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"Making the Most of What you Have (When What You Have Is Already
Ridiculously Good)"
The Wizard and his Adventuring Buddies, AKA "Those Chumps Who Hit
Things For You, Stop Things From Hitting You, And Heal You When You Need
It, While You Do All The Important Stuff"
The traditional adventuring party has four people, filling the roles of Meat-Shield,
Skill-Monkey, Heal-Bitch, and Batman.
You're--as Frank Miller put--the goddamn Batman.
Your job is to do whatever it is that needs doing, unless it falls into the category of
"hitting things", "healing things", or "using skills that aren't Knowledge or Spellcraft".
Since this is D&D, "whatever it is that needs doing" will mostly be killing things (and,
of course, not getting killed yourself). To this end, you will cast spells that help you
and your poor, ignorant, inferior companions (read: party), and hamper your enemies.
therefore wind up sucking). Spells can do lots of different things. There are several
general categories of spells:
-Defensive Buffs: spells that make it more difficult to kill you and/or your allies.
-Offensive Buffs: spells that make it easier for you and/or your allies to kill others.
-Utility: mostly useful outside of combat, these spells help you accomplish general
tasks. For example, Rope Trick helps you rest without being eaten at night, Detect
Secret Doors helps you find where people hid stuff, et cetera.
-Offensive Spells: this category includes anything that does something someone
doesn't like to them. There are a number of different kinds of these.
--Save-or-Die: These make people do what it says. This is good because that's what
you're trying to get people to do, a lot of the time. Example: Finger of Death
--Save-or-Lose: These don't kill people, but they might as well. If they succeed, the
fight is effectively won; all that remains is clean-up. Example: Fear.
--Save-or-Suck: These don't make them lose by default, but they certainly make it a
lot more likely. "Debuff" spells that hamper foes like Glitterdust, Slow, et cetera all fall
in this category. The line between these and Save-or-Lose spells is pretty blurry.
--Direct Damage: These spells, by and large, suck. Occasionally, they're useful, but
when a good mage wants something damaged, he tells the fighter to go hit it. If it's
hard to hurt, he buffs the fighter first.
--Battlefield Control: These spells shape the battlefield in your favor. They make
enemies stay away from you or otherwise do what you want, they buy you time, and
so on. Examples: Solid Fog, Grease.
--No Save: These spells do bad things to people, and people can't do a damn thing
about it. Not too many of these, because they're so damn good.
-Useless Crap: some spells just plain suck, period. This category covers things like
Tenser's Floating Disc, Hold Portal, Detect Undead, and Shout.
What kind of spells do you want? Well, you want some of each--except, most of the
time, direct damage. Those are occasionally useful, and will be mentioned later, but in
general, avoid them. Why? Because everyone else can do damage, and often, much
better than you, while you can also do all the things no one else can. Leave damage
to the guys with pointy sticks; you have better things to do.
is the fact that it supresses all charms and compulsions. Very useful for low-will-save
types.
-Shield: defensive buff. Gives you +4 AC. The goodness is obvious.
-Grease: battlefield control that can even be save-or-lose. Note that it forces balance
checks, and creatures who don't have 5 ranks in balance are flat-footed while making
balance checks... which means the party rogue can sneak attack away.
-Mage Armor: defensive buff, so you're not TOTALLY squishy. Hours duration, as much
AS as a chain shirt. What mage doesn't take it?
-Mount: utility. Situational--sometimes, you need a horse to get somewhere quickly.
The real use of Mount, though, is to combine it with Disguise Self and Magic Aura, get
rid of the mount's magic aura, disguise yourself as someone else... and sell the horse
to someone.
-Identify: utility, needed to identify magic lewts.
-True Strike: Offensive buff for when your touch-attack spells are having trouble
hitting.
-Charm Person: Utility/Offensive: it makes people your friends. That's all sorts of
useful.
-Sleep: Save-or-Lose. Sleep is the low-level "win spell"; even a cleric with 18 WIS
only has a +6 will save at level 1, and with 18 INT you can have a DC 15 Sleep, 16
with focuses. That's a pretty solid chance of a failed save. With a 10-WIS fighter or
rogue, it's a great chance.
-Color Spray: Save-or-Lose. Similar to sleep, but it keeps being good for a lot longer.
At levels 1-3ish Sleep is better because Color Spray is short-range and thus more
likely to get you poked with a pointy stick.
-Silent Image: Utility. It's an illusion. Use your creativity.
-Ray of Enfeeblement: No save. Heavy strength drain can make a fighter useless--he
suddenly can't move in his heavy armor! It's always good for dropping people's AB
and damage, too. No save, like most ray spells; hitting with the ranged touch can
occasionally be an issue.
-Enlarge Person: a great low-level buff. Give your fighter reach and a strength bonus.
Level 2:
-Glitterdust: With a Will save vs. Blindness, this is a save-or-suck that affects an area.
It can pretty much win battles for you, as the fighters have to contend with suddenly
significantly less dangerous enemies.
-Web: Battlefield control, this keeps people stuck and makes them move through it
slowly if they aren't stuck.
-Detect Thoughts: Utility. This is useful in all kinds of social situation. Haven't you ever
wanted to know what someone's thinking?
-See Invisibility: Utility and, in many ways, a defensive buff. Invisible people who
want to hurt you are bad, because it means they're likely to actually do so.
