AM Drow Build - Comment Please

[ErixofNurgle]

As a start - yes i know about pale master (probably tr to one) and warforged, i just want to fix (LR) my current wizard lvl.18 with no specialization (realized i need to get my DC up). I figure make it hard on myself learn the class, then make it easier with the self healing.

Ideas on the order of things?

Will probaly change align later not to worried about it now.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.11.02
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WrankAM 
Level 20 Lawful Good Drow Male
(20 Wizard) 
Hit Points: 182
Spell Points: 2035 
BAB: 10\10\15\20
Fortitude: 8
Reflex: 16
Will: 11

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength              8                  8                    8
Dexterity            10                 10                   10
Constitution         14                 14                   14
Intelligence         20                 25                   30
Wisdom                8                  8                    8
Charisma             12                 12                   12

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 20)          (Level 20)
Balance               2                 11                   11
Bluff                 1                  1                    1
Concentration         6                 25                   29
Diplomacy             1                  1                    1
Disable Device        n/a              n/a                   n/a
Haggle                1                  5                    5
Heal                 -1                 -1                   -1
Hide                  2                 11                   11
Intimidate            1                  1                    1
Jump                  1                 10                   10
Listen               -1                 -1                    1
Move Silently         2                 11                   11
Open Lock             n/a               n/a                   n/a
Perform               n/a               n/a                   n/a
Repair                5                 10                   10
Search                5                 17                   19
Spot                  1                 10                   12
Swim                 -1                  0                    0
Tumble                n/a               n/a                   n/a
Use Magic Device      3                 12                   15

Level 1 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Insightful Reflexes
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Improved Concentration I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation I
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I


Level 2 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Combustive Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence I


Level 3 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Deadly Flame I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation II
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation II


Level 4 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Improved Concentration II
Enhancement: Deadly Ice I


Level 5 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Spell Focus: Enchantment
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation III
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation III
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II


Level 6 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage I


Level 7 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting II
Enhancement: Combustive Spellcasting II


Level 8 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence II


Level 9 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Skill Focus: Use Magic Device
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Maximizing I
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage II
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery I: Enchantment


Level 10 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Empower Spell
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting III
Enhancement: Combustive Spellcasting III
Enhancement: Deadly Ice II
Enhancement: Deadly Flame II


Level 11 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Improved Concentration III
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar III


Level 12 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage III


Level 13 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence III


Level 14 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Empowering I
Enhancement: Deadly Ice III
Enhancement: Deadly Flame III


Level 15 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Heighten Spell
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration
Enhancement: Combustive Spellcasting IV
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage IV
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery II: Enchantment


Level 16 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Heightening I


Level 17 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar IV


Level 18 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Penetration
Enhancement: Improved Concentration IV
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation V
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation V
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage V


Level 19 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration II


Level 20 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Wizard Master of Magic
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting IV
Enhancement: Deadly Flame IV

Thank for any insight.

[Shakanos]

Curious if there's a specific reason for the UMD feat. Without the right gear it's rather tricky to hit an appreciable UMD on a Wizard... and as you're still leveling this character is seems unlikely that you'd have that. If you're just getting high enough for a decent chance, and not for no fail, I wouldn't spend a feat for 15% better chance. Raise Dead (UMD 35) would be the first really useful one I can think of (not familiar with new Arti spells). Base ranks + CHA mod is 12. + 3 (6 CHA item) + 4 (Greater Hero) + 1 (Good Luck - Voice of the Master) + 3 (any relatively easy to obtain +3 UMD item) puts you at 23. Feat just puts you up to 26. Airship pushes it a tad higher, but I think that covers the easily obtained buffs. That's a 40%(55% w/feat) on a Raise Dead scroll.

Standard recommendation is Spell Focus: Conjuration so that you can get the cheap Web SLA that you can heighten for free.

You also don't seem to have Quicken. Some people swear by it, others claim it is unneeded. Potato Pah-tah-toh.

[wax_on_wax_off]

I know you're not interested in self healing at the moment but necromancy is still the best school to specialise in for current end game content.

Palemaster III can still take spell focus: enchantment usually and get close to the same enchantment DCs as an enchantment specced archmage through vampire form but gets much better survivability through self healing.

[ErixofNurgle]

Tahnk you for the inqueries

Curious if there's a specific reason for the UMD feat. Without the right gear it's rather tricky to hit an appreciable UMD on a Wizard... and as you're still leveling this character is seems unlikely that you'd have that. If you're just getting high enough for a decent chance, and not for no fail, I wouldn't spend a feat for 15% better chance. Raise Dead (UMD 35) would be the first really useful one I can think of (not familiar with new Arti spells). Base ranks + CHA mod is 12. + 3 (6 CHA item) + 4 (Greater Hero) + 1 (Good Luck - Voice of the Master) + 3 (any relatively easy to obtain +3 UMD item) puts you at 23. Feat just puts you up to 26. Airship pushes it a tad higher, but I think that covers the easily obtained buffs. That's a 40%(55% w/feat) on a Raise Dead scroll.

