Sorcerer Blaster without Wayang Spell hunter


Advice


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!


It sounds like your damage is sufficient so missing WSH shouldn't be a big deal. There are dozens of traits which might be useful, anything from the boring but useful Reactionary (+2 initiative) to some flavourful but not necessarily impressive skill bonus to weird stuff like Power of Suggestion or Shoanti Steed.

Actually, as a sorc you'll have more skills you're untrained in than you might like. Worldly might be the best skill bonus trait you could get.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Grumble grumble. Ditching WHS messes with my feat progression hardcore, because it delays how soon I can utilize intensify and empower. I think I'm gonna nab Greater Spell Focus at 3 since I'll have hit the cap on burning hands,and maybe Varisian Tattoo at 5 to further accelerate my Caster level. That will mean I do 10d6+20 with fireball at 6, and can then take intensify at 7 to keep my scaling going,and probably improved inactive from the bloodline. By the time I get a slot open to take Empower at 9th, I'm already doing 13d6 from intensify and can't stack both until level 10,and only for my highest level slots.

And other I still haven't taken Spontaneous Metafocus or Spell Penetration. Should 8 be doing something else for 3rd and 5th level, that will smooth out my progression more?


As a human you can get the burning arc spell which should smooth your progression a little. You might even put your magical lineage on it.

Also remember metamagic rods. One of piercing spell is a more than adequate substitute for spell penetration at first, and I assume you're going to get another of elemental spell (acid) or some such.

In situations where you can ride a horse s. metafocus is redundant, your horse can move you while you perform a full-round action. So long as it moves less than 50' you don't have to make a concentration check because of that.


I think spell pen could be argued for being taken at 3/5 having 10D6+20 at level 6 is overkill anywho xD and if you don't penetrated SR it'll suck.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Avr: Yeah I was planning on taking Burning Arc. While technically not a true AOE it has superior damage, scaling, and range to BH. Very good point on the horse; I was already planning on taking mount and eventually replacing it with phantom steed for flavor reasons. (Sklar-Quah love those horses.)

Part of the issue with spell resistance is I'm not sure what levels it starts showing up and causing problems. However, I realized that spell penetration only grants +2 to overcome it, and I believe Varisian Tattoo (and maybe Spell Specialization) will apply to that anyway.

Thinking the metamagic rods suggested above will be nabbed for when I need it.


It can show up any time but it really jumps at 7


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Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I want to take this opportunity to gripe about Wayang Spellhunter. Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

Any sane DM would simply disallow this trait.


Wheldrake wrote:

I want to take this opportunity to gripe about Wayang Spellhunter. Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

Any sane DM would simply disallow this trait.

Same reason all paladins are orphans kidnapped by the fey and all magi also took a sabbatical to Qadira and embraced the way of Sarenrae. Also many, many people were beaten up as kids, especially those wizard nerds.

In other words, most people don't give two figs about the flavor and just want the power.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I think that traits aren't the best designed feature in pathfinder. There are a lot of them, they vary drastically in effect, and often they are tied to specific flavor which people will probably find limiting. I don't think I'd care about taking WHS if I was playing in a homebrew setting where regional and campaign traits lose their flavor relevance anyway, but this is my first time immersing myself in the Lore of Golarion so I want to stay true to it.


Wheldrake wrote:

I want to take this opportunity to gripe about Wayang Spellhunter. Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

Any sane DM would simply disallow this trait.

This is why I don't bother with it when I make casters. It's rarely essential anyway.


Wheldrake wrote:
I want to take this opportunity to gripe about Wayang Spellhunter. Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

The same reason that most paladins and life oracles seem to have been raised by fey.

Dark Archive

Wheldrake wrote:

I want to take this opportunity to gripe about Wayang Spellhunter. Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

Any sane DM would simply disallow this trait.

The same reason the parents of many adventurers wanting productive, helpful children will often hire Halfling babysitters.

If a specific region produces significantly more potent spellcasters than other places, you don't ban it. You use it as justification for Harvard For Wizards to exist there.


Or you just reskin it.


_Ozy_ wrote:
Or you just reskin it.

Yep, this is what I do.

Tarik Blackhands wrote:
In other words, most people don't give two figs about the flavor and just want the power.

Or they don't give "two figs' about the given flavor and are more than happy to give it another, equally valid flavor.

