What are your restrictions?
Do you have no traits at all? What traits do you have if you have any? And can you change the traits you have if you have any?
How many traits are you allowed to take? Are you allowed to take a drawback?
Are you allowed to take campaign traits?
Magical Lineage with a spell that you will specialize in as your main damage dealer, e.g. Fireball. It makes many useful metamagics free (Intensify, Elemental, Selective) and helps lower the cost of more expensive ones (Empowered, Persistent, Dazing, Quicken).
To add to my previous post:
If you can take two traits, take Magical Lineage and Wayang Spellhunter (aka Metamagic Master on d20pfsrd). The second trait does the same thing and stacks with the first. If you do plan to specialize in a spell, and you only get one trait normally, it may be worthwhile to take a Drawback (Power Hungry is a fun one for Wizards) or even an Additional Traits feat.
Reactionary.
Acting first lets you get your spells off before anybody else can act and basically shape how the battle will go. That translates into more damage in the long run.
Magical knack This lets you retain up to two caster levels when you dip.
For raw damage on a wziard dipping dual blooded sorcerer, orc and dragon.
Orc add 1 dmg per die you roll
Dragon adds 1 dmg per die roll of a specific energy type.
The feats spell specialization and varissian tattoos add to caster level so more dice per spell.
Then the trait wayang spell hunter is awesome. It is like magical linage but regional.
My 9th level wizard was blasting (13d6 + 29)*1.5 damage icy fireballs that also slows.
If you really wanna utilize the Magical Lineage/Wayang Spellhunter combo, then take them with the "Additional Traits" feat, and retrain the feat when your chosen spell becomes obsolete.
I mean, if you're gonna choose traits for power, then you might as well go the extra mile.
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There's a trait, Volatile Conduit that allows you to once-a-day increase the damage of any elemental spell by 1d4.
it's not much, not very often, but it's a free damage boost.
The best way to do damage is to be alive, aware and alert. As a result, I would argue that the best traits are those that:
* Boost Initiative
* Give Perception as a class skill
* Improve your Fortitude save. Reflex is less important, and Will is already a good save.
Reflex saves are the least likely to save you from death, and the most likely to save you from some scrapes. Frankly, many reflex saves can be handled with good positioning.
Admittedly, I wouldn't start a wizard with less than Con 14, unless I knew that we had a party that could cover battlefield control to such an extend that I wouldn't be in much danger. Even then, Con 12 would be the bare minimum.
By level 5, you can expect 27 hp, with Con 12 and no favourite class bonus spent on hit points, or 32 if you do spend them on it. Before level 5, it's not going to be common to run into big aoe's that require them (and even then positioning should help). If you're really worried, take Toughness. It's a perfectly fine Wizard feat.
Frankly, going first (good initiative and Perception, to avoid surprise) so you can get a Mirror Image in play, or an Invisibility, or a Wall type spell, or a movement action to a better location, is a better defence that Reflex saves will ever be.
i dont get it.
why people favor magic missile instead of mage armor (give AC +4) and vanish (self invis) ?
Because the best way to protect yourself from an enemy or remain undetected by an enemy is to kill that enemy.
Because the best way to protect yourself from an enemy or remain undetected by an enemy is to kill that enemy.i dont get it.
why people favor magic missile instead of mage armor (give AC +4) and vanish (self invis) ?
though something defeated by a simple shield spell....
though something defeated by a simple shield spell....Because the best way to protect yourself from an enemy or remain undetected by an enemy is to kill that enemy.i dont get it.
why people favor magic missile instead of mage armor (give AC +4) and vanish (self invis) ?
Well the trick is many enemies don't have that spell.
Best trait for damage is definitely magical lineage, if you want to do damage with magic that means metamagic and magical lineage is amazing for that, I'd probably put it on fireball, metamagic fireball is probably the best blast in the game (assuming you have a way around half the enemies in the game being fireproof).
i dont get it.
why people favor magic missile instead of mage armor (give AC +4) and vanish (self invis) ?
Personally, I love both magic missile and mage armor. They're the two first spells I always take with an arcane caster. Mage armor is great because you can cast it early and it lasts all day - even at level one, it's good for an hour which you can get most adventuring done in.
Magic Missile is awesome because there's no to-hit roll, no save, no nothing and the damage is force damage. This means it does full damage against incorporeal creatures and it bypasses energy resistance.
So, to summarize some of the awesome advice above:
Traits: Wayung Spellhunter, Magical Knack, or Reactionary
Class: Take a single level of Crossblooded Sorcerer (you only need an 11 charisma) with the Orc and one of the Draconic bloodlines.
Feats: Extra Traits, Spell Specialization, Varissian Tattoo, metamagic feats like Empower Spell, Intensify Spell, Maximize Spell
Lots of people dislike blaster wizards but honestly they can be a TON of fun. Keep your spellcasting attribute up so you have good save DCs, too.
