Scratched_back said:Perhaps they could do a lot of damage to AC 15 mate, but also bear in mind that I'd have spells like Displacement or at least blur running, for an automatic miss chance, and also mage armour / shield for increased AC. So my AC would more likely be around the 20 mark with a miss chance, which is a different matter. There's also spells that could be cast with a 5ft step back to blind a fighter build, like glitterdust as I've already mentioned. If we're talking about one on one there's a lot of factors to take into account![]()
Keep in mind this will take you at least two rounds of preparation and most likely at least four.
Displacement: 1 rnd/lvl
Haste: 1 rnd/lvl
Blur: 1 min/lvl
Shield: 1 min/lvl
Mage Armor: 1 hr/lvl
Depending on the situation, you may have enough warning to pre-cast your 1 min/lvl spells. You don't have Extend Spell, but it is reasonable to assume you can keep mage armor up all day.
This is the problem with characters that rely on "buffing up". They can be very effective, once or twice a day, if they have time to prepare.
Do you often have more than one encounter each day? Arcane Strike is great, but between it and the "buffing" spells you describe, I don't see how you have enough spells for more than one encounter. You have 5/4/3/1, right?