Lets play with one of the most iconic non-setting specific "paranoid wizard" type of builds. Its feat efficient, only requiring 1 feat and getting everything for Iot7V in just a few levels of Master Specialist. They have 6 free feat slots which could be used for anything. These builds are really, really good at staying alive... But I was just curious what you could do offensively with the typical setup at L1, L5, L10, L15, L20. What spell tricks / feat selections could turn your defense into offense? Is there a way to take advantage of those spell focus feats offensively in combat? I'm going to work with focused specialist, too, to really overemphasize the abjuration.
Abjurer (Focused Specialist) 3 / Master Specialist 10 (4-13) / Iot7V 7 (14-20)
Banned - Necromancy, Enchantment, Evocation
I'm doing it in this order (ie, finishing out Master Specialist first) because one of the coolest offensive tricks available is to cast an AMF on a Fighter-type to go after enemy spellcasters / users. I know, delaying that 4th level veil is kind of scary, but we're talking about offense, here.
1,b
3 Spell Focus: Abjuration
4b - Skill Focus: Spellcraft
6,b - Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration
9
12
15
18
Crib notes:
Master Spec - bonus on dispelling = 1/2 MS level, 4th; CL(abj) +2, 6th, 9th; get the equivalent of Mettle and Evasion for all spells (not just damaging ones), 7th; can cast abjuration spell that is "personal" as a touch spell 3/day, 10th
Iot7V - Well, its all defense, unless I'm mistaken. There's one offensive ability at the terminal level that's once per day, and admittedly is pretty awesome, but that 1/day means a bit unreliable, too.
In the spirit of what the build is, I think that using setting-specific feats and spells shouldn't be used, but if they're really good suggestions, thats cool, too (Reactive Counterspell, or whatever, I think is in a Faerun book, if I remember right, and is definitely awesome-sauce).
EDIT: My worry is that this build is just too defensively minded for regular play, and that the (admittedly cool) tricks they can pull off just aren't worth investing so many levels into. I also was curious about whether its good to finish out Master Spec first or Iot7V first. The current build gets the deliverable AMF at L13, where going into Iot7V earlier would get reactive warding at L11. Which is better? IDK.