| Darth Ben |
So, I'll be playing in a level 18 campaign soon, as a support-focused wizard. He's a Conjurer with no opposition schools.
I have 14 spells mastered. They can be of any level, though I would like to have some of each level.
Tips?
I assume you mean spell mastery? I like to grab spells that can get you out of a bad situation so that you can get somewhere safe to prepare. I'll also throw in some spells you won't want to live without. And spells with a lot of versatility.
So, off the top of my head:
Teleport or greater, some sort of invisibility, a couple summons, arcane eye, time stop, wall of force, plane shift, haste, finger of death, mage's disjunction or greater dispel, polymorph or greater, and discern location so you can find your spell book.
| therealthom |
So, I'll be playing in a level 18 campaign soon, as a support-focused wizard. He's a Conjurer with no opposition schools.
I have 14 spells mastered. They can be of any level, though I would like to have some of each level.
Tips?
EDIT: Spell Mastery feat.
How'd you do the 'Conjurer with no opposition schools'?
Fruian Thistlefoot
|
well I wouldn't waste my feats on 2x Opposition research...I really could care less about Enchantment school unless I'm specializing in it which include Greater spell focus and Persistent spell.
Use that feat for something else.
One of my favorite spells is enervation. As long as they are a living target they get no save...only SR applies. But dropping them a few levels always is a good Idea. Each level is another -1 and they stack. Stripping someone of 8 levels is just brutal and would allow you to stab them to death with a dagger.....Proud to say I have done just that. They couldn't break my DR and decided to grapple me....I just pulled my dagger and started cutting.
| Letariel |
...Proud to say I have done just that. They couldn't break my DR and decided to grapple me....I just pulled my dagger and started cutting.
I'm really interested in how you got your wizard to have such high DR. I know there are a couple spells to get DR 5, but none of them seem to last long enough to make such a small DR worth it to me (even with DR 5, if a decently strong enemy hits me twice then I'm going down).
Fruian Thistlefoot
|
I'm really interested in how you got your wizard to have such high DR. I know there are a couple spells to get DR 5, but none of them seem to last long enough to make such a small DR worth it to me (even with DR 5, if a decently strong enemy hits me twice then I'm going down).
I Wouldn't have done it on a strong solo type enemy who can tear through my tank But a Mook who happens to make his way through the line cause my team is killing that Big old baddy is a completely different story.
They Were using A war razor and couldn't do me sneak attack like they wanted. They were doing 1d6+1....should have had some SA (+3d6) but he decided he wanted to fight me alone while his buddies tried my Samurai friend out. Well without SA he would have had to roll max damage just to get 1 point of damage through. Since he was down a few levels he had to roll a 15 or better to hit me. The DM gave up and threw him on me to grapple my 9 strength Wizard. Sure he could hold me and I couldn't cast...so I just started stabbing him since he willingly gave himself the grappled condition. After a few lucky rolls a 19 then later a 20 he dropped....it was a slow process but the fight was already in our hands and I felt like doing something many Pure Wizards don't get to. Sure the damage was 1d4-1 but it was still pretty nice feeling afterward.
I was using the buffs, Defending Bone (DR 5/B), Mage armor, Breeze, Read magic, False Life, and see invisibility.
But DR wise a Wizard has: Lvl 0 Haunted Fey aspects (DR 1), Level 2 Defending bone (DR 5), Level 3 Resonus Skin (dr 5), Level 4 Stoneskin (dr 15) and at lvl 5 communal stone skin (again DR 15).
For him to Beat the bone at that current level he would have had to hit me 10 times for it to wear off and then get through my false life and HP. He would have been swinging for a good 15 rounds solo to Drop me to 0.
Fruian Thistlefoot
|
Yes you are right 10 In my haste I make some errors.
But besides that part....
Why spell mastery and why 2x Opposition research? What is your thinking of the benefit you gain from those feats? I can understand 1 Opposition research. But Enchantment is an entire throw away school. They have 3 notable spells. Sleep for early levels, Heroism, and Greater Heroism. By level 18 you can have magic items that override Greater heroism just by taking Craft wondrous item or spending a chunk of level 18 WBL.
I would really like to know your thinking on this one.
| Snowblind |
Yes you are right 10 In my haste I make some errors.
But besides that part....
Why spell mastery and why 2x Opposition research? What is your thinking of the benefit you gain from those feats? I can understand 1 Opposition research. But Enchantment is an entire throw away school. They have 3 notable spells. Sleep for early levels, Heroism, and Greater Heroism. By level 18 you can have magic items that override Greater heroism just by taking Craft wondrous item or spending a chunk of level 18 WBL.
I would really like to know your thinking on this one.
To be fair, they have a little more than that.
Confusion, charm line, dominate line, suggestion, hideous laughter are all somewhere between ok to excellent.
This doesn't change the fact that pretty much the entire school is some variant of You Lose, Will negates, and most of the rest of the schools can do that too on top of other useful things.
Fruian Thistlefoot
|
Snowblind your right some of those spells are ok. AFTER you specialize in it...spell focus, Great spell focus, persistent spell, Spell perfection, Spell penetration.
A conjuration Wizard typically picks different spell focuses and depending on the Focus in conjuration Summoning versus Hard CC depends on various feats like augmented summoning.
Enchantment is a school that is basically all or nothing and in most builds it turns out to be a lot of nothing with a single good Buff.
