First Life Wizard

[jdlawhorn]

I'm just jumping around the forums now, aren't I?

I'm really trying to see what class I like and that I can stick with for a first life. Water Savant Sorc didn't do it for me...Sorc didn't do much for me at all. I'm liking Shintao PrE helf monk pretty well. Artificer is meh. I've done a cleric in the past, and it was okay. Not a fan of having to deal with MAD on a spellcaster, so FvS is out. And I've tried rogue, which was okay. Now, I'm looking for some help with a wizard.

TL;DR: I've tried lots of classes, and I'm looking for one that I like best.

I've read up on both Archmages and Pale Masters, and I'm not sure which I should choose. I'm pretty sure that either elf or Warforged are going to be the choices for race (elf for spell pen, WF for self-heals).

I'm also needing some help with my AP spending. My current wizard (Lv. 7 elf PM from about a year ago...haven't gotten around to deleting him...) is spread pretty evenly among the elemental manipulations (Manipulation II on all except Repair and maybe Force), but I don't feel I'm dealing as much damage as I could if I stuck with one or two elements and used more CC.

I have all races, 32-point build, and Vet I and II status. I'm also getting Turbine points when my paycheck hits my bank tomorrow, to I'll have some tomes I can eat.

So, my questions are as follows:

1.) Should I go Elf or Warforged? I have the Illusionist's Robe if that makes much difference (+3 to Int makes me thing I should go Elf or something non-WF)

2.) Should I go with Archmage or Pale Master? (I assume that will depend on race choice based on what I've read...)

3.) What should I do AP-wise? Should I focus my elemental manipulations a bit more, or keep them even? Also, if you said Archmage for the previous question, which specializations and SLAs do you recommend?

4.) What are some good spells to always keep memorized? (I'm sure that, too, will depend on the PrE and the specializations.)

Thanks to anyone that looks at this and gives me some advice.

*cough*Kinerd*cough* lol

[Persiflage]

1) The "best" race choice (for a given value of "best") will depend on a number of factors. For instance, do you mostly solo, or mostly group? If you solo, you may well find at later levels that a lack of self-healing is an issue on a non-WF caster... unless, of course, you go Pale Master! A lot of what you're asking is tough to answer unless you put at least one stake in the ground; there are so many different ways to build a Wizard.

2) Archmage and Pale Master are slightly different play-styles, and they each have strengths and weaknesses. You will doubtless hear different and strongly-held views on each, but to a significant degree it boils down to a combination of personal preference and who (if anyone) you tend to run with. For levelling, I'd take a WF Archmage over a fleshy PM any day of the week... until about 15th level or so, at which point they even out in my experience (ignoring Running With Devils for a moment ). I have a capped first-life WF Wizard with a full slate of ED's who is currently a Necromancy/Conjuration-specced Archmage, and I find him to be extremely effective. On a fleshy caster though, I'd tend to go PM... but then, I solo almost all the time.

3) The usual approach on a Wizard is to focus on two (or at most, three) damage lines. I generally keep two of them maxed, with one point in critical chance and critical damage for each, then put one point in every other damage type, maybe bumping a third type up by a few ranks if I feel I can spare the AP. Flexibility is your watchword as a Wizard: you can always bring the appropriate spells if you know what's coming, so it's not a good idea to *completely* neglect the enhancement lines and gear for any elemental type... even if all you do is put a single point in and keep some differently-flavoured caster sticks on your hotbar for when only a specific damage type will do. If you go Evocation-specced Archmage, you'll probably want to max two elemental damage types plus your Force line.

The thing to remember is that you can, and will, reset your enhancements as you level. Different damage types are more or less effective depending on the enemies you face, so your emphasis should change depending on what content you're running. Fire spells are the classic exemplar of this; for instance, Wall of Fire is utterly fantastic in most situations involving undead, but will affect only 50% of mobs in Stormcleave Outpost and pass largely unheeded in Taming the Flames. Being fire-specced in Shavarath is a fairly unrewarding experience as demons and devils are immune to fire, so it's easy to imagine having a maxed-out fire line while running through the Orchard of the Macabre, then resetting your enhancements to max out cold instead for tackling the Devil Battlefield.

