Fighter/Wizard gish, am I doing it right?

[E-mail]

This character is supposed to last from level 1 to 20 in our next run of the Age of Mortals campaign. Basically, my idea is to abuse spells like True Strike, Wraithstrike, Fist of Stone combined with Power Attack and my good physical strength to kill whatever needs killing. I loose a CL at level one, and another at level 20 as I don't want more that 6 EK levels, but other than that I should have a fairly un-shafted spell progression throughout the entire build.

Here goes:

Race: Minotauer (Krynn)

Stats (28 PB):
Str: 18 (14+4 racial)
Dex: 6 (8-2 racial)
Con: 14
Int: 16 (18-2racial)
Wis: 8
Cha: 6 (8-2 racial)

Build:
-1: Fighter 1 Feat (Spellcasting Prodigy), bonus feats (Power Attack)
-2: Transmuter 1 Bonus feat (Improved Initiative)
-3: Transmuter 2 Feat (Extend Spell)
-4: Transmuter 3
-5: Transmuter 4
-6: Transmuter 5 Feat (Combat Casting), bonus feat (Extend Spell)
-7: Transmuter 6
-8: Spellsword 1
-9: Abjurant Champion 1 Feat (Leap Attack)
-10: Abjurant Champion 2
-11: Abjurant Champion 3
-12: Abjurant Champion 4 Feat (Heroic Surge OR Improved Familiar (Glass Mephit))
-13: Abjurant Champion 5
-14: Eldricht Knight 1
-15: Eldricht Knight 2  Feat (Quicken Spell)
-16: Eldricht Knight 3
-17: Eldricht Knight 4
-18: Eldricht Knight 5  Feat (Persistant Spell)
-19: Eldricht Knight 6
-20: Spellsword 2 Bonus feat (Improved Toughness)

By level 20, that will be:
BAB: 17
CL: 18

Am I doing things right? Or can I improve this build in any significant way (Other than by going straight wizard :-p)?

[cru]

One way of improving would be not to take Extend Spell twice (at 3rd and 6th level).
Eldritch Knight loses a caster level at level 1 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/eldritchKnight.htm).

Also, why the minotaur as a race? Or at least, rethink the point buy. You're wasting points for int. Do you need that high int as a gish?

[E-mail]

I should mention, that I have all dragon magazines and books not specific to other settings than dragonlance avaliable. Also, the Krynn minotauer is a +0 LA/0 racial HD race.

Doh! I should sleep more I guess. Revised edition:

Race: Minotauer (Krynn)

Stats (28 PB):
Str: 18 (14+4 racial)
Dex: 6 (8-2 racial)
Con: 14
Int: 16 (18-2racial)
Wis: 8
Cha: 6 (8-2 racial)

Build:
-1: Fighter 1 Feat (Spellcasting Prodigy), bonus feats (Power Attack)
-2: Transmuter 1 Bonus feat (Improved Initiative)
-3: Transmuter 2 Feat (Arcane Strike)
-4: Transmuter 3
-5: Transmuter 4
-6: Transmuter 5 Feat (Combat Casting), bonus feat (Extend Spell)
-7: Transmuter 6
-8: Spellsword 1
-9: Abjurant Champion 1 Feat (Leap Attack)
-10: Abjurant Champion 2
-11: Abjurant Champion 3
-12: Abjurant Champion 4 Feat (Heroic Surge OR Improved Familiar (Glass Mephit))
-13: Abjurant Champion 5
-14: Eldricht Knight 1 Bonus feat (***open***)
-15: Eldricht Knight 2  Feat (Quicken Spell)
-16: Eldricht Knight 3
-17: Eldricht Knight 4
-18: Eldricht Knight 5  Feat (Persistant Spell)
-19: Eldricht Knight 6
-20: Spellsword 2 Bonus feat (Improved Toughness)

By level 20, that will be:
BAB: 17
CL: 17

[Sjappo]

From the top of my head:

EK has a bonus feat at first level but does not progress spellcasting at first level. You'll loose an other casterlevel at 14
Spellcasting Prodigy doesn't convince me. That's basically a +1 on DC and 1 bonus spell, maybe depending on your effective int and current highest spelllevel.
Same goes for al the MM. You wanna be a gish? Focus on hitting killing one-shotting stuff, not casting. Look at the various Hood treads to get more milage out of Leap Attack and Power Attack. Battle Jump and Shock Trooper come to mind.
Being large already a pole-arm or a reach weapon would be really awesome anyway.
Any thoughts about spells except the 3 you mentioned?

