I made a statement in a discussion I'm having with someone on these boards over e-mail that I'd like to be able to back up.
I hope I don't get into trouble for this, let's keep the debate in the other thread, in this thread, if you were starting in a new campaign, and you *had* to pick either Wizard or Sorcerer, which would you pick?
Also, what would your final build look like (just classes/levels)
Sorcerer.
I currently have a Cleric 3/Wizard 3/Mystic Theurge 6 in one of my campaigns (set on Eberron... a LN Cleric of Vol/Necromancer who commanded Undead soldiers during the Last War with the firm convinction that 'leading dead people to fight a war does not sacrifices living people to fight the same war'), but Sorcerer has always been my favored choice since his appearance in 3.0.
Now, with Pathfinder and the boost Sorcerers gained, it's a no-brainer for me !
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it would really depend on what everyone else was playing, if there was already a wizard, i would probably play a straight Sorcerer going into Dragon Disciple, and taking Metmagic feats such as silent spell and still spell and the Arcane Bloodline.
an the flip side, if there was a sorcerer, i would play a wizard, mainly concentrating on item creation feats, but the school specialisation would differ depending on my mood, mainly an Evocationist or a Transmutationist.
i am toying with the idea of a Telekenisis wizard for my groups coming Legacy of Fire campaign.
Peebo :D
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Sorcerer is my preferred choice of Arcane caster as I hate having to prepare spells, I prefer a small choice of spells that I can cast spontaneously as the situation needs.
The bloodlines in PF only make it a more attractive option (indeed I have multiclassed my Fighter into Sorcerer in the RotRL campaign I am playing in - the "fluff" explanation being that an elemental is partially possessing my character :)
As for "builds" I don't really do them.
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It depends on the game really. I have so many concepts.
A half-orc diviner who is something of a crumpled two-fisted detective.
No wait! A human arcane bloodline sorcerer with parrot familiar (YARR!)
NO WAIT! A human necromancer named Hollow Graves with a skeleton familiar (from Unearthed Arcana), a bit of an archaeologist and grave-robber.
Sorcerer / DD
It would really depend on my character idea. Some suit socerers perfectly, others suit wizards more.
Though if I was told I was allowed only one class, I'd have to go with wizard. I'm not a big fan of the heritage ideas taht come with sorcerer, and paizo only emphasise those ideas. And well...I don't mind the sorcerer's spells lagging behind the wizard too much...but well...druids and clerics get spell levels before they do as well, and they get stuff other than magic.
So...if I had to choose between the two, both fluff and mechanics push me towards wizard.
Wizard - Evoker/Elemental Savant(Fire)
My first character in a longrunning pathfinder game is a dragon bloodline sorc going into dragon disciple. We were in need of a melee type, and as usual I filled the needed role with an arcane caster. (for reference we decided as a group to keep the beta version of the claws ability).
I do plan on playing a conjuration specialist wizard as some point as well.
With both I plan on taking advantage of the new crafting rules, I have never done much crafting besides a few scrolls because its rarely worth losing the XP.
I have a strong desire today to play a wizard, maybe illusionist type. Yeah that strikes my fancy right now.
I rarely play spellcasters... and am usually the dedicated meat shield when I'm not DM. (Apparently my group thinks I'm very good at it.)
However I've been itching to try a Human Transmuter geared towards melee.
That flexible extra +2 to a physical stat at 5th level as well as enlarge person, the new variation of alter self, and physical buffs such as bull's strength could make a rather fun physical caster.
I'm also itching to try almost any flavor of Sorcerer tailored to fit the campaign. Aberrant and Elemental both have some fun quirks.
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I have done both, and I will probably do both in the future. As others have said, it would really depend on my character concept.
I recently put together a Half-Orc Diviner (planning to go Eldritch Knight), but I had a Gnome Sorcerer (Celestial bloodline) in a Beta game. Got an Elf Rogue in another game planning to pick up Wizard (Universalist, probably) in the future, to eventually go Arcane Trickster.
So, yeah, either way. 8^)
I saw someone on these boards propose a ridiculous idea that I want to try: a half-orc transmuter with a greataxe bonded item.
During 3.5 I always went sorcerer because I just loved the concept, but I would always tell players go Wizard, it was the better class realistically. I improved the sorcerer as time went on, in many cases the way Pathfinder did except maybe a little too powerful.
With Pathfinder however I have to play a little more. I love what they did with the Sorcerer, and I'd go Arcane or Fey, most other bloodlines are good but don't appeal to me, and I think the Elemetal bloodline is far too meh to get the true feal of either the Sorcerer or Elementalist. On the other hand I do like a lot of the Wizard improvements.
Looking at the classes side by side I'd say to decide between concept over flexablity. In power the classes are equel, but the wizard edges out in raw flexablity. The sorcere now has both concept and power in equel mesure, but you are restricted to that theme.
