If you wanted to create the classic fighter/mage, what Feats would you take?

[Edena_of_Neith]

Actually no, I'm not envisioning him at the Epic Levels.
For he won't get to the Epic Levels alive, if he takes the wrong Feats at lower levels.

It was always difficult, in my opinion, for lower level mages to survive (especially those under 5th level.)
Even with good Feats, I see a mage of low levels as being something that should be played prudently; with caution.

However, one does take Feats with an eye on the Feats to be taken in the future.
Thus, I use the term Feat Path.
One doesn't have to adhere to a Feat Path, but it's worth keeping in mind, in my opinion.

And in roleplaying terms, an academy of magic or arms might well start the character down a particular Feat Path, and if the character returns there repeatedly for study, tend to reinforce the Path.

 

[Creamsteak]

I didn't check your feat list, but I'm pretty sure it's right, as long as it adheres to this:

Fighter: Bonus Feat of your choice at level 1 and every even numbered level.
Wizard: Bonus Feat (Scribe Scroll) at level 1, and at every fifth level.

So Edena, how can I help you with this? How many Levels as a Fighter and How many as a Wizard?

Keep in mind that at level 20 your base attack bonus is SET, and cannot be changed. Because of this, you might want to take mostly or all fighter from levels 1-20 to get your number of attacks up...

Fighter 20: 4 Attacks
Fighter 11/Wizard 9: 3 Attacks
Wizard 20: 2 Attacks

So I recommend 11 levels as a fighter and 9 levels as a wizard for your first 20 levels. After that you can go straight Wizard, but you will always have that bit of fighter in you.

 

[Ace]

The classic fighter/mage ... is there such a thing?

I guess I am referring to the 2nd edition fighter/mage, as he was referred to using the Player's Handbook, Core Class Books, and Racial Books of that time.
He was, of course, an elf or half-elf, since elves and half-elves were the typical fighter/mage conceptions.

SNIP

What Feat Path would this character take?

- - -

For the sake of simplicity, assume this character took no Prestige Classes.

Rather than an even progression of fighter and mage levels I would suggest staggering them.

A 2e fighter/mage was maybe a level less than a single classed mage through his his career. Becuase of the nature of multi classing he only used one THACO

In 3e he all attacks and saves are additive as you know. I would suggest at most a 1 fighter to 2 mage ratio for level ups. This will give you a decent simulation of the flavor of the orignal class

As to your original question about the feats I would suggest simply sticking to the basics---

Spell focus
weapon focus
various item feats
and a favorite weapons tricks chain (IE if you want spiked chain take combat relxes, other types ,may want power blow- great cleave or some may choose the whirl wind attack chain)
You may also want still spell, silent spell and inate spell

If your DM allows it cruise over to the netbook of feats and grab armored casting-- It gives a 10% reduction in the spell failure risk

If you have feats left take spell buffing feats and for yourself lightning reflexes

 

[Conaill]

Fighter/Mage... hmm... Here's a question for all you guys: which do you prefer, Ftr/Sor or Ftr/Wiz?

Secondly: melee or ranged?

 

[Wolfen Priest]

I would go with fighter/wiz, simply because your spell selection will be better, and the INT will help you with skills (and things like expertise). Furthermore, as I've already stated, I would go specialist.

I too would probably go with item creation feats, because as a fighter, you could use some cheap magical weapons. Imagine how deadly you'd be with a +3 flaming keen holy (if you know a cleric) greatsword. Take Improved Critical and you've got a crit on a 15 or higher doing 7d6+10 (including weapon spec.) not including STR bonuses! Bonus! Add some gauntlets of Ogre power (only costing you 2000 gp I believe) and you're one deadly compadre, no?

If your strength is 18, you can add on another +12 damage on a critical. A normal hit would still do an average of 28.5 damage (average of 46.5 on a crit).

Not to mention the boots of speed and/or striding and springing you could make.... for cheap. And the rings and wands, oh dear God the wands!

[EDIT: I forgot that extra dice from magic are not multiplied on a critical hit ~ thanks hong!]

 

[Conaill]

I would go with fighter/wiz, simply because your spell selection will be better, and the INT will help you with skills (and things like expertise).

Then again, as a fighter you don't need a whole arsenal of utility spells. A Sorceror's ability to deal lots of damage seems to fit better with the concept. Add in True Strike and he becomes quite a formidable missile platform.

 

[Wolfen Priest]

Well yeah, you'd get more spells per day, but whereas a wizard gets a given spell level at (generally) 2x-1 level (where x = the spell level), a sorceror gets the new spell level at 2x level.

So basically, a wizard gets (for example) to cast 4th level spells at 7th level, and a sorceror waits until 8th. And since you're multiclassing, it will take twice as long anyway. So it will be a 2-level difference.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

To be totally honest, it's beginning to sound like it would be best to start as a fighter, go to level 20, then multiclass as a mage as the character heads into the epic levels.
Creamsteak does have a point - and you'd want those 4 attacks per round, especially considering the further amplification possible by Two Handed Fighting, Improved Two Handed Fighting, Perfect Two Handed Fighting, the Haste spell, and even the possibility of changing yourself into a being with 3 or more arms and hands, and taking the Feat that allows attacks with all of them (which would work, of course, only when you where in that form, and only if the spell that transformed you gave you the extraordinary powers of the creature.)

Of course, as a 1st level mage, and a 21st level character, one might find magic missile to be less effective than one might wish it to be.

A lot of the combat Feats (even the fighter list feats) really do apply to the mage - or, at least, that is how it seems to me.
Looking at the list of fighter feats, I see a number of useful feats for mages:

Ambidexterity
Blind-Fighting
Dodge
Expertise
Improved Initiative

I'm sure others would do as well ... these are ones I could think of on the spot.

 

[Wolfen Priest]

To be totally honest, it's beginning to sound like it would be best to start as a fighter, go to level 20, then multiclass as a mage as the character heads into the epic levels.

No, actually I dont think that's true at all. I have the ELH, and it states that a spellcaster's spells per day do not increase after 20th level. So, AFAICT, If you went something like ftr19/wiz1, you'd never be able to cast more spells than a 1st level wizard.

I have only skimmed over the book and don't know the specifics of spell progression, but I think your best best would be to go ftr10/wiz10, or else take a prestige class at character level ten and ride it out to lvl 20.

Otherwise, you won't be much of a caster.

 

[Creamsteak]

Umm... I'm sorry to be a rules lawyer (a habit that I try to avoid)...

But read page 8 of the epic level handbook. Skim down to the bottom.

Adding a Second Class
When your single-class epic character gains a level, you may choose to increase the level of your current class or pick up a new class at 1st level. The standard rules for multiclass characters in the PH still apply, but epic characters must keep in mind the rules for epic advancement.

The epic character gains all the 1st-level class skills, weapon proficiency, armor proficiency, spells, and other class features of the new class, as well as hit die of the appropriate type.

So Edena, head my advice. Get 3 or 4 attacks by level 20, or else you won't ever get them. EVER.

But you CAN become a 20th level fighter/ 20th level Wizard/ 20th Level Sorceror / 20th level Cleric/ 20th level druid/ 20th level paladin/ 20th level bard/ 20th level ranger.

And gain all the spells of all the classes.