I'm undecided, so I'm looking to the boards for some advice...
Should I play a Wizard or a Sorceror in our upcoming AoW campaign? I rolled a pair of 16s as my two high stats, so either way his Charisma and Intelligence are going to be the same.
I'm planning on being a human, and our party of 7 doesn't have any other primary arcane casters... although we do have a warlock to help with the blasting.
Anyone have any advice/feedback from their own campaigns as to which class would work out better over 20 levels? I don't really plan on taking a PRC, so it'll probably be straight 1-20 for whatever class I take.
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Note: I did a little looking in the AoW archives, and I did find an old thread about the lack of spellbooks as loot and downtime hampering Wizards in the back half of the AoW Adventure path... the thread had arguments either way, but it is still another thing I'm keeping in mind...
Note2: In our campaigns, we give Sorcerors Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at first level, since it fits the "style" of the sorceror's innate power, and because of the perceived power difference between Wizards and Sorcerors.
Note3: I had a lot of fun reading the AoW Playtest Campaign Journals, and it doesn't look like their party was hampered by Demon Boy being the only arcane caster in a large group...
I'd go with whatever feels right. Ask your DM whether he or she is going to put in spellbooks and scrolls for wizards if there is a lack in AOW (not giving anything away, of course) and go from there. You obviously know what the upside and downside of each is, so just play what you'd like to play. It sounds like you're leaning towards a sorcerer anyway.
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There is sufficient downtime between adventures to make playing a wizard a more viable option than a sorcerer, especially if there exists a warlock in the group. The versatility of wizards is useful, but I would still recommend that the party allocate a certain amount of gold, say 10%, to purchase divine and arcane scrolls for the wizard and cleric to cast. While there is a lack of spellbooks to be found, there exist many opportunities to copy spells from other wizards, from low to high levels. Also keep in mind that intelligence is more useful than charisma throughout most adventures in Age of Worms as the campaign requires several knowledge checks. Successful knowledge checks can make the difference between victory and defeat if it allows you to know how to bypass the damage reduction of certain creatures or which abilities to watch out for.
One more thing to keep in mind: consider using the loremaster prestige class if the party lacks a bard. As mentioned above, knowledge checks are very useful in AoW and a loremaster equipped with bardic knowledge is potent, not to mention several nifty abilities that you get for the price of an underpowered familiar. If the party can use newly found items without having to go back to town because the loremaster can identify them right away, several encounters become easier. Hope this helps.
If you have access to Complete Arcane try out the warmage, especially if you want to be able to blast things almost as regularly as the warlock in your group. For versatilities sake, choose the wizard, but just remember that the more spells you have got access to the more choices you will have to make about what you will take for a given day. Of course, with versatility you can face an opponent or obstacle, retreat if its beyond your ability to overcome, and prepare the spells you need to cast to facilitate a favorable outcome.
Also, try and compliment the other PCs in your party, and fill in the blanks in terms of any missing abilities or skills they might not have access to.
If you have access to Complete Arcane try out the warmage, especially if you want to be able to blast things almost as regularly as the warlock in your group.
I'm running the AoW, and right now they're in 3FoE (the 2nd adventure), and there is a warmage in the party. I was a little concerned about allowing a warmage at first, but allowed it just to see how it worked. My concerns were immediately proved unfounded. The warmage can do damage, and do it well, and that's it.
If you want to do any of the neat wizard tricks like fly or teleport or invisibility, you can't. Oh hey, you found a magic item, you can't identify it. The only reason you know it's magic is that the cleric can cast detect magic, you can't. I know people are complaining about the lack of scrolls and spellbooks in the campaign, so I guess he lucked out, not having read magic and all.
The other characters in the party are frequently giving him guff, because he can't do any "wizard stuff". He just deals damage. I suggest using a wizard. A specialist will give you more spells, or check out the elven specialist in Races of Wild if you don't want to give up any schools.
Wizard. Always go wizard. It's all about the wizard. Can you tell I like wizards? I don't really have anything to add to everyone's advice pro-wizard except that once again: they are most versatile, gain more feats and just generally ROCK!
I think I have decided to go with Wizard as my class, primarily for the versatility... although with some tweaks to make him unlike a standard caster.
First off, I took Thematic Spellcasting from Magic of Faerun, so I can describe my spells differently from the norm...
I'm also going to go the route of the specialist, and specialize in Evocation. I like the blasting spells, but not to the exclusion of everything else, so I ruled out warmage, and if I went sorceror I didn't want to devote a ton of my precious known spells to blasting.
I'm looking at Elemental Savant as my Prestige Class if I do take one as well, although I'm not 100% sure.
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First off, I took Thematic Spellcasting from Magic of Faerun, so I can describe my spells differently from the norm...
I'd check with your DM on this; many DMs (myself included) don't require the feat to allow "thematic casting" (as long as there's no other effect); there have been several discussions about it over on the ENWorld boards. I wouldn't allow a player to replace a fireball with a 60-foot wide screaming skull, for example, but a change to fit a specific theme is fine.