-Shatter: one of the few good Evocation spells, at low levels, this rocks the house as
an offensive spell cast against enemy armor; later on it becomes utility (who needs to
pick locks?).
-Mirror Image: a great defensive buff. People have a good chance to miss you and hit
your image.
-Invisibility: utility that can be used as a defensive buff--hard to hit you if you can't be
seen.
-Bull's Strength: this becomes pointless once you have +STR items, but when you can
first get it, it's a solid offensive buff. Put it on the fighter and he can hit things better
and harder; it'll wind up doing more damage than Acid Arrow.
-Rope Trick: once you hit Caster Level 9 (or extend it at CL 5), this spell is the perfect
place to rest and prepare your spells in dungeons, the wilderness, et cetera.
Level 3:
-Dispel Magic: because you're not the only spellcaster around.
-Magic Circle Against X: defensive buff; all the goodies of Protection From X, but
longer-lasting (10 min/level) and covering everyone within 10' of the recipient.
-Protection from Energy: defensive buff. Useful if you know what energy to expect
ahead of time. Fighting fire elementals? Protection from Fire will help.
-Phantom Steed: Utility. At first it seems meh, but then you realize that the horse can
eventually fly (hours-duration Fly spell, effectively), and has a movement speed of 20
ft *per caster level*. At level 5, that's 100'. Take Ride ranks, and you can have the
phantom horse move in, cast a spell, and have it move back. It caps at 240', which is
pretty damn fast.
-Stinking Cloud: Save-or-Lose. Nauseated creatures can't take standard ations, and
thus can't hurt you. Plus, it makes for handy battlefield control, since others will want
to avoid it.
-Deep Slumber: Save-or-Lose. Like Sleep, but up to 10 HD; good for the same
reason: you can just one-shot sleeping things.
-Wind Wall: defensive buff. Another of the Evocation school's few good spells. This
keeps you safe from archers. All archers.
-Ray of Exhaustion: Save or suck, exhaustion is -6 STR and -6 DEX--and if you save,
you get fatigued anyway, for -2 to each.
-Vampiric Touch: temporary HP. Hurt others, heal yourself.
-Fly: defensive buff. Mobility. If they can't reach you, hurting you is harder. At low
levels, Fly + Wind Wall makes you pretty much untouchable by everything except
spellcasters.
-Haste: offensive and defensive buff. It makes everyone move faster, which is handy
for mobility--and gives them an extra attack per round.
A fireball deals 5d6 at level 5--that's 17 average damage on a *failed* save. A fighter
can do 17 damage a hit at level 5, and with Haste, he'll be getting an extra attack
each round. The damage from those will pile up above and beyond what the fireball
most likely accomplished.
-Magic Weapon, Greater: offensive buff. Obviating the need for weapons with a better
than +1 bonus since 3.0.
-Slow: a save-or-suck that's almost a save-or-lose. Multiple target, Will save (fighter
and rogue weakness), and they can only take a move or a standard action. Run circles
around them--they can move up to you OR hit you, not both! Just stay out of reach of
a partial charge.
Level 4:
Milk and Honey: the PHB II and Spell Compendium - includes spells from the
Forgotten Realms books, from the Complete Arcane, et cetera.
Level 1:
-Blood Wind: turn the monk's fists into ranged weapons? KTHX! It's Evocation, one of
the few good ones.
-Fist of Stone (Comp. Arcane): great for fighter/mages. A level one spell that gives +6
STR for attacking purposes? Woo.
-Ray of Clumsiness: like Ray of Enfeeblement, but for Dex. Lots of things have low
dex. Most big monsters. Even dragons. This is great against fighters or against
rogues.
Level 2:
-Baleful Transposition: switch the locations of the party fighter and the enemy mage?
Delicious.
-Create Magic Tattoo (Player's Guide to Faerun): at CL 11, you can use this to give
yourself +1 CL for a day. High-level mages should spend the 100gp material
components to cast an extended version of this; 50 gp a day for +1 caster level? It'd
take 600 days to equal the price of an Orange Ioun Stone. Of course, you can have
both.
-Listening Lorecall (Comp. Adventurer): Have 5 listen ranks? Gain Blindsight 30'. Keep
people from sneaking up.
-Ray of Stupidity: 1d4+1 int damage, no save. Not a penlaty like Ray of
Enfeeblement: DAMAGE. This spell takes down any animal and most magical beasts
with one casting. Metamagic means that it can take down fighters and rogues, and
seriously inconvenience other wizards. This spell is scary good.
-Combust: a damage spell, so normally unremarkable, but good for Spell Storing
weapons.
-Bonefiddle: creepy, but good. Concentration duration, 3d6 damage a round on a
failed fort save? A successful save ends it, but that might be a while for a low-Fortsave type. Good at level 3-4.
-Sonorous Hum! This spell concentrates on other spells for you. Considering that a
duration of "concentration" vs. "X/level" is a mitigating factor for spells that are
otherwise too good for their level, in theory, that makes this spell great. Some
combinations of spells with this one even qualify as cheese.
-Slide, Greater: battlefield control, an interesting variety. With a Will save, you can
move someone 20'. Drop enemy off cliff? Check! Help fighter move into position?
Check! Generally cool.
Level 3:
-Bands of Steel (Comp. Arcane): a reflex save-or-lose, and there aren't many of
those. They don't lose all *that* hard, but there you have it.