Wheldrake wrote:
Why do all spellcasters suddenly discover that they spent their misguided youth on Minata with the Wayangs?

It doesn't have to be a "misguided youth".

Healers handbook added something new for regional feats: "Each includes a regional trait for characters trained in that tradition who are from there or who have lived there for at least 1 year." So it seem that the game only expects you to explain why you spend a year in the area to count as being from that region. This also means that you could qualify for multiple regions, such as having a trait from one and a feat from another.


And following through on Graystone's thought, the world is actually aware that on the island of Minata, there are people that have discovered the ability to enhance their magic.

Wizards have high intelligence, and a lust for more power. Why wouldn't they go train there for a year to add more power to their magic?

Silver Crusade

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You do 4d4+8 burning hands at level 1 and are worried if you take WSH you might be seen as cheesy?

I dare say that ship may have already sailed.


Speaking of cheese, this build begs for Crossblooded, Orc and Draconic. Use your level 7 feat for Blood Havoc later on.

And definitely have Wayang Spell Hunter.


Pretty sure it says somewhere that Havoc doesn't work with orc and draconic combined I've had the same idea in the past.


Chromantic Durgon <3 wrote:
Pretty sure it says somewhere that Havoc doesn't work with orc and draconic combined I've had the same idea in the past.

You can't swap it because "a bloodrager or sorcerer cannot swap a bloodline power that she has altered or replaced with an archetype for a bloodline mutation."

However that doesn't stop you from taking the mutation as a feat. Here is a quote from the author of the feat.

Alexander Augunas wrote:
When I wrote bloodline mutations, I intended you to swap what I listed as a swappable power. If you don't want to swap that power, take it as a feat. :-)

Using the feat isn't a swap so the limitation of an archetype's altered or replaced abilities doesn't matter.

Silver Crusade

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I've always liked blaster and I've always been an optimiser. Nevertheless, I've always hated how people recommend WSH like it was a flavourless, trivial trait.

It's a Regional trait from a region in a continent other than Golarion, strongly correlated to Wayangs, one of the most weird and elusive playable races in the game. The average generic human Sorcerer can NOT take it. And even if he could, I would never allow a player of mine, or even myself, to make it stack with Magical Lineage. That being said, I've never felt the need of it in my blaster builds.

I recommend much more, both for flavour and mechanical advantage, Affinity for the Elements. It's a religious trait associated to the Elemental Lords. Given the actual Pathfinder lore, the good Elemental Lords have been defeated (but not KILLED) by the evil ones, which now are in charge. The good Elemental Lords have been enslaved each in a different gem which thematically neutralises its element. Maybe in the future, some brave hero...

While this may be a problem for good-aligned Clerics, since they cannot worship a fallen deity, it can still introduce a strong and interesting role-component in other characters' concepts.


I tend to agree Gray :)


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I'm currently leaning towards Irrepressible for my faith trait; my wisdom is only 10.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Actually, thinking I may snag that elemental affinity and take Steadfast Personality at 3 instead of Greater Spell Focus. I get the same boost to my DCs and get broader coverage against mind effects.

Real shame Tattooed Sorcerer can't be used with Bloodline Havoc without a major level delay.


Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

It is definitely cheesy and as a GM I don't allow players to take the trait if there character isn't from the correct region and unless they would have a good reason to have moved from that region to wherever the adventure is taking place.

Mostly because it's a really powerful trait, especially when combined with magical lineage.

One can make a perfectly viable blaster without having to use this.

Often, it's done by take one level in cross-blooded sorcerer (orc/draconic bloodlines) and then multiclassing into wizard to avoid all the penalties. (Although as a GM I also rule that those bloodline bonuses only apply to sorcerer spell slots).

Dark Archive

Note to self: roll up a Wayang Wizard in PFS and tane Profession: Spellhunter Instructor. He'll be rich!


Claxon wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

It is definitely cheesy and as a GM I don't allow players to take the trait if there character isn't from the correct region and unless they would have a good reason to have moved from that region to wherever the adventure is taking place.

Mostly because it's a really powerful trait, especially when combined with magical lineage.

One can make a perfectly viable blaster without having to use this.

Often, it's done by take one level in cross-blooded sorcerer (orc/draconic bloodlines) and then multiclassing into wizard to avoid all the penalties. (Although as a GM I also rule that those bloodline bonuses only apply to sorcerer spell slots).

