Recent Posts
On the subject of cheese vs. edge.
How do you view a Wizard/Human Paragon/Lore Master/Magical Trickster.
The Wizard substitudes normal specialization for the PHB2 storm domain
The Paragon is used to gain use of a glammered mithril chain shirt (0%spell failure).
The reserve feat "Storm bolt" is taken works well with the storm domain and with energy substitution (electricity).
Loremaster boosts Knowledge(arcana, religion, nature, local, planes, dungeoneering)effectively landing the character on VERY GOOD knowledge skills for all monsters.
The feat knowledge devotion is taken with an effective +5 on all attacks against any monster.
Magical Trickster [from complete scoudrel] adds a few skill tricks.
Favored spells: Tactical Teleport, Disintegrate (maximized through magical trickster ability or metamagic rod) and Shape Change (3.5).
Is it cheesy or is it just getting an edge. Or is it neither?
It depends on the campaign's power level, which is a wishy-washy answer but there you are. I have difficulty calling any character that drops two caster levels cheesy. Knowledge Devotion is much better for classes that rely on their to-hit rolls more than you do, so while it's a fairly high-powered feat it doesn't add much to this character.
That seems to be the theme. Lots of high-powered stuff used in the lowest-power way possible. (I'm going to take Domain Wizard...and pick Storm Domain! I'm going to use my metamagic trick...to maximize Disintegrate! etc.)
I don't see this guy being necessarily more powerful than wiz20 or wiz10/loremaster10.
+1
It is worth mentioning that the concept of this character was an Indiana Jones kind of wizard with fair physical skills (just enough to leap a narrow gorger are swim across a river).
The characters area of specialization was the Wind Dukes of Aqaa (hence the domain power) and had voluntarily chosen to need a focus (a dating to the Wind Dukes) for spell casting.
The Knowledge devotion feat worked well with many damage spells such as disintegrate and scourching ray.
The thing that really made this character a menace, I think, where very high stats. The player rolled Str 12, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 12, as I recall.
At lvl 20 he was wearing +5 glamered mithril chainshirt, +5 mithril buckler and assorted defensive items for an AC 38-40.
Hp-wise the wizard was a tank modified Con 22 and false life landing the character at 270 hp.
All this was in addition boosted by the normal wizard spells.
The most common strategy was Tactical Teleport on round one to get all warriors in place for full attacks and get other casters to safety, then cast Black blade of disaster (knowledge devotion comming handy here) and shapechanging to either a dragon or a bone ooze.