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Hello Esteemed Paizo Board Experts,
I am looking for a PFS build (CRB, traits, alt. race features) for a dwarven universalist wizard. Looking for survivability and throwing battle axes build. Prefer abilities at 10+. I have the backstory, motivations and personality - I just need the numbers, traits, feats and possible spell options (again CRB only. Your time and consideration is appreciated.
As a wizard you want to put your highest rolls or points on your Con and Int, Con for being harder to kill, Int for spells since wizards need it as high as possible.
If you can get high with Dex, do it since Dex is overall a great stat to put points in for casters. Since your going throwing axes and your a wizard, this is doubly important. Heck, if you want throwing axes to work well and you somehow roll very high 4d6 stat rolls, put one of the better ones in Str roll(14+) so they do relatively moderate damage. Cha can be a dump stat unless your character has a want for that, as wizards never use it and seeing that your a dwarf I doubt you want it either.
Feats you can choose from are numerous, depending on damage or versatility, but I would recommend Toughness for you. It's is a solid feat for all classes, and for casters it is even better.
Since you are a dwarf you are going to have a nice bonus to your will save and fort save due to +2 Con, +2 Wis bonus regardless of how you roll or buy, which is also nice, though as I said if you wanted a Charismatic character your out of luck in terms of Roleplay, the -2 will hurt and most Wizard point buys will put the base level of Cha at 7. If you wish to make your character a moderate spellcaster who is also good at melee, you could try to make an overall even stat distribution with the 15 point system, with charisma still being a dump stat but allocating an overall balance character regardless.
If you stat buy with the normal 15 point buy system, and you forgo charisma and strength to focus on spellcasting however, you can use STR: 8 DEX: 14 CON: 16(14 Base) INT: 17 WIS: 10(8 Base) CHA: 5(7 Base)
Do not wear armor, instead simply keep Mage Armor up as a first level spell when start writing down the spells you need starting at level 1. If you really wish to wear armor, go for Padded armor as it has the least likely chance of Arcane Failure, which is bad for Wizards and spellcasters in general.
If you want to go universalist, you will at least have a moderate amount of spells at your disposal. However, I will probably give you advice you might not want: Dump being a universalist. The bonuses of having extra powers and spells throughout the entire game by picking a school outweighs the "advantages" of going Universalist, especially since Universalist doesn't really offer much to most players. In fact, past CRB they created a feat the removes the penalties of not going Universal, making it even worse. If your going combat oriented wizard, probably grab Evocation, Necromancy or Conjuration as your main school, opposing Universalist along with perhaps Necromancy, Divination or Abjurcation, depending on personal preference.
In all seriousness though, If you want a combat caster with Dwarf and still want to have alright spells, you could always play Druid or Ranger, as they both have spells useful in the game yet can deal great damage to characters in ranged or melee combat if built right.
Hope this helps, in general what I listed is under the assumption that you want duel roles to be fulfilled by your Dwarf Throwing-Axe Wizard, and while the idea itself is not optimal you can do it if you wish.
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I think a Dwarven Universalist Wizard throwing axes could work just fine in PFS play. It's not the strongest way to play a wizard, but no single-classed wizard will be anything but reality-bending.
STR 14 DEX 14 CON 13 (+2 dwarf) INT 16 WIS 8 (+2 dwarf) CHA 9 (-2 dwarf, dump lower if you like)
When you don't feel like casting a spell you can throw a battle ax. Summoning monsters will work well for you, once you have enough spells to last through the day.
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Thanks Icy and Magda, I wanted to go universalist due to the hand of the apprentice ability to throw my battle axe arcane bond and get it back a few times a day when low level spells aren't enough. The summoning suggestion is solid, once I get to keep them around more than 1round.
The party is big so I'll have protecters, but so far I am the only arcane caster so I do plan on staying a wizard only. We generally don't play min/maxed characters and our flaws are as much a part of the game as our strengths.
I'll start building with your advice and see where it goes. Thanks again.
How about something like this?
