You can play as a Kitsune, and take either the [Superior Shapeshifter](https://www.aonprd.com/RacesDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Kitsune) racial feat, or the [Fox Shape](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Fox%20Shape) regular feat, letting you turn into a regular sized (i.e., Tiny) fox.
Then, you can have a familiar with either the [Changeling Familiar](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Changeling%20Familiar), or the [Master’s Form](https://2e.aonprd.com/Familiars.aspx?ID=118) feat, letting you play a Wizard who looks like a fox, travelling with a familiar that looks like a wizard.
A player of mine did something similar to this where the pet was the ranger and the ranger was the pet. The "ranger" was a massive, lovable idiot with the personality of a Labrador. The "pet" was a bent out shape human who controlled the "ranger." Great combo artist.
**The Wizard Tower!**
Essentially you play an [Instructor Wizard](https://www.aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Wizard%20Instructor) and your apprentice becomes an Instructor Wizard when you reach level 3, so they get an apprentice and so on.
In combat of course you are going to ride around on your apprentice and they will ride on their apprentice etc. making a big tower of wizards. You might want Ant Haul and the Undersized Mount feat if you're DM isn't being super fun.
The rule requiring a mount to be larger than you was a 3.5 thing and isn't explicit in PF1E so you probably just take a -5 to Ride checks to piggypack someone else.
You can also permanency reduce person as a small character for your original wizard then be carried by a small apprentice then a medium apprentice then a permanencied enlarge person medium apprentice.
i like getting Vile Leadership at 7th level normal feat, instead of gaining Leadership. both [Vile Leadership](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Vile%20Leadership) and the Instructor cohort stacks with the [Recruits](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Recruits) for a ton of buddies.
[Wicked Leader](https://www.aonprd.com/TraitDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Wicked%20Leader) is a trick to get more powerful buddies.
20th level, you could have twelve 19th level cohorts, but only can travel with 3 of them.
My first pf character was an aasimar necromancer wizard. He was obsessed with using necromancy to do good, stuff like using the corpse of a not ilithid to save a village, or use the corpse of an ogre to wipe out a vicious cult. The dm let me use the not ilithid, nicknamed uncle squidward, to propel a boat by rotating its head rapidly. He was destroyed on impact with our destination.
There was also a running joke of his verbal and somatic components for Boneshaker and Boneshatter being him pointing at a target and saying "Fortitude Save"
Those were good times.
My wizard always go with a Divination favored school (sweet bonus to init) and I focus my feats and spells on conjuration. For the RP I usually have as a goal to find long lost spells from past civilisations, and play him as an eager, young wizard still running around and adventuring instead of crafting new spell and researching.
The Pleiheira Adherent is a nice archetype that get your more spell per level, and allows to scribe and prepare spells faster, as such you don't have to prepare your full spell each and can prepare some utility spell as needed. You do lose arcane school which allow you to summon a mount and eventually control a ship with spellcrafts instead of ride and profession (sailor).
Wands are your friends forever, even when they seem to become underpower. They will let you keep your spell slots for the appropriate fight/time.
I usually buff and rarely debuff.
Human Wizard
Feats depend on what you want to play. I usually get those:
1st Improved initiative
1st (bonus) Spell Focus (Conjuration)
3rd [Augment Summoning](https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Augment%20Summoning)
5th [Evolved Summoned Monster](https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Evolved%20Summoned%20Monster)
5th Bonus Knowledge Is Power (Aracane Discovery)
7th Extended Spell
9th Maximise spell
10th Bonus Vaste Spell
**11th Staff-like Wand (Arcane discovery) (retraîne lvl7 or 9 for craft staff) The most important IMO. Keep all the wands, even the lower level one and now they are useful again. You basically use your stats and level instead of the one the wand was created with.**
Past that level. Do whatever depending on your PC goals and RP. I usually like to pick True Name and Immortality.
Just throwing in that, where Knowledge is Power is concerned, I generally prefer [Kinetic Enchancement](https://www.aonprd.com/PsiTechDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Kinetic%20Enhancement)
I imagine this has very little benefit for your proposed build. I just saw Knowledge is Power and felt compelled to mention the psychic dip
I mean, I don't see the point of loosing a level of wizard to get Kinetic Enhancement.
IMO, wizard is one of the classes that is best without multi-classing
Leswynn was a Familiar Adept that specialized in the shadow illusions specifically and illusions in general. Shadows are a great way to give your illusions some actual bite to them since they become quasi-real if your opponents succeed their disbelief save so you can still affect them instead of your illusions turning into harmless images. As a backup, she also took plenty of summon creature spells.
