I've never played a wizard before and am looking for ways to improve my AC. My guess is that the same tactic will work up until about level 10: use magic items. A quick look appears to show Bracers of Armor are the cost effective way to go. Do I then throw on a Ring of Protection and a Ring of Force? My guess is Bracers of Armor will not stack with an Amulet of Natural Armor and since the bracers are cheaper, they are the way to go. Am I missing other good tactics?
Magic item wise, you want Bracers of Armour + Ring of Protection + Ring of Force Shield + Amulet of Natural Armour
Bracers of Armour and Amulet of Natural Armour stack as the Bracers are an armour bonus and the Amulet is a natural armour bonus.
Overall tho, don't spend all your gold on magic items for AC, save up for Metamagic Rods and spare scrolls.
You can more reliably protect yourself with spells like Mirror Image, Displacement etc. If they can't hit you half the time, it doesn't matter what your AC is.
On a side note, if you've got an Arcane Bond item, pick a ring or amulet. Then you can craft cheaper protections in it.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/treatmonks-lab
here a pretty good guide for wizards
bracers of armor give you armor AC, so they stack with amulet of natural armor, because that's natural AC.
However it's perhaps easier to try to find ways so that ennemies can't attack you at all. Don't try to improve your AC beyond what's reasonable.
Your best strategy is to not be somewhere that you will get hit.
You can deck yourself to the nines with bracers and rings and amulets, but your AC will never be that of anyone who wants to be in melee. And those are valuable slots that can be used making you a better wizard. Ring of protection +5? 50k. You could buy a ring of wizardry II+sustenance and a couple pearls of power. Bracers of armor? Why not like 50 scrolls of utility spells for every occasion, or some level 1 wands.
At low levels (1-5) you're going to feel rightfully squishy. Mage Armor should get you through until you can cast Invisibility and Mirror Image. Invest in a mithril buckler if you are often thrown into the fracas.
So yeah, a high Dexterity, extended (rod of Extend) Mage Armor, and a Mithril Buckler. Even with that you will likely be an auto-hit past level 7 or 8. Miss chance is just mechanically better. Maybe a cloak of displacement?
Your best strategy is to not be somewhere that you will get hit.
You can deck yourself to the nines with bracers and rings and amulets, but your AC will never be that of anyone who wants to be in melee. And those are valuable slots that can be used making you a better wizard. Ring of protection +5? 50k. You could buy a ring of wizardry II+sustenance and a couple pearls of power. Bracers of armor? Why not like 50 scrolls of utility spells for every occasion, or some level 1 wands.At low levels (1-5) you're going to feel rightfully squishy. Mage Armor should get you through until you can cast Invisibility and Mirror Image. Invest in a mithril buckler if you are often thrown into the fracas.
So yeah, a high Dexterity, extended (rod of Extend) Mage Armor, and a Mithril Buckler. Even with that you will likely be an auto-hit past level 7 or 8. Miss chance is just mechanically better. Maybe a cloak of displacement?
Shield is also useful for large encounters
Shield is also useful for large encountersYour best strategy is to not be somewhere that you will get hit.
You can deck yourself to the nines with bracers and rings and amulets, but your AC will never be that of anyone who wants to be in melee. And those are valuable slots that can be used making you a better wizard. Ring of protection +5? 50k. You could buy a ring of wizardry II+sustenance and a couple pearls of power. Bracers of armor? Why not like 50 scrolls of utility spells for every occasion, or some level 1 wands.At low levels (1-5) you're going to feel rightfully squishy. Mage Armor should get you through until you can cast Invisibility and Mirror Image. Invest in a mithril buckler if you are often thrown into the fracas.
So yeah, a high Dexterity, extended (rod of Extend) Mage Armor, and a Mithril Buckler. Even with that you will likely be an auto-hit past level 7 or 8. Miss chance is just mechanically better. Maybe a cloak of displacement?
Again, at low levels. It is not something you should waste your action on though, really, since your actions as a wizard are game-changers.
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Again, at low levels. It is not something you should waste your action on though, really, since your actions as a wizard are game-changers.Shield is also useful for large encountersYour best strategy is to not be somewhere that you will get hit.