4) The offensive spells you memorise will depend entirely on your setup and (again) the content you're running. Web is great crowd control for many mobs at pretty much all levels... but it's worthless against spiders, incorporeal creatures, or situations with lots of mobs like fire elementals which spam fireballs. Dancing Ball is another marvellous cc spell, but of course it has no effect on creatures immune to mind-affecting stuff. Necromancy-based instakills become a staple at later levels, but naturally have zero effect on undead... When choosing spells (both from the point of "what to memorise" and "what to cast") you need to play to A) your strengths and B) the enemy's weakness, with B) often being more important than A), as enemy immunities trump player enhancements every single time.

(For example, it doesn't matter how many points you've put into enhancing your fire damage and critical lines: your Scorching Ray cannot and will not hurt that fire elemental!)

Other spells - particularly buffs and utility spells - are pretty much always worth carrying. Spell levels 4 and below contain a number of favourites you'll want to have in your pocket for most or all of the time: Blur, Jump, Haste, Displacement, Rage and so on. Always carry Knock, even if only as a wand of the highest level you can manage. Fire Shield is situationally *extremely* useful, while Dimension Door can drastically down cut the time needed to complete many quests (and even in some cases allow you to solo quests you otherwise couldn't). Expeditious Retreat (at least as a wand of clickie) is great if you're having trouble slotting Striding items (or can't yet access 25% or better), while Master's Touch is your friend for the first 7-11 levels while your main recourse to killing things is smashing them in the face with a big axe.

Running and playing a Wizard is a delightful-yet-scary smörgåsbord of options. You're probably not going to want to hear this, but I'll say it anyway; there's no substitute for experience when it comes to this kind of thing, as your personal preferences and play-style will have a massive influence on what works for you. As you have Vet II, it may even be worth your while creating two 7th-level Wizards (say, a WF Archmage and a fleshy PM) and running them one-at-a-time through the same content for a while to see what suits you best...

Finally, as you level up and the game changes, your play experience with a given caster will change with it. You will end up respeccing your enhancements as you find better gear and face different enemies. You will almost certainly use your free Lesser Reincarnation at some point when it strikes you that a completely different build approach might be more fun. And THEN you'll probably re-spec your caster all over again when you start getting heavily into Epic Destinies... it's all part of the fun!


_____


TL;DR: suck it and see!

[squishwizzy]

1.) Should I go Elf or Warforged? I have the Illusionist's Robe if that makes much difference (+3 to Int makes me thing I should go Elf or something non-WF)

You should only go WF if you want a self-healing AM. Otherwise, go elf mainly because the Elven Arcanum is not only a SP booster, but also a spell pen booster as well. The biggest problem you're going to have at upper levels is overcoming spell resistence for either CC or necro spells, so you'll need all the spell pen you can get, and the elf helps that along.

If you start off with a wizzy, you'll most likely take necro or enchantment for primary or secondary schools (or both). One is your primary instakiller and fleshy-damager, the other is your main source of CC. Coming in at a close second is conjuration (for web). However, both necro and enchantment are riddled with spells where SR applies, so you need a decent spell pen to pull them off. Going elf is kinda like taking out insurance. Taking WF has some nice defensive capabilities (like resistences and immunities), elf comes in second in that area.

Most other schools are not as tied to having a decent spell pen for you to be effective, though they tend to go down the lines of being a nuker. Your first wizzy will NOT compete with a sorc for nuking capabilities, and eschewing both necro AND enchantment for your spell focus is something that is better left to people who really have a feel for running a wizzy.

2.) Should I go with Archmage or Pale Master? (I assume that will depend on race choice based on what I've read...)

