Best feats for a Wizard

[Doug McCrae]

Unless you have a DM who's really *nice* with starting hit points for Wizards, i.e., "since you're a 1st level Wizard, you get all 4 hit points", or some such.

Everyone gets max hit points at first level these days, even barbarians. You don't need a really nice GM.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I don't think PBS and Precise Shot are worth taking unless you've focused totally on rays. A normal wizard can always get his ray off in round one before combatants have closed (especially if he's taken Improved Initiative) then use other spells in following rounds.

 

[Sunderstone]

On the spell side of things...
Once you reach 3rd level, Spectral Hand is a must, IMO. Excellent Range, Good duration, hand has nice dodgy AC at early levels, hand is incorporeal, +2 on melee touch attacks, etc. Touch spells also do decent damage now in 3rd edition. Its a one-two punch when combined with rays.
Use the hand from a distance, as they come in closer chuck a ray at 'em.

At 7th combine the above with Evard's and you have a video game mage doing lots of continuous damage. Sorta like soloing on an mmorpg.

Further even, grab Cloudkill (which also bypasses SR) at 9th level and match that with Evard's. A room cleaner.

 

[ARandomGod]

On the spell side of things...
Once you reach 3rd level, Spectral Hand is a must, IMO. Excellent Range, Good duration, hand has nice dodgy AC at early levels, hand is incorporeal, +2 on melee touch attacks, etc. Touch spells also do decent damage now in 3rd edition. Its a one-two punch when combined with rays.
Use the hand from a distance, as they come in closer chuck a ray at 'em.

At 7th combine the above with Evard's and you have a video game mage doing lots of continuous damage. Sorta like soloing on an mmorpg.

Further even, grab Cloudkill (which also bypasses SR) at 9th level and match that with Evard's. A room cleaner.

I agree that Spectral Hand can be good. Good enough even to take an additional Weapon Finesse/unarmed, if you have the dex for it.

Precise shot can be nice too, if you have the dex and plan on using rays....

Never take Brew Potion. You can do the exact same thing with Craft Wonderous. For that matter, don't take Craft Wand. Craft Wonderous can make non-wand items that have charges for the same price.

That being said, do take Craft Wonderous if crafting be your thing. A very versitile skill. It can make almost anything that the other feats can make... with the exception that it doesn't make those items. Most specifically this applies to rings, which take the ring slot... so there's two magic slots you have to fill some other way. But ALL the other slots are Wonderous Item slots! The best by far.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Unless you have a DM who's really *nice* with starting hit points for Wizards, i.e., "since you're a 1st level Wizard, you get all 4 hit points", or some such. This is always good, for the Wizard is then free to focus upon taking a feat which bolsters his magic, not his life-expectancy.

Umm - you have seen the rule that gives all 1st level PCs maximum hit points for their first HD, right?

Not so much thinking of a nice DM, it would be a startlingly nasty DM who decided to remove the max hit points at 1st level benefit!

 

[Starman]

Umm - you have seen the rule that gives all 1st level PCs maximum hit points for their first HD, right?

Not so much thinking of a nice DM, it would be a startlingly nasty DM who decided to remove the max hit points at 1st level benefit!

Does this mean I'm a bad DM for giving all my players 1 HP at first level with no Con bonus? I just figured I'd make them work for those XPs.

Starman

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I agree that Spectral Hand can be good. Good enough even to take an additional Weapon Finesse/unarmed, if you have the dex for it.

Precise shot can be nice too, if you have the dex and plan on using rays....

Never take Brew Potion. You can do the exact same thing with Craft Wonderous. For that matter, don't take Craft Wand. Craft Wonderous can make non-wand items that have charges for the same price.

That being said, do take Craft Wonderous if crafting be your thing. A very versitile skill. It can make almost anything that the other feats can make... with the exception that it doesn't make those items. Most specifically this applies to rings, which take the ring slot... so there's two magic slots you have to fill some other way. But ALL the other slots are Wonderous Item slots! The best by far.

um yeah sure if your DM lets you get away with it. I know I wouldn't. this is why Arcana unearthed had it right in comparison. Make the feats based on what they do not what the items look like.

 

[ghettognome]

Does this mean I'm a bad DM for giving all my players 1 HP at first level with no Con bonus? I just figured I'd make them work for those XPs.

Starman

I am glad you're not my dm!

 

[d20Dwarf]

I am glad you're not my dm!

That's not to say your DM isn't watching and scribbling notes furiously.

Speaking of that, would you be open to a Fireborn campaign? Since we can never decide on a good compromise between d20M and Spycraft, I figured that might be a good option for the modern campaign I want to run.

 

[argo]

Never take Brew Potion. You can do the exact same thing with Craft Wonderous. For that matter, don't take Craft Wand. Craft Wonderous can make non-wand items that have charges for the same price.

That being said, do take Craft Wonderous if crafting be your thing. A very versitile skill. It can make almost anything that the other feats can make... with the exception that it doesn't make those items. Most specifically this applies to rings, which take the ring slot... so there's two magic slots you have to fill some other way. But ALL the other slots are Wonderous Item slots! The best by far.

This would be a house rule. You can only use Craft Wonderous to make the wonderous items listed in the DMG. Any other wonderous is, by definition, a house rule and requires DM approval to create. Personally I think your DM would have to be a fool to allow you to create new wonderous items that duplicate the effects of potions and wands since, as you so aptly pointed out, that would make the other craft feats quite useless.

As for my advice. Spell Focus is good for the dedicated evoker or enchanter while Spell Penetration is an absolute must for anyone as your 6th or 9th level feat. Imporved Initiative is usefull as others have pointed out but I am going to have to disagree on Toughness, that feat isn't usefull for anyone. A wiz caught up in melee is dead meat without some spell to save his hide, an extra 3 HP isn't going to change that. Point Blank Shot and Precise shot are not bad choices if you want to be a ray specalist but I wouldn't take them othewise.

Beyond that my advice is prety simple: stick with metamagic and item creation feats exclusevly. Your spells are your weapons, focus on making them better. Use your Scribe Scroll feat early and often (they give it to you for free for a reason) and get Craft Wand at your earliest opportunity (5th level). Brew Potion is a strong canidate for 3rd level but personally I usually leave that one to the cleric. Craft Wonderous items is a feat that keeps on giving no matter what level you are at. The rest of the craft feats you can take or leave as they strike your fancy. On the Metamagic side of things Empower is one of the best deals out there if you want to focus on damage dealing, Maximize is probably only of value to the dedicated evoker. I rarely see a use for Enlarge or Widen. Extend and Heighten can be devistating if used cleverly or useless otherwise. Still Spell is worth taking just for the stilled-dimension door combo alone and I am sure you will find other uses for it. Silent is only really usefull if you intend to be a sneaky mage. Quicken is essential but not until much higher level.

So, given what you've told us at third level I would recomend you pick one of Brew Potion, Craft Wonderous, Empower, Still Spell or Imporved Initative. Absoluetly take Craft Wand as your fifth level bonus feat.

Hope that helps.