Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Admixture Blaster (Wizard Build)

Note: This build assumes that a Sorcerer can be both Tattooed and Crossblooded.  There is extensive debate on this, so ask your GM.  If only one is allowed, then choose Varisian Tattoo and damage drops slightly.

Updated April 20th, 2016
  
Admixture Blaster
Human Sorcerer 1 (Gold Dragon/Orc Bloodline;Tattooed/Crossblooded) / Admixture Wizard 19
Boom!

Okay, so you are playing a wizard so you can blow things up. That's fine, I get it. This guy should do the trick. It's hard for a wizard to do more damage than this. You are going to be rocking encounters like no other. You are dipping one level into Sorcerer to get some cool bloodline bonuses, and then it's straight wizard all the way. The best part is, even though you are specializing, you can deal damage with a variety of energy types, thanks to your admixture specialization.

Tattooed Sorcerer allows you to get Varisian Tattoo for free! It also allows you to specialize in specific spells (fireball).

As your opposition schools, choose Necromancy and Abjuration, unless you feel strongly otherwise.


Feats

Take the sorcerer level at level 6, after you have gotten fireball.

1:   Spell Focus - Evocation, Greater Spell Focus - Evocation, Scribe Scroll (Wizard), Arcane Bond: Familiar: Greensting Scorpion for +4 Init.
2:
3:   Spell Specialization: Fireball
4:
5:   Additional Traits: Metamagic Master & Magical Lineage (Fireball), Bonus Feat: Metamagic Empower Spell
6:   Tattooed Sorcerer: Varisian Tattoo: Evocation
7:   Metamagic Maximize Spell
8: 
9:   Spell Penetration
10:
11:  Greater Spell Specialization: Fireball, Bonus feat: Metamagic Intensified Spell
12:
13:  Selective Spell
14:
15:  Spell Perfection
16:  Bonus Feat: Dazing Spell
17:  Greater Spell Penetration
18:
19:  Improved Initiative
20:

Attributes

Intelligence > Constitution > Wisdom/Dexterity > Charisma/Strength. Make sure, however, that Charisma is at least 11, such that you can cast your level 1 sorcerer spells. They will be useful, don't ignore them.

15 Point Buy
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Con: 12
Int: 19 (17+2)
Wis: 10
Cha: 12

20 Point Buy
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Con: 14
Int: 20 (18+2)
Wis: 8
Cha: 12

25 Point Buy
Str: 7
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Int: 20 (18+2)
Wis: 10
Cha: 12


Skills

Spellcraft, use Magic Device, Perception, and Fly are all must have. Besides that, it's your call, though you might as well pump the skills related to intelligence, given your modifier


Traits

Adopted -> Grounded: for +1 on Reflex and a +2 to some Acrobatics checks
Reactionary: +2 to initiative


Familiar

If you tend to forget about your familiar and are just looking for a nice bonus, try out the Greensting Scorpion. +4 to initiative checks is nothing to sneeze at. Otherwise, just have fun with it!


Spells

Sorcerer Spells: These should be utility spells that you can cast on the fly.

Level 0:
Detect Magic
Mage Hand
Prestidigitation

Level 1:
Shield (because it is an abjuration spell, and thus the wizard part of you doesn't like it)


Wizard:
Level 0: Take your pick.

Level 1:
Burning Hands - Now we have some fire damage. Not great, but it will do for now.
Comprehend Languages - Useful
Hydraulic Push - Got a Cliff?
Charm Person - Always useful
Mage Armor - Just in Case
Summon Monster I - There are plenty of creative uses for this.
Detect Charm/ See Alignment - Any number of these detective work spells are useful.

Level 2:
Scorching Ray:
Create Pit
Summon Monster II
Blood Transcription (if you think it will be useful)

Level 3:
Fireball - Here it is, your bread and butter. Specialize, all that good stuff, this one will last you a while.
Fly - Just cuz it's great
Hydraulic Torrent - If you like moving people around, here is a good one.
Haste - A great buff! Something else to do besides shooting fireballs!

Level 4:
Black Tentacles
Charm Monster - Because it's always nice to have a giant on your side

Level 5:
Fire Snake, All the way

Level 6:
Hellfire - It's a little unclear what half fire, half unholy power means in terms of your buffs. Best case scenario, your buffs activated and it still deals half damage against fire immune creatures.

Items

Rod of Maximize, Lesser (14,000).
Rod of Quicken Spell, Lesser (35,000p). At higher levels, grab a few handfuls of these. Get your first one at around 11th level, then just keep grabbing them.
Headband of Intelligence +X.


