If you think spellcasters are wimps, than you are doing it wrong

No offense

Instead of trying to do a generalist wizard try this.

Focused Specialist (give up 3 schools of magic instead of 2, lose 1 general slot of each level of magic per day, in return you gain 3 spell slots of each spell level of your specialized school). Works great with Conjuration or Transmutation.
Abrupt Jaunt (PHB2) option instead of a familiar (ability to teleport 10 ft as an intermediate action, and thus in response to an opponent's attack, a number of times per day as your intelligence modifier)
and the
Spontaneous Divination (Complete Champion) option (give up your 5th level wizard bonus feat to be able to spontaneous cast any divination spell from any spell list even if that spell is not in your spell book)

Now your tactics are to prevent your enemies from attacking/moving/acting in general. "Battlefield control" thus you are conjuring solid fogs (reduces movement to 5 and blocks vision), black tentacles (grappling), summon monsters (damage and grappling), walls of stone (corralling the enemy taking them down one at a time) etc.

Here are two good builds

Wizard 5/X 4/Innate of Sevenfold Veil 7/Archmage 4. Innate of Sevenfold Veil (Complete Arcane) gives you many intermediate action walls/veils that you can put up that either screw the enemy or protect oneself. Now these veils block line of sight as well as line of effect for your enemies while not blocking line of sight as well as line of effect for you. Thus you are protected from most magic, yet your enemy is not allowing you to cast magic on them from relatively safety. The X 4 is any prestige class that is full spellcasting.

Wizard 5/Malconvoker 9/X 6 Malconvoker loses 1 caster level but gains the ability to summon two evil creatures at one time instead of one, and use them for the forces of good. While I like this class you may not want to do it with your current playgroup.



Good luck, though I don't understand why it bothers him so much. I can see it bothering him, and I understand that, but my brain doesn't think the way his does.

Good luck