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i wondering if anybody had some advice about how to make a good arcane caster. my character is a human sorcerer and this is the first arcane caster that i've ever played, i've been playing D&D for a little over a year now. the books i have for reference are:
- players handbook
- dungeon master's guide
- monster manual
- complete adventurer, warrior, and scoundrel
- players handbook II
- magic item compendium
i was also wondering about some cool spells that i might have skimmed over.
I think it all depends on how you want to play, and having a good spell selection to complement your playing style. I assume since you are a Sorcerer you are going to play a "blaster" type character so evocation is going to be your friend. Spell focus, greater spell focus, spell penetration, greater spell penetration and eschew materials are always good choices. I wouldn't bother dual classing because a single class spell caster is usually more powerful than a multiclassed one. As far as equipment goes I would grab a longspear and a light crossbow as weapons. I would also get as many magical AC boost as I could and grab every wand in sight to add to my all ready huge spell arsenal. This is just off the top of my head. I’m sure others have tons to add.
Fizz
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To be an all-around utilitarian sorcerer, you have to be able to choose a narrow range of spells from a vast amount of spells that are available. I am convinced, after seeing many of the spells presented in all of the sourcebooks out there, that most spells outside of the PHB are distracting more than useful. Don't get me wrong--there are some good spells out there. However, these are some of my picks--all from the PHB--that are pretty good for a low level sorcerer.
0 level: The most important one here is Detect Magic. You might not want to use up a slot on Identify right away, but if you don't have Detect Magic a lot of useful stuff might slip away unnoticed.
1st level: Magic Missile is the ultimate offensive spell for a low level caster. Mage Armor will help to protect you and lasts for HOURS when most lower level spells only last for a few rounds. Feather Fall won't be used every day, but it's kinda like insurance--its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Identify can be quite useful as well, especially if you happen to be in a low-magic party (not that I would know what kind of game you are playing in.)
2nd level: Some great combos can come from the second level spells. I really like casting Invisibility on the cleric. If you happen to have a cleric that focuses more on healing and less on combat, you can enable him or her to run around unnoticed and heal party members. Another great use for Invisibility is to cast it on yourself, then cast Flaming Sphere. With Invisibility, you turn visible if you attack or cast an offensive spell at an opponent. However, you can direct the Flaming Sphere into an opponent's space without turning visible. I picked up this trick from some very viscious duergar...
Anyhoo, these are some of the spells that I find useful. Good luck, and good hunting.
Kosivo, if you go to DM Tools and register as a user, you can generate a list of spells that are available to you by selecting your available Sourcebooks in your User Settings. :)
On to your question, I've found benign/baleful transposition very useful and fun.
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I picked up a copy of Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies. That's right, but along with introducing the game to new players, it has a wealth of info for us long-time gamers as well. One of the useful things about the book is the list of Top 10's in the back. Among these lists is the Top 10 useful spells for Sor/Wiz. Most of the list contains low-level spells, because more players have access to them.
Dungeons & Dragons for Dummies lists the Ten Best Sorcerer Spells (from the Player's Handbook) as Mirror Image, Hold Monster, Fly, Stoneskin, Sleep, Teleport, Fireball, Polymorph, Invisibility, and Magic Missile. A little bit of why these were chosen can be read Here.
Following this formula means that your particular sorcerer may not stand out among others with flashy and unique spells, but even the most basic spells can be used creatively.
I think the above posts have good options for lower levels. Generally with a Sorcerer your going to want to pick up an offencive spell at each level, a defencive spell at each level, a utilitarian spell at each level, such as fly or dimension door and, with Players Handbook II, an interdicting spell, such as hesitate which allows you to effectivly cast 2 spells a round.
Remember that later on you can swap spells in and out at different levels. Eventually some of your spells might not be so useful and would be good to replace. Mostly you only need one damage dealing spell per level. After that concentrate on other spells. Don't take fireball and lightning bolt as these two spells do much the same thing. On the other hand there are a lot of spells that interdict the enemy in some fashion that should be considered. Spells that reduce the enemies ability scores are great as are spells like web that just generally reduce how well an enemy can effectivly fight. Also try and do different types of damage at each level if possible. The big problem here is that scorching ray might be the best damage dealing spell for 2nd level while fireball is the best option for 3rd. I'd still avoid taking both of these however, probably picking up lightning bolt instead of fireball.
With the Magic Item Compendium your likely to have more good magic item options then you can shake a stick at so that won't be an issue - however wands and scrolls are very good at allowing you to cast spells you don't have on your list. Scrolls are particualrly good for those spells that can be useful but don't come up to often like Knock. Probably not a spell you actually want to learn considering its limited use in actual game play but you'll be very happy to have that knock scroll handy when you find the locked door that can't otherwise be breached.