I've gotten some pretty solid advice in my paladin based gish a year or so back. I'm just now starting to understand it. I kept playing to much as a standard magic user with a spelllist to match. Don't do that, it doesn't work.

[Gods_Trick]

Don't bother with Spellcasting Prodigy. Take the shock Trooper line of feats, maybe get Battlejump. Have you considered the Focused Specialist version. Lose 3 schools but more spells of your specialised school.

[vilenatas]

Instead of Eldritch Knight 6 you might consider Swiftblade6 (it is a WOTC website production).  There is a Swiftblade handbook on these boards somewhere.

Getting into swiftblade also has some of the reqs that go with Dragonslayer (from the Draconomicon) for another 1 level dip that is full bab and full casting.  You can grab the Iron Will requirement with Otyugh Hole for 3k gold.

[E-mail]

Battle Jump is very verboten, unless I can get it from a non-FR scource. Is it printed in the Rules Compendium or a DragonMag somewhere?

I was considering the Shock Trooper line, but wont Wraithstrike make those feats all kinds of redundant?

Focused Specialist seems like a fine option for this build, I'll take that. There is also a lot of goodies in the links you gave me, though most of that Hood stuff seems to require access to FR scources. I'll plow through and attempt to update my build. Thanks.

[nightshade]

you can't take arcane strike at level 3.
I'd also consider playing a Swiftblade and taking those levels earlier.

[Dictum Mortuum]

Go with Trasmuter 6/Warblade or Crusader 1/rest of your build.

[Empirate]

Why Transmuter? Conjurer is superior, I think, even if you want to cast lots of Transmutation buffs on yourself. The reason for that is the impossibly good Abrupt Jaunt (which I'd definitely pick up). AJ is probably even better for gishes than it is for straight casters. If you really, really want a familiar, Obtain Familiar is a nice feat to take.
Also, you'll probably find a Conjuration spell worth memorizing in every level anyway. Leaving you with Transmutation spells in your regular slots, no difference either way.

I wouldn't bother with Persistent Spell without a means to apply it for cheap (like Incantatrix, or Spelldancer). Knowledge Devotion, on the other hand, is just plain missing from your build, what with Knowledge skills as class skills etc.

If you prefer skillpoints to HP (like I do, regardless of character concept), you might want to put Wizard at 1st level: better (more needed) class skills, and that Int bonus getting quadrupled is juicy.

I second getting something other than plain Fighter for your proficiencies. Warblade sounds about right: take care to get it no earlier than your 5th character level. That way, you should be able to get Iron Heart Surge and White Raven Tactics. Juicy, to say the least.

[ninjarabbit]

Tranmutation has all those nice buffs for gishes.

Anyways I'd go for the 7th level of eldritch knight rather than the 2nd level of spellsword. It's more spell slots for you to cast spells and that's worth more than the bonus feat imo.

[Gods_Trick]

I was considering the Shock Trooper line, but wont Wraithstrike make those feats all kinds of redundant?

Maybe I'm mixing up the feat. I'm talking about the feat that increases your PA modifier to x3.

[SorO_Lost]

Drop Fighter for Warblade.
Drop Eldritch Knight for Jade Phoenix Mage.
Drop Minotaur and use your free +2 LA to acquire something like Loth-Touch (+6 str/con, immune to fear) & Mineral Warrior (DR 8/adamatine among other things).

Warblade 1 / Wizard 5 / JPM 5 / AC 5 / w/e 9.
Kinda blanking out right now. I'm tired and was coated in coal today >.<

Optional: Drop both Fighter & Wizard for Arcane Swordsage.

[Empirate]

He's using Minotaur of Krynn, which has no LA. So no free LA to go around. Mineral Warrior on a Wizard-based gish is, btw, a horrible idea due to Int loss.

(you were coated in what again???)

[Endarire]

What about going Human Crusader1/TransmuterX?  Losing more caster levels sucks, and your buffs make up for it.

[Generic_PC]

I definitely recommend JPM. Its like Tome of Battle + Wizard. Go Warblade for the Int synergy, in my opinion. As mentioned, if you're starting with Wizard, don't go into Warblade until level 6, for third level maneuvers.

[Endarire]

Generic_PC: Level 2 maneuvers, actually.

[SorO_Lost]

He's using Minotaur of Krynn, which has no LA. So no free LA to go around. Mineral Warrior on a Wizard-based gish is, btw, a horrible idea due to Int loss.

(you were coated in what again???)

