Starting a Wizard

Introduction
A wizard is an arcane spellcaster, similar to a sorcerer, but with a few key differences:


 * The wizard can learn spells from scrolls, expanding his library of known spells
 * The wizard's spells are powered by his Intellect
 * The wizard can cast Repair spells, healing Warforged characters without the penalty imposed on Cure spells
 * The wizard had a very limited selection of weapons, and can only wear cloth armor

These factors typically force the wizard out of melee to the back row, contributing to battle with his ranged spells and his crossbow. If a wizard is getting involved in melee combat, something has gone wrong.

Sample Build
Your intelligence fuels your spells. Since no race gets a starting boost to Int, there is no obvious choice for your wizard. Boosts to Dex are nice, as your choices in armor are limited to cloth, so consider an Elf or Halfling, but balance those boosts against a free feat and those enhancements that are human-only.

With a high Int and decent Dex, it's tempting to multiclass a level into Rogue. Rogues have more useful skills than Wizards, and to deal with high-level traps and locks, you have to have a level of Rogue to not automatically fail before you roll the dice. It takes away a bit from the spellcasting, and wizards are most powerful in the endgame, but you might find you get back more than you lose. At the end of the day, you won't be asked to bust traps or open doors, but if that's how you want to play your wizard, play him that way.

Attributes
Str: 10 +0 to hit and damage. Your melee attack should be a last resort, when everybody else in the party is dead and you're out of spell points. Don't worry too much about it. If you're fighting, your party is already dead and you shouldn't be counted on to hold the fort.

Dex: 14 +2 to AC and Reflex Saves. Dexterity is important because you won't have many hit points, and you won't get much from armor. Better to dodge. This will also help when you're conserving spell points by using your crossbow to attack.

Con: 12 +1 to HP/level and Constitution Saves. You don't have a lot of hit points. Get used to the idea. This will provide a few, and every little bit helps.

Int: 18 +4 to Skills and Spells. The wizard's bread and butter is his Int score. He doesn't have much in the way of class skills, but this will add to the DC of every damage spell he casts and give you a bonus on spell points.

Wis: 8 -1 to Spot and Search. Your spells don't require Wis, and you should be at the back letting your rogue or ranger do the spotting and searching.

Cha: 8 -1 to social skills. The only thing you'll need charisma for is the occasional Diplomacy check to get a mob to attack someone else, and you'll have plenty of skill points to make up for this.

Feats
You'll get two feats (three if you're human) at the outset, but one is a Class Feat, which for the wizard is Metamagic. DDO suggests Empower Magic, which will give you a boost to variable spells (more damage, more repair, etc.). I haven't found the One True Metamagic Feat, but I tend to take Quicken, as it makes your spells uninterruptible, and it might be worth the extra spell points to guarantee that your Repair spell gets off and your Warforged melee protector gets back up.

For your regular (and bonus human) feat, I find that Mental Toughness is a nice spell point boost. Combat Casting is my second choice, and while it's not that useful now, it's a prerequisite to Mobile Spellcasting, which will allow you to cast and move. That's a big advantage, and while you can't get it until level 3, the extra spell points and Concentration boost now make it worth the wait.

Skills
Concentration will allow you to cast spells while being hurt. Again, the situation where a spell interruption will mean the difference between getting up to fight again and your whole party wiping is one to consider. Besides, it's one of your only class skills, so take advantage. You have a high Int, use the points efficiently.

Enhancements
Your class enhancements are geared towards your spells, so after you grab the extra spell points, enhance whatever spell or spells you find yourself using most. If Burning Hands is your go-to spell, take Combustion for the damage boost. You can always swap out enhancements, so play around and see what works for you.

Conclusion
Your job is primarily to cast spells, and secondarily to heal Warforged. Your party should not look to you to find traps, hold aggro against mobs, or raise the dead. Be good at your job and you shouldn't have any problem finding a party and running through dungeons.