First off, I took Thematic Spellcasting from Magic of Faerun, so I can describe my spells differently from the norm...I'd check with your DM on this; many DMs (myself included) don't require the feat to allow "thematic casting" (as long as there's no other effect); there have been several discussions about it over on the ENWorld boards. I wouldn't allow a player to replace a fireball with a 60-foot wide screaming skull, for example, but a change to fit a specific theme is fine.
Well, I'm not a 100% sure what my theme is going to be. I was originally thinking something along the lines of a "Green Lantern" effect, where everything he casts is composed of green light... sure, its a direct copy, but I think it looks cool :-)
But now I'm a little unsure about that theme. My idea is to have my first spellbook be an ancient one I found in one of the Cairns. (or a newer copy of an ancient one, etc). And the spellbook was written in Auran as well. And I'll be going into Elemental Savant (Air), which fits the theme of having my original spellbook be one found in a Wind Duke Tomb. So I'm trying to think of a cool visual theme that fits the air motif... but I'm not coming up with anything cooler than changing the Green Lantern effect from emerald energy to icy blue energy.... and the Thematic Casting fits into the idea that I have learned "ancient" magic, which while functionally the same, looks substantially different than "modern" magic.
NOTE: I have skimmed some of the adventures and read the Overload file, but we had a DM swap and now I'm going to be playing this campaign, so the new DM and I have talked about keeping my personal knowledge of AoW seperate from the character, etc... but he is cool with my backstory relating to the Wind Dukes like this, instead of being the "generic apprentice of Allustan "background for a wizard.
* And about "wasting" a feat of Thematic Casting. Yeah, I know it isn't the most optimal choice, but its essentially a free feat I'm getting in exchange for giving up the ability to have a familiar, in a feat/flaw kinda transaction. And we tend to allow more latitude in describing spells if the caster has Thematic Casting. And the +1 caster level for the signature spells is nice.
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Elemental Savant Question:
Has anyone played (or DM'd) an Elemental Savant?
I'm specifically wondering about the Elemental Specialty ability that automatically transmutes all your spells with the elemental descriptor (cold, lighting, fire, acid, etc) into your chosen element. Which would be Lightning in my case.
Can I change my Lightning spells into another element through a metamagic rod or taking Energy Subsitution for another energy type?
I'm just wondering in case I run into something that has monsterous electricity resistance, and I need to switch it up. I could always carry scrolls/wands for this case, or cast spells without elemental descriptors... but I thought purchasing a metamagic rod of energy substitution might be a good backup plan for these situations.
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If you like to mash things even better than a Warmage, go sorcerer and take levels of the Force-Missile Mage (Dragon #328...can you say magic missiles that use Sonic/Fire/Cold or Acid energy?), with levels of Argent Savant (Comp. Arcane)to bolster force spells. Top it off with some of the force spells from Dragon #323 (Emerald Plain, the mini wall of force, rocks). Learn also such obscure spells as Otiluke’s Orb of Containment, Force Burn, Otiluke’s Force Umbrella, Mordenkainen’s Faithful Phantom Shield-Bearers, Bigby’s Besieging Bolt and many other force-based spells (not to mention all the Hand spells and Wall of Force). Do a search at WoTC for some updated force spells.....
Talion,
Do you want the versitility of a wizard's spellbook, bonus metamagic feats, arcane knowledge and spellcraft skills, or do you want to be able to hurl specific spells at your heart's content?
A good wizard build might be the wizard/intantatrix (FRCS/Player's Guide to Faerun). You can really specialize with feats and become an artist in your metamagic feat selection and use.
A good sorcerer build might be the clutch rogue/sorcerer building toward the arcane trickster. You can't beat using a ranged sneak with an empowered/admixed scortching ray... and as a sorcerer, you can hurl lots of ranged touch spells.
Since your party is so large, you might consider looking at the War Weaver prc in the Heroes of Battle book. By using the arcane tapestry skill, any defensive spells you cast affect the entire party (or something like that). Look into it.
I wouldn't worry about NOT finding spells in Age of Worms. Your DM should offer you the opportunity to buy spells in Waterdeep/Free City if not from Allustan himself (or even the Smelting Factory alchemist/wizard). That shouldn't affect your decision.
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Talion,
As a DM for age of worms, I would allow using Energy Substitution to change the energy type from electricity to whatever you decided you wanted that specific memorization to be. Especially since the way I read the first level ability of the elemental savant to be that the default energy type for any spell you cast is now electricity and Energy substitution just changes the energy type from the default
Wizard -- more spell choices, and they're more powerful. Spells you don't have memorized can be on scrolls (so much for the sorceror's advantage).
