Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Malakai_Demonos 05-06-06, 02:50 PM	Hey everyone, how are you? I am currently making a 15th level Drawf wizard for an on going campaign that I am just joining. The Party already has a great battle field controller, an Indiana Jones wanna be. He is a lasher and trips and disarms like no ones business. Plus they have 2 clerics, a charger and a couple of other people that I am not sure of. So I won't need to be too worried about battle field control or buffing. But mainly damage. We rolled our stats and I wound up with: Str 15 Dex 16 Con 17 (+2 Drawf, +6 Shirt of Health) 25 Int 18 (+3 levles, +6 Head band of Intelect) 27 Wis 14 Cha 14 (-2 Drawf) I went drawf for the fact that I have never seen a Dwarven Wizard and it sounds cool. I also went drawf so I could take runesmith and be a wizard in full plate for the low cost of one feat and one class level (still a caster level so none of that lost) I am planning on going something like this, Wiz 10/Runesmith 1/ Geometer 2/ Archmage 2. For Arch mage I went with Mastery of shaping and Mastery of Elements, Sonic Ball baby. My feats are: Skill focus (spellcraft) Spell focus (conj) All three prereqs for Arch-Mage Spell fucus (evoc) Armor Prof. (Heavy) for Runesmith Twin spell Quicken spell Maximize spell Spell penetration I took quicken and twin because my friend said that we only have 3 or 4 battles a day so I wanted to get off as many spells as possible in a round. I know that Armor Prof (heavy) usaually needs prof light and med. but the example of a runesmith in RoS has just prof (heavy). Again the plan for this guy is to be a blaster and I want to stick with drawf and still be a wiz, could go sorceror but don't want that flavor for this character. I can use most books except FR or Eberron. I am bascially just looking for some more ideas for feats or PrC, etc. I would appreciate any feed back and thanks ahead of time. And if I left out any info needed just let me know I think I covered every thing.
elthenar 05-06-06, 10:10 PM	Big problem with your build there...in order to take armor prof. (heavy) you need to meet the prereq. Those are armor prof (light) and (med). so in order to do this build you would need to spend 2 more feats to get the prereqs for runesmith, or you could ditch the armor prof feat and take a fighter level but that would cost you a very big caster level. Another route you could take is the dragon slayer out of Draconimicon. I don't have the book handy, i think it takes iron will and something else and you get all armor and up to martial weapons, your caster level and i think immunity to fear
EldonG 05-06-06, 11:28 PM	If you wanna be an armored blaster, try looking at Warmage...something like Ftr1/Wmg8/Elk10/X1...wear mithral plate and empower your choice of 15 die blasts many times a day...3x 'free'. :)
Avanter 05-07-06, 10:15 AM	go with this... Fighter1/Wizard6/Runesmith3/Bloodmagus10 MAx INT and CON..take toughness at first level..to qualify for bloodmagus.. I had this build and had the most hitpoints in the party..as the wizard..
Malakai_Demonos 05-07-06, 01:01 PM	Big problem with your build there...in order to take armor prof. (heavy) you need to meet the prereq. Those are armor prof (light) and (med). so in order to do this build you would need to spend 2 more feats to get the prereqs for runesmith, or you could ditch the armor prof feat and take a fighter level but that would cost you a very big caster level. Another route you could take is the dragon slayer out of Draconimicon. I don't have the book handy, i think it takes iron will and something else and you get all armor and up to martial weapons, your caster level and i think immunity to fear I did address this is my post and it is a big problem. However, the Example of a runesmith in Races of Stone is 5 wiz and yet only took Armor Prof (Heavy). So I am going off of, if it is good enough for them, good enough for me. I don't know if it was just a big oversight or if dwarves are special like that and they just forget to tell us. But of that is what they did, its what I can do. I know it is almost chessy of me to say so, but its 2 feats I won't need that are for a class that is mostly flavor and not that great. As for the warmage, I also want some versatility when it comes to spells. I don't want to only be a blaster, just primarily a blaster. Plus, warmages lack some of the cool spells from Spell Compendium.
