Tactical Archer - 21 wiz / 14 aa / 5 monk

basically this is a pull the baddies with bbod, drop a wall on em, jump out and hammer em with bow build then?

Pretty much yeah, it's fun for soloing lowbie areas when you're bored/short of time.

Those spells can be pretty useful in a party too, as can counterspelling and breach/mord.

i guess my question is AA will get your the ab you need, so why so many monk levels? picking yer brain here

Changed the build to 21 wiz / 14 aa / 5 monk for an extra feat, +1 ab and more bow damage (10d10 instead of 9d10).

You need 6 bab to take AA or BG though, so 6 wiz (3 bab) won't qualify you for either.

4 Fighter* / 10 AA / 6 Wiz
15 Wiz / 5 AA
*or Paladin/Barb/Ranger

Would work though, and gets +2 AB over 21wiz/5monk/14aa thanks to an increase in enchant arrow and +1 pre-epic bab.

While the AC isn't essential for an AA, combined with 65% conceal it does help give you enough time to GV and reposition if necessary, which can be handy.

Also, having reincarnated for the third time in three days i think i might leave it where it is for now.

Thanks for the feedback

Well i've mainly been playing it when the server is relatively quiet for soloing, which it does really well at (in free rest areas anyway).

No plans to take it to hell at the moment, although i think it would be useful, fitting halfway between a 'pure' AA and a 'pyramid scheme/incantation of arrows' damage-wise, with the same ability to grab low SR creatures as the latter.

Plus i think the ability to GV and BBOD without needing scrolls or potions is a great addition to any hells party (though i would scribe some in case of amni).

1. the Wall of Stone i refer to is from the Wall of Fire spell (modified on HG) which creates a small wall of stone big enough to block corridors / stairways etc, especially with the help of a Black Blade of Disaster (bbod). The build posted doesn't get the epic wall, but you could go for more wiz levels (25 minimum) and swap Conj. foci for Trans foci in order to pick up the epic wall.

2. I think Blind Fight is there because there wasn't much else i wanted to take, and because it isn't affected by skill lowering or deafness. I don't think you'd have too many problems without it though.

3. Illusion is nice for the Ghostly Visage spell (functions as a mini Greater Sanctuary, very handy for repositioning and getting enemies to focus on your bbod, not you).
If you're going to drop a focus i'd probably drop Conj, but then Gate teleporting combined with epic wall is quite a fun combo. Don't forget you'll need 25 wiz (pre LLs) to qualify for epics.

4. You have neither the spell penetration or high enough INT to do much with offensive spells, but perhaps Grease (ignores SR) could be worth a try, maybe even Evards Black Tentacles (maybe not because of SR) , though i can't remember how the AB calculation works. As for orbs, you'd probably do more damage with your bow on this character (again SR issues and possibly low AB on orbs).

5. Interesting idea, you could specialise in either Illusion or Conj and drop the legendary spell focus in that school for a free feat. You could probably drop Enchantment and either Divination or Necromancy without losing much.

6. I mainly used it to solo LLs when the servers were particularly quiet and i found the tactical aspect both fun and quite effective (although soloing with anything other than a caster always seems a bit slow going, especially against enemies with heal potions). I think i would definately recommend it for a bit of solo fun, though you may want to pick up more Wizard levels for epic spells, especially if you think your HC parties could benefit from Epic Wall, for example. Bear in mind that if you only have 25 Wizard levels pre-LLs your epic wall won't last as long.