-Anticipate Teleportation (level 4 in Comp. Arcane, 3 in Spell Compendium): this spell
rocks. Delays people teleporting near you by 1 round, alerts you they're coming, and
lasts hours/level. Lets you buff when someone dimension doors up next to you.
-Mage Armor, Greater: at higher levels, replace Mage Armor with this, even if it costs
a little money.
-Unluck (level 4 in Comp. Arcane, 3 in Spell Compendium): incredibly good. Divination
school, Will save--NOT mind affecting--and if they fail, they roll all dice twice and take
the worse result of the two. Save-or-Lose, effectively.
-Spell Vulnerability: reduce a creature's spell resistance. This spell can really help if
you don't have Spell penetration feats, although it does offer a save.
-Spiderskin: wizard Barkskin (from Underdark book)--+1 NA/3 levels, +5 at 15th;
also gives hide/MS bonuses.
-Halt (PHB II): immediate action, so cast on someone else's turn. Will save vs.
inability to move anywhere that round. Extend it with a lesser rod so it applies on
their next round too!
Level 4:
-Ray Deflection: rays can be deadly. Keep'em away with RAY-B-GONE!
-Resistance, Greater: +3 to saving throws, 24 hour duration. Who needs a cloak of
resistance?
-Resist Energy, Mass: no need to cast Resist Energy repeatedly.
-Orb of X (Comp. Arcane): damage spells, but worth learning, because there is no
save and *no* SR. You just need to make a touch attack. CLd6, up to 15, plus the
elemental orbs have secondary effects (i.e. Fire dazes for 1 round).
-Assay Resistance: +10 CL to defeat one creature's Spell Resistance. Who needs Spell
Penetration?
-Battle Hymn: all your allies can reroll 1 will save/round? The rogue will love you as
much as he does for the Greater Invisibility.
-Defenestrating Sphere (Comp. Arcane): BEST. SPELL. EVER!!! Unfortunately, in the
worst school (evocation)
-Stone Sphere: combine battlefield control and damage. Push people around, occupy
space, and damage people. Another of the rare good Evocation spells.
-Shadow Well: not half bad, a lower-level Maze.
-Burning Blood (Comp. Arcane): they make a fort save every round or take 1d8 fire,
1d8 acid... and have to only take a move action, which is the main attraction. This can
largely incapacitate a rogue or caster type and keep hurting them, too.
-Greater Mirror Image. More images, regrows 1 image/round... and cast as an
immediate action!
Level 5:
-Contingent Energy Resistance: resist energy vs. whatever kind of energy first hits
you.
-Viscid Glob (Underdark): Reflex-save-or-lose, but only against medium creatures.
-Fire Shield, Mass: Fire Shield is better for fighter types than for you. Now your whole
party can have it.
-Graymantle (some Faerun book): stop creatures from regenerating. Very useful at
higher levels.
-Blink, Greater (Comp. Arcane): all the benefits of Blink, none of the issues. Great
defensive buff.
-Fly, Mass: give your whole party maneouverability.
Level 6:
-Anticipate Teleportation, Greater (level 8 in Comp. Arcane, 6 in Spell Compendium):
delays them for 3 rounds, lasts 24 hours, otherwise like Anticipate Teleportation.
Awesome spell, cast it every day.
-Resistance, Superior: +6 on saving throws. Throw that Cloak away.
-Fire Spiders: battlefield control/damage; move them around as a move action while
you cast as a standard action.
-Freezing Fog: Solid Fog + Heightened Grease + 1d6/cold a round. Great battlefield
control spell.
-Bite of the Weretiger: ridiculously good for fighter/mages; huge stat boosts and a
natural attack.
-Brilliant Blade: make the fighter's weapon Brilliant Energy. Have him kill stuff.
-Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability: this little gem makes your familiar useful. Give it
the ability to cast (CL/3) spells of up to (CL/3) level: this is great because it acts
independently, which means more spells per round. If you cast a Quickened Spell and
a regular spell, and so does it, that's four spells that round. That's enough spells to
end an equal-CR fight, sometimes. Certainly enough to buff up fast.
Level 7:
-Energy Immunity. Forget mere "resistance"!
-Transfix: if you can find something not mind-immune to use it on, it's great! Paralysis
for the win!
-Stun Ray: stun someone for 1d4+1 rounds. Save-or-lose without the save--just a
ranged touch attack.
-Stern Reproof (Player's Guide to Faerun): Fort save or die. If they live, Will save or
lose/suck (be dazed for 1d4 rounds).
-Hiss of Sleep: high-level version of Sleep. Still great, for things it works on.
-Avasculate: a great spell, halves their HP and stuns them. Evil only, though.
-Bite of the Werebear: like Bite of the Weretiger, but even better.
-Brilliant Aura (Complete Divine): ALL the party's weapons are Brilliant Energy!
-Spell Matrix: store two spells, under level 3, and release both as a swift action. More
spells in the beginning of a fight is great.
Level 8:
-Spell Engine: redo your spell selection... costs cash and XP, though, so use it wisely.
-Avascular Mass: a better Avasculate. Still evil-only.
-Wrathful Castigation (Magic of Faerun): Will save or die... and then another will save
or effectively die (dazed for 1 round/level and -4 on all saves). Forcing two saves vs.
losing is great... only problem is, it's mind-affecting, which things become less and
less vulnerable to at these levels.
-Chain Dispel: like Greater Dispel Magic... but targeted. At level 15, that's 15 targets.
