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Greetings, all. Our Saturday group is in dire need of an Arcane Caster, and my character recently died, so I thought I'd roll up a Stormborn Sorcerer. I've already gone through the spells and selected ones that I feel are thematically appropriate, and I've selected the feats that I'd like to get as well.
What I need is an opinion on which spells/feats are more important/useful than the others, so I can decide at what level to select them. I don't often play casters, so my spell familiarity is limited.
I'll be taking the Human favored class variant starting at level 4. 1-3 will take the extra hit point. Also, I haven't included the bloodline bonus feats, and I've only selected 10 of the 11 feats that I'll have by 20th level.
Stats are thus:
Human Stormborn Sorcerer
Str 10
Dex 17
Con 16
Int 16
Wis 16
Cha 17
(Can't decide whether to put my +2 in Dex or Cha)
Feats I want are thus:
Arcane Blast
Combat Casting
Elemental Focus (Electricity)
- Greater Elemental Focus (Electricity)
Point Blank Shot (I can pick this up with a bloodline feat)
- Precise Shot
Spell Focus (Evocation)
- Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spell Penetration
- Greater Spell Penetration
Spells I want are thus: (Those marked with an * are bonus bloodline spells)
Cantrips
Detect Magic
Flare
Light
Mage Hand
Mending
Open/Close
Prestidigitation
Ray of Frost
Read Magic
1st
Alter Winds
Color Spray
Feather Fall
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Shield
Shocking Grasp*
True Strike
2nd
Elemental Speech
Elemental Touch
Glide
Glitterdust
Gust of Wind*
Levitate
Shatter
Whispering Wind
3rd
Cloak of Winds
Elemental Aura
Fly
Lightning Bolt*
Protection from Energy
Sleet Storm
Wind Wall
4th
Ball Lightning
Detonate
Dimension Door
Elemental Body I
Ice Storm
River of Wind
Shout*
5th
Cone of Cold
Elemental Body II
Overland Flight*
Planar Binding, Lesser
Suffocation
Telekinesis
Teleport
6th
Chain Lightning*
Elemental Body III
Enemy Hammer
Freezing Sphere
Planar Binding
Sirocco
7th
Control Weather*
Elemental Body IV
Fly, Mass
Forcecage
Teleport, Greater
Teleport Object
8th
Planar Binding, Greater
Polar Ray
Shout, Greater
Stormbolts
Sunburst
Telekinetic Sphere
Whirlwind*
9th
Suffocation, Mass
Storm of Vengeance*
Teleportation Circle
Winds of Vengeance
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Greetings, all. Our Saturday group is in dire need of an Arcane Caster, and my character recently died, so I thought I'd roll up a Stormborn Sorcerer. I've already gone through the spells and selected ones that I feel are thematically appropriate, and I've selected the feats that I'd like to get as well.
What I need is an opinion on which spells/feats are more important/useful than the others, so I can decide at what level to select them. I don't often play casters, so my spell familiarity is limited.
I'll be taking the Human favored class variant starting at level 4. 1-3 will take the extra hit point. Also, I haven't included the bloodline bonus feats, and I've only selected 10 of the 11 feats that I'll have by 20th level.
Stats are thus:
Human Stormborn Sorcerer
Str 10
Dex 17
Con 16
Int 16
Wis 16
Cha 17
(Can't decide whether to put my +2 in Dex or Cha)Feats I want are thus:
Arcane Blast
Combat Casting
Elemental Focus (Electricity)
- Greater Elemental Focus (Electricity)
Point Blank Shot (I can pick this up with a bloodline feat)
- Precise Shot
Spell Focus (Evocation)
- Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spell Penetration
- Greater Spell PenetrationSpells I want are thus: (Those marked with an * are bonus bloodline spells)
Cantrips
Detect Magic
Flare
Light
Mage Hand
Mending
Open/Close
Prestidigitation
Ray of Frost
Read Magic1st
Alter Winds
Color Spray
Feather Fall
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Shield
Shocking Grasp*
True Strike2nd
Elemental Speech
Elemental Touch
Glide
Glitterdust
Gust of Wind*
Levitate
Shatter
Whispering Wind3rd
Cloak of Winds
Elemental Aura
Fly
Lightning Bolt*
Protection from Energy
Sleet Storm
Wind Wall4th
Ball Lightning
Detonate
Dimension Door
Elemental Body I
Ice Storm
River of Wind
Shout*5th
Cone of Cold
Elemental Body II
Overland Flight*
Planar Binding, Lesser
Suffocation
Telekinesis
Teleport6th
Chain Lightning*
Elemental Body III
Enemy Hammer
Freezing Sphere...
Just this saturday. I was making a stormborn sorc as a backup to my current character. AND as something to inhabit the world.
I'd go for Extend spell personally. Yeah.. it takes a long time to cast, but depending on the buff, it probably wouldn't matter. Sure would make mage armor a cast and forget spell. Though, if you have access to a rod, it probably wouldn't be needed
Hitting up selective spell MAY be something of an interest.
You seem to have things in hand really. Another feat? Go for flavor. Something fun.
Personally. My stormborn? Even if it isn't optimized for awesome, it is optimized for hilarity.
Dwarf Stormborn Sorc. The -2 chr is worth it when you imagine a dwarf turning into a bolt of lightning and running at 200 feet per round.
