Improved Initiative: Alternatives?

I'd really like to save the feat slot for improved initiative. Of course, being first is extremely important for a wizard, but I'd still love to spend the feat on something else -- my feat progression is really crowded as is.

What alternatives are there?

o Cat's Grace or Dex-raising items, obviously (but the enemy will have this, as well, so that's not really doing the job)

o Nerveskitter, but that is using my first round's swift action, so it comes at a high cost, because I usually want to cast a quickened spell in my first turn

o Foresight can help me be ready (potentially readying an action), but will not help me when an initiative check is called for

Any other options you can see?

(Oh, and class dips are out of the question... interesting for later builds, maybe, but not for now)

Oh, I misread the question, forget I posted anything. <_<

from magic item compendium:
roaring armor property +4 competence
eager weapon property +2 untyped bonus
warning weapon property +5 insight bonus
belt of battle +2 competence
bracers of blinding strike +2 competence bonus

There's a wizard variant that trades away Scribe Scroll for a Fighter bonus feat in the Unearthed Arcana (available online) which can be spent on Improved Initiative.

Dandu said:

There's a wizard variant that trades away Scribe Scroll for a Fighter bonus feat in the Unearthed Arcana (available online) which can be spent on Improved Initiative.

Click to expand...

Great. But maybe for a later build. I'm already in higher-level play, and have used scribe scroll a few times, so I would not be able to trade it -- or would not want to, flavor-wise.

Tactical planning to often get a surprise round on your opponent. Scouting, alarm spells, invisibility, etc.

You can cast Heroics (sor/wiz 2) from Spell Compendium to grant yourself the Improved Initative feat, since it is a fighter feat.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

The Hummingbird Familiar presented in Dragon Magazine 323 (pg 98) grants its master +4 bonus to initiative.

In addition, if you are an elf...
and take the elf wizard substiution level (Races of the Wild) for a 3rd level wizard...
you get Natural Link ability that doubles the bonus granted by a familiar when it is within 5 ft... except you can no longer have it deliver touch spells or speak with others of its kind.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

Also, if you like Grafts, get the the Silthilar Graft "Flexible Spine" (Lords of Madness) implanted in you for a +4 racial bonus to Initiative, Balance, Escape Artist and Tumble checks. Of course following recent graft rules, you can only have 5 grafts of one type... thankfully Silthilar Grafts are pretty damn good and come from a CG breed of aberration.