You can deck yourself to the nines with bracers and rings and amulets, but your AC will never be that of anyone who wants to be in melee. And those are valuable slots that can be used making you a better wizard. Ring of protection +5? 50k. You could buy a ring of wizardry II+sustenance and a couple pearls of power. Bracers of armor? Why not like 50 scrolls of utility spells for every occasion, or some level 1 wands.At low levels (1-5) you're going to feel rightfully squishy. Mage Armor should get you through until you can cast Invisibility and Mirror Image. Invest in a mithril buckler if you are often thrown into the fracas.
So yeah, a high Dexterity, extended (rod of Extend) Mage Armor, and a Mithril Buckler. Even with that you will likely be an auto-hit past level 7 or 8. Miss chance is just mechanically better. Maybe a cloak of displacement?
Should or shouldn't 'waste' is entirely dependent on widely varying factors including; individual preferences and playstyle, group makeup, teamwork or lack thereof, encounter type/layout itself, and the DM's style of adventure.
stuff
Blah blah blah. Yes of course. Don't give the OP bad advice and then say "well ya know, in certain circumstances everything is good". That's not helping. 99% of the time casting Shield is an utter waste of your action for the round. If it were hours per level it would be worthwhile as it might cover more than one combat. If you could cast it on someone else it would actually be a potent buff. As it sits, the only time I would cast it is if you knew combat was coming your way soon, and even then only at levels 1-2 before Invisibility or Mirror Image is an option.
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one of my favored way of doing this, and you will hear others and i by others i mean everyone else tell me i'm dumb. but a fun lil way is to stay back and just buy and carry a tower shield. use it not as a shield but as a wall, or a sled if it's snowing, also works great as a door stopper, and is just ultimately all around fashionable imo. :) but seriously it gives you a miss chance to just plant it and sit while casting from the back :)
There are also plenty of spells that give you size bonuses, which would stack with other bonus types. Reduce Person is cheap, as is Alter Self. Some of the Elemental Body spells have good AC benefits as well.
Wizards don't care for A or C.
As it sits, the only time I would cast it is if you knew combat was coming your way soon
I agree with you, except in my games the above circumstance isn't all that rare, so the ultimate conclusion I reach is different from yours.
Any time you're about to storm into a dungeon or do anything else where imminent combat seems likely, the minute/level spells are a pretty good bet.
As someone else said, the best thing to do is try to stay out of situations to put you in attack range. Use cover as much as possible.
But if you really want something to add, use Mage Armor. That +4 is a huge difference in low levels. And if you are able to use cover of some sort, there is a very small chance they are going to hit you from range with a +8.
And I am thinking of ranged attacks here. If you are in a situation where you are in melee, you put yourself somewhere where you should not be.
As it sits, the only time I would cast it is if you knew combat was coming your way soonI agree with you, except in my games the above circumstance isn't all that rare, so the ultimate conclusion I reach is different from yours.
Any time you're about to storm into a dungeon or do anything else where imminent combat seems likely, the minute/level spells are a pretty good bet.
You forgot the second half of the sentence though :). At levels 1 and 2 shield helps you keep your AC up to par, in those certain circumstances, at the expense of 1/3 or 1/4 of your daily resources. Wouldn't you really rather pack another color spray or grease?
You forgot the second half of the sentence though :). At levels 1 and 2 shield helps you keep your AC up to par, in those certain circumstances, at the expense of 1/3 or 1/4 of your daily resources. Wouldn't you really rather pack another color spray or grease?
Agreed. Or a Magic Missle or Sleep.
After a few levels, carrying around a scroll of mage armour and one of shield isn't going to cost the earth in resources and will make sure you have +8 to your AC any time you have two rounds to spend before getting into a fight. In fact mage armour will by that point be a single spell that will last you all day anyway.
You forgot the second half of the sentence though :). At levels 1 and 2 shield helps you keep your AC up to par, in those certain circumstances, at the expense of 1/3 or 1/4 of your daily resources. Wouldn't you really rather pack another color spray or grease?
Oh, sure. Probably what I should have clarified, then, is that I think shield still has value past levels 1-2. Of course, a scroll of shield is also pretty affordable/scribeable at the super-low levels, and unlike your color spray or grease you don't care about its DC which makes it a nice candidate for scribing.
Agreed. Or a Magic Missle or Sleep.
Sleep I'll readily agree with; Magic Missile at that level feels to me like a huge sucker bet. Almost any other spell on the list seems more valuable.
Sleep I'll readily agree with; Magic Missile at that level feels to me like a huge sucker bet. Almost any other spell on the list seems more valuable.