How it all works in Tandem: The Ultimate Fireball

1st Level: Spell Focus Evocation and Greater Spell Focus Evocation increase the DC by +1 each, for +2 total.

1st Level: Evocation School gives you +1/2 wizard level to damage (not enhanced by Empower or anything else)

1st Level: Admixture School allows you to change your damage type from fire to any other energy type.

3rd Level: Spell Specialization increases the CL of fireball by +2.

5th Level: Metamagic Master and Magical Lineage combine to allow you to use up a spell slot 2 lower than you normally would when applying metamagic to fireball, down to a minimum of 3rd level. That means you can empower for free.

6th Level: The Gold Dragon Bloodline allows you to deal an additional 1 damage on fire attacks for each die rolled. The Orc Bloodline allows you to deal an additional 1 damage for each die rolled. Together, that's +2 damage for every die rolled.

6th Level: Varisian Tattoo increases the CL of fireball by +1.

9th Level: Spell penetration gives you a +2 bonus to overcome SR.

11th Level: Greater Spell Specialization allows you to cast fireball spontaneously.

13th Level: Spell Perfection allows you to ignore the slot increase of a metamagic feat such as Maximize.

17th Level: Spell penetration gives you a +2 bonus to overcome SR.

Metamagic

5th Level: Empower Spell increases damage of Fireball effects by +50% (+2 slot)

7th Level: Maximize Spells allows you to treat all of those d6's as straight 6's (+3 slot)

11th Level: Intensified Spell raises the roof on Fireball to a maximum of 15d6 (+1 slot)

16th Level: Dazing Spell causes creatures who fail their saves to become dazed.


What he Looks like...


Level 12:  20 point buy, Rod of Quicken Spell Lesser, Headband of Vast Intelligence +4. Let's cast a fireball. We have at least two 6th level slots, three 5th level slots, four 4th level slots and five 3rd level slots.
We don't need to prepare fireball, because we can spontaneously cast it due to the Greater Spell Specialization feat.
We can have it deal any energy damage we choose.
Our CL is 14 for fireball (11 Wizard Levels, +2 from Spell Specialization + 1 from Varisian Tattoo).
Without any Metamagic, this is 10d6 (fireball) + 20 (Sorcerer bonuses) + 5 (Evocation Spell School) = 60 average damage with a DC of 22 (10 + 3 from Spell Level + 8 from 26 Intelligence + 2 from Spell Focuse & Greater). 3rd level spell slot
Our DC is 23.
With Intensified, this is 13d6 + 24 + 5 = Average 74.5.  3rd level slot with traits.
With Empowered, this is (10d6 + 20)x 1.5 + 5 = Average 87. 3rd level slot with traits
With Intensified and Empowered, this is (13d6 + 24)x 1.5 + 5 = average 109.25.  4th level slot with Traits.
With Intensified and Maximized, this is 78 + 24 + 5 = average 107. 5th Level slot with traits (strictly worse than Intensified/Empowered).
With Maximized and Empowered, this is (60 + 24)x1.5 + 5 = average 131. 6th Level slot with Traits.
We can quicken this spell up to three times per day with out metamagic rod, lesser.  An example day looks like this:
Round 1: Quickened Maximized Empowered (131) then Maximized Empowered (131): 261 damage, two level 6 spell slots.
Rounds 2 & 3: Quickened Intensified Empowered (109) then Intensified Empowered (109): 218 damage, two level 4 slots.
Rounds 4, 5 & 6: Intensified Empowered (109): 109 Damage. Level 4 Slot
Rounds 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11: Empowered (87): 87 Damage, Level 3 slot.

33 comments:

  1. You don't need charm monster for that giant, because giants are humanoid according to Pathfinder.
    I like the look of this build!

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  2. You need to take heighten metamagic feat before taking the preferred spell feat.

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  3. What is the point in taking Greater Spell Specialization when you have Preferred Spell?

    I know Greater Spell Specialization lets you sacrifice a spell slot of any spell level, but you can do the same with Preferred Spell + Heighten Magic.

    Also I find Elf works nicely with Admixture Envoker due to getting more uses out of your Versatile Evocation (thanks to the Elven favored class bonus!)

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    Replies
    1. Tiefling also works well. It has the same favored class bonus, and it takes a negative to Cha, instead of Con. Buy a 13 Cha for 3 points, 11 after racial adjustment, and you can still use your 1st level Sorcerer spells. If you want a 12 Con, it only costs 2 points (5 for an Elf, because you need a 14 before racial adjustment). A 14 costs 5 points for a Tiefling (10 for an Elf, because you'd need a 16 before racial adjustment).