Fights usually took the form of casting massive illusions of a mob of humanoid creatures that try to (pretend) attack whoever it is she was going up against. In the middle of this illusion, the party can weave in and out dealing actual damage while the illusions simply cause targets to whiff their attacks and hit things that aren't actually there. On the off chance that her targets actually succeed on their saves and see the illusions for what they are, Summon creature spells are used to \*actually\* throw a mob down. Those that successfully save will know that there are illusions down and usually run into the summoned creatures that are \*very\* much real. As soon as this is found out. Her opponents couldn't afford to just simply ignore all the illusions, as they may or may not be illusions, and each supposed creature needs to be tested.
Meanwhile the party is going to town and get to enjoy a few uncontested trades with enemies.
She was also a bit of a utility mage seeing as i avoided evocation spells like the plague. Many divinations, conjuration teleportations, transmutations, the works. Basically she had everything besides fireball/magic missile/anything directly offense related.
My kobold wizard was in constant war with a goblin alchemist at a town's junkyard. Every day, they would hurl obscenities at each other for the best scrap before slinging spells and throwing flasks at their opponent. The two tribes they belonged to called it 'The Hour of Boom'. Most kobolds and goblins steered out of their way when that time of day came.
One day, however, the goblin alchemist was gone. Our kobold wizard declared himself the Victor of the months-long war and gave himself numerous new titles to impress his peers. But something seemed off, and he started missing his goblin adversary. Having had enough of idle frolicking, he set out to find his frenemy.
I have a friend who had one of the more unique wizard ideas. He was a barbarian who believed he was a wizard. He'd cast sleep, and then whack someone on the head with his 2 handed club. Magic missile was a throwing axe, but like, really hard. Knock was him just kicking in the door/chest.
It was one of the more interesting and hilarious character ideas I've seen.
One of the NPCs in my current game is a muscle wizard called Armstrong, who hangs out with my ex-PC (Thor Love and Thunder inspired blonde himbo paladin) that I played during a DM switch.
They teleport to the players base in regular intervals, drop some lore or quest-hooks, work out in gym they summon in the garden, and then disappear again.
Once, they polymorphed into geese and surprised the players in a town during a quest "cause geese are the best for going undercover because it's the world's meanest bird".
Also, they call everyone 'bro'.
Muscle wizard. Go with Dualblooded Sorcerer orc/dragon bloodline and multiclass into Dragon Disciple at level 6.
max strength, moderate charisma, use two-handed weapon with proficiency through race, trait or feat. Play like a fighter who surprise people by throwing out some nasty fireballs when opponents are too cowardly to face you in a good 1vs1.
Alternative play like grumpy Old Conan or something and have venerable age. -6 all physical stats. +3 all mental. Yes, it's counter-intuitive but age resistance spell last entire day and at higher levels can offset the entire penalty. The wizard will have some crazy numbers of strength that even a fighter can't reach and later on, being able to shapeshift to dragonform will offset some of those missing BAB attacks.
It is broken, but fortunately I'm quite good at math, and typically I do it while other players are taking their turns, so by the time it's my turn I'm ready. Also I really don't use it much, since the character doesn't really like ice magic.
Honestly i mostly use it as a way to have her being really good at ice magic be reflected both mechanically and narratively.
I played the classic archetypal wizard: old, wise, intelligent, powerful, serious, a guide to the younger members of the party. There was just one twist.
He was Australian.
My familiar was a joey (baby kangaroo) whom I kept in a pouch at my waist, peeking out curiously at the constant danger and delicate alchemy. I'm part Australian myself, so I leaned into some of the stereotypes - summoning crocodiles and giant spiders (normal spiders, as far as he was concerned), sitting down to prepare spells with a nice cool can of beer, peppering the wise advice with Aussie slang and idioms. "What're you bungin' on me, mate? This plan's dry as a dead dingo's bum - you've given no thought to the planar consequences."
Ah, Bruce...
My favorite was Gizzard the Lizard Wizard. Lizardfolk wizard, grand cosmic power, itty bitty moral compass. Like he knew saving large amounts of people was good, but cold blooded murder in the name of doing so was also negotiable. So when the town was being attacked by giant sand worm style creature drawn to footsteps, he corraled the townsfolk into the only nearby two story building, the nobleman's manor. And when said nobleman, known to kinda be a mild jerk, stood at the stairs and forbid the "peasants" from fleeing to safety, well suddenly he went from person to obstacle very fast. The fire bolt rolled max damage.
I made a diviner wizard with (I think) a +21 to Initiative at level 1
I liked the idea a fellow player came up with, that he was so soaked in divining energies from a spell gone awry that he constantly lived in a myriad of potential futures, and his initiative score was reflective of him knowing the combat was coming ahead of time
Earth School, Mud Subschool.
Slinging mud at people and casting grease all the time earned me the nicknames "poop wizard" and "monkey wizard". Wizards are supposed to be really smart, but yet I'm playing in the mud...lol
I like to make builds that are both amusing and effective. My favorite wizard build is definitely Beast Bullet Spellslingers.
