Advice for a first level wizard please

[Dagren]

A group of friends and I are going to try starting ourselves a 3rd ed gaming group soon, and we're going to be starting from the beginning. I'd like to play a wizard, but while there are some fine guides out there on how to effectively play a high level wizard, I couldn't find anything to help me get there in the first place. I'm not looking for anything really optimised, just a few pieces of advice on how not to get killed before I reach level 5 with my 2 spells per day. Thanks. (Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I couldn't think where else to put it)

[Dode]

um, buy a horse and let the horse do the fighting

[kamikasei]

Are you rolling or point-buying? What books do you have available? Any houserules we should know about? Do you have preferences for race?

The basic advice is to keep Int high for bonus spells and DCs, use your slots on things like Sleep and Colour Spray and get wands of more repeatable spells as soon as possible, and plan ahead.

[Deepblue706]

-Don't be afraid to be a coward (stay out of melee).
-Keep your head down (use cover to avoid missile attacks where you can).
-Always do your homework (scribe scrolls during downtime, so you don't become useless when you don't have any more spells/day)
-Never go anywhere without your weasel (seriously, +2 Reflex saves...also familiars can scout)
-And always remember...you only need to run faster than the slowest teammate (When your chips are down, trip the gnome).

[Twilight Jack]

Let's assume that you're playing a human wizard (other races can pay dividends but human is probably best if you're starting at 1st level). I'm going to stick with Core in order to ensure that my advice is pertinent.

First things first, check with the DM to see exactly how Core we're sticking (I'm kind of making a liar of myself, ain't I?). If the Player's Handbook II is allowed, then play a Conjuration specialist and trade your familiar for Abrupt Jaunt. If he allows it, then go there immediately. Otherwise, take a familiar that shores up your character's primary weakness as you see it (it's hard to offer advice on this one, although I think toad is great at 1st level and rat is pretty good if you forsee surviving long). Now we're off to the races.

Step 1: Assign your ability scores. Highest score goes to Intelligence. Obviously. Second highest score goes to Constitution. You'll need the hit points. Your next highest scores should go towards Dexterity and Wisdom. Which one gets precedence is largely a judgement call. Strength and Charisma are your dump stats.

Step 2: Specialize. There are only two schools worth specializing in: Conjuration and Transmutation. Divination gets an honorable mention if you can't stomach prohibiting two schools. Otherwise Conjuration is your baby. Specialize in it and prohibit Enchantment and Evocation. Now you have at least 3 first level spells every day.

Step 3: Select your feats. If you're human and a Conjuration specialist, allow me to suggest Spell Focus: Conjuration and Improved Initiative. If you're outside Core, replace Improved Initiative with Cloudy Conjuration.

Step 4: Choose your spells. If you're the only wizard in the party I'd recommend spells that allow the other characters to look really cool. As often as is practical, buff them and allow them to do the actual damage to the enemy. This will buy you good will for later.

Step 5: ???

Step 6: Profit.

[TSED]

Have four or five back up wizard character sheets.

[Doc Roc]

Okay, let's talk a little about spell selection. Life is rough. Magic missile is over-rated. You want to spend your early life focusing on what's called battle-field control. Treantmonk on those "other" forums has a great guide on this topic, one that in this case I prefer to the ever excellent Being Batman. Suffice to say that grease, web, entangle and glitterdust are top picks.

[BooNL]

I'm going to bring some counterbalance here and say: don't try to build a "build", don't - under any circumstances - try to create a Batman.

Before you go into spell selection and all that mechanical jazz, what do you want your wizard to do? Do you want him to fling fireballs from afar, protect yourself and others, summon magical creatures, etc.

After that, select your specialization, if you want one. Don't listen to all these nay-sayers, every spec is good. You just have to make it work.

Then start looking at spells, if you're core only it's easy. If not, pick up the Spell Compendium for a handy overview (though I recommend you stay core as much as possible, at least for your first character).

