Well now...
First off let me just say that i have found your guides EXTREMELY useful. I am currently playing a (hybrid) ranger, and thanks to your advice, i am likely the best glass cannon the table has seen since my (god)sorceror. However i did take exception to some of the ratings you have given on the Guide to Pathfinder Wizards: Being a God.
Wizard has always been one of my favorite classes, and at our table I have alweays been the go-to guy on advice for them, and i think that how you have rated some of the class skills and spells is just way too far off.
#1: ARCANE BOND.
Although i do see your position on losing your bonded item, (or potentially having it stolen) unless your DM is a true and total dink, this happening is VERY circumstantial IMO. Choosing a bonded ring is THE arcane bond where i play and for a reason i think you maybe missed in your evaluation.
"A wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required Item Creation Feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat."
We all know how you feel about "selling your feats for magic items", but this is free and......
Lets look at this:
There is no limit to the # of powers you can add to a ring, provided you are willing to spend the extra GP on additional crafting, you DON'T need to take the feat, and as per the new rules you can craft as you adventure, provided you are willing to wait the extra time. this means you could have (like my last character did) a bonded ring of: feather fall, freedom of movement, invisibility, sustenance and wizardry II.
This is SOOOOO much better than any 1/day casting you could ever want, and quite frankly INFINATELY better than any minor bonus you get from having a familiar. Granted choosing this you wont have a familiar to scout with, or deliver touch spells with, your "the corpse" is probably just as good a scout, and "touch spells"....... well lets just say that until bestow curse and irresistable dance, we can likely do without casting a touch spell our entire wizardly lives.
And once again, understanding that this COULD in THEORY get STOLEN RIGHT OFF OF YOUR FINGER, that is going to be a SUPER rare occourance in almost every occasion.
---------------------------------
Secondly there are 2 spells in particular I think dont deserve to have the terrible rating you have given them.
DISPLACEMENT: i understand the orange rating due to duration and consideration as a SELF buff, but lets face it, this is not a self buff. At level 5 this is 5 rounds where your BSF/GC only gets hit 50% of the time, at 10th lvl its 10 rounds. Use that rod of lesser extend we all love so much, and you've got an entire battle. Deliver this with a spectral hand and you never have to get that close to the action, and as a caster that likes to control the battlefield so your party doesnt have to retroactively "catch up" to the damage delt, this is a great option to cast when those BBEG's finally start to wade through all those controls you've placed in their way. this should be GREEN for sure. every party has a tank. Having the tank take less damage? The cleric thanks you for your kind actions.
FLAME ARROW: "Not worth it as a way to "buff" the archer's ammunition, since 1d6 per arrow isn't going to add up to much."............... really? REALLY?!?!?!?! an extra 1d6 on every arrow for 50 arrows doesn't add up to much? lets do the math:
My level 6 Ranger gets 4 attacks a round most battles. thats from base + haste + rapid shot. Granted i dont hit with EVERY attack thats still potentially +4d6 fire every round. please explain how this "doesnt add up to much".
Now, if your party doesnt have an archer character than yes red is the rating for this one, but MATH and LOGIC dictate that if you DO have an archer, this goes up to green.
------------------------------
That all being said, I have found your guides to be the most useful i have read, and all of them work IN PRACTISE, not just theory. I have now tried them all, both as a DM and as a PC, and i cannot thank you enough for all the hard work and insight, you placed into these guides.