So I agree with the above poster that stated that the first two spells should probably be mage armour and magic missle. The real hard choice is going to come at 3rd when you finally get a 3rd 1st level spell. Lots of good choices, for myself I might go with Bigby's helping hand, though there are good arguments for a bunch of other 1st level spells, of special note, in my opinion, expeditous retreat, feather fall and especially monster summoning I.
However Bigby's helping hand is my 1st edition player coming to the fore - when I'm in the dungeon I don't touch or use anything myself. Dungeons are full of bad scary things and touching them is a good way to get yourself dead. A disembodied hand that can be sent off ahead to pull switches, poke things or pick up objects are just the sort of thing I like for a sorcerer.
I like feather fall because it will probably save your life eventually - though a ring of feather fall is probably a better option. expeditous retreat is sort of the low level version of dimension door. Eventually, when I have better escape spells, I'll swap it out for orb of acid (a good 1st level spell for higher levels when SR becomes a problem) but right know it might save your life.
However after some thought I think the best option is monster summoning I. Sending a summoned orc down the passage is a good way to find out if the passage is trapped and you can have summoned creatures pick up objects etc. The problem is that the summoned monster only lasts a few rounds at low levels and its a full round action to cast. Still a summoned monster can be used in a fight - it can cover you if the fighter gets out of position and messes up on his primary job of protecting you and its a great spell to cast the round before you run away. In short it can fill a lot of roles and that is very imortant for a Sorcerer since you get so few spells.
If you like versatility I find it useful to go the Illusion round; once you get to Shadow Evocation and Shadow Conjuration, you have the all-round capabilities of damage dealing, summoning and distracting narrowed down to a few spells (don't forget the x Image spells!) and you'll have slots left for other spells you might find interesting.
Adding (Greater) Spell Focus makes them hard to resist and increases the chance for full damage.
Also, in my opinion being a Sorceror is about creativity; making the most of what you have. So take spells that have a not-so-defined effect and can be used in many ways. Experiment with them.
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For additional options, I would recommend taking the variant sorcerer class feature Metamagic Specialist (I believe it is found in the PHBII, but I'm away from my books and cannot confirm this). By giving up your familiar you can negate one of the penalties you would face as a spontaneous spellcaster using metamagics: increase casting time. Then if you wanted to use metamagic feats like heighten, empower, maximize, etc., you could make the decision on the fly and only have to use a higher slot. Need to kill something resistant to fire (and hence your fireball)? How about an empowered magic missile? Cone of cold won't work? How about a heightened fireball? And so forth.
Since PHBII, all of my villain NPC's with sorceror levels have this ability...
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playing a sorcerer in a convention-based game, and i'll share what has worked for me
low levels, Color Spray is king. sure its short range, but thats why you shoot it around a corner or door, then let the fighters follow up.
Mage Armor is a must (shield can come later....pick up some scrolls for now)
Grease is also a wonderful all-around-spell...combat uses (tripping, disarming), support uses (freeing allies from grapples, setting up flat-footed enemies for your rogue to pincushion), and out-of-combat use...dragging heavy things is easier when they're slippery
silent image can save your butt, as can exped retreat and featherfall
2nd lvl: invisibility is king. you can drop one on yourself, the cleric, the rogue, and still have one left over for escape, if needed
scorching ray is nice, but fire, short range, and hp dmg are not so useful past about 5-6th lvl...once you get fireball, look at shadow spray or phantasmal assailants...both do ability damage, have better range, and are illusions (helpful if you have Greater Spell Focus Illusion, as i do)
3rd lvl: the big 3...haste, fly, fireball...party support, escape, and direct damage.
this is also when you get another feat, look for empower spell if you dont have it yet.
after this, it really depends on what youre looking for...Polymorph is great, if you can keep the forms straight, Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door, are also very very nice.
5th lvl, teleport, wall of force...area denial, and get out of there...bingo, you win. also, your empowered fireball slots (or lightning bolt)
beyond there, can't help too much, as this's where i am now.
looking at the MIC, check out the runestaves...versatility in a stick!
also, scrolls are your friend...even low lvl spells, like enlarge person, reduce person, resist energy, and the like are key, especially if you dont have anyone else who could use them.
-the hamster
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Yeah, I just looked it up a second ago. You were thinking of the Greatspear, which does take up an Exotic Weapon feat. Maybe just a plain jane longspear would be better. It is a simple two handed melee weapon, and even a small sized longspear still has reach. It can also take the place of Abram's precious 10' pole.
