Author Topic: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard  (Read 5679 times)

Offline geniussavant

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Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« on: October 03, 2016, 06:52:53 PM »
I'm trying to finish up a couple of Wizard builds. Level 20, 760000 wealth by Level to spend.  The first is a malconvoker gestalt mash up with master spellthief, the second is an illusonist shadowcraft mage//beguiler.

Here's the equipment I've got so far.

Malconvoker

Equipment current total 573,025

(click to show/hide)

Shadow craft mage

Equipment total 58050

(click to show/hide)

Assume spell books can be filled for free by copying from another Wizard trading spells.

Anything that stands out that I should pick up or change?
Both characters are using Superior resistance,  mind blank,  freedom of movement,  and greater mage armor as buffs. 
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Offline ketaro

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2016, 07:52:01 PM »
Replace all of your stat boostingvitems with a belt of magnificence.

Are you not crafting your stuff?

Get an Eye of Winking as backup to mind blank. If or when something manages to dispel or negate your mind blank, their mind affecting stuff will just get bounced right back at them for free. Like infinite spell turning for all mind affecting. I've even stopped using mind blank entirely at high levels now because of this item. It's like "oh look this stupid mage doesn't have mind blank! (If they detect ya). It's like asking to be killed!" And then the enemy dominates/kills himself. /gg

Offline geniussavant

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2016, 08:42:16 PM »
Dm wants us to pay market price for all equipment.

And I'll swap for the belt of magnificence,

As nice as the eye of winking is,  unless I drop something major,  I can't afford it for the malconvoker.  The illusionist will pick one up though.
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Offline Solo

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2016, 09:26:51 PM »
Pure gold has a density of 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter, or 0.698 pounds per cubic inch. In 3.5e, coins weigh ~1/3 oz each, or 50 coins = 1 lb. 760,000 gp equals 15,200 pounds of gold, which takes up 21776.5 cubic inches, or 12.6 cubic feet. This cube would deal 76d6 bludeoning damage if it drops 10 feet, with an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 10-foot increment it falls beyond the first (to a maximum of 20d6 points of damage).

When paired with Shrink Item, which would reduce the weight and dimensions to 1/4,000 the original volume and mass, ie 5.4 cubic inches and 3.8 pounds. You can launch this this with Telekinesis and have your familiar utter the activation word, enabling you to literally throw money at the problem until it goes away.



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Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2016, 10:47:36 AM »
Oooh the item crunch, one of the most personal and hardest areas to optimize.

* Do not fall into the trap of thinking 760,000gp is a lot and spring for frivolous items. Like you initially only listed two Enhancement items and were instantly talked into spending a whopping 128,000 more gold on a Belt of Magnificence you honestly don't need and can optimize better bonuses for less gold if you did. On the same token, Eye of Winking is crap for 120,000gp. If you're worried about your Mind Blank being dispelled consider a Legacy Item, Craft Contingent, Contingency, or Spellblade (I think that's their name) Armor/Shield Spikes, or since it cost them their Action to Dispel it just recast it next turn because if all they do is try to remove your buffs you're still effectively casting spells that deny them useful actions as your party beats on them.
* If your DM is willing, claim you met a True Dragon and he made you a Runestaff, place stuff like Consumptive Field on it.
* If you have Persist Spell, a Minor Schema of Metamagic Item costs 6,400gp and turns any Spell Trigger item into a buff.
* Don't be afraid of limited resources. A Staff can give you an extra five Spells to access on the fly (or persist) and those Spells are cheaper than a Wand to access (3rd~5th spells are up to 50% off). Versatility is key.
* Necromantic Empowerment loaded in to one of those gives you a +8 Enhancement Bonus to Int, and a bunch of other bonuses, which when combined with Persist (and possibly extend because why not?) it'll give you even more Bonus Spells per day than your item you have now and it's cheaper.
* Ask your DM about UMDing the Horseshoes of Flame, they take up your Hand/Boot slot but provide a +10 unnamed bonus to Intelligence. Not all shoes are nailed on and honestly riveting them to a pair of leather gloves to don would work anyway.
* You can buy multiple items, like you can buy four Belts of Battle and blow their charges over four different Encounters.
* Don't overlook the small stuff. Marbles were just effective as being better than Grease at level twenty as they were at level one, and oddly the Spell is still just as effective against Medium Creatures too.
* Two quick threads to consider, Class Boosters & Bunkos.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2016, 10:49:56 AM by SorO_Lost »

Offline Kethrian

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2016, 01:40:58 PM »
Recommendation to swap out your mithral bp for a mithral shirt, dastana, and chahar-aina.  That gives a base +6 AC before enchantments.  Then the shirt can be enchanted to +5, the others just get a +1 enhancement (which doesn't stack with the +5, because they're all on armour), then you have tons of room for armour enchantments.  You could put Soulfire and Vanishing on the chahar-aina and throw away that Deathward, add Ghost Ward to the shirt, perhaps Nimbleness on the shirt if you get your Dex high enough, put Proof Against Transmutation on the dastana.  Then you have spent 1,100 on the mithral shirt, 36,000 on enchantments (49,000 w/Nimbleness if you take it), 225 on a MW chahar-aina, 64,000 on enchantments, and 125 on a MW dastana, and 36,000 on enchantments.  And you get +18 equivalent in armour enchantment buffs.
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Offline ketaro

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2016, 02:52:34 PM »
Curses, Soro caught me.

