Questions on a Low-Level Wizard

[Kharannos]

Hello everyone !

I've opened a topic like this one, months ago, because I was going to start a 4E campaign with a Human Fighter (Defender), but we've found another player and he wants to be the Defender.
I'm totally OK with that, since I always wanted to be... THE WIZARD.

It is going to be a Human Wizard and I have the following books available:
The Core Books, Arcane/Martial/Divine Power and Heroes of the Fallen Lands.

I'll be focusing in Battlefield Control, of course, but from what I've seen, the 4E Wizard can
do this role without losing his touch on Utility Spells and and even a little of Damage Dealing.

Ok! What I really want to ask:

1) Implements:
Staff seems better for an "all-around approach". It gives a boost to survivability and no wizard can deny how important this is. The problem is that It is not a really solid boost (+1 AC is really low and even adding the CON as AC once per encounter isn't all that great. If you are getting hit in this level, your Defender is screwing something up, right?).
Should I really "waste" an Implement on it, for such a little boost?

Orb sounds nice for the Controller concept, but I haven't seen many battlefield control of "save end" types to justify dropping the Staff. Maybe for Sleep, but I'm not sure If it is enough to make me lose the +1 AC, and the same goes for Wand.
Both benefits are minimal to favor them over Staff, even when I said that the Staff doesn't seems really good.

What do you guys think about it?

2) Rituals
So... They got a lot of Utility spells from D&D 3.5, took them away from our spellbooks and made them long-cast-time rituals.
I'm really blind in this topic... Can anyone give me advices for Low-Level Wizards? I start the game with 3, but some of them are way too expensive to be considered viable at level 1.

3) Recommended Feats
Improved Initiative was awesome in 3.5 for Control Wizards, and I guess It still is! But honestly? I haven't found another Feat for Wizards in the whole Player's Handbook 1. Since I have another Feat (Human), can you give me any advice?
Also, I've found the "Enlarge Spell", but I'm not sure how It works. Since It is a FEAT POWER and an AT-WILL, that means EVERYTIME I cast an Area Attack Power I can activate it? I mean... It says "at-will". That is just it? No preparations, no slots, no nothing? Just... "... and i Enlarge it"?

Thanks in advance for reading this long post and thanks again for those who are willing to spend some time to help me!
I don't want to create a "game-breaking character", but I want my character to be good. To be useful for my party!

[Inevitability]

1. I'm going to recommend the staff here. Not only will it give you two pretty nice abilities, it also makes constitution your secondary stat. Helpful hint: constitution is good.

2. At low-levels, rituals are mostly a waste of your money. However, once you hit high level, you can just buy a bunch of low-level rituals and then pay 10 or 20 GP to overcome minor obstacles each time. That said, I enjoy both Tenser's Floating Disk (you can ride on it, for extra cool) and Comprehend Languages.

3. Yep, enlarge spell is at-will. That's why it is so recommended. But check out Arcane Power for good wizard feats. The PHB doesn't have a lot.

[Kurald Galain]

I'll be focusing in Battlefield Control, of course, but from what I've seen, the 4E Wizard can
do this role without losing his touch on Utility Spells and and even a little of Damage Dealing.

That is correct.

1) Implements:
Staff seems better for an "all-around approach". It gives a boost to survivability and no wizard can deny how important this is. The problem is that It is not a really solid boost (+1 AC is really low and even adding the CON as AC once per encounter isn't all that great. If you are getting hit in this level, your Defender is screwing something up, right?).
Should I really "waste" an Implement on it, for such a little boost?

First of all, no, that you get hit doesn't mean the defender is screwing up. Expect to be hit on occasion; the wizard has enough hit points to take that.

Staff of Defense is not about the +1 to AC. Rather, it is great because

• Its expertise feat (Staff Expertise) is crazy good
• The defensive con-to-AC ability is retroactive; that is, if you get hit, you can interrupt that by adding a few points to your AC, turning the hit into a miss.
• The most used implement by any caster is the Staff of Ruin, which boosts your damage

On the other hand, Orb of Imposition is great because

• Orbmaster's Incendiary Detonation (and its paragon equivalent, Umbral Assault) are excellent spells
• The best magical implements (in terms of control, not damage) in the books are all orbs
• Several of the wizard's best dailies are in fact save-ends, and Sleep is one of the best dailies in the entire game

You could also pick Tome of Readiness (which adds a lot to your versatility), or enchantment school (for better movement effects).

So... They got a lot of Utility spells from D&D 3.5, took them away from our spellbooks and made them long-cast-time rituals.
I'm really blind in this topic... Can anyone give me advices for Low-Level Wizards? I start the game with 3, but some of them are way too expensive to be considered viable at level 1.

You can safely ignore rituals; they are generally a waste of money. Spend your cash on permanent magical items instead of on one-shot effects (or, take the rituals Enchant Item and Disenchant Item, and turn random loot into items that your party wants).

