Reach Spell is a good choice, allowing ranged attacks with shocking grasp, vampiric touch, etc., expecially paired with Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot.
Intensify Spell is also worth looking at for the extra damage dice it allows.
Lingering Spell, Persistent Spell, and Widen Spell can help with area effect spells.
Piercing Spell, Spell Penetration, and Greater Spell Penetration may come in handy when facing opponents with spell resistance.
Empower Spell, Maximize Spell, and Quicken Spell are pretty standard choices, as well.
Improved Initiative is always useful.
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What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?
I tried to cover all the bases here. It depends on what sort of spell you want to focus on using. The first few options are generically useful to any blaster. Some of the options presented here require a higher level caster to be able to use, but I am not sure what level you are aiming for in this build. There are a lot of metamagic feats on this list and obviously you won't want to rely on only high level slots to be effective. I suggest a lot of these as good candidates for rods as indicated by the (R) next to the feat's name. Most of the suggested spells for a rod are 1 level bumps which are cheap and may not be effective in all situations. The exception is Quicken which makes an excellent, albeit expensive, rod option.
Spell Penetration and Greater
Quicken Spell(R)
Empower Spell
Maximize Spell
Intensify Spell(R)
Burning Spell
Reach Spell(R)
Spell Perfection
Elemental Spell(R)
Spell Focus
Heighten Spell
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Arcane Strike
Weapon Focus(Ray) - This one is iffy unless you are going Eldritch Knight to qualify for Weapon Spec(Ray)
Weapon Specialization(Ray)
Selective Spell(R)
Burning Spell - Scorching Ray or Fireball are especially good here since you can have the extra damage on multiple creatures
Also, I would suggest trying to find a place in your build around levels 5-7 to pick up Spell Focus(Conjuration) and Augment Summoning. Augment Summoning gives you some nice enhanced summons for the times when a simple blast spell is not going to be enough. Just because you are focused on blasting does not mean you shouldn't be throwing out a quick buff and/or summon to start a tough combat. Summoning in the perfect counter (or just a lot of something) and then Hasting your summoned creature(s) and the rest of the party creates a nice wall of meat-grinders between you and what you are blasting holes into. Along with your standard meat wall you could also pick up some choice spells and create a more diverse selection of walls on demand especially Wall of Force and Wall of Stone.
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What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?
Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
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What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
You got your save or suck effect in my damage spell!
Seriously though, I do not like Dazing Spell because it is a 3 level bump. The dazed effect is very nice(target can not take any actions while dazed), but a 3 level bump which does not increase the DC to save is rough for a save or suck spell. I might at later levels use my superfluous gold to pick up a Rod of Dazing Spell and add it to my Fireballs and Scorching Rays occasionally though.
What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
Can dazing spell stop barbarian?
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Can dazing spell stop barbarian?What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
If our wizard picks up his meta-magic at level 7 and applies the effect to Magic Missile(most likely candidate at this level). The save DC is 10+1(spell level)+3(stat mod)+2(spell focus) giving a 16 save DC. PCs of this level should expect monsters ranging from CR-1 to CR+3 so we will analyze the difficulty for average saves at each CR.
CR-1: good save 9, bad save 5; needs an 7 or 11 meaning a 35-55% chance to fail the save.
CR+0: good save 10, bad save 6; needs a 6 or 10 meaning a 30-50% chance to fail the save.
CR+1: good save 11, bad save 7; needs a 5 or 9 meaning a 25-45% chance to fail the save.
CR+2: good save 12, bad save 8; needs a 4 or 8 meaning a 20-40% chance to fail the save.
CR+3: good save 13, bad save 9; needs a 3 or 7 meaning a 15-35% chance to fail the save.
The wizard only has at or better than 50/50 odds when the creature is CR+0 or less and the wizard targets the poor save. I do not feel the high risk of failure is worth my 4th level spell slots. I would rather heighten a Fireball or add Elemental Spell to a Fireball or add Selective Spell to a Fireball or add Burning Spell to a Scorching Ray or add Empower Spell to a Scorching Ray or use an actual 4th level spell instead of using the high level slot for minimal damage and high risk of failure. When they make the save you have essentially used a 4th level slot to cast a 1st level spell.