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  4. Also, i was thinking that crossblooded was also a archetype?

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  5. For Intensify Spell don't you mean Intensified spell +5 dice to fireball?

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  6. ummm your calculations for the fire ball damage are a little screwed up. So fire ball starts at 10d6+25, After INTENSIFIED Spell it becomes 15d6+35, then maximize makes it 90+35, Then empowering it makes it 135+50= 180 per fireball. The problem with your calculations is that empower does not add more dice it just adds 50% more damage. So with how you say with the, quicken empowered maximized fireball, it is 10d6+25 base, after maxing it you have 90+25 the empowering it you get 135 +35 = 170 damage for the first fire ball as a 6th lvl spell slot and the Intensified maximize empowered spell does 180 for a 4th lvl spell slot getting you 350 a round twice per day

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  7. How do you take Preferred Spell without taking the Heighten Spell prerequisite?

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  8. You can't add 5d6 to fireball from Intensify Spell unless you actually have enough wizard levels, and that won't happen until 14th hit dice (12 wizard levels + 2 from Spell Specialization + 1 from Mage's Tattoo). And you dont even get 6 circle spell slots at 10 level wizard+ 2 levels of sorcerer (yes, you would have to take 2 levels since those archetypes affect same class features).
    Intense Spells school power does not increases with Empower Spell
    So, the damage at 13th Hit Dice would be: First fireball 10d6+25 quicken rod(6 circle spell 75,5k gold) + maximize = 85 + empower = 125. Second fireball is Intensify Spell = 14d6+33 + maximize rod(4 circle spell 54k gold) = 117 + empower = 173
    Put together = 298 three times per day (6th circle slots), 125 once (6th circle slot), 120,5 eleven times (5th and 4th circle), 82 seven times (3rd circle), if you pick Sin Magic Specialist (you still keep school powers).
    You spend 130k of gold at 13th (thats all the money you are supposed to have, so you have to already start at 13th level).
    At 13th level the DM is already trying to kill party so the game won't become ridiculous with all half an hour turns, unbalanced spells and, well, you know.. builds. And he will kill you for certain if you make him calculate all these numbers. Oh yes, he will.

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  9. Can anyone explain the bonus +25 damage on fireball before metamagics...? I dont get this one at all. Thanks.

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    1. And yeah, I don't think you can get 2 archetypes in 1 lvl of sorcerer. I'd stick with the crossblooded for my lvl 6 and forget the tattooed dawg. Aint worth the 2 lvls of sorcerer, but thats Dragon/Orc bloodline is sweet as hell.

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    2. And I just kinda answered my question...

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    3. You can have any number of archetypes from a single level of Sorcerer, provided that none of archetypes modify the same class feature. There's no need for a second level of Sorcerer.

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    4. As to the +25 damage to a 10d6 fireball...Crossblooded Sorcerer with Orc Bloodline (add +1 to each die of damage, or +10) and Draconic (Gold) (add +1 to each die of damage (fire spells only), or +10), and Intense Spells (from Evoker) add 1/2 your Wizard level to damage of any evocation spell, that 5 /12 at 11th level Wizard, for +5).

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  10. Several comments to this build:
    First Thing: is that Tattooed and crossblooded archetypes likely wont be allowed to stack.

    Second thing: "Preferred spell" is taken without first having heighten spell feat.

    Third thing: "Preferred spell" and "Greater spell specialization" are redundant. One of them should be removed from the build. I suggest removing "Preferred spell" as it also removes the need for "heighten spell"

    Fourth thing: "Metamagic Master" is a non-existing feat. There is a trait called "Wayang spellhunter" that was renamed "Metamagic Master" on d20pfsrd that lowers spell level. I assume from your use that this is what is really meant.

    Fifth thing: The math on the damage is wrong.
    We start with a 10d6 fireball. That is maximized for 60 damage.
    Then we empower it for (10d6/2)+(20*1.5) or 47 damage. (remember that empower also multiplies static bonuses to those dice)
    Now we add the "Intense spell" evocer feature for an extra 5 damage. (this feature mentions not being affected by metamagic feats or CL)
    Total damage for our 6th lvl spell slot maximized empowered fireball (quickened with rod) is 112 damage.

    The Maximized, empowered and intensified fireball would do the following in damage at character level 12 (CL lvl 13 assuming tattooed sorcerer doesn't stack with crossblooded):
    Maximized: 13d6 = 78 damage
    Empowered: (13d6/2)+(26*1.5) = 61 damage
    Intense spell evocer feature = +5 damage
    Total damage for our 4th lvl spell slot intensified and empowered fireball (maximized with rod) = 144 damage.