In my opinion (I've got both at present) PM is slightly easier to grasp than AM. PM has three PrE levels, and a single emphasis on a spell line. AM has I think 5 PrEs, with options to take Spell-Like Abilities, and each PrE has a boost to your spell pool. The benefits of SLAs are debatable, as are things like Arcane Bolt (I personally find it useless and not worth the cost). AM is noce that you get boosts for specific spell focus lines, which is a nice benefit. You'll get lots of information here on PM as it relates to which shroud to pick and when, what shrouds to avoid, whether it is worth the cost of getting that extra summon, and so on. You don't get a lot of that discussion as it relates to AM, as far as I've seen.

In my experience, people who are new to a wizzy seem to go PM.

3.) What should I do AP-wise? Should I focus my elemental manipulations a bit more, or keep them even? Also, if you said Archmage for the previous question, which specializations and SLAs do you recommend?

Specializations I would recommend are Necro and Enchantment, with Conjuration coming in a close third. I've split my wizzies between two elemental lines, and had one that only specialized in one - regardless, you want to have a focus on at least 1 elemental line regardless if you also focus on enchantment, necro, etc. I find that splitting between two elemental lines or limiting yourself to one is really a 50/50 proposition. Focusing on one exclusively allows you to one- to two-shot kills for most enemies on normal at level, but becomes a real headache when you run content where the mobs are immune to that elemental line. Likewise, dividing your masteries covers a lot of bases, but also bleeds SP because your spells do not do as much bang for the buck. Me personally, I wouldn't go past specializing in more than two elemental lines.

At lower levels I'd specialize in fire or acid. In upper levels I'd re-do your enhancements to go maybe ice and acid.

4.) What are some good spells to always keep memorized? (I'm sure that, too, will depend on the PrE and the specializations.)

This is the beauty of being a wizzy: you don't have to keep ANY spells memorized. Though there are some that you almost always have prepped. off the top of my head, I find that I keep these available at all times:

1) Greater Heroism,
2) Protection from Elements (single or mass),
3) Resist Element,
4) Haste,
5) Stoneskin,
6) Summon Creature,
7) 2 elemental AoEs,
8) the Ottos dance spells,
9) Web,
10) Finger of Death,
11) Wail of the Banshee,
12) Jump.

[Kinerd]

1) If you go PM, either is fine but Elf offers more. If you go AM, WF.

2) I really think AM is stronger for leveling. PM doesn't even offer a decent form until 12, and its strong form isn't until 18; that's a relatively long way to go if you're TRing, and it's very very hard not to TR a wizard at least once.

3) I like two elements to 7/1/1 and no further. Regarding your point about damage output, your main problem is you haven't gotten to the good spells yet. There are a lot of good nukes at or below your level, but they rely on saves we don't generally pursue as wizards. The level 4 spells are phenomenal damage per SP but pretty lousy damage per second. Level 5 spells are where you get the first flavor of real DPS, then level 8 puts the matter to bed.

3b) Definite SLA: Web. Probable SLA: Hypno. Possible SLAs: Resistible Dance (requires Ench spec, therefore precludes Necro spec), Magic Missile (if you fancy Shiradi, requires SF Evo). The last two are borderline, I do not see even that much ROI for any others.

4) Well, it sort of depends on what you're running, but for a general spellbook I wouldn't go without...
9: Wail of the Banshee, Energy Drain, Power Word Kill
8: Polar Ray, Black Dragon Bolt, Otto's Irresistible
7: Finger of Death, Otto's Sphere
6: Reconstruct (if WF), Circle of Death, Greater Heroism. 6 has a lot of good spells, so not being on this list says more about the other options available than the utility of any given spell. If Necrotic Ray was level 7 I'd always carry it, for instance.
5: Niac's Biting Cold, Eladar's Electric Surge, Cloudkill
4: Another really tough one, like 6. At least one of [Ice Storm, Wall of Fire, Acid Rain]. If PM, Negative Energy Burst and Death Aura.
3 and under: Haste, Rage, Knock, Invis, [Shield or Nightshield], some form of Protection v. Evil, if WF some backup Repair, if not in SLAs Hypno and Web.