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If your seventh level arcane spell caster has a 16 in his primary casting stat, you're doing it wrong (even if you're at a 10 point buy). At eight level, you should have around a 22, assuming you didn't just buy a 20 to begin with at first level (which you very well might). And if you're lucky enough to be a witch, you're casting 3 fold aspect every day bringing your total intelligence up to a maximum of 26. (20 buy + racial, 4 enhancement, 2 levels). Still, 22 - 24 is what a sorcerer at 8 is looking at. That's between 15 to 20% failure rate increase in spells.
I will grant you a 22 if the player bought an 18 at creation, +2 racial bonus, and a +2 headband. A 24 would require a +4 headband which is more than half of the character's wpl value at 7th level.
Having a 22 would up the success rate by 15% which puts the chance to affect the CR -1 (weakest available) creatures at 70% if you target the creatures weak save. This is just not worth the spell slot. A blaster doing pitiful damage in hopes of getting lucky is going to be in danger when luck does not favor the bold.
As it is unless you have Magical Lineage I do not see using this meta-magic. If it were only a +2 level adjustment it becomes much better. A lower level adjustment means the save DC is better comparably and, more importantly, I can use my more damaging spell options. A 7th level wizard using Scorching Ray with Toppling Spell at least gets reasonable damage(4d6 vs 1d4+1) if the effect fails.
At higher levels this makes a decent rod option, but at normal levels of play it is too costly for the rod and too costly for the meta-magic.
I see the purpose of dazing spell to be more of a battlefield control option than a Save or Suck effect for a single BBEG.
Use it on multi-target or AoE spells (magic missile, fireball, etc.) to affect numerous creatures, i.e. mooks. If you have a high casting stat and the targets are just cannon fodder, you have a good chance of dazing most of them. Thus with one action you can 'freeze' several baddies in place, possibly for multiple rounds.
As with any metamagic feat it is situational. But in the right situation it is extremely potent.
I see it more usefual at lvls 12+ when there are multiple high level spell slots to play with. Its also more useful for a spontaneous caster than a prepared caster, due to the situation-dependent nature of the feat; the spontaneous caster can use it when the situation pops up whereas the prepared caster has to hold up a spell slot to keep it ready for that situation.
First off, consider the Draconic, Elemental (Primal)[apg] or Orc [orcs of golarion] bloodlines, and possibly the half orc favored class bonus [apg]. All of these give a flat damage boost to your blasty spells.
For feats, early on look at spell focus/elemental focus and the greater versions, along with improved initiative.
Later, metamagic. Itensify spell and Dazing spell are a few favourites. Empower and Quicken aren't too bad with lots of high level spell arent too bad either.
If you have the feats you could dip in a spell focus for another school (I chose enchantment, personally conjuration is nice for augment summoning) for a boost to your other options.
There you are. more options than you know what to do with. enjoy.
Can dazing spell stop barbarian?What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
Can anything?
Can anything?Can dazing spell stop barbarian?What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
Death star.
Death star.Can anything?Can dazing spell stop barbarian?What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
...AM DIRTY FIAT.
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Most of the good stuff has been said, but:
If you pick an element to focus on:
Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Elemental Focus, Greater Elemental Focus - up those DCs as high as possible.
Empower Spell: +50% damage for 2 levels is a decent trade, especially if you're focusing on one element.
Reach Spell is very decent, as well. Medium Range Scorching Rays at 3rd level is pretty nice, or Long Range Magic Missiles at 2nd level.
Magical Lineage (trait) will let you add on Meta-feats to a particular spell at reduced cost, so that's handy. (Magic Missile is a perennial favorite here)
Intensified Spell lets you get some extra mileage out of those lower level spells, and when combined with Shocking Grasp, can have some really nice benefits. (Electrical Dragon bloodline, Magical Lineage, Intensified, Reach Shocking Grasp can net you a Close Range 10d6+10 Electricity touch attack, with no save for a 2nd level slot.) At a 4th level slot, that's dealing (10d6+10)*1.5 at close range or 10d6+10 at long range.
