Archmage Speciality Spells

[voodoogroves]

as has been pointed out, the same reasons as you might go enchant spec AM before the patch, if you did your research.

- spell-like abilities.
- spell points.

pale master being stronger defensively and equal in DC (or sometimes better) is not new. however, some of the archmage specialisations are quite worthwhile.

enchant, in particular, gives you hpynotism cheaply (which allows you to prep targets for other spells, and even 6 seconds of crowd control is still not that bad). it also gives you resistible dance (quickened and heightened) very cheap, which is a very nice spell for tying up loose ends.

conjuration gives you web for 3 SP, quickened and heightened.

evocation gives you the option to have quickened/empowered/maximised/enlarged magic missile and chain missiles for very cheap. again, well worth the cost. a very nice ability, and frankly much stronger dps than pale master necrotic bolt/blast combo (though also a lot more expensive to specialise in) (note: the stuff in parenthesis was moved from conjuration because i was insane when i first wrote this post, apparently :P )

i don't consider it a *bad* idea to be an archmage. it's a perfectly good PrE, and it definitely has it's strengths. just don't be fooled into thinking it's a good idea because it has better DCs; the strength of archmage relative to pale master was never in save DC, it was always in the spell-like abilities and the bonus SP. it has been since archmage came out.

that said, i do think the other schools of archmage, or rather the other schools of spells, could use some help, badly. the simple fact is that spammable invisibility is just nowhere near as useful as spammable hypnotism or spammable dance (spammable hypnotic pattern *would* be very useful if it was an option, except for the fact that your party will likely wish they were blind should you actually use it).

so yes, some schools could use a lot of buffing...

for illusion (which i've been using as an example so far), color spray (as the level 1 SLA), weird (basically mass phantasmal killer), and other spells would be a nice addition (i'd throw something like hallucinatory terrain in there as basically being an illusion-based solid fog effect with a different graphic for example). mirror image is another spell that would likely be worth a level 2 SLA slot.

transmutation isn't completely bad at higher level spells, but could use some lower-level stuff... animate rope maybe (special component: a piece of rope, just give it a chance to entangle a single target every so often) and pyrotechnics (which should have two options, one to blind and one to create smoke) would likely be enough to make the school more appealing, if those were to be placed in as low-level options.

abjuration is a little harder to make appealing as an archmage school, since you basically either have good low-level options or the entire line is basically a waste. that said, dispel magic at level 3 might make it appealing, for removing enemy buffs. maybe introduce a low-level spell that dazes or stuns outsiders and it would be pretty appealing i think.

divination, well, not much you can do with that really. burning two spell focus feats on divination is pretty much just not gonna happen, even if there were strong spell options to take (for example, true strike would probably appeal to some as a spell-like... but who's gonna burn a feat on SF: divination for that?)

but really, those archmage lines suck because the schools suck in DDO right now, not because archmage isn't strong.

I made a post a while back in regards to how you can update things. Basically, you don't need just SLAs at all levels. Instead of weaker SLAs or by moving around some SLAs, do things like other abilities, spell pen or DC boosts. No one goes to 4/5 mostly because there is simply no value. give it some. My old post is here: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=3358391 but this is obviously pre U9, so it'd need some updating.

Abjuration - add a CL boost for abjuration spells since Dismissal / Banishment are straight CL checks. This has the added benefit of potentially boosting Stoneskin.

conjuration - drop a higher-end SLA, give Enlarge for free on one, possibly a useful end-game summons option (like, say, the elementals as choices)

enchantment - drop lower tier SLAs for dominate or feeblemind, or perhaps another DC boost or spell pen boost

evocation - drop 5 for Prismatic Spray

illusion - blur and displacement are pretty redundant and this needs a boost. How about a sneak or social-skill buff?

necromancy - Waves of Fatigue is pretty pointless; how about circle of death or DC/Spell Pen boosts?

transmutation - this is the area where PNP has huge strength but DDO doesn't. Change/Alter Self, Polymorph ... that's a transmuter's bread and butter. If we really wanted to encourage transmuters, we'd need to go off the reservation - these changes may not be possible until Druids get ehre.
- 1 Alter / Change Self - either stacking jump/tumble/swim as a default or Ram's Might
- 4 Alternate forms ... more stat and movement boost options. War Troll. Transmuter's aren't bogged down with the hippy-dippy natural creature limitation of druids
They should probably also get a wings/leap option somewhere in here.

divination - add unluck to the spell list and I'll make a diviner. I don't think their engine can handle it though.

[Syllph]

True yes, but as mentioned it can be heightened, maximized and empowered for free and since it's not a spell but a SLA it works when you're feeble minded / Beholder Eyed.

[steelblueskies]

More biased nonsense.

If your gonna compare what feats are taken, compare the full list geez. Smart warforged wizards do not waste feats on junk like toughness for 1, thats 1 feat required by pale master. They also don't take double necromancy focus, thats 3 feats.

So compare a full list of a very ideal feat setup.. Palemaster:
Extend
Maximize
Empower
Quicken
Heighten
Necromancy Focus
Greater Necromancy Focus
Enchantment Focus
Greater Enchantment Focus
Past Life – Wizard
Toughness
Past Life - Bard
Insightful Reflexes

Archmage - Enchantment/Conjuration spec:
Extend
Maximize
Empower
Quicken
Heighten
Conjuration Focus
Greater Conjuration Focus
Enchantment Focus
Greater Enchantment Focus
Past Life – Wizard
Mental Toughness
Past Life - Bard
Insightful Reflexes

So just the DC/Spell pen differences:
Archmage: +3 DC conjuration, pretty uber with 3 SP webs
+2 enchantment, matching the palemasters vampire form.. permanently.
Palemaster:
+1 DC from int (on all except: conjuration which is -2, and enchantment which is equal WHEN in vampire form - which you wont be always since lich is superior for most things)
+a million DC in necromancy (well pretty much)

So imo they are both excellent PrEs, and for the given setups, fairly balanced. Other non-enchantment/conjuration archmage setups are pretty weak I agree. And U9 is tipping the scales towards playing a max necromancy spec build too..

The vampire form does seem a bit stronger then it should have been, but oh well.. They still have there own unique strong points. The super cheap web, hypno, dance and hold person SLAs are still good.

And for players with multiple TRs and truely maxxed gear it is looking like Necromancy will probably far outshine enchantment too (given the complete removal of death immunities from all endgame mobs).. But that remains to be seen for sure how effective it can be on epic.

Re: Fortification: Pfft. With a 600 HP Warforged I always drink yugo pots, playing the game at 75% (or actually more often 65% since I run with warchanters mostly) is just fine. I play every epic quest and feel pretty much invincible, the odd critical hit can't take down such a powerful character with such incredibly fast self healing and buffs)

Now with all taht said.. All strong as my currnet WF archmage is, he is going sorc since they look way better now, so its all a moot point heh.

lord now i'm gonna have to rep you for listing insightful reflexes. would drop extend for completionist over I.R., IR saves lives. and admit it, you are going sorc because they look better, and it makes the extend debate easier to ignore.

[Theolin]

Now with all that said.. All strong as my currnet WF archmage is, he is going sorc since they look way better now, so its all a moot point heh.

^^ I wish I could argue with this ... this is why I am annoyed ... this is why I am going to play my first Sorc ... I don't like Sorcs - never have ... couldn't they be a bit more equal (different but equally worthwhile) for end game??

Guess I shouldn't be so harsh, I guess for character<20 the saves are not going up in the non-epic quests (unless I missed something) its just epics where they are, so a Wiz is still viable maybe .... but will get a bad rep again, like back when when nobody played them for like 2 years.