Help me optimize a House Sivis (Eberron) gnome illusionist.

[Gaiden]

Current build:

gnome wizard lvl 10

Ability Scores - 32 point buy

Class feature: Orb of Deception, Alchemist

Skills - Arcana, Diplomacy, Stealth, History, Insight

Feats - Mark of Scribing (required), Gnome Phatasmist, Skill Power (Befriend), Phantom Echoes, Twilight Adept, Illusionary Stealth

Powers -
At Will - Nightmare eruption, Illusory Ambush
Encounter - Grasping Shadows, Hypnotic Pattern, Enemies abound
Daily - Sleep, Horrid Whispers, Phantasmal Assailant, Visions of Avarice, Face of Death, Taunting Phantoms
Utility - Memory to Mist, Spectral Image, Invisibility, Disguise Self, Mirror Image, True Seeing

This character is going to be a conversion from 3.X of one of the 2 masters in House Sivis in Sharn that had the greater mark of scribing. Now that there are no 'greater' dragon marks, I just did a conversion from his 3.X to 4E based on level (hence lvl 9+). I am looking to optimize this character, but only within the confines of his role in the story as one of the masters of House Sivis. Thus, language, diplomacy, rituals, and advancing within the House's internal chess game of political intrigue and positioning should be the primary focus of his build.

 

[Gaiden]

Oh, and if you have any suggestions of how to better take advantage of a higher charisma score for a wizard, I am all ears.

 

[DracoSuave]

Superior Implement Proficiency: Crystaline Orb.

+1/2/3 damage with psychic powers, +1 to attack against will.

 

[Spatula]

I would pick a background that gives you Bluff as a class skill, or a feat like the bard MC one. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a bard MC feat that gives a skill training and Ritual Caster, that would be perfect.

If language is important, shouldn't he have Linguist?

 

[DEFCON 1]

If language is important, shouldn't he have Linguist?

That's what the Mark of Scribing feat gives you, in addition to several rituals. Four languages of your choice which you are allowed to retrain like skills/powers/feats.

 

[Spatula]

Ah, that's right. I suppose that covers most of the ritual needs as well.

 

[eamon]

Optimize for what purpose? Generally, that means combat; but clearly it contains an element of flavor here too.

Right, so, suggestions:


Items:

• Laurel Circlet: +2 to diplomacy and insight, +1 to charm or illusion attacks. This is pretty much required for your flavor, even the skill bonuses align.
• Resplendent Gloves: Attacks vs. Will get +2 damage, if an illusion attack hits, one of the hit targets grants CA to you until the end of your next turn. This can free up a valuable feat slot since it's not quite a replacement for phantom echoes- but almost. Alternately (but more expensive), Illusionist Gloves (if you hit someone granting CA, they take a -2 to saves vs. effects of the hitting power).
• Any +2/+3 Crystal Orb
• Offhand: Orb of Nimble Thoughts: Item bonus to init equal to your Int modifier, 1/enc shift Int mod squares.
• For out of combat usage, Consider keeping a pair of Reading Spectacles and a number of Gems of Colloquy handy...

Feats(6):

• Superior Implement Training (Crystal Orb). +2 damage for psychic attacks, +1 to hit vs Will (This is the superior implement of choice for illusionists and enchanters).
• Gnome Phantasmist (make sure you only ever pick illusion powers...) - you already picked this
• Skill Power (you picked this already)
• Mark of Scribing (required)
• Bardic Dilletante (for the extra skill training & healing)
• Unarmored Agility or Improved Init or Skill Focus (Stealth) - all better than Illusionary Stealth (which is pretty poor, IMHO, and slows down play unnecessarily). Or, if you want something flashier, pick an arcane familiar - the Book Imp, say, which grants bonuses to Arcana and History, the ability to speak infernal and resist fire 5.

You might consider a background such as Fugative from a Vengeful Rival, which adds stealth+bluff as class skills and grants +1 bonus to each. Some people don't like such backgrounds, though they don't bother me and I'm unsure of the character's actual background.

Powers:

• Maze of Mirrors is probably better than Hypnotic Pattern
• Sleep is not an illusion spell, and both phantom chasm and horrid whispers at that level are excellent.
• Phantasmal Assailant is single target and faily boring - you'll leave this one in your spellbook.
• Visions of Ruin is quite nice, I'd pick it over one of your two level 9 picks. Breaking line of sight means being mostly useless...
• I think you want one of the two level 2 powers to be Shield. Memory to mists is hilarious; so I'd keep that one and dump spectral image which doesn't really do much anyhow.
• Disguise Self and Invisibility are both out-of-combat and have similar uses. I'd keep only one, and unless you've trained bluff, that would be invisibility. Emerald Eye, an encounter power at that level, has some nice skill usage, and in-combat utility to boot - pick this rather than Disguise Self.
• True seeing no longer sees through illusions, so it's kind neat, but very situational, and Mirror Image... well, it's purely combat and not very good there either. Illusory Wall is, however, perfect in combat and creatively usable outside it too, and Blur is a more typical combat illusion that could double as a minor Invisibility out-of-combat.