Help building Hammer, 10th level Dwarf Wizard / Alienist

nigbose

First Post
Hi, heres hoping for some helpful comments and inspiration.

We are just about to start a module, where we are all 10th lvl, consisting of a cleric, sorcerer, rogue, big fighter, monk and myself.

I fancy (for a laugh and flavour) playing a 10th lvl Dwarven (deep) wiz 5/alienist 5.

I'm thinking of someone who uses magic jar (again its a flavour thing) and is very odd.

I'll detail the basic starting data first and then what I think is worth doing. Its worth noting I've not played a wizard since AD&D times, my spell knowledge is really really rusty so I'm getting particularly stuck on feats, spells and magic items (we are allowed 49K each).

We are allowed to use Core and any splat books that are in Heroforge 4.11 (so everything but the very most recent).
Basic starting stats:

Deep Dwarf
Initial rolls: 17, 15, 13, 12, 10, 9
Hits (Before con): 33
Initial build (including stat adjustments for lvl and alienist)
Str:10
Dex: 13
Con: 18
Int: 18
Wis: 12
Cha: 7

Feats:
Spell focus (conjuration)
Augment Summoning (needed for Prc)
Improved Initiative
Sculpt Spell
Reach Spell (thinking of losing this one)
Mobile Spellcasting
Scribe Scroll

Skills:
Concentration: 17 (rank 13), Craft (alchemy): 9, Decipher Script 9, Knowledge Arcana (13), Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, knowledge planes: 13, Listen 12, Spellcraft: 15 (rank 13), Spot 12

Familiar: Slyther the pseudonatural weasel (+2 reflex bonus)

Spells (ideas!)
L1: Grease, Ray of enfeeblement, Shield
L2: Alter self, Mirror image, ray of weakness, Tashas laughter
L3: Bands of steel, mage armour (greater), ray of exhaustion
L4: Confusion, Defenestrating sphere, Envervation, Polymorph
L5: Magic Jar, Feeblemind

Summon monster 1 to 5.

Any advice, comments, jokes or links to other threads would be brill.

Cheers
And re edited...
 
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I'm not super familiar with the alienist, but if the class requires Augment Summoning... wouldn't it be reasonable to use it somehow? As in... learn some summon spells?

HERE's something you might like (it's from Unearthed Arcana), especially Enhanced Summoning (saves you two feats, but you lose Scribe Scroll) and maybe Rapid Summoning (great if you want to use summon spells, though you lose familiar, so maybe you would want to pick up Obtain Familiar to get it back).

Bye
Thanee
 

Thats cool

I like the enhanced summoning especially. Cheers. Points below noted. Right, off for the weekend. Will check back Monday. Its just like Christmas!
 
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You're missing one of the quintessential alienist spells: Evard's Black Tentacles.

You need more spells. Summons, Magic Circle vs Alignment, Dimensional Anchor, and particularly Lesser Planar Binding. Gotta make that Augment Summoning spell work for ya, after all.

What else.. hmm..

Baleful Polymorph - turn people into little psudonatural hampsters and the like.
Teleport (aka the 5th lvl popularity contest).
Blur or Displacement. Iconic far realms stuff.


More later - class needs doing.
 

nigbose said:
I like the enhanced summoning especially. Cheers

It's important to note, that this variant requires you to specialize in Conjuration (i.e. you will lose access to two other schools of magic, but gain all the specialist benefits... and access to these options, which you can choose individually - one or more). It's all explained at the top of the linked page, though.

When you plan to use summons, the Rapid Summoning variant is really useful!

Bye
Thanee
 

Another vote for rapid summons. It makes things ever so much more useful.

Make clear to your DM that the summons are using their true strike on the first attack unless you have a compelling reason otherwise. They rarely last for multiple rounds and it simplifies things if they do.

You might want to consider taking lv 6 of wiz and going 6/4. It gets you a boost in all of your saves and bab as well.
 

Try the Item Creation feats - Brew Potion and Craft Wand. Your character should start with a boatload of potions and scrolls at the very least. Think Potions of Cats Grace etc. Think Wand of Fireballs. If this drops you below 10th level for the start, so be it.

Rackhir has a good point about the saves and BAB.
 

More thoughts

Well, it wasn't entirely clear from the Alienist description that they have to be a conjurer per se, although the rapid summoning does look good. You do have to have augment summoning, which requires as a prerequisite, Spell Focus (Conjuration).

The description says:
Spell Focus [General]

Choose a school of magic.
Benefit
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells from the school of magic you select.

Special
You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new school of magic.

Does that mean you need to School Specialize as well? (I understand you need to do that if you want the rapid summoning feat)?
(Actually that and the enhanced summoning once hes at 10th lvl are particularly pleasant)

If I do that I need to drop two schools. I really fancy giving the magic jar idea a go (necromantic) so what ones would need to be dropped...

Looking at the wizards thread (is it ok to mention that stuff here, apologies if not)
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=165134
They seem to think 1st choice: Necromancy & Enchantment
Other options: Evocation, Illusion, Transmutation

and this geezer here...
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18500
Seems to think - evocation and enchantments..

Nice learning curve here ho ho
 
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No, you do not need to specialize in order to take the PrC. But it probably makes sense, to do so. :)

Especially, when you do not really want Spell Focus (Conjuration), since you can get Augment Summoning without the Spell Focus prerequisite via the Variant Conjurer Specialist (which, naturally, requires the specialization in Conjuration).

Bye
Thanee
 

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