Necromancy-based instakills become a staple at later levels, but naturally have zero effect on undead...

One point to add here: Undeath to Death is Necromancy based and effectively an instant kill vs. undead (and a Will save at that). As mentioned above level 6 slots can be very tight, but that's one of the beauties of being a wizard, just slot it in when you want it. Our melee servants tend to be pretty pathetic against undead, instantly un-re-killing them (the undead) is quite potent.

If you start off with a wizzy, you'll most likely take necro or enchantment for primary or secondary schools (or both). One is your primary instakiller and fleshy-damager, the other is your main source of CC. Coming in at a close second is conjuration (for web).

To chime in on this point, my first wizard was Necro and Enchant. My second wizard was planned to run transition lives with a TR group, and so took a couple rogue levels for trap XP, and so I took a flyer on Conj instead of SR stuff, and I was shocked, shocked! to find how overwhelmingly Web replaced enchant for my CC needs. There are still situations where Dancing Ball and Holds are very relevant, but it was unbelievable to me how little I missed having a couple Enchant DCs.

[jdlawhorn]

So, based on a mix of everything you guys have said, probably wouldn't hurt to switch my current elf PM to a Necro primary and Conj/Ench secondary AM until I get to lvl 12 for...Wraith Shroud?...and definitely at 18 for Lich Shroud.

For elemental enhancements, going 7/1/1 in two. Probably switch them around when I redo enhancements for Lv 12 PM or Lv 18 PM.

I have one question. With the Wall of Fire/Web combo, would Acid Rain negate the firewall? I just wrote up a "memorized spell list" for things that I would probably want to keep on me as a Necro AM or as a PM, and I wanted to know about that possible problem. If it does cancel, I'll probably put Burning Blood there.

Here's my thoughts for a spell list (at max level, of course):

1: Detect Secret Doors, Feather Fall, Jump, Nightshield, *insert spell here*

2: Web (may be replaced if I get the SLA), Knock, Invisibility, False Life, *insert spell here*

3: Haste, Displacement, Acid Blast, Summon Monster (if solo)/*insert spell here*, *insert spell here*

4: Death Aura, Enervation (probably change when I get Energy Drain), Wall of Fire, Negative Energy Burst, Burning Blood/Acid Rain (depending on whether or not AR cancels out WoF)

5: Niac's, Eladar's, Cloudkill, Cone of Cold/*insert spell here*, Ball Lightning/*insert spell here*

6: Circle of Death, Greater Heroism, Necrotic Ray, Create Undead/Undeath to Death/*insert spell here*, Otiluke's/*insert spell here*

7: Finger of Death, Otto's Sphere, Delayed Fireball, *insert spell here*, *insert spell here*

8: Polar Ray, Black Dragon Bolt, Otto's Irresistable, Symbol of Death/*insert spell here*, Horrid Wilting/*insert spell here*

9: Wail of the Banshee, Energy Drain, PW: Kill, Meteor Swarm/*insert spell here*, Mordenkainen's/*insert spell here*

I'm thinking Necro/Conj AM and dropping a few of the Evoc spells for other Necro or Conj spells (unless I have the 7/1/1 for the element).

Also for the Spells Against Evil, I wasn't sure if I should take Protection or Circle. I'm sure it depends on whether I'm going solo or with a group.

So, in short, Necro/Conj AM until 12 for Wraith form, or 18 for Lich form; elf for the spell pen and SP.

Obviously, my spell list will change A LOT if I get into a group.

