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Augment Summoning is Level 3 Heroism, except it only targets creatures you summoned, applies to more stats, takes 1 Action instead of 2, has no range limitations, and can be re-cast multiple times throughout the day. That's what you consider bad?
Yep. It only taking 1 action is balanced for 13 levels by you needing to be sustaining a summoning spell each round you can cast it. The flipside of being recastable is that you can only cast it as many times as you have summon spells. And targeting only creatures summoned is what makes it mediocre. You take a creature that is concretely 2-4 levels behind the party and make them slightly less bad in combat. And this is using your best spells. I still think it is useful, because no matter what there are going to be plenty of turns where the summoner needs to move and has a spare action as a result, but I don't think it is worth doing just for its own benefits, at least before Effortless Concentration comes online.
But, that's all I really have to say in this thread about augment summoning. It isn't really related to the wizard's niche.
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Wizards get the largest spell list in the game, which has so many spells for covering different situations that the class itself doesn't really have a specific role. You can buff, debuff, do damage, CC, provide utility, summon - aside from healing and condition removal, their spell list seems like it has a bit of everything. They're a generalist, and unlike in PF1, that's really not a death sentence for a PF2 build. Just invest in Intelligence and maybe pick up a metamagic here or there and you're golden.
The full saying actually goes “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
So, I'm still working on the level 9 wizard to showcase the niche (out of 1, 4, 9, 13, and 18, in order), but something occurs to me: two quotes from the OP, about halfway down the first page.
"Transmuter, yes, blaster, absolutely no. I actually think you can make a good Wizard blaster."
"I just get very jaded when I see Druids and think "this character would work mechanically so much better as a Druid","
Druids don't get very many Will Save spells, do they? And will saves aren't often the mark of blasting...
Is that impression right? A moderate lack of Primal actions that target Will saves?
Is that impression right? A moderate lack of Primal actions that target Will saves?
Yes, just as Occult lacks spells with reflex saves. With Divine being the least offensive of the four spell traditions, Arcane is by far the best at targeting weak saves with a variety of effects.
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Sorry for taking so long, but Wizards are hard to build. I promised this: Adventurous Transmuter.
Do people agree
1) This has a niche that Druids can't poach, thank you certain Wizard class features and feats, and Will save spells
2) This has a niche that Bards can't poach, thank you powerful blasts.
3) This does NOT poach anyone else's niche? Of course Bards have better support powers and of course Druids are better at killing things. Except possibly for having enough Int to poach a Bard's knowledges, but that's more secondary overlap.
4) this is viable? I optimized slightly. I stopped at a point, though, so there's room to make it even stronger.
and 5, most importantly) That this showcases the Niche of the Wizard class.
@james014Aura: You got Black Tentacles in the wrong spell slot. It's actually a 5th level spell now.
@james014Aura: You got Black Tentacles in the wrong spell slot. It's actually a 5th level spell now.
Thanks. I'll fix that later (but soon-ish). Probably a heightened Dispel Magic, or Veil.
Sorry for taking so long, but Wizards are hard to build. I promised this: Adventurous Transmuter.
I think we have quite a different definition of niche, or rather, I am not using niche as just a basic "can do things a different class cannot".
Now, speaking for myself, and using your definition of niche (i.e., something other class cannot do), answers to your questions:
Do people agree
1) This has a niche that Druids can't poach, thank you certain Wizard class features and feats, and Will save spells
Only due to Will save spells, and just barely. Features and feats add nothing of note.
Note that Druids can summon Fey, which can provide plenty of Will save spells against lower level opponents.2) This has a niche that Bards can't poach, thank you powerful blasts.
Yes.
3) This does NOT poach anyone else's niche? Of course Bards have better support powers and of course Druids are better at killing things. Except possibly for having enough Int to poach a Bard's knowledges, but that's more secondary overlap.
Druids are far better at support as well due to simple access to the critical Heal spell.
4) this is viable? I optimized slightly. I stopped at a point, though, so there's room to make it even stronger.
Viable, yes.
and 5, most importantly) That this showcases the Niche of the Wizard class.
Again, by your definition, yes.
I, however, am not satisfied with a niche of "Wizards can cast both Bard and Druid spells at the same time", since they cannot do anything else competently, nor are they particularly good at casting these spells.
Also, the focus on blasting/damage spells is also highly unsatisfying, far more appropriate to sorcerers by lore.