Playing a Wilder - Need Advice

[StoryKeeper]

My group is about to start a campaign using the Dark Sun campaign setting (crunchy bits reworked for 3.5) and I have chosen to play a half-elf wilder. My stats aren't great (10-14) and the Wilder doesn't seem terrific to me at first glance. Any advice from other Wilder players out there who can tell me the key to enjoying playing a wilder?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

My group is about to start a campaign using the Dark Sun campaign setting (crunchy bits reworked for 3.5) and I have chosen to play a half-elf wilder. My stats aren't great (10-14) and the Wilder doesn't seem terrific to me at first glance. Any advice from other Wilder players out there who can tell me the key to enjoying playing a wilder?Re-roll? I think you qualify, depending on your actual spread. You pretty much can't play a caster with those numbers.

[RS14]

Re-roll? I think you qualify, depending on your actual spread. You pretty much can't play a caster with those numbers.
No; if all his rolls are within that spread, and he has at least one 14, he doesn't get to reroll.

You could ask anyway.

[tyckspoon]

My group is about to start a campaign using the Dark Sun campaign setting (crunchy bits reworked for 3.5) and I have chosen to play a half-elf wilder. My stats aren't great (10-14) and the Wilder doesn't seem terrific to me at first glance. Any advice from other Wilder players out there who can tell me the key to enjoying playing a wilder?

From a strictly mechanical viewpoint, your first assessment is correct. Wilders work like severely nerfed Sorcerers- same delayed progression in spellcasting levels gained, but even fewer Spells Known. Its class features, aside from Wild Surge, are generally useless. If you wanted to focus on melee combat, you'd be better off with a Psychic Warrior; if you prefer to work primarily as a spellcaster, Psion is much, much better. Either one could be played with the same personality you would apply to a Wilder (although the high Wisdom you would want for a PsyWar might seem incongruous with the sort of free-spirited action without thought personality implied by the Wilder. And a weaker stat spread tends to favor spellcasters over fighting types.)

If you want to stick with Wilder anyway, power selection is paramount. You get only 11 powers throughout the class's entire progression; try to make each one count. Wilders really don't have room for situational choices. Expanded Knowledge is almost never a bad feat choice for a Wilder because of that, especially because it allows them to pick from the discipline-specific lists of psionic powers. Blaster is an easy role for the Wilder, since the psionic powers are mostly better at it than unmodified arcane spells and the Energy (X) set of powers respond very well to being augmented, which Psychic Surge allows the Wilder to do for free.

And speaking of Psychic Surge, see if your DM will agree to allowing a homebrew feat or possibly prestige class to reduce (suitable for a feat) or entirely eliminate (more likely for the endcap of a prestige class) either the probability or the severity of Psychic Enervation. Wilder would still be a decent but weak class if it didn't have that nasty side effect of becoming more likely to screw itself as it levels (alternately, only using whatever level of Wild Surge the player considers an acceptable risk, in which case the only significant class feature the Wilder has besides manifesting is being severely underused.)

[Lert, A.]

If your DM will allow it, ask for a Psychic Warrior powers-known progression so you at least get 1 power per level, which is still way less than the psion's 36. Psychic Enervation, as mentioned, is a real killer. Really suck up and try to convince your DM to toss it, since it makes Wild Surge nearly unusable at higher levels.

[Jasdoif]

If you want to stick with Wilder anyway, power selection is paramount. You get only 11 powers throughout the class's entire progression; try to make each one count. Wilders really don't have room for situational choices. Expanded Knowledge is almost never a bad feat choice for a Wilder because of that, especially because it allows them to pick from the discipline-specific lists of psionic powers. Blaster is an easy role for the Wilder, since the psionic powers are mostly better at it than unmodified arcane spells and the Energy (X) set of powers respond very well to being augmented, which Psychic Surge allows the Wilder to do for free.I'd also strongly advise taking the educated wilder variant (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) that replaces Volatile Mind with bonus Expanded Knowledge feats.

Volatile Mind is ridiculously sad, since it applies an inconsequential cost as a defense against only certain types of attacks. At fifth level, an extra power point per power is unlikely to become significant before the encounter ends, and it doesn't apply to magical effects at all.

[Seffbasilisk]

Pick up the Quick Recovery feat. It's from Lords of Madness and will help you deal with the Psychic Enervation from a Wild Surge. Similarly, if you pick up the Force of Personality feat, you'll be able to apply your Charisma (which should be your best stat) to your willsaves instead of Wisdom (which can then be another dump stat.)

[Lert, A.]

I'd also strongly advise taking the educated wilder variant (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) that replaces Volatile Mind with bonus Expanded Knowledge feats.

Volatile Mind is ridiculously sad, since it applies an inconsequential cost as a defense against only certain types of attacks. At fifth level, an extra power point per power is unlikely to become significant before the encounter ends, and it doesn't apply to magical effects at all.

Oooh... I missed those....

Do this.