[3.5] Melee Wizard Builds/Spell Combos?

[Jimp]

I'm interested in a melee focused wizard build and finding out what wizard spells work best in melee. While talking about 3.5 today I remembered a thread here a few months ago about a grapple-wizard build, which made me interested in what other melee focused wizard options are there. I'm not really looking for a gish, more a pure wizard or your normal Wiz/Loremaster/Archmage but with spell/feat combos focused on melee combat.

[mangosta71]

Sounds like you want a lot of touch attack spells and buffs. Shocking grasp and bull's strength and such. There really aren't that many touch spells, so you may be better off going sorcerer for more spells per day.

And if you really want a character that will be a monster in melee combat, do the above on a troll.

[Fax Celestis]

Ring of blades, cloud of knives and bite of the king are all pretty awesome. Bite of the king in particular. You devour any opponent smaller than you, swallow them whole, and dump them in a pocket dimension.

[FMArthur]

I just looked Bite of the King up in the SpC (because it sounds awesome), and I find that it can be anyone whose size is not larger than your own. It's not just smaller folk. It needs a touch attack and they need to fail a fortitude save, though. They can cut their way out like normal Swallow Hole only they don't deal the damage to you and appear nearby.

[RagnaroksChosen]

Can't remember if the Nimbus line of spells is Arcane, and if they work in a Grapple.

[Fax Celestis]

I just looked Bite of the King up in the SpC (because it sounds awesome), and I find that it can be anyone whose size is not larger than your own. It's not just smaller folk. It needs a touch attack and they need to fail a fortitude save, though. They can cut their way out like normal Swallow Hole only they don't deal the damage to you and appear nearby.

Still. It's pretty awesome--and, for a DM, a terrific way to introduce a plot device.

[ocato]

A Sorcerer with draconic heritage feats could chill touch dragon claw the crap out of people, as well as shocking grasp and any other melee touch spell. Build the character sort of like a battle sorcerer (stat-wise, not actually using the variant probably) and use magic as armor. Debuff with necromancy, close in, and start slashing away with ye old magi-claws.

[Eldariel]

Well, the obvious but broken: the Polymorph-line for all your combat needs. Seriously, that spell (well, especially Polymorph Any Object (permanent changes with two castings!) and Shapechange (constant changes into anything picking all abilities...like level 17 Cleric Casting) alone obsoletes all non-caster classes. And once your DM comes to his senses and disallows that, Bite of the Werex-series is your next bet.

[Galdor Miriel]

Why not go gish!

take a few levels in a martial class, then take focused specialist transmuter then abjurant champion followed by spellsword.

You have a lot of spells to cast and with wraithstrike you can make touch attacks while power attacking for the full monte with a greatsword while enlarged!

I did a build along these lines with a half orc and he completely kicked ass as a melee warrior. Swift spells coming out the wazoo, a huge AC and he really packed a punch. I also had the specialist variant to lose the familiar and get shifting as a swift ability allowing a swim climb or fly speed.

This way you get to melee, your spell selection is not complicated and does not require book keeping, but you have cool spells.

All you need to shine is complete mage and spell compendium. Throw the heart spells on and you have defenses that are amazing and have abilities that are useful even when not able to cast.

I had a lot of fun and he was so broken that the dm, an optimiser himself blushed with shame.

[Yukitsu]

Arcane variant swordsage.

...

What?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Level and Point-Buy are pretty important. With an idea of those we can give you more specific combos than just "long-duration buffs and no-save touch spells".

[SurlySeraph]

Use the Fell Drain metamagic feat on Chill Touch. Every time you hit your opponent, they take a negative level. I had an Arcane Fist build based entirely around this that was pretty effective. However, if you cast another spell you lose the charge, which is annoying. Still, a negative level per attack for 1 attack/level, for a second level spell slot, is pretty kickass.

[Iku Rex]

Jimp, do you have a specifc level/level range in mind?

[fliprushman]

Why Wizard? Why not Sorcerer or Warlock? Glaivelocks are fairly popular.

[Tempest Fennac]

I know Battle Sorcerers are seen as weak, but someone once mentioned the idea of giving them normal Sorcerer spell progression while just refering to them as "Sorcerers" in order to fix both the classes. If you're interrested, the class is detailed on page 114 of http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules...asses-Base.pdf .

[Talic]

Scarred lands was good for this. They had a strength sapping touch spell that raised those it killed (yes, 0 str = dead for this spell) into shadows under your control.

At level 7, you could start the Army of shadows. Invisibility + that spell allowed me to take out goblins.

Invisibility + that spell + Shadows from goblins allowed me to fell fire giants at level 7.

[Burley]

Don't forget to do this for more for the fighter feats. Also, consider the Sorcerer Variant: Can the familiar and get an Animal Companion.

[kjones]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Duskblade, from PHBII, yet. More warrior than wizard in some ways, but you'll kick ass in melee.