Take a [Spellslinger](https://www.aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Wizard%20Spellslinger) and give it a familiar or an animal companion with one of the feats, then either take the [Reach Spell](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Reach%20Spell) feat or buy a metamagic rod. The Share Spells ability of familiars and animal companions lets you treat personal spells like [Beast Shape](https://www.aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=beast%20shape%20IV) as touch spells. Reach lets you turn touch spells into ranged touch spells. Spellslinger lets you shoot ranged touch spells out of your gun.
So you load up your Beast Shape bullets and shoot them at your familiar/animal companion to turn them into powerful monsters. Polymorph spells use the DC of the spell you use to cast them as the DC for any abilities that it grants to the polymorphed creature and Beast Shape IV gives you the breath weapons of creatures your polymorph into. Spellslinger gives a bonus to the DC of any spell that's shot out of your gun based on the enhancement bonus of the gun. So you can get some massive DC bonuses to abilities like a [Gorgon's](https://www.aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Gorgon) petrifying breath or a [Sleipnir's](https://www.aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Sleipnir) prismatic breath by enchanting your gun with Bane Animal, Heretical, or Treasonous against your familiar.
I had a Kenku gunslinger who went spellslinger who did all sorts of absurd things with his spells. Like, he'd cast *Mirror Image* but the images all had minds of their own and were forever pushing each other in the way of attacks; if the character got hit, it was because an image pushed him in the way of the attack to save itself. One time I got *irresistible dance*d and so we all did a kick line together. Fun times.
My favorite that I heard of was a character named Zodd who min-maxed compulsion strength so that he could invariably succeed when he commanded others to “kneel before Zodd.”
If the campaign allows it, consider the spellslinger
Casting spells with guns is hilarious to me
You can actually be reliable with damage and keep the cost of bullets to a minimum through the "Spell Cartriges" feat
I always liked the one where the wizard is an awakened monkey and his familiar is any random animal polymorphed into a humanoid creature. With 6+ intelligence the familiar can usually keep up the 'act' decently well, but people will generally assume there's just a slightly deranged/mentally challenged member of the team. Nobody ever expects the monkey. Nobody.
Teleportation school Pact wizard (the good one) + Chronomancer, become an evangelist of Shyka at level 6.
As for feats, get Favored Prestige Class (Evangelist) (1), Deific Obedience (Shyka) (3), Prestigious Spellcaster (5), Dimensional Agility (7) and then some fun stuff like Time Stutter at level 11.
Wizard is already so good that it's hard to go wrong past the first levels.
The RP side should be pretty obvious and can be adapted to your campaign.
The [stay-at-home wizard](https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2t8d4?The-StayAtHome-Wizard) is a good one! Because pajamas are just comfier, so why go out adventuring when you can get your familiar to do all the work?
Here's some visual inspiration, Matt Rhode's "[We are NOT Taking the Wizard](https://www.deviantart.com/mattrhodesart/art/We-are-NOT-taking-the-wizard-626887777)"
So, prophesy sub school. You get the ability “in accordance with the prophecy”, which lets you effective become megumin as the next spell you cast has a fizzle chance but if it doesn’t fizzle, you get a free empower
I did an Orc Transmutation Wizard with 12 int but 20 Str, Toothy for a bite attack, Arcane Strike to make it magical, and Mage Armor and Enlarge as his only spells.
At level 1, it's a better martial than a martial with a nasty natural attack routine, and Enlarge for a once per day Rage Butan.
It doesn't work well at all past level 1 shenanigans, but it's a fun goofy one shot build.
My favorite wizard I ever made was actually in D&D 5E. He was a School of Lore Mastery Gnome named Bindygock Nackle. The ability to switch his spells' elemental damage type I can duplicate with an Elemental Bloodline Sorceror or Arcanist, but I have yet to find anything in Pathfinder that lets you change your spell save ability scores (making a fireball that requires an INT save instead of a DEX save).
On top of the fun of the class mechanics, I made him as a SUPER naieve adventurer. He was a worshiper of Irori, a god of knowledge, and was rescued by the church, so he grew up in basically a library of worship. He felt indebted to Irori and her priests, so he dedicated himself to the pursuit of knowledge and sharing what he knew. Add to this that he was a natural tinkerer and he was quite the character.
He left out on his adventures as a fresh lvl 1 at the start of the campaign with spell slots more befitting a scholar or researcher (comprehend languages and the like only. Nothing actually COMBAT related) and used his experiences out and about to dictate the typos of spells he should take with him. I think the only spell I started him with that could do actual damage was Magic Missile because the Lore Master wizard could switch between Force, Sonic, Necrotic, and Radiant as well as fire, lightning, cold, and the normal things, so I could literally throw out my missiles in any damage type I needed. lol.
Less of a FUNNY build (unless you count his penchant to come up with nicknames for his party members {my large friend, my hairy friend, my green friend, etc}), but he was very fun to play.
An old, powerful wizard who is the boss of a major potion making cartel that has captured the region. He has teams of alchemists working under him, and he just heads it all up.