Improved Initiative was awesome in 3.5 for Control Wizards, and I guess It still is! But honestly? I haven't found another Feat for Wizards in the whole Player's Handbook 1. Since I have another Feat (Human), can you give me any advice?

I find that Quick Draw is better than improved init (check my signature as to why). Arcane Familiar is a good choice, as is Superior Will, and Vistani Heritage, and Skill Power (e.g. for Warp In The Weave). Terrain Advantage is a good combo with the L2 power Mystical Debris. White Lotus Riposte is nice at low level, although you'll probably want to retrain out of it around level 7.

Also, I've found the "Enlarge Spell", but I'm not sure how It works. Since It is a FEAT POWER and an AT-WILL, that means EVERYTIME I cast an Area Attack Power I can activate it? I mean... It says "at-will". That is just it? No preparations, no slots, no nothing? Just... "... and i Enlarge it"?

Yes. If that sounds crazy powerful, well, it is. This feat all by itself is one of the reasons why the wizard is the best controller in the books. I recommend taking it at level 1 and using it as often as possible.

[Kimera757]

Hello everyone !

I've opened a topic like this one, months ago, because I was going to start a 4E campaign with a Human Fighter (Defender), but we've found another player and he wants to be the Defender.
I'm totally OK with that, since I always wanted to be... THE WIZARD.

It is going to be a Human Wizard and I have the following books available:
The Core Books, Arcane/Martial/Divine Power and Heroes of the Fallen Lands.

I'll be focusing in Battlefield Control, of course, but from what I've seen, the 4E Wizard can
do this role without losing his touch on Utility Spells and and even a little of Damage Dealing.

Ok! What I really want to ask:

1) Implements:
Staff seems better for an "all-around approach". It gives a boost to survivability and no wizard can deny how important this is. The problem is that It is not a really solid boost (+1 AC is really low and even adding the CON as AC once per encounter isn't all that great. If you are getting hit in this level, your Defender is screwing something up, right?).
Should I really "waste" an Implement on it, for such a little boost?

Orb sounds nice for the Controller concept, but I haven't seen many battlefield control of "save end" types to justify dropping the Staff. Maybe for Sleep, but I'm not sure If it is enough to make me lose the +1 AC, and the same goes for Wand.
Both benefits are minimal to favor them over Staff, even when I said that the Staff doesn't seems really good.

The staff is probably better. I'm playing an orb wizard, and while the "extend an at-will" power comes up a lot, the saving throw penalty doesn't. That's because my best daily powers don't allow saving throws. For instance, post-errata, the orb effect on Sleep isn't that great anyway, and I switched Sleep for Phantom Chasm because that's party friendly.

The staff's bonus isn't that great, but Staff Expertise lets you avoid opportunity attacks for making ranged or area attacks.

Your defender can do little to protect you from ranged and area attacks, especially the latter. If you stick next to the defender, a creature with a close blast attack can just hit you both.

What do you guys think about it?

2) Rituals
So... They got a lot of Utility spells from D&D 3.5, took them away from our spellbooks and made them long-cast-time rituals.
I'm really blind in this topic... Can anyone give me advices for Low-Level Wizards? I start the game with 3, but some of them are way too expensive to be considered viable at level 1.

Sadly, you'll need to wait. It's very campaign-dependent. In the Greyhawk campaign I play in, I'm a wizard, and Comprehend Languages and Tongues are very important. In the campaign I'm running, Comprehend Languages is also useful, but we don't have a wizard, so ritualing isn't that easy.

3) Recommended Feats
Improved Initiative was awesome in 3.5 for Control Wizards, and I guess It still is! But honestly? I haven't found another Feat for Wizards in the whole Player's Handbook 1. Since I have another Feat (Human), can you give me any advice?

Take Orb or Staff Expertise. I'm (ab)using Action Surge, which is a cool feat, but IMO should give a racial bonus to attack rolls so it doesn't stack with Heroic Effort... which I also have.

Also, I've found the "Enlarge Spell", but I'm not sure how It works. Since It is a FEAT POWER and an AT-WILL, that means EVERYTIME I cast an Area Attack Power I can activate it? I mean... It says "at-will". That is just it? No preparations, no slots, no nothing? Just... "... and i Enlarge it"?

That's right. It works on at-will and encounter powers only, but you could literally use it every time. If you somehow can use a spell more than once per round (action point, perhaps) you can use the feat each time.

[Kurald Galain]

For instance, post-errata, the orb effect on Sleep isn't that great anyway,

It is, but with different tactics: don't use Sleep to stunlock enemies out of combat, but use it to murder them via Coup De Grace. One failed saving throw is all it takes

[tcrudisi]

Do you want to do hard-control? If so, Orbs are the best implement.
Do you want to do damage? If so, staff (of ruin) is the best implement.