Yes, it is only 1d4+1 at 1st level, but I like Magic Missle because you can use it at medium range and it is guaranteed damage. And there are no other spells at 1st level that can match it in regards to damage (at that range).
Yes, it is only 1d4+1 at 1st level, but I like Magic Missle because you can use it at medium range and it is guaranteed damage. And there are no other spells at 1st level that can match it in regards to damage (at that range).
Sure, but to go back to the previous line of discussion, is that 2-5 damage worth a significant chunk of your casting for the day? Even if you know you're going to be dealing with enemiesimmune to sleep and color spray for the entire day, I still think you're better off throwing an enlarge on the party fighter in almost all cases.
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Your best bet is to start the game with Mage Armor.
Mage Armor = +4 Armor bonus
Next (if you really feel the need for AC) would be a Shield spell. Shield also has benefit of granting immunity to Magic Missile spells.
Shield = +4 Shield bonus
If you are going to be fighting against Evil, (or alignment other then Neutral) a protection from Evil spell is good for a +2. Protection from Evil also offers a variety of other benefits as well, which can be HUGE!
Protection from Evil = +2 deflection bonus (from evil)
Total from spells = +10 to AC. (vs evil)
The first item would be a ring of protection +1.
Ring of Protection +1 = +1 deflection bonus.
Then an Amulet of Natural Armor +1.
Amulet of Natural Armor +1 = +1 Enhancement to natural armor.
There is also an Ioun Stone that offers an insight bonus to AC.
Bracers of AC are not worth the money unless you do a lot of encounters afterhours, or they are better then the AC bonus offered by Mage Armor.
Once you have access to 2nd level spells, you could increase your AC by +2 by casting Cat's Grace, this spell also offers you all the benefits of a higher DEX - ranged attacks, reflex saves, etc.
The BEST defensive spell for you is probably going to be Mirror Image. This spell turns you from a fragile flower to a reckless daredevil. One of the best spells there is.
Blur gives you a 20% chance of avoiding any attacks, and you can cast it on anyone, but Mirror Image is better in most circumstances.
When you hit 3rd level spells, you can get displacement, which is like blur but offers a %50, and might have a short duration, I would have to check.
That should get you started with spells and items, but there are a couple of other things you might consider.
Be small. Being a halfling or gnome gives out an automatic +1 size bonus to AC, and is good for touch attacks and pretending to be a rogue when the orcs with greataxes start chanting, "kill the casters!"
Dodge feat. +1 dodge bonus (stacks with other dodge bonuses!)
Improved Initiative is probably one of the best feats for a caster. This will give you a much greater chance of not being flatfooted, and denied some of your AC, but more importantly it might give you a chance to get your defenses up (mirror image!) and move out of danger. This feat could make all the difference in the world.
There is also a little trick that you can use with the acrobatics skill. Once you have 3 ranks (maybe 5?) your AC bonus when putting up a total defense becomes a +6 Dodge bonus!
SO,
Size small = +1
Dex 16 = +3
Mage Armor = +4
Shield = +4
Pro Evil = +2
24 AC or 30 with a total defense.
PS Magic Missile is a great one to ready vs enemy spell casters. Once your GM catches on to this tactic, you will find shield to be very useful when enemy casters are on the battlefield.
Blur gives you a 20% chance of avoiding any attacks, and you can cast it on anyone, but Mirror Image is better in most circumstances.
It's worth mentioning that the concealment granted by Blur generally negates Sneak Attack. That's not a huge selling point when Blur first comes out at level 3, but it's a reason why it's always a pretty useful spell.
In 3.5 I would have said Displacement had the same effect, but Paizo has clarified it as not doing so in Pathfinder.
Sure, but to go back to the previous line of discussion, is that 2-5 damage worth a significant chunk of your casting for the day? Even if you know you're going to be dealing with enemiesimmune to sleep and color spray for the entire day, I still think you're better off throwing an enlarge on the party fighter in almost all cases.
If you are talking about a Wizard, I would agree. Save up one of those slots for Enlarge, but I usually play Sorcerors.
So choosing Enlarge as one of my known spells would not be as effective as I cast it once for our fighter and am done, where I could cast Magic Missle multiple times.
But even with Color Spray and Grease (which are good spells), they can be pretty dangerous to use most times (at this level), IMO, due to their short range.