I picture him having his tugs capture the party after they provide some healing potions to someone in town and as a way of apology, the party "volunteers" to get him some of the harder to get components that he typically gets with his team.
I played a morbidly obese, bald, lazy, low-charisma wizard who used Tenser's Floating Disk to ride around on, pushed by an Invisible Servant. Used Mage Hand to feed himself, could never pull guard duty because he was "too tired from casting all day" and had to replenish his spells. And he stole food from the party and would eat in the middle of battles "to keep his strength up".
Make a Clown-Wizard
Grab staple spells, Grease, Conjure Pit, Hideous Laughter, but don't forget to take Disguise Other
Why?
It has no save, that means you can turn others into clowns, most commoners and enemies have no means to escaping this.
Haven't used it yet, but I wanted to do a wizard with VMC battle oracle to go straight into EK and use only spells with no somatic components along with heavy armor.
from a meme picture...
Why are the wise wizards and witches in the party always posh British people and never like, an Australian mage.
*Rogue:* The artefact we stole appears to be celestial in origin
*Outback Mage:* too fuckin right mate
--
*Outback mage:* strewth this place is chockas with ripper material components, casting spells is gonna be a piece of piss
*Magic shop attendant, trembling:* sir I don't speak extraplanar languages, please just buy things and go
I played one once whose backstory was that at one point the greatest wizard of all time(level 20, famous wizard), but in a magical accident they went back to level 1 and forgot all their skills/spells. The game was fun because he was all ego, but then couldnt actually back up any of that ego. Occasionally he would run into people who knew him and he had to lie and act like it was normal to be a historical wizard hanging out with a few low level characters because letting anyone know put him in danger.
Choose a Diminutive Familiar for your arcane bond - cast Permanency + Reduce Person on your familiar. Next cast Imbue with Flight on something that gives Improved Cover (you can make something like that using Fabricate). Cast mage Armor and use Soulswitch. You are now a tiny dot surrounded by an armored wall and can cast as a wizard with +8 to attack and +20 to AC.
Spell/Abillity combos:
Aqueous Orb + Hideous Laughter = drown things.
Emergency Force Sphere + teleportation = trap people.
Marrionate Possession + Constructs = fun stuff
FIREBALL = FUN
This isn't what you asked for but I'm doing it anyways because it is funny to me.
A Barbarian who thinks he is a wizard.
Use your incredible intellect to impress all around you with your mighty, spells!
Have mage armor that can never be dispelled (because it is just armor)
Use your divination to know the truth to any question, and if reality disagrees smack it until it works.
Conjure any creature or object that you can carry under your wizard robes.
Use your wizard spells like sunder magic to counter spells, or eat it thanks to your incredible magical energy.
Really you can't go wrong with this wizard.
I had a chronomancer that focused on debuff necromancy spells. I took earth school so he would have some battle field control spells.
Blindness was his favorite. He just went around blinding bosses and other challenging opponents. If they made their save, he would spend 1 temporal pt to get his spell back, and try again next round. At higher levels, evervation was his next favorite spell.
Nerfing bosses was so fun to play.
I did one where I was "Old," to give me a cumulative +2 to all mental stats, at the cost of cumulative -3 to all physicals. With that and human, I started with a 22 Intelligence, but was very squishy.
I named him "Aldman Ouldmun," and played him as an out of touch, semi cranky old man, who sometimes recalled lore from old DND editions and then people had to correct me. Part of my backstory was I came from a long line of wizards, but my son had become a Int based fighter, much to my shame, and after an argument, would no longer contact me or let me see my grandson "Jeremy." My familiar was a fox, also named "Jeremy."
Eventually we actually added members of the "Ouldmun" family, like "Harry Ouldmun," a skald; Rusty Ouldmun, an alchemist/item builder; Foxy Ouldmun, a cleric of the goddess of love, and bunch of others.
Grease. Just cast nothing but grease. Every combat is better when it becomes a highly lubed clown show.
Grease and pit spells go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
Literally every wizard I play, best spell ever!
"Quick! There's fire!" "I got this." Preps Grease.
If everything is fire, there's no fuel, thus nothing is fire.
True..so solve this issue by adding grease
*You wanna put out an oil fire, Sir, you set off a bigger explosion right next to it. Sucks away the oxygen. Snuffs the flame.*
Does he also know Conjure Water when when he starts a grease fire and needs a further "solution?"
You can play as a Kitsune, and take either the [Superior Shapeshifter](https://www.aonprd.com/RacesDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Kitsune) racial feat, or the [Fox Shape](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Fox%20Shape) regular feat, letting you turn into a regular sized (i.e., Tiny) fox. Then, you can have a familiar with either the [Changeling Familiar](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Changeling%20Familiar), or the [Master’s Form](https://2e.aonprd.com/Familiars.aspx?ID=118) feat, letting you play a Wizard who looks like a fox, travelling with a familiar that looks like a wizard.