The other thing I found useful was to vary your energy types with your spells. Take a Fire type 1st level spell and a acid type 2nd level spell. Do electricity as a 3rd level spell. Then take Energy Substitution Cold. That way you never run into a creature with energy resistance that you cant damage. I think when I I did my sorcerer I had, Orb of Cold, Scourching Ray, Scintilating Sphere and Energy Substitution Acid. It worked very well.
Ray of Enfeeblement is a good spell. It reduces your opponent's ability to hit and do damage. It is especially useful if your fellow party members are in melee, because it protects them as much as you. Unfortunately, the spell doesn't stack with itself, but if you roll well the first time, it doesn't have to.
The sorcerer requires one thing to be effective: good planning. The limited number of spells known makes every choice important; a sorcerer should have no "fluff" spells or even overlapping spells of similar level.
Unless filling a specific role, 1st level sorcerer should know the following spells: 0- dancing lights, detect magic, read magic, and either acid splash or ray of frost; 1st- color spray, mage armor, and magic missile. At 2nd level, your best choice is probably mage hand. At 3rd level, enlarge person will probably provide the most benefit to the party (if the party has a sorcerer as the arcane caster, it's best to have a cleric with the Magic domain as the divine caster to cast identify). At 4th level, web deserves to be your first choice, along with touch of fatigue. At 5th level, your best choices are probably chill touch and spectral hand. Beyond this point, your spell choices will depend on your party's tactics, but vampiric touch should be high on your list (especially in combination with spectral hand). Some of the spells in PHB2, such as cloud of knives and slashing dispel, are also worth considering. Round out your native spells with scrolls and wands as much as possible.
Taking two levels of the archmage PrC to gain Arcane Fire and Mastery of Elements is almost a must for a high-level sorcerer, so plan to meet the requirements by 15th level.
playing a sorcerer in a convention-based game, and i'll share what has worked for me
low levels, Color Spray is king. sure its short range, but thats why you shoot it around a corner or door, then let the fighters follow up.
Mage Armor is a must (shield can come later....pick up some scrolls for now)
Grease is also a wonderful all-around-spell...combat uses (tripping, disarming), support uses (freeing allies from grapples, setting up flat-footed enemies for your rogue to pincushion), and out-of-combat use...dragging heavy things is easier when they're slippery
silent image can save your butt, as can exped retreat and featherfall
2nd lvl: invisibility is king. you can drop one on yourself, the cleric, the rogue, and still have one left over for escape, if needed
scorching ray is nice, but fire, short range, and hp dmg are not so useful past about 5-6th lvl...once you get fireball, look at shadow spray or phantasmal assailants...both do ability damage, have better range, and are illusions (helpful if you have Greater Spell Focus Illusion, as i do)
3rd lvl: the big 3...haste, fly, fireball...party support, escape, and direct damage.
this is also when you get another feat, look for empower spell if you dont have it yet.after this, it really depends on what youre looking for...Polymorph is great, if you can keep the forms straight, Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door, are also very very nice.
5th lvl, teleport, wall of force...area denial, and get out of there...bingo, you win. also, your empowered fireball slots (or lightning bolt)
beyond there, can't help too much, as this's where i am now.
looking at the MIC, check out the runestaves...versatility in a stick!
also, scrolls are your friend...even low lvl spells, like enlarge person, reduce person, resist energy, and the like are key, especially if you dont have anyone else who could use them.
-the hamster
I Agree with our frienddly Psonic Hamster. You want to limit yourself to no more than ONE direct damage spell at ANY level (and not even that at some). As a Sorcere your best bet is to go for Battlefield Control / Disabling Spells. Notice that our firendly hamster suggested mostly these types.
Look at the difference between Magic Missile (A TERRIBLE spell at low levels) and Color Spray.
Cast Magic Missile. Do 1d4+1 damage (maybe 2d4+2). Anyhting worthwhile wasting valuable spells on should have more than this anyway. Not very good.
Now, Cast Color Spray. Creatures fail their save roughly 60% of the time, and you should be always able to get 3 or 4 in the area. Now 2 or 3 of the enemy are stunned, uncouncious etc, taking them out of the fight straight away, and giving your fighters some easy clean up. They are happy becasue they get to wail on some stunned enemies, you are happy becasue you know your spells contributed.
All the melee types can do is dish the damage, so don't try to compete with it. Sure, you can do it better eventually, but why not play a caster that helps set the melee types up for them to dish the damage? The meat shields won't mind taking the hits for you if they know you are setting the enemies up for them to wail on.