Some handy spells at lower levels include Mage Armor, Grease, Sleep and the Summon Monster line.

[Killer Angel]

I'm going to bring some counterbalance here and say: don't try to build a "build", don't - under any circumstances - try to create a Batman.

I'm not sure i've understood your point... why no build?
Every character is a "build". Every player tries to develop his pc in a coherent way, selecting appropriate combos (from a good combination of fighter's feats, to the spell selection of a specialized wiz.) in a RP background.
Some players are experts, some are good, some don't care too much but no one picks random abilities.

The next step is: when you have an idea, you can try to implement the pc's mechanic, accepting suggestions from more expert players (until these suggestions, fit your original idea).

What you should never do, is to take a "pre-made build" from some optimizer... in that case, it's not a your idea (so you're going to have no feeling with the character) and probably you'll be no able to play that build properly.
But it's always possible to pick a "build" (the Batman wizard), destructuring said build and having your own character: you take only the general idea and some basic suggestion, than you work around it by yourself... even if in the end your character will not be "optimized".

[mostlyharmful]

level up. Fast.

I know it sounds like a dumb comment but it's actual advice, take the quests the dm hands out and then use your Int score not your Str, find ways around, under or past obstacles that doesn't involve combat, talk your team into using the rogues social skills, use charm and invis and suggestion as you go up to reduce the times you have to cower in cover to the absolute minimum. By the time you hit mid level you can take on what you like and to a certain extent you can start acting dumber and flashier but at low levels the smart, sneaky, devious and underhanded is your friend.

above all else be very aware of what is sacrificable (your mount, your hireling, even your familiar) and what isn't (your big roadblock mates, your book). If it looks like it's a choice between sacrificing your self or the fun NPC who helped you.,,..... just make sure the cops aren't looking.

[kamikasei]

don't - under any circumstances - try to create a Batman.

Why, may I ask? Are you perhaps misunderstanding the term? Batman is not necessarily a game-breaker.

[BooNL]

Why, may I ask? Are you perhaps misunderstanding the term? Batman is not necessarily a game-breaker.

True, if you follow the philosophy of support and disable spells, creating a batman-esque character isn't bad. My point was that such a character can outshine most other builds without even trying.

Furthermore, I don't believe in following strict guides and taking the optimized aproach. I build my characters around a background or character concept, "the ultimate wizard" takes a backseat for me.

[mostlyharmful]

Plus the 'Batman' build is composed of two things - the mentality of don't be a glory hogging ass and pick decent spells. There's no build involved beyound being a Wizard caster.

It's hard as hell to be a convincing Batman before level 7 anyway so just take a few Battlefield control and a few good team buffs and try not to get in the firing line.

[Dagren]

I know it sounds like a dumb comment but it's actual advice, take the quests the dm hands out and then use your Int score not your Str, find ways around, under or past obstacles that doesn't involve combat, talk your team into using the rogues social skills, use charm and invis and suggestion as you go up to reduce the times you have to cower in cover to the absolute minimum. By the time you hit mid level you can take on what you like and to a certain extent you can start acting dumber and flashier but at low levels the smart, sneaky, devious and underhanded is your friend.

Cool. That was kind of my character concept anyway, his backstory is that he's a wizard's school graduate who has taken up thievery instead on the traditional wizardry route. So yeah, he's going to be pretty subtle. Of course, I'm sure he'll learn all the combat spells once he becomes an adventurer and gains power, but that will work great with his character for the first few levels. I may even give him ranks in bluff himself, high Int means a few spare skill points floating around. (That would make Str rather than Cha his main dump stat, I guess, if I choose to go that way) Still, subtle sneaky wizard notwithstanding, I doubt I'll be going arcane trickster, I don't think 2 spell levels is worth it.

And thanks everyone else for their advice too, it'll give me plenty to think about. I have to say though, I don't think I'll be going the specialist route. Banning spell schools is rather unpalatable to me, even for extra slots.