That would stop the dirth of people who discover there draconic and Orcish Arcane heritage and go to study magic yet their innate power mysteriously never seems to grow >.> lol


Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

You should try a Blood Arcanist. All of the solid benefits of both Sorcerers and Wizards in one class.

Here's some more information to help you out. Even if you don't make a Blood Arcanist, there are things that can help your character build out.


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Gray Warden wrote:

I've always liked blaster and I've always been an optimiser. Nevertheless, I've always hated how people recommend WSH like it was a flavourless, trivial trait.

It's a Regional trait from a region in a continent other than Golarion, strongly correlated to Wayangs, one of the most weird and elusive playable races in the game. The average generic human Sorcerer can NOT take it. And even if he could, I would never allow a player of mine, or even myself, to make it stack with Magical Lineage. That being said, I've never felt the need of it in my blaster builds.

THANK YOU, Gray Warden. Your words are balm to my ears, especially coming from a self-confessed optimiser and blaster.

"Flavor" and "Fluff" actually mean something in the context of the game world of Golarion. Just because you like the powers granted by the trait Wayang Spellhunter doesn't mean that you can arbitrarily choose to "reflavor" or put a totally different story behind that "fluff".

I mean if this trait were meant for general use, it wouldn't be hidden behind a regional "flavor" in an obscure splatbook.

Sure, folks can play the game any way they want, but IMHO metamagic is already a *huge* boon to spellcasters (especially spontaneous casters) and gives a huge power boost to a class that is (arguably) already head and shoulders above all other classes. To hand out traits like Magical Lineage and Wayang Spellhunter that further reduce the opportunity cost of metamagic just adds insult to injury.

I guess I'm done ranting now. <smile>


Wheldrake wrote:

"Flavor" and "Fluff" actually mean something in the context of the game world of Golarion. Just because you like the powers granted by the trait Wayang Spellhunter doesn't mean that you can arbitrarily choose to "reflavor" or put a totally different story behind that "fluff".

I mean if this trait were meant for general use, it wouldn't be hidden behind a regional "flavor" in an obscure splatbook.

Actually, flavor and fluff don't mean much. Refluffing if a common thing in traits taken straight from the books. Take the traits Chance Savior, Ekujae Reflexes, Elven Reflexes, Excitable, Hermean Paragon, Outlander, Reactionary, Warrior of Old and Wary of Danger: 9 different flavors, and several different categories, of "gain a +2 trait bonus on initiative checks". It clearly shows that the fluff is completely mutable.

While you say "I mean if this trait were meant for general use, it wouldn't be hidden behind a regional "flavor" in an obscure splatbook" I say 'if it wasn't meant for general use, it should SAY so not hint at it.' Wayang Spellhunter itself is just a refluff of Magical Lineage with a 3rd level spell cap added. Why is Wayang Spellhunter's fluff valid but using fluff like Magical Lineage 'bad? For instance instead of a 'parent' that developed many magical items and perhaps even a new spell or two it was the school you went to that did so? In fact the 'fluff' Wayang Spellhunter gives 0% reason for the ability, just saying you grew up on an island that had a wayang population. That's it. heck, you might have never met a wayang or seen a spell cast before leaving the island to qualify... yeah, that's some important fluff alright... <insert eye roll> :P


Also, not everyone plays in the Golarion setting.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

You should try a Blood Arcanist. All of the solid benefits of both Sorcerers and Wizards in one class.

Here's some more information to help you out. Even if you don't make a Blood Arcanist, there are things that can help your character build out.

Thinking I wanna stay sorcerer because it fits the back story I came up with before, and I do like that bloodline havoc. Good guide though.

Silver Crusade

graystone wrote:


While you say "I mean if this trait were meant for general use, it wouldn't be hidden behind a regional "flavor" in an obscure splatbook" I say 'if it wasn't meant for general use, it should SAY so not hint at it.'

In fact it DOES:

Regional Traits wrote:
Regional traits are keyed to specific regions, be they large (such as a nation or geographic region) or small (such as a city or a specific mountain). In order to select a regional trait, your PC must have spent at least a year living in that region. At first level, you can only select one regional trait (typically the one tied to your character’s place of birth or homeland), despite the number of regions you might wish to write into your character’s background.