Also, what elements would you guys recommend for the 7/1/1 for where I'm at right now (Lv. 7)? I was thinking Acid for sure due to very few things being resistant at that level, and maybe Cold due to not many saves (except Niac's Cold Ray...damned reflex saves >.> lol).

What do you guys think? Any suggestions for something I've missed or should change would be appreciated.

And thank you all for your help. ^.^

[voodoogroves]

I wouldn't bother with Create Undead.

Even on wizards I tend to scroll what I can, unless it is something I want to use *FAST* (invis, for instance, I carry on scroll and the spell).

Lesser Death Aura and Death Aura can be active at the same time (and stack).

Ray of Enfeeblement is pretty hot.

I never memorize Detect Secret Doors. That comes on wands/scrolls easily - and is replaced by True Seeing later (which you will minimally want to scroll.

I never take false life.

I always take Resist Energy; sometimes you lose your ship buffs and need a resist fast.

Rage, espescially if you're grouping.

Protection from Evil or Magic Circle vs. Evil is something I'd be sure to fit in.

[Inouk]

I'm just jumping around the forums now, aren't I?

I'm really trying to see what class I like and that I can stick with for a first life. Water Savant Sorc didn't do it for me...Sorc didn't do much for me at all. I'm liking Shintao PrE helf monk pretty well. Artificer is meh. I've done a cleric in the past, and it was okay. Not a fan of having to deal with MAD on a spellcaster, so FvS is out. And I've tried rogue, which was okay. Now, I'm looking for some help with a wizard.

TL;DR: I've tried lots of classes, and I'm looking for one that I like best.

I've read up on both Archmages and Pale Masters, and I'm not sure which I should choose. I'm pretty sure that either elf or Warforged are going to be the choices for race (elf for spell pen, WF for self-heals).

I'm also needing some help with my AP spending. My current wizard (Lv. 7 elf PM from about a year ago...haven't gotten around to deleting him...) is spread pretty evenly among the elemental manipulations (Manipulation II on all except Repair and maybe Force), but I don't feel I'm dealing as much damage as I could if I stuck with one or two elements and used more CC.

I have all races, 32-point build, and Vet I and II status. I'm also getting Turbine points when my paycheck hits my bank tomorrow, to I'll have some tomes I can eat.

So, my questions are as follows:

1.) Should I go Elf or Warforged? I have the Illusionist's Robe if that makes much difference (+3 to Int makes me thing I should go Elf or something non-WF)

2.) Should I go with Archmage or Pale Master? (I assume that will depend on race choice based on what I've read...)

3.) What should I do AP-wise? Should I focus my elemental manipulations a bit more, or keep them even? Also, if you said Archmage for the previous question, which specializations and SLAs do you recommend?

4.) What are some good spells to always keep memorized? (I'm sure that, too, will depend on the PrE and the specializations.)

Thanks to anyone that looks at this and gives me some advice.

*cough*Kinerd*cough* lol

I feel obligated to note that if you haven't played a given class/build to at least about level 12 you don't really know what it's like. Casters in particular play very different once you get past level 7/8 and even more so when you reach certain benchmark levels for that build/class (PrE at 12/18, iconic spells at 13/17, etc).

That said I appreciate the need to have a class you'll enjoy playing to that level. Personally I have played Monk (12), fighter (20), cleric (14), bard (12/2 bard/rog), sorc (20), archmage (20), PM (25), ranger (12/8 rng/ftr) past the level 12 mark, and my favorite is pale master, followed by sorc and probably ranger. PM is a cold hard killer that is also self sufficient and versatile. Based on the classes you didn't like, you may be more melee oriented, in which case a TWF ranger or ranger mix may be good for you, or maybe a kensei III (splash rogue or monk if you want).

[Such755]

1.) Should I go Elf or Warforged? I have the Illusionist's Robe if that makes much difference (+3 to Int makes me thing I should go Elf or something non-WF)

2.) Should I go with Archmage or Pale Master? (I assume that will depend on race choice based on what I've read...)

