Which spell focus to pick....

[Laeelin]

I'm going to make a drow pure wizard (I plan on having 20 int, 12 con, 16 cha - for UMD - I will have the toughness feat). My highest level character is only level 6, so I'm still a new player.

I'm not sure what each focus helps in actual game play. Looking at a spell list would tell me which spells are in which school, but I don't know which spells are good and which are bad so the list would leave me with incomplete information.

In actual play (mid - end game) why would someone pick:

Spell Focus: Abjuration
Spell Focus: Conjuration
Spell Focus: Enchantment
Spell Focus: Evocation
Spell Focus: Illusion
Spell Focus: Necromancy
Spell Focus: Transmutation

Also, I have a question about the Lineage line of enhancements. How important are they, and are both the damage amplification and critical multiplier enhancements equally important?

Is it best to pick one type and max it out so that your fire (or whatever) spells are super powerful, or is it better to spread points around so that you a good at several?

Thanks for the help everyone.

[WeaselKing]

Necromancy if you like to instakill and debuff (Finger of Death, Wail of the Banshee, Curse etc.)

Evocation if you are a nuker (fireball, wall of fire, cone of cold, meteor swarm etc.)

Enchantment if you like cc (Otto's, Charm, Hold Monster, etc.)

Illusion if you really like to be annoying (Glitterdust, Prismatic Sphere, Phantasmal Killer (not that annoying unless you kill the mob the melee was about to kill), etc.)

Abjuration, Conjuration or Transmutation if you wish to gimp your character.

At least this is my opinion (hope I got all the spell schools right, they should be close).

[Aspenor]

Illusion if you really like to be annoying (Glitterdust, Prismatic Sphere, Phantasmal Killer (not that annoying unless you kill the mob the melee was about to kill), etc.)

Abjuration, Conjuration or Transmutation if you wish to gimp your character.

At least this is my opinion (hope I got all the spell schools right, they should be close).

Glitterdust is Conjuration, and Prismatic spells are evocations.

Illusion focus is pretty much completely useless.

[WeaselKing]

Glitterdust is Conjuration, and Prismatic spells are evocations.

Illusion focus is pretty much completely useless.

Darn it, well if you really really want the best PK in game illusion focus is still the way to go.

[bashemgud]

Darn it, well if you really really want the best PK in game illusion focus is still the way to go.

Just take necromancy and use better insta kills. PK stops being useful once you get FoD and wail, unless you want to chain 3 insta kill spells.

But ya illusion is a bad idea, imo necro and enchantment is the way to go. Also evocation, but that's often more useful on sorcerers due to higher sp pool.

[Yaga_Nub]

Conjuration all the way!

Trap the Soul is the best spell in the game, insta-"dead" but still able to affect critters that most necromancy spells cant.

[Noonie]

It also raises the DC on Grease! which is very important :P

[Yaga_Nub]

It also raises the DC on Grease! which is very important :P

Hey a heightened, extended, SF: Conjuration casting of Grease is pretty fun

[PurdueDave]

you can check things out here. not everything is in DDO, though.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists...zardSpells.htm

[oweieie]

In actual play (mid - end game) why would someone pick:

Necro is the absolute best for some things and the utter worst for others. Useless in epic and against deathwarded mobs, but on lower fort save mobs like IQ it can turn elite solos into a joke.

Enchantment will usually be a good choice as hold monster and charm work even in epic and will saves are low.

Conjuration has web, which is usually useful. Trap the Soul is amazing but can get expensive and won't do much in epic.

The rest aren't really useful. Evocation you're going to stick with Polar Ray and Firewall which don't have saves. Trying to chew through mob HPs with evocation spells at high level with anything but Firewall is futile.

Also, I have a question about the Lineage line of enhancements. How important are they, and are both the damage amplification and critical multiplier enhancements equally important?

Is it best to pick one type and max it out so that your fire (or whatever) spells are super powerful, or is it better to spread points around so that you a good at several?

Thanks for the help everyone.

You want them all. Getting a crit firewall out so you can get through a mob's 200 fire resist is the only way you're really going to kill some things. And it makes it easier and quicker if you get a crit when you're in the situation of dropping 6 firewalls to run mobs through.

[Sutekx]

Just take necromancy and use better insta kills. PK stops being useful once you get FoD and wail, unless you want to chain 3 insta kill spells.

But ya illusion is a bad idea, imo necro and enchantment is the way to go. Also evocation, but that's often more useful on sorcerers due to higher sp pool.

My question is why go Evocation if you can build your gear around Regalia of the Phoenix, which gives both Evocation and Greater Evocation once the supressed power is unlocked. Necromancy or Conjuration for acid, the weakest spells for dps, but have defensive capabilities.

[LunaCee]

Necromancy also raises the DC's for things like Symbol of Pain, Symbol of Weakness... which are de-buffing spells.

[WeaselKing]

Necro is the absolute best for some things and the utter worst for others. Useless in epic

I don't know, I find curse and other debuffs quite useful in epic and I really find Halt Undead useful in Epic Wiz King.

[Rusty_Can]

My question is why go Evocation if you can build your gear around Regalia of the Phoenix, which gives both Evocation and Greater Evocation once the supressed power is unlocked.

Feats (Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus) stack with items' effects.