Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Matwal1 Feb 23, 2015 22:58:35	Hello, I am creating a Wizard for a campaign that involves making a stronghold with a group of people and keeping it safe and thriving. Im guessing there will be a lot of undead enemies since the background involves being forced out of homeland by necromancers and undead and a lich black dragon. But this is my first Wizard to roll and I have been reading all through books but Im kind of confused on what skills and feats and ability points to do. And then which type of weapons and armor are best. Any help is much appreciated. What I have so far is http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1131250 but some or even all of it may be wrong.
#2 Slagger_the_Chuul Feb 23, 2015 23:35:57	Firstly, this link shows the sort of things it's useful to know to give you effective help.  That covered, here's a few general tips to get you started:   You are a wizard and you cast spells.  Armour and weapons are generally not so important for you because you want to avoid being hit in the first place and can handle encounters much more effectively with your spells; anyone with functional hands can wield a weapon, but not everyone can cast arcane spells. Try to avoid just throwing out damage.  The warrior types can do that, and they have an unlimited supply of sword swings to do it with.  You'll get better mileage out of spells that destroy your enemies without dealing damage, stop them being able to fight back effectively, or otherwise do things that you can't do with a sword. Intelligence is your priority for ability points; the better you are at spellcasting, the better you are overall.  Feats can depend on exactly how you decide to do things, and skills should generally focus on supporting your spellcasting (Concentration for making sure you can cast reliably, for example) followed by whatever else you might need.
#3 Matwal1 Feb 24, 2015 1:00:33	Alright well then here is the stuff that you need to know. Starting level is 5. this campaign will be so long term that there is a chance I will die of old age.   Goal is to build a stronghold and keep it going and defend it from any enemies that threaten it while building alliances. There may be a lot of undead in this campaign.   I want my character to be able to be effective in combat and out of combat. a little diverse. but mostly I would like him to be like this wise wizard that can hold off on his own if need be and destroy plenty of enemies.   So far I know my party consists of 2 clerics. One is a healer and the other hasnt replied yet. Another one posted about maybe playing a bard or druid   The rules the Dm said we were gonna follow so far are just any of the 3.5 handbook stuff. it all seems basic so far.   Starting wealth is 9000 gp and cant have one item over 2250 and the rest are 1750 or under he said. We get get a complementary horse for ourselves and then a wagon two mules to share, then our own tent 5 days of rations and a stash of 4500 gold to support our stronghold. We also get a free cast 0-level spells one battle and one utility that are able to be cast on will when we want. DM has to approve them though.   The ability scores we start with is 25 point buy (or 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8)   And this will be my first wizard and second campaign to be part of so I am still considered a noob.   Here is a link to the background and campaign details if you want more background.    Campaign details: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?398910-OOC-A-World-in-Darkness&p=18866026#post18866026 Campaign Background: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?398900-A-World-in-Darkness&p=18828012#post18828012
#4 Matwal1 Feb 24, 2015 14:19:33	Bump
#5 Krusk Feb 24, 2015 15:35:23	give it a day or two before bumping. Not a high traffic forum anymore.    Don't use mythweavers. use pen and paper. Especially if new to the game. If you've done a thousand characters go ahead, but when learning it helps to actually do the math. Otherwise mythweavers skips stuff and you don't remember it. (for instance all of your saving throws and attacks should be way higher) Int is your primary stat. Max it to the extend of everything else. You did point buy. Drop your wisdom quite a bit. My 25PB wizard would probably be Int 16, Con 14, Dex 14, Str 8, Wis 10, cha 9. You're level 5, so you have a bonus ability point. Put it in Int. Continue doing this for every level for the rest of the game. Weapons. who cares. If you really really care buy a light crossbow, and a dagger. If you think its undead heavy, swap it for a sling and a club. Skills - its an undead game. Max out knowledge religion and probably arcane. Your max skill rank at level 5 is 8, and you should have that. Be sure to note skill synergys and dump 5 ranks in anything that provides one that you think is handy. Its like free skills. Feats - H, 1, 3. You didn't pick any, and you've got 3 to pick from. I'll recomend spell focus and greater spell focus, as your DCs will be the single most important thing for your character. Your third feat can be spell focus (something else). It looks like you like summoning though, so take augment summoning.  Spells - Its an undead heavy game. You want command undead. for unintelligent undead, you now own them for the next 5 days, no save. For intelligent undead its a save or think you are their best bud.  Spells - Get rid of Fireball, scorcing ray, burning hands, and shocking grasp. You can probably ditch spectral hand too. You are a wizard. If you wanted to do damage at a range you'd be an archer, and you'd probably be better at it. Instead, take spells like web and color spray. Sleep is a good one, but not against undead. Consider any of the following. Fly, Blink, Ray of Exhaustion,  stinking cloud, rope trick, knock, blindness/deafness, shatter, feather fall, ray of enfeeblement. You can also pay to learn spells you don't learn from leveling up. You should probably do this. Get rid of the hawk. Toads are where it is at low levels. Extra HP is nice, +3 to spot isn't. Flight is neat for scouting, but depending on your DM its also key to getting your familiar killed. The item rules are killing you, because you should really buy a headband of int +2, but without it thats fine. Go for the following. : Pearl of Power 1st level, Cloak of Resistance +1, ring of protection +1, brooch of shielding, hand of the mage, wand of magic missile, wand of identify (check the cost, I didn't calculate it but guessed),
#6 Krusk Feb 24, 2015 15:38:09	Also, for defense, your group should buy a http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#stoneofAlarm stone of alarm. Use it as your doorknob or something. When people try to sneak in, it will alert you.
#7 Andarious-Rosethorn Feb 24, 2015 16:26:23	For the love of god get Grease as well. That spell is so effective vs the bulk of corperal Undead.
#8 Matwal1 Feb 24, 2015 16:32:45	Awesome thanks for reply! Im redoing everything now. I was using Myth Weavers cause the DM asked us to use that. I didnt realize all the stuff about it that you said.
#9 Slagger_the_Chuul Feb 24, 2015 22:22:44	You could also consider taking a rat as your familiar for its +2 bonus to Fortitude saves; in a game with a lot of undead, it wouldn't hurt to be better at resisting things like paralysis from ghouls and other bodily dangerous attacks.
#10 NineInchNall Feb 25, 2015 9:30:47	Also, Spell Mastery is crap on a stick made of crap. You should replace it with something a little less fecal in composition, like Extend Spell, which can at least be used with rope trick to provide a safe rest area.
#11 Andarious-Rosethorn Feb 25, 2015 10:30:37	Lies... well, sort of. Spell Mastery qualifies you for the brokenness that is Uncanny Forethought. Take Spell Mastery a couple (2-3) times at the right levels and get Uncanny Forethought after your first time taking it (I like 5/6 back to back), and your spellbook is sort of the thing you doodle in after that.
#12 NineInchNall Feb 25, 2015 10:59:27	Um ...   matwal1 wrote:
#13 Matwal1 Feb 25, 2015 21:16:19	I figured out its only 3.5e for race and classes. So I could take uncanny Forethought
#14 NineInchNall Feb 25, 2015 22:18:52	In that case, Uncanny Forethought is the shizzle.