Akharkhaz
Male Dwarf wizard 1
LN Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +1, Senses darkvision (60 ft.); Perception +0
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DEFENSE
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AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex)
hp 9 ((1d6)+3)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +2, +2 vs. poison, spells, and spell-like abilities
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OFFENSE
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee masterwork battleaxe (bonded) +2 (1d8+1/x3)
Melee dagger +1 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged dagger (thrown) +1 (1d4/19-20)
Special Attacks Hand of the Apprentice (7/day, + 4 to-hit or +5 to-hit with bonded weapon)
Prepared Spells
Wizard (CL 1st; concentration +5)
1st-enlarge person, sleep(DC 16)
0th-acid splash, daze(DC 15), detect magic
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TACTICS
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STATISTICS
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Str 12, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 6
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 12 (16 vs bullrush and trip)
Feats Spell Focus (Enchantment), Spell Focus (Evocation)
Skills Craft (Alchemy) +8, Knowledge (Arcana) +8, Knowledge (History) +8, Knowledge (Local) +8, Knowledge (Planes) +8, Spellcraft +8
Traits Eastern Mysteries (Qadira Faction), Magical Lineage (Fireball)
Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Goblin, Kelish, Terran
SQ arcane bond, bonded object, cantrips, darkvision, defensive training, greed, hardy, hatred, stability, steady, stonecunning, universal school, weapon and armor proficiency, weapon familiarity,
Combat Gear scroll (comprehend languages), scroll (grease), scroll (ray of enfeeblement), scroll (mage armor)
Other Gear masterwork battleaxe (bonded), outfit (traveler's), spell component pouch, scroll case, runebook (spellbook), pouch (belt), dagger, backpack, bedroll, waterskin, flint and steel, ink (1 oz. vial), inkpen, pot (iron), mess kit, rope (hemp/50 ft.), soap (per lb.), rations (trail/per day) (5), torch (10), 26.0 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Arcane Bond (Su) You have selected to establish a powerful arcane bond with an object.
Bonded Object Objects that are the subject of an arcane bond must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. These objects are always masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at 1st level are not made of any special material. If the object is an amulet or ring, it must be worn to have effect, while staves, wands, and weapons must be held in one hand. When attempting to cast a spell without your bonded object worn or in hand, you must make a concentration check or lose the spell (DC 20 + the spell's level). A ring or amulet occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.
Cantrips You can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. You can prepare a cantrip from a prohibited school, but it uses up two of your available slots.
Darkvision (Ex) Range 60 ft.; Darkvision is the extraordinary ability to see with no light source at all, out to a range specified for the creature. Darkvision is black and white only (colors cannot be discerned). It does not allow characters to see anything that they could not see otherwise-invisible objects are still invisible, and illusions are still visible as what they seem to be. Likewise, darkvision subjects a creature to gaze attacks normally. The presence of light does not spoil darkvision.
Defensive Training (Ex) Dwarves get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against humanoid creatures of the giant subtype.
Eastern Mysteries (Qadira Faction) Ever since you were a young child, you studied the ancient arcane arts of several Eastern societies, and those studies have made your spellcasting ability sometimes difficult to resist. Once per day, you may select one single spell that you are casting that allows for a saving throw. You may increase the DC of that spell by +2.
Greed (Ex) Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on Appraise skill checks made to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals and gemstones.
Hand of the Apprentice (Su) You can cause your melee weapon to fly from your grasp and strike a foe before instantly returning to you. As a standard action, you can make a single attack using a melee weapon at a range of 30 feet. This attack is treated as a ranged attack with a thrown weapon, except that you add your Intelligence modifier on the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier (damage still relies on Strength). This ability cannot be used to perform a combat maneuver. You can use this ability 7 times per day.
Hardy (Ex) Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
Hatred (Ex) Dwarves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
Language Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
Magical Lineage (Fireball) One of your parents was a gifted spellcaster who not only used metamagic often, but developed many magical items and perhaps even a new spell or two--and you have inherited a fragment of this greatness.
Stability (Ex) Dwarves receive a +4 bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Steady (Ex) Dwarves never have their speed reduced by armor or encumbrance.
Stonecunning (Ex) Dwarves receive a +2 bonus on Perception skill checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, regardless of whether or not they are actively looking.
Universal School You have chosen not to specialize in a single school of spells.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency Wizards are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a wizard's movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Weapon Familiarity (Ex) Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word "dwarven" in its name as a martial weapon.
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Runebook (Spellbook)
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Wizard Spells
1st -burning hands, charm person, enlarge person, grease, mage armor, magic missile, sleep
0th -acid splash, arcane mark, bleed, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue
Qadira is nice because they have a faction trait that allows them to bump the DC of one of their spells once per day (Eastern Mysteries).