Have lived in such regions is a prerequisite as much as being elf is a prerequisite for Warrior of Old: you don't reskin it to use it on a human character because it wouldn't make any sense. Do you want to take that trait by just writing in your character's CV that he spent an year abroad? You are free to do it. As much as you are free to ignore any prerequisite of feats.

This is a game that requires a certain amount of honesty from players.


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Gray Warden wrote:
Have lived in such regions is a prerequisite as much as being elf is a prerequisite for Warrior of Old: you don't reskin it to use it on a human character because it wouldn't make any sense.

That's not how you 'reskin' something. Reskining is retaining the mechanical bonus but rewriting the 'fluff'. Since the mechanical bonus is +2 initiative, there's a billion and one ways to 'reskin' Warrior of Old, including taking the trait Reactionary.

Reskining Wayang Spellhunter doesn't necessarily mean calling it Varisian Spellhunter, it means coming up with some fluff that justifies the reduction in metamagic cost, which quite frankly could be anything that you and the GM agree makes sense.

Silver Crusade

Traits are linked to categories. For this reason, Reactionary is NOT a reskin of Warrior of Old, since the first would impede you from selecting any other Combat trait.

The fluff of WSH (and of many other traits) is part of the trait mechanics itself, which therefore includes, but are NOT limited to, the metamagic cost reduction.


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Gray Warden wrote:

Traits are linked to categories. For this reason, Reactionary is NOT a reskin of Warrior of Old, since the first would impede you from selecting any other Combat trait.

The fluff of WSH (and of many other traits) is part of the trait mechanics itself, which therefore includes, but are NOT limited to, the metamagic cost reduction.

I think you kind of missed my point. The fact is that just about anything, in any category, can be used to justify the mechanics of a specific trait. So, to 'reskin' warrior of old, you don't need anything that has to do with being an elf, a warrior, or 'of old', and can easily justify a human-centric racial trait that gives a +2 initiative bonus.

Regional metamagic cost reduction? Simple: <region I'm from> has a specialist conclave of wizards which studies metamagic. I spent some time there.


Captain Morgan wrote:
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

You should try a Blood Arcanist. All of the solid benefits of both Sorcerers and Wizards in one class.

Here's some more information to help you out. Even if you don't make a Blood Arcanist, there are things that can help your character build out.

Thinking I wanna stay sorcerer because it fits the back story I came up with before, and I do like that bloodline havoc. Good guide though.

A lenient GM can allow you to substitute the bloodline powers you gain from Blood Arcanist (which are the same exact powers of a Sorcerer) for the Mutations, since you get Bloodline Powers as the Sorcerer class. Also, since the powers are derived from the same effects, there really isn't much back story to alter.

But, if you are going to go Sorcerer, then I suggest you specialize in Battering Blast, pump your Dexterity up to a decent level, and get as many Caster Levels for that spell as you can.


Gray Warden wrote:

Traits are linked to categories. For this reason, Reactionary is NOT a reskin of Warrior of Old, since the first would impede you from selecting any other Combat trait.

The fluff of WSH (and of many other traits) is part of the trait mechanics itself, which therefore includes, but are NOT limited to, the metamagic cost reduction.

Mechanically, it is. Because both grant a +2 Trait Bonus to Initiative. The only big difference is that the flavor for the two options changed.

Fluff isn't joined at the hip for the rules like mechanics are, and in some cases, using fluff that is different from the rules is the best thing for a GM to do, especially when the original fluff isn't coherent with his setting.


Gray Warden wrote:

Traits are linked to categories. For this reason, Reactionary is NOT a reskin of Warrior of Old, since the first would impede you from selecting any other Combat trait.

The fluff of WSH (and of many other traits) is part of the trait mechanics itself, which therefore includes, but are NOT limited to, the metamagic cost reduction.

Lets take Warrior of Old once. The game ALREADY allows a reskin in the form of adopted. SO, it's not me that was an old warrior but my step dad the elf was. Secondly, it offers Excitable [gnome], Elven Reflexes/Elven Reflexes [1/2 elves] and Wary of Danger [Human - Kellid]: several flavors of non-elf +2 initiative... Thirdly, as I've shown, the ability goes across several categories: combat, race, region and campaign. Seems like pathfinder is mighty flexible when it comes to reskinning and categories.