Malakai_Demonos 05-07-06, 01:06 PM	If you wanna be an armored blaster, try looking at Warmage...something like Ftr1/Wmg8/Elk10/X1...wear mithral plate and empower your choice of 15 die blasts many times a day...3x 'free'. :) The problem with that is that I lose 2 caster levels, which I don't want to do no matter what. Plus, how do you get that you can empower spells many times a day free. When the warmage gets empower spell, it is only one time a day. If you know something I don't, please let me know. And, thanks for your help everyone.
TinManFan 05-07-06, 02:49 PM	Why not Artificer (Re-arranging some stats is needed)? Make wants of blasting spells, scrolls of buff spells, and they get some armor too...
Llochlyn 05-07-06, 03:00 PM	because it's not a dwarven wizards, for the fun of it... Artificer is always better anyway... Well it's common knowledge that sample characters are often hastily built and forget some rules... one sample character does not prevail over all other rule text in your PHB. You need those proficiencies and the fighter level is the easiest way to get them. Heck, you could even use the bonus feat to take "exotic armor proficiency : mountain plate" or "heavy armor optimization" That said, if the proficiency is not a prerequisite for the class, remember you can use an armor and get the AC bonus even if you don't know how to use it... You'll just incur the armor penalty on more checks. Many more, make sure to take a look at the rules. Now, for your build, you probably could do better than wizard 10. Take the geometer and runesmith levels sooner, and insert another caster PrC in the middle of the build, before archmage. Mage of the arcane order could fit for this "rigid caster" feeling...
catharz 05-07-06, 03:19 PM	You could do the classic Dragonslayer dip to get armor & weapon proficiency. Generally speaking, the best match for Dragonslayer is Incantatrix, but without FR you basically have your pick or the standard wizard PrCs (or lack thereof). Wizard 10/Dragonslayer 1/Runesmith 5/Spellsword 1 (17th level) preserves full spellcasting. After that it isn't much of a sacrifice to boost your BAB (you already have 9th level spells), which could give a final build like Wiz 6/DS 1/RS 5/SS 4, or Wiz 6/DS 1/RS 5/SS 3/Fighter 1, or whatever.
Balkazar 05-07-06, 03:23 PM	Just go with what you want, in the end its your choice, each of us has a different way to do things. If you go fighter then dip into fighter 2 lvls to get 2 xtra feats, but you will be down in casting bye 2 lvls which really isnt that big of a problem, then go into wizard, then runesmith, then Eldritch knight, or even spellsword is good. Dont go full plate, if you have a dex you want that dex for initiative and to add it to reflex, fighters stink with reflex so if you have a 16 into dex, then get breastplate, if you can get mithral breastplate its even better on so many lvls. :). Its not always the wisest to go with the best armor unless you have the special ability ((Recall from Defenders of the faith)) on it, if your going to be the tank and absorb the damage then go Adamantine plate, or if your a warforge, Adamantine body. I have to agree that artificers are a better blaster, but in order to play an artificer you have to READ! everything you can about them, get a feel for them. Know where to put feats to get the best out of the character, meaning, for me its better to take empower spell over maximize spell, better to get twin spell instead of split ray tho both will help, in order to make a good wizard or any character for that matter take time to research everything you can about the character so when you play the character you know what your doing, I have about 30 build guides and Handbooks together on my computer bookmarked and I read them all the time, I read them to get a feel for them, so if I have to make a character on the fly then I know what im going. It also helps to thing about what your going to go, AKA day dream. Think about what you want your character to do, what his personality will be, how will you role play the character, then try to find feats and stuff that best represent that. The people on these boards can only advise you in what they would do, they can only advise you in what build you should go, and they will under some circumstances give you something TOTALLY! opposite of what you want to go, but they are also trying to help you go and create a good character. When it comes to blaster IMO, its better to go artificer, or warmage, if you want versatility in blasting, Artificer, mage, sorcerer, are the keys, if you want to have some fighting abilities while trying to fill your role as a range fighter or a crafter, or whatnot, go and dip into ftr atleast 2 lvls, then from there go whatever direction you want to go. Depending on your DM you can get away with alot of things if you can exploit the brokeness of things, but remember also its wise to read ALOT!, even if you dont think you will need it, ((Read, read, read, read, and read some more)) thats the key if you want to make a good blaster. If your going ebberron a good blaster would be a fighter2/artificer, if you feel a lil freaky beyond freakyness, you could try to go a ftr2/warmage :) Sense you want to go dwarf, go either a ftr 2/warmage, ftr 2/wizard, or a ftr 2/sorcerer. With those combos right there then you are opened up to PrC's like spellsword, or rune smith, along with quite a few others, if you wanna go a lil more freaky. Go with a halfling rogue 1, wizard 5, Dagger spell mage 10. Right there you are open to whatever floats your boat. Try to pick a race that would mix well. Like, halflings favored class is rogue, which means you can branch off to something else without suffering XP penalty cost, or a dwarf ftr/mage, no penalty cost. But keep in mind that Artificers are only good to about lvl 13 or so, depends if you want to go and be a blaster with staves or not, personally I would stick with lvl 7 artificer, or if I think we need rods or something then go to lvl 10 I believe. But in the end its your choice in what you do. I probly just shot everyone trying to tell you what to do down but oh well its the simple fact on these boards. We can only advise, but in the end its all down to you. We can only open up options for you to follow or not. Dwarf wizard would be interesting tho :).