Ooops on int loss and (Coal)

I definitely recommend JPM. Its like Tome of Battle + Wizard. Go Warblade for the Int synergy, in my opinion. As mentioned, if you're starting with Wizard, don't go into Warblade until level 6, for third level maneuvers.

Debatable. Higher level maneuvers are better than lower level ones but don't forget, maneuvers are better than standard attacks. It's always easy to say take a martial class at the end, but during leveling sometimes you'll find it easier to take the level sooner.

Wolf Fang Strike (tiger 1) for instance allows you to attack with two weapons however unlike the TWF feat it does not care what size the weapons are. Starting out as a Warblade is an additional +6HP (due to maximized HD for 1st level) over the outcome and not to mention is +8 more than the wizard which may very well be the difference between death in one attack or two.

Just take that into consideration. You can always try to correct things to martial class last via retraining later.

[E-mail]

I am already suffering INT loss (-2) from my race, and more of that would ruin the build. I notice that one of the first replies advises me to trop the minotaur as my race because of that, but no-one else seems to be of that opinion. I admit that sinking an 18 into a stat in which I get a -2 penalty hurts, but I assume that the +4 str and the extra gore attack kind of makes up for it. I suppose that I could go with a 15 in INT without loosing too much magical power, and use the 3 points to raise my DEX to 9, though my skills would suffer. Thoughts?

If it is of any importance, the rest of the party will consist of two fighters (heavy armor) and a cleric (also heavy armor), so any items that boost DEX temporarily or permanent will likely be mine.

Updated build:
-1: Conjurer 1 Feat (*1), bonus feat (Improved Initiative)
-2: Conjurer 2
-3: Conjurer 3 Feat (Power Attack)
-4: Conjurer 4
-5: Conjurer 5 Bonus feat (Improved Sunder)
-6: Warblade 1 Feat (Combat Brute),
-7: Jade Phoenix Mage 1
-8: Jade Phoenix Mage 2
-9: Jade Phoenix Mage 3 Feat (Combat Casting)
-10: Jade Phoenix Mage 4
-11: Jade Phoenix Mage 5
-12: Abjurant Champion 1 Feat (Knowledge Devotion)
-13: Abjurant Champion 2
-14: Abjurant Champion 3
-15: Abjurant Champion 4 Feat (Leap Attack)
-16: Abjurant Champion 5
-17: Sacred Excorcist 1
-18: Sacred Excorcist 2 Feat (*2)
-19: Sacred Excorcist 3
-20: Sacred Excorcist 4

*1: Spellcasting Prodigy seemed like a good idea when I first made the build, but as you have pointed out it dosen't help me do what I want to with this character; To kill stiff with my greataxe. There is a 1-st level only feat somewhere that can make Krynnian minotauers count as large when beneficial IIRC, so I might take that if I can find it. Other than that, Im open to suggestions on this one.

*2: For my last pre-epic feat, I think I want Obtain Familiar OR some feat that can draw some use from my Turn Undead ability. Law Devotion comes to mind, but there may be better frats out there. Also, I don't wish to empathize TU too much, as my CHA is a dump stat.

ACFs:
Fighter bonus feats (UA)
Abrupt Jaunt (PHBII)

Stats (28 PB):
Str: 18 (14+4 racial)
Dex: 6 (8-2 racial)
Con: 14
Int: 16 (18-2racial)
Wis: 8
Cha: 6 (8-2 racial)

[Sjappo]

I'm by no means an optimizing champion but I'll give you my 2 cp non the less.

The Minotaur doesn't sound al that great. I assumed you were large but it seems you aren't. Sucks. -2 on int hurts you a lot. +4 str is nice but not really all that necessary if you can get an other means to enhance hit and damage. With Knowledge Devotion for instance. Gore is nice though. Se if you can find that feat. Counting as large and gaining reach is good. Powerful build is nice as well but not nearly as good.

That you're getting much to late. +1/+2 on damage and to hit is nice on level 1-5 After that there are other ways to get. Unless you're planning to sink all your skillpoints in knowledge skills you'll never reach that +5 consistently. Sa by the time you're lvl 12 it;s to late. You've been sinking all you skillpoints in skills you didn't use for 12 levels or you get a +1/+2 to hit/damage. Whoohoo.

That low dex is gonna bite you in the ass.  6, that's -2? -2 on reflex saves and AC. That'll hurt the first levels.

Personaly I'd go with human. Get knowledge devotion early, get better stats and go to town.

But besides that. You've got 3 melee types in you're group already? Why not play a full (god style) wizard? You seem to be lacking BFC.