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Tangaroa, thanks for the build. There's a lot of info there and I appreciate you sticking to core stuff.
We haven't picked factions yet, but Qadira has a nice, flexible bonus there.
I try to avoid a super low stat for build purposes , but have played then for rp.
By the looks of it it seems most public run PFS scenarios expect you to optimize more around the numbers than role playing? At least that's my perception from other Board commenters.
Thanks once again.
Keep in mind, a Hand of the Apprentice throw uses Int for attack bonus, not Dex. It still uses Str for damage bonus though. Dex is likely still important for AC reasons, but it isn't going to affect your big-axe chucking ability at all. Also, since the number of throws a day are limited to 3 + in bonus, it would be really good to push int as high as reasonable.
I did of course use the traits from the trait guide, but that is a free download.
It very tempting to tank Charisma on dwarven wizard. Unless you are playing a necromancer, charisma is quite superfluous for a wizard. All you really need in a wizard is intelligence and constitution, and a dexterity that isn't terrible (more to get a good initiative then for AC or to-hit bonuses)
Dumping probably will hurt you in PFS, especially in the more recent seasons where characters have to be "everymen" - some combat, some social, some knowledge. There are tricks to use intelligence for your diplomacy statistic, but it isn't core. However, for this particular build he has some skill with enchantment spells. You can always "convince" someone to be helpful as a wizard given the right spells.
When in doubt about attributes., I go for the standard "20 pt" array on a character - 16, 14, 14, 12, 10, 8, before racial modifiers (on a dwarf wizard, however, that would still lead me to a charisma of 8)
Also keep in mind that K(local) substitutes for Diplomacy when gathering info - so this wizard couldn't convince, lie to or scare someone well, but they could sure learn about a rumor quickly.
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By the looks of it it seems most public run PFS scenarios expect you to optimize more around the numbers than role playing? At least that's my perception from other Board commenters.
I'd say just the opposite. The PFS Iconic characters are about right for most PFS adventures, without stealing the show. Most adventures are far too easy for a group of highly optimized PCs. Sometimes good role playing is vital (e.g. 'Severing Ties' ) and the central focus, other times things are more combat oriented.
I'd like to see a future PFS option for 'hard mode' versus 'regular mode'. Certainly no extra GP of XP for hard mode, of course, but Honorable Mention for earning xp in Hard Mode, and possibly vanity boons.
Break those stereotypes! Your dwarf wizard will be great!
Dwarven Wizard [Transmuter] 1
Str 12 Dex 12 Con 15/16 Int 17 Wis 12 Cha 8 (20 points plus racial)
Associated School: Transmutation.
Physical Enhancement (Su)
You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to one physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). This bonus increases by +1 for every five wizard levels you possess to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. You can change this bonus to a new ability score when you prepare spells. At 20th level, this bonus applies to two physical ability scores of your choice.
Replacement Powers: The following school powers replace the telekinetic fist and change shape powers of the transmutation school.
Augment (Sp): As a standard action, you can touch a creature and grant it either a +2 enhancement bonus to a single ability score of your choice or a +1 bonus to natural armor that stacks with any natural armor the creature might possess. At 10th level, the enhancement bonus to one ability score increases to +4. The natural armor bonus increases by +1 for every five wizard levels you possess, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. This augmentation lasts a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum 1 round). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Perfection of Self (Su): At 8th level, as a swift action you can grant yourself an enhancement bonus to a single ability score equal to 1/2 your wizard level (maximum +10) for one round. You may use this ability for a number of times per day equal to your wizard level.
I have always consider Dwarven Wizards to specialize in Transmutation. It just makes racial sense to me.
Although still young for your kind, you have a lifetime of knowledge and training.
Prerequisites: Dwarf, elf, or gnome; 100+ years old.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Knowledge and Profession skill checks, and can make checks with those skills untrained.
Again this feat just makes sense for this character.
While some figure out how to use magical devices with stubborn resolve, your approach is more pragmatic.
Benefit: You may use your Intelligence modifier when making Use Magic Device checks instead of your Charisma modifier.
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Arcane Graduate
You graduated from a famous arcane academy, and the rigorous program of study has honed your mind.
Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks when casting arcane spells.
Section 15: Copyright Notice - Pathfinder Player Companion: Inner Sea Primer