PHB2 Wizard Variant ability: any good?

[CarlTheNecromancer]

Is it worth giving up your familiar for a spell-like ability? specifically the necromancer (the char i'm working on) ability of Cursed Glance? I don't usually play spellcasters, so I don't know if the familiars are any good anyway. What do you think?

 

[aboyd]

I think many people would suggest that pretty much any alternative beats having a familiar. Familiars die, you lose XP. Familiars have minuscule combat abilities. You lose a familiar, you can't get a new one for a year (considering that most games are so tightly packed that you go from 1 to 20 in a year's time, the rule basically means no familiar at all once it's gone).

So yeah, the Cursed Glance alternative in PHB2 is OK. Unfortunately, it only lasts until the start of your next turn. So consider this combat between you & a bad guy:

1. Bad guy: Magic missile on you -- immediately he's at -2 for being foolish enough to target you.
2. You: Seeking Ray on bad guy -- but he doesn't have the -2 to AC anymore, because it goes away before your turn starts.
3. Bad guy: Fireball, but not on you because he's not stupid anymore -- he targets the square next to you, you are merely caught in the blast. No penalty applied.
4. You: Well, I don't miss his AC penalty, since I couldn't take advantage of it anyway.

The penalty really only helps with a party who is willing to gang up on the enemy that struck you. Very limited window of opportunity.

There is another ability -- Abrupt Jaunt -- which gives you free teleport. That might seem minor, but it's an immediate ability, which means that you can do it in response to an attack -- teleporting out of harm's way before the damage is done. Archers target you with 20 arrows? The DM is rolling to-hits? Interrupt him, tell him you teleport away. All arrows miss. A huge monster is attempting to grapple you, and will certainly be able to do it? Teleport away before the instant before the grapple would have succeeded.

 

[frankthedm]

There is another ability -- Abrupt Jaunt -- which gives you free teleport. That might seem minor, but it's an immediate ability, which means that you can do it in response to an attack -- teleporting out of harm's way before the damage is done. Archers target you with 20 arrows? The DM is rolling to-hits? Interrupt him, tell him you teleport away. All arrows miss. A huge monster is attempting to grapple you, and will certainly be able to do it? Teleport away before the instant before the grapple would have succeeded.

At least a few folks will argue that is one of the more broken abilities out of the PHB2.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3r...t-alt-wizard-class-feature-phbii-pg-70-a.html

 

[Derro]

I think many people would suggest that pretty much any alternative beats having a familiar. Familiars die, you lose XP. Familiars have minuscule combat abilities.

This is true but I've got to stick up for the familiar in one respect. Familiars have all of the master's skill ranks. This means they can Aid Another on Knowledge checks or even make checks as well as the master since Knowledge is usually a one use deal. This seems very minor but I have used it extensively any time I have a character with a familiar.

 

[CarlTheNecromancer]

ah, I hadn't noticed the "this ability lasts until the start of your turn" bit. that's much less helpful. Abrupt Jaunt does look nice, but I'm working on a Necromancer, so it doesn't quite fit, but thanks. I'd hope my allies would be smart enough to capitalize on a crippled enemy, but circumstances could arise.. this calls for deeper contemplation. =]

 

[irdeggman]

Also note that it is an immediate action which means you can't use it when flat-footed, so forget the benefit in a surprise round.

 

[Starbuck_II]

This is true but I've got to stick up for the familiar in one respect. Familiars have all of the master's skill ranks. This means they can Aid Another on Knowledge checks or even make checks as well as the master since Knowledge is usually a one use deal. This seems very minor but I have used it extensively any time I have a character with a familiar.

You just take Obtain Familar and you get a familar back. Better because Prc now count for Familar advancement with the feat if I remember right (no longer just Wizard/Sorceror level).

 

[Derro]

You just take Obtain Familar and you get a familar back. Better because Prc now count for Familar advancement with the feat if I remember right (no longer just Wizard/Sorceror level).

Crafty.

I never know how to feel about these sorts of rules end runs. Yes, it is legal by the rules but why such a circuitous route to get to it. By the rationale of balance here shouldn't the variant abilities just be available as feats?

 

[Runestar]

Depends. You are assuming that find familiar is balanced with the PHB2 alternate abilities, but I do not feel that to be the case.

Some of those abilities, such as abrupt jaunt, are clearly too powerful to be had at the cost of a mere feat. Conversely, I find find familiar a very weak ability, hardly worth a feat (unless you are looking for another +3 skill bonus, then it is on par with skill focus). Free alertness is hit and miss, since wizards typically don't invest in spot/listen anyways (except maybe late in the game as an archmage), and I can't think of any spellcasting prc with alertness as a pre-req.

Familiars have all of the master's skill ranks. This means they can Aid Another on Knowledge checks or even make checks as well as the master since Knowledge is usually a one use deal. This seems very minor but I have used it extensively any time I have a character with a familiar.

Aid another, possibly. Make checks...harder, since the wizard is likely to have much better skill checks than the familiar (higher int, skill-boosting eq/abilities etc). If the master fails at a check, I can't imagine the familiar making it unless in extreme cases (eg: the wizard rolled a 1, the familiar rolled a 20).

 

[blargney the second]

Abrupt Jaunt is astoundingly powerful. The other variants in PHB2 are good, but orders of magnitude less stupidly strong.