As you can tell, I am the caster who likes more to keep my distance than one to buff my AC up. :)
Blur gives you a 20% chance of avoiding any attacks, and you can cast it on anyone, but Mirror Image is better in most circumstances.
It's worth mentioning that the concealment granted by Blur generally negates Sneak Attack. That's not a huge selling point when Blur first comes out at level 3, but it's a reason why it's always a pretty useful spell.
In 3.5 I would have said Displacement had the same effect, but Paizo has clarified it as not doing so in Pathfinder.
Really? Reading the spell it sure seems like Displacement would negate sneak attack like blur would. Displacement is also rounds/level, so you are less likely to have it going into an encounter. Still a great spell to cast on the fighter!
I like Magic Missle because you can use it at medium range and it is guaranteed damage. And there are no other spells at 1st level that can match it in regards to damage (at that range).
Magic missile is great for getting rid of mirror images. For that, the damage is less important than the auto-hit quality.
Magic missile is great for getting rid of mirror images.
In 3.5, but not in Pathfinder.
I like Magic Missle because you can use it at medium range and it is guaranteed damage. And there are no other spells at 1st level that can match it in regards to damage (at that range).Magic missile is great for getting rid of mirror images. For that, the damage is less important than the auto-hit quality.
They changed that actually. Apparently you can't target an image the way you could in 3.5. So I think Magic missile auto-hits someone with mirror image.
This spell creates a number of illusory doubles of you that inhabit your square. These doubles make it difficult for enemies to precisely locate and attack you.
When mirror image is cast, 1d4 images plus one image per three caster levels (maximum eight images total) are created. These images remain in your space and move with you, mimicking your movements, sounds, and actions exactly. Whenever you are attacked or are the target of a spell that requires an attack roll, there is a possibility that the attack targets one of your images instead. If the attack is a hit, roll randomly to see whether the selected target is real or a figment. If it is a figment, the figment is destroyed. If the attack misses by 5 or less, one of your figments is destroyed by the near miss. Area spells affect you normally and do not destroy any of your figments. Spells and effects that do not require an attack roll affect you normally and do not destroy any of your figments. Spells that require a touch attack are harmlessly discharged if used to destroy a figment.
An attacker must be able to see the figments to be fooled. If you are invisible or the attacker is blind, the spell has no effect (although the normal miss chances still apply).
It's a nice spell, but a few scrolls or in PFS a wand of it will work well for you at the very low levels.If your PC has a high INT then save DC spells are worthwhile.
Action economy of a scroll of enlarge person can push towards it being memorized rather than on scroll unless you want to walk around with one in hand.
-James
I would agree a wand would be nice of Magic Missle, but that would be real pricey at 1st level. And don't know if it would be worth it for 1 missle.
I am not a big fan of scrolls for combat spells. For the reason you stated in action economy. Even in walking around with it in your hand it requires a full round action to cast, and I don't like losing my full movement to cast off a scroll.
In 3.5, but not in Pathfinder.
Ugh. I can just imagine being the guy unlucky enough to hit the caster with all of the missiles. Add one to the "casters should be buffed!" anti-logic on Paizo's part.
This. Trying to get your AC up is a losing proposition.
In 3.5, I would have said that trying to get your AC up as a wizard wasn't a losing proposition -- it was just, the point of getting your AC up wasn't so you wouldn't get hit, but so that the elder xorn (or whatever) couldn't power attack for its full base attack and still nail you with every hit.
With Pathfinder power attack, it might well be a losing proposition past the low levels. I haven't played an arcane caster in PF long enough to accurately say.
Dodge is a better feat in Pathfinder
Its a +1 dodge bonus plain and simple. No declaring it on anyone. Think of it as a further +1 dex bonus.
Of course it costs a feat but it's in effect so long as you have your dex bonus.
One of the best things a wizard can do is get a mithral buckler. This provides a +1 AC, and since a mithral buckler has no armor check penalty or spell failure chance, it doesn't have any drawback for a wizard whatsoever.
Lack of proficiency in a shield merely applies a penalty equal to its armor check penalty on all attack rolls. Since a mithral buckler has an armor check penalty of -0, there is no penalty for lacking proficiency with it. You can also use the hand that wields the buckler to hold items, climb, etc. and still keep its bonus. You just can't hold a weapon in that hand, but why would a wizard want to hold an off-hand weapon anyway?
With a +5 magical bonus, the buckler provides a +6 shield bonus to AC, and it only costs just over 13k gold if you have enchant magic arms and armor. A wizard can't get so much AC for so little gold in any other way! Plus, it stacks with bracers of armor, a ring of protection an an amulet of natural armor. A high level wizard can easily have an AC in the high 30s with these items alone. Add a defending weapon +5 (and obviously use the weapon's enchantment bonus for AC at all times), plus items that raise dex, etc. and you can have an AC in the low to mid 40s.
Who said Wizards have to have a low armor class? ;)
Dex boosting items and Ioun stones can be a cheap way to help do it. You want to mainly concentrate on spells but some money into AC can be a good idea.
As to the enlarge person, it's a 1 round cast regardless so you're going to lose your full movement (baring a 5' step) either way. Its a worthwhile buff for the party fighter and the added reach is a nice defense for you against melee and nice cover vs missile (especially when you do all this casting while prone if that were the case).
-James
I was about to correct you about the casting time, and then I looked. How can that have escaped me all these years. I have like 10 years of move actions to take back.
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Mithral buckler. Ring of Force shield isn't a good choice (eats the ring slot, too expensive, low AC bonus) and the shield spell is action based so isn't so great.
Honestly I would go with the following items (over time):
Mithral Buckler +5 heavy fortification, energy resistances as possible
Ring of Blinking
Ring of freedom of movement (better to not be grappled)
Cloak of minor displacement
Belt of Dexterity.
Your best bets for not taking damage is mirror image and such spells the negate attacks instead of having a very high AC.
That said for AC on a Wizard (if you really want to go that route):
Bracers of Armor +8
Mithral +5
Mask of the Giants (shape change for bonuses, the greater version)
Belt of Dexterity +6
Ring of Protection +5
Amulet of Natural Armor +5
Boots of Haste
Book of Dex +5
That's 2+8+6+3+1+5+5+6-3= 43... which means you might not die in the first round someone full attacks you.
Honestly like I said before that though blink or mirror image so they plain out don't connect -- it's the better choice.
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Lets do this the easy way
Level 1 Fighter
BAB 1 Str Mod +4 Weapon Focus + 1 = 6
AC need to hit 16+
Level 10 Fighter
BAB 10 Str Mod + 7 Greater Weapon Focus +2 Weapon Training +2 Enchantment +3 = 24
AC need to hit 34+
Level 20 Fighter
BAB 20 Str Mod + 10 Greater Weapon Focus +2 Weapon Training +4 Enchantment +5 = 41
AC need to hit 51+
So a Wizard with a 30 AC is effective agents a level 7 fighter.
Yes with a 43 AC you stop 2 hits from landing on you.
This is why most people will tell you there are only two stats you realy need as a caster. Your casting stat and Con.
Base STR 18 ( +1 for levels 4,8,12,16,&20) +1 tome betwen levels 10 to 20 + 6 Str belt = STR 30 at level 20
Wizard Dwarf 20 point buy
Str 7
Dex 8
Con 20
Int 17 (+1 levels 4,8,12,16,&20)
Wis 10
Cha 6
Level 1 feet Toughness
Using PFS rules
Level 1 HP 12
Level 12 HP 133 (+2Con Item )
You can put heavy fort on bracers, but they're still limited to a total +8---so +3 bracers of heavy fortification? A +1 mithril shield of heavy fortification is only 36K, so it's quite affordable for magi in the 12+ set. It also makes you look less like a mage to the ignorant.
Because it's a crap use of the bracers.
The bracers can only give you a +8 armor bonus -- get what you can from them.
The shield however can get a +5 bonus and +5 in special stuff. Since it's got 5 points of bonus that can't go to AC you might as well use those bonus points to take less critical hits and sneak attack.
Actually they are limited to +8 armor. You can still get up to +5 in special stuff.
This statement is false, the total bonus of the bracers of armor is limited to +8 including any special abilities you would put on it.
You do not get +8 armor and +5 special abilities with bracers of armor.
If you have heavy fortification bracers of armor you only have +3 left for armor bonus.
Actually they are limited to +8 armor. You can still get up to +5 in special stuff.This statement is false, the total bonus of the bracers of armor is limited to +8 including any special abilities you would put on it.
You do not get +8 armor and +5 special abilities with bracers of armor.
If you have heavy fortification bracers of armor you only have +3 left for armor bonus.
Yes was going to say this myself.
Was also going to ask where you got the +13 total.