to 16 level, to go for the lowest possible you can add +1 to int from levels, then buy a +5 tome for an additional +1 to the DC thus taking the DC to 32.Now the wizards needs to make two DC 32 fortitude saves(assuming he is denied dex to AC). The chances of of rolling 14 or higher in both saves favour the rogue. The chance is a little over 25% for each save, not sure what the math is to calculate what the chance is of making both saves...mehh

Even if he does, you can probably win initiative. Add the eager ability to your weapon(+2 initiative) and improved initiative. Make it whisper gnome or elf for +2 to dex taking you to 24 dex. Thus initiative is +13. Get lucky start to reroll initiative once per day. Chances are you'll win initiative. Now the wizard has to save against 4 death attack saves of 32...i'd say you pretty much won unless the wizard has foresight. (contingency won't work unless you know the attack is coming so you get the surprise round at least).

herrhauptmann
2007-11-22, 08:59 PM
Don't forget whisper gnomes can take the feats silencing strike, and extra silence.
After a successful sneak attack, the gnome can use up one of his Silence SLA's to cast a silence spell centered around the victim.

Talic
2007-11-23, 12:59 AM
It doesn't deal enough damage to kill the average level 20 wizard (assuming he has Con 22, which isn't unlikely). Average level 20 wizards have 171 hp. Your disintegrate only deals 77 damage on average. Of course, you could use twinked out save-or-dies of doom, but finding the wizard in the 1st place is difficult.

The challenge is in the killing, not the locating. This isn't a where's waldo challenge, and while yes, there are foils, it's conceivable to make it work. Especially since if you have sudden quicken, it's not too unlikely to have sudden maximize. 132 hp there. Now, most level 20 wizards I know of don't try to buff their con to the high heavens. 16 con, assuming an elite build NPC, with a +6 item, and a 10 con base. That'll knock 60 hp off your "average". 132 hp is in the range of a 111 hp wizard.

Yes, there are differences in PC and NPC characters, but, given that this wasn't clearly laid out in the challenge, I think there's a bit of wiggle room there.

Oh, and the character I described isn't really what I would consider "twinked out". A character with 11 levels of wizard having his primary stat focused on? Wow, next you'll be telling me that giving a 14th level character with 11 levels of fighter a 24 Strength is twinked... And a wizard with spell focus and greater spell focus in a school!? Ludicrous, I tell you! Absolutely min/maxed!

Hardly. The character just described would be a very good build for a mage assassin. Design any story you want for how he got to be an assassin from mage, But I didn't go and give him 9th level spells as a 8th level character, and his damage isn't in the trillions. Twink is not the word to use here.

kemmotar
2007-11-23, 04:49 AM
herrhauptmann, that's only on a melee sneak attack...
Actually, if we don't limit ourselves to non-wizads. A fatespinner sorcerer is perfect. Just use the highest level save or die you have(finger of death?) impose a -10 penalty on the wizard's save...have spell focus and gr. spell focus necromancy, veil of allure. Start with 18 cha, spellscale +2, +6 cha item, +6 tome of leadership. 32 cha. 10+9(spell level)+11(cha)+2 spell focus+2 veil=34.
Now impose a -10 penalty from the fatespinner capstone ability and the DC is effectively 42. The wizard can only save with a 20 and even if he does, you can make him reroll(with the -10 penalty since it is the same save). What are the chances he can get 20 on both dice?If he does give yourself up to the man/woman clearly favored by the goddess of luck..

Armads
2007-11-23, 05:31 AM
The challenge is in the killing, not the locating. This isn't a where's waldo challenge, and while yes, there are foils, it's conceivable to make it work. Especially since if you have sudden quicken, it's not too unlikely to have sudden maximize. 132 hp there. Now, most level 20 wizards I know of don't try to buff their con to the high heavens. 16 con, assuming an elite build NPC, with a +6 item, and a 10 con base. That'll knock 60 hp off your "average". 132 hp is in the range of a 111 hp wizard.