3.) What should I do AP-wise? Should I focus my elemental manipulations a bit more, or keep them even? Also, if you said Archmage for the previous question, which specializations and SLAs do you recommend?

4.) What are some good spells to always keep memorized? (I'm sure that, too, will depend on the PrE and the specializations.)

Thanks to anyone that looks at this and gives me some advice.

*cough*Kinerd*cough* lol

1) Go human. Yes elf has more spell pen, but it's really a big issue only if you plan on running elite drow quests (Eveningstar). You can live without them, and the best solution is to TR a wizard several time for spell pen.

2) Pale master is my favorite and I definitely vote for it. A lot of damage amp for necro spells (Necrotic ray, bolt and blast do a lot of damage for real cheap). Necro DC is equal to arch mage's necro DC if it's is specialty, but lich form gives you +2 int that is +1 to ALL SPELL DC ACROSS THE BOARD. That includes trap the soul, disintegrate and anything else, while AM only gets +2 DC to main school and +1 to secondary.

People will say AM is better because of the cheap web SLA, well I can testify that I'm tossing a lot of mass holds and disco balls, along with doing a lot of other effective things, and I hardly ever run out of SP (Without potions). And I don't even have a single mental toughness feat. 3k SP is enough for pretty much every quest, so "Cheap" spells are not always required. Besides, mass hold is so much better for web, and disco ball as well. For stuff that only web works on: well you'll have that spell memorized too, and high enough DC to make it count.

3) Play with it. I like ice and electricity for niac's biting cold and eldar's electric surge. Those are the two DOT spells for bosses I use, and they do tons of damage. Evocation spells for trash is something I rarely use, but when I do then cone of cold, ball lightning for big mobs.

4) My spell book for Ice \ Electric spells, main specialties are Enchantment and Necromancy:

Level 1: 
Magic missile, decetect secret doors, jump, nightshield, expeditious retreat. - - Have jump, but the rest is meh. 
Level 2:
Invisibility, web, blur, knock, resist energy. Swap invis for electric loop or snowball swarm when you feel like. The rest is important enough (Maybe skip knock when you know it's useless)
Level 3: 
Displacement, frost lance, haste, rage, lightning bolt
Level 4: 
Negative energy burst, fire shield, dimension door, death aura, ice storm. Burst and aura are must have. The rest is up to you
Level 5:
Niac's biting cold, Eldar's electric surge, cone of cold, ball lightning, cyclonic blast (Blast is for untyped damage and to clear area spells like dancing sphere, fire walls etc)
Level 6:
Greater herois, disintegrate, necrotic ray, circle of death, undeath to death (Swap undeath when no undead are expected)
Level 7: 
Protection from elements: Mass, delayed blast fireball, finger of deat, otto's sphere of dancing, symbol of stunning. (DBFireball becausae sometimes it can help. See: Abbot)
Level 8: 
Circle of death, trap the soul, polar ray, otto's irresistable dance, greater shout (shout for untyped and some stuns. Not using that often, really.)
Level 9:
Energy dragon, power word kill, meteor swarm, wail of the banshee, mass hold monster.

This is my build, I suggest you check it out, it's pretty solid.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php...99#post4760799

[Zachski]

1) Go human. Yes elf has more spell pen, but it's really a big issue only if you plan on running elite drow quests (Eveningstar). You can live without them, and the best solution is to TR a wizard several time for spell pen.

I have to admit, I'm getting rather annoyed by the amount of people who toss around "TRing a character several times" as if it was so easy to do casually. This does nothing to help a first life character.

Not to mention the intense amount of time it takes to actually get a character to level 20, then reincarnate, then get that character to level 20 *again*, then reincarnate again... it takes months of time for a single character.

Why shouldn't he plan to play elite drow quests anyways? There's more to the game than gear and XP (which is what I presume what you mean by "you can live without them") . Like... playing the game.