[BooNL]

Actually, a Batman is what I call a glory hogging bastard. The optimized wizard, the destructor of other classes, the scion of anything but tucker's kobolds, etc etc.

Playing a wizard with a good spell selection and acting on his Int score is not Batmanning. It's just being a good player.

Seriously though, it isn't that hard to survive the first couple of levels. Just have some indirect and support spells, don't load up on the magic missiles and you're practically there. Just make sure you have fun and your crunch compliments your fluff, that's all.

[kamikasei]

Actually, a Batman is what I call a glory hogging bastard. The optimized wizard, the destructor of other classes, the scion of anything but tucker's kobolds, etc etc.

Playing a wizard with a good spell selection and acting on his Int score is not Batmanning. It's just being a good player.

This is not what the "Being Batman" guide described, just the pejorative meaning the term has acquired being thrown around by detractors.

An optimized Batman boosts his teammates, hinders his enemies, and uses the right tool for the right task to achieve the greatest effect in an encounter with minimal spell expenditure. Nothing glory-hogging about that. If a competent Batman is shutting down an encounter with glitterdust and the other characters are severely unoptimized they may feel marginalized but if they're able to fill their roles adequately they won't feel their toes are being stepped on.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Color Spray until you get 2nd level spells, then use a mix of Color Spray, Glitterdust, and Web. When you get 3rd level spells get Ray of Stupidity and Shrink Item, and be creative. Check the Batman Wizard Guide for advice for all levels, but that was basically all you really need to know to succeed.

I'd probably go Grey Elf or Gnome for your race, depending on where you want to go with the character. Elf races get some decent weapon proficiencies such as bows, Grey Elf in particular gets +2 Int. Gnome gets +2 Con, small size bonuses, and can take Shadowcraft Mage if that's what you're into. If you choose to specialize in a school of magic, your prohibited schools should be Evocation and either Enchantment or Necromancy, don't question it and you won't be kicking yourself later.

Get at least one rank in each of the ten knowledge skills (there are not more than ten knowledge skills in 3.5). Make a cheat sheet that lists each creature type and what knowledge skill you roll a check for to identify it. Also make a note of (FSW) next to each one, with a capital letter designating a good base save and a lowercase letter for a poor base save. It doesn't take any action at all to make a Knowledge check to see if you recognize or can identify a creature, so at the start of each encounter you say, "I'll make a Knowledge check to identify what it is, what's its creature type?" Then you look at both which Knowledge check to roll, and what its poor saving throws are. Regardless of whether or not you make the check, you can now use a save-or-lose spell that attacks that poor save. If it's an animal you always just hit it with Ray of Stupidity and win, especially for dire animals which have no poor save, but otherwise you'll soon learn what spells are good and what spells you can just forget about ever preparing again.

[Killer Angel]

Actually, a Batman is what I call a glory hogging bastard. The optimized wizard, the destructor of other classes, the scion of anything but tucker's kobolds, etc etc.

No: the REAL batman wiz, does't win the encounters alone by himself, he creates the conditions in which the rest of the party smashes the enemies.
He controls the battlefield and boosts his teammates, that do the dirty work.
If there's need, he will have also a trick or two (scrolls) to handle strange situations.

The real batman, is ALSO a good player.

[BooNL]

This is not what the "Being Batman" guide described, just the pejorative meaning the term has acquired being thrown around by detractors.

An optimized Batman boosts his teammates, hinders his enemies, and uses the right tool for the right task to achieve the greatest effect in an encounter with minimal spell expenditure. Nothing glory-hogging about that. If a competent Batman is shutting down an encounter with glitterdust and the other characters are severely unoptimized they may feel marginalized but if they're able to fill their roles adequately they won't feel their toes are being stepped on.

I know I'm using the term wrong and in a prejudice manner, I guess I'm just bitter. I'm usually the stubborn TWF ranger with a focus on animal companions or whatever .

Still, my point stands. You don't have to overoptimize to have fun.