    For our entire round we have dished out a total of 256 damage. The DC for each spell would be 15+int mod, so this damage could potentially be halved... But it does so to multiple opponents.

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  11. When i posted a similar build a couple of years ago while we were discussing blaster optimisation here http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nn33&page=2?Evocation-optimization#75 i had a plan to keep the build viable as a blaster from level 1+ by taking spell specialisation at first level for burning hands and building to fire snake for spell perfection organically by switching the specialised spell at levels 7 for fireball and 11 for firesnake.

    This gave you the best damage spell for the level and allowed you to change just as the spells are about to overcap intensify spell, also you should take intensify first and empower second, maximise is a bit of a trap choice i'd rather roll more dice, i'd swap maximise for quicken for use with spell perfection and to save cash on rods.

    I don't see why you cannot stack tattooed and crossblooded as they modify different parts of the sorcerer class.

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    Replies
    1. Whether Crossblooded and tattooed sorcerer archetypes stacks is a matter of great debate.

      But under class archetypes it does say that archetypes do not stack if they change or alter the same class feature.
      Crossblooded does not change a lot of class features, but it does alter a lot of them and there is overlap so I'm pretty sure that by RAW they do not stack.

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  12. From your description:

    Human Admixture Wizard who dips Crossblooded/Tattooed Orc/Gold Dragon Sorcerer to really get the most possible damage out of fireballs - and he can change the elemental damage to something else on the fly.

    ...but I'm not seeing how elemental damage can be changed to something else "on the fly". Can you elaborate?

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    1. That's the admixture part of the build: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/arcane-schools/paizo---arcane-schools/classic-arcane-schools/evocation/admixture

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  13. Let's say I'm a lv5 Wizard. How do I explain that my next lv up will be as a Sorcerer?
    I can understand a lv1 Sorcerer that decides to study on books but a Wizards that tries the sorcerer way for a lv and then realizes he prefers being a wizard looks hard to play

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps you are growing tired and impatient of relying on dusty old books, and you want to channel your power in a more direct way. Then, after a level, you realize that there are no shortcuts and the bookish way is best.
      Or perhaps, you have learned some dark secret about a magical ancestor in your bloodline. You know that if you devote some time to manifesting this power, then your arcane power will grow overall.
      Or perhaps you are a true scholar and student or the arcane. You know that you will never fully understand magic unless you train in different areas of it.
      Or perhaps a sorcerer buddy of yours convinced you that wizards are lame.
      Or you've read in an old book that the best sorcerers also dabble in bloodline magic.

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  14. I was thinking of something like your 2nd option. And the first one with some changes might look nice.
    Problem with the sorcerer is that both me and my GM truly believe that you have to born sorcerer to be a sorcerer. and so you need a very good explanation to not start as a sorcerer.
    Hard task, but I was already thinking of a pg similar to this wizard and I love challenges. Will make it work :)

    P.S. Kinda new to the wizard. I only see the Bonus feat taken at 16th. shouldn't there be 2 more at 5th and 11th?

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    1. Honestly, I think that this build needs a little work. Use it as a frame of reference for the concept, but don't exactly duplicate it. I'll add a disclaimer.

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    2. Yeah, like the numbers are wrong and some feats are redundant.
      Well at least now I know it wasn't just me seeing missing feats :)

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    3. A little work?

      A non Pathfinder Society Wizard isn't getting spell focus as their bonus feat at level 1, it's Scribe Scroll. Your 15-point buy isn't possible with your stat layout. I didn't bother to check the others. As others have mentioned, you can't take Preferred Spell at 7th without Heighten. Your 9th level feat is a trait.

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    4. A lot of work! See the note at the top of the page.

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  15. The flavor justification is whatever you want it to be. Mechanically, you multiclass because you want to. Talk with your GM about further details.

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  16. All of the above comments should be fixed! Let me know if they are not.

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  17. Last but not least : 2 trait giving the same bonus are not cumulative.
    So metamagic master and magical lineage can't affect Fireball together.

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    Replies
    1. Citation? That rule generally applies to "bonuses." "Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores," and thus not applied here. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/glossary/#Bonus

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  18. To add some fun you can grab the Rime metamagic. It’s a +1 effective spell level and will entangle anyone damaged by the fireball if you use the admixture to make it a [cold]ball instead of a fireball, without a saving throw.

    This will last 3 rounds. The hit to their Dex effectively increases the DC for all future fireballs by 2. They will need to concentrate if they are casters. It’ll debuff the enemy and give some of your front liners a chance to have fun as well ;)

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