Wizards - getting caught with the wrong spells prepared

[Shallown]

I have been playing a wizard in our group. He is 8th level now and joined the group at 6th (just started sixth) So I have slowly been altering my spell list that I prep for the group dynamics. I have three. A dungeon, travel and City (taking into account laws governing spell usage). Here a few things to remember.

A) Scrolls Been beat to death already bt also remember it helps to scribe at minimum caster level sometimes to save on XP and money. know when level is gonna matter when scribing the spell.

B) expand your books as much as possible. This is were you balance out with the sorcerer. I pick spells my wizard wants when he advances a level and which ones I want to buy and copy into my book and a list for the party to buy if they want me to have it. For example our party fund (Basically a 1/2 share of the party treasure the other half going to a cohort) pays for group benefiting spells and scrolls. Next level if the party wants me to get teleport they pay for it. I don't need it personally or to be able to pull my weight and do my job. (mainly a blaster mage mixed with buffing the party.) They also pay for scrolls out of that fund as well if they want them. I always have a haste prepared since it complements our very mobile party but having 2-3 more haste on scrolls at 5th level has provem handy so the party pays for them. I scribe them and burn the xp since the party doesn't pay full price but just the crafting price. When I get 5th level spells chances are I will have at least 5-6 spells to choose from with me choosing two for leveling buying 1 or 2 and the party buying 1 or 2.

C) Let them know what you are preping based on their plans at that time otherwise hold several slots open. Once you get 3 or more slots in a level hold one open. Seldom do you use all the spells in an encounter of a level once you have 3 or more, at least in my experience.

D) Play your Wizard spell choices consistantly so the party knows what to expect if you are always changing to bend around them they will always bend you around. A little more constistentsy may help solve that problem and have them start making plans based on what you have ready and not one what they think you should have ready.

E) Craft wonderous item is your friend. If someone is always needing you to cast X Spell consider crafting an item to do it instead. Also If the other characters need my caster to craft something and I lack the spell they pay for me to get the spell. I picked up Arcane Eye that way which I had planned to get eventually it just turned out a player needed it for me to help them craft an item so I basically got it for free.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Kast]

Open spell slots should solve your problems. You might even consider preparing only your personal defense repetoire and keep the rest open. Not having time to prepare a spell is no different than if you never go to use it. However, in many cases you'll have the time so in the long run it's better.. Also, scribe scrolls for the oddly useful spells that you absolutely have to have when you need them, but don't prepare because you rarely need them.

BTW, by multi-classing you've taken away one of the wizard's key advantages over the sorcerer, the wiz gets the next level of spells one level earlier than the sorcerer.

 

[sfedi]

Also even if they did know exactly what is going to happen and prepared the best spell they could they're still mostly ineffective. Damage spells don't do enough damage and incapacitating spells has very low probability of suceeding due to nerfed save DCs.

We must be playing different wizards :S

 

[Scarbonac]

Just to be an annoying echo:

Scrolls are your friend: I usually have several scrolls of various non-combat spells with me at all times -- yeah, there are costs to making scrolls but they will save your ass.

Wands, staves, et cetera; good to make, collect and have on-hand; my favorite spellcaster PC has a variety of blaster-spell wands that he relies upon.

Variety of spells in The Book: This is a GOOD thing; research, spell-trading and giving up gold & items for spells to scribe in The Book is an investment that keeps on paying off.

Leaving slots open: Has been covered in enough detail.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

That's what wands and scrolls are there for. Also, the party might consider chipping in to pay some of the costs for said wands and scrolls as they are benefitting from the wizard having them readily available. Personally, I think it's kinda selfish to expect the wizard to pay for spells the party needs as a group.

 

[dulldoll]

As a rogue multiclass, there is also an option of Arcane Strike feat.

 

[frankthedm]

When the group is planning for the next day's action, he figures what spells he needs to prepare in the morning. But often the plans change soon after getting underway for the day. Sometimes the plans change *right* after he finishes preparing spells.

Sometimes the change of plans is because of new information, or a new discovery, or the bad guys change their own setup --- not a fault of the party. Sometimes it is because the party didn't really talk through all the ideas thoroughly the night before, and someone comes up with a "better" plan en route to the adventure --- the party's fault.

party communication is always a problem with some groups. Some can't even follow plot hooks because of it.

 

[Gizzard]

My question here is: Is this a common problem with wizards in your games? Do wizards often get caught wrongly prepared in your experience?

Absolutely. IMC I have a Wiz12 and a Sor12 so I get to see them both operating at the same time. Right this second the Sor12 has expended all but 2 of his spell slots while the Wiz12 still has maybe 1/3rd of his spells left, generally stuff which hasn't been useful like Enervation (v. Undead) and Feather Fall. And since the Sorcerer has more spell slots than the Wizard he's already cast way more spells in this day than the Wizard will.

 

[Zappo]

This problem is generally countered with scrolls and open spell slots. Figure out which spells you use the most. Prepare them, and make scrolls of the rest. Leave one low-level open spell slot and one high-level open spell slot.

On a day when you only cast the "spells you use the most", you will lose out to the sorcerer.
On a day when you use a scroll or prepare an exotic spell with an open spell slot, you win over the sorcerer.

The first tends to be more common, the second tends to be more important. Overall, I think the two classes are balanced.

 

[Gez]

As a rogue multiclass, there is also an option of Arcane Strike feat.

I find that feat especially nifty for assassins. The Zhent monk I'm playing as a replacement for a retired character (the Zhent was, at first, supposed to be an NPC "bodyguard" for our team, an offer we couldn't reject) is able to unleash a stunning death attack backed up by 1d8+4d6+4d4+10 damage (with Power Attack at -8, ouch).

Now, all she needs is to find out if the Ascetic Rogue feat could be okayed to work for assassin levels instead of rogue levels...


To be more on topic, leave a few free spell slots for unpredictable spell uses. Most of the utility spells are low level, so once you're mid-to-high level you can afford to leave them empty.