Disable 2 people's buffs, and all of their important gear temporarily!
Level 9:
-Absorption: the ultimate in protection from other casters' direct spells.
Level 9:
-Shapechange: CL up to 25 HD monsters. Gain their (Su) special qualities and attacks
as well as the (Ex) ones. Completely and utterly ridiculous, as a more powerful
Polymorph of course must be. Don't use this.
-Disjunction: both DMs and players avoid it. Use it as a player and you fry the bad
guy's loot; use it as a DM and your players lose their magic items and are very upset.
-Gate: so many abuses. So very many. For example, Gate in creatures that can cast
Wish as a (Su) ability and make them give you free wishes.
make one or two. Craft Magic Arms and Armor--take it at your own risk, for it may
turn you into the party's sword-creating slave (on the other hand, if you pace yourself,
you can make a healthy profit by making the things for half price and charging the
party 75%). Forge Ring, like Craft Staff, isn't that useful: you only have two ring slots,
after all.
-Craft Trap: this feat doesn't exist. The rules for creating one-shot and repeating spelltraps are in the DMG, and don't require a feat. If you're wondering what a good thing
to trap is, try YOUR SPELLBOOK. That, or everything someone you don't like owns.
Complete Series
-Craft Contingent Spell: Brokenly good. The limiting factor on Contingency is that
wizards can only have one. With this spell, a wizard will have one for any situation
that could conceivably harm him. Don't take it as a player and don't allow it as a DM.
Metamagic Feats:
SRD
-Extend Spell: a good low-level feat. Extend is particularly useful for hours/level and
10 minute/level spells, but at low levels rounds/level spells, or offensive spells that do
something for a very short duration, can definitely benefit. Cost: +1
-Empower Spell: okay for some spells (i.e. the Orb spells), but best for spells that
there aren't slightly higher-level versions of. Why Empower a fireball? Cast Cone of
Cold. Enervation, on the other hand, does great with a little Empowering.
-Still/Silent Spell: better for sorcerers than for wizards. Paranoid wizards should take
these, others should skip them.
-Quicken Spell: At level 12, a wizard should either already have this or be taking it.
There's no excuse not to. Quickened spells increase the wizard's efficiency--it's like
trading spell slots for actions! Quickened spells let you buff quicker and get off spell
combos in one round that might otherwise be avoided (i.e. Quickened True Strike +
Ray spell, Quickened Web + Solid Fog).
-Repeat Spell: +3 spell level increase, and the spell goes off again next round. This is
good for spells with useful one-round effects, or spells you want to hit someone with
twice, but the problem is that if the target moves or becomes invalid somehow, or
people move out of the area you cast the spell in, it's wasted. Used wisely, it can be
very handy.
-Widen Spell: this would be useful with some limited-area spells (Grease, Solid Fog);
take it if you have a spare feat slot and nothing better to do, but it's hardly necessary.
Best as a metamagic rod.
-Heighten Spell: if you're using Heighten Spell, you're relying on certain save-or-Xs
too much.
-Enlarge Spell: it sucks. If you lose because you can't reach an enemy with one
particular spell, you deserve to lose... not to mention, hey, what're the odds that you
prepared that one spell Enlarged?
-Maximize Spell: not that it's BAD or anything--the +3 spell level increase is just too
much.
A note on Maximize vs. Empower: Empower is better for smaller dice (1.5*1d4 = 3.5
on average, just 0.5 less than the maximized 4), Maximize for larger dice (1.5*1d10
= 8 on average, 2 less than the maximized 10). Note that even for larger dice, the
extra spell level increase may well not be worth it.
PHB II
-Flash Frost Spell: if you have Snowcasting from Frostburn, Eschew Materials, and a
bunch of area spells, this metamagic is fun. Still not that great, but a lot of fun.
Otherwise, skip it.
-Smiting Spell: yeah, uh, this one's good. Really good. How's about giving an archer
four Combust arrows to Manyshot during the surprise round of combat? And so on.
It's so good that you should take pains not to abuse it if you take it.
Complete Series
-Chain Spell: expensive at +3, this is nevertheless one of the best metamagic feats,
both for buffing (especially when combined with Reach Spell or Arcane Reach, letting
you chain Touch spells) and offensively, with no-save spells (like rays).
-Sculpt Spell: for a +1 spell level increase, you can pick from a list of different kinds
of areas. This is useful, as it can let you avoid allies with area spells or get more
enemies than you otherwise could.
-Split Ray: like a ray-only Twin Spell. At +2, if you use rays even moderately often
(and you should, they're good), this is a very good investment.
-Reach Spell: +2 adjustment, makes a touch spell have 30' reach. Use it to either
deliver touch spells from safety or turn them into ranged touch spells so you can apply
Chain Spell (for example, Greater Magic Weapon--Chain Reach GMW gets all your
party's weapons with one casting). This spell is lessened by the fact that most
Archmages' first High Arcana is Arcane Reach, which gives you its benefits all the time
for free, so you may well want to just live without it.
-Sudden Still/Silent/Empower/Etc. 1/day? Meh, no thanks.
-Born of the Three Thunders: it's a blaster feat. Wizards shouldn't be blasters.
-Energy Substitution: see above.
-Lord of the Uttercold: good only for complex, specialized necromancer builds.
-Explosive Spell, Fortify Spell, Energy Admixture, Sanctify, Corrupt, etc. etc.:
laaaaaaame.
