Making my first 4th edition character. Advice welcome!

[Odessa333]

Hi all!

Don't mind the noob in your forums. ;) As the title says, I'm trying to create my first 4th edition character: a wizard (mage). Being new to D&D, I thought I'd open the doors to criticism. One thing I'd really like help in is in choosing my stats and mage schools in regards to later abilities; I don't know the skills by heart, and don't want to miss out on an amazing skill or have a critical late game power be weak because I didn't develop the right stats at the beginning. That make sense?

I am trying to focus on a control type of wizard and inflict status conditions and the like, over summoning or damage, as we have at least two strikers and no other controllers in the party.

So without further ado, meet Dewdrop!


Level 4

Race: Pixie

Class: Wizard (Mage) Schools: Enchantment, Illusion


Theme: Seer

Background: Early Life: Isolated

Deity: Tymora (my personnel fave, but does anyone know of any interesting powers/abilities linked to a specific deity?)

Scores: STR 10, CON 12, DEX 10, INT 20 (18 with +2 racial), WIS 12, CHA 12 (10 with +2 racial)
Level 4 upgrades: Intelligence, Wisdom (becoming 21 and 13)

Skills: Acrobatics 2, Arcana 12 (trained), Athletics 2, Bluff 3, Diplomacy 8 (trained), Dungeoneering, 3, Endurance 3, Heal 3, History 7, Insight 8 (trained), Intimidate 3, Nature 5, Perception 8 (trained), Religion 7, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Thievery 2.

Powers:
Level 1 Cantrips: Ghost sound, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand
Level 1 At will: Phantasmal Assault, Beguiling Strands, Magic Missile (class feature)
Level 1 encounter: Chill Strike, Icy Terrain, Shrink (racial power), Pixie Dust (Racial power), Cast Fortune (theme power)
Level 1 Daily: Phantom Chasm, Ray of Fatigue
Level 2 Utility: Memory to Mist, Clairvoyance
Level 3 encounter: Ray of Enfeeblement, Maze of Mirrors

Feats: Wand Expertise, Teeny Target, Improved Initiative



Also, I am allowed two magic items level 3 or lower. Right now I'm thinking the wand of Ray of enfeeblement for an extra dose of that spell, and Breaching Cloth armor to go through walls. Suggestions?



Do let me know what you think, ok?

[Mandrake]

She (right?) looks perfect!

Just mind these (and forum correct me):

Light is also a cantrip you get for free.
Magic Missile, as far as I know, is not a class feature, but an at-will spell you choose just like any other.
Level 3 encounter powers - you can have only one, as you can take only one encounter power of any level. Wizards can store two spells of the same level in their spellbook and pick one after an extended rest, but that goes for utility and daily spells.

That's about it from me for now. Enjoy it!

[Badgerish]

This character is a 'Mage' which is the essentials variant to a PHB Wizard, so Magic Missile is correct (Wizards get 3 at-wills, Mages get 2 at-wills and Magic Missile).
Likewise, Mages get to put encounter attack spells in their Spellbook class feature, and three Cantrips from the full list of a cantrips.

Stats:
you have 10 strength and 8+10 charisma. Unless you are looking at ally-carrying shenanigans (as a Pixie has full carry-cap for their strength), I'd swap these. You do have diplomacy trained and this seems to fit.

Cantrips:
You have presto, so you are set. Light is nice, but you already have low-light vision and an everburning torch is only 50gp (and it generates no heat so you can strap it to yourself).
Ask your GM about Ghost Sound and if you would roll Arcana or Bluff to confuse unaware enemies with it.

Powers:
I question Ray of Fatigue (L1 daily), it's not bad, but there are many more powerful powers. Sleep, Flaming Sphere, Fountain of Flame (the last 2 may be more blasty than you are aiming for, but there is a time for everything).
Phantasmal Assault vs Winged Horde: more damage and CA vs safe burst 1 in 10. Does your party have a Rogue who wants more combat advantage?

Feats:
You have a safe close blast power, so you don't need Staff Expertise. Teeny Target is great for a ranged-focus Pixie like yourself. Improved Init? Personally I'm not a fan, but try it out and see how it goes.

Equipment:
Breaching Armour is good for what it does, but you have to travel alone and can easily be separated from the group. Your flight and size gives you damn good manoeuvrability anyway, not fond of the idea of phasing through a wall only to discover that it's not where you want to be and there is no easy way back.

Deity:
There are Channel Divinity feats linked to Deities and 'Power of...' feats linked to domains (which are in turn linked to Deities) but those are very strongly intended for Divine classes, a Mage won't get much out of them.

[Kurald Galain]

Originally Posted by Odessa333

One thing I'd really like help in is in choosing my stats and mage schools in regards to later abilities;

There aren't many later feats that require a particular ability score, you generally don't have to worry about that. The ones to generally aim for are wis 13 (for Enlarge Spell), dex 13 (for Dual Implement) and cha 13 (for Spell Focus).

As a controler you really really want Enlarge Spell. It turns a 9-square burst into a 25-square burst, and thus is the strongest feat wizards get by a long shot.

High int is good. Enchantment and illusion are both good, and are a good combo.

For control, you generally want large area effects. You'll need some tactics to ensure you don't hit your allies, but you can also take some spells that target only enemies. This means that Icy Terrain is much better than Chill Strike, and Phantom Chasm is much better than Ray of Fatigue (but the best L1 control daily is Sleep).
For level 3, both of your choices are rather bad; I would recommend Color Spray or Call the Night Wind.

[Odessa333]

Very nice!