NPC Wizards do not just have 16 Con. If they were worth their intelligence, they'd have at least a 14 into Con (using elite array). I was referring to a 32 PB wizard, where he'd probably put a 16 into con in the first place.



Oh, and the character I described isn't really what I would consider "twinked out". A character with 11 levels of wizard having his primary stat focused on? Wow, next you'll be telling me that giving a 14th level character with 11 levels of fighter a 24 Strength is twinked... And a wizard with spell focus and greater spell focus in a school!? Ludicrous, I tell you! Absolutely min/maxed!

Hardly. The character just described would be a very good build for a mage assassin. Design any story you want for how he got to be an assassin from mage, But I didn't go and give him 9th level spells as a 8th level character, and his damage isn't in the trillions. Twink is not the word to use here.

I wasn't referring to your character. I was saying that a way to kill the wizard is to use save-or-dies.

herrhauptmann
2007-11-23, 12:30 PM
herrhauptmann, that's only on a melee sneak attack...

Melee only? Crap. Forgot that part.

Doresain
2007-11-23, 06:40 PM
would a level 7 human artificer with a fully charged wand of scorching ray and the feats energy substitution (sonic), energy admixture (sonic), quicken spell, maximize spell and twin spell be broken?

Emperor Tippy
2007-11-23, 07:41 PM
First off, how does the wizard have 35 Int? 34 is the highest ability score you can get pre epic without racial bonuses. 18 base + 5 from leveling + 5 from Wish/Tomes + 6 from Item = 34 If you go grey elf you can get a +2 for 36 Int.

Next, is this core only? Or all published 3.5 WoTC material?

The following is the bare minimum that any level 20 wizard should be out in public with.

Permanent Spells: See Invisible, Arcane Sight
Other Spells:
Extended Foresight (lasts about 6 hours and 40 miniutes, extended with a Greater Rod of Extend)
Extended Shapechange (lasts about 6 hours and 40 miniutes, extended with a Greater Rod of Extend)
Moment of Prescience (lasts 20 hours)
Mind Blank (lasts 24 hours)
Statue (lasts 20 hours)
Extended Spell Turning (lasts about 6 horus and 40 miniutes, extended with a Greater Rod of Extend)
Overland Flight (lasts 20 hours)
Water Breathing (lasts 40 hours)
Protection from Arrows (lasts 20 hours)

I would have Time Stop and Prismatic Sphere taking up 2 of my 9th level slots and either leave the last slot empty or put Wish in it.

Rings: Freedom of Movement
Rods: Greater Rod of Extend Spell
Wondrous Items: Necklace of Adaption

You may say thats a lot of protective spells but think about it. Your a level 20 wizard who regains any expended spell slots every 24 hours. You can't save any up. If you don't have anything specific planned for the day then you might as well pile on all of your longterm buffs and protections on the off chance that something happens. If you run into something that's a real threat you teleport away and deal with it tomorrow, if not you use shapechange to turn into something that can deal with the problem and continue with your day.

-----
Now if you want to be real cheesy your faith is one that takes a very dim view on you dieing and get a Phylactery of Faithfulness. You get a warning every time your about to take an action that could adversely affect your standing with your deity. Dieing will do that. So yo uare warned if you are about to get attacked.
----------
Those above protections are core only, outside of core you should add a few more.


Oh and according to the OP the attacker has to kill the wizard, the wizard is free to run away. So you have to win Initiative and kill him in 1 round.

herrhauptmann
2007-11-23, 08:06 PM
Well if you're going for all D&D material, take 'Spellcasting Prodigy' at 1st level. It raises your effective casting stat by 2 for purposes of spell/day, DC, and bonus spells. Can be taken more than once, but it applies to a different casting stat each time. Can only be taken at first level.
As a DM, if someone has that, I'll allow it to be exchanged for a spell focus feat when taking Archmage.