I like th spell completeion/action rules though they may tip the balance a little. I know how nasty those shared spells can be. If you actually tried to do something min/maxed like Use magic device you could make it a really sick/unbalanced combo. YOu know cast righteous might and didvine power froma scroll with animal growth or something like that could lead to issues. It sounds cool as long as the player is not abusive.
Originally, I shared based on scrolls one session and then afterwards looked things up in the rules because I wasn't sure that should be legit. I don't think it is, although one could argue that as spell "completion" devices, scrolls should be okay. I actually posted to ENWorld for comment and the few who responded all thought it should work. I brought it up with DM and he just said that it works, and so do wands. I played it that way, but later asked him again because I was concerned that at least wands shouldn't work but he waved it off so I figure I'm not going to argue with the DM about it! In any case, I can't make my own wands and don't plan to. Otherwise I could try to find abusive tactics. It certainly helps to be able to apply mage armor and shield wand effects to the companion, but Enlarge Person is of dubious benefit on a dog because since they are long rather than tall, they get no reach, which is one of the main advantages.
Are you thinking about other creation feats besides scribe scroll?
Not really. So far I have been sinking almost all of my feats into the Automatic Still Spell feats to keep up with casting level. If I have a spare one at some point I think I'll go for something that enhances survivability like Improved Toughness from Complete Warrior if the DM allows it.
what do you do to make your illusions more effective. I have actually been thinking of goin that route. You know summoning an animal one round then and illusion of summoned animals etc...
Well, even though my character considers himself a druid first and illusionist second, at 4th level I increased Intelligence to 16 (both Int and Wis were 15 at the time) on the grounds that more of the Wizard spells (esp. illusions) involve opponents making saves than the druid spells I use offensively. I think it's vital to get that spell DC up since you lag in spell level. Also, now that Feanor has access to 2nd level Wiz spells, I had him learn Fox's Cunning so he can have a scroll handy (wouldn't generally want to prepare that) and if I decide it's worth it, it can be cast to get a +4 Int, giving a +2 to spell DCs. Otherwise, I have just tried to create illusions that are more believable in the hopes of the DM giving circumstance penalties (or at least not bonuses) to saves. I haven't yet summoned any animals, but I have considered the tactic you mention of summoning one or more real ones and then beefing up their numbers with illusory ones. If you want to be sure the tactic is worthwhile, you could even ask the DM first if he/she gives circumstance bonuses/penalties to saves vs. illusions for especially un/believable ones. By the way, you could turn that summon-illusion tactic around, too. First summon illusory critters, wait until the guy makes the save, then summon REAL ones and hopefully the guy will ignore it at first, provoking an attack of opportunity, or the DM may give the opponent some sort of AC penalty with the critter first attacks if he decides the opponent doesn't fully believe in the threat. With silent image, I've tried to create things that wouldn't necessarily make sound anyway, e.g. I create a wall of water to fool some fire mephits into taking the long way around it to get back to their magma vein so we could catch up and dispatch them. Illusory opponents that appear ghostly or incorporeal can be effective because 1) as "ghosts" they may not make sounds anyway, and 2) if "ethereal" then a weapon hit that passes right through it might not make it obvious that it's an illusion. The "ghost" can even grin evilly as if to mock the attacker. Again, this all depends on whether your DM just gives the opponent a standard save, regardless, or chooses to reward well-thought illusions (and penalize bad ones). One last idea--assuming you have a familiar, if you are fighting opponents who are intelligent enough that they might target your familiar if it looks like an easy target, you might do a good job of distracting them in combat by creating an illusory version of the familiar (while the real one stays tucked in your clothing) that is running off to "deliver a touch spell" or something. If nothing else, the illusion might draw attacks of opportunity that are then used up for the round.
Good gaming!
