Enchanter build

[Zebonator]

I want to try to make a specialist wizard focused on enchantment spells. I know you can't specialize in this game as you would in DnD PnP but I am trying to come as close creating an enchanter. I want to focus on spells like Charm Person/Monster so I'm willing to sacrifice damage for Crowd Control. I figure since Extend Spell feat works with anything with durations I could be a group buffer in a way with spells like haste/blur etc.

Right now I am currently a Human 1 Wizard/ 1 Sorcerer ( I figured the bonus with spellpoints from items )
My stats are the follow
Str 8
Dex 10
Con 12
Int 18
Wis 12
Cha 10

As my beginning feats I went with:
Extend Spell Metamagic Feat
Mental Toughness
Spell Focus: Enchant

Are there any good builds out there that carter to my idea? If not does any experience wizard players have any tips/advice they could share?

Thanks

[Rawum]

I personally would drop your dex (use insightful reflexes) and cha and get a few more points of str so you don't get burdened and con cause con is good to have for everyone.

Most importantly though do NOT multiclass sorc and wiz. The bonus sp from items is prorated. Meaning that at level 19/1 you will get only 5% more sp. Not worth it at all when you consider what you will be giving up - Capstone, spell penetration and high level spell slots

[Shishizaru]

I would listen to Rawum's advice. Wizard and Sorcerer do not mix well. Since you are only level 2, rerolling now will save you much trouble later down the road.

A typical Wizard build will max INT, push CON as high as possible, then put the rest in STR. Warforged is probably the most recommended race due to the ability to self-heal via Repair spells (in addition to having numerous immunities).

Aside from that, Toughness is always a good feat to take. Heighten Spell may also be helpful a little later on.

[Zereth501]

I would advise to use one of the good builds on the wizard forum as a template, and change it to include spell focus : enchantment and greater spell focus : enchantment.

Go either pure wizard or pure sorcerer. Rawum is right.

Drop the dexterity and wisdom : they won't do you any good. Get con up to 15 and get the human adaptability : consitution at level 13, or put it at 14 and set your charisma at 12. Get your strength up to 10.

Max use magic device and concentration. Balance is a good idea.

Extend spell is actually not very useful on mind affecting spells because they last long enough already, but it's a good choice anyway for buffs, especialy haste.

Being an enchanter is fine, but do not forget that your primary advantage as a wizard is your versatility. Get greater spell focus enchantment but make sure you can do other things. This might be the most important advice in my whole post.

Here are the feats I advise at which level. Raw power have been sacrificied to get spell focus feats earlier. :

1. Toughness, Extend spell, Mental Toughness.
3. Spell focus enchantment.
5. Maximize spell.
6. Insightful reflexes.
9. Greater spell focus enchantment.
10. Heighten spell.
12. Spell Penetration.
15. Greater Spell penetration, quicken spell.
18. Empower spell.
20. Enlarge spell.

You may want to switch greater spell focus enchantment and empower spell for higher damage when mind control just doesn't cut it (undeads).

As a wizard, try out all your spells. Be prepared to face any situation, and react accordingly. If you ever cast an enchantment spell because you want to cast enchantments spells, and not because it's the best solution, something is wrong. Of course, there are many situtations where it is the best answer, and many other where it is one of the best, so don't worry, you can play an enchanter just fine. Just make sure you don't go crazy on it.

Look in your feats list. There is a dismiss charm feat. Bring that to your hotbar : it lets you dispel your own enchantments. It has to be used at close range. Your allies can't kill mind controlled foes, so you want to release them when nothing else is left standing. Also, never mind control something that is near death, or your team is going to kill you.

You can scribe spells from scrolls, but there are a few ones that are not available from the vendors. Look for a list (I'm too lazy to find one for you.) and make sure to choose those at level up. A good trick is to collect all scrolls that are too high level for you to cast yet, and scribe them just before you level. So you will only see spells you do not have on the level up screen.

During your career, look for all items that increase your HP and consitution. Those are your second target after items that increase intelligence.

