Warforged Wizard Summoner with Damage Reduction?

[pipboy1]

Hi I am somewhat new to DDO still. I have made some characters though before, but I am playing a wizard for the first time now. So I have some questions if someone could help me out.

I was thinking of making a very resistant wizard to damage and focusing on summoning an army. I know from what I read the army would not be so strong, but I am interested in it never the less.

I was thinking of doing the pale master route and having an undead minion. Then I was thinking about having an robo dog as well. Then having a summon spell for a creature. I want to know if I can have all 3 at once.

The other question is would it be useful to not take spell penetration since focusing on summons and instead use these feats to increase damage reduction since I am a warforged. As well I am still not sure how good the warforged damage reduction is. Are buffs going to be better anyway? Does damage reduction adamantite mean no physical damage below the number except adamantite goes through?

Well I will appreciate any information. I have the character planner program and I can submit a build to be looked at in more detail if anyone wants to help. Thanks ahead of time.

[valharan01]

You are better off without the WF damage reduction feats as the very same if not better damage reduction can be achieved with a shield and blocking while your pets go to town in a firewall and as a wizard you can self cast stone skin which is a 10/- dr and better than the WF inherent dr. Those feats you waste on DR you can then spend on things like toughness for more hps or even shield mastery feats. Thats just my 2cp

[pipboy1]

Thanks that helps.

So I have in mind so far. I am planning on for levels 2 Rouge and 18 Wizard. So 4 Wizard Feats and 7 General Feats. 11 Total Feats.

1. Mithral Body(later take enhancements to lower arcane spell failure)
2. Toughness
3. Mental Toughness
4. Improved Mental Toughness
5. Augment Summoning
6. Spell Focus Necromancy
7. Greater Focus Necromancy
8. Combat Casting
9. Mobile Spellcasting
10.????
11.????

Should 10 and 11 just be spell penetration and greater spell penetration? Would any metamagic feats help buffing and summoning? I do not understand the shield mastery. It might help me.

I just need advise on the 2 feats as what to take. Thank you again. I agree with your assessment on the DR. If it is that easy to buff up.

[Zilta]

I personally would fit heighten as 11 or 12 and take only 1 spell pen feat, however to offset the loss of the improved spell pen I would take the spell pen enhanccement line.

I suggest heighten because it allows many lower lvl spells to affect higher level mobs, web for example, when heightened is quite useful for dealing with devils and orthons. Even hypnotize at higher levels can be useful with heighten.

[pipboy1]

Thanks. Is there anyway with metamagic feats to make the summons stronger? And I see your point of use spells like web for crowd control. I am thinking things that effect more in mass would be needed. For example I would need to buff quickly all of my summons, and anyone else in the party. It may be the wrong thing to do though. I have never gotten to the late game yet. I just do not want to make a character that I hate the feats I have chosen.

I am taking 2 levels of rogue as well. I am also debating what can the Shroud of the Wraith do with rogue skills if anything from the concealment. Thanks again.

[Kyln]

I would not take the Mithral Body feat. Wizards are not able to get really high AC, and unfortunately AC seems to be all or nothing. A middling AC score is as good as an abysmal one. You are using a feat and then enhancement points on something that will probably be of absolutely no use in a very short amount of time.

I also would recommend that you reconsider combat casting and mobile spell casting. If you are worried about interruption, Quicken Spell is your silver bullet. As far as moving goes while casting, I like to cast while jumping and quicken will help reduce the amount of time you are slowed as well. I guess I am just having a hard time seeing how the benefits they give outweigh being able to maximize, extend, empower, or heighten your spells when needed. Then again, I love meta-magics and really like the flexibility in spell usage that they give.

[Zilta]

I also love metamagics and if you can fit it in I would suggest you take extend as well for 4 mintue hastes and displacements, and longer rages if rage ever gets fixed

[pipboy1]

Ok. Well I already began the character with Mithral Body. I am thinking at least the AC would be good enough to take some of pressure off protecting with lower levels critters, and since I playing a Warforged it is one unique feature that would be available for them. If another build without worrying about the AC then I would drop it. But this guy will try to have some AC. So something like this?

1. Mithral Body
2. Toughness
3. Mental Toughness
4. Improved Mental Toughness
5. Augment Summoning
6. Spell Focus Necromancy
7. Greater Focus Necromancy
8. Quicken
9. Extend
10. Heighten
11. Empower (for larger mass buff area?)

Thanks again.

[Therigar]

Thanks that helps.

So I have in mind so far. I am planning on for levels 2 Rouge and 18 Wizard. So 4 Wizard Feats and 7 General Feats. 11 Total Feats.

1. Mithral Body(later take enhancements to lower arcane spell failure)
2. Toughness
3. Mental Toughness
4. Improved Mental Toughness
5. Augment Summoning
6. Spell Focus Necromancy
7. Greater Focus Necromancy
8. Combat Casting
9. Mobile Spellcasting
10.????
11.????