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If you're in a position where your AC matters, you're probably doing something wrong. There's nothimg wrong with dropping prone when archers volley fire. Invis is all well and good, but unless your schtick is summoning, anything you do will break it, and if you spend your time doing nothing, then you're not contributing.
If you're the flood battlefield with minions sort, then by all means use vanish, sit in, summon a ton of earth elementals.
Since you were talking about fireball defence, AC makes no difference and a fireball can hit you, invis or not, as long as you're in the area. If you happen to be knocked out by one while invis, it gets even worse as your party can't find you to heal you as you're invisible.
Another decent interrupt spell is burning arc, but unless a reach rod is used, it's really waaay too short ranged for my taste.
Also, how are you facing empowered fireballs at level 5? Do enemy casters have lesser rods of empower, or are they using magical lineage, because empower is a +2 metamagic, so it takes a 9th level caster to pull it off, assuming no special tricks are used. A 9th level caster will do 13d6(avg 39)on a empowered fireball, which on failed save is likely instant death on a 5th level wizard.
If a 7th lv caster is used, after magical lineage then its 10d6, avg 30 dmg on failed save. Which will burn his 4th level slot - he's realistically only got 2 of them, so any interruptions of those spells means it limits what he has to throw at you.
There's a reason why APL+4 is called challenging, and if your GM does it too often, I suggest you find a new GM. If he's using metamagic rods, beat those casters up, grab those rods for yourself.
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If he's using 9th level casters against you all the time, I suggest you find a new GM. Parties were not meant to do APL+4 all day long, and you cant win an arms race against the GM.
Blastong gets very inefficient the more hp monsters have to you, and if you're fighting APL+4 the bests blasts won't do anything to their hp.
If he's using 9th level casters against you all the time, I suggest you find a new GM. Parties were not meant to do APL+4 all day long, and you cant win an arms race against the GM.
Blastong gets very inefficient the more hp monsters have to you, and if you're fighting APL+4 the bests blasts won't do anything to their hp.
Not 'quite' true. Only at the very highest levels. If you have devoted blaster caster build, blasting is extremely lethal and powerful up through about level 15, at which point it shifts from potential one round kills to potential two round kills. Save or dies get more attention because they tend to stay as one round potential kills.
Advantage of a blaster caster? Your square peg blasts out a LOT of round holes. Blasting is useful against a LOT of stuff. Save or dies tend to be much more individually targeted.
==Aelryinth
However they must be catrfull of friendly fire.
High level spell tend to area effect.
There's a Metamagic for that: Selective Spell
Magical knack This lets you retain up to two caster levels when you dip.
For raw damage on a wziard dipping dual blooded sorcerer, orc and dragon.
Orc add 1 dmg per die you roll
Dragon adds 1 dmg per die roll of a specific energy type.
The feats spell specialization and varissian tattoos add to caster level so more dice per spell.
Then the trait wayang spell hunter is awesome. It is like magical linage but regional.
My 9th level wizard was blasting (13d6 + 29)*1.5 damage icy fireballs that also slows.
And beat me to the punch.
And beat me to the punch.Magical knack This lets you retain up to two caster levels when you dip.
For raw damage on a wziard dipping dual blooded sorcerer, orc and dragon.
Orc add 1 dmg per die you roll
Dragon adds 1 dmg per die roll of a specific energy type.
The feats spell specialization and varissian tattoos add to caster level so more dice per spell.
Then the trait wayang spell hunter is awesome. It is like magical linage but regional.
My 9th level wizard was blasting (13d6 + 29)*1.5 damage icy fireballs that also slows.
By a couple of months.
By a couple of months.And beat me to the punch.Magical knack This lets you retain up to two caster levels when you dip.
For raw damage on a wziard dipping dual blooded sorcerer, orc and dragon.
Orc add 1 dmg per die you roll
Dragon adds 1 dmg per die roll of a specific energy type.
The feats spell specialization and varissian tattoos add to caster level so more dice per spell.
Then the trait wayang spell hunter is awesome. It is like magical linage but regional.
My 9th level wizard was blasting (13d6 + 29)*1.5 damage icy fireballs that also slows.
Yeah...yeah...
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Try have spell sage build with ioun stone.
We got early monster ;)
(Want familiar back because the arcane bond locked. Take iron will familiar bind and improved familiar bond. Viola familiar with dage bonus. Since wizard have lots of feat. Its ok)
.... I think I am too greedy with damage.
What's a Viola familiar? I'm searching this but can't find it.
Yeah...yeah...By a couple of months.And beat me to the punch.Magical knack This lets you retain up to two caster levels when you dip.
For raw damage on a wziard dipping dual blooded sorcerer, orc and dragon.
Orc add 1 dmg per die you roll
Dragon adds 1 dmg per die roll of a specific energy type.
The feats spell specialization and varissian tattoos add to caster level so more dice per spell.
Then the trait wayang spell hunter is awesome. It is like magical linage but regional.
My 9th level wizard was blasting (13d6 + 29)*1.5 damage icy fireballs that also slows.
Hey I appreciate the mention!