Sorry for this, but that statement right there rubbed me the wrong way.

[squishwizzy]

I have to admit, I'm getting rather annoyed by the amount of people who toss around "TRing a character several times" as if it was so easy to do casually. This does nothing to help a first life character.

Not to mention the intense amount of time it takes to actually get a character to level 20, then reincarnate, then get that character to level 20 *again*, then reincarnate again... it takes months of time for a single character.

Why shouldn't he plan to play elite drow quests anyways? There's more to the game than gear and XP (which is what I presume what you mean by "you can live without them") . Like... playing the game.

Sorry for this, but that statement right there rubbed me the wrong way.

You are 100% correct.

Drow aren't the monly mobs to have SR. Devils, most demons, fiendish creatures, and druegar have SR too. So, that now includes quite a bit of House K content, some House D content, most of Vale of Twilight, almost all of Amrath, Chronoscope, and Devil Assault. Plus, Drow-heavy quests include Tempest Spine and VON 3.

VON 3, Chrono, and Devil Assault are all frequently run epics on my server.

Yeah, spell pen is kinda important, especially for a first-life toon.

Edit: forgot to mention Servants of the Overlord as a heavily run epic as well. Plus mass holds and disco ball are all subject to spell resistence. I agree that the Web SLA is situational, but it is not subject to SR like most enchantment CC.

[Inouk]

I agree that the Web SLA is situational, but it is not subject to SR like most enchantment CC.

And as mentioned, since it's situational it's not necessary to have as an SLA, you can just cast it as a regular spell. Having as an SLA is nice, but not nearly as nice as having free damage SLA's to save you some serious SP over the course of a mission (yes, I have both a PM and an AM with web SLA).

[squishwizzy]

So, based on a mix of everything you guys have said, probably wouldn't hurt to switch my current elf PM to a Necro primary and Conj/Ench secondary AM until I get to lvl 12 for...Wraith Shroud?...and definitely at 18 for Lich Shroud.

There is an argument in another thread about using Zombie shrouds. I find it a big SP drainer, but is has very definate advantages if you want to tank with AoEs and something like Web. My opinion is that if you have a TR, try using Zombie just to get familiar with the shrouds (that's what I did), and then maybe re-do your enhancements when you get to Wraith.

If you're not a TR (first-life), stick to going Wraith at 12.

I have one question. With the Wall of Fire/Web combo, would Acid Rain negate the firewall?

Nope.

Spam both. Spam them like the wind!

I just wrote up a "memorized spell list" for things that I would probably want to keep on me as a Necro AM or as a PM, and I wanted to know about that possible problem. If it does cancel, I'll probably put Burning Blood there.

Here's my thoughts for a spell list (at max level, of course):

My recommendations assume the following:
1) You have the plat to spend on these items,
2) you are in a guild and have access to guild vendors,
3) These are spells you are going to have prepped for a quest.

What I do each level is select two spells from the new level I've just received, then run to a scroll vendor (or the Portable Hole), buy every scroll for that level I can, and then write them in my spell book. This way, when I level again, I select only those spells that I need, and I cannot get a scroll for in the market.

So, again, much of my recommendations assume you have enough plat to fill up your spellbook.

I'm not sure what you mean by "memorized" spells. I usually change-up what spells I memorize before I hit a quest so that I'm prepared. You're not a Sorc. You are not constrained by the spells you select from a list. You are only constrained by how many spell slots you have at your level, and what you have in your spell book. As I mentioed above, if you have the plat, the spells you can select from are numerous.

1: Detect Secret Doors, Feather Fall, Jump, Nightshield, *insert spell here*

Seriously, consider scroll-casting Detect Secret Doors and Featherfall. At lower levels you don't gain anything by having them prepped in a quest, and at upper levels, they just take up a slot. Plust Wraith shroud has - I believe - featherfall as part of its abilities.