[xtchizobr]

I would advise to use one of the good builds on the wizard forum as a template, and change it to include spell focus : enchantment and greater spell focus : enchantment.

Go either pure wizard or pure sorcerer. Rawum is right.

Drop the dexterity and wisdom : they won't do you any good. Get con up to 15 and get the human adaptability : consitution at level 13, or put it at 14 and set your charisma at 12. Get your strength up to 10.

Max use magic device and concentration. Balance is a good idea.

Extend spell is actually not very useful on mind affecting spells because they last long enough already, but it's a good choice anyway for buffs, especialy haste.

Being an enchanter is fine, but do not forget that your primary advantage as a wizard is your versatility. Get greater spell focus enchantment but make sure you can do other things. This might be the most important advice in my whole post.

Here are the feats I advise at which level. Raw power have been sacrificied to get spell focus feats earlier. :

1. Toughness, Extend spell, Mental Toughness.
3. Spell focus enchantment.
5. Maximize spell.
6. Insightful reflexes.
9. Greater spell focus enchantment.
10. Heighten spell.
12. Spell Penetration.
15. Greater Spell penetration, quicken spell.
18. Empower spell.
20. Enlarge spell.

You may want to switch greater spell focus enchantment and empower spell for higher damage when mind control just doesn't cut it (undeads).

As a wizard, try out all your spells. Be prepared to face any situation, and react accordingly. If you ever cast an enchantment spell because you want to cast enchantments spells, and not because it's the best solution, something is wrong. Of course, there are many situtations where it is the best answer, and many other where it is one of the best, so don't worry, you can play an enchanter just fine. Just make sure you don't go crazy on it.

Look in your feats list. There is a dismiss charm feat. Bring that to your hotbar : it lets you dispel your own enchantments. It has to be used at close range. Your allies can't kill mind controlled foes, so you want to release them when nothing else is left standing. Also, never mind control something that is near death, or your team is going to kill you.

You can scribe spells from scrolls, but there are a few ones that are not available from the vendors. Look for a list (I'm too lazy to find one for you.) and make sure to choose those at level up. A good trick is to collect all scrolls that are too high level for you to cast yet, and scribe them just before you level. So you will only see spells you do not have on the level up screen.

During your career, look for all items that increase your HP and consitution. Those are your second target after items that increase intelligence.

if anything, mind control of undead is easier than against living targets (most notably early on). Halt Undead is a wide area effect similar to Mass Hold. Control and Command Undead have special functionality which makes them superior to Charm in almost every way... i think those spells are technically necromancy, but they fit with an enchanter's ethos, i guess. keep in mind that Charms and Dominate may simply not be enough to kill things quickly enough, sometimes (especially in a group, but you will have SP concerns while soloing).

the wizard handbook thread on this forum contains a list of un-buyable spells by level. try this link:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=116560

general things to consider as an "enchanter": use Suggestion instead of Charm. once you get Dominate, if you want a longer-term pet, Curse it and/or Feeblemind it first (both have a limited duration nowadays, but still very long lasting debuffs which will help your new pet fail his saves more often which will keep you from having to reapply Dominate so often).

in a group, Hold is a death sentence stronger and more convenient than charms. Flesh to Stone (while a transmutation spell) is a fortitude version, and will work better against enemy casters, but does provide them DR10/adamantine (i think it's adamantine... at that level, melee should be using metalline weapons anway).

find Ghoste's shadow mage thread (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php...ht=shadow+mage) and read it. enchantment spells are most powerful when all you have to do is clean up the last survivor -- cast Mass Suggestion from beyond aggro range and watch the room kill itself.

Mind Fog. use it.

UMD. use it.

Dismiss Charm. learn when to use it, and use it.

strongly consider making a warforged wizard instead of human.

never multiclass sorcerer with wizard.

you must take toughness. you must. preferrably at level 1, and take the HP enhancements also as soon as they are available.

recommended insightful reflexes.

find a spell focus: necromancy and enchantment rod -- it'll stack with your feats!

there will be a point where you suddenly need spell penetration (about level 9 or 10). get the feats, get the enhancements, get a rod. it only gets worse as you level up. learn which mobs have SR (mostly drow and rakshasa at first). don't have to worry about this at first, though.

heighten should be taken once you have a broad spread of spell levels and not before. around level 10+, basically.

non-enchantment spells sometimes are the better tool for a job -- hope you're planning on using them when you need to!