Should 10 and 11 just be spell penetration and greater spell penetration? Would any metamagic feats help buffing and summoning? I do not understand the shield mastery. It might help me.

I just need advise on the 2 feats as what to take. Thank you again. I agree with your assessment on the DR. If it is that easy to buff up.

Mithral body, combat casting and mobile casting are all wasted feats. They get you nothing worth having.

The notion of charming an army to fight for you is, well, charming. But, in reality it is going to prove very annoying to most groups.

1. Most groups can kill the mobs fast enough without the charmed monsters and waiting around for you to uncharm them just wastes time.
2. Many quests have encounter areas where you have to kill all of the monsters to progress, making charming them a bad idea.
3. Charmed monsters don't tend to follow you around, so having an army of them really doesn't do anything for you.

Charming is useful for soloing and zerging at low levels. After that it really has very limited uses.

You need to include the following metamagics to be even remotely useful in a real group: extend, empower, maximize, quicken, heighten.

Others have already, correctly, pointed out that you don't need any DR. Stoneskin will handle it for you. If it doesn't then avoid being hit with blur and displacement. If that fails a dimension door does the trick.

[pipboy1]

Mithral body, combat casting and mobile casting are all wasted feats. They get you nothing worth having.

The notion of charming an army to fight for you is, well, charming. But, in reality it is going to prove very annoying to most groups.

1. Most groups can kill the mobs fast enough without the charmed monsters and waiting around for you to uncharm them just wastes time.
2. Many quests have encounter areas where you have to kill all of the monsters to progress, making charming them a bad idea.
3. Charmed monsters don't tend to follow you around, so having an army of them really doesn't do anything for you.

Charming is useful for soloing and zerging at low levels. After that it really has very limited uses.

You need to include the following metamagics to be even remotely useful in a real group: extend, empower, maximize, quicken, heighten.

Others have already, correctly, pointed out that you don't need any DR. Stoneskin will handle it for you. If it doesn't then avoid being hit with blur and displacement. If that fails a dimension door does the trick.

I dropped combat casting and mobile spellcasting.

This is what I have. I am probably wrong, but you are just rolling a dice as well with AC right? The stronger encounter will probably hit you, but if you have an army lower encounters then they have just as much as a chance to miss as hit.

So here is where I am at now on feats

1. Mithral Body(later take enhancements to lower arcane spell failure)
2. Augment Summoning
3. Toughness
4. Quicken
5. Spell Focus Necromancy
6. Extend
7. Greater Focus Necromancy
8. Mental Toughness
9. Spell Penetration
10. Heighten
11. Greater Spell Penetration

I left out Empower and Maximize. If I would remove Mithral Body and Augment Summoning I would bring the 2 feats in. Empower and Maximize would be better to deal more direct damage correct?

Augment Summoning does increase your summons from enhancements right?
And I can have a Summoned Monster, an Adamantine Companion, and a Frostmarrow Mage right? Or only 1 Summon from enhancements?

I am planning more of a utility/gun food provider build.

[HyperEye]

as a wizard you can self cast stone skin which is a 10/- dr

False. Stoneskin is 10/adamantine.

[pipboy1]

False. Stoneskin is 10/adamantine.

Well it explained good enough. It does the same thing as Warforged Damage Reduction right? They do not stack I assume.

[HyperEye]

Well it explained good enough. It does the same thing as Warforged Damage Reduction right? They do not stack I assume.

Correct. Stoneskin is better than WF dr because it doesn't require feats/enhancements and I believe it is also higher. They are both adamantine and they do not stack (though I have heard that WF dr does stack with favoured soul dr).

[pipboy1]

Lvl 1 Rogue----Lvl 1 Warforged
Mithral Body

Lvl 1 Wizard----Lvl 2 Warforged
Augment Summoning

Lvl 2 Wizard----Lvl 3 Warforged
Toughness

---This is where I am at now.
Lvl 3 Wizard----Lvl 4 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 4 Wizard----Lvl 5 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 5 Wizard----Lvl 6 Warforged
Spell Focus Necromancy
Mental Toughness

Lvl 2 Rogue---Lvl 7 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 6 Wizard----Lvl 8 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 7 Wizard----Lvl 9 Warforged
????Feat

Lvl 8 Wizard----Lvl 10 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 9 Wizard----Lvl 11 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 10 Wizard----Lvl 12 Warforged
Greater Focus Necromancy
Improved Mental Toughness

Lvl 11 Wizard----Lvl 13 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 12 Wizard----Lvl 14 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 13 Wizard----Lvl 15 Warforged
????Feat

Lvl 14 Wizard----Lvl 16 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 15 Wizard----Lvl 17 Warforged
????WizardFeat

Lvl 16 Wizard----Lvl 18 Warforged
????Feat

Lvl 17 Wizard----Lvl 19 Warforged
No feats

Lvl 18 Wizard----Lvl 20 Warforged
No feat

So I have 4 feats open.