Standard recommendation is Spell Focus: Conjuration so that you can get the cheap Web SLA that you can heighten for free.

You also don't seem to have Quicken. Some people swear by it, others claim it is unneeded. Potato Pah-tah-toh.

Yea, im figuring on spending alot of time to grind umd and other items items (i think i have the rabbit gloves and cartouche, and need a cha tome). Ive been running more PUG's lately, used to just solo, so want to be a little more useful in group and can swap some stuff with my rogue(i dont know just a fan of umd even if its small).

Did not know you could hieghten the 1sp. spells for free or is that just for web? Not to big on the given spells since it takes sp away and have to ladder up to get the good ones. And not to worried about quicken done just fine without it and i feel with the other meta's, just east to much sp.

I know you're not interested in self healing at the moment but necromancy is still the best school to specialise in for current end game content.

Palemaster III can still take spell focus: enchantment usually and get close to the same enchantment DCs as an enchantment specced archmage through vampire form but gets much better survivability through self healing.

Like you said i am focusinging on the higher enchanment DC's.
The Pale masters are cool, i most definitly want to eventually Reincarnate to one.
If the end game content gets to hard which im sure it will, do you think i could just swap out enchantment for necro and redo my enhancement for PM?

Thanks, Wrank


Oh and changing fire line to elec.

[Barashkukor]

Did not know you could heighten the 1sp. spells for free or is that just for web?

Unless they changed things, all Spell-Like Abilities that are directly derived from an existing spell can be meta'd for free. This is why they're so **** good

Pale Master SLA's are not derived from spells, mind you, so no free meta's for PM SLA's.

If the end game content gets to hard which im sure it will, do you think i could just swap out enchantment for necro and redo my enhancement for PM?

Will work just fine.

[ErixofNurgle]

[QUOTE=Barashkukor;4133734]Unless they changed things, all Spell-Like Abilities that are directly derived from an existing spell can be meta'd for free. This is why they're so **** good

QUOTE]

Well if thats the case then ill at least take hypno, still want my umd though. LOL

[ErixofNurgle]

[QUOTE=Barashkukor;4133734]Unless they changed things, all Spell-Like Abilities that are directly derived from an existing spell can be meta'd for free. This is why they're so **** good

QUOTE]

Well if thats the case then ill at least take hypno, still want my umd though. LOL

[Such755]

I'll be honest here, if I ever see a fleshy wizard that is not a pale master (In other words: A wizard that can't self heal) I'm booting him out of my party ASAP.

That's just me though.

[ErixofNurgle]

woohoo

[v.p.]

I'll be honest here, if I ever see a fleshy wizard that is not a pale master (In other words: A wizard that can't self heal) I'm booting him out of my party ASAP.

That's just me though.

or ask him to link a bunch of heal scrolls (if his/her UMD is high enough) ;-)

[Pape_27]

I'll be honest here, if I ever see a fleshy wizard that is not a pale master (In other words: A wizard that can't self heal) I'm booting him out of my party ASAP.

That's just me though.

I run a human AM wizard that is not a pale master. And I can self heal. Maybe not as well as a Pale Master with an aura running, but I cant tell you how many times Ive seen pale masters die in combat because of the aura. They depend on it, but all in all its weak healing, like the cleric aura. Nice to top off between rounds but thats about it. There are a lot of sources of healing in the game, so to make a blanket statement like the one above in kinda inane.

Its amazing what people can devise and come up with all in the name of becoming self sufficient. Pots, Wands, Scrolls, Candy Canes, Hams, Regen, Healing Feats, Dragon Marks, healing amp etc. It's a shame you take that kind of attitude. its like burying your head in the sand saying "you can only do it one way". In a game like DDO that has a myriad of builds its kinda a myopic viewpoint.



_

[munificence]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here... criticism maybe? I mean, you know this build isn't optimal, so I guess the question is, is it capable? Well, you didn't completely dump con, but your HPs will be behind most wizards. You're having to sacrifice a lot to depend on scroll or wand healing, which is going to be a bit annoying. You'll die more than a WF Archmage, and you won't have the insta-kill DCs or tankability of a Pale Master.

But, a skilled player could get around all that, and make this a viable build. Your crowd control will be good, and if you can manage your aggro, you should be able to survive. Personally, I think a WF Arch Mage is the most powerful Wizard build in the game, and I could never see myself going for a build like you suggest here.


EDIT: I would strongly consider both the tier 1 and tier 2 SLAs from the enchantment focus. Hypno is a life saver early in the game, and has a great will debuff even if it fails. The heightened resistable dance hits more than you might think, but requires you to be in touch range. I love it on my AM.