You can do some damage and still do hard-control. Grab a staff of ruin and go to town. Take powers like Color Spray.
If you are willing to sacrifice damage, you can totally own a battlefield so much that your DM cries and vows to never run a game for you ever again. All at the cost of doing damage and letting your allies have all the glory. (Though you and your DM will know that it was really you who did all the work. They just stabbed things.) In this example, take Orbs and powers like Sleep and Visions of Avarice. Its mostly your dailies that determine this, though there are some good encounter powers for it, too. Oh, and hypnotism because its funny. And very powerful. But also funny.

[Leolo]

As said above, rituals of your level are usual expensive, so you better only use it if it is really needed. The more experienced you get, the less you will feel this costs, though. The best way to choose them is to look at the campaign you are playing in. If you do travel a lot things like travelers camouflage and traveler's chant can be very powerful, because the first can grant your party off combat stealth (means you will surprise them, not they will surprise you) and the second get's you higher speed, meaning resulting in some more time to investigate a place. Depending on the distance this can easily be the difference between "it's late - let's rest" and to go on.

In a dungeon things like silent image, hand of fate or wizards curtain can be helpful, plus the already mentioned comprehend languages. You should also think about things that help you resting. Alarm gets you multiple magical eyes that watch you and your comrades. They do not only see better than them: You do need 2 hours of rest less than a normal group without having someone who has to stand watch.

But as said above...it is better to use such things when you already have a level where some gold pieces do not matter that much. At higher levels a wizard that is not using his rituals extensivly is wasting ressources, though. Simple because there is no reason why his group shouldn't be flying on their speed 20 mounts every single day with a huge stealth boost and a clear idea what to expect ahead and where to find what they want.

[Kharannos]

Thank you guys, for helping me out! And sorry for the late response! I've removed some tooths this week, It hurt as hell and I didn't used my computer much.

I've being convinced about using the Staff. Using It's ability as an instant interrupt really rocks, but I didn't understood about the Staff of Ruin. I've searched about it and found the item, but Is'n it a normal staff, that acts as an implement?

I mean... When you create a 1st Level Wizard and select "Staff" as your implement, you receive a mundane staff, right?
And, though gameplay, loots or market you can gain access to better implenents, like the Staff of Ruin, Am I correct?

I find that Quick Draw is better than improved init (check my signature as to why). Arcane Familiar is a good choice, as is Superior Will, and Vistani Heritage, and Skill Power (e.g. for Warp In The Weave). Terrain Advantage is a good combo with the L2 power Mystical Debris. White Lotus Riposte is nice at low level, although you'll probably want to retrain out of it around level 7.

Since I'm a newb at 4E I still don't know the rules for scrolls, potions and itens like this. I'll study those rules before I say anything. I still don't know the "utility belt" available to characters in 4E, my bad

About rituals, maybe the aren't cost-beneficial early game. As you said, probably as my wizard levels up and starts to have a greater pool of resources, they'll start to be useful...

I'll also read the Arcane Power book, to find out more Wizard Feats.
I'm still not sure if I should choose Improved Initiative, Quick Draw (or both) or they aren't that useful early game, so I should focus on other feats at the early levels.

I'm opened to suggestions and I thank you all for the great help!

[tcrudisi]

Your first 3 feats if you are going Staff:

1/2. Staff Expertise
1/2. Enlarge Spell
3. Superior Implement Training (Accurate Staff)

Accuracy > all. Hence why Staff Expertise and the Accurate Staff are 2 of your first 3 picks. Accuracy > all, which is why Enlarge Spell is one of your first 3 picks. Since you are going staff, you'll be picking spells that can be enlarged.

Beyond those 3, you've got a lot of feats which are great options. Initiative is very important for a Wizard, though less so for Staff Wizards. Superior Will is always a tasty feat. Superior Reflexes isn't as good as Superior Will in most cases (Orb Wizards actually prefer it, imo), but its worth taking for the CA during your first turn. Skill Power is always a nice feat to take. There are others, but I'm too lazy to open up my character builder to look. Oh right: One of Unarmored Agility and Leather Armor Proficiency.

[Kurald Galain]

I mean... When you create a 1st Level Wizard and select "Staff" as your implement, you receive a mundane staff, right?
And, though gameplay, loots or market you can gain access to better implenents, like the Staff of Ruin, Am I correct?

Precisely.

I still don't know the "utility belt" available to characters in 4E, my bad

It's very simple: you carry a bunch of "spare" items that have an activated power. Your character has two hands, so use your free hand to draw the item you need, and use it.

I'm still not sure if I should choose Improved Initiative, Quick Draw (or both) or they aren't that useful early game, so I should focus on other feats at the early levels.

They don't stack, so you don't want both.

The first question you should ask yourself is, do you want (1) bigger numbers, or (2) more options. In the first case, you should get Enlarge Spell, Expertise, Superior Will, and Improved Initiative. In the second case, you should get Enlarge Spell, Skill Power, Vistani Heritage, and Quick Draw.

[masteraleph]

More specifically on the "utility belt"- you take the Arcane Familiar feat, and choose a Disembodied Hand (in Heroic) or a Rakshasa Claw (Paragon/Epic), which allow you to draw/stow items as a free action.