Need a good wf archmage wiz build 32pt

[mikeness]

I am looking for a 32pt warforged archmage wizard build. Been doing melee the whole time in ddo and looking to do something different. Need recomendations!

[goodspeed]

18 int 18 con. Tada ur done.

A for feats I forget which is which but im sure the archmage pre has it's own requirements that you'd need to take.

Feats that are a given would be toughness (hp is a good thing) first and greater spell pen. Extend (i'm not sure exactly how much this even works with anymore.) Highten, maximize the dmg.

Their was one other feat I remember some wizards taking where it took I think the int modifier and used it for maybe reflex? Personally with spells let alone the ability to switch em out everywhere, their was always a spell or spells that made hopping through a trap easy enough.

With archmage CC is the name of the game. Spending sp for sla spells they get basically unlimited pretty **** good cc. Gear, clickies, and a lil enhancements are what you'll use to amp up dmg from your spells.

Depending on which school you choose (say you use web alot which alot of wizards do later on) you won't be wanting wall of fire around those silk strands. Ice wall however is a nice lasting aoe that will keep em trapped and deliver cold and bludgeon dmg (clickies for both or potency item increase this dmg) over and over again.

[Cardtrick]

OP -- what kind of archmage are you looking for? There are 3 main types:

1) Necromancy focused. Great instant killer at high levels, comparable to a pure pale master. Often takes a secondary mastery in conjuration for the web SLA, which allows it to be a really solid crowd controller, too. Probably the "best" archmage in the current end game.

2) Enchantment/crowd control focused. Primary spell mastery will be in enchantment, more for the +2 DCs than the SLAs. Typically won't take any SLAs except the first (hypnotism), although some go all the way for hold monster. May not take a secondary school at all, or may go for either conjuration (web for even more CC) or necromancy (for the +1 DC on instant kills). This was once the best endgame wizard by a mile, back when instant death didn't work in epics and Mass Hold was the undisputed king (for the autocrit status it allowed). Still a good option, though, and popular in parties (but a much weaker soloer).

3) Evocation focused. Uses the SLAs for lots of blasting power, plays more like a sorcerer than a wizard. Apparently lots of fun while leveling, but not really the best option at cap. Will often take conjuration as a secondary mastery for the web SLA for more endgame utility and versatility. More of a flavor choice, but not necessarily bad.

18 int 18 con. Tada ur done.

Not on a 32-point warforged, which the OP asked for. 18 int, 18 con leaves 6 build points left over. You could go 18 int, 20 con . . . but I'm inclined to think that's overkill. I'd go 14 str, 18 int, 18 con -- plan on buffing up, wielding a Carnifex with Master's Touch, and self-healing with repair spells for the early-to-mid leveling process, and the strength will be useful for carrying capacity and avoiding helplessness all the way through to cap.

A for feats I forget which is which but im sure the archmage pre has it's own requirements that you'd need to take.

Mental toughness and spell focus/greater spell focus in whatever school you want to be an archmage of, plus spell focus of a secondary school if desired for SLAs.

Their was one other feat I remember some wizards taking where it took I think the int modifier and used it for maybe reflex? Personally with spells let alone the ability to switch em out everywhere, their was always a spell or spells that made hopping through a trap easy enough.

Insightful Reflexes is great, but it's tough to fit on a warforged archmage without past lives that allow you to skip the spell pen feats.

With archmage CC is the name of the game. Spending sp for sla spells they get basically unlimited pretty **** good cc. Gear, clickies, and a lil enhancements are what you'll use to amp up dmg from your spells.

Sort of . . . but probably the best archmage build these days is necromancy-focused for high DCs on instant kills, and the evocation-focused "blaster" archmage never seems to go out of style.

Depending on which school you choose (say you use web alot which alot of wizards do later on) you won't be wanting wall of fire around those silk strands. Ice wall however is a nice lasting aoe that will keep em trapped and deliver cold and bludgeon dmg (clickies for both or potency item increase this dmg) over and over again.

No such thing as ice wall. I assume you mean ice storm . . . but that doesn't keep them trapped. (Or do you just mean that it won't break the web?) In any case, fire wall remains a great option while leveling, and you often don't want enemies trapped within it, since they take damage every time you kite them through it (if they fail their save).

[Cardtrick]

Here's an example warforged pure wizard archmage, main focus in necromancy with secondary focus in conjuration and the Web SLA (but no Necro SLAs -- I think the SP is more valuable).