In conclusion, saying "The fluff of WSH (and of many other traits) is part of the trait mechanics itself" just isn't true in any way shape or form. Your own argument doesn't even suggest that, instead pointing out that the CATEGORY is important: "Traits are linked to categories". Nothing about the actual fluff alters that. Born in a country that starts with 'T' is as valid a piece of fluff as that of the actual trait; the commonness/uncommonness of the fluff is meaningless to the category.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

You should try a Blood Arcanist. All of the solid benefits of both Sorcerers and Wizards in one class.

Here's some more information to help you out. Even if you don't make a Blood Arcanist, there are things that can help your character build out.

Thinking I wanna stay sorcerer because it fits the back story I came up with before, and I do like that bloodline havoc. Good guide though.

A lenient GM can allow you to substitute the bloodline powers you gain from Blood Arcanist (which are the same exact powers of a Sorcerer) for the Mutations, since you get Bloodline Powers as the Sorcerer class. Also, since the powers are derived from the same effects, there really isn't much back story to alter.

But, if you are going to go Sorcerer, then I suggest you specialize in Battering Blast, pump your Dexterity up to a decent level, and get as many CasterLevels for that spell as you can.

Why would a sorcerer particularly want battering blast over fireball where an arcanist wouldn't? I'd prefer fire as a native of the cinder lands.

Being an arcanist is a pretty big shift in flavor because even if I have a similar mutation I'm still deriving power from spell books, as a member of an ethic group that thinks wizards are cowards and fools. At least with sorcerery the powers are innate. (Admittedly an arcanist would be Mechanically superior based on what I've heard from the loot of this adventure, but eh.)


Captain Morgan wrote:
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:
Darksol the Painbringer wrote:
Captain Morgan wrote:

It's a good time to be a blaster sorcerer, with bloodline mutations and what not. I'm intending to make my first blaster for book 1 of Rise of the Runelords. Mostly pretty standard build. Draconic, Human for early access to spell specialization, Shoanti specifically. Taking a drawback so I can get Outlander Lore Seeker on top of Magical Lineage. At level 1 my Burning Hands does 4d4+8.

My hang up is Wayang spell hunter. As a regional trait, it feels kinda cheesy to take it as someone not from there. I'm also thinking it might just be overkill for optimization and move me into cheese territory. Has anyone done a fire blaster without that trait? Was it still fun and useful? What trait should I take instead?

Thanks!

You should try a Blood Arcanist. All of the solid benefits of both Sorcerers and Wizards in one class.

Here's some more information to help you out. Even if you don't make a Blood Arcanist, there are things that can help your character build out.

Thinking I wanna stay sorcerer because it fits the back story I came up with before, and I do like that bloodline havoc. Good guide though.

A lenient GM can allow you to substitute the bloodline powers you gain from Blood Arcanist (which are the same exact powers of a Sorcerer) for the Mutations, since you get Bloodline Powers as the Sorcerer class. Also, since the powers are derived from the same effects, there really isn't much back story to alter.

But, if you are going to go Sorcerer, then I suggest you specialize in Battering Blast, pump your Dexterity up to a decent level, and get as many CasterLevels for that spell as you can.

Why would a sorcerer particularly want battering blast over fireball where an arcanist wouldn't? I'd prefer fire as a native of...

Because Force Damage has little to no counters, whereas Fire damage is the most likely to be resisted element in the game. Battering Blast also synergizes better with your Blood Havoc and Blood Intensity abilities than Fireball does.

Battering Blast creates a ball that deals 5D6 Force Damage. With Havoc and Blood Intensity (and Orc Bloodline), and a 26 Charisma, that now deals 13D6+26. On a SINGLE Ball. WITHOUT Metamagics.

You create an additional Ball for every 5 Caster Levels you have. With an Arcanist and the proper feats/items, you can create 7 Balls that deal that amount of damage, which is again, without metamagics. Sorcerers can create 6, which is respectable, but cannot expect to outshine an Arcanist who can also get access to the Bloodline Mutation effects.

Tack on Empower, Maximized, Intensify (if you run out of Blood Intensity uses), and Quicken (with the same results), and you're looking at being able to absolutely obliterate anything that you come across, by increasing your 13D6+26 by 50%, or making all of the D6's come up as 6, or even basically doubling more of the same effects.

Sure, Fireball is great for clearing out the mooks, but it's a pittance for usage against big bads compared to an optimized Battering Blast.

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