-Twin Spell: not bad, but at +4, I'd rather have Quicken.
Enhancement Feats:
SRD
-Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus: if you use spells from a certain school a lot-take them. They're also prerequisites for, say, Archmage (one for each of two different
schools). Take them for Save-or-X spell schools, not for schools that do things even on
a failed save (like Evocation, if you aren't banning it) or schools that do things that
range, spellcast, move out of range (of course, you can do that anyway thanks to
Phantom Steed).
-Extraordinary Spell Aim: like the Archmage's "Master of Shaping" ability, but requires
a tough spellcraft check. Take this if you can get a custom spellcraft item--just don't
use it on Antimagic Field. That's cheesy. Very cheesy.
-Extra Slot: not worth it.
-Extra Spell: ruled by Customer Service at Wizards repeatedly to not give you spells
from outside your spell list, and thus, not worth it. If your DM rules otherwise, it can
be awesome.
-Arcane Mastery: combined with Elven Spell Lore, you would never fail a dispel check
against someone of equal caster level--but that's a two-feat investment; you have
better things to do.
Other Feats
-Improved Initiative: going first is pretty important for wizards, although they have
ways of compensating for it. Take this feat if you can afford to.
-Leadership: sure, it's good. Too good. Absolutely and totally ridiculously cheesy if
abused, in fact. I don't allow it in my games, and neither should you. If you want
someone to be able to play two characters, let them do so; if not, forget the cohort,
and have followers be an RP thing. I assign it the [Cheese] descriptor.
-Touch Spell Specialization (Complete Arcane): ew blech yuck NO.
Prerequisite Feats:
...these are feats that are prerequisites for prestige classes you want to enter. TAKE
them, dummy.
Digression--It's Mine, You Can't Have It! Or, Keeping Your Spellbook Safe
Without your spellbook, once you run out of spells for the day, you're just a
commoner with a good will save and some magic items. In most games, this never
comes up. In some, it does; if you know it will, take precautions, and, hell, you may
want to take them anyway. There are two parts to this: the first is trapping your
spellbook. The magic trap rules are, as mentioned, in the DMG; I had this idea for a
recent character I made. At higher levels, you need tree traps: link them all to
command words that must be spoken before the book is touched (or one command
word for all three). The first is a Teleport trap, that will teleport the spellbook to your
home, a friend of yours, or a temple of Mystra/Boccob/whoever you have an account
with. This means that while you may not have your book, no one else does, either.
The second is some kind of punishment for the fool who dared to mess with your stuff.
I like Curse of the Putrid Husk from the BoVD for this: make them think their flesh is
falling off in pieces! Of course, generally, something more lethal and with less [Evil]
descriptor is better. Try Insanity, Finger of Death, or better yet, Geas: Find the Wizard
Whose Spellbook You Tried To Steal, Confess to Him, and Go On a Quest He Assigns
You. The third is Arcane Mark, to put your mark on the bugger.
The second part is Spell Mastery (include Teleport), and/or always having one Teleport
in reserve. This is so you can Teleport back to wherever your book went and pick it
up.
Enervation in particular is a good tactic at higher levels. You can give this up, but it
really hurts.
Transmutation: too many spells to give up, period. Specialize in this, don't lose it.
So, the three main candidates for being dropped are Evocation, Enchantment, and
Illusion. You can't drop both Evocation and Illusion (no way of getting Contingency
then) unless you have access to Craft Contingent Spell, and dropping both
Enchantment and Illusion means that you have a lack of will-save-or-lose spells. That
makes Evocation and Enchantment the natural choices for dropping if you have to
drop two. Being a diviner means that you only have to drop one, so make it either
Evocation or Illusion--probably evocation, since the only real reasons to take it
(Contingency, Wind wall) are availible via illusion spells, albeit a bit later. Your focus
has an effect--evocation has a little battlefield control, so a battlefield control wizard
should dump enchantment, while a save-or-suck/lose/die focused wizard should drop
evocation.
Thus, one should either be a Diviner who bans evocation or enchantment, or a
Transmuter or Conjurer who bans evocation and enchantment.
familiar if you use it to scout and etc. a lot, but most of the time, more useful and
powerful. They don't however, scale with level. Abjurers' "urgent shield" becomes old
hat once you can actually cast Shield; Transmuters' "sudden shift" becomes weak as
soon as you actually acquire a method of flight; Diviners' save bonus matters less at
higher levels, Illusionsts' is outdone by actual Mirror Image (and definitely the
immediate-action-casting Greater Mirror Image spell from the PHB II, which you're
using if you're using these variants). Necromancy's Cursed Glance is very nice, but it
allows a will save, and the DC is based on your wizard level. If you're a pure wizard,
it's good; if you prestige class, it'll start sucking in short order.
Enchanters' "Instant Daze" is nice enough for a couple of levels, but not only is there
a will save, but it can only affect your wizard level in HD! The higher level you get, the
more HD monsters have compared to you, and both the DC and the HD are based on
the wizard level--useless if you're going to prestige, which you should.
Evokers' "counterfire" is utterly terrible.
Basically, if you're a specialist, and you're going to be playing at lower levels, take the
Immediate Magic variant unless you're an Abjurer, Enchanter or an Evoker. At higher
levels, none of them are really viable.
