Nullyrian's page

I've been dealing with an issue for the past...long while, and it's finally coming to a head, where I'm the one who needs to make a decision, since my group, as a whole, won't.

I love playing casters. Always have, always will. My friends love playing martial classes, almost to the exclusion of eliminating all magic from the world, making me the only magic user in the entire campaign.

If I play cleric, they cry for heals, and I give them the "turn-efficiency" speech, but they whine anyways. It's almost like playing a support in league of legends, and your ADC blames you for not blocking incoming damage.

If I play wizard or any comparable class, since all but one campaign has breached level 7, there's not a whole lot I can do combat wise, and I simply don't have enough spell slots for those few runs where we come across magical everything, and it then becomes my soul task of identifying it all.

On the one hand, I want to leave because it's not fun for me when I'm almost never useful, but at the same time, I've known these guys for upwards of eight years now, and they're really great guys outside of the game, they just...don't let me play how I'd like to play...if that makes sense.

What are your guys' thoughts? And I don't need an argument rising out of this. If anything, all I'm asking is for a solution to my magic-user preference in levels 1-7 campaigns while not gimping my late game (because there are some games outside of this main group, that I actually use high level characters).

Edit: Actually, riddle me this. What's a class and build out there, whose structure is steeped in magic, but whose progression from 1-20 is fluid and fun? I'm aiming for a raven themed character who uses flying as a defensive tactic, while spewing spells from above. and no, not the druid, i played 3.5 too much to get sick of druids. This character is lvl 6. no companion books or supplemental books besides ACG, APG, ARG, UC, UM, and ISG.

This question originated from my want to play a daring champion cavalier, yet, I still need some clarification. What are the pros and cons of using the following weapons for a swashbuckler?

Rapier, and everything else

Why would people use other weapons than a rapier?

So, my dm, a while back, gave me a shield that grants me two feats, two weapon fighting, and improved shield bash. The shield acts as a +1 heavy steel shield with a 1d6 for damage.

Everyone else in the group has awesome loot, but since I'm a paladin, and try to help the group moreso than not, any loot my dm (secretly) designed for my character to receive, I gave to the party's fighter or barbarian.

I've always held the party-first mentality, and the dm, and group, have decided (rather adamantly) that I get the new shiny shield that we had found.

Now that I have the shield, though, I'm not sure how to progress my character. He's a level 6 paladin, focusing on an offensive build. His strength is 21, dex 12, and now that I suddenly have the capability to dual wield, I don't quite know where to take my character.

Here is as he stands. (Note: the following stats I rolled for. Yes, I know. They're a bit on the cheesy side.)

str 21
dex 12
con 16
int 14
wis 14
cha 18

Feats:
Power Attack
Improved Initiative
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot

Shield Bonus Feats:
Two-Weapon Fighting
Improved Shield Bash

Any thoughts on how I should progress him?

Edit: Oh! And before you think my character is OP and my dm is dumb. He is actually one of the best ones I've had in about ten years or so.