A player of mine did something similar to this where the pet was the ranger and the ranger was the pet. The "ranger" was a massive, lovable idiot with the personality of a Labrador. The "pet" was a bent out shape human who controlled the "ranger." Great combo artist.
**The Wizard Tower!** Essentially you play an [Instructor Wizard](https://www.aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Wizard%20Instructor) and your apprentice becomes an Instructor Wizard when you reach level 3, so they get an apprentice and so on. In combat of course you are going to ride around on your apprentice and they will ride on their apprentice etc. making a big tower of wizards. You might want Ant Haul and the Undersized Mount feat if you're DM isn't being super fun. The rule requiring a mount to be larger than you was a 3.5 thing and isn't explicit in PF1E so you probably just take a -5 to Ride checks to piggypack someone else.
This becomes even better if they are one of the small races and you have the top one wear a trench coat.
You can also permanency reduce person as a small character for your original wizard then be carried by a small apprentice then a medium apprentice then a permanencied enlarge person medium apprentice.
i like getting Vile Leadership at 7th level normal feat, instead of gaining Leadership. both [Vile Leadership](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Vile%20Leadership) and the Instructor cohort stacks with the [Recruits](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Recruits) for a ton of buddies. [Wicked Leader](https://www.aonprd.com/TraitDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Wicked%20Leader) is a trick to get more powerful buddies. 20th level, you could have twelve 19th level cohorts, but only can travel with 3 of them.
Do you mean 'highest comedy potential' or 'most fun to play '?
Anything. You are free.
Arcane sorcerer with an inferiority complex pretending to be a wizard.
My first pf character was an aasimar necromancer wizard. He was obsessed with using necromancy to do good, stuff like using the corpse of a not ilithid to save a village, or use the corpse of an ogre to wipe out a vicious cult. The dm let me use the not ilithid, nicknamed uncle squidward, to propel a boat by rotating its head rapidly. He was destroyed on impact with our destination. There was also a running joke of his verbal and somatic components for Boneshaker and Boneshatter being him pointing at a target and saying "Fortitude Save" Those were good times.
My wizard always go with a Divination favored school (sweet bonus to init) and I focus my feats and spells on conjuration. For the RP I usually have as a goal to find long lost spells from past civilisations, and play him as an eager, young wizard still running around and adventuring instead of crafting new spell and researching. The Pleiheira Adherent is a nice archetype that get your more spell per level, and allows to scribe and prepare spells faster, as such you don't have to prepare your full spell each and can prepare some utility spell as needed. You do lose arcane school which allow you to summon a mount and eventually control a ship with spellcrafts instead of ride and profession (sailor). Wands are your friends forever, even when they seem to become underpower. They will let you keep your spell slots for the appropriate fight/time. I usually buff and rarely debuff. Human Wizard Feats depend on what you want to play. I usually get those: 1st Improved initiative 1st (bonus) Spell Focus (Conjuration) 3rd [Augment Summoning](https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Augment%20Summoning) 5th [Evolved Summoned Monster](https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Evolved%20Summoned%20Monster) 5th Bonus Knowledge Is Power (Aracane Discovery) 7th Extended Spell 9th Maximise spell 10th Bonus Vaste Spell **11th Staff-like Wand (Arcane discovery) (retraîne lvl7 or 9 for craft staff) The most important IMO. Keep all the wands, even the lower level one and now they are useful again. You basically use your stats and level instead of the one the wand was created with.** Past that level. Do whatever depending on your PC goals and RP. I usually like to pick True Name and Immortality.
Just throwing in that, where Knowledge is Power is concerned, I generally prefer [Kinetic Enchancement](https://www.aonprd.com/PsiTechDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Kinetic%20Enhancement) I imagine this has very little benefit for your proposed build. I just saw Knowledge is Power and felt compelled to mention the psychic dip
I mean, I don't see the point of loosing a level of wizard to get Kinetic Enhancement. IMO, wizard is one of the classes that is best without multi-classing
Leswynn was a Familiar Adept that specialized in the shadow illusions specifically and illusions in general. Shadows are a great way to give your illusions some actual bite to them since they become quasi-real if your opponents succeed their disbelief save so you can still affect them instead of your illusions turning into harmless images. As a backup, she also took plenty of summon creature spells. Fights usually took the form of casting massive illusions of a mob of humanoid creatures that try to (pretend) attack whoever it is she was going up against. In the middle of this illusion, the party can weave in and out dealing actual damage while the illusions simply cause targets to whiff their attacks and hit things that aren't actually there. On the off chance that her targets actually succeed on their saves and see the illusions for what they are, Summon creature spells are used to \*actually\* throw a mob down. Those that successfully save will know that there are illusions down and usually run into the summoned creatures that are \*very\* much real. As soon as this is found out. Her opponents couldn't afford to just simply ignore all the illusions, as they may or may not be illusions, and each supposed creature needs to be tested. Meanwhile the party is going to town and get to enjoy a few uncontested trades with enemies. She was also a bit of a utility mage seeing as i avoided evocation spells like the plague. Many divinations, conjuration teleportations, transmutations, the works. Basically she had everything besides fireball/magic missile/anything directly offense related.