Finally, the Draconic bloodline & Half-Orc alternate racial traits will allow for extra damage added onto all your chosen elemental spells...Red Dragon blood + Half-Orc = 1.5 extra damage per die on every spell you cast...this will add up.
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A 7th level wizard using Scorching Ray with Toppling Spell at least gets reasonable damage(4d6 vs 1d4+1) if the effect fails.Can't use toppling spell with scorching ray.
I meant to put Dazing Spell which was what the discussion was about. I like toppling spell as an option. However, blaster usually ends up feat intensive and Toppling is just nice to have as opposed to needed to do damage.
If you're gonna go the Dazing spell route, then Arcane sorcerer is you're best bet.
You get +1 to the DC for any metamagic spell.
So you're Dazing fireball costs a 6th level slot but has a 4th level DC, instead of 3rd.
Personally I've never seen much point in spell focus: Evocation or the Gtr version. Area blasts (particularly Dazing ones are for mook swarms. You own thier crappy saves.
Further arcane bloodline's +1DC makes Persistent spell an insta-win.
Truly the bloodline if you wanna be a 'GOD' sorcerer.
Fireball and Dragonsbreath are pretty much the only blasts you need
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If you're gonna go the Dazing spell route, then Arcane sorcerer is you're best bet.
You get +1 to the DC for any metamagic spell.
So you're Dazing fireball costs a 6th level slot but has a 4th level DC, instead of 3rd.
Personally I've never seen much point in spell focus: Evocation or the Gtr version. Area blasts (particularly Dazing ones are for mook swarms. You own thier crappy saves.
Further arcane bloodline's +1DC makes Persistent spell an insta-win.Truly the bloodline if you wanna be a 'GOD' sorcerer.
Fireball and Dragonsbreath are pretty much the only blasts you need
SF & GSF are just components for the "you will not make this save" routine.
Add Elemental Focus, Greater Elemental Focus, Arcane Bloodline, and Persistent Spell (so, 5th lvl fireballs, 4th if you Arcane Lineage for Fireball), and you're looking at Cha+18 on the DC to save for half, rolling twice.
If you can get a "misfortune hex," the shaken condition, or some other debuff in play, and you're looking at a very high likelihood at ALL the enemies failing to save against your spells.
granted, they aren't the SoD's (and with all those tricks above, you could be dropping badguys COMPLETELY out of the fight instead of doing HP damage in an AoE), but the OP was looking for Blaster build suggestions.
...AM DIRTY FIAT.Death star.Can anything?Can dazing spell stop barbarian?What are the best feats for blaster style sorcerer?Dazing Spell. Now all your blasts have debuffs at no additional cost! Other than spell levels. Which are I guess a cost. But it's totally worth it!
Is Groetus twinlinked dirty fiat then because he can shoot two green laser beams out of his eyes.
Is Groetus twinlinked dirty fiat then because he can shoot two green laser beams out of his eyes....AM DIRTY FIAT.
Death star.
ONLY IF AM ABLE TO BLOW UP PLANET.
For bloodlines, a blaster sorcerer is probably best off going human (for the extra spells known using the APG favored class bonus) crossblooded and wildblooded in elemental/primal (+1 damage per die with the associated energy type) and the associated genie (change any energy type into the associated energy type on casting). The extra spells more than counter the fewer spells known with the crossblooded archetype (except for your highest available spell level) and let you pick up spells of every energy type (to avoid resistances or target vulnerabilities), while the bloodline arcana allow you to switch the energy type to/do extra damage in one energy type (without needing a feat or raising the spell level).
Half-orcs are OK if you want to really focus on fire spells (fire elemental/primal or primal and efreeti bloodlines) and/or want to mix in melee (draconic or draconic and efreeti bloodlines; possibly draconic disciple or dragon disciple and eldritch knight), but the +1/2 point of damage per level from the APG favored class bonus isn't that significant (IMO).
