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Author: Zoch
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Merlin the Wizard has been my childhood hero since I first learned of his adventures. As a result, wizards and their awesome magical power have been my influence of twenty years of fantasy gaming experience. Dungeons and Dragons has given me the opportunity to study their arcane knowledge in great detail, thus fueling my desire to role-play them and perfect their mystical prowess. As a result, here I am now, living in Eberron with all the thaumaturgical energy available to me at a mouse-click. What a wonderful time it is to be alive!
The following guide is my suggestion to any apprentice that wishes to attempt to master that which so many are unable to comprehend. Apply these guidelines to maximize your potential as a wizard. Doing so is your first step to immortality.
CHOOSING YOUR RACE
Elf. These pointy-eared humanoids are the epitome of magic. The following are reasons why being an elf is so important:
1 – Elven Arcanum enhancements. Continue to increase this enhancement whenever it becomes available to you. The more spell points you have in your pool, the more spells you will unleash while adventuring. Spell points are the single most important aspect of a wizard so it is imperative that you get every point available.
2 – Elven Dexterity enhancements. Continue to increase this enhancement whenever it becomes available. The higher dexterity you have, the better armor class you will acheive and thus the less likely you will be hit by physical damage in combat.
3 – Natural +2 dexterity ability score modifier. This combined with the Elven Dexterity enhancement skill will push your dodge armor class modifier to greater heights.
4 – Natural resistance to enchantments. This combined with the wizard’s will modifiers allows you to be at ease when enemy magic is trying to penetrate your mind. The elf and wizard bonuses also allow you to reduce your wisdom ability score without fear of crippling your saving throw modifier.
5 – Longbow proficiency. Having a longbow is a blessing at lower level. When you are not in a serious threat situation, being able to use the longbow in order to conserve spell points can keep you in the action. Using Summon Monster spells backed by longbow suppression is an effective and conservative method of combat. Plus, your high dexterity score compliments this tactic nicely. Once you reach higher level, you will find that you have so many spell points that using the longbow is no longer important. In addition to the numerous spell points that you will obtain, around level 4 or 5 using an offensive wand is a better choice than the longbow.
Choosing Your Ability Scores
Strength 8 – This skill is only useful to a wizard for carrying large amounts of loot. You will be able to drop this skill to the minimum if you can trust a stronger companion to carry the heavy equipment you find along your journey.
Dexterity 16 – The second most important ability score you possess. Not only does this increase your dodge armor class but it also increases your reflex saving throw and longbow attack bonus.
Constitution 12 – Most importantly, this is needed in order to increase your hit points, something that wizards have very few of. Also, it is good for raising your lowest saving throw modifier, which is fortitude. However, I do not put as much importance into hit points as many other finger-wigglers do. The reasoning for this is because if you are loosing hit points, obviously you are most likely getting hit in combat. If you are getting hit in combat, then you are not maximizing your defensive nature as a wizard. Through defensive arcane spells, high armor class ratings, proper party positioning and movement, wizards rarely get hit.
Intelligence 18 – This is the primary ability score for a wizard. The higher your intelligence, the more spell points you will have. In addition, this increases the potency of your spell’s difficulty class, which makes enemies less likely to resist the magic that you throw at them. You also gain a great amount of skill points being a wizard, which is needed since most of the skills you will be investing in are cross-classed. Lastly, this is the ability point you need to raise every four levels of class advancement.
Wisdom 8 – This is not an important skill to an elf wizard. Because of an elf’s natural resistance to enchantments and class bonuses to will saves, your points are better used elsewhere.
Charisma 8 – Perhaps the most worthless ability score for a wizard. The only thing that makes this ability useful is the bonus it applies when you use the diplomacy skill.
Choosing Your Feats
As of this writing, the highest class-level attainable is 14. However, when it comes to feat selection, I have planned the progression all the way to level 20 for the sake of completeness.
Level 1 – Standard Feat: Dodge / Bonus Feat: Extend Spell
As mentioned earlier, armor class is the key to success so taking the Dodge feat only makes us closer to our goal. The Extend Spell feat is a great tool to double the already short durations on defensive buffs that we employ. By extending our spells, we maximize the efficiency of our spell points and defense. You will immediately be extending the Mage Armor and Shield buffs to give you an AC 22 at first level. Not too shabby for a cloth-covered, book-browser.
Level 3 – Standard Feat: Mental Toughness
I cannot express this enough; the more spell points you have the more likely your enemy will perish before you are out of power. This also helps you minimize the impact of the meta-magic bonus feats that you acquire.