[Lehmund]

My wizard, main character is a Human Enchanter and I built it essentially to focus all my attention on spellcasting and letting my charms and holds shield me from danger. Works well but you gotta be more careful.

I put my stats max on Intelligence and then Dexterity, then Con, and I made a Human instead of WF or another race. Why? I just wanted to use the maximum amount of feats on my ability to cast spells for as long as possible between rests, using wise use of them. I purposefully did not take Toughness or Insightful Reflexes, though I highly recommend them if you want to have less of a challenge. I focused all of my spells on making sure my spells would take effect, in particular those from the Enchantment type.

So I took all Feats and Action points that improved the amount of SPs I had available, and chose one class of damage spells (in my case acid and electricity i.e. Energy) and boosted that as much as I could. I took all the feats and enhancements that would boost the DC of Enchantment spells and Spell Penetration. The Key to high Int and sp is Intelligence so its pretty much the stat that I most cared about, the High dex is just to avoid burning a feat to use the Int to get higher Dex. lol.

I did take Heighten, Quicken and Empower spell metamagics (Empower was the first one, the other two only at lvl 15, my current level).

When I fight organics, I usually use Mass Suggestion from afar, and let the charmed get aggro for the group, and while they kill each other, my team and I are picking on the non-charmed or the archers/spellcasters around the room. Its very funny. And since I'm avoiding doing damage to the creatures, they normally don't come to fight me at all. I save mana that way for the times it is needed for damage.

When I fight non-organics or immune to charms, I often use a summoned creature or allies to draw aggro and lay down a Firewall or Cloudkill (an acid-based spell). I will also use direct damage sometimes like Ball Lightning in the cluster of mobs with Empower on to kill them faster to avoid damage of Summon or allies too much. These are more of a challenge. Against undead, I do make extensive use of Command Undead, Halt Undead and the like to do the same as I do with Organics above. These aren't Enchantment school but if you target mindless undead it works without saves anyway, and Firewall, a GREAT spell against undead even at higher levels, destroys them quite quickly.

To avoid getting killed easily with my low Con and no Toughness or Toughness enhancements, I stay away from hand to hand as much as possible of course, BUT I took skills that allow me to better mitigate that:

Concentration (to keep casting)
Balance (to keep on my feet)
Tumble (to move around easier from within a Cloud or Firewall, avoiding hits)
Spot (To see my targets even if they are hiding).

Again, the lack of UMD is intentional here since I wanted to go "purist" here.

I also took the Lesser dragonmark of Passage at lvl1 so I always can cast Expeditious Retreat without using the spell slot for the spell early on, but now I will switch that for another feat that is more useful. Its VERY important with this particular build to be FAST to avoid arrows (tumbling or running) and being able to run away from nasty axes and the like.

Doing this my basic saves (without great resist equipment or buffs) are Fort 11, Reflex 12, Will 14 so pretty balanced there. With buffs on I quite rarely get hit with spells efficiently.

However I've been playing DND pnp for the last 15 years or so, so I like the challenge of a cool character concept, even a specialist one. But if my build and experience with him gives you great ideas for your own, cool.

And yeah, go for pure Wiz for the Enchanter whichever race you end up with.

[Zereth501]

if anything, mind control of undead is easier than against living targets (most notably early on). Halt Undead is a wide area effect similar to Mass Hold. Control and Command Undead have special functionality which makes them superior to Charm in almost every way... i think those spells are technically necromancy, but they fit with an enchanter's ethos, i guess.

Indeed, poor choice of words on my part. Halt undead and control undead are technically not mind control, since most undeads do not have a mind to begin with, but I should have made it clear. Enchantment does not work on undeads, but control and command undead are necromancy.

Nevertheless, there are monsters that are immune against "mind" control of any kind.