Best items to increase spellcaster damage?

[pabelfly]

I'm currently playing an arcane spellcaster, and I'm interested in knowing what the best items are for increasing my damage output. I'm at level 7 and about average WBL.

[Rebel7284]

Typically you want to avoid focusing on damage as a spellcaster in D&D 3/3.5
Battlefield control is much more effective and Buffs and Debuffs often end encounters faster too.

If you insist on focusing on damage, metamagic rods and other ways of applying free metamagic (circlet of rapid casting, that one item that empowers low level spells, etc.) tend to be the ticket.

[Troacctid]

Check out the itemization section of my warmage handbook. It should be broadly applicable to other arcane blasters. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgINDD7nEVLs6B_ygsj4SLJza_YrZLGU89KdjIumP7M/edit?usp=sharing


Typically you want to avoid focusing on damage as a spellcaster in D&D 3/3.5
Battlefield control is much more effective and Buffs and Debuffs often end encounters faster too.
No, damaging spells are great, especially if you back them up with items.

[Crake]

Check out the itemization section of my warmage handbook. It should be broadly applicable to other arcane blasters. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgINDD7nEVLs6B_ygsj4SLJza_YrZLGU89KdjIumP7M/edit?usp=sharing


One thing I noticed on a quick glance from your handbook, but the Aurial Sapphire says "an air domain spell", not "a spell listed in the air domain", so I believe it specifically needs to be a domain spell cast from the air domain, not just any spell that appears in the air domain cast from any list.

[pabelfly]

Check out the itemization section of my warmage handbook. It should be broadly applicable to other arcane blasters. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgINDD7nEVLs6B_ygsj4SLJza_YrZLGU89KdjIumP7M/edit?usp=sharing


No, damaging spells are great, especially if you back them up with items.

Okay, this was extremely helpful. Thank you very much.

[Fero]

No, damaging spells are great, especially if you back them up with items.

I second that damage is great. The question of whether you should focus on damage, control, etc. depends more on party composition than anything else.

I began drafting a guide on building wizards as dedicated blasters at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cw1x53p8iVNGi1yVu6FafNBPLc0sxjBvW8C3toZCsqY/edit?usp=drivesdk

[aglondier]

There is a 3rd party product, the Genius Guide to Rune Staves and Wyrd Wands. Basically giving you the spellcasting equivalent to the +1 longsword. The wand or staff +1 gives a +1 to hit with attack spells and +1 to damage rolls with spells.

[Darg]

I second that damage is great. The question of whether you should focus on damage, control, etc. depends more on party composition than anything else.

This is so true even if they aren't boosted with items. With items though, one can see them skyrocket in capability.

[pabelfly]

Check out the itemization section of my warmage handbook. It should be broadly applicable to other arcane blasters. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgINDD7nEVLs6B_ygsj4SLJza_YrZLGU89KdjIumP7M/edit?usp=sharing

No, damaging spells are great, especially if you back them up with items.

Raistlin's Frog is absolutely disgusting as an item. +5 caster level for five rounds, five times a day? And only 1K gold? You better believe I bought one the moment I read it in your spreadsheets.

EDIT: Is there an up-to-date thread that has every caster level boost in it? I see the old repost but that's not well-formatted (doesn't group by element types) and it's missing at least Raistlin's Frog.

If there's not, I might do up a thread myself.

[Troacctid]

I second that damage is great. The question of whether you should focus on damage, control, etc. depends more on party composition than anything else.
And it's pretty easy to do both. There are a plethora of feats that incorporate control elements into blasting spells, and a plethora of blasting spells that come with control elements built in.


I began drafting a guide on building wizards as dedicated blasters at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cw1x53p8iVNGi1yVu6FafNBPLc0sxjBvW8C3toZCsqY/edit?usp=drivesdk
Always nice to see more guides on this underrated topic! I notice the Aligned Spellcaster and Impromptu Metamagic ACFs are conspicuously absent, and initiative-boosting familiars (hummingbird for conjurers, that one little dino from D318 for everyone else) are missing from your note on initiative. I think melee spells are also worth touching on (pun intended), with Combust, Chill Touch, Corrosive Grasp, Parching Touch, Storm Touch, and Scalding Touch being particularly notable, IMO.


Raistlin's Frog is absolutely disgusting as an item. +5 caster level for five rounds, five times a day? And only 1K gold? You better believe I bought one the moment I read it in your spreadsheets.
Oh, yeah, I don't normally think of it as a blasting item because of the action cost, but it's some proper nonsense. (It is 1/day though, not 5/day.)

[pabelfly]

Oh, yeah, I don't normally think of it as a blasting item because of the action cost, but it's some proper nonsense. (It is 1/day though, not 5/day.)

Thanks for the tip.

I'm going to have to redo the Raising Caster Level handbook. Besides needing its format tidied up, items split into consumables and permanent items, it's missing a few things - multiple items, three domains, two races, and I've only just started digging.

[Fero]

Always nice to see more guides on this underrated topic! I notice the Aligned Spellcaster and Impromptu Metamagic ACFs are conspicuously absent, and initiative-boosting familiars (hummingbird for conjurers, that one little dino from D318 for everyone else) are missing from your note on initiative. I think melee spells are also worth touching on (pun intended), with Combust, Chill Touch, Corrosive Grasp, Parching Touch, Storm Touch, and Scalding Touch being particularly notable, IMO.


Thank you! The guide is part of a larger attempt to write a wizard handbook. Your Warmage handbook was actually one of my inspirations as I felt wizards deserved the same level of attention and detail as your guide (which is amazing btw). Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of options avaliable to wizards one handbook is quickly becoming 20+ guides. I am actually writing a few guides on damage spells as damage spell selection depends heavily on the role/s the wizard is attempting to fill. So far, I plan to write on Dedicated Damage dealers, Efficient Damage Dealers (ie retargetable DoT), Damage Linked Control (entangling blast etc., Control Supplementing Damage (AoE DoTs to use alongside battlefield control), Gishes and Precision Damage strategies.

I will probably handle touch spells alongside weaponlike spells when I write on gish combat strategies. I played a Jade Phoenix Mage recently and Storm Touch was amazing. I greatly appreciate any insights as I know I am missing a ton still!

[Crake]

Oh, yeah, I don't normally think of it as a blasting item because of the action cost, but it's some proper nonsense. (It is 1/day though, not 5/day.)

I mean, it IS from dragonlance, and an adventure module to boot, and a named, unique item. I dont think its meant to be something you can just buy at a magical cornershop.

Edit: not an adventure module, a novel companion guide? Or something? Either way, pretty sketchy source

[pabelfly]

Okay, completely redid the "Raising Caster Level" thread. Found some missing information in the regular books and added a bunch of Drag Mag content (still probably missed a bunch), tidied up and reorganized the thread formatting, and reorganized the lists, including doing lists by alphabetically and by price and spell level. But do let me know what I've missed.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?654710-Raising-Caster-Level

Might do sections organized based on specific caster level types next, but I should have the bulk of the information, which is most important.