For bloodlines, a blaster sorcerer is probably best off going human (for the extra spells known using the APG favored class bonus) crossblooded and wildblooded in elemental/primal (+1 damage per die with the associated energy type) and the associated genie (change any energy type into the associated energy type on casting). The extra spells more than counter the fewer spells known with the crossblooded archetype (except for your highest available spell level) and let you pick up spells of every energy type (to avoid resistances or target vulnerabilities), while the bloodline arcana allow you to switch the energy type to/do extra damage in one energy type (without needing a feat or raising the spell level).
Half-orcs are OK if you want to really focus on fire spells (fire elemental/primal or primal and efreeti bloodlines) and/or want to mix in melee (draconic or draconic and efreeti bloodlines; possibly draconic disciple or dragon disciple and eldritch knight), but the +1/2 point of damage per level from the APG favored class bonus isn't that significant (IMO).
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I was looking for a way to grab energy substitution somehow...
Slightly OT, but did we ever get a ruling on what a 0 on the spells known chart meant? (via crossblooded)
Or can this not go below zero?
It means you can't cast a spell.
It can't below 0, but it can go below 1.
A crossblooded sorcerer can't cast 2nd level spells until 5th level.
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It means you can't cast a spell.
It can't below 0, but it can go below 1.
A crossblooded sorcerer can't cast 2nd level spells until 5th level.
Did a developer say that? Because that's quite frankly a rather hideous ruling. Hell, I personally think the Spells per Day chart for the sorcerer should be bumped up to have them casting spell levels on par with the wizard.
It's even worse than publishing a favored class bonus that essentially makes chosing a non-human race for sorcerers a stupid choice.
Oh, wait...
It means you can't cast a spell.
It can't below 0, but it can go below 1.
A crossblooded sorcerer can't cast 2nd level spells until 5th level.
Did a developer say that? Because that's quite frankly a rather hideous ruling. Hell, I personally think the Spells per Day chart for the sorcerer should be bumped up to have them casting spell levels on par with the wizard.
It's even worse that publishing a favored class bonus that essentially makes non-human sorcerers a stupid choice.
Oh, wait...
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathf inderRPG/rules/ultimateMagicCrossbloodedArchetype&page=1&source=sea rch#14
So whatever table 3-15 is, subtract one.
I think it's spells known. And since the text includes "cantrips", I'm pretty damn certain it's spells known.
A crossblooded sorcerer can't cast 2nd level spells until 5th level.That's not entirely true. A 4th level crossblooded sorcerer could heighten spell a 1st level spell and that would be a 2nd level spell. The slots are still there and they can still be used, its just that you don't know any spells that actually specifically require those slots.
That aside, I wonder what that does to a human's favored class bonus.
Erm right. I forgot about that. They can use those slots for metamagic.
Lingering Spell metamagic works great for converting blasts into damaging battlefield control for only +1 level.
Erm right. I forgot about that. They can use those slots for metamagic.A crossblooded sorcerer can't cast 2nd level spells until 5th level.That's not entirely true. A 4th level crossblooded sorcerer could heighten spell a 1st level spell and that would be a 2nd level spell. The slots are still there and they can still be used, its just that you don't know any spells that actually specifically require those slots.
That aside, I wonder what that does to a human's favored class bonus.
Crossblooded sorcerers can also take the Expanded Arcana feat to learn a spell of a level they can cast, even if they don't have any base spells known of that level due to their archetype penalty.
Preferred Spell allows a sorcerer to add meta magic to a favorite spell (Fireball, Scorching Ray, Magic Missile, etc.) without increasing the casting time. That means you can add all the metamagic feats to a spell you want, and still cast it as a standard action.
This adds a little flexibility back that metamagic stifles for a sorcerer.
There's a limit of one metamagic feat per round. Any others, except Quicken, take a full round and any others add their full spell level cost. It's still good though.