Player: Suigintou
Race: Human
Class: Wiz 4 (Conjurer)
Age: 34
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
TRAITS (these were taken for roleplaying purposes, not optimization):
Easy going (+1 Gather Information; -1 Intimidate & Sense Motive)
Honest (+1 Diplomacy; -1 Bluff & Sense Motive)
Polite (+1 Diplomacy; -2 Intimidate)
STATS (Rolled):
STR: 14 (+2)
DEX: 16 (+3)
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 17 (+3) (16 + 1 at 4th)
WIS: 12 (+1)
CHA: 12 (+1)
SKILLS (STAT) +/-MOD = RANKS + STAT + MISC:
RANKED:
Concentration (CON) +9 = 7 + 2 + 0
Knowledge (Arcana) (INT) +10 = 7 + 3 + 0 (+2 Spellcraft)
Knowledge (History) (INT) +10 = 7 + 3 + 0
Knowledge (Local) (INT) +4 = 1 + 3 + 0 (GM gives us one extra skill point for RP purposes)
Knowledge (Nature) (INT) +10 = 7 + 3 + 0
Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (INT) +10 = 7 + 3 + 0 (+2 Diplomacy)
Spellcraft (INT) +12 = 7 + 3 + 2
SYNERGIES & TRAITS:
Bluff (CHA) +0 = 0 + 1 + -1
Diplomacy (CHA) +4 = 0 + 1 + 4
Gather Information (CHA) +2 = 0 + 1 + 1
Intimidate (CHA) -2 = 0 + 1 + -3
Listen (WIS) +1 = 0 + 1 + 0
Search (INT) +3 = 0 + 3 + 0
Sense Motive (WIS) -1 = 0 + 1 + -2
Spot (WIS) +4 = 0 + 1 + 3 (Owl Familiar)
FEATS:
Class Feature: Scribe Scroll
1: Spellcasting Prodigy (Un-nerffed)
Human Bonus: Spell Focus (Conjuration)
3: Augment Summoning
Spells Known:
Bérenger knows all of the 1st and 2nd level conjuration spells, 1st level transmutation spells, and most of the 1st level abjuration and two diviniation spells. He knows many of the 2nd level transmutation spells, a few 2nd level abjuration and divination spells. Whilst they aren't restricted classese, he has no enchantment or evocation spells, and sees no use for them - he's always been cloistered in his mage college just learning spells for the sake of learning them, or working on inventions that let him make more efficient use of his magic (for example, he invented the printing press because he got sick of casting comprehend languages just to read all of the increadibly old books in an older dialect of his own native tongue, and to save everyone else the trouble). It won't be until a negative backlash from various interested parties over his invention of said printing press that he ends up joining a party of adventurers for his own protection (theres more backstory to it than that, but it's not important here).
Anyway, I've read Treatmonk's guide to being God, and many of the other wizard handbooks, but I was just wondering if you all could look Bérenger over and tell me what you think, or how I can improve him. He's starting at level four, and I cannot change the stats (accept to move them around). Books include PHB, DMG, MM, and Races of Stone - the DM isn't allowing Focused Specialization, and he isn't allowing anything else from FRCS or EBCS (He was gracious enough to allow the Spellcasting Prodigy for roleplaying purposes).
Bérenger fights with a quaterstaff and a dagger, and spent much of his cash on spells, but I can drop a few spells here or there if you have particularly good recommendations for his equipment. Better feats, from the above mentioned books are also accepted.
Part of his backstory is that he has three other friends of similar age, all of whom are also Spellcasting Prodigies (one's an enchanter, another is an Abjurer, and one is a transmuter). All four of them go out into the woods on weekends and camp (why he has an extensive knowledge of nature). Before he was a wizard, he was a history scholar at the ajoining university of the mundane (knowledge history). He and his friends are all very well connected politically (knowledge nobility).
Wow, you actually TOOK Spellcasting Prodigy? Why the HECK would you do that?
I guessed that he's using the old, un-nerfed version. Who am I to ruin his fun? :P
So what are his restricted schools?
Necromancy and Illusion
Augment Conjuration? That ain't no feat I ever heard of. You mean Augment Summoning?
Oops; typo; but yeah.
Wow, you actually TOOK Spellcasting Prodigy? Why the HECK would you do that?
We're just going by the books, and not by the errata. So yes, un-nerfed.
If you don't plan on casting Evocation and Enchantment... why didn't you ban them? They're actually alot better to ban than the two schools you chose, IMO.
Unfortunately, Necro is not an availble school anyway, so it was useful just to chuck it. Also, it's not that I don't plan on using Enchantment or Evocation, but that from the back-story, he just never saw a use for them. He'll go through an adventure or two and wish he did have them and start studying up once he gets some more cash. I wanted them availble for me.
Personally, I just don't care for Illusion.
Also... which book version are you talking here? We're not talking about errata, we're talking about the most recent printing.
Interesting fact: conjuration and illusion render 99% of evocation obsolete.
Also... which book version are you talking here? We're not talking about errata, we're talking about the most recent printing.
Now I'm just confused. What was the original version of Spell Prod, and how has it changed?
According to my book it still treats bonus spells and DCs as if your relavent stat was two higher, so it treats my seventeen as a nineteen. It doesn't do much for me now, but it will once I get that stat bumped up a couple more.
If you have a better recommendation, I'll be glad to hear it. Nothing is completely set in stone yet, as he hasn't been brought into play yet.
Since you have traits from UA, you might want to ask the DM if he allows any of the alternate conjurer features from that book, like replacing Scribe Scroll with Augment Summoning. Probably a futile effort, but hey, it would free up 2 feats.
If you are in fact stuck with just the core books and Races of Stone, I'd focus heavily on battlefield control spells and less on summoning spells, since the base low-level control spells are quite good and require very few feats to improve.
For items, I highly recommend a rod of lesser extend if you can somehow manage to squeeze the money in for it - almost every quality abjuration and conjuration spell can make use of it, and it will probably be more useful than knowing so many spells. There's a non-magical vest in RoS that would give you DR 1 vs piercing for 150g, which is kinda nifty for the price.
Depending on the campaign setting, Knowledge: the Planes makes a lot of sense for a conjurer thematically, and helps with various PrC entrance requirements if you're ever allowed to take a non-core PrC.
Good luck, and have fun!