[Talic]

My Favorites:

If you have Complete Arcane, I like Metamagic School Focus. Whether you're buffing with Transmutation, or creating meat walls with conjuration, Being able to have 3 free extend spells a day is useful. (Applies to human wizards only)

Second. I can't tell you how much I advise against a Color Spray focus.

In a party environment, Grease is about 100x better. Things fall down. Almost everything in the Monster Manual goes flat footed.

Color Spray is a good "Oh Crap" spell. But ideally? Don't get within 15 feet of an enemy.

For tactics on staying alive, Complete Mage has an Abrupt Jaunt ability for wizards which is good, and can save your bacon. Mage Armor can keep you up long enough to see tomorrow.

Don't focus on attack roll spells, but don't get Magic Missile either. Frankly, as level 1 spells go, it sucks. Level 2-3? Possibly, as you start seeing a chance to fight things that are incorporeal, which is where force damage shines.

Obscuring mist is a good getaway spell, but your rogue won't like you too much for giving his targets concealment.

Summon monster 1 might take a while to cast, but it's worth it. The payoff can be a flanker, an attacker, and, if you choose to extend it, it'll last more than a round right away.

[Tempest Fennac]

Killer, Boo was just refering to copying builds which may not do what Dagren wants the character to do rather then telling him not to have a build at all.

[ghost_warlock]

Dagren, if your DM is allowing PHBII, and you want to play a thiefy kind of wizard, you may find the beguiler to your liking. With the beguiler, if you don't have a rogue in the party you can take over trap-duty. If you already have a rogue, be a friend and use the Aid Another action to give the rogue the bonus to Disable, that way you're not showboating how vastly superior you are.

[Zeta Kai]

Well, a lot of folks have already commented on the basics (stay out of melee, hold onto your book at all costs), so I'll talk about good spells for a low-level caster. Assuming that you have all the cantrips that you need, let's talk about 1st-level spells that should be in your book.

Even at first level, not all spells are created equal. Some are going to be way more useful than others, & starting out, you're only going to have 3 + Int 1st level spells in your book. Since every other spell requires the kindness of your DM to acquire, you'll need to choose carefully to ensure that you don't end up with garbage filling your book. Most people on CharOp boards make the elementary mistake of assuming that a wizard can get any spell that they want; this is a harmful fallacy. The DM decides what spells exist in his world, & which ones you can get your hands on, & he can be very stingy sometimes. You are entitled to just 2 new spells per level, & which two is only partially your call, so your starting book (which tends to receive less scrutiny) is very important.

With all this in mind, I'd make sure that any spell that you choose is one that you can't live without. Spells that deal direct damage (magic missile or shocking grasp) are good for low-level offense, but defense (mage armor or shield), crowd control (grease or ray of enfeeblement), & denial-of-action spells (blindness/deafness or sleep) are general much more effective. Utility spells (like enlarge person, feather fall, & true strike) are often vital, as well, but tend to be situational. A lot of this picking & choosing is going to be up to your personal preference, but as far as 1st-level spells are concerned, I wouldn't even bother with anything less than the ones mentioned above (even though one of my favorites is scorching ray, for flavor reasons).

[Talic]

+1 on Zeta Kai.

Enlarge Person is good for the big beefy in your group, incidentally.
Ray of Enfeeblement is solid gold.

[Tengu_temp]

I second the idea of making scrolls in your free time. Also, the best friend of a first level wizard is a light crossbow - don't go into melee during combat, but don't just stand there and watch when you're not casting, shoot at enemies instead!

[kamikasei]

Reserve feats (Complete Mage) are also good ways to get sustained damage output with more wizardly feel than a crossbow, though I can't remember if there are any decent ones available from level 1.

[Elminster1]

Personally, as a first time wizard player, I suggest being a Generalist. Reason being, you lose nothing, keep all your options open, and can figure out what spells, etc you like or don't like.