Whatever you do, DON'T take magic missile at low levels, you are better off with a Crossbow. It does roughly the same damage, and doesn't waste precious spell slots. You can even have fun playing a Sorcerere that refuses to take ANY damaging spells (although some, like fireball, are just too useful to pass up.
The difference between them is if you cast a Direct Damage spell, you do some hitpoint damage, the enemies attack you. Now cast a Battlefield COntrol spell (say color spray), and the enemies are controlled so you fighters can finish them off. This keeps you safe,
Whatever you do, DON'T take magic missile at low levels, you are better off with a Crossbow.
Magic missile is a useful low-level spell for three reasons: automatic hit (even with a good dexterity, a low-level sorcerer will have a difficult time hitting enemies with a crossbow), force effect (affects incorporeal targets), and no save. It is the best direct damage 1st level spell around; only the fact that SR applies and shield blocks it limits its effectiveness (in fact, if shield didn't block it, it would be too powerful for a 1st level spell).
Color spray is a great spell, but its short range and limitations vs. blind creatures, constructs, and undead means it's not useful in every encounter. Direct damage spells are a necessity, and magic missile is the best direct damage spell available to a 1st-3rd level sorcerer.
Magic missile is a useful low-level spell for three reasons: automatic hit (even with a good dexterity, a low-level sorcerer will have a difficult time hitting enemies with a crossbow), force effect (affects incorporeal targets), and no save. It is the best direct damage 1st level spell around; only the fact that SR applies and shield blocks it limits its effectiveness (in fact, if shield didn't block it, it would be too powerful for a 1st level spell).
Color spray is a great spell, but its short range and limitations vs. blind creatures, constructs, and undead means it's not useful in every encounter. Direct damage spells are a necessity, and magic missile is the best direct damage spell available to a 1st-3rd level sorcerer.
Another aspect that makes the Magic Missle a good option compared to Colour Spray, at low levels, is that it works on Vermin and Low Level Undead. Both a very common encounters for a low level party and often pose a significant threat for such characters. Not saying that Colour Spray is a bad spell or anything but I like my spells to be dependable - especially when I only have one of them to hurt the enemies with.
1st- color spray, mage armor, and magic missile.
Interesting choices - but here you have too many spells - a 1st level Sorcerer only has 2 1st level spells. Personally I'd loose Colour Spray simply because its unreliable and with so few options I want my spells as reliable as possible.
At 2nd level, your best choice is probably mage hand. At 3rd level, enlarge person will probably provide the most benefit to the party (if the party has a sorcerer as the arcane caster, it's best to have a cleric with the Magic domain as the divine caster to cast identify).
I think enlarge person is a great spell but I'd take Monster Summoning I here instead. Enlarge Person's best benifit is it makes the fighter better - especially if s/he has a reach weapon. Still monster summoning I can do something very similiar - drop it behind foes and you get a flanking bonus and the Rogue gets sneak attacks. So, in terms of helping everyone fight better monster summoning I is on par with enlarge person. monster summoning I has other benifits as well - its essentially the ultimate ambush or trap detector, send the Medium Monstrous Centepide into the suspect area and see if it dies. Furthermore it is the go to spell in cases were you are being ambushed - which at this level often means goblins coming from an unexpected direction, in which case you block the passage with the summoned monster allowing the party a round or two to deal with the new threat. Finally if you have to run away summoning a monster allows you to keep the enemies occupied while you flee.
I think Web is absolutly one of the best spells around. However I feel it has something of the same problem as colour spray. It has a 20' radius and there must be two diametrically opposing points to anchour the spell too or it automatically fails. in other words if your outside and there are not some conviently located trees or buildings around the you don't have a spell, again if the room is large you don't have anchour points and again you don't have a spell. In the right circumstances its a phenominal spell but, when I'm talking about my only 2nd level spell I want something more certian. Here what I would probably do is use my ability to swap a spell at 4th level - I'd swap monster summoning I for something like enlarge or colour spray and pick up monster summoning II - which is a far better monster summoning spell especially the Celestial Riding Dog and the Large Fiendish Monsterous Centipede. (now I can really effectivly block up most corrodors, doors etc.)
At 4th level, web deserves to be your first choice, along with touch of fatigue.
At 5th level, your best choices are probably chill touch and spectral hand.