One general feat each at lvl9,lvl15,lvl18

One wizard feat at lvl17.

I have so far that I think is a must for this toon.

Mithral Body
Toughness
Mental Toughness
Improved Mental Toughness
Augment Summoning
Spell Focus Necromancy
Greater Focus Necromancy

I have 4 feats that I can not decide on.

I am at lvl 3 now. So I could even redo the toon before I go too far, and anything can be changed after lvl 3 of course that I have planned.

[Doxmaster]

Its good to get maxed concentration AND quicken. As a WF wizard, at least. Quicken is required if you are expected to heal, even if you are only healing yourself. Things can quickly go downhill if you or someone else really, really needed that repair, ya know?

I will remind (or tell you depending on when you started playing) that certain spells, like firewall and cloudkill, immediately turn off once you die.
----
Lvl 1 Rogue----Lvl 1 Warforged
Mithral Body
Lvl 1 Wizard----Lvl 2 Warforged
Augment Summoning
Lvl 2 Wizard----Lvl 3 Warforged
Toughness
---This is where I am at now.
Lvl 3 Wizard----Lvl 4 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 4 Wizard----Lvl 5 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 5 Wizard----Lvl 6 Warforged
Spell Focus Necromancy
Extend
Lvl 2 Rogue---Lvl 7 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 6 Wizard----Lvl 8 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 7 Wizard----Lvl 9 Warforged
Empower
Lvl 8 Wizard----Lvl 10 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 9 Wizard----Lvl 11 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 10 Wizard----Lvl 12 Warforged
Greater Focus Necromancy
Heighten
Lvl 11 Wizard----Lvl 13 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 12 Wizard----Lvl 14 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 13 Wizard----Lvl 15 Warforged
Quicken
Lvl 14 Wizard----Lvl 16 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 15 Wizard----Lvl 17 Warforged
Maximize
Lvl 16 Wizard----Lvl 18 Warforged
Mental Toughness
Lvl 17 Wizard----Lvl 19 Warforged
No feats
Lvl 18 Wizard----Lvl 20 Warforged
No feat

[kanbeki]

Do the mark of the dragon quest in the market, get rid of mithral body. It provides you no benefit and only gives you spell failure

[Merlocke]

making a wizard focusing on summoning an army. I know from what I read the army would not be so strong, but I am interested in it never the less.

I was thinking of doing the pale master route and having undead minions. Then I was thinking about having an robo dog as well. Then having a summon spell for a creature.

This quote makes you sound Chaotic Evil and made me laugh...

[Bart_D]

Don't give up, just expect to receive advice when you ask for it. People seem pretty helpful around here

I haven't looked closely at r3dl4nce's build, but the attributes and feats look good. I'd not put constitution quite that high (16 should be enough) but might increase strength to melee better and to save a slot for a strength item later on. Charisma for better UMD may be good too.

I hope you stay and enjoy the game. DDO uses mostly PnP rules but there are many differences too. If this is your first character, just play and enjoy and learn the game... don't expect it to make it to level 20. I think most people go through a number of characters before they figure out how they want it to be. The oldest of my characters that i still play was started 2-3 months after i started playing...

[r3dl4nce]

I haven't looked closely at r3dl4nce's build, but the attributes and feats look good. I'd not put constitution quite that high (16 should be enough) but might increase strength to melee better and to save a slot for a strength item later on. Charisma for better UMD may be good too.

It's a build from a guildie of mine, with that build (well, similar, he did not went for pale master) he run solo a lot of end game, run epics, you can check myddo: Automan from Cannith. The build can be adjusted according to personal taste. You can take 16 con and raise a bit STR, even if in end game even with 8 str +2 tome + 6 item + GS MinII greataxe + master touch + divine power clickie you can help dps on raid bosses, or just spam polar ray, meteor swarm, what you like. It's a simply great build, you will have a lot of fun.

[Tsuarok]

So... just a bit about how AC works. AC determines whether or not you get hit. As such, it is all or nothing; you

either get hit or you don't. If you do get hit, AC doesn't reduce your damage at all.


To determine whether or not you get hit, the enemy rolls a 20 sided die. The result of this roll is then added to

the +hit bonus that the enemy has. If the result is higher than your AC, you are hit. A roll of 1 always misses,

a roll of 20 always hits.


Most enemies in endgame have high enough +hit that they will always hit an AC that is reasonably achievable

by a wizard on a two or higher (they never hit on a one). Which means that any amount of AC below a

certain threshold has completely no effect.

In conclusion, don't take Mithral Body or worry about AC. Worry about Damage reduction (stoneskin),

concealment effects (Blur and Displacement), and, once you hit level 12, incorporeality (Shroud of the Wraith)