Hello