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.11.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Warforged Archmage
Level 20 True Neutral Warforged Male
(20 Wizard) 
Hit Points: 272
Spell Points: 1910 
BAB: 10\10\15\20
Fortitude: 12
Reflex: 16
Will: 10

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             14                 14                   14
Dexterity             8                  8                    8
Constitution         18                 20                   22
Intelligence         18                 25                   30
Wisdom                6                  6                    6
Charisma              6                  6                    6

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 3
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 20)          (Level 20)
Balance               1                 10                   10
Bluff                -2                 -2                   -2
Concentration         8                 29                   33
Diplomacy            -2                  9                    9
Disable Device        n/a              n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                  1                    1
Heal                 -2                 -2                   -2
Hide                 -1                 -1                   -1
Intimidate           -2                 -2                   -2
Jump                  4                 12                   12
Listen               -2                 -2                   -2
Move Silently        -1                 10                   10
Open Lock            n/a               n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a               n/a                   n/a
Repair                4                 10                   10
Search                4                 10                   10
Spot                  0                  9                    9
Swim                  2                  2                    2
Tumble                1                  1                    1
Use Magic Device      0                  9                    9

Level 1 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Concentration (+4)
Skill: Jump (+2)
Skill: Spot (+2)
Skill: Tumble (+2)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Extend Spell
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Wizard)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+2)


Level 3 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness


Level 4 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: INT
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 5 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Spell Focus: Necromancy


Level 6 (Wizard)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Improved Concentration I
Enhancement: Improved Concentration II
Enhancement: Acid Manipulation I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation I
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation I
Enhancement: Force Manipulation I
Enhancement: Repair Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence I
Enhancement: Wizard Wand and Scroll Mastery I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend I
Enhancement: Warforged Inscribed Armor I
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage I
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery I: Necromancy


Level 7 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)


Level 8 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: INT
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 9 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Insightful Reflexes


Level 10 (Wizard)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Spell Focus: Conjuration


Level 11 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 12 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: INT
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Improved Concentration III
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Deadly Ice I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation II
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation III
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar III
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence II
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution II
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage II
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage III
Enhancement: Archmage Secondary Spell Mastery I: Conjuration
Enhancement: Conjuration I - Grease
Enhancement: Conjuration II - Web


Level 13 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 14 (Wizard)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)


Level 15 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Quicken Spell
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration


Level 16 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: INT
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+3)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)


Level 17 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 18 (Wizard)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+2)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Heighten Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Improved Concentration IV
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation V
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation VI
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation VII
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar IV
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence III
Enhancement: Wizard Wand and Scroll Mastery II
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage IV
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage V
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery II: Necromancy


Level 19 (Wizard)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Diplomacy (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+1)


Level 20 (Wizard)
Ability Raise: INT
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Haggle (+3)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Empower Spell
Enhancement: Wizard Master of Magic
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Maximizing I
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration II

Feat order:

There are some things there you may want to change. I wait until 20 to take Empower, for instance -- depending on playstyle, you may want that earlier. (Personally, I usually keep it turned off -- just too expensive most of the time.)

Feat alternatives/swaps

There are 2 important feats that are missing: Greater Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration. There are also two obvious candidates for a swap: Extend and Insightful Reflexes. Personally, I find Extend invaluable at low levels, but much less so at cap. I would almost certainly swap Extend out for Greater Spell Penetration at high level.

A lot of people don't much care for Insightful Reflexes, but for me the survivability of a high reflex save is more valuable than +1 DC on Web. I would keep that one. But, if you disagree, then you could take Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration in place of Insightful Reflexes (actually, due to the order, you'd need to take GSF: Necromancy in place of Insightful Reflexes, and then take GSF: Conjuration in place of GSF:Necromancy at level 12).

Enhancement Alternatives

This is wide open, and you should change this around a lot as you level. It's easy and nearly free, and the best options are different at different levels. The ones I've listed are intended as endgame options. You will certainly want points in fire at the mid levels for the glorious hey day of wall of fire.

Even at end game, there's room to change stuff around. For example, I didn't take any Necromancy SLAs, preferring the extra SP. The levels 4 and 5 SLAs are quite nice (Enervation and Waves of Fatigue), but I don't think they're worth the 375 SP cost -- you may feel differently, and that's totally fine.

On the other hand, I don't know how much I care about the 75 SP from Archmage V -- I might suggest dropping it, in which case you can also drop Energy of the Scholar IV and Improved Concentration IV. That's a total cost of 105 SP and a savings of 6 AP, which you could then use to significantly spec into a second elemental line (acid, probably, to take advantage of your high Conjuration DC) or one of the reduced SP metamagic lines, or 3 tiers of Subtle Spellcasting, if you're having aggro problems.

Other types of archmage

You'll want to change this if you go for a different type of archmage. For enchantment, it's pretty much as simple as swapping Necro for Enchantment in the spell focuses (and probably swapping conjuration for necro -- instant killing is so nice that an enchantment/necro archmage is a lot more appealing than an enchantment/conjuration or enchantment/evocation).

For evocation, it's more significant. You'll play this more like a lower-DPS, more versatile sorcerer. Enhancements will be significantly different, and you'll probably want more investment in the force line, and maybe even a third line. You'll care much less about spell penetration, and much more about damage. You'll have to swap your necro spell focuses to evocation, but your secondary should probably still be conjuration -- heightened web is really nice and doesn't depend on spell pen. You'll want to take Empower much earlier than I did -- it's an expensive metamagic for most standard spells, but a virtually essential one for evocation SLAs. You might consider dropping Spell Penetration entirely. You'll almost certainly want to take the arcane bolt/blast SLAs, along with the evocation ones (at least up to tier 3). (I should reiterate one more time: currently an evocation archmage is not nearly as strong a DPS choice as a savant sorcerer. It's an option, but not the strongest one available to you.)