How would you build a melee wizard?
- Thread starter Halivar
- Start date
Thanee
First Post
Now that the buff insanity of 3.0 is a bit in check at least, it'll be a little harder to make a good fighting wizard.
I guess, like Frank hinted, Polymorph is still a key spell to get good fighting abilities. You don't need to go unarmed, tho, as there are enough badass monsters (like troll, some giants) which can use weapons just fine.
In 3.0 one of my preferred characters was an elven rogue/wizard/arcane trickster archer (an incredibly cool character to play, played her from level 1 through 19!
). She could handle herself in combat just fine (and with enough time to buff up (including limited wishing for persistant divine favor 
) could get to insane levels, much like clerics), but I'm not sure how the many changes to archery have this work out now.
Because of the lower duration of many spells, I suppose, that the sorcerer is now actually the better choice here, because you have plenty spells to rebuff over the course of a day.
I don't think I'd bother with fighter levels, elves get some fine weapon proficiencies and armor isn't really needed, if you can be mirror imaged, blinking, displaced and greater invisible, as well as stone skinned and whatnot.
Bye
Thanee
I guess, like Frank hinted, Polymorph is still a key spell to get good fighting abilities. You don't need to go unarmed, tho, as there are enough badass monsters (like troll, some giants) which can use weapons just fine.
In 3.0 one of my preferred characters was an elven rogue/wizard/arcane trickster archer (an incredibly cool character to play, played her from level 1 through 19!
). She could handle herself in combat just fine (and with enough time to buff up (including limited wishing for persistant divine favor ) could get to insane levels, much like clerics), but I'm not sure how the many changes to archery have this work out now.Because of the lower duration of many spells, I suppose, that the sorcerer is now actually the better choice here, because you have plenty spells to rebuff over the course of a day.
I don't think I'd bother with fighter levels, elves get some fine weapon proficiencies and armor isn't really needed, if you can be mirror imaged, blinking, displaced and greater invisible, as well as stone skinned and whatnot.
Bye
Thanee
I've set this very question for myself. First things first: assuming you're building a human Wizard, I would start as follows:
Highest score: Intelligence
Second highest: Constitution
Third: Dexterity
If you're doing standard point buy, leave all the other scores at 8. Your first two feats should be Weapon Focus (Touch) and Weapon Finesse. You're probably best off making either an Evoker or Necromancer with enchantment and illusion off-limits.
I'd recommend scribing scrolls with plenty of touch spells and not worrying about getting any Item Creation or Metamagic feats. Instead, as you progress, focus on the Dodge and Combat Expertise suites. I think you should be working towards a Spring Attack based character who discharges touch spells and then
runs back.
EDIT:
Str 9
Con 15
Dex 14
Int 16
Wis 8
Cha 8
Spells: Mage Armour, Shield, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Burning Hands, Chill Touch, True Strike
Feats: Weapon Focus (Touch), Weapon Finesse
Although I don't think Item Creation and Metamagic would be good ideas, Spell Focus (Necromancy) or Spell Focus (Evocation) deserve consideration.
Basically, this character is just trying to stay alive until he can cast Vampiric Touch; then all hell can break loose and he'll be pretty damned effective.
Highest score: Intelligence
Second highest: Constitution
Third: Dexterity
If you're doing standard point buy, leave all the other scores at 8. Your first two feats should be Weapon Focus (Touch) and Weapon Finesse. You're probably best off making either an Evoker or Necromancer with enchantment and illusion off-limits.
I'd recommend scribing scrolls with plenty of touch spells and not worrying about getting any Item Creation or Metamagic feats. Instead, as you progress, focus on the Dodge and Combat Expertise suites. I think you should be working towards a Spring Attack based character who discharges touch spells and then
runs back.
EDIT:
Str 9
Con 15
Dex 14
Int 16
Wis 8
Cha 8
Spells: Mage Armour, Shield, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Burning Hands, Chill Touch, True Strike
Feats: Weapon Focus (Touch), Weapon Finesse
Although I don't think Item Creation and Metamagic would be good ideas, Spell Focus (Necromancy) or Spell Focus (Evocation) deserve consideration.