I'll be honest, I didn't understand the rules for the spell books. Having someone just say that you can have so many in your spell book but can only take one per level with you will at a time makes things a lot clearer lol. It's going to be hard for me to 'cut down' as I thought I would be able to take all my spells with me at once and have lots of versatility. Having to choose is going to be tough...

I liked spells like Ray of Fatigue and Chill Strike, as even if they miss, they still inflict a status condition. I thought about taking sleep, so if people agree it's good, I might try that.

so maybe for the 'standard' spell i'll use will be:


Powers:
Level 1 Cantrips: Ghost sound, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand
Level 1 At will: Phantasmal Assault, Beguiling Strands
Level 1 encounter: Icy Terrain (alternate: Chill Strike)
Level 1 Daily: Sleep (alternate Phantom Chasm)
Level 2 Utility: Clairvoyance (alternate: Mind to mists)
Level 3 encounter: Color Spray (alternate: Ray of enfeeblement)

And switch out improved initiative for Enlarge spell.

How does that sound?

[Kurald Galain]

Originally Posted by Odessa333

I liked spells like Ray of Fatigue and Chill Strike, as even if they miss, they still inflict a status condition.

The thing is, for a controller, it's usually better to target two creatures. Look at the statistics:

One target

Hit rate	60%	70%	80%
Miss	40%	30%	20%
Average	0.6	0.7	0.8

Two targets

Hit rate	60%	70%	80%
Hit both	36%	49%	64%
Hit one	48%	42%	32%
Miss both	16%	9%	4%
Average	1.2	1.4	1.6

Overall your changes look good. The rules of thumb for an effective controller wizard are, (1) avoid powers that only have a single target; (2) avoid dailies that last only one turn, you want powers with sustain, summon, or save-ends; and (3) avoid powers that do damage and nothing else, even if it seems like a lot of damage dice.

[Akodo Makama]

Also, keep in mind that, as a controller (especially one focusing in illusion), it will often appear that you are not contributing much. This is a false impression formed by the lack of getting to say "Critical Hit for 513+1d12 damage!" like the strikers.

Ignore this feeling. Every creature out of combat, even for a single round, forces the enemy to keep reorganizing, loosing cohesion and effectiveness. Every combat advantage given to your allies is a faster death to an enemy. You will be making the GM cry inside as his carefully prepared battle plan falls to shreds in the first round, and again the second to his backup.

That's what wizards do.

ETA: Kurald's advice above is dependent on your particular GM. If they never group the enemy together, you'll never get the advantage for area attacks. But that's rare, and often a losing strategy anyway.

[Adoendithas]

And, as a DM, I have to say that the party wizard has screwed up my tactics more than the rest of the party combined. Honestly, I had tons of stuff written in the adventure book, and you have to pull the boss into the trap in the first round?

[Odessa333]

Hehe, hopefully I can be that kind of character. I like the idea of being versatile (like Galain's 'batman' post) having a spell for any situation, inflicting conditions right and left and controlling the battlefield, even if i'm not doing much damage. With any luck, I can do that.

As a sort of follow up question, are there any specific spells or items anyone would suggest I keep an eye out for? I'm kind of 'borrowing' the above mentioned batman list for ideas at the moment lol. Our GM/DM wants us to have a 'wishlist' of items we would want to find, and I'm struggling to come up with a good list on my own. It's not crucial, but I figure if there any wizard masters out there who wanted to point a noob in the right direction, I'd be willing to listen :)

[Yakk]

Build advice: drop Str by 2 (to 8). Increase Wis and Cha by 1 each.

There are lots of Wizard feats that require 13 wis or cha -- and many many wizard illusion feats that require decent cha.

---

For your wish list, you'll want a neck item, some cloth armor, and a magic wand.

Items that impose a save penalty (usually errata'd to only the first save, but still...) are also extremely strong in the hands of wizards. I believe there is at least one item that offers a bonus to hit with spells that target will, or on psychic or illusion spells (a helm I think?)

Everyone needs Acrobat's Boots if they cannot find a better item to wear on their feet.

[neonchameleon]

You have good instincts; that's a decent character across the board. As has been mentioned there is one feat you'll really want (Enlarge Spell) that requires Wis 13 - Dex 13 by Paragon is also good. But you're good to go; just remember not to worry that you don't seem to be doing much damage. The DM will know if you're doing your job properly and will fume if you are.

[tarlison]

You character really look. Nice :-) and quite well made but if u happen to get Dex 13 and u manage to get two good enchanted item try dual implement :-)

[Sipex]

An interesting option you might like to look at which won't improve your combat effectiveness but might be fun to play. Get an arcane familiar (feat) and see if your DM will let you ride it :D

Arcane Familiars, depending on your DM, can either be very useful or very boring. As a DM myself, I love the concept as it opens the doors for so many more options that the players can use for creative solutions.

[Alejandro]

I get no end of utility from my wizard's cat familiar. :)

[Mando Knight]

Originally Posted by Akodo Makama

ETA: Kurald's advice above is dependent on your particular GM. If they never group the enemy together, you'll never get the advantage for area attacks. But that's rare, and often a losing strategy anyway.

Sleep has a massive enough range that in general, you'll be able to catch two.

[ghost_warlock]

Originally Posted by Yakk

I believe there is at least one item that offers a bonus to hit with spells that target will, or on psychic or illusion spells (a helm I think?)

I think you mean the Resplendent Gloves, a level 5 hands slot. They deal extra damage with attacks that target Will. They also cause one enemy hit by an illusion attack to grant combat advantage to you until the end of your next turn. I got good use out of them for a paladin|warlock I played a while back.