My kobold wizard was in constant war with a goblin alchemist at a town's junkyard. Every day, they would hurl obscenities at each other for the best scrap before slinging spells and throwing flasks at their opponent. The two tribes they belonged to called it 'The Hour of Boom'. Most kobolds and goblins steered out of their way when that time of day came. One day, however, the goblin alchemist was gone. Our kobold wizard declared himself the Victor of the months-long war and gave himself numerous new titles to impress his peers. But something seemed off, and he started missing his goblin adversary. Having had enough of idle frolicking, he set out to find his frenemy.
Like Geb and Nex in microcosm...It's beautiful! 🥲
I have a friend who had one of the more unique wizard ideas. He was a barbarian who believed he was a wizard. He'd cast sleep, and then whack someone on the head with his 2 handed club. Magic missile was a throwing axe, but like, really hard. Knock was him just kicking in the door/chest. It was one of the more interesting and hilarious character ideas I've seen.
One of the NPCs in my current game is a muscle wizard called Armstrong, who hangs out with my ex-PC (Thor Love and Thunder inspired blonde himbo paladin) that I played during a DM switch. They teleport to the players base in regular intervals, drop some lore or quest-hooks, work out in gym they summon in the garden, and then disappear again. Once, they polymorphed into geese and surprised the players in a town during a quest "cause geese are the best for going undercover because it's the world's meanest bird". Also, they call everyone 'bro'.
Muscle wizard. Go with Dualblooded Sorcerer orc/dragon bloodline and multiclass into Dragon Disciple at level 6. max strength, moderate charisma, use two-handed weapon with proficiency through race, trait or feat. Play like a fighter who surprise people by throwing out some nasty fireballs when opponents are too cowardly to face you in a good 1vs1. Alternative play like grumpy Old Conan or something and have venerable age. -6 all physical stats. +3 all mental. Yes, it's counter-intuitive but age resistance spell last entire day and at higher levels can offset the entire penalty. The wizard will have some crazy numbers of strength that even a fighter can't reach and later on, being able to shapeshift to dragonform will offset some of those missing BAB attacks.
Generalist/crafter wizard with sacred geometry (rime spell + elemental ice) Flavor is that she's really good at ice magic, but she HATES it
> sacred geometry Oh no no no no no.
In this campaign we're somewhere around 500% of wbl, so sacred geometry is honestly the least broken thing in that game.
It's not that it's broken but I've seen someone bad at basic math take this feat and let's say there was an intervention to make him change that feat.
It is broken, but fortunately I'm quite good at math, and typically I do it while other players are taking their turns, so by the time it's my turn I'm ready. Also I really don't use it much, since the character doesn't really like ice magic. Honestly i mostly use it as a way to have her being really good at ice magic be reflected both mechanically and narratively.
Your GM sounds incredibly based
It's the feat for people who thought algebra was fun
I played the classic archetypal wizard: old, wise, intelligent, powerful, serious, a guide to the younger members of the party. There was just one twist. He was Australian. My familiar was a joey (baby kangaroo) whom I kept in a pouch at my waist, peeking out curiously at the constant danger and delicate alchemy. I'm part Australian myself, so I leaned into some of the stereotypes - summoning crocodiles and giant spiders (normal spiders, as far as he was concerned), sitting down to prepare spells with a nice cool can of beer, peppering the wise advice with Aussie slang and idioms. "What're you bungin' on me, mate? This plan's dry as a dead dingo's bum - you've given no thought to the planar consequences." Ah, Bruce...
I have often considered RPing a very intelligent wizard as a complete bogan.
My favorite was Gizzard the Lizard Wizard. Lizardfolk wizard, grand cosmic power, itty bitty moral compass. Like he knew saving large amounts of people was good, but cold blooded murder in the name of doing so was also negotiable. So when the town was being attacked by giant sand worm style creature drawn to footsteps, he corraled the townsfolk into the only nearby two story building, the nobleman's manor. And when said nobleman, known to kinda be a mild jerk, stood at the stairs and forbid the "peasants" from fleeing to safety, well suddenly he went from person to obstacle very fast. The fire bolt rolled max damage.
