So here's my trouble. I am largely against optimization and cookie cutters. There is no doubt they are mechanically sound, but I find that for me it takes away from roleplaying (my favorite part). Essentially, I am aware that I am sacrificing sheer power for character concept, and I'm ok with that.
Here's the character concept- A human pestilence bloodline sorcerer who specializes in poisons, disease and abjuration or otherwise defensive magic. He is also sneaky and tactical, preferring to set up ambushes with poisons and aiding his allies while also blocking escape routes or access points for reinforcements. He's kind of an infiltration specialist.
I'm going sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster as soon as possible, and also splitting up my classes, so 1 sorcerer, 1 rogue, 1 sorcerer, 1 rogue, and so on. I believe I can hit arcane trickster by Character level 7 with 4 sorcerer and 3 rogue by using skill points.
What I'm mostly looking for are spells to look out for to help in this area and feats that I may have overlooked. I use a +1 light crossbow at the moment to apply poison (Adder venom for the time being.)I'm currently level 3.
For spells I have generic cantrips- read magic, detect magic, detect poison, mage hand, and for 1st level I have color spray, obscuring mist and magic missile. When I get to that point, the wall spells will be a must. I'm thinking wall of force or stone, but I'm not sure which is more effective in most situations. I'm probably also going to take searing ray to have a damaging spell and it's too good to pass up.
My feats are currently Weapon Finesse (to apply my decent dex mod instead of my poor strength on daggers and the likes), Detect Expertise (to scout out enemy casters or unknown foes before jumping in blindly)and quickdraw, because it's quickdraw. I'm also considering taking butterfly sting, swift poison or the rogue talent that allows full movement speed in stealth, selective spells for if I ever need to nuke or drop a wall in an inconvenient place, toppling spell to aid my team, and eldritch heritage and greater eldritch heritage to make up for not gaining my usual bloodline powers. Are there any other feats or spells that work with the "mostly rogue in playstyle but also able to cast defensive or helpful spells" type?
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Optimization has nothing to do with being a bad role player. Being a good role player has nothing to do with suboptimal character design. Your job as a player is to have the best designed character concept for your role in the party and your role in the drama.
The question you've not asked yourself is: what does THE PARTY need my character to be able to do so that we can all thrive?
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I appreciate anti-optimization, so I'm going to ignore the previous poster and actually try to answer your question.
Consider the Shadow line of illusion spells, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, etc. They have a lot of utility to help make up for your more limited spellcasting. Also, look into the higher level Summon Monster spells. Air Elementals make good flying scouts, Lantern Archons can relay a message for you via teleport at-will if you're ever trapped behind enemy lines, and Mephets have a whole assortment of useful spell-like abilities (Glitterdust, Windwall, etc).
Honestly other than your sub optimal but awesome prestige class choice (arcane trickseter is an amazing idea but it sucks) you can't really be an anti optimisation sorcerer unless you go out of your way to make bad choices.
Onto your question, your better using indirect effects that do not allow a save or work even if the save is passed to some extent. The illusion spells mentioned above but you will get more use and be more useful to your party with buff spells, with a sorc pick up a defensive spell you like (mirror image is nice and fits your concept moving toward greater invisibility and mislead/project image) get a way to use your sneak attack (point blank/precise shot and some ranged touch attacks) for your damage and look into a bloodline that gives you extra damage per die.
But honestly you need to look at spells that are always useful and pretty much always work, if you enlarge a damage dealer and cast haste no one minds of you spend the rest of the combat throwing d6's around and do less damage than a lvl 3 commoner. Walls, silent image, summons, enervation et al, your save dc's can't matter and you need to watch your caster level but you canstill be effective if not optimal.
Reading the character concept I would say just go straight sorcerer with ranks in Stealth. I would also reflavor some of the generic spells to be in theme (GM willing), that way you can useful and thematic.
If you were planning on going mostly rogue with some spell casting, then I would have suggested Bard with Eldrich heritage to pick up the Pestilence theme. Alternately you could have gone with the poison theme and made a Vivisectionist.
There are so many archetypes in Pathfinder that you almost never have to multiclass to get something close to an initial concept (and then you can usually reflavor from there). IMO it is easier to build characters that way and often more effective than mashing classes together or going for a prestige class.
Then again, I am a relative newbie to PF so I might be wrong :P!
Um... do you really want the sneak attack or do you just want a really stealthy sorcerer type?
Cause if you string together the Seeker and crossblooded(sage and umbral) archetypes you can get an intelligence based sorcerer that has trapfinding and hide in shadows (among some other nifty abilities).
Um... do you really want the sneak attack or do you just want a really stealthy sorcerer type?
Cause if you string together the Seeker and crossblooded(sage and umbral) archetypes you can get an intelligence based sorcerer that has trapfinding and hide in shadows (among some other nifty abilities).
Actually, that does sound pretty good. The trouble is, I am sort of dead-set on being pestilence bloodline. I guess I could eldritch heritage it up, though.