Spellbook: Straightforward WF wizard for mod9

[geoffhanna]

I'm not certain what a mod9 caster looks like, but wonder if it might not want to load up on force damage and spell pen.

I picked force spec because none of the spells have saves and it will make for a killer repair capability. But the lack of a persistent AoE force spell may mean a switch to fire/cold or acid/lightning. The player will have to decide once he's gotten into the leveling. If a change is desired, it is a trivial enhancement swap.

Please review and help me refine this. My own characters, hey I can reroll ;) but this is for a friend and I want it to be good.



Spellbook: Warforged Pure-class Wizard
Level 16 Lawful Neutral Warforged Male
(16 Wizard)

The constraints:
Must be WF
Must be caster
Must self-heal
Will only be castering, not intended to ever melee
I offered a pure caster, a rogue/wiz with UMD, and a monk/wiz with hit points and great saves. My friend chose the pure caster; I am trying to build him one that will be effective in Mod9:
Top-shelf force and repair casting
Top-shelf spell penetration
I am trying to create as effective a pure caster as can be done with a WF


Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 16)
Strength 12 12
Dexterity 8 8
Constitution 18 20
Intelligence 18 24
Wisdom 8 8
Charisma 6 6

Tomes Used Saves
none Fortitude: 12
Reflex: 14
Will: 11
The Level 20 ability point goes into INT too.

Saves are low until you include items or tomes. With +5 resistance and up to +10 in item/tome attribute bonus they get better: 27/29/26?

Note the use of Insightful Reflexes means DEX can be a dump stat.


Hit Points AC
80 wizard20 10 base
80 con -1 dex
20 heroic 1 ritual
30 GFL 6 ac item
60 con (item) ==
10 draconic vitality 16
===
280
Hitpoints seem pretty good for a wiz. Throw in a tome and they get even better. AC is not, but a non-combat wizard doesn't really care.


Spell Points Spell Pen
1000 lvl 20 20 wizard levels
350 INT 2 Spell Penetration feat
75 INT item 3 Wizard Spell Penetraton III
110 energy of scholar IV 2 Greater Spell Penetration feat
105 Imp. Mental Toughness 2-4 Spell Pen/Greater Spell pen item
105 Mental Toughness ===
200 arch magi item 29-31
150 greensteel item
====
2095
Force and repair will have max damage, max crit chance, and max crit damage. The new AoE force missile spell will do nicely :)


Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 16)
Concentration 7 23
Balance 1 8.5
Haggle -2 7.5
Jump 1 4
Repair 8 26
Search 6 16.5
Tumble 1 8.5

The key skills are concentration and repair. The others are a grab bag of what seems like it might be helpful.


Feats
Level 1: Extend Spell (Wizard Bonus)
Level 1: Insightful Reflexes
Level 3: Mental Toughness
Level 5: Maximize Spell (Wizard Bonus)
Level 6: Improved Mental Toughness
Level 9: Spell Penetration
Level 10: Empower Spell (Wizard Bonus)
Level 12: Greater Spell Penetration
Level 15: Enlarge Spell
Level 15: Heighten Spell (Wizard Bonus)

Not really sure what to suggest for feat @ 18, or for the bonus wizard feat @ 20.

One option would be to swap the Enlarge spell at 15 for Spell Focus:Necromancy and then take Greater SF:N @18th to boost FoD and Wail of the Banshee.


Enhancements
Wizard Improved Maximizing III
Wizard Elemental Manipulation I
Wizard Energy Manipulation I
Wizard Force Manipulation III
Wizard Lineage of Force III
Wizard Lineage of Deadly Force III
Wizard Spell Penetration III
Wizard Energy of the Scholar III
Wizard Intelligence II
Warforged Constitution II
Warforged Inscribed Armor I


I didn't attempt to pick enhancements after 16th level, but can see wanting Force Manipulation IV, Intelligence III, and Energy of the Scholar IV.



This build created with the help of
Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 2.96
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)
Thanks Ron!

[Edits] Moved some WIS into CON
Dropped AC items
Updated Spell Pen breakdown
Updated HP breakdown
Dropped Diplo added BalanceThanks for the comments!

[TreknaQudane]

Pretty Generic Wizard, nothing horrible about it.



That being said, there are a few issues I have with it.