Except the Conjurers' "abrupt jaunt". That one's broken, and gobs and oodles better
than the rest. If your DM is letting you take it, make sure he understands the exact
implications--namely, you being aple to *poof* away from attacks INT bonus
times/day, avoiding full attacks entirely.
If you're going to have a prestige class, then the Enchanters' and Necromancers'
wizard-level-dependent abilities become more and more useless; if you're going to
reach level 11 (or start there or higher), Imbue Familiar With Spell Ability is too good
to pass up; keep the familiar. For the first couple of levels, however, any and all of
these abilities are good. Even the evoker's.
more than 15' away, rather than a 15' cone, and cover a lot more area--and pick
which squares to cover (hint: the ones with enemies).
Glitterdust is a 10' burst; changing that to a 20' ball will make it catch more enemies.
Look for spells with limited areas, or who are limited by their shape (i.e. cone, line).
-Empower Spell: as mentioned before, Empower is best with small dice. d4 spells
good, d12 spells, Maximize or Repeat will do better.
-Quicken Spell: get two spells a round off. Use it, of course, on important lower-level
spells, including for combos that would be harder to pull off if the target got to move
between spells.
-Split Ray: this spell isn't as good with spells that already produce multiple rays (such
as Scorching Ray), or with spells whose effects don't stack with themselves (such as
Ray of Enfeeblement). For single-ray spells, though, it's like a cheaper Twin Spell; it
works especially well with spells with cumulative effects--for example, Ray of
Exhaustion (even if they make both saves, they're Exhausted).
-Chain Spell: this spell has a lot of mitigating factors for its benefits: namely, damage
spells do half damage to chained targets *and* grant a reflex save for *another* half,
plus spells with saving throws are at -4 DC to chained targets.
Therefore, you should Chain spells that don't do damage and don't have saving throws
(or whose saving throws are very high, or who have effects even on successful saves).
This way you avoid all the downsides of using the feat. Rays are great for this. Also,
keep in mind that you can use it to buff! Ranged single-target buffs are perfect for
this, and will now affect the entire party, not just one person. Good examples of spells
to Chain: Fleshshiver from Player's Guide to Faerun (stun everyone, no save),
Enervation.
What happens if you Chain a Magic Jar spell? Do you possess many bodies at once?
Ask your DM!
Clever Tricks:
-Sculpt Spell + Color Spray or Grease: both of these benefit from having their area
change, and are thus able to affect more targets.
-Sculpt spell + Sleep or Deep Slumber: affect only the targets you want (10' cubes)!
that way, there are no "wasted" HD.
-Sculpt Spell + Antimagic Field: lets you turn the AMF into four ten-foot cubes. In
front of you. You have an AMF wall, and you're not in the area of the cubes, so you
can cast just fine.
-Sculpt Spell + Fear: round area bursts are better for affecting many enemies than
cones. Make it a 20' ball.
-Sculpt Spell + Forcecage: make your forcecage a 10' barred cage or a 20' solid wall.
-Sculpt Spell + Black Tentacles: get your enemies but not your allies via the 10'
cubes!
-Reach Spell or Arcane Reach + Chain Spell: suddenly, you can cast Touch: spells on
your whole party at once. It's a whopping +5 total level adjustment, but only +3 for
the regular chain with the Archmage's Arcane Reach ability. Combine with such
common buffs as Greater Magic Weapon (everyone's weapons at once), Magic Circle
Against, Heroism/Greater Heroism (who needs a bard? The archmage can give
everyone their +4 AB/damage as one of his 9th level spells, and still have others),
Greater Invisibility ("Greater Invisibility Sphere"... but better), Stoneskin (do
everybody for the price of one).
-This also lets you turn Touch spells (usually, no-save) into ranged touches that will
leap to everyone within 30', which can be used offensively. Shivering Touch becomes
even scarier.
-Reach (Arcane Reach or Reach Spell) + Chain Spell + Identify! For a 4th or 6th level
slot, depending on method, you can identify (Caster Level) items at once--all for the
same 100 gp!
-Chain Spell + Split Ray: For +5 levels, a ray will affect everyone within 30' of a
primary target... twice. Consider Enervation. Normally, 1d4 negative levels. Split Ray,
2d4. Chained split Ray--2d4 to everyone within range. 9th level, but compare to
Energy Drain, which does 2d4 to a single target. You can also do this with Ray of
Exhaustion: suddenly, everyone within range is Exhausted, getting -6 STR and -6
DEX. Add a Quickened (via rod or 8th level slot) Chain Ray of Enfeeblement first, and
suddenly you're giving a 12-17 STR penalty/damage and 6 dex damage to everyone
within 30' of the original target; that's enough to drop anything that doesn't have STR
as a primary concern.
-Ray of Enfeeblement + Ray of Exhaustion: as implied above, a great combination.
Ray of Enfeeblement can't drop someone's STR below 1... but Ray of Exhaustion's STR
damage on top of that can.
-Chained Split Ray Enervation + Chained spell WITH a save--the saving throw penalty
from the Enervation will counter the DC drop from Chain Spell.
-Grease or Web (Quickened for best effect) + Solid or Acid Fog: this'll keep them in
the fog for longer and make getting out of it harder.
-Chained Dispel Magic: Target someone... and all of their items. This shuts down all
their magic gear for 1d4 rounds; at high levels, that's a lot like losing. "Whoops,
where'd my +4 CON and +5 saves go? ACK A FINGER OF DEATH TO MY FACE." A
Lesser Rod of Chain Spell is 27,500 gp.
