Sorcerer Build Question


Advice


I'm building a 20th level sorcerer, and am wondering if cross-blooded might actually be worth it.

Before you say 'no way, cross-blooded sucks!' let me lay out the character.

Starting at 20th level, very low wealth (so not many magic items).
Human, with the favored class bonus, so extra spells known.
Arcane Bloodline.
Spell Perfection (Chain Lightning) + magical lineage, magical knack, and associated feats.

Currently I'm short on feat slots, so need metamagic rods of empower spell, admixture spell, and piercing spell. Admixture and Piercing are fine on a metamagic rod, but I'd very much like to have empower spell as a feat instead of on a rod.

Enter the Draconic Bloodline.
I would gain
* +1 damage/die on my chain lightning (I'd be casting at CL 23 if I use intensify spell, so thats +20-+23 damage per cast. In a typical round I'd cast a quickened one and an intensified one, so thats +43 damage per round right there).
* Quicken Spell as a sorcerer feat. I can replace the combat casting I get from the arcane bloodline with it, and free up a feat slot - so I can use empower spell.
* The arcane bloodline's 3rd level bloodline ability is subsumed at 20th level, so is useless for me. I can replace it with the draconic bloodline's 3rd level ability, getting +10 resist lightning and +4 natural armor for free.
I would loose:
* -2 will. Not cool, but not devestating
* 1 spell known at every level. HORRORS, right? But wait! I actually don't care about all the slots (breakdown below, if anyone cares). I only actually care about losing the 3 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 level spells known.

So! Is is losing 6 spells known (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9), and a -2 penalty on will, worth all of the bonuses (+4 natural armor, +10 resist lightning, extra metamagic feat, +43 damage in a typical round). I'm stumped. :(

Spells known loss breakdown:
- 0 level: I don't care about this
- 1 level: I don't care about getting Identify from the arcane bloodline, but I do want mage armor from the draconic bloodline (which I would take if I wasn't doing crossblooded). So I'd just use mage amor, not need to know it with a normal slot, and basically suffer no loss here.
- 2 level: I can lose a spell known here without feeling too bad
- 3 level: This hurts
- 4 level: This hurts
- 5 level: This hurts
- 6 level: This hurts
- 7 level: This hurts
- 8 level: Similar to 1st level spells: I don't want the arcane spell, I do want the draconic spell (and so would take it anyways). So basically no change.
- 9 level: This really hurts

Silver Crusade

I don't have an opinion on if it is worth the cost, but there seems to be confusion on feats.

There is no admixture spell metamagic feat. Could you be talking about elemental spell? It does something similar to what an admixture sub-school specialist wizard does, but not quite the same.

Freeing up a feat slot? There are the three bonus feats from a bloodline, but you don't get all the feats for free. Perhaps listing out your feat choices might make the build clearer. Same for the limited amount of magic items you would get.

Mnemonic vestments and pages of spell knowledge can really ease the burden of missing spells known, which might make your decision a lot easier.


For the feats:
One of my 'normal' feat slots is taken up by Quicken Spell. One of my 'sorcerer feat' slots (since you get three feats from your bloodline by level 20) is Combat Casting. With the Draconic Bloodline, I can instead take Quicken Spell in a sorcerer feat slot, freeing up the normal feat slot for another metamagic.

For Elemental Spell:
You're right - it was a typo. :) Just so I can use it to make chain lightning some other element if I run up against something immune to lightning. Haven't decided which yet, maybe cold or acid.

But ... your magic item suggestions fix everything perfectly! :D The spells I'd be losing are more utility type spells, and are perfect candidates for mnemonic vestments and pages of spell knowledge. That made my choice very easy - thank you so much :D

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

that item advice is good, but don't forget about scrolls too- they're the perfect solution for those utility spells that you know you're only gonna cast once or twice in your career but you don't ever want to be without...


I consider Experimental Spellcaster for words of power essential for a crossblooded sorcerer, especially a blasty one. There's a nice guide for it around, "thus she spoke" as i recall.


I looked up 'thus she spoke' and will check it out. Looks interesting. :D Thanks!


I would skip the draconic line and take Dazing Spell instead. It doesn't matter if you do a bit of extra damage as everything on the battlefield will be sitting there drooling while the rest of your party cleans up. If you are going crossblooded then consider Orc instead of Arcane for +2 damage/dice.


Since it’ll be a low-wealth campaign, you might consider an alternative to pages of spell knowledge and similar items: the human favored class bonus for sorcerers. You can have an additional 3 spells level 8 or lower, 2 spells level 7 or lower, and 2 spells 6th level or lower at the price of -7 hit points that you would have gotten from spending your FCB on health.

Heck, if you really aren’t worried about your HP, you could grab even more spells via FCB. Trading 1 hit point for Greater False Life sounds like a pretty sweet deal. You’ll probably take Toughness as a sorcerer bonus feat anyway.


He is already using the FCB.

The other option is to access Paragon Surge via Racial Heritage (Half Elf). This gives you spontaneous access to the entire list via Expanded Arcana but is considered by many as rather cheesy.

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