Starting a Wizard

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


 * A wizard learns spells from scrolls, expanding his library of known spells, and can learn every arcane spell in the game, unlike a sorcerer that can only learn a few but cast them more often.
 * A wizard's spells are powered by his Intellect and requires a component to be cast.
 * The wizard can cast Repair spells, healing Warforged characters without the penalty imposed on Cure spells.
 * The wizard has a very limited selection of simple weapons, and can only wear cloth armour, heavier armour incurs a chance of arcane spell failure.

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 (such as the Int boost).

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.

If you choose to multiclass with some Rogue in your Wizard, there are differing opinions on which to take first. The two reasons are as follows:
 * If you do want a rogue level, take it as level 1, and change to wizard later, for more skillpoints.
 * Do NOT take it as level 1: Currently the wizard starting staff is the most powerful staff in the game and it's not otherwise obtainable. While you get more skillpoints starting as a rogue, bite the bullet and start as a wizard.

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. An even lower strength would be OK, except that it would cut down your ability to haul valuable loot back to sell in town.

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. It also reduces your WILL save by 1.

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.

An alternative to this could be:

Str:   8 -1 Wizards dont need it at all. If you die then Fighters where playing Mages. Enough to carry out most of things with no problems.

Dex: 14 +2 Good enough and co-operates well with Mage Armor. Sometimes will be needed(attacks from behind let say) and good for ranged attacks.

Con: 10 +0 Mages are by default weak in Fortitudes and mostly known as "Fragile" characters. A 10 in Con is enough to negate the -1 to Fortitude save. Again if your party dies 3-4 extra hp wont save you at all.

Int:   18 +4 Definately a must and should be max out. Except from spells, it gives you many skill points.

Wis: 12 +1 A Wizard has to be more resistant to mind effecting spells and why not trying to give a second chance to your fate when Rogues and Rangers fail in Spot checks.

Cha: 8 -1 As you are not a Priest and the only language best known is the Arcane powers, dont need to be raised.

Though using ranged with crossbows are pretty slow I would like trying have a Wizard with melee weapon and feat to use so. But having a second thought, yes, Wizards are not to be playing as Fighters etc.

Edit: It may be good to keep a Dex of 10 and put your Wis and Cha at 10. Dex is handy for Armor bonus, but if your not jumping in the combat, it just isn't a must. The reason i say this is because Cha could be more valuable in useing diplomacy to turn that critter who didn't like your Magic Missiles around and back to your Melee group members.

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.

Edit: Maximize metamagic feat, seems to work real good with me. Combined with Combustion enhancement and Spell focus on Evocation(ofcourse needing +20sp to cast), deals enough damage to kill instantly anything on its way. Really saves the day.

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.

Edit: You may wish to take a few points in haggle to help with the cost of scroll scribing components that seem to cost an arm and a leg. Not to mention if you plan to buy alot of spell scroll to have all the spells you can get. Just a few points can really go a long way.

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
As a Wizard you can learn every arcane spell, this means the ability to pick and choose which spells to memorise before going on a quest, making a Wizard very versatile.

Normally arcane spells fall under one of five categories:

1. Offensive spells like Magic Missiles and Burning Hands, every Wizard needs some kind of offensive spell if they plan on doing any damage that wont result in their quick death.

2. Defensive spells like Stoneskin or Shield.

3. Buffs (spells that aid yourself and your allies) such as Haste or Cats Grace.

4. Debuffs (spells that hinder enemies) such a Ray of Enfeeblement, Bestow Curse or even Break Enchantment (can be used to remove curses/magic effects from your party or buffs from your enemies).

5. And finally crowd control spells such as Web or Deep Slumber, this type of spell limits the number of attacking enemies or at least hinders their approach.

In DDO there are also Repair spells that can heal Warforged (keeping yourself alive means keeping other party members alive first).

Wizards are one of the most versatile classes in game and easily have the highest potential to inflict damage, pick and choose which spells suit your play type.