But I have made a enchantment user and I will say Confusion and Suggestion are amazing spells when you build for them. And my main go to build for Evangelist cleric abuses Command. But I also take spell focus Enchantment and persistent spell in that build.
| Abraham spalding |
Summon 6 and summon 9 would be on my list, as would minor and major creation. Shades and a few of the inbetween shadow spells aren't bad either.
Remove curse and break enchantment aren't horrible either.
Still and silent spell as well as eschew materials would also be necessary for me at this point as feats instead of just rods.
| DualJay |
I would really like to know your thinking on this one.
Spell Mastery is a character thing - the character is obsessively prepared. I've got a similar reason for the double opposition research.
They are likely suboptimal, but hey, I'm playing a wizard, and am deliberately trying to not overshadow the rest of the party.
He has False Focus (and a lot of others tattoos) and a greater caster's tattoo (1/day still + silent any spell). He'll probably invest in some lesser caster's tattoos as well pretty soon.
| Snowblind |
Snowblind your right some of those spells are ok. AFTER you specialize in it...spell focus, Great spell focus, persistent spell, Spell perfection, Spell penetration.
A conjuration Wizard typically picks different spell focuses and depending on the Focus in conjuration Summoning versus Hard CC depends on various feats like augmented summoning.
Enchantment is a school that is basically all or nothing and in most builds it turns out to be a lot of nothing with a single good Buff.
But I have made a enchantment user and I will say Confusion and Suggestion are amazing spells when you build for them. And my main go to build for Evangelist cleric abuses Command. But I also take spell focus Enchantment and persistent spell in that build.
Even without specializing, some enchantment spells are still pretty good.
Unfortunately, picking opposed schools isn't about "what spells are good", but about "which schools can I survive not preparing regularly the most". As awesome as confusion is, there are alternatives in schools that also bring other things to the table. Thus enchantment is the school to go, because it is the school that you need the least.
| Letariel |
I Wouldn't have done it on a strong solo type enemy...
I was using the buffs, Defending Bone (DR 5/B), Mage armor, Breeze, Read magic, False Life, and see invisibility.
Ah, I see. I've been using ablative barrier and mage armor as my daily defensive casts, but even the mooks are ogres or giants wielding greatclubs so defending bone doesn't do much for me (and also why I spend so much time trying to fly away/above enemies). Thank you for pointing out Resinous Skin, that should be helpful against greatclubs. Eventually, I want to move to Stoneskin, but I don't have enough free cash for it right now.
Fruian Thistlefoot
|
Not a problem. I typically skip stone skin as the communal stone skin is less expensive with its components. The wizard I'm playing atm is a Gluttony Wizard....I can't prepare stone skin or Ablative Barrier so eventually I will making me a ring of Invisibility to help keep me safe.
If you REALLY want a defense that is hard to get through Look for Emergency Force Sphere. Immediate action level 4 evocation spell that bubbles you in a bubble of force for Rounds/level. As an immediate action you can easily get it up when something charges towards you.
If you're dealing with a lot of archers wind wall is good (the Dust Mephit improved familiar) can cast it 1/day and blur as 1/hour. Little hands for wand usage...all around a good overlooked familiar when you're not getting an imp. I personally like abusing the mount spell by using it for cover against low level archers, Triggering traps with it, (when its not opposed school) putting Explosive runes on it and letting it run into enemy camp, Summoning a pit under enemies and then summoning a mount at max range above the pit and dropping a horse on them. That poor horse PETA would be PISSED.
They are likely suboptimal, but hey, I'm playing a wizard, and am deliberately trying to not overshadow the rest of the party.
You can do this without sub-optimal picks. Like choosing to cast less or hold back some. Its hard to not overshadow people as a level 18 full caster. For futurama explaining God:
Godly Entity- "If you do too much people become dependant on you, If you do nothing they lose hope. You have to have a light touch like a safe cracker or a pick pocket."
Bender, "or a guy who burns down a bar for the Insurance money."
Godly entity- "Yes, if you make it look like an electrical thing. If you do something right they won't be sure you did anything at all."
Be that guy who the group thinks doesn't do much but in reality you're the reason they are still alive and breathing. That is how you don't overshadow your group.
| Letariel |
Lots of good stuff.
I've tried out Emergency Force Sphere, and it keeps me safe, but then I'm stuck in a bubble for the rest of the fight, and that feels really bad to me.
I'm definitely getting a ring of invisibility as soon as I can. Starting a fight invisible, doing some summoning, buffing, or difficult terrain for the early parts of the fight, and not even being being visible until turn 3 sounds pretty awesome.
The mount shenanigans sound pretty fun, but my GM ruled that the mount spell is for traveling and can't be used in combat. As it is, my normal summons do the job of causing havok pretty well, so I don't have much complaints. :-)
| The Bald Man |
My personal favorites:
Dispel/Greater
Teleport/Greater
Plane Shift/Gate
Moment of prescience
Wish/Limited
Sending
Silent/Minor/Major Image
True Seeing
Direct Damage Spell/Shadow Evocation/Greater/Disintegrate
Save or Die/Lose/Suck
Mind Blank/non-detection
Invisibility/greater
Overland Flight (already on your list)
Polymorph any Object/or other polymorph
Legend Lore/Vision
Honorable Mentions:
Summon Monster #
False Life/Greater
Heroism/Greater
Wall of force/fire/stone
You have some tough choices ahead. Hard to pick just 14. I would love to know what you decide to go with.