Malakai_Demonos 05-07-06, 05:28 PM	I would love to do artificer, but don't have the books and the DM pry wouldn't allow it anyway, he comes to these boards, knows how broken it can be if used right. But I really don't know his feelings on it that too well, but with no book, not an option. The party needs arcane might more that they need a gish, so sacrificing caster levels just isn't appealing to me. I will pry go the dragon slayer route, though that means one less feat. I am tempted to give up arch-mage but a sonic ball that can't hurt any of my allies is just so appealing; but those three feats suck. Spell focus is alright, but skill focus(spellcraft), makes me sick to my stomach it's so worthless. And I just really want to be a drawf wizard in full plate, a drawf sorc. would pry be better because I could take the racial substitution levels from Races of Stone, but I have already played and played with too many sorcerors and just haven't seen enough wizards, especially dwarven wizards. Thanks for all the input so far guys. And a special nod to Balkazar for being so nice, knowledgeable, and helpful, thanks man.
mirconium 05-07-06, 06:21 PM	I see that you have decent Dex, so you may be intrested in Moonbow, from the Spell Compendium. 3 ranged touch attacks, 1.5 d6 damage max 30d6 per level, no save level 5. Good spell for sheer damage
Malakai_Demonos 05-07-06, 06:44 PM	Moonbow is awsome, that is a lot of damage, especially if you add on empower and/or maximize, owww. Thanks BTW. I am now thinking of foregoing armor and taking Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. It seems pretty cool and the warding seems awsome, conceilment and all of the tasty veils. I am foregoing armor to give people more incentive to approach me. Try to play up the weak feeble wizard in a robe thing thing. I have 154 hp so I can afford letting enemies get close to me.
Valanthe 05-07-06, 08:09 PM	Until you get grappled. And then you cry.
EldonG 05-07-06, 08:10 PM	The problem with that is that I lose 2 caster levels, which I don't want to do no matter what. Plus, how do you get that you can empower spells many times a day free. When the warmage gets empower spell, it is only one time a day. If you know something I don't, please let me know. And, thanks for your help everyone. Hmmm...my Complete Arcane says that at 7th level, they get Sudden Empower as a free feat. Sudden Empower works 3x a day, according to its description. Am I missing something?
Malakai_Demonos 05-07-06, 09:34 PM	Hmmm...my Complete Arcane says that at 7th level, they get Sudden Empower as a free feat. Sudden Empower works 3x a day, according to its description. Am I missing something? Well my copy of comp. arcane says that sudden empower is once per day. And the warmage says you get sudden empower as the feat. Hense only once a day. Maybe your thinking of empower spell-like ability, which won't work on actual spells. So no dice. But thanks for your input though. Originally posted by Valanthe Until you get grappled. And then you cry. That is a fear for all casters, well except for when I have my veil active that will force them to make a fort save each round or be disintagrated. They will eventually fail their save, and you can't deal much damage in a grapple, well except for some crazy builds. Again thanks everyone, and does anyone know if you can still cast spells while you have your Indigo Veil active.
EldonG 05-08-06, 02:07 AM	Well my copy of comp. arcane says that sudden empower is once per day. And the warmage says you get sudden empower as the feat. Hense only once a day. Maybe your thinking of empower spell-like ability, which won't work on actual spells. So no dice. But thanks for your input though. I went and took a look, and I stand corrected. I know the rods are 3x/day...maybe I got confused with 'em...