-Dispel Magic + (Quickened) Shatter: destroy an item. Render it nonmagical, then
Shatter it. Of course, that way you don't get the loot. A rod of Quicken Spell, Lesser
removes the need for a higher-level slot.
A rod of Chain Spell, Lesser, lets you do this to ALL their items. It's Disjunction, but
low-level!
-Quickened True Strike: Need to land that touch spell? This makes sure you do. Add
Repeating to land another (or two more, if one's Quickened) the next round, but that's
expensive in terms of modified spell level (8th).
-See Invisiblity + Glitterdust: See Invisibility lets you see invisible people.
Glitterdust makes sure the rest of your party can, too.
Prestige Classes
The first rule of prestige classing out of Wizard is this: [bb]Thou Shalt Not Give Up
Caster Levels[/b]. It's basic. Spellcasting--especially arcane spellcasting--is the most
powerful thing in D&D. Therefore, losing any of it is bad. It can be worth it--but it
very, very rarely is. Giving up a caster level delays your access to higher-level spells,
delays getting more spell slots, and if you lose more than a couple of levels, you
irreparably damage your high-level spellcasting.
The second rule of prestige classing out of Wizard is this: DO it. You've literally got
nothing except your familiar's progression to lose. Any prestige class ability is better
than that.
somewhat different role and, really, aren't as good--but they can be a whole lot of fun.
Fighter 1/Wizard 6/Spellsword 1/Eldritch Knight 10/Archmage 2 is actually a relatively
simple "gish" build; complicated ones look more like Paladin 2/Bard 7/Eldritch Knight
1/Sublime Chord 2/EK +3/Sacred Exorcist 4/EK +6. In any case, this isn't about
spellswords, it's about wizards. So, moving on.
Loremaster: at first glance, Loremaster is really kind of mediocre--and compared to
powerhouse prestige classes like Archmage, Incantatrix, Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil,
well... it is.
Really, though, it's a full caster prestige class. You have nothing but familiar
advancement to lose.
Qualifying for Loremaster looks difficult at first, but really, it requires 10 ranks in any
two knowledge skills (which you should have anyway), any three metamagic or item
creation feats (which you should have anyway), and Skill Focus: any one Knowledge,
which, well, okay, that's a waste--but Loremaster gives you a bonus feat later which
makes up for it and can even be better than just taking a feat instead of Skill Focus.
You also need to be able to cast seven Divinations, one of 3rd level or higher--which
you maybe should have, but may well not. Of course, scribing a few extra spells isn't
much of a price for PrC entry.
Entering Loremaster gets you access to a bunch of class skills, more skill points per
level, a Secret every odd level (five in all), two bonus languages, Bardic Lore, free
Identifying, and free Legend Lore or Analyze Dweomer 1/day. The five best secrets
are the ones that boost your saving throws, one of the bonus spells, and, of course,
the Bonus Feat. The Bonus Feat means that your Skill Focus turns into any feat you
wanted in its place--and, in fact, you can take some feats now you couldn't have
qualified for when you took Skill Focus (such as a higher-level Craft feat), which
makes this a delayed feat. Add up all those minor goodies, and they're not half bad.
I'd take Wizard10/Loremaster 10 over Wizard 20 any day.
Red Wizard: in 3.0, Red Wizard was ridiculously good. +5 DC in your specialization
school over 10 levels, AND Circle Magic cheese (use Leadership to get spellcasting
followers, have them sacrifice spell slots to boots your spells, get RIDICULOUS caster
levels and DCs)? Add Archmage 3 with Spell Power 1, 2, and 3, and you have +11 DC
by level 20, which means that DC 40+ spells are commonplace for you. Here's a D&D,
you win it.
Now... well, now it gets Spell Power, which means increased caster level, which means
it's still really good. Of course, you have to be a specialist to be a Red Wizard, and
then you lose *another* school... which means that if you're not a Diviner, you
lose three schools. That's absolutely intolerable as a primary arcanist. Of course, a
Diviner Red Wizard winds up losing two schools, like a normal specialist... but gets
Spell Power +5. Plus, Circle Magic.
Of course, you have to be a Red Wizard of Thay. Some people consider that a bit of a
downside.
Mystic Theurge:
Don't take it. No, really. If you get the urge to take it, go play a Cleric 3/Wizard
3/Mystic Theurge 1 for a while, in a party with a Wizard 7 and a Cleric 7.
Then cry.
an enemy with HD equal to or less than yours -10 to a save once a day... which is
possibly worth it, since it can mean a guaranteed kill. The first 4 out of 5 levels are a
no-brainer; any wizard would do well to take them. The fifth one--think carefully, but
it can be worth it. Due to the HD limitation, it usually isn't--but it can be.
Geometer: You lose no caster levels and qualify easily. Why not take this? If nothing
else, the Book of Geometry saves you a little cash... or would, except that buying a
Blessed Book is a great ide
Green Star Adept: Lose five caster levels. And your CON score. And pay for the
priviledge.
No, thank you.
Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil: How on earth does this not lose caster levels? This is the
"don't die, ever" PrC. And the only thing you lose is having to take the feats that
qualify you for it.
Take it ASAP... if it's not too high-powered for your game. Which, let's face it, it
probably is.
Mage of the Arcane Order: this one's not as good as the Initiate, but still very nice.