OK, here we go.
1) Your stats are crazy good. You might want to tone it down a bit, because a) you'll overpower the CR, and have less fun, or b) make the game less fun for the other normal players, or c) bring down the wrath of the DM if he thinks you're cheating.
2) You bonus goes in Charisma. Your stat bump item goes in Charisma. The answer to the next question = Charisma.
3) You can drop point blank shot and precise shot. Why? Because you don't have any ranged attacks.
Magic missile? auto-hit
Color Spray? area effect
Shocking Grasp? melee touch
Also, in order to USE all those feats which raise saving throw DCs, you need to cast spells with saving throws. Otherwise, you have feats you are not using.
You NEVER see fighters do this. When they have weapon focus, they use that weapon whenever they can.
4) I'd go this way with feats...remember you have to qualify first.
Also, you're looking at raising your DC's with feats. It would be far easier to build a character who has a charisma higher than his dexterity. Also build charisma with levels, and with items.
Human = combat casting
1st = elemental focus
3rd = elemental spell (all electric bonuses add in)
5th = greater elemental focus
7th = spell penetration (shouldn't see too much SR before here)
blood = great fortitude (anything you can use is better than PB shot)
5) Why arcane blast? Did you run out of attack spells? Really?
6) You're missing the best part of being a sorceror, which is the ability to use metamagic on the fly. You could benefit a lot from intensify (10d6 shocking grasp as a 2nd level spell), from merciful spell (allows you to drop spells like color spray), or from empower or heighten spell.
I mean, why cone of cold? You could cast empowered lightning bolt just as easily. At many levels, it will be more damage, and hit fewer of your allies. Plus, you now get another 5th level spell.
Get Elemental spell, or if your DM will let you, energy substitution from complete arcane. Also, you will be a sad, sad panda without Improved Invisibility and/or Mirror Image.
Yes +1. You NEED a greater variety of spells. Blast, superblast, and megablast are really all the same spell.
Knock, on the other hand, is VERY different. There are times when knock can solve problems that no amount of blasting can handle.
You probably don't need ALL the elemental body spells.
Likewise, greater teleport is only the slightest improvement over using regular teleport twice. You have three teleportation spells and dimension door. Can some of those go?
Here's what I'm looking for in a sorceror spell list...
Can I target a touch ac, and all three saving throws?
Can I control the battlefield/slow or prevent movement?
Can I overcome an opponent with SR = 2,000?
Can I protect myself from a big brute thing like a dinosaur?
Can I do anything to buff others/the whole party?
Can I escape a grapple?
Can I deal with difficult terrain?
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OK, here we go.
1) Your stats are crazy good. You might want to tone it down a bit, because a) you'll overpower the CR, and have less fun, or b) make the game less fun for the other normal players, or c) bring down the wrath of the DM if he thinks you're cheating.
My GM uses dice pool for stat rolling and, honestly, my stats are "average" for his games. I agree that we're too powerful, and dice pool is silly.
2) You bonus goes in Charisma. Your stat bump item goes in Charisma. The answer to the next question = Charisma.
3) You can drop point blank shot and precise shot. Why? Because you don't have any ranged attacks.
Magic missile? auto-hit
Color Spray? area effect
Shocking Grasp? melee touchAlso, in order to USE all those feats which raise saving throw DCs, you need to cast spells with saving throws. Otherwise, you have feats you are not using.
You NEVER see fighters do this. When they have weapon focus, they use that weapon whenever they can.
Once again, I rarely play casters, so my spell knowledge is limited. I'll have to take a look at how many of the spells actually are ranged touch...
4) I'd go this way with feats...remember you have to qualify first.
Also, you're looking at raising your DC's with feats. It would be far easier to build a character who has a charisma higher than his dexterity. Also build charisma with levels, and with items.Human = combat casting
1st = elemental focus
3rd = elemental spell (all electric bonuses add in)
5th = greater elemental focus
7th = spell penetration (shouldn't see too much SR before here)
blood = great fortitude (anything you can use is better than PB shot)
Thanks for this. Inexperience make me weak.
5) Why arcane blast? Did you run out of attack spells? Really?
I honestly just like the idea of the feat, it wasn't anything necessary to the concept.
6) You're missing the best part of being a sorceror, which is the ability to use metamagic on the fly. You could benefit a lot from intensify (10d6 shocking grasp as a 2nd level spell), from merciful spell (allows you to drop spells like color spray), or from empower or heighten spell.
I mean, why cone of cold? You could cast empowered lightning bolt just as easily. At many levels, it will be more damage, and hit fewer of your allies. Plus, you now get another 5th level spell.
I honestly didn't really know what other spells to pick, or which metamagic feats would be the most useful.
I appreciate the feedback. I'm lost with casters. Do you have any other suggestions?
If you are doing blasting and have access to the APG take a look at intensify spell and reach spell. Having shocking grasp do 10d6 as a 2nd level spell is pretty rocking.
Casters CAN do well with point blank and precise shot, I've certainly done it myself.
But, you've got to finish the job, and actually HAVE some ranged touch attacks to use.
Scorching Ray, Ray of Enfeeblement, Disintegrate, are all great choices. None of them are on the spell list above.
In this case, it's like have weapon specialization:axe, and using a sword.