Wizards progress with Will as their only good save, Starting with a 12 wisdom is a bit overkill. As a caster you've more to fear from Reflex Saves to prevent massive damage and Fortitude to prevent kill effects than you do from enchantments.

Consider taking Toughness, the actual feat, instead of a Improved Mental Toughness. At 20, IMT is only 105 Mana, where as the Toughness feat nets you 22 HP, and the option for 40 more from Enhancements due to being a Warforged. Miss casting two spells using metamagics has the possibility to use up that extra mana.

Seriously consider working in two feats for Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus. As a force/repair based caster, debuffs and the like will be important for this type of character since Force-typed spells are very limited (Magic Missile, Force Missile, list's over)

[geoffhanna]

Hmmm. I don't know about Toughness, 105 spell points is significant, and Spellbook should not often need an extra 22 hit points (or even 62 with Racial Toughness enhancements).

I could take 4 off WIS and add 2 to CON. That adds 20 HP, and I agree that loading WIS is really not very helpful.

There is already room for Spell Focus/Greater Spell Focus. I assumed it would be best used for Necromancy, your comment seems to suggest otherwise. What school would you suggest? There is not room to focus on more than one school.

p.s. there is a new AoE force spell in mod9

[Harncw]

the AoE force spell in mod 9 was pretty weak last time I looked at it.

EDIT: so weak I forget what it's name was.

[Aspenor]

EDIT: so weak I forget what it's name was.

Chain Missiles, IIRC.

[jmonty]

i would swap enlarge for toughness and i'd take balance instead of repair or any of those skills besides concentration.

[Aspenor]

Balance over repair (repair is broken, IIRC), UMD over Haggle (Haggle on a wizard? HAH! But I've seen WF wizards get UMD high enough to use raise dead scrolls). I'd also take something else instead of search....why would a wizard search? Cast detect secret doors from a wand. Diplomacy will also be useless for you as well. Consider Hide and Move Silently a'la Ghoste.

[geoffhanna]

the AoE force spell in mod 9 was pretty weak last time I looked at it.

EDIT: so weak I forget what it's name was.

LOL

Regarding repair: It's broken? Really? Not going to change to UMD with a 6 CHA: the ability to cast scrolls of cure light wounds fails to impress me. Might want to add Balance tho instead of Repair. Or more Jump.

Really it's broken?

[Aspenor]

LOL

Regarding repair: It's broken? Really? Not going to change to UMD with a 6 CHA: the ability to cast scrolls of cure light wounds fails to impress me. Might want to add Balance tho instead of Repair. Or more Jump.

Really it's broken?

From what I've heard, repair does not actually provide any benefit (cannot offer conclusive opinion, but I've seen it a few times).

What's the difference between having diplomacy with 6 CHA, and UMD with 6 CHA? You won't be able to effectively use diplomacy, either.

[geoffhanna]

Probably none. Probably need to reallocate the diplo points too.

[ninjaeli]

Con really doesn't need to be high anyway my lvl 16 drow has 156 base + mino's legen + dusk heart +draconic vitality + rage = 212, and saves just take nightshield lvl 9 is +3 to saves and gh is +4. take 4 outta con and put dex good for AC
my wizzy buffed up shield - bark - dragoncrafted armor bard ac + 7 item= 44 rage might bring down by 2 but extra hp and fortitude save is worth , also helps with will save based skills.

[VKhaun]

Disagree with spirit of the thread so far. Max that con and will save. Nothing you get by dropping it is really noticable. Saving vs command or surviving something a squishier person wouldn't, is tangible.

[Jay203]

i wouldn't rely on chain missles, only the innitial damage does nice damage, the spreads are so timid it's not worth relying on for damage

EDIT: you forgot heroic durability for hp, as well as the dragonic vitality

[geoffhanna]

Re: CON - Not adding more to CON. Its a wizard! LOL with an 18 CON already.

Re: Force spec - Yes it seems weak. But can be changed at will by the player so not really something I am fretting.

Re: Hitpoints -

Hit Points
80 wizard20
80 CON
20 heroic durability
10 draconic vitality
30 GFL
60 con (item)
===
280

I think only draconic vitality was skipped. 280 ought to be plenty. I expect the player may forego GFL but wiz have spare item slots so maybe not.