TTFN DRE
I love that the wizards all took considerably longer to respond, mulling over their choice, possibly consulting tomes, while the sorcerers answered off the cuff... almost.. spontaneously, if you will.
I'd go Transmuter, maybe Conjurer, if I were going to pick one of the two.
Or maybe I'd make a Sorcerer, carry around a book I call my spellbook (but is obviously not a spellbook, and which I obviously do not even attempt to read), and then pre-prepare a list of spells I am going to cast each day, just to be cantankerous.
If I was starting a slow game (like a play-by-post) from level 1 and I was planning on playing an arcane full-caster class, I'd probably go with a wizard. If I was starting at higher levels (like 6+) or in a game where we were likely to gain levels quickly, I'd probably go with a sorcerer.
I don't want to play baseball, I'd rather play soccer.
...you mean Football
Wizard.
[Leave some slots free until you know what you need.]
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Wizard, usually Generalist, but, if I really felt the urge to go Specialist, a Conjuror or Necromancer. (Especially if options from Unearthed Arcana are allowed, or access to the Master Specialist PrC.)
I love the *idea* of a Specialist Diviner or Abjurer, but their spell lists don't really lend to making that idea a very fulfilling reality for me, in my experience.
I loathe Vancian magic and spell preparation, and have lobbied against it for 25 years. And yet, the Sorcerer just doesn't work for me. I'd rather use some homebrew spell point system or something instead.
And yeah, I know, my favorite Wizard types are specialized in schools that Clerics 'do better.' Which is probably why I mostly play Clerics.
We only play gestalt, so...
Male Tiefling Sorcerer (Abyssal Bloodline) 1 / Wizard (Evoker) 4 / Ultimate Magus 10 // Binder 15
That's a character I've got waiting in the wings for an appropriate adventure. His wizard progression is almost entirely blaster-focused, while his sorcerer progression picks up the utility spells plus one attack spell per spell level. That way he can cover all the bases. Binder gives him some durability and some nifty tricks.
Note that he's not intended to be a super-powerful character (if I wanted that, I'd make the other side a cleric, archivist, or druid). He's intended to be fun in a "blow them all up" kind of way.
I'll go against the grain, I would play a bard if possible. If not allowed then a universalist wizard.
Doug
I rarely play spellcasters... and am usually the dedicated meat shield when I'm not DM. (Apparently my group thinks I'm very good at it.)
However I've been itching to try a Human Transmuter geared towards melee.
That flexible extra +2 to a physical stat at 5th level as well as enlarge person, the new variation of alter self, and physical buffs such as bull's strength could make a rather fun physical caster.I'm also itching to try almost any flavor of Sorcerer tailored to fit the campaign. Aberrant and Elemental both have some fun quirks.
Just a quick aside: that Transmuter bonus in an enchantment bonus, which means it doesn't stack with items or bull's strength. Just a heads up.
As far as I can tell it's nearly equal. A vast majority of posts indicate that they are or plan on playing both.
-Campbell
Bard.
Depends... Sometimes I like to be lazy, and just "do my thing", then I'm a sorcerer, but other times, I want to be the "man with the plan"... then I'm a wizard.
This is about it. Make your choice based on role playing. Both classes are fun.
As some suggested it kind of depends on the party mix and the sort of group you are in. If there is a wizard in the party then maybe counterpoint with a sorcerer who specializes pretty deeply (blaster/ summoner/ charmer/ etc). If there is a sorcerer or an archer maybe go with a wizard who does battlefield control.
Wizard all the way. I just can't make myself go with the sorcerer. Slower progression and limited spell selection. Yes, I know that most wizard characters prepare/cast the same spells almost every day but I just can't give up the "illusion" of flexibility ;) Generally I prefer Transmutation or Conjuration specialists.
In all honesty, if they dropped the spell progression down one level to match wizards, or added 1-2 more known spells per level to the sorcerer.
I made a statement in a discussion I'm having with someone on these boards over e-mail that I'd like to be able to back up.
I hope I don't get into trouble for this, let's keep the debate in the other thread, in this thread, if you were starting in a new campaign, and you *had* to pick either Wizard or Sorcerer, which would you pick?
Also, what would your final build look like (just classes/levels)
Sorcerer. I would probably go with the elemental bloodline. All 20 levels.
I think the least attractive time to play a sorcerer (for me) is levels 1-3. Spamming the same 2-3 spells for three consecutive levels gets a little bit tiresome after a while...
I like versatility and having loads of options, so wizard. Back in 3rd and 3.5 I would generally stay away from specialists, but now I can see myself playing any specialist. Bit of a preference towards conjurer though; I like the Dimensional Steps ability.
sorcerer is a bit more interesting, but its close