Basically, this character is just trying to stay alive until he can cast Vampiric Touch; then all hell can break loose and he'll be pretty damned effective.
Last edited:
A melee wizard build
Elf
Fig 2, Wiz 4, MotAO 2, Bladesinger 2, Candle Caster 10
Stat order: Int, Dex, Con, Str, Wis, Chr
Feats: WF-ls, Dodge, CR, CC, Expertise, Still Spell, ET, GF, QS, PA, Coop Spell
The great thing about this build is that you cast spells in armor with still spell but also have the option of lighting candles for all those buff spells that require somatic components. Dipped Candle and Striped Candle are great abilities. Dipped can mean two repetitive True Strikes - the only ability in the game that I know of that can effectively give you 3 functional true strikes in a round. Get a long sword with ghost touch so that you can blink and not have to worry about miss chance and make sure to stock up on touch attack spells.
I
Elf
Fig 2, Wiz 4, MotAO 2, Bladesinger 2, Candle Caster 10
Stat order: Int, Dex, Con, Str, Wis, Chr
Feats: WF-ls, Dodge, CR, CC, Expertise, Still Spell, ET, GF, QS, PA, Coop Spell
The great thing about this build is that you cast spells in armor with still spell but also have the option of lighting candles for all those buff spells that require somatic components. Dipped Candle and Striped Candle are great abilities. Dipped can mean two repetitive True Strikes - the only ability in the game that I know of that can effectively give you 3 functional true strikes in a round. Get a long sword with ghost touch so that you can blink and not have to worry about miss chance and make sure to stock up on touch attack spells.
I
Elder-Basilisk
First Post
The archer route changes the build completely. Most of the builds suggested so far have been primarily casters. (A primary melee build might be Ftr 4/Wiz 2/Templar 1/Bladesinger 10/Holy Liberator 3; a more basic one would be Ftr 8/Wiz 2/Bladesinger 10). Primary caster builds don't work well for an archer based fighter/wizard. There isn't the same synergy that there is for melee characters (blink and expert tactician, other defensive spells, False life hit points are less of an issue, and there isn't a lot of benefit from polymorph, enlarge, etc). In addition, a character with low base attack and high caster level who wants to inflict damage at range is generally better off casting spells (Scorching ray, fireball, magic missile, etc).
The builds I know of that work well for archer/wizards are:
Rogue 3/Wizard 6/Arcane Trickster 10 on the high caster level side.
(Sneak attack damage adds synergy with blink and greater invisibility as well as allowing the character to equal his spell damage with his limited number of attacks).
And for low caster level builds,
Ftr x/Rgr y/Wiz 2/Arcane Archer
(Arcane Archer isn't as impressive a prestige class in 3.5 as it was in 3.0 so this probably isn't a real powergaming build).
Ftr 4/Rog 4/Wiz 6/Full BAB classes the rest of the way might be another viable build--enough sneak attack to gain some synergy from Blink, etc but not enough wizard levels to qualify as a high caster level build. It probably suffers compared to archers with fewer wizard levels however.
The builds I know of that work well for archer/wizards are:
Rogue 3/Wizard 6/Arcane Trickster 10 on the high caster level side.
(Sneak attack damage adds synergy with blink and greater invisibility as well as allowing the character to equal his spell damage with his limited number of attacks).
And for low caster level builds,
Ftr x/Rgr y/Wiz 2/Arcane Archer
(Arcane Archer isn't as impressive a prestige class in 3.5 as it was in 3.0 so this probably isn't a real powergaming build).
Ftr 4/Rog 4/Wiz 6/Full BAB classes the rest of the way might be another viable build--enough sneak attack to gain some synergy from Blink, etc but not enough wizard levels to qualify as a high caster level build. It probably suffers compared to archers with fewer wizard levels however.
Halivar said:
Thanee
First Post
Elder-Basilisk said:
No, not really. In 3.5 it was already pretty much useless thanks to Greater Magic Weapon, now it's even more useless, thanks to the non-stacking. It's a bit better now in relation, actually, since GMW is worse, but you should still be able to get at least the same bonus with GMW most of the time.
BTW, now that there is no limit to the mighty bows, Polymorph can be quite a kicker with archery!
Bye
Thanee
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