What concerns me with these two choices is that it essentially uses up two valuable known spell slots to do one thing - deliver damage at range. Also it takes two rounds to set up - first you have to cast spectral hand and only then can you cast chill touch. The pay off would seem to be the ability to now use chill touch over and over again. However we are now 5th level. The crisis of not having enough spells to use them every round is finally begining to wane so the big pay off really is just not such a benifit. If you have to cast lots of spells well you have a fair number of spell slots, furthermore by this level you can surely afford some wands, if the battle requires lots of spell casting try using one of those over and over again. Finally this combo relies on non ranged touch attacks - that means its using my strength score and strength is probably my dump stat. Better to pick up a ranged touch spell since that relies on my dextarity score and dextarity is likely my second best stat after charisma. Even with the +2 from the spell there is a good chance that at best the spell has as much chance of hitting as a ranged touch spell. In the end there are so many useful 2nd level spells like scorching ray, invisibility, electric vengence, web - the list goes on and on, that sacrificing two known spells for this particular trick at this level just does not seem worth it - especially considering that chill touch really won't grow with you as a caster - you'll have more and better wands and scrolls at later levels and really won't need a spell that works for 7 rounds straight.
Finally you mention vampiric touch as a possible 3rd level spell and this goes along with the spectral hand but I think this combo is more entertaining then actually good. I love it as a DM where I can give my bad guys some staying power and annoy my players at the same time but at the end of the day the need to cast 2 spells just to get one and the fact that it relies on strength are pretty big penalties. Consider also that it has a low damage output - only 1 die per 2 levels. Its big benifit is you get some of the hps - but really if the sorcerer is using those hps something is serously yucky and the sorcerer should be doing everything possible to get away from the damage dealing situation. Simply put having to put 2 rounds into getting a comparitivly small number of hps just is not the best use of the Sorcerers time in combat. Better to have spent both those rounds either dealing damage, hindering the opposition or enhancing your fellow party members. If you do find yourself needing hps hopefully the cleric or some one can help - certianly beats using vampiric touch as your healing.
I was going to recommend various fear-inflicting spells; they're powerful and fun, and the lower-level ones with HD caps can be exchanged for something else as you increase in power.
However, that may not be the best option for a sorcerer. It faces the same limitations as color spray but only affects one target. With further consideration, it seems better for NPC casters who face the party. They can remove a significant chunk of the "enemy" force for a good while with a single spell in that fashion, and it fills the players with that feeling of total vulnerability and lack of control, which is a good way to make a villain scary.
Not so good for a sorcerer, however.
But, it does fall into the "battlefield control" venue, as opposed to direct damage. To tell the truth, sorcerers make great direct damage casters (blasters), but at low levels, you typically lack punch, number of spells known and castable per day, and generally find yourself "waiting" to come into your full power.
For this reason, I would always choose non-direct damage spells at low level. Things like color spray, ray of enfeeblement, grease, enlarge person, and silent image are better overall. Sure, the first two don't work on undead, constructs, and vermin, but that's the breaks. Virtually nothing works all the time. However, if you really want to get the meat shields on your side, and get some extra utility from them, enlarge person is great. They can block enemies more effectively, and deal more damage. Plus, you know it's going to work since it's a party buff.
The benefits of grease have been extolled above. If you don't want to just be a buffer, that's probably your best option.
Silent image can be combined with the cantrip ghost sound to amazing effect. Fool your enemies into thinking you've raised the ghost of their recently felled comrade. Fool the guards into looking the other way. Entertain the tavern one night, and really show up that bard. Drop it around a corner and see if anything nasty attacks it. Combine with summoned creatures, whether called by wand, scroll, or spell, and your foes won't know what's real and what's not.
Later on, certainly one of the best routes is to go straight blaster with a sorcerer. However, at low levels, you will simply lack the punch. Go for battlefield control and vaguely defined spells, as well as party buffs, and I think you'll have a much greater experience at the start of the game.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I've been following this thread for a little while now (can't help it, I'm a born spellcaster-player) and I'm surprised that no one has suggested the following (unless I missed it) 3rd level spell:
Hold Person
When fighting humanoids, especially of the dim-witted fighter archetype, this spell is practically a guaranteed kill. Simply render the foe helpless and coup de grace him. Repeat as needed. Most fighter-types will have rather poor Will saves and the minimum save DC for this spell is 14. The average fighter will have less than a 50% chance of passing at the levels this spell comes into play and, if he succeeds, you can just cast it again next round!
Now, I'm pretty much a wizard loyalist and try to avoid playing sorcerers simply because they lack the versatility I enjoy so much, but I think you would do pretty well for yourself with the following array of spells (1st through 3rd):
1st: mage armor, magic missile, shield, color spray
2nd: invisibility, glitterdust, melf's acid arrow, mirror image
3rd: fireball, fly, haste, hold person
As items like Bracers of Armor become available to you, you will want to swap out mage armor for something else. I would recommend expeditious retreat or the swift version thereof (I forget what book that's in). Melf's can also get swapped out whenever you get access to another long-range spell but it's nice to have early on to deal with pesky archers (and other casters). You may even want to swap it out with a utility or protective spell like see invisibility or wind wall. Scorching ray is also a strong choice, but its close range limits its usefulness in many fights.
