Actually...
I've been working on a particular
bit of cheese.
Now, he's only 4th level, but you could easily add a two more wizard levels giving you spontaneous divination.
Now why would you want that? Well, He has:
Initiate of Amauntor - Giving him the ability to spontaneous cast any fire spell on his spell lists (cleric+wiz)
Energy Substitution (Fire) - Which turns all energy spells into fire spells.
Of course, I'm not quite sure if that works, since it turns the spell into fire when the metamagic is applied, so it would require you to spend a full-round action to cast any non fire energy descriptor spell spontaneously.
Or, you could do what I'm planning, which is Also take:
Elemental Specialty (Ex): The first step toward transcending mortal form requires an elemental savant to
choose her elemental specialty. Upon entering the class, she must select an element and its associated energy type (air = electricity, earth = acid, fire = fire, or water = cold). This choice must match the Energy Substitution feat that the savant selected to gain entry to the prestige class. When the savant casts a spell that normally deals energy damage, its energy descriptor changes to the savant’s chosen energy type, and it deals damage of that energy type instead of its normal energy type.
Since the Class feature changes the spell, all energy spells that do damage will no longer take a full-round to cast.
Now, With a liberal reading of Spontaneous Divination I "know" all clerical divinations, thanks to the Cloister Cleric Dip, I will "know" any wizard divinations I get in my spell book, and I can Cast any Clerical or Sor/Wiz energy damaging spell as fire spell spontaneously, or any non-damaging energy spell as a full-round action.
Oh, and picking up easy metamagic for the Searing Spell. That way every fire spell I do has at least half the damage get through.
Yes, you are fire focused, and you lose a level of wizard advancement, but in exchange you get to pick from a list of approx 250+ Energy Spells and 120+ divination spells at will. Cast Raging Flame liberally and burst into flames via Fire Domain Feat while holding two sprayers full of oil and you'll be one scary pyromaniac Fire Elf. A little nerveskitter will make sure you have a +13 to your initiative, so you're bound to go first.
WHOOSH!If that doesn't up your chances of survivability, I don't know what will.
Now the armor is something I'm rather proud of, but your DM may not allow it. You might have to substitute something else for the the Drow Chitin. Living metal Dastana and Chahar-aina are a rather cheap way to increase your AC as an arcane spellcaster without any chance of Spell failure. Normally it doesn't go with Drow Chitin, but I could get a Blended Crystal Chain Shirt and have the same ASF with +2 AC. So it's six of one, half a dozen of the other, for me.
Besides, Wearing a suit of Red Bug Armor is so much more cool.
Oh heck, just read everything in the combat equipment section of the EVD that's purple.
As for the rest of the class past 7th, sprinkle with PrCs to taste.