Best Spell to Specialize in (Alternatively: How on earth do I build a Wizard)?

Short version: my last character bit it recently through a spectacular streak of bad luck and now I'm building a Lv. 14 (Elf, maybe)Wizard for a homebrew. I'm planning on paying a divination wizard. (Rolled for stats, did well enough to have just over 100 HP, +2 Dex, and Int 19 before racial/level adjustments.)Want to play a controller wizard, but our rather large party lacks arcane support of any kind. Figured I'd take Greater Spell Spec., grab Fireball or something, and convert divination into high level blasts with Dazing Spell. I'm reserving three feats for Craft Construct and have a negotiable (but probably high;It's all based on concept and additionally I can likely use my Craft feats to justify a greater number of items/money) amount of starting funds. I'm looking for a spell to specialize in which will ruin as many days as possible. Is there anything better than Fireball?

Long version:
Planning on taking Divination/Foresight Spec. and the +4 Init Familiar for a grand total of = +13 Initiative.

Going to have a glass golem[consuming 3 feats; Open to golem suggestions.]

Budgeting feats for Spell Penetration, Spell Focus: Evocation; Spell Focus: Fireball; Greater Spell Focus: Fireball; Dazing Spell; Craft Arms/etc.., Craft Wondrous; Craft Construct; Quicken Spell;

Concept: Ill-tempered, Vegas-style magician. Cross-class skill into Profession: Stagecraft (WIS > CHA), Trained in all INT (Occult sage), owns traveling cart (with a demi-plane anchored inside and much-beleaguered assistant); prepared like Varsuivius.)

GRAND TOTAL: ONE FREE FEAT (2 if I jettison Spell Pen.)AND ANY SUGGESTIONS, BLASTING OR OTHERWISE. BANNED ILLUSION/ENCHANTMENT(unless otherise suggested, keeping Necromancy for Enervation)

Cheers,
Thanks preemptively for all the help.

Golem Constructor discovery will free up feats.

Thanks. Really appreciate it, but I'm pretty sure I wanna be able to craft Golems until the end of the campaign unless you can suggest a be all and end all of Golem-hood.

Go with fire sneeze. With the right metamagic feats you can control every battlefield.

To build a wizard:

1) Read Treantmonk's guide to being GOD.
2) Read up on the Pit spells.
3) Read follow up guides.
4) Re-read Treantmonk's guide.

Fini

Don't know if you picked a race yet, but the elf archetype wizard makes them way more versatile, almost sorcerer-like. One spell per level that you can swap in on the fly. I find it very useful for people new to prepared spellcasting. You can then prepare all the situational stuff, but swap it to your bread-and-butter spells on the fly.

A few ideas:

1) If you have any interest in picking up Spell Perfection at 15th level, make sure you have 3 metamagic feats before then.

2) I'm assuming your references to Spell Focus: Fireball and Greater Spell Focus: Fireball were meant to be Spell Specialization and Greater Spell Specialization: Fireball. Note that adding metamagic to a spontaneously converted spell from Greater Spell Specialization increases casting time. Since you know what spell you want to focus on, consider grabbing Preferred Spell (Fireball) to keep the casting time down to one standard action when spontaneously converting and adding metamagic. Requires Heighten Spell as prerequisite.

3) If traits are allowed, consider Magical Lineage (Fireball).

4) You're investing a lot of crafting feats into crafting golems. I guess that keeping Craft Wondrous Item, adding Craft Rod, adding Leadership, and naming your cohort and followers Golem isn't an option you want to consider?

5) If you haven't taken a look at it, Professor Q also has a good wizard guide, linked in the Guide to the Class Guides sticky.

To build a wizard:

1) Read Treantmonk's guide to being GOD.
2) Read up on the Pit spells.
3) Read follow up guides.
4) Re-read Treantmonk's guide.

Fini

I haven't looked at Treantmonk's guide in a few months, maybe longer.

But unless he has changed it to cover dazing spell, it is totally obsolete.

That metamagic feat is just that good when coupled with spell perfection and that one trait.

You can do a search on the forums for some builds people have made using this. Normally you take one level of cross-blooded sorcerer and go admixture evoker.

But damage, crowd control, it's all built in. You can literally build your character around one spell if you plan ahead. No reason not to pick fireball with the selective spell feat around, though you can pick another spell if you wish.

It's still very useful below 15th level when you can take Spell Perfection, but it really kicks off then.

Fire Snake is a better damage spell, if you're going to use it...higher damage cap, and more flexible.
Add in Energize Spell and you can get it up to 20d6. Use Magical Lineage so that you're still casting it out of a level 5 slot...and then grab Quicken Spell so you can use Spell Perfection to pay that cost for free once you hit 17, and can stack Quicken on other spells to cast 2/rd.

==Aelryinth

Firesnake is overrated in my opinion. You get 5 ft. per caster level, starting from you, maximum 60 ft. away. Too close and too short for my taste.

With the diviner, you could take a mass save or suck or a save or die as your spell perfection spell to insanely pump up its saving throw dc. at level 14, you could optimize a stone to flesh build and try to one-shot bad guys with dc 30ish persistent spells. It may not be optimal, but it might be really fun.

a heightened persistent baleful polymorph followed up by a quickened persistent baleful polymorph could be fun too. You will make a lot of newts.

The key spell for save or suck spell perfection seems to be Stone to Flesh.

==Aelryinth

Firesnake is overrated in my opinion. You get 5 ft. per caster level, starting from you, maximum 60 ft. away. Too close and too short for my taste.

That will cover better then 90% of combats in the game. If stuff is further away then that, use a fireball, sure. But firesnake can be put to the same damage cap as a Delayed Blast Fireball, and is two levels lower, allowing for better metamagic enhancement (i.e. with a trait and spell perfection, you can increase its cap to 20d6, Empower or Maximize it, and Quicken it). Can't do that with a delayed blaster.

It's also the same damage cap as Cone of Cold, and much better range then THAT point blank spell.

==Aelryinth