Unfortunately, the sorcerer class lacks the ability to adapt to the situations that present themselves in the average campaign, so your best bet is to take general, all-purpose spells in addition to your attack spells. It is seldom worth the effort to take more than one attack spell in a given spell level since, as a sorcerer, you can use that spell as many times as you need with the same level spell slots. Plus, since you are limited in your spell selection, more than one attack spell severely limits your usefulness outside of combat. If all you want to do is be a walking artillery piece with no utility spells, you're better off playing a warmage.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I am kinda leaning towards the "blaster" type but i still want to have some good party buffs like summon monster so i can help the rogue with flanking and enlarge person for the fighter. thanks for all of the help so far it's been a real help.
Does your party have a cleric or druid? They should really be the ones to handle the buffing spells if you do. By taking numerous buffing spells, you're cutting into your ability to defend yourself. If you've got summon monster I and enlarge person in your 1st level spell list, that leaves your other options extremely limited. Early on, the summoning spells are tremendously weak since they only last 1 round per caster level. I would advise against taking any of them until at least 4th level, if you take any at all. If your party does NOT have a cleric or druid (what are you THINKING?) then the party's wizard should focus on buffing while you focus on inflicting damage and ending the fight quickly. If you lack a wizard, then the bard should buff. Only if the sorcerer is the ONLY magic-user in the party (at which point something is obviously wrong with your party composition OR you have a very limited number of players) should he ever need to be buffing anyone other than himself.
Granted, this is just my opinion. You may do what you wish. It's your character.
Only if the sorcerer is the ONLY magic-user in the party should he ever need to be buffing anyone other than himself.
Then one of the party members will die quickly, and you can suggest something useful as a replacement. Oh, I don't know... maybe a cleric or a druid or a bard? :)
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Only if the sorcerer is the ONLY magic-user in the party should he ever need to be buffing anyone other than himself.Then one of the party members will die quickly, and you can suggest something useful as a replacement. Oh, I don't know... maybe a cleric or a druid or a bard? :)
Hehe, I was editing the post as you were making this statement. My sentiments exactly.
It bears mentioning that haste is the exception to the 'sorcerers should not buff' rule. Haste is great for buffing fighters and rogues. Plus, it has the potential to buff the whole party with one casting which allows your other party members to move about the battlefield more easily (and provide a sad, pathetic, worthless amount of AC for a 3rd level spell). Make sure to only use it when needed, though, since that haste could probably serve a better purpose as a fireball if you aren't fighting monsters that are resistant or immune to your spells.
Also, the Energy Substitution feat is your FRIEND. The earlier poster who recommended a variety of different energy type spells in addition to the Energy Sub. feat was pretty much dead-on (though I think that covering EVERY ENERGY TYPE POSSIBLE might be a little overkill, especially at the lower levels when you don't see resistance/immunity often).
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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like i said earlier, instead of using a feat to take energy substitution, i'm probably going to just buy a rod of metamgic substitution and use the feat on something else. the item is in MIC
Ehhhhhh...... let me put it to you this way, which is more useful:
Having a feat that didn't cost you anything monetarily, doesn't use any higher spell slots, and allows you to occassionally adapt to other energy types when needed while spending your hard-earned cash on an item that allows you to Extend, Enlarge, or Maximize some of your spells 3 times per day...
OR
Taking a feat that allows you to Extend, Enlarge, or Maximize some of your spells at the cost of a higher level spell slot which may have been better served by casting an actual spell OF THAT LEVEL and spending your hard-earned cash on something that allows you to adapt your energy type 3 times per day.
Let's analyze:
Extend Spell, Enlarge Spell, and Maximize Spell are pretty much going to be useful EVERY DAY in EVERY FIGHT in the form of a metamagic rod. Energy Substitution will only come into play occassionally when you actually NEED to get around an energy resistance of some sort. Now, let's assume that you fight a LOT of fire elementals in one day (for whatever reason). You've blown your three uses of the rod to convert your fireball and scorching ray into cold damage in the first two fights. Then what do you do in the third fight? You cry. That's what you do. Same scenario, you use all your Enlarged or Extended spells (we'll throw out Maximize because it's much more expensive) in the first two fights... BUT YOU GOT TO APPLY ENERGY SUBSTITUTION TO YOUR ATTACK SPELLS EVERY TIME. Then, in the third fight, you don't have anymore Extended or Enlarged stuff, but guess what? YOU'VE STILL GOT ENERGY SUB!
