Need recommendation on Escape Artist skill for a 12th Level Wizard

[Crai]

I could use some advice from folks who are savvy about Grappling tactics vs. Escape Artist (the skill) experts.

I'm building a 12th level Wizard who will be entering a campaign that has a very wide array of enemy types (both humanoids & monsters). Especially foes that have notable grappling tactics and/or build components. It's a long story as to how I know this, but my GM was kind enough to let this insightful tidbit slip out before our character creation process.

For fun, and as an exotic experiment, I'd like to build my wizard with some serious chops in the Escape Artist skill.

What starting score in my Escape Artist skill would you all recommend I start my 12th level wizard?

I have a fairly decent idea how to buildcraft a decent Escape Artists score for him ... but I'm open to smart/creative ways to do so that won't cost me a lot in terms of build resources. I'm open to 3PP material as well as Paizo's stuff.

***

P.S. Yes, I'll also get some teleportation spells scribed to my spellbook in the event this Escape Artist gambit develops issues. :-)

[Crai]

Props to Andrew C. who recommended to me (via sitemail) to start with a Harikmaki +1 with the Slick Greater Armor property ... and 12 ranks of Escape Artist embedded into my Headband of V.I. And then build off of that with Dex Mod.

As a wizard, I'm also still researching spells I can cast that boost my Escape Artist skill score. So far, I found:

* Extreme Flexibility (Wiz 2) ... +4 Circ to Esc. Artist
* Bouncy Body (Wiz 1) ... +2 Circ to Esc. Artist
* Grease (Wiz 1) ... +10 Circ to Esc. Artist

I'm still looking for more. All suggestions are still welcome!

[Mr. Bonkers]

If you're very confident in your Escape Artist bonus, you could also consider Signature Skill:Escape Artist. The 5-rank gives you the option to escape a grapple as a move action (albeit at a -10 penalty).

As for other things:
Alchemical Grease: gives +5 alchemical bonus for 4 hours (can be used with Full Pouch)
Practice Straightjacket: Grants a +2 circumstance bonus for 24hrs.
Ring of Serene Contortions: Gives an untyped +2 on escape artist (might be an oversight though)
Amorphous armor enchant: The bonus might not stack with Greater Slick, but you can turn into liquid once a day on command. Try to grapple a fluid, I say.
Any trait that makes it a class skill for a wizard: Bandit, Narrow Escape, Unshackled or Vagabond Child will do the trick.

[VoodistMonk]

Be a race that can fly, like the Strix, and always be at least 10 feet in the air... Puny flightless mortals cannot grapple what they cannot reach...

[Trinam]

Maxing your ranks, making it a class skill via a +1 trait, and getting a +1 mithral shield with the 'slick' enchantment on it gives you a total of level+dex+9 to your escape artist.

If that won't get you out of a grapple, you are probably already dead.

Also, keep a dimension door on you, just in case you get grappled anyways--its only components are verbal so you'd just need a good concentration check. Remember Focused Mind and other such concentration boosters!

[A highly regarded expert]

What these guys said. ^

[VoodistMonk]

Dimension Door and Teleport are cute until you are being grappled by someone with Phase Locking armor spikes...

[A highly regarded expert]

VoodistMonk wrote:

Dimension Door and Teleport are cute until you are being grappled by someone with Phase Locking armor spikes...

Ooh, I hate when that happens! :D

[VoodistMonk]

A highly regarded expert wrote:

VoodistMonk wrote:

Dimension Door and Teleport are cute until you are being grappled by someone with Phase Locking armor spikes...

Ooh, I hate when that happens! :D

I'm no stranger to sarcasm, sir.

I know it's probably ridiculously rare, but if the GM said there will be grapplers and the wizard is looking for escape artist tricks, finding a grappler with +3 Phase Locking armor spikes probably isn't out of the question.

I know I have them as a part of my grappling superstitious invulnerable rager Dwarf...

[Crai]

Thanks, guys. These are terrific ideas for my build. Slowly but surely, I'm building up the Escape Artist skill up into the 30s, hopefully 40s.

Plus, 3.5 has some nice spells to backport:

* Kuo-Toa Skin (Wiz 2 - Stormwrack) ... +8 Nameless Bonus & long duration
* Heart of Water (Wiz 3 - CMage) ... +5 Enhancement Bonus, long duration and a Freedom of Movement end-rider

***

Also, Paizo's ARG has the Corset of the Vishkanya for 3,000 GP. +5 Nameless Bonus to Escape Artist and a Squeeze spell usage. That's a good price!

[Gallant Armor]

A Cracked Magenta Prism Ioun Stone gives a +2 competence bonus to any skill, swappable once per day for 800 gp.

Unfettered Shirt is great for this. 10k chest slot item for 1/day freedom of movement. If you think that won't be enough, Ring of Freedom of Movement is 40k for continual use.

If your game allows for item stacking, the Cape of the Mountebank is a great choice to get a 1/day dimension door for 16200 GP

One thing to note is trying to get a spell off while grappled requires a difficult to potentially impossible concentration check of DC 10 + the grappler’s CMB + spell level. As an example that would mean a you would need to hit a concentration check of 46 to cast dimension door from the mouth of a T-rex.

Activating a command word item doesn't provoke or require concentration so they are great to have on hand for these situations.

[Ferious Thune]

Talisman of Freedom (Either Lesser for 900, or Greater for 9,000). Will cast Freedom of Movement on you when you are grappled. Lesser is an expendable, Greater is 1/day.