The Gaming Den

So, jumped into a new campaign/gaming group, managed to convince the DM that we should use Tome because it's actually less likely that we'll have TPKs (since it's me and three new players), and because we're teaching new people how to play D&D, he suggested spell points.

Which I'm a fan of. I know that spell points at high levels are OMGWTFBBQ FIRING MAH LAZOR because you can cast higher level spells more often, though it is offset slightly by the fact that headbands of intellect and the like don't increase your spellpool. Still on the broken side of more power, I suspect.

I throw this open to your comments, but I have two questions first:

1) Is there a Gaming Den Tome wizard handbook? I've been paging through the old WotC CharOp handbook but it's a little older and doesn't have quite the same... bent for breaking things that we all do.

2) Failing that, prestige class/feat/race/specialization suggestions?

Basically, suggestions for "winning"? I suspect that my job might be to keep the party alive, and I haven't played a wizard in a while/very well-ever, so I need to learn how to be a safety net.

1: play a grey elf.
2: double check that int doesn't add spell points (Edit: it totally does)
3: try to convince the dm to let you take the artificer "break an item and suck out the XP like marrow for crafting" thing as a feat or alternate class featurfe.
4: make shit tons of scrolls and make sure other characters have enough umd to use them.

Frank's Spells that Fvcking Kill You (http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?p=31962) is always useful for wizardly types.

That is a really fucking dumb idea.

Prak_Anima wrote:1: play a grey elf.
2: double check that int doesn't add spell points (Edit: it totally does)

This is good.

3: try to convince the dm to let you take the artificer "break an item and suck out the XP like marrow for crafting" thing as a feat or alternate class featurfe.
4: make shit tons of scrolls and make sure other characters have enough umd to use them.

This is dumb.

Step three: use the above list of spells. I think it's missing out on imbue familiar with spell ability exploits if you're playing at level 12+.

In any case, you're probably going to want to drink up some tasty tasty "I didn't fail that save" fatespinner from complete arcane. The mindbender dip with mindsight at sixth level is optional, but delicious.

Thanks, gents. Any suggestions on how to trade my XP-liability familiar for something more interesting/useful? Or should I keep it and just make him stupid-powerful?

Additionally, given the following scores (before adjustments):
Str 12
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 18
Wis 14
Cha 11

Would you:
A) Keep as is, and have a 16 in Dex and a 14 in Con after adjustments, or
B) Swap Dex and Con, resulting in an 18 Dex and a 12 in Con?

Edit: Also, specialization? I seem to recall hearing Frank mentioning that Transmuters are pretty good... Illusion would be next on my list.

I have no idea about spell points.

But for specialization, YES!

Here's a short rundown based on Core Spells only with an eye towards 1st-rd level spells, since those are the levels you're most likely to see in play.

Divination is alright, since the you only give up one school, but it got heavily nerfed from 3.0 to 3.5. If you can get a high damage weapon, True Strike can be okay for the first couple levels, and using Locate Object triangulation is occasionally adventure-breaking.

Conjuration offers Glitterdust, as just the first of many crazy battlefield control and a bunch of SR:No spells that make your MC cry when he realizes the rules say his mage-hosebeast doesn't work like that. This is my number 1 pick for specialization.

Illusion gives you Color Spray, Invisibility and the ability to argue about how illusions actually work. Depending on how you expect such arguments to go, this is either top tier or worthless.

Necromancy is middle of the road. You have some okay damage and save-or-suck options, some oddball utility and False Life to make up for your low HP. While this is good enough to pick as a specialization, there's nothing so terribly unique here that you'll lament missing it if you prohibit Necromancy.

Transmutation is this catch-all of utility and buff spells. It's awesome, but offers no real low-level "enemies lose" spells. Not sure about specializing, but you totally do not want to prohibit this.

