Mid Level Blaster Options?

[StreamOfTheSky]

That being said, sorcerer with one of the fast metamagic options might be better for blasting, especially with Wings of Flurry. A Kineticist can do well if you don't fight many encounters per day, since psions can blow through resources faster than a caster, but also has less of them to spread out. It also helps if the DM doesn't follow the C.Psi nerfs to Energy Missile and Energy Stun.

 

[Dingleberry]

Instead of an evoker specialist, you could go with an Evocation Domain wizard variant to get a free Evocation spell in your book every level, an extra Evocation spell per level each day, and +CL to all Evocation spells, and you don't have to give up any other schools.

 

[Runestar]

I am actually quite a fan of focused specialist. In actual gameplay, I found that knowing so many spells is not as big a deal as it appears to be when I have only so few slots to prepare spells with (that and I tend to favour a few select spells). So I don't mind effectively giving up 3 schools of magic for more slots.

The benefit of the extra slots is basically that you gain more higher lv slots. For example, consider a 5th lv wizard. With 16int, you get 2 3rd lv slots, and after expending those, you have to start falling back on your (weaker) 2nd lv slots.

But with a 5th lv focused evoker, you get 4 3rd lv slots. And when those finally run out, you still have more 2nd lv slots to fall back on (so you can still be casting scorching rays long after the generalist wizard has used his all up and fallen back to his 1st lv slots.

If limited ability to learn new spells is an issue, consider the collegiate wizard feat from complete arcane, which easily gives you twice the number of spells known per level.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Hmm...I'm at work right now and can't check but...do you really gain 2 slots per spell level with focused specialist? I recall you gain two extra "school slots," but lose a general spell slot, thus a net gain of only +1 slot per level, and at excrutiating cost. If that's not how it works maybe focused specialist is better than I thought.

 

[Runestar]

do you really gain 2 slots per spell level with focused specialist? I recall you gain two extra "school slots," but lose a general spell slot, thus a net gain of only +1 slot per level

You are right, a focused specialist ends up getting 1 more slot per lv than a specialist wizard. The drawbacks are that you ban another school, and since a bulk of your slots consist of specialist bonus slots, this limits the variety of spells you can prepare (for instance, a 1st lv focused specialist evoker has to prepare 3 evocation spells and 1 normal spell).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You are right, a focused specialist ends up getting 1 more slot per lv than a specialist wizard.

SRD Specialist Wizard:
A specialist wizard can prepare one additional spell of her specialty school per spell level each day. She also gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school.

CompArc Focused Specialist:
Lose 1 spell slot from each level of wizard spells you can cast.

<snip>

You can prepare 2 additional spells of your specialty school per spell level each day. These extra spells are in addition to those normally granted to a Specialist Wizard.

IOW, Wizard gets X spell slots, Specialist Gets X + 1(specialist school) spell slots, and Focused Specialist gets (X-1) +3(specialist school) spell slots.

Essentially, this gives them as many spell slots as a Sorcerer (and most similar spontaneous casters). While they will have fewer known spells than a Generalist or Specialist Wizard, they'll still have more (often MANY more) than a Sorcerer.

So from my perspective, since they only give up the spontaneous casting, but retain the bonus Wizard feats, the Focused Specialist is at least as good in any role as a Sorcerer.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On the Psi side of things, Kineticists can be quite impressive in the role of blaster. One complaint, though, is that if they "Go Nova" too often, they can suddenly wind up reaching for the good ol' trusty crossbow earlier than a Wizard of equivalent level.

One way to mitigate this is the Kineticist PrCl. No, its not a prestige version of the Psion specialty, its WotC's full-spectrum variation of the Pyrokineticst PrCl.

You still need to have the prereqs- pretty easy to do, really- and take a few levels. What you lose: higher-end PP and punch. What you gain: the psionic equivalent of the reserve feats since you'll have an array of at-will powers that simply won't go away.

(Yes, its not the power-gamer's path. Its just one way of using PC design to mitigate a potential pitfall if you're not the kind of player who can hold fire and do nothing when the situation is well in hand, in order to preserve PP for later encounters.)

There are also other pathways, like Cerebremancer- the psi/arcane analog of the Mystic Theurge- or the Metamind (who gains free manifestations of low-level powers).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Back to the Evoker.

One thing I have to point out is the vulnerability of your familiar. I don't know your DM, but many of my acquaintance draw a little bullseye on the suckers. Judging from your initial post- your choice of Energy Affinity (Cold)- your DM may be of that type.

Energy Affinity isn't the only option, of course.

Somewhere out there is an article about Staff Familiars.

PHB2 has powers that sub for familiars based on specialist type. For Evokers, its Counterfire- essentially an AoO attack with an orb of force doing 1d6/3 caster levels.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

PHB2 has powers that sub for familiars based on specialist type. For Evokers, its Counterfire- essentially an AoO attack with an orb of force doing 1d6/3 caster levels.

Which is so pathetically weak it's not even worth mentioning.

Seriously...it doesn't even DO anything till CL 3, the damage, unlike an AoO, does NOT interrupt what you use it against (so you can't kill the enemy to prevent getting attacked if you try to interrupt that), and the damage is just pitiful.

I really want to know how Conjurors got one of the most broken class features ever printed and Evokers got an ability that I'd rate about as useful as the Toughness feat, and in the same book!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Which is so pathetically weak it's not even worth mentioning.

Seriously...it doesn't even DO anything till CL 3, the damage, unlike an AoO, does NOT interrupt what you use it against (so you can't kill the enemy to prevent getting attacked if you try to interrupt that), and the damage is just pitiful.

I really want to know how Conjurors got one of the most broken class features ever printed and Evokers got an ability that I'd rate about as useful as the Toughness feat, and in the same book!

It may be weak, but in many ways, its still better than a familiar in a "free-fire" zone.