good wizard builds

[Malachei]

For the Spontaneous Divination ACF see the errata:

Page 52 – Spontaneous Divination
- Benefit [Revision]
The first sentence should instead
read, “You can spontaneously cast
any spell you know from the
divination school by sacrificing a
prepared spell of equal or greater
level.”

Personally, I don't use Alacritous Cogitation that much -- it is only once per day, and with Limited Wish available, you can go a long way in terms of flexibility. Unless you need spontaneous access to spells of higher than spell level 6, of course. In all other cases, I'd gladly pay 300 xp instead of investing a feat.

Instead of Alcacritous Cogitation, consider Proteus or Uncanny Foresight (from Exemplars of Evil -- but not evil-themed at all), if allowed.

The Collegiate Wizard feat is very interesting in campaigns that do not make scrolls readily available. In the games I play in, there are not many spellcasters willing to share spells, nor are there magic shops. Even with scrolls available to buy, it is a nice monetary advantage. Plus it grants you an unnamed +2 Knowledge Arcana bonus.

But maybe you'd prefer Precocious Apprentice (also CAr) instead (especially if you go Incantatrix), because, apart from granting you an early and additional 2nd level spell slot, it grants you an unnamed +2 Spellcraft bonus.

 

[Persiflage]

Actually, not.

I said "should be", not "is"! I know what the PGtF says, but the fact that WoTC designers are prepared to abuse common suffixes is neither here nor there in relation to what the male form of the class should be called!

Interesting tips FoxWander... the only one of those I've ever actually used is Spontaneous Divination.

And of course, once you can cast spells spontaneously you can and should take Versatile Spellcaster for all-day-long, any-spell-you-know shenanigans

 

[Malachei]

Well, WotC publish a lot of things that are not "correct". As your post didn't point out whether your "should be" was a statement on the basis of the rules, or on the basis of linguistics, I thought it might be helpful to provide the actual quote from the rules.

I have pointed out in my post above that taking into account Latin, the other version would be more appropriate -- and that, obviously, each DM really can decide whether to use the "official" PGtF term, use the Latin term, or call his/her Incantatrixes and -tatars something completely different.

 

[Persiflage]

[...] obviously, each DM really can decide whether to use the "official" PGtF term, use the Latin term, or call his/her Incantatrixes and -tatars something completely different.

Oh yeah, for sure: although my experience is that most DM's end up calling them what their players call them... which tends to be "Wizard", particularly after a few beers

 

[Malachei]

[...] particularly after a few beers

Once the DM starts having a few beers, things get pretty funny anyway. Especially in complex, large-scale, high-level fights

 

[FoxWander]

I wasn't aware that spontaneous divination had been errata'd. Thanks for letting me know. The change makes sense though. But it just downgrades it from super-awesome to awesome. Still way better than just a bonus feat at 5th level. (And if the Versatile Spellcaster cheese is crazy- imagine the single class Ultimate Magus cheese! )

In my experience, Alacritous Cogitation would be worth paying a feat for, but it's much better to get it in place of Scribe Scroll at first level if you can (especially coupled with elven generalist wizardry). I was able to convince my DM to allow that and it has worked VERY well. Limited wish may be able to take its place but what are you supposed to do before you can cast 7th level spells?

As for Collegiate Wizard- I like to take it because my campaigns seem to either never have the downtime for transcribing spells OR I can never get spells to transcribe in the first place! All our enemy casters are sorcerers so we never get enemy spellbooks and any scrolls we find tend to be of the emergency first aid type. (I got so frustrated by this in a campaign awhile ago that I worked with the DM to create a PrC that allowed me to rip spells from the minds of captured sorcerers to copy into my spellbook!)

 

[Dandu]

Sounds like you should be a Shadowcraft Mage.

 

[Jon_Dahl]

Just remember to go with Grey Elf.
And don't lose caster levels.
Everything else is kind of secondary.