Abjuration offers nothing that makes you really want it, but way way too many utility defense spells to think about making it prohibited

Enchantment is theoretically okay, but tends to run into a billion enemies immune to mind-affecting effects and MCs not letting you keep charmed ogres. This school is like illusion that way. Except you don't get Invisibility and Glitterdust, you get Charm Person and Hideous Laughter - which just aren't as good. If you know it's going to be a town adventures game with a lot of investigation, talking and humanoid opponents, this can rock. But if you have one of those MCs with a hard-on for undead, then you'll want to prohibit this.

Evocation is nigh worthless. This should be your first choice for prohibited school. Tenser's Floating disk and the Light spells are the only one lower than 4th level that you might even miss. And having a mule and carrying some sunrods largely compensates for those two.

Other schools keep up for damage and are ahead in save-or-lose spells.

We are thankfully starting at third level, so I have access to second level spells. (and going on from there). Probably looking to prohibit Evocation and either Illusion or Divination, likely specialize in either Transmutation or Conjuration.

Any ideas for getting rid of my walking XP loss, err... familiar? I seem to recall some feats somewhere, but can't seem to find them.

Blicero wrote:Frank's Spells that Fvcking Kill You (http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?p=31962) is always useful for wizardly types.

Frank's Utility Magic is also a useful resource.

Aktariel wrote:We are thankfully starting at third level, so I have access to second level spells. (and going on from there). Probably looking to prohibit Evocation and either Illusion or Divination, likely specialize in either Transmutation or Conjuration.

You can't prohibit Divination. Talking with the MC before banning Illusion would be a good idea. If he lets you trap skeletons and giant scorpions in no-save illusory boxes, then dropping it would be a bad idea.

Any ideas for getting rid of my walking XP loss, err... familiar? I seem to recall some feats somewhere, but can't seem to find them.

Is the MC the kind of guy that would kill your familiar?

Prak_Anima wrote:here

The conjurer and transmuter options are both pretty terrible. The PHB2 has a conjurer ACF that lets you swap your familiar for an immediate action teleport and is better than either of them. Familiars are still better than any stupid wizard tricks.

LR wrote:The conjurer and transmuter options are both pretty terrible. The PHB2 has a conjurer ACF that lets you swap your familiar for an immediate action teleport and is better than either of them. Familiars are still better than any stupid wizard tricks.

I don't think the DM will kill my familiar. But why are they better than any stupid wizard tricks?

The first conjurer trick is decent. Having summons act on the turn you start casting the spell is pretty nice.

Awright. Got the first session played through. Played an Elf Conjurer, 20 Int, the works. Most of the first session was simply spent looking for traps in a rather nasty kobold dungeon, but when we finally did break out into a fight (against 12 kobolds and their two giant lizard mounts), I managed to lay the hurting on.

Powerword Pain, Wall of Smoke, Color Spray, and Shadow Spray hold up very very well in combat, I must say. I only resorted to firing a ray of frost because everything else was literally a waste and it was the easiest way to reach across the map (plus he only had like 3 hp).

So far so good. Think I'll jump into Incantatar (what a stupid name) at 6th level because it's easy and I can reflavor it without trouble, plus I get to win more and help carry the party.

Aktariel: Isn't carrying the party counter-intuitive to a group rp experience. I've always found that when you carry the party, it generates an animus from the other players towards you.

Inherently, yes, but functionally, it depends on how the carrying is being done.

Prak: You can carry the party with the buff system and it works. Piling on buffs and abilities on top of your DMFs allows them to think that they defeat the baddies rather than just your buffs doing it.

SUmmon handling by other players is one of my other method of player carry.

Then there's the whole crowd mechanic (spells like entangle) which again allow the DMF to lay the killing blow.

But Aktariel's list of spells are mostly spells that kill. This sort of carry is the one that makes other players have foaming bile and vitriol at their mouth.

I've always been reticent at having other players run my summons, because the last group I was with didn't really like the idea. It would create a sense of working for the wizard at being more awesome, which is resentment right there. And there can be groups that realize you're carrying them with buffs and crowd control, as I discovered that one time which Cynic can attest.

Conversely, the advantage of letting other players run summons is that it reduces the amount of time that you or the MC spend on resolving your turns and therefore increases other players' participation.

Of course, that can breed resentment as the players, but not those players' characters are the ones participating.