A nice starrting character is a Gray Elf (+2 to Int), and the Elven Wizard Substitution level at level 1. Located in the Races of the Wild Handbook. It gives you 1 extra casting per day at your highest wizard casting level. Plus, you get 1 extra spell known per level in addition to the standard 2, for a total of 3 spells per wizard level gain.

Don't worry about Prestige Classes so much. Archmage offers nice abilities, and isn't so hard to qualify for. I also like Mage of the Arcane Order or Guild Mage of Waterdeep. Easy, full progression, and nice perks, and hooks for RP'ing. Lastly, Fatespinner is another favorite of mine.

Spell selection is a little overwhelming. Guess it depends on what you like. If you choose Generalist, there's no limit. I usually prefer spells that have effect over damage. I come from the Batman school, and I prefer to let the guys with pointy sticks do the damage. Spells to consider would be things like Sleep, Ray of Enfeeblement, Grease, Silent Image, these tend to be the best low level offensive spells. Mage Armor and Identify are staples for some protection and utility. Just general suggestions.

I think going this route, you don't have to worry about too much, get really nice abilites, and have some powerful synergies and some optimization as well. Plus, you can learn as you go.

[Eldariel]

Just one thing: On level 1 (and the couple first levels), it may be worth it to put ranks in Hide and Move Silently. If you have a decent Dex, you can use these to stay out-of-sight pretty well vs. most opponents, especially if you Reduce Person yourself.

This is especially true with Humanoids, many of which don't have Spot in class, but on level 1 the cross-class ranks + some base Dex is enough to have a decent chance even against monsters. If Abrupt Jaunt isn't game, this is one of the better ways to stay alive.


And yeah, don't make the mistake of preparing Magic Missile yet. The spell can be decent later, but that's when you get some caster level. On level 1, it's just a friggin' Crossbow shot that autohits; True Strike has almost the same effect and you're not preparing that either. Much rather hit opponents with mass disabling spells (outlined before); you do much more effective "damage" that way.

[Chronos]

One thing to keep in mind is that, yeah, wizards suck at first level, but that's because almost everyone sucks at first level. It's supposed to be that way. Everyone in the party should be doing their best to avoid unnecessary battles, think their way around problems, etc. Once you get to around level 3-5, then you can afford to start getting a bit more aggressive.

[Set]

Color Spray until you get 2nd level spells, then use a mix of Color Spray, Glitterdust, and Web. When you get 3rd level spells get Ray of Stupidity and Shrink Item, and be creative. Check the Batman Wizard Guide for advice for all levels, but that was basically all you really need to know to succeed.

This guy gives some great advice, both for spell selection and skill use.

Avoid spells that require attack rolls at first, because you'll really, really want to be Fighting Defensively, as much as possible (so color spray, sleep, etc. are all fine, as is magic missile, although it's a waste at 1st level, but shocking grasp, not so much). I've even seen some more AC-focused wizards go so far as to take Combat Expertise, at higher levels, but that's no help at level 1. Your most important attributes will be Intelligence, Dexterity and Constitution. You don't have any Cha, Str or Wis-based skills anyway (save Profession or whatever), so dump them if necessary, so that you can get extra AC (and ranged attack bonus) and hit points (as well as Reflex and Fort saves!). When you aren't anywhere near melee, feel free to stop Fighting Defensively and fire a crossbow or throw daggers when your spells run dry. With a decent ranged bonus from your Dex (and no Str penalty to damage for the crossbow), you'll at least be contributing, although you might be even more effective throwing acid, alchemist's fire and / or tanglefoot bags (mind that tanglefoot bags are *heavy,* and if you plan on throwing alchemy stuff around, take Craft (alchemy) to make your own stuff and save a ton of cash!).

If possible, pick up a Reserve Feat (I like the one that creates 5' firebursts) from Complete Mage, and use that when you are out of spells to be a second-rate warlock. This is your best of all worlds option, but not every GM allows them, and most have requirements like 'must be able to cast 2nd level spells' or whatever that require Precocious Apprentice cheese to qualify for.