You have to get Cooperative Spell to qualify, and it sucks... but you get free
metamagic feats from the class, which more than make up for it, and you gain a lot of
versatility thanks to the Spellpool. It's also a good source of plot hooks for your DM.
Master Transmogrifist: this relies on Polymorph. Polymorph is broken. Don't use
Polymorph and, therefore, don't take this class. Besides, some exceptional cheese
aside, losing four caster levels is too much.
Mindbender: half caster level progression? No thanks! The first level make a great dip
for any non-evil cater who can afford the skills it takes to qualify. 100' Telepathy FTW.
Wayfarer Guide: There's no reason not to take the first level if it can fit into your
character concept (which is easy--"hey, I'll join the guild, learn their techniques, and
not stay if I don't like it there; why not?"). The second loses a caster level, so don't
take it. Simple, huh?
Wild Mage: Uh, no.Your allies will hate Random Deflector... and control is GOOD.
Wizards are all about control. Minimize randomness, don't maximize it.
Divine Oracle: The picture of this guy in the Complete Divine is hilarious. Seriously,
what the hell is up with his pants? Those are so much worse than the Archmage's
stylish rainbow cloak. Did he look into the future and foresee the coming of our Chaos
Gnome overlords or something? Anyway--this requires investing Knowledge: Religion
ranks and wasting a feat on Skill Focus, but it gives some solid nice perks over 10
levels, such as uncanny dodge and immunity to surprise. When you're a wizard,
immunity to surprise keeps you alive, since people try to use surprise to kill you. Plus,
you get a domain power and can cast each domain spell once/day in your regular
slots... oh, and Evasion. Evasion is good. If you can afford the Skill Focus feat and
Know(Religion) ranks, no reason not to take this for a divination-themed character.
Geomancer: See Mystic Theurge.
Rainbow Servant: It's stylish... and it loses four caster levels. Of course, it gives you
access to all cleric spells. With four lost caster levels, you may even be better off as a
Mystic Theurge.
Sacred Exorcist: whoa! This requires being affiliated with a church and knowing Dispel
Evil or Dismissal (decent spells anyway)... and then grants you a d8 HD, 3/4 BAB,
Turn Undead, and some other goodies, with no lost caster levels. If you have a
churchy wizard, take this *now*. Unless you're taking Initiate of the Sevenfold
Cheese. Take that over this.
Void Disciple: Blah blah lost caster levels blah blah don't take it. Same old.
Daggerspell Mage: if you're going that route, better off with an Arcane
Trickster/Archmage.
Virtuoso: Lose a caster level, and the bardic music-like abilities it gives really aren't
that good. Meh, pass it up.
Bladesinger: Wow, half caster levels. How... interesting. Pass. Even for a fighter/mage
type.
Master of the Unseen Hand: Wow, NO caster levels. Pass.
Spellsword: If you're a fighter/mage type, a one level dip is great. A three level dip
can be good. More and you're losing too many caster levels.
--Ninja Note: this is better for fighter types than for mages, but getting Mass Heal
twice/day, if you're a halfling of House Jorasco? I might turn that down, but I'd
hesitate. It's a powerful three-level PrC overall.
High Elemental Binder (PgtE)
This neat PrC costs you only one caster level, in exchange for the services of a bevy of
elementals. The neatest ability, though, is that you can bind them into items to
increase their power. Problem is, though, that only you can use the resulting items,
and youd be much better off casting spells. If you want to take this one, go in as an
Artificer, not a Wizard.
Impure Prince (MoE)
This quirky PrC causes you to take on the traits of an aberration, to the tune of two
lost caster levels. Though meant for rangers and druids, a wizard can benefit from it
but not much. You get a few spells added to your class list, the ability to gain a
symbiont, and partial immunity to critical hits. Unless you want to play a wizard with a
grudge against aberrations, this is going to be of no use to you.
Knight Phantom (FN)
A pretty run of the mill gish class. Caster level advancement at every level but first,
d8 HD, full base attack bonus, spellcasting in light armor, and some phantom-themed
abilities. However, you have to take a fighter level to qualify, which, combined with the
lost caster level as 1st, will set you back a spell level. Id take it over the fairly generic
Eldritch Knight in a gish build, as detailed earlier on by The Logic Ninja, but not for
anything else.
--Ninja Note: at first glance, this looks pretty much completely superior to Eldritch
Knight... but you lose a bonus feat, and have to *waste* a feat on Still Spell. Two
feats vs. a higher HD and spellcasting in light armor. Me, I'd go with the feats, but if
you don't need them, Phantom Knight is better.
Recaster (RoE)
This ones good for those changeling wizards out there. You give up one caster level in
exchange for access to spells from other class lists, bonus Sudden Metamagic feats
and the ability to alter your spells on the flytaking away components, changing
areas, and such. If youre playing a changeling wizard, there is no reason not to take
this.
--Ninja Note: This class is awesome. If you're a changeling wizard, *take* it. Get Heal
as a fifth-level spell from the Adept list, for example. Plus altering your spells on the
fly--basically a free Sculpt Spell feat, among other goodies. One of the few concrete
counterexamples to the "don't lose caster levels" rule.
Renegade Mastermaker
This PrC turns you into a warforged, leaving two caster levels by the wayside. While
its the closest youll be getting to Edward Elric in D&D, it isnt too useful for a wizard
far too many of the abilities are useful only to characters planning on going into
melee, like the battlefist and damage reduction. If you want to play a warforged