tcharleschapman |
Hi All,
I just played my level 3 Foresight Wizard yesterday. In addition to being a Foreseight wizard he specializes in trip attempts with his magic missiles (Toppling Spell and Magical Lineage). I had fun playing him and I feel like I helped the party. However, I'm hitting the point where I'm not sure what to do for the rest of the time since I still only have 6 spells a day (not counting Cantrips and my bonus school spells, which are divination). I do have a wand of Magic Missile that I use quite often but 1d4+1 is already not scaling at level 3. I had one wand of Burning Hands CL3 from a Chronicle sheet but it is almost gone. What else should I do in battle to feel like I'm contributing more as a wizard? It sounds like at level 5 the wizard is a little more helpful with 10 spells a day and access to more buffing spells like Haste. What can I do until then and past them? What scrolls should I have and be using in battle?
Thanks!
DesolateHarmony |
If you are an elf, you are proficient with longsword and longbow. They can be helpful.
Prescience is a wonderful ability when you have to make something happen. Wait for a good roll on it before you enact the important part of a plan. Be a lookout, or a flanking buddy if you can stand the heat of combat. Flanking and aid another can add a +4 bonus to a teammates chance to hit, which can affect a lot.
Not everything has to be in combat. You have good knowledge skills and probably other areas too. Be a lookout, or a healer, if you have UMD bought up.
You can use scrolls of higher level than you can cast now with an easy check, so long as the spells are on your spell list: Caster level, with DC = 1 + caster level of the scroll. So, DC 6 for a third level spell, like haste...
My own diviner is now level 10. I try to focus on going first, and using battlefield control. I loved web to start the fight, just be careful where you put it. Make it useful for your teammates! Not an impediment. Pits, walls, black tentacles, control the lighting, all sorts of things work well. (Communal dark vision and darkness. Turn that pairing around against light-needing bad guys.)
niconorsk |
Its somewhat the nature of low-level wizard to struggle to have enough spells. Diviners are awesome and as said should focus on winning initiative and casting that one spell that makes combat easier.
You are right that doing that becomes easier as you gain more levels. Some useful scrolls that you could have that can make life much easier in specific scenarios:
Comprehend Languages
Gust of Wind
Endure Elements
Touch of the sea
Spider Climb
All level 1 spells so cheap to get.
When you gain levels, I can highly recommend going the preferred spell route. Prerequisite is Heighten spell which is meh, but if you pick a good staple spell, you can now use your divination bonus slots to cast that spell.
BigNorseWolf |
It gets a lot better from here on out. Rapidly.
Summoned critters and flaming spheres are great ways to have something to do every round, you cast the spell in round 1 (summons work great with a diviner, you start the full round action in the surprise round, your init comes up, POOF! Celestial puppy) then aid another or wand people for healing while your spells deal some damage.
nosig |
cantrips... check out cantrips
Point Blank Shot with Acid Splash nets an attack roll every round that does 1d3+1 damage with a touch attack.... if you add in the bonus for using a flask of Acid as a Focus (from Adventurers Armory) it becomes 1d3+2, which is ok at levels up to three...
The Message spell will let you whisper to your other players - even the scout ahead of the party. Your wizard can become the Combat Coordinator - and as a Foresight Wiz, you should know everything anyway right?
And Knowledge checks - every encounter should start with a knowledge check to see what you know about the monsters... and you passing that on to the other players.
Detect magic every magic item to tell what it is... It's a spellcraft roll, (remember you can take 10 on these rolls!)
Detect thoughts to gather information from captured Mooks...
You "what does the man who hired you to attack us look like?"
Mook #221 "I say nothing!"
You "and how much did this Talden nobleman pay you?"
Mook #221 "I said NOTHING!"
you "and where did you put the money?"
Mook #221 "That's MY MONEY?!!!"
Lots of fun with Wizards and spells...
nosig |
Here's a simple Wizard trick that will impress your party...
Surprise round - you go before the bad guys (Foresight wizard goes in surprise round and beats in INIT)... you cast Invisibility and 5' step...
1st round, delay until after the Rogue (or fighter or whoever) goes.... then move to the Rogue and use a wand of vanish on him. (Wand of 1st level spells has 50 charges and costs 2 PP)
2nd round plus - Repeat each round and the Rogue (or who every you do this with) will really shine. 50% miss chance, +2 to hit, target doesn't get his dex, so the rogue gets sneak dice each round. all at a cost of one wand charge per round (and your action for the round).
Kenny P |
Scrolls and lots of them. My wizard at lvl 12 had about 3 dozen different scrolls on him. My general rule of thumb with scrolls is if it pops up on a chronicle and I don't have it in my book and don't own a scroll of it to go ahead and buy it. They come in handy.
As far as things to do in combat that will help your group out. The first that was already noted was the vanish trick with a rogue. Will help the group out a ton. If you don't have a rogue in the group then switch over to throwing out daze. Yeah they are likely to make the save but guess what, the moment they fail they probably will die.
Now in those situations where you can't daze a target, start hitting things with wands. Either that or provide flank.
tcharleschapman |
Thanks everyone. Because of this post and resources elsewhere, I've developed a decent scroll library and other tactics to use.
Any other good scrolls to consider that don't have a save or good utility spells? Here is what I currently have for my 3rd level Wizard.
- Scroll of Acid Arrow
- Scroll of Admonishing Ray
- Scroll of Comprehend Languages
- Scroll of Endure Elements
- Scroll of Expeditious Retreat
- Scroll of Faerie Fire
- Scroll of Glitterdust
- Scroll of Grease
- Scroll of Touch of Idiocy
- Scroll of Obscuring Mist
- Scroll of Touch of the Sea
What about other useful wands? I currently have the following wands.
- Wand of Magic Missile
- Wand of Infernal Healing
- Wand of Detect Secret Doors
- Wand of Burning Hands (CL 3)
Also, based on this post, I will probably eventually get a wand of vanish.
Experiment 626 |
A wizard's main job is usually to control the battlefield from jump street, then make sure your party keeps the initiative if they start to lose momentum.
Use the longbow, acid splash, magic missile wand, toss nets, Aid Another, etc. after you've dropped your game-changer and conserve your spells for the next time you need to do something to turn the tide.
Out of combat, your "job" is to provide utility stuff such as casting Comprehend Languages. The right spell can make problems that are difficult to solve due to conditions, lack of equipment or lack of appropriate skills into nonevents. Cantrips really help here, as mentioned above. I use message all the time to help everyone coordinate.
You can also use your own intelligence-based skillset to best benefit, both in and out of combat.
You don't have the endurance to blow spells every round of every combat, nor should you. Save them for when you can really make them count.