2: Web (may be replaced if I get the SLA), Knock, Invisibility, False Life, *insert spell here*

Again, Invisivibility, at low-levels, you sould probably use scrolls. At lvl 11, I'm not seeing a huge need to have invisivbility prepped.

3: Haste, Displacement, Acid Blast, Summon Monster (if solo)/*insert spell here*, *insert spell here*

Summon Monster - call from scroll if you can.

4: Death Aura, Enervation (probably change when I get Energy Drain), Wall of Fire, Negative Energy Burst, Burning Blood/Acid Rain (depending on whether or not AR cancels out WoF)

You can call Death Aura from a scroll if you are running tight on spell slots.

6: Circle of Death, Greater Heroism, Necrotic Ray, Create Undead/Undeath to Death/*insert spell here*, Otiluke's/*insert spell here*

Not sure if Create Undead is actually worth having. Everything else after that looks OK. If there is one spell that you should select from the list they provide when you level, it is Dimension Door. There are seceral quests - VON being one of them, another being Diplomatic Impunity - where having DDoor available is highly advantageous. You can't get scrolls of DDoor easily. So select that one before all others when it comes around.

Obviously, my spell list will change A LOT if I get into a group.

At lower levels, your spell list is going to change frequently whether you are in a group or not. At upper levels, not so much.

Also, what elements would you guys recommend for the 7/1/1 for where I'm at right now (Lv. 7)? I was thinking Acid for sure due to very few things being resistant at that level, and maybe Cold due to not many saves (except Niac's Cold Ray...damned reflex saves >.> lol).

At lower levels, I recommend fire.

At upper levels, I recommend cold and acid.

[Kinerd]

I have one question. With the Wall of Fire/Web combo, would Acid Rain negate the firewall? I just wrote up a "memorized spell list" for things that I would probably want to keep on me as a Necro AM or as a PM, and I wanted to know about that possible problem. If it does cancel, I'll probably put Burning Blood there.

I am pretty sure they don't cancel, but they are generally used as separate means anyway. Wall of Fire is brutal against phasers and good for long slow burns, Acid Rain is very poor against phasers and good for quick burns.

Also for the Spells Against Evil, I wasn't sure if I should take Protection or Circle. I'm sure it depends on whether I'm going solo or with a group.

For me it was more a question of where I needed slots. I didn't have any level 1, so I took Circle.

Also, what elements would you guys recommend for the 7/1/1 for where I'm at right now (Lv. 7)? I was thinking Acid for sure due to very few things being resistant at that level, and maybe Cold due to not many saves (except Niac's Cold Ray...damned reflex saves >.> lol).

I don't like swapping enhancements so I go with Cold/Elec from the beginning. If you're going to swap at 12 anyway, though, I would go Fire/Acid to start. You're not taking Ice Storm and the only other good low level cold spell for wizards is Frost Lance, while Acid has Spray, Blast, Melf's, Rain. I would probably take Lance over any one of those but not all four.

And as mentioned, since it's situational it's not necessary to have as an SLA, you can just cast it as a regular spell. Having as an SLA is nice, but not nearly as nice as having free damage SLA's to save you some serious SP over the course of a mission (yes, I have both a PM and an AM with web SLA).

I'm surprised you are unimpressed by the SP savings from Web. The trick with Web is that you can use it in almost every instance you would otherwise have used Dancing Ball, and the number of un-danceables (undead, constructs, prohibitive SR) far outnumbers the number of un-webbables (fire [mephits, reavers, giants]), especially in epics. It also is so much faster to cast than Dancing Ball, and not for nothing so much less annoying as an audiovisual effect.

[Kinerd]

A thought on scrolls: I certainly agree that they are an excellent SP savings. At the same time, if I wanted to futz around with a stuffed backpack and dozens of swappables I'd just play my melee. Having things in the spellbook can present a significant quality of life upgrade, and if you're drowning in plat you can snap up some mnem pots instead.