Kelryn's page

As for being the wrong character for the group you are in? I don't see how the group has anything to do with it.

I wasn't prepared for the level of hack and slash that is going down in the adventures. So while I was imagining I'd "conjure" up terrifying visages that would cause enemies to flee in terror, or trick them into wasting their powerful abilities, instead I end up creating at best a phantom flanker for our rogue. The goal was to work illusions in a coincidental magic manner, to borrow from the old Mage: the evocative noun game. The only solution to our encounters is combat, never trickery.

I decided I'd like to play an elven illusionist at my FLGS. I'm running him as true neutral - he's morally uninvolved, a little bit roguish, but not actively malignant. I like his character concept, but when we're actually out there crawling the caverns and tunnels I'm completely bored out of my skull. I long to shoot people around corners with a gunslinger, or do something other than plink away with my longbow when we're fighting something and it's been longer than 3 rounds. We're still low level - just hitting third level this past session.
I've played a necromancer in the past when 3e was first released, but I haven't touched wizards since then. It seems fun, but I just don't feel like it's very exciting. Also I bloody hate taking actions and not having control over the die that confirms if they work or not. I feel like I spend all my time pretending to be a conjurer or creating illusionary pits/swarms of snakes to provide myself and others with a bit of protection.
Any suggestions on what I should be doing to make things more... dynamic? Maybe I'm just playing the wrong type of character for the group I'm in.

I also know people that are extremely slow to react, and some that are quick on the draw (ie initiative). I feel that racial modifiers, traits, and the wisdom score can sufficiently portray natural perception while feats (or custom class abilities) would portray the training to boost it up.

In what way is that different from the skill system, and the trained boost? Instead of allowing players to dip into it when they level, you instead force them to take feats to get the same benefit. That's a much more severe tax than a simple skill point/level.

Has anyone created an archetype for this? I started thinking about it the other day, and it seems like it could be a great character opportunity. You'd likely have to trade off a bit in the spell region to pick up some extra restorative spells, like cure disease, but it seems like it would be worth it.
Actually I'm not sure why we don't see more bard "priests" to begin with - they fit perfectly within the framework of a faith based healer, someone who sings songs to uplift the faithful, etc, they would not really have to be false priests, just...less than clerics?

Among my more memorable fights was one between a group of adventurers and a shadowdancer/assassin and his shadow demon minion. The shadowdancer took one of the players, a dwarven bard hostage by grappling him, as the same time the rogue/archer in the party failed his rolls and ended up possessed by the demon. The demon now in control of the rogue "attempted to shoot the shadowdancer" by which I mean, he fired three arrows into the dwarf, killing him. It was awesome.

The same group also had a big throwdown with a rival thieves' guild in a warehouse full of crates. There were stacks of crates knocked to the ground and raging fires in the warehouse by the end of the battle.

Try picturing yourself in the scenario and look for things that would make the whole thing more awesome. What if the braziers overhead could be knocked down onto the oil spilled from large amphoras? That could be sweet!

There's a specific bonus for tiefling sorcerers with the infernal bloodline? Where might I find that printed?

EDIT:

*facepalm*
Hey, what do you know, right in front of my face!

Hello there, I'm working on a new character for one of the very rare opportunities I get to actually PLAY the game, as I spend most of my time on the other side of the GM's screen.

I've finally settled on a tiefling sorcerer and I'm really thinking I'll go toward the undead bloodline, as it works with my character concept. The problem is that I really am at a loss for how to build this character to be effective in combat. I considered picking up an early level or so of monk, so that I would be more effective in close combat, figuring that the added AC bonus and unarmed skill would synergize well with the touch spells found in early necromancy, but I'm not certain that it would actually be as effective as if I just went pure sorcerer to up my magical power. I had also considered a dash of rogue, as I've rarely found a situation where a little more stealth and sneak attack didn't help out.

So I suppose the question is this: is it possible to create an effective necromantic style sorcerer, or is necromancy too weak to be the focus of a sorcerer's spell list.