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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 1040570" data-attributes="member: 1165">You mean the 1st-level wizard, or the 8th?If you mean 1st-level ... I didn't find Spell Focus that useful at that level. I find Skill Focus (Concentration) or even Toughness better at 1st-level. I should wait until I can cast more than two offensive spells per day before I take Spell Focus ... YMMV (and clearly does).If you mean 8th-level ... I find Spell Focus to be useful since I can inflict Glitterdust and Fear on multiple opponents. Each opponent is facing a higher save DC.I can't make any kind of generalizations about my foes. I may delve into a crypt early in the day and face multiple undead and some unfriendly earth elementals (we didn't have to fight the elementals though) - I might help hold off an orc horde later in the day. The Fear spell won't be useful early in the day, obviously. I don't have a lot of divinations available to me, so obviously I have to assume the worst.I disagree. I don't believe I said that my DM will deliberately use creatures immune to my spells on a regular basis. But if he does ... well then it's a good idea I focused on more than one school <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />To be fair, Enchantment suffers some serious problems, although I don't believe 3.5 made it any worse. The plethora of spells that affect only a very narrow range of creature types is a big problem, if you ask me. I don't think Enchantment begins to shine until you can take Hold Monster. I wish the PH had another 100 pages of spells ... but that would also drive the price up.I was talking about a 1st-level wizard <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> That wizard can't take both Shield and Mage Armor. In my case I would take Mage Armor, since it's enough to last me through a dungeon crawl. Then I pray to the FRCS deities that I don't run into widely-spaced out wilderness encounters <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> I do think it behooves him to prepare a defensive spell though, even at 1st-level - suppose he runs into a tough encounter, and the party doesn't want to run? Suppose the cleric didn't prepare Sanctuary that day? Suppose I can't run away? Just because a 1st-level wizard is one of the weakest characters there doesn't mean I'm willing to give up on him when I've barely started. I'll take the defensive spell and live!Obviously we disagree here. I think knocking out the leader on round one is pretty boring, and I'm fully aware that with only d4 hp, wimpy AC and wimpy Fortitude save that I am very vulnerable to being killed ... possibly in round one by an NPC wizard with a very high save DC. I don't have a problem spending a round to prepare a defense and then go in with guns blazing. While I'm prepping the defense, the fighter isn't getting a full-round action - he's moving into position and maybe charging. He's not mounting an effective offense in round one, either. This means that both classes are now useful in combat, rather than having the wizard just blast the opposition in round one. I believe this is also one reason why they nerfed the archer - like the wizard, he can be just as effective on round one as in round two, three, four, etc.I've heard the expression "the best defense is a good offense" but this is not always the case in DnD.They might as well remove the specialist, since there aren't many useful Enchantment spells until the 4th-level spells, but I think Spell Focus is still pretty decent.Even with the re-balancing of the schools (now each school has several useful spells) WotC has not balanced each one at each spell level.It may happen to me later in the day ... but just as likely I will be facing opponents with varied saves. Either way, I've found focusing too much on one area will lead to me being ineffective in some encounters or lead to me being dead. Neither is fun, if you ask me.I really feel sorry for the wizard who took GSF (Enchantment) only to find out the BBEG is a lich! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" />Heh. And if you saw my campaign you'd know the Greater Invisibility spell is for the fighter-rogue <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  I only really have one really good defensive spell. And yes, it is my highest-level spell, and yes, this may not be the best strategy, but it has worked for me so far. Plus, I can't keep spending XP making scrolls of that spell. I've had to use it twice already in a combat situation (not to mention sneaking in and out of walled cities, since it's a multi-purpose utility spell).Having played a psion several times, I know this isn't true <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I also don't think the +1 DC isn't a significant difference. It does mean I may have to cast more spells, which I believe was the point, especially at higher levels.It would also be boring if I could knock out all my enemies with just a single spell. In my second last encounter I had to use Glitterdust and a Fireball against three trolls. The monk made sure all the trolls were positioned to get hit by a Fireball - it cost him. I got to go before the trolls the next round (but before the monk's initiative) so I used Glitterdust. It only worked on two of the trolls! Instead of having a boring fight dominated by the fighter/rogue, now the rest of the party (except the unconscious monk) got to do something too.Close. You got my 1st-level pretty much down pat. I use the Mage Armor on the monk.For second level I've got an Extended Mage Armor for myself ... but otherwise that's pretty accurate.For third I don't use any of those spells. Fly is the only one I would consider using (I had a Scroll of Fly, but had to use it up). If this were 3.0 I would have to prepare slow but now I get to prepare more interesting spells instead. Like fireball, which I didn't have enough slots for at 7th-level <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />So now I've got two spells with a Reflex save, and another one at 9th-level. I hope. I need to look at the spell chart again.Since I'm only 8th-level, I obviously suffer from lack of spell slots, so I have to prioritize (sp?). Reflex saves get the lowest priority. I have a fireball because sometimes I need direct damage. I have magic missile because I ran into one too many incorporeal undead <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f621.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":mad:" title="Mad    :mad:"  data-smilie="4"data-shortname=":mad:" /> Web is only there because it barely matters whether you make your save against it or not - it might as well be a no-save spell. It's really a "Strength" save, and it's easy for me to tell if my opponent is strong or not. I reserve Web until the end of the day, in case I run into a difficult opponent. Indeed, I'm thinking Web shouldn't be a 2nd-level spell since it's so good. One of these days my DM is going to use a cleric with good Fort/Will saves and Freedom of Movement. That's a good time for me to use that Dimension Door <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Glitterdust is a multi-function spell, although it's hard to aim it at invisible opponents <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" /> It also attacks multiple creatures.Fear is my strongest offensive spell, but it doesn't work on many types of creatures ... so Glitterdust will serve well, and has a decent save DC too.I find I have enough Will-save-or-consequences spells, and I would like another Fort-save-or-consequences spell. Oh well, next level...Okay, that was rather rambling. Let me try again - I have several spells where the saving throw isn't particularly important (and work on large numbers of opponents) and I even have Greater Invisibility just in case I run into something with insane saving throw.I still need that O's Resilient Sphere though ... at some point I'll run into a golem or something really spell resistant, and it'll either be the Sphere or the Door.PS I've got several scrolls for a "rainy day" as well as a wand of see invisible because that spell is still required in 3.5.Anyway, I don't think your wizard is "pathetic" and he may outperform my wizard many days of the week, but I think if he ran into opponents with defenses against mind-control more than once in a day he would be in big trouble.And I still don't like Dominate Person <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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