Also, put the other 16 into Dex (not Cha) and consider Improved Initiative so that you're fireball has a good chance of being the first shot of the round :)
Jack
Unless you already have a wizard, I would go 100% that way. Later in the Age of Worms you will end up hitting a wall if your Sorc didn't pick the right spells. As you play theres a growing list of spells you need to have a chance. Things like Pass wall, D-door, knock, dispel Magic, Toungues, Arcane Eye, Wall spells, fly, etc, etc
A higher level sorc having only 2-3 choices of some of the slots will be a huge burden. Especially since you feel you want at least 1 offense spell in each level slot or else be wasting it.
Just make sure to ask your DM for decent acess to scrolls for scribing and you should do fine.
I see the main poster chose specialist-evoker for his choice. That makes me cringe. What schools did you choose to give up? To be an evoker you really have to give up some goodies. I would 99% of the time choose specialist-diviner. You get bonus spells that can be incredibly helpful and only need to give up one school. Pick Necromancy and theres not much to worry about beyond losing false life.
Unless you already have a wizard, I would go 100% that way. Later in the Age of Worms you will end up hitting a wall if your Sorc didn't pick the right spells. As you play theres a growing list of spells you need to have a chance. Things like Pass wall, D-door, knock, dispel Magic, Toungues, Arcane Eye, Wall spells, fly, etc, etc
A higher level sorc having only 2-3 choices of some of the slots will be a huge burden. Especially since you feel you want at least 1 offense spell in each level slot or else be wasting it.
Just make sure to ask your DM for decent acess to scrolls for scribing and you should do fine.
I see the main poster chose specialist-evoker for his choice. That makes me cringe. What schools did you choose to give up? To be an evoker you really have to give up some goodies. I would 99% of the time choose specialist-diviner. You get bonus spells that can be incredibly helpful and only need to give up one school. Pick Necromancy and theres not much to worry about beyond losing false life.
I gave up Necromancy & Enchantment. Necromancy really doesn't fit the character theme, and we have a Cleric of Wee Jas in the party anyways to cover that angle. And enchantment is cool, but again doesn't fit the concept well, plus we have the warlock character who is going to focus on that side of things in his role as the face of the party.
I've done the Diviner route before for specialist, but I wanted to do something different this time when playing an arcane caster. Which is why I was toying with the idea of going sorceror instead, and why I went with my other choices to make a wizard that stylistically isn't much like the standard bookworm wizard. Like I said, I wanted to mix it up, I've played plenty of wizards in the past, and didn't want to fall into the cliches of past characters (and DND in general), I wanted to create a unique character for AoW.
In the AOW game I'm DM'ing, one of the players is a halfling wizard with no specialty, and he's doing just fine so far despite a few missed saving throws...
He prefers electricity spells, so he has a habit of using Energy Substitution (electricity) on his fireballs and magic missiles.
We've found access to spellbooks not to be a problem in our campaign. While there aren't a plethora of spellbooks as loot, we kept the access pretty steady:
Low lvl spells - Allustan (wiz started as his apprentice)
Mid lvl spells - Joined a Wizarding guild.
High lvl spells - Negotiation with Manzorian.
Also, put the other 16 into Dex (not Cha) and consider Improved Initiative so that you're fireball has a good chance of being the first shot of the round :)
To ensure you’re maximized, empowered, star-shaped, green-tinted, fireball of doom hits that nicely clustered group of bad guys before the paladin charges in and gets in the way simply utter the magical word "Nerveskitter."
Nerveskitter
Level: Sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time: 1 immediate action
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round"You suffuse your ally with a brief, blue glow. He jerks away from you, as if he can anticipate your next action."
You cast this spell when you and your party roll for initiative. You enhance the subjects (your) reactions in combat, granting a + 5 bonus on initiative checks for the current encounter.
And I wholeheartedly agree that Improved Initiative is a must for any arcane caster. I actually think that everybody should take this feat. Nothing makes a DM cry like watching a monster that he spent all night working on get slaughtered before it even gets to hit you once.
--BS
Well, I'm not a 100% sure what my theme is going to be. I was originally thinking something along the lines of a "Green Lantern" effect, where everything he casts is composed of green light... sure, its a direct copy, but I think it looks cool :-)
You're going to be so sick of green light by the time this is over...
...Nothing makes a DM cry like watching a monster that he spent all night working on get slaughtered before it even gets to hit you once.
How true :)
When I choose to specialize my wizard I usually take Transmutation (with Greater spell focus of course, to make that Chained, or Maximized Disintagrate really scary). I'm usually the prefect friend with a lot of great buffs...but that's my style.
And compared to a sorcerer...ask the party's fighter what he likes best: a fireball or him being an enlarged, bull strenghted killing machine.
;)
besides it's nice to turn people into rabbits...makes great pets
It sounds like the support base is strongly in favor of wizards here, which goes against James Jacobs thoughts on the wizard class (he thinks its too weak) to quote one designer. I personally prefer wizards over sorcerers myself, but I didn't realize the support was this strong.
Has anyone thought about playing the wu-jen? I know its an oriental class (though I hate saying it), but it could easily be modified for a AOW campaign.