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Message: <blockquote data-quote="StreamOfTheSky" data-source="post: 5076577" data-attributes="member: 35909">I don't agree with every grade he gives out, but Treantmonk is fairly accurate in his <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19869246/Treantmonks_guide_to_Evocation_Spells:_Gods_tools" target="_blank">Evocation listings</a>.  Do note, he is one of the character optimization people who consider direct damage ("blasting") spells suboptimal.If you really want to play an Evoker, Empower Spell + Easy Metamagic (Empower Spell) is a nice simple combo to make empowering cost only +1 spell level.  Easy Meta is in dragon mag and on crystalkeep's feat database.  I'm also a fan of Energy Substitution (anything but fire).  You could also do Energy Sub (fire), but then you'd also want Searing Spell (Sandstorm), because so many things have fire resistance/immunity.  In any case, picking a favored energy type and getting energy sub. in it helps to coordinate your offense.For example, lightning has a nice level 5 spell in Spell Compendium to shoot d4 bolts for good damage each, Moonbow.  With Empower Spell, you get 1.5x as many bolts for 1.5x as much damage.  With Energy Sub, you cna match it to whatever element you want.  Similarly, SpC has another spell, Acid Sheath, with the acid subtype, that adds +1 damage per die to any acid spell you cast.  Use Energy Sub, and it's now buffing whatever energy type you're focused on.Getting the Reserve feat (C.Mage) for your energy type can be a handy +1 for CL and gives a useful (at low levels) Su ability.Putting all of this together, take my last lightning mage, a human evoker.  By level 6, he had energy sub (lightning), empower spell, easy meta (empower), Storm Bolt reserve feat...  As a level 3 spell, he could fire off 2 Static Rays (lightning Scorching Rays <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) empowered to deal 6d6 damage each.  He could also always toss out 3d6 lightning damage in a line any round he didn't want to waste a spell.  By level 11, he was buffing with <s>Acid[/c] Lightning Sheath and tossing around spell level 6 empowered Moon Bolts for crazy damage.</s><s></s><s>Just some of the combos I used.</s><s></s><s>Arcane Thesis works well if you have one spell you can reliably spam all the time for many character levels.  Combined with Scorching Ray you can make a good damage monster from levels 3 onward.  I personally find the feat really boring.  The only time I'd ever use it is for a Shadowcraft Mage, when that one spell (Silent Image in that case) is doing infinitely many things.</s><s></s><s>Think about battlefield control, too, though.  No reason to only do blasting.  And sculpt spell works well with BFC spells, too.  One easy example: Grease.  Normally only a 10 ft square of effect, as a level 2 spell you can now use it to affect a MUCH larger area.</s></blockquote>

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