Feats for a spellcaster?

NightFallMyriad · Post by **NightFallMyriad** » Fri Jul 19, 2002 7:54 pm

What feats are good for an elven spellcaster (wizard/sorceror)?

So far I've taken combat spellcasting and toughness since they were obvious choices, but I'm not too sure about having taken spell penetration and spell focus: evocation, since there are items later in the game that give you those feats for as a bonus (robe of vecna and the black/grey/white robe of the archmagi).

Actually, I'm pretty unclear about the entire idea of a spellcaster and took illusionist because the enchantment school seemed lacking.

Help? Hints? Suggestions?

How should I be building my character so that I'm not wasting feats and skills?

Quark · Post by **Quark** » Sat Jul 20, 2002 7:06 am

I would highly recommend the metamagic Feats Empower and Maximize.

A Maximized Fireball is almost garunteed to cause more damage then a Delayed Blast (unless you're reallly high level), and costs a lower spell level. Likewise, Empower can be nasty in it's own right.

Spell Penetration is also marked. With 20 sided dice, that's a 10% increase to fight their resistance. You won't always have that item to give it to you, and chances are you'll need this one earlier (and not later, as your caster level helps fight the resistance).

NightFallMyriad · Post by **NightFallMyriad** » Sat Jul 20, 2002 10:24 am

So what about spell focusing?

Since I took the illusionist school, that rules out enchantment for me, so after taking empower and maximize, should I focus necromancy, abjuration, evocation, illusion, conjuration, transmutation and divination?

I only get so many feats...

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Sat Jul 20, 2002 11:46 am

well spell focus on the schools that you use the most. If you use alot of necromantic spells then go with necromancy, if you use illusion spells the go with that.

NightFallMyriad · Post by **NightFallMyriad** » Sat Jul 20, 2002 6:55 pm

Hrmmm...

Well I get 11 feats in total if I make it to level 20 right? That's one at the beginning, 6 every three levels, and 4 extra feats every five levels just for being a wizard.

So here's a short list of what's available to me:

Combat Casting
Empower Spell
Extend Spell
Maximize Spell
Quicken Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell
Spell Penetration

Spell Focus (Abjuration)
Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Spell Focus (Divination)
Spell Focus (Enchantment)
Spell Focus (Evocation/Invocation)
Spell Focus (Illusion)
Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Spell Focus (Transmutation)

Toughness
Dodge
Mobility
Great Fortitude
Lightning Reflexes
Iron Will

Armor Proficiency (Light)
Armor Proficiency (Medium)
Armor Proficiency (Heavy)
Deflect Arrows

Miscellaneous Other Combat Feats...

------------------------

Now to cross off the ones that as far as I can tell are useless (I won't be wearing armor for example, or need ambidexterity) or impractical to someone who took the illusionist school (enchantment spells are lacking IMHO):

Combat Casting
Empower Spell
Extend Spell
Maximize Spell
Quicken Spell
Spell Penetration

Spell Focus (Abjuration)
Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Spell Focus (Divination)
Spell Focus (Evocation/Invocation)
Spell Focus (Illusion)
Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Spell Focus (Transmutation)

Toughness
Dodge
Mobility
Great Fortitude
Lightning Reflexes
Iron Will

Miscellaneous Other Combat Feats...

---------------------------

So now I'm trying to narrow down and scratching my head...

Toughness and combat casting are a must and spell penetration seems like a good idea (+2 to beat target spell resistance? COOL!). That leaves me with 8 feats left...

I'm thinking I want to take a couple of metamagics, but which? Maximize spell seems like a good choice. But 50% more effect from empower is nothing to scoff at...

Quicken versus extend could be a hard choice too. Then again, most spells last long enough, so quicken seems better (like greater alacrity from BG2).

So maybe maximize and quicken? Alrighty then.. that leaves 6...

Hrmm... I'm thinking I want to take maybe 4 spell focuses.

Illusion is a must, besides being my specialty school, it has some nice spells like wierd and phantasmal killer.
Necromancy is a must (negative energy things, horrid wilting, wail of banshee finger of death, animate dead etc...)
Evocation is a must (Meteor Swarm, incindiary cloud, fireball etc...)

Abjuration? I'm not sure... see most of the abjurer spells are cast on yourself, so the bonus of having spell focus doesn't apply. But then all of the anti-protection spells come under this heading (Mordenkainen's disjunction, dispel, breach etc...) so I'm thinking maybe I should.

