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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Caliban" data-source="post: 705188" data-attributes="member: 284">I think only one person has talked about a Red Wizard/Archmage.Most of this thread has been about just the Archmage, and the Spell Power ability of the Archmage in particular. You really don't know what you are talking about.    Just to humor you: The red wizard requires 3 item creation or metamagic feats.   Scribe scroll is an item creation feat, and at 5th level the wizard get's a bonus item creation or metamagic feat, so he only has to spend one of his regular feats on an item creation/metamagic feat, and one on Tattoo Focus. Human Red Wizard/Archmage build:Specialist: NecromancyBarred School: Enchantment1) Item Creation: Scribe Scroll (From wizard class)1) Tatoo Focus (Bonus Human feat)1) Spellcasting Prodigy (1st level feat)3) Metamagic: Extend Spell5) Item Creation: Craft Wondrous Items (From Wizard class)He now qualifies for Red Wizard.New Barred School: Divination6) Spell Focus (Necromancy)9) Skill Focus (spellcraft)10) Metamagic: Persistant Spell (Bonus Red Wizard feat)12) Spell Focus (Evocation)He now meets the feat requirements for Archmage, and take it at 16th level.15) Metamagic: Empower Spell18) Greater Spell Focus: (Necromancy)That build gives 10 levels of Red Wizard, 5 levels of Archmage, and only two barred schools.  The example I showed you above only had to drop two schools of magic, leaving him with a full range of defensive and offensive spells.  He also has access to divination spells of 3rd level or less,  acquired before he became a Red Wizard.   Not having True Sight hurts, but you can get magic items to make up for that.   The Charm school is a good school, but you aren't significantly weaker due to it's lack, and the 8th level Mind Blank spell makes enemy spellcasters practically immune to the entire school anyway. The Red Wizard/Archmage example is just as effective as an evoker or other specialist who had to give up two schools of magic.I wouldn't actually play a Red Wizard (I prefer to play heroes), but nothing stops a DM from creating one as an NPC, and the build I showed above is a perfectly viable PC, even at low levels. (Some people might swap out spellcasting Prodigy and Greater Spell focus so they can get more metamagic feats, but you get the point.)Check your math. You are forgetting his Scribe Scroll feat for being a 1st level wizard.   It works actually works out pretty well, and you have no trouble qualifying for archmage in time. Let's see, assuming an 18 Intelligence, and tossing all stat bumps into Int, this gives us:10 (Base Save DC)+6 (22 Int after 4 stat increases)+3 (Headband of Intellect +6, or an Empowered Foxes Cunning)+1 (Spellcasting Prodigy gives +2 to effective Intelligence)+2 (Spell Focus: Necromancy) or Spell Focus (Evocation)+2 (Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy)+1 (Tatoo Focus: Necromancy)+5 Spell Power (from 10 levels of Red Wizard)+6 Spell Power (first 3 levels of Archmage)-------------------------------------------------------DC 36 base save for Necromancy spells.DC 33 base save for Evocation spells.DC 31 base save for other schools.+12 to his effective caster level for overcoming Spell Resistance (which means that he ignores an SR of 31 or less at 18th level.)a 9th level Necromancy spell (Wail of the Banshee) will have a save DC of 45.   Unless you have more than a +25 will save, you are dead on anything other than a Natural 20. A 9th level Evocation spell (Meteor Swarm, will have a DC of 42.Remove Spell Power from the equation, and his DC's drop to 34 and 31.  Still damn good, but not completely overpowering.  Now he will actually have to try and hit  your bad saves, instead of killing you even with your best save. No magic items at all are required for the DC's I showed above (if you assume the Empowered Fox's Cunning.  And the DC's can go even higher if you assume a triple empowered Fox's Cunning [up to a +10 bonus to Int]).   If you assume the +6 headband of Intellect, he spent 36,000 gp on it.   And with his two item creation feats, he can create most other items he needs at half price. Is the character predictable?  No more so than any other specialist wizard.   Is he boring to play?  Hell yes.</blockquote>

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