Level 5 – Bonus Feat: Heighten Spell
This is a gem of a feat. It allows you to cast all your spells at the highest level possible for your caster level. Example, when you are 14th level and you lob a fireball at an enemy, the fireball acts as if it was a 7th level spell instead of a 3rd level spell. This is necessary for dramatically increasing the DC of your magic.
Level 6 – Standard Feat: Improved Mental Toughness
Once again, this is necessary to maximize your total spell point pool.
Level 9 – Standard Feat: Combat Casting
Mostly this is used just as a prerequisite for Mobile Spellcasting. However, if you are unfortunate enough to get hit while casting a spell, this may make the outcome much more favorable.
Level 10 – Bonus Feat: Maximize Spell
This is a great way to quickly take down very powerful adversaries. If you combine this with Empower Spell its effects are devastating.
Level 12 – Standard Feat: Mobile Spell Casting
This feat is simply beautiful as it works great with our defense. Being able to launch magic at enemies as we run around the room like maniacs is a sure way to stay alive. Combine this with some sort of movement rate enhancement and your perfect defense is nearly complete.
Level 15 – Standard Feat: Spell Penetration
This is required for taking out important NPCs and making drow players feel silly in PVP combat. If critters are able to shrug off your magical effects, then you may as well leave the adventure and go have a drink at the tavern.
Level 15 – Bonus Feat: Empower Spell
As mentioned before, combine this with Maximize Spell and watch your enemies run for their lives or die where they stand.
Level 18 – Standard Feat: Great Spell Penetration
This is yet another bonus that will allow you to blast through enemy spell resistance.
Level 20 – Bonus Feat: Quicken Spell
This is the best way to finish your career. By utilizing spells that have been quickened, you will be able to put together such a blinding offense that many will be too surprised to defend themselves and by then it will be too late for retaliation. This is also a great way to complete spell combinations resulting in immediate victories.
Choosing Your Skills
The skill selection in DDO is still fairly limited. As a result, there are a couple skills that you could do without but since you have so many skill points, take them while you can.
Concentration – This is the most important skill you have and it is the only class related skill that is worth anything. The more points you take in it, the more likely your spell will not be disrupted after being damaged.
Balance – This is a cross-class skill that will help you get back on your feet if you get knocked down. Lying around on the ground while your party members are getting beat on is not a very good way to make friends.
Diplomacy – This is an excellent cross-class skill and it fits in nicely with our exceptional defensive plan. Use diplomacy to make an enemy stop attacking you and go after your more armored companions. This is just one more trick up a wizard’s sleeve that helps us stay alive.
Listen – This is a decent cross-class skill that will help you catch those rogues about to put a dagger between your shoulder blades. Plus, since it is one of an elf’s favored skills, you can get this to a pretty decent ranking.
Spot – This is another cross-class skill that has primarily the same uses as the Listen skill. It is very important to never get caught with your nose in your book.
Search – This is a great ability for an elf as it is their third favored skill. However, it is not one that is overly necessary. If there is another skill that suits your taste, then take it in place of this one.
Choosing Your Enhancements
Regarding elf enhancements, Elven Arcanum and Elven Dexterity are by far the best choices for wizards and should be the only racial enhancements that you take.
Regarding wizard enhancements, the most important of these enhancements is Energy of the Scholar and Wizard Intelligence, which greatly increase your spell points. The third most important wizard enhancement is Subtle Spellcasting, which will decrease enemy hate when you start slamming them with magic. Most important after Subtle Spellcasting is the Improved Spell Penetration enhancement, which will help breaking spell resistance. Next most important enhancements are Improved Heightening and Improved Maximizing, which will consume less spell points than normal. Finally there is Force Manipulation and Lineage of Force. When you need to simply blast away the hit points of an adversary, Force magic is the way to go. There are far fewer opportunities for opponents to protect themselves from force magic and it is always a sure hit. A heightened, maximized and empowered Magic Missile and/or Force Missile storm will ruin somebody’s day. In addition to the enhancements and feats for force spells, you also want to search for magic items that increase the damage and critical factor for these two spells.
That sums up the level progression to becoming the most feared adversary in Stormreach. By starting as an elf, utilizing proper ability score placement, selecting the required feats, skills and enhancements, you will soon be amongst the elite and honored as Arch-Mage.
Your mentor,
Zoch Dannuth of Argonnessen
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