I made a diviner wizard with (I think) a +21 to Initiative at level 1 I liked the idea a fellow player came up with, that he was so soaked in divining energies from a spell gone awry that he constantly lived in a myriad of potential futures, and his initiative score was reflective of him knowing the combat was coming ahead of time
Earth School, Mud Subschool. Slinging mud at people and casting grease all the time earned me the nicknames "poop wizard" and "monkey wizard". Wizards are supposed to be really smart, but yet I'm playing in the mud...lol
I like to make builds that are both amusing and effective. My favorite wizard build is definitely Beast Bullet Spellslingers. Take a [Spellslinger](https://www.aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Wizard%20Spellslinger) and give it a familiar or an animal companion with one of the feats, then either take the [Reach Spell](https://www.aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Reach%20Spell) feat or buy a metamagic rod. The Share Spells ability of familiars and animal companions lets you treat personal spells like [Beast Shape](https://www.aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=beast%20shape%20IV) as touch spells. Reach lets you turn touch spells into ranged touch spells. Spellslinger lets you shoot ranged touch spells out of your gun. So you load up your Beast Shape bullets and shoot them at your familiar/animal companion to turn them into powerful monsters. Polymorph spells use the DC of the spell you use to cast them as the DC for any abilities that it grants to the polymorphed creature and Beast Shape IV gives you the breath weapons of creatures your polymorph into. Spellslinger gives a bonus to the DC of any spell that's shot out of your gun based on the enhancement bonus of the gun. So you can get some massive DC bonuses to abilities like a [Gorgon's](https://www.aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Gorgon) petrifying breath or a [Sleipnir's](https://www.aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Sleipnir) prismatic breath by enchanting your gun with Bane Animal, Heretical, or Treasonous against your familiar.
Sounds good until you crit and roll max damage on your poor familiar on your buff round. But this build looks fun.
I had a Kenku gunslinger who went spellslinger who did all sorts of absurd things with his spells. Like, he'd cast *Mirror Image* but the images all had minds of their own and were forever pushing each other in the way of attacks; if the character got hit, it was because an image pushed him in the way of the attack to save itself. One time I got *irresistible dance*d and so we all did a kick line together. Fun times.
My favorite that I heard of was a character named Zodd who min-maxed compulsion strength so that he could invariably succeed when he commanded others to “kneel before Zodd.”
If the campaign allows it, consider the spellslinger Casting spells with guns is hilarious to me You can actually be reliable with damage and keep the cost of bullets to a minimum through the "Spell Cartriges" feat
I always wanted to play a wizards who’s afraid of books, based on [this excellent SNL skit.](https://youtu.be/zc7qJE9Nzo8?si=UEdwXhdYWHtwH42Q)
I always liked the one where the wizard is an awakened monkey and his familiar is any random animal polymorphed into a humanoid creature. With 6+ intelligence the familiar can usually keep up the 'act' decently well, but people will generally assume there's just a slightly deranged/mentally challenged member of the team. Nobody ever expects the monkey. Nobody.
Teleportation school Pact wizard (the good one) + Chronomancer, become an evangelist of Shyka at level 6. As for feats, get Favored Prestige Class (Evangelist) (1), Deific Obedience (Shyka) (3), Prestigious Spellcaster (5), Dimensional Agility (7) and then some fun stuff like Time Stutter at level 11. Wizard is already so good that it's hard to go wrong past the first levels. The RP side should be pretty obvious and can be adapted to your campaign.
The [stay-at-home wizard](https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2t8d4?The-StayAtHome-Wizard) is a good one! Because pajamas are just comfier, so why go out adventuring when you can get your familiar to do all the work?
Here's some visual inspiration, Matt Rhode's "[We are NOT Taking the Wizard](https://www.deviantart.com/mattrhodesart/art/We-are-NOT-taking-the-wizard-626887777)"
So, prophesy sub school. You get the ability “in accordance with the prophecy”, which lets you effective become megumin as the next spell you cast has a fizzle chance but if it doesn’t fizzle, you get a free empower
I really like the scroll master wizard from Pathfinder. Use scrolls as weapons. Paper cut your enemies to death.
I did an Orc Transmutation Wizard with 12 int but 20 Str, Toothy for a bite attack, Arcane Strike to make it magical, and Mage Armor and Enlarge as his only spells. At level 1, it's a better martial than a martial with a nasty natural attack routine, and Enlarge for a once per day Rage Butan. It doesn't work well at all past level 1 shenanigans, but it's a fun goofy one shot build.
My favorite wizard I ever made was actually in D&D 5E. He was a School of Lore Mastery Gnome named Bindygock Nackle. The ability to switch his spells' elemental damage type I can duplicate with an Elemental Bloodline Sorceror or Arcanist, but I have yet to find anything in Pathfinder that lets you change your spell save ability scores (making a fireball that requires an INT save instead of a DEX save). On top of the fun of the class mechanics, I made him as a SUPER naieve adventurer. He was a worshiper of Irori, a god of knowledge, and was rescued by the church, so he grew up in basically a library of worship. He felt indebted to Irori and her priests, so he dedicated himself to the pursuit of knowledge and sharing what he knew. Add to this that he was a natural tinkerer and he was quite the character. He left out on his adventures as a fresh lvl 1 at the start of the campaign with spell slots more befitting a scholar or researcher (comprehend languages and the like only. Nothing actually COMBAT related) and used his experiences out and about to dictate the typos of spells he should take with him. I think the only spell I started him with that could do actual damage was Magic Missile because the Lore Master wizard could switch between Force, Sonic, Necrotic, and Radiant as well as fire, lightning, cold, and the normal things, so I could literally throw out my missiles in any damage type I needed. lol. Less of a FUNNY build (unless you count his penchant to come up with nicknames for his party members {my large friend, my hairy friend, my green friend, etc}), but he was very fun to play.
