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.

[pipboy1]

Now I thought about it more...

Will quicken spell really be useful if I need to heighten spells to be effective?

If I would not take quicken I could take combat casting and mobile spellcasting, and fill in the empower spot. Then every spell would be easier to get off right?

P.S.
I have never used the metamagic feats yet. I have not gotten that far. Can 2 be used at the same time?

[zorander6]

Quickened spells cannot be interrupted....If you don't take it you'll need to max your concentration.

You can turn metamagic feats on and off as desired, you can run all of them at once as well.

[HyperEye]

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

False. Stoneskin is 10/adamantine.

[pipboy1]

Ok cool. Now I understand why people like the metamagic feats. I thought you had to prepare special spells that are heighten or empower and etc.

My concentration will be maxed. Or at least that is what I am planning anyway.

[Doxmaster]

Empower increases the damage of most attack spells by 50%, but also increases the cost of casting the spell by 15 (The increase cost can be lowered through enhancements)

You might want to re-order your feat choice...if you can show at which level you get the feats, we can help a bit more.

[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

[pipboy1]

So is there no use to have the +5 from mithral body? I am of course thinking as a noob. So I am thinking that the +5 with docents later will give me a decent AC to not get hit by low level critters. I know I will get smashed by stronger critters. Is it that useless?

I will post a build but I am stuck about mithral body still.

[Qzipoun]

So is there no use to have the +5 from mithral body? I am of course thinking as a noob. So I am thinking that the +5 with docents later will give me a decent AC to not get hit by low level critters. I know I will get smashed by stronger critters. Is it that useless?

I will post a build but I am stuck about mithral body still.

Drop:
Mithral Body
Mental Toughness
Improved Mental Toughness

Take (these are not optional):
Quicken
Empower
Maximize
Extend
Toughness
Insightful Reflexes

mithral body won't do anything, just trust us on this and drop it. Everything will hit you, all the time (clearly this is your first build, so as far as you are concerned just consider that a law)

Mental toughness and improved mental toughnes are 2 slots wasted. Not taking insightful reflexes and splashing rogue is just gimping yourself. I'd even tell you to drop augment summon but you're new and it sounds cool so you won't listen

I strongly recommend you stop right now, find a good wf wiz/rog on the forums and use it as a template. With so many feat choices you'll make more than one mistake you will regret

Also, I personally would take the spell pen feats. Only take the necro focus if you have left over slots. Comes down to personal preferences but if you can't get past SR, who cares what your DC is