Well, I've also never had to suffer not being able to craft my own items with a high lvl mage. It's like that makes no sense at all you might as well also take away my ability to customize my own spell book.

If your Int is odd before items, +7 is still technically nonepic. If your DM disagrees, save some cash and drop to a +5. Just if odd Int. And/or Cha.

Offline geniussavant

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2016, 04:33:04 PM »
I've never had to equip a character from scratch at this level before. Soro is right about it saving me 128000, and,  while I could afford it,  there are probably better things to spend my money on.  As for the eye of winking, is just too much money to justify. 

Swapping out the armor is a good call,  it should end up saving me money and getting a better bonus from them
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Offline nijineko

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2016, 04:42:24 PM »
You can launch this this with Telekinesis and have your familiar utter the activation word, enabling you to literally throw money at the problem until it goes away.

(chuckle) so that's what you do with your dragon hordes....

Offline phaedrusxy

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2016, 02:23:12 AM »
Get a Lesser MM Rod of Extend (or maybe even 2 or 3...). Get Shrink Item in your spell list. Carry around a bunch of shrunken things, like 50 gallon drums of burning oil, 50 gallons of water, large boulders, adamantium cages, etc. Decorate your robes with these things as patches, so you can easily pull them off and toss them at problems. This will slightly increase the risk of getting dispelled, but that's something you should protect yourself against anyway (using the methods Soro mentioned).

Magic Items:
Diamond Mind Ring (for the Fortitude saving throw replacer)
Gloves of Object Reading
Chronocharms of the Horizon Walker and Uncaring Archmage
Talisman of Undying Fortitude


Don't forget alchemical items. Even at this level, some of them will still be incredibly handy such as the Auran Masks (for cheap water breathing), torchbug pastes, and bottles of liquid smoke (for non-magical total concealment). You can have your familiar toss these things if you don't want to waste actions on them (as well as the shrunken items).
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Offline ketaro

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2016, 02:39:50 AM »
For combating potential dispels or spells in general at you, you could try getting something that casts Dampen Magic for you. Its a 4th level Cleric spell, so it'd at least fit into a wand. As high a CL you can manage for a better effect, but probably easy to not consider until you're down to the end of your money.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2016, 01:18:23 PM »
I've never had to equip a character from scratch at this level before.
I've done several but item optimization is pretty extensive and I'm supposed to be finishing Bahamut's for Phantasy Star.

Kind of the main thing is it helps to know what you have access to and what you plan to cast. Like there is no point in a +5 item of Resistance when you can just cast Superior Resistance for a +6 bonus. At level 20 you can attempt to Legacy full on Freedom of Movement, Death Ward, Protection from Evil, Cunning, & Mind Blank which are full on blanket immunities. Heck you can even pick up SR HD+5 and use Drazzix's Vest (sp) to increase that by +5 which about gives you a nice 50% chance SR-checking Spells from monsters and none-optimized NPC fail.

One thing I do suggest through, specially as a high level caster, is a +1 Eager Warning Initiative Chainmail Glove of Taarnahm the Vigilant costs 21,000gp I believe and gives you a +2 unnamed, +1 unnamed, +5 insight, & +2 luck bonus to Initiative and "The chainmail glove of Taarnahm the Vigilant also senses any creature within 120 feet who intends harm to the possessor, mentally alerting him or her of the danger from an unfriendly creature. (It does not however give any other clue to the identity of the threat.)"link. Go first and nuke them as needed.

Offline geniussavant

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2016, 10:56:34 PM »
That glove is great.  And by legacy,  I assume you're using custom legacy item creation rules?  Does anyone thing a ring of Wizardry would be work it? Both have enough slots to cast something meaningful each round,  so I'm not sure.
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Offline Kethrian

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2016, 11:31:41 PM »
Speaking of gloves, you should invest in Gauntlets of Ghost Fighting.  4,000gp for ghost touch on all attacks and spells.  No more need to focus on some force spells just in case.
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Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2016, 01:28:22 AM »
btw I'd outsource w/e Feats you can to Magical Locations (like metamagic storm buys any metamagic for 5k) so you can nab some extras. Specifically, Infernal Bargainer out of Races of Faerun which increases your HD cap on Planar Binding and such by +2. With Malconvoker's Improved Calling that's a nice +4HD total increase.

And if Dragon Magazine is allowed you may want to check #336 on page 82. Once you learn a True Name of say, the Elder Evil Father Llymic, you can simply call him using a 9th level Slot to plunge the world into an eternal winter. Plus the Brood Template isn't a terrible buff for your minions.

Offline Debatra

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #15 on: October 06, 2016, 08:45:22 AM »
If you think you can ultimately afford it, the Vest of the ArchmagiMIC  145 is pretty nice. Costs 200,000gp though, so think hard before deciding on it.

A Talisman of the DiskMIC 188 costs 500gp and is potentially-useful for anyone.

Get a Ring of Spell-BattleMIC 127 for 12,000gp. Hell, get the effects of a few of them into one item if you're allowed.
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Offline geniussavant

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Re: Equiping a 20th Level Wizard
« Reply #16 on: October 07, 2016, 09:23:23 AM »
Picked up Iron will and a metamagic feat from locations,  as well as the location that improves summons.  As far as I am aware,  the malconvoker has every summoning/binding feast avaliable except imbue summoning which just didn't seem worth it.  Infernal bargainer and demon mastery,  as well as a few others.  Currently working on a balancedaily adaption fuir sinon elemental to summon weak demons/devils instead of elementals to better fit the fluff of the characters. 
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