Conjuration, again, most of the conjuring spells are not offensive, but rather, summon in big monsters, but then there's acid fog, cloudkill, black tentacles, flame arror, melf's for crying out loud, etc... still, they don't seem worth it (cloudkill < incindiary cloud/meteor swarm), so I'll pass on conjuring.

Transmuation is out, almost all of the transmuting spells are cast on yourself (g. stoneskin, shapechange, polymorph-self). THe good spells are summoning spells enemies can't resist it. Mordenkainen's sword, timestop even. The only offensive one is burning hands, and gee, like I'll miss that... so transmutation is out...

Divination is slightly harder. At first, it would seem like a definate no, I mean, who needs the extra feat for identify or even true seeing? But the power words stun and KILL come under divination, so hrmmm.... but then I don't use stun too much, and it's not like anything under 100 hit points can RESIST a power word kill yes? So I'll have to pass...

That leaves me with enchantment, which is my opposition school and has crappy spells IMHO so why bother taking the feat?

So my four spell focuses are Illusion, Evocation, Necromancy and Abjuration. Yes yes? That still leaves 2 feats for dodge and mobility so that I don't get gutted by thieves, rogues and rangers who have sneak attack.

Whew. I think I got it all covered:

Combat Casting
Spell Penetration
Maximize Spell
Quicken Spell

Spell Focus (Illusion)
Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spell Focus (Abjuration)

Toughness
Dodge
Mobility

Seems about right, what do people think? Yay or nay? Good or bad? Comments or suggestions?

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Sat Jul 20, 2002 8:00 pm

My choices (in order):

- Combat casting
- Spell penetration
- Spell focus: evocation
- Toughness
- Spell focus: necromancy (good necro spells come late in the game)
- Empowered spell (I use it mainly delayed fireball and spell mantle)

I had an extra one and I chose... weapon proficency: martial

But that's me, and I did it mostly for role playing reasons not to maximize the potential of my sorcerer.

NightFallMyriad · Post by **NightFallMyriad** » Mon Jul 22, 2002 3:07 pm

Martial really?

I already have wizard proficiencies, which allows me to use some basic weapons, but also I'm elf, so I get to use some nice things like rapiers, longswords, longbows etc...

I can't really picture myself in melee combat later in the game though...

Which begs the question, why exactly did you take martial? What weapon could you possibly need to wield at that point?

Meerlight · Post by **Meerlight** » Tue Jul 23, 2002 9:54 am

I'd drop the spell focus: abjuration and get POINT BLANK SHOT instead if you can. My wizard ended up running out of spells pretty fast so half the time he stood right behind Grimgnaw launching fire-bolts at the enemies.

Personally I found quicken spell pretty useless because it raises the spell's level by way too much. If you drop that you can get Rapid shot too since your an elf and might use a longbow.

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Tue Jul 23, 2002 12:55 pm

Any martial weapon. Especially longbow and longsword.

NightFallMyriad · Post by **NightFallMyriad** » Wed Jul 24, 2002 9:16 am

Like I said, I'm an elf, so I already know how to use a longsword, rapier and bows. Also I can use crossbows and other wizard weapons (staves, daggers...).

I was actually thinking about taking some points in weapon focus and point blank shot so that I could use a missile weapon. When I looked at the mage specific weapons I was actually really dissapointed. There are no good mage weapons. All of the staves suck. Why? Because they are all based on charges, which means that they run out, and I don't think you can get them replenished. So they suck.

So I'm thinking that if I can use a bow and arrow nicely, why not pick up a taralash and go nuts? Right now I'm running around with the namarra neversleep rapier and having fun. Later in the game melee will be OUT OF THE QUESTION I'm sure, but for now I can get away with it.

I think you might be right about quicken and abjuration Meerlight, in which case I think I might take point blank shot and empower spell instead. That would make for a good spellcaster I think...

I also figure that if I need to rely on dodge and mobility, I'm doing something wrong by letting things get close to me. So maybe having those two feats is a waste as well. Leaving me with yet another empty feat... maybe I will keep abjuration.

So redoing my feats list again, I'm left with:

Combat Casting
Spell Penetration
Maximize Spell
Empower Spell

Spell Focus (Illusion)
Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spell Focus (abjuration)

Toughness
Point Blank Shot
Weapon Focus (Longbow?)

Hehe, I'm slowly narrowing it down...