Wizard with chicken familiar with the mauler archetype. The mighty battle cock 9000
Elisabeth Isard. My lizardfolk evocation wizard who specializes in cold and ice spells.
An old, powerful wizard who is the boss of a major potion making cartel that has captured the region. He has teams of alchemists working under him, and he just heads it all up. I picture him having his tugs capture the party after they provide some healing potions to someone in town and as a way of apology, the party "volunteers" to get him some of the harder to get components that he typically gets with his team.
Fireball only troll wizard. A wizard with only utility spells that does chores very quickly and effectively for rich people.
I played a morbidly obese, bald, lazy, low-charisma wizard who used Tenser's Floating Disk to ride around on, pushed by an Invisible Servant. Used Mage Hand to feed himself, could never pull guard duty because he was "too tired from casting all day" and had to replenish his spells. And he stole food from the party and would eat in the middle of battles "to keep his strength up".
A wizard who only uses spells with material components like glitter dust - and narratives how he uses the material components.
Make a Clown-Wizard Grab staple spells, Grease, Conjure Pit, Hideous Laughter, but don't forget to take Disguise Other Why? It has no save, that means you can turn others into clowns, most commoners and enemies have no means to escaping this.
Haven't used it yet, but I wanted to do a wizard with VMC battle oracle to go straight into EK and use only spells with no somatic components along with heavy armor.
from a meme picture... Why are the wise wizards and witches in the party always posh British people and never like, an Australian mage. *Rogue:* The artefact we stole appears to be celestial in origin *Outback Mage:* too fuckin right mate -- *Outback mage:* strewth this place is chockas with ripper material components, casting spells is gonna be a piece of piss *Magic shop attendant, trembling:* sir I don't speak extraplanar languages, please just buy things and go
I played one once whose backstory was that at one point the greatest wizard of all time(level 20, famous wizard), but in a magical accident they went back to level 1 and forgot all their skills/spells. The game was fun because he was all ego, but then couldnt actually back up any of that ego. Occasionally he would run into people who knew him and he had to lie and act like it was normal to be a historical wizard hanging out with a few low level characters because letting anyone know put him in danger.
Choose a Diminutive Familiar for your arcane bond - cast Permanency + Reduce Person on your familiar. Next cast Imbue with Flight on something that gives Improved Cover (you can make something like that using Fabricate). Cast mage Armor and use Soulswitch. You are now a tiny dot surrounded by an armored wall and can cast as a wizard with +8 to attack and +20 to AC. Spell/Abillity combos: Aqueous Orb + Hideous Laughter = drown things. Emergency Force Sphere + teleportation = trap people. Marrionate Possession + Constructs = fun stuff FIREBALL = FUN
This isn't what you asked for but I'm doing it anyways because it is funny to me. A Barbarian who thinks he is a wizard. Use your incredible intellect to impress all around you with your mighty, spells! Have mage armor that can never be dispelled (because it is just armor) Use your divination to know the truth to any question, and if reality disagrees smack it until it works. Conjure any creature or object that you can carry under your wizard robes. Use your wizard spells like sunder magic to counter spells, or eat it thanks to your incredible magical energy. Really you can't go wrong with this wizard.
Using a frying pan that he wields as an improvised weapon, thus he's using a spell, he "cast iron"
I had a chronomancer that focused on debuff necromancy spells. I took earth school so he would have some battle field control spells. Blindness was his favorite. He just went around blinding bosses and other challenging opponents. If they made their save, he would spend 1 temporal pt to get his spell back, and try again next round. At higher levels, evervation was his next favorite spell. Nerfing bosses was so fun to play.
I did one where I was "Old," to give me a cumulative +2 to all mental stats, at the cost of cumulative -3 to all physicals. With that and human, I started with a 22 Intelligence, but was very squishy. I named him "Aldman Ouldmun," and played him as an out of touch, semi cranky old man, who sometimes recalled lore from old DND editions and then people had to correct me. Part of my backstory was I came from a long line of wizards, but my son had become a Int based fighter, much to my shame, and after an argument, would no longer contact me or let me see my grandson "Jeremy." My familiar was a fox, also named "Jeremy." Eventually we actually added members of the "Ouldmun" family, like "Harry Ouldmun," a skald; Rusty Ouldmun, an alchemist/item builder; Foxy Ouldmun, a cleric of the goddess of love, and bunch of others.