I'm just sayin'... might be a better option for you. S'all.
P.S. I recommend Energy Substitution (Sonic). Almost nothing has Sonic resistance and some creatures even take EXTRA damage from it.
P.S. I recommend Energy Substitution (Sonic). Almost nothing has Sonic resistance and some creatures even take EXTRA damage from...
Sonic damage is the best, if you can get it.
Sorcerers need a theme in my opinion, like necromancy, evocation etc.
Previous posters already pointed out that you need to select spells that let you do multiple things, glitterdust for example blinds and reveals invisible opponents.
magic missile is your friend!
P.S. I recommend Energy Substitution (Sonic). Almost nothing has Sonic resistance and some creatures even take EXTRA damage from...
Wow I didn't even think sonic was an option. I thought it had to be fire,cold,eletricity or acid. Oh the character concepts I can come up with.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Wow I didn't even think sonic was an option. I thought it had to be fire,cold,eletricity or acid. Oh the character concepts I can come up with.
P.S. I recommend Energy Substitution (Sonic). Almost nothing has Sonic resistance and some creatures even take EXTRA damage from...
I don't remember it being restricted as such, but I might be thinking of a 3.0 rule when there has been a 3.5 update? I have no idea. We've used Sonic substitutions in the past. I guess we never thought to see if things had changed. You may be right. I'm not sure.
If Sonic ISN'T an option, Acid is probably second best.
When energy substitution was first introduced you could use sonic as an option, but the 3.5 version of the feat removes this option, mainly because sonic effects usually do less damage and have a secondary effect, but in the case of sonic substitution you basically just get free "get around energy resistance" when you use it.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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When energy substitution was first introduced you could use sonic as an option, but the 3.5 version of the feat removes this option, mainly because sonic effects usually do less damage and have a secondary effect, but in the case of sonic substitution you basically just get free "get around energy resistance" when you use it.
Ah, so it WAS a 3.0 thing. Stupid conversions....
I've been following this thread for a little while now (can't help it, I'm a born spellcaster-player) and I'm surprised that no one has suggested the following (unless I missed it) 3rd level spell:
Hold Person
When fighting humanoids, especially of the dim-witted fighter archetype, this spell is practically a guaranteed kill. Simply render the foe helpless and coup de grace him. Repeat as needed. Most fighter-types will have rather poor Will saves and the minimum save DC for this spell is 14. The average fighter will have less than a 50% chance of passing at the levels this spell comes into play and, if he succeeds, you can just cast it again next round!
I agree this is a great combo but most parties should have a cleric or at least a bard that can already do this and with lower level spells too boot. I'd leave this trick to them.
As items like Bracers of Armor become available to you, you will want to swap out mage armor for something else.
I'd never swap this out for Bracers of Armour. I mean you need Bracers of Armour +4 just to get the same utility - thats worth 25,000 gp - think of how many wands or scrolls you can buy with 25,000 gp - even if your just getting 12,500 gp its still worth selling the things - buy a Wand of mage armour instead if neccisary. By the time this thing comes along using one pesky 1st level spell just seems like such a minor price to pay for a +4 armour bonus. Admittedly - eventually something is likely to come along that really is better then mage armour and then swapping the spell out is a good idea - but not for Bracers of Armour.
Heck, in terms of mage armor.. as long as he's got the extend spell metamagic feat anyway, just keep it as a spell and extend it (so blow 1 2nd level spell per day) and, at least at level twelve, enjoy a full day's worth of mage armor for the price of one spellcast.
Does your party have a cleric or druid? They should really be the ones to handle the buffing spells if you do. By taking numerous buffing spells, you're cutting into your ability to defend yourself...
I'm going to disagree with some of this. I think one of the big differences between a Sorcerer and a Wizard is buffing. If one of the players is going to take a Sorcerer then I'd encourage the cleric player to make a more active combatant type. Essentially the Sorcerer takes on some of the clerics buffing role and in turn the cleric should take on a little more of the damage dealing/battlefield interdiction role that maybe traditionally falls into the preview of the Wizard. Essentially this is because Sorcerers make phenominal buffers within the constraints of the Wizard/Sorcerer spell list.
A Sorcerer can cast a buff spell lots of times or not at all and so long as there is another spell of the same level that they can use instead it really does not matter. For a Cleric to do the same thing they must choose the buff spell again and again at the start of the day essentially greatly constraining their versitility because said spell either takes up all the spells of a level or its only available a few times and then that option is out of the party's repitoire. Hence a spell like enlarge person or fly are great spells for Sorcerers as long as they also have something like magic missle or lightning bolt on their known spell list. If it comes up the Sorcerer can cast this spell on everyone in the party - or on one person again and again throughout the adventure and if it does not come up they can fall back on more the more ho-hum but dependable damage dealing spells.
The other big difference between a Sorcerer and a Wizard that makes the Sorcerer such a good option to help with the buffing is pure number of spells. Sorcerers have lots of spells - signiifcantly more then a wizard but they get the more powerful spells a level later. A 5th level Wizard is really cutting into their spell uses if they spend one of their 4 1st level spells (assume +1 from intelligence stat) while the Sorcerer is only using up 1 of their 7 1st level spells. Its a much more significant expenditure of the wizards total power to buff a party member compared to a Sorcerer. Hence Sorcerers should buff while Wizards probably should not.
Sorcerers need a theme in my opinion, like necromancy, evocation etc.
Hmmm...I certianly know that it is popular to theme Sorcerers but I actually think this is not a great option for them. Their Known Spell list is already so constrained that the concept of then mentally blocking off spells that are outside of the theme is really a bad idea. Their spell choices are limited and every one should be chosen with care and with some feel for how the rest of the party works. If you want to make a themed caster I'd go with a specialist wizard. At least then you get some benifits from your theme.
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Actually, in this particular situation, Fatespinner has the right angle on things. This is just because the party cleric is a pacifist who only deals nonlethal damage unless she is fighting undead. Frequently I would agree that a sorcerer should at least have some role in buffing the party, but in this particular party the cleric will probably wind up doing all the buffing because she won't be doing very much fighting.
However, I totally agree that theming sorcerers puts an unnecessary restraint on an already restrained class.
Actually, in this particular situation, Fatespinner has the right angle on things. This is just because the party cleric is a pacifist who only deals nonlethal damage unless she is fighting undead. Frequently I would agree that a sorcerer should at least have some role in buffing the party, but in this particular party the cleric will probably wind up doing all the buffing because she won't be doing very much fighting.
However, I totally agree that theming sorcerers puts an unnecessary restraint on an already restrained class.
Well this will certianly impacts things and puts more onus on the Sorcerer to deal damage - but I'd still not completely rule out some buffing - if the Cleric can't help defend the Sorcerer then enlarge person for the fighter just got that much better - makes summoning spells more useful as well - if the cleric cowers behind the Sorcerer then who is the Sorcerer supposed to cower behind?
Also make sure to go through the Players Handbook II and evaluate the swift and immediate action spells. With the large number of spells per day that a Sorcerer gets its very feasable for them to burn off multiple spells a round using things like Stay the Hand, halt and hesitate - you have lots of spells (after about 3rd level), don't worry two much about using them.
Hmmm...I certianly know that it is popular to theme Sorcerers but I actually think this is not a great option for them. Their Known Spell list is already so constrained that the concept of then mentally blocking off spells that are outside of the theme is really a bad idea. Their spell choices are limited and every one should be chosen with care and with some feel for how the rest of the party works. If you want to make a themed caster I'd go with a specialist wizard. At least then you get some benifits from your theme.
Sorcerers need a theme in my opinion, like necromancy, evocation etc.
Let me rephrase my statement: themes are fun, but they should not lead to stupid spell choices. You lay the foundation for your theme at the first few levels, after that you can diversify. Your fellow players will probably not notice the change and will still call you "the prince of darkness" (at least that's my experience).
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I played with a Sorcerer/Shadow Sentinal in the last campaign that i played in. he used mostly necromancy spells and had a good character. he rarely killed a bad guy but he had some very effective de-buffs. MY character doesnt nessesarily have a theme because of his age (12) and his mysterious amnesia.
Let me rephrase my statement: themes are fun, but they should not lead to stupid spell choices. You lay the foundation for your theme at the first few levels, after that you can diversify. Your fellow players will probably not notice the change and will still call you "the prince of darkness" (at least that's my experience).
I'd think that it would more viable to start really doing the theme at higher levels. Its the low levels where the Sorcerers spell choices are absolutely critical. Once your heading into the mid levels you can at least consider taking some sub optimal choices purely because they are conceptually cool. Also its a lot easier to be The Prince of Darkness when your 12th and a dangerous spell caster then when your 2nd and in extreme danger of becoming a meatsnack for vermin.
Let me rephrase my statement: themes are fun, but they should not lead to stupid spell choices.
We agree then.
i was thinking earlier this week about focusing more tightly on transmutation spells, turning into things like trolls, dragons, and warforged titans sounds like fun. but mabey i should save that for a wizard and become a specialist.
Don't go over to the dark side.
Alter self is only a 2nd level spell, but one that you can find a use for every encounter.