Hi, Help me with my first wizard please.

[Gallyck]

Hello and thanks for your time. I have a specific goal in mind for the wizard, Make a Golem (preferably clockwork). Hes gonna be a Gnome Wizard with Profession (Clockmaker) and hopefully plans on making a golem and in combat he lobs illusions all over the place and generally does wizardly stuff. But seeing as this is my first full spell caster (second overall character; first was a half orc inquisitor) im clueless with basic wizarding tips. Why does it seem like wizarding feats are a pile of meh? Am I missing something? Obviously Golem Constructor is key and I probably want to make other clockwork creatures as well.

FWIW gnome is important to me (and may make working in eldritch heritage (aberrant for ranged touch spells?) more viable)

Its a 4d6 drop low reroll 1s for stat generation.

[Axebeard]

Wizarding feats might look meh because of your limited experience with wizard spells.

Wizards get the most powerful spells in the game (with the exception of some bell-ringers like Holy Word and Wall of Thorns), so feats that make their spells better, like Spell Focus, are similarly very powerful for a wizard.

Here are some general tips:

1) If you're going all the way to level 15, pick your metamagics with Spell Perfection in mind. It's a fantastic feat.
2) If you're not optimizing for blasting, then the only evocation spell you'll ever want is Wall of Force, which is a level 5 spell. This means you can outlaw Evocation and then take Opposition Research at level 10 to get that spell back if you really can't see yourself giving up more than one school.
3) Make sure you pick up some spells that bypass common defensive characteristics, like Spell Resistance and immunity to mind-affecting spells. Conjuration is basically your go-to school for this, as hardly anything is immune to stuff like Glitterdust.
4) Many illusion spells only allow saving throws once you've interacted with them. Figure out what your DM thinks this means so you know just how powerful these spells are going to be. If he thinks that viewing an illusion from afar means interacting with it, then Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus in illusion may be necessary.

Those are just a few pointers. In general, good wizard feats are Spell Focus in a school with good offensive magic, like Conjuration, or spell penetration at around level 9 and 11. Improved Initiative at level 1 is very, very nice for a wizard, as it means you get to change the battlefield before anyone else has a chance to go mucking around in it.

Anyways, feats that are always good for a wizard include:

Improved Initiative
Toughness
Spell Focus
Greater Spell Focus
Spell Penetration (maybe at level 9 or 11)
Spell Perfection

The best schools for Spell Focus are probably Conjuration, Enchantment, and if you cast a lot of save-or-X illusions, Illusion. Transmutation is okay. I'd put off Toughness until you either realize the fighter is bad at keeping the monsters away from you, the DM is good at threatening the wizard, or you don't have any better ideas.

[Chef's Slaad]

check out treantmonk's excellent guide to wizards for all the wizardly optimizing you'll ever need

[Axebeard]

Chef's Slaad wrote:

check out treantmonk's excellent guide to wizards for all the wizardly optimizing you'll ever need

Not to be too hard on the guide, but I'd replace "All the wizardly optimizing you'll ever need" with "a good place to start."

It's certainly still relevant, but it's outdated and rates stuff like Defensive Combat Training ahead of Greater Spell Focus, which he rates at the same level for wizards as eschew materials, mounted combat, and nimble moves. So while a good place to start, it still has some bad advice inside.

[Gallyck]

in regards to the above guide, its my opinion he overrates summoning. To many counters and tbh it doesnt interest me. Good start nonetheless with the other odds and ends in that guide.

[Reynard_the_fox]

Putting my vote in for the Fast Study arcane discovery feat. It lets you prepare spells in a minute, which is more or less spontaneous as long as you're not right in the middle of combat - it makes you the most versatile spellcaster in the game.