Nigel Willoby, lvl 10 Chaotic Neutral Bard/Wizard

So I've been bitten by the D&D bug lately. I started DMing (Dungeon Mastering) 3.5 edition D&D for a group of beginner players (or in the case of Valentine, noob-D&D-players). So we're basically all learning about the game, since I'm not too familiar with it either. To correct that, I started to revert an old character of mine into D&D setting/rules, namely Nigel Willoby the otaku-hacker.



Why? Because it made me go through masses of rules meant for spellcasting characters. Nigel has always been a magical character, literally. Myself have never played as a spellcaster, I always have a melee fighter of some sorts, be it in RPG or a video game. So it was a new challenge. I needed to learn about known spells, learnt spells, spell slots, spell schools/domains, spellcasting variants, metamagic, magical items etc. And since I created Nigel as a LVL 10 character, I also needed to go through lvl-advancement rules, skills and feats. I did a lot of reading.

But now he's done! And I'm so very happy with him :D (Too bad I don't really get to play as him, but it was fun nonetheless just to put him on paper).

So here he is, with commentary:

Nigel Willow, lvl 10; Bard lvl 3 + Wizard lvl 7   Nigel starts out as an information gatherer, like he is a Seeker in Cheshka. He quickly delves into magic and becomes a potent elemental spellcaster.

STR 9; DEX 12; CON 10; INT 18; WIS 12; CHA 14 Nigel's main attribute is his Intelligence, hence the choice of wizardry over sorcery. I also added his extra attributes from lvl-ups to INT. He also has a high Charisma, as he has always been portrayed as very good-looking.

Main Skills:

Concentration +13; Decipher Script +17; Forgery +10; Gather Information +15; Knowledge (arcana) +11; Knowledge (history) +11; Knowledge (Bardic) +9; Sense Motive +11; Spellcraft +19; Use Magic Device +19



Nigel is a know-it-all and what he doesn't yet know, he knows where to find. He is also adept at magical things. Since he was a hacker, I also bought ranks in Forgery, which is the only cross-class skill I bought ranks for.

Feats:

Deceitful, Eschew materials, Quicken Spell, Soul of the North, Spell Mastery, Jack of all trades

If he must, Nigel only relies on his spellbook R.E.I for spells, hence ditching the spell components. He even had learned a few spells by heart. 

Equipment:

Staff of Lightning: a darkwood staff, had 50 charges of Lightning Bolt / Orb of Electricity

It took me ages to figure this one out... I needed to really check the cost of custom staves, since nothing ready-made in the books quite fit both the character and his wallet. This staff took 14 500 gp to make, with its two spells and being only half the weight of a normal staff and a masterwork weapon.

Rod of lesser Maximize metamagic, Wand of cure moderate wounds (50), Wonderous figure of Ebony Fly, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Bag of Holding for his miscallaneous stuff

You can so see this, right? Nigel, riding on his summoned black hippogriff (of course named Wolfie), casting maximized lightning bolts and fireballs! :D And then I needed something to keep him alive, since he only relies on magic for AC.

Spells:

Domain Wizard: Storm Domain

Since his main repertoire of attacking spells come from his staff, he can prepare some buffing spells in stead. Mage armor, Shield and Protetion from energy were a must. He had Cold grasp in his back pocket for  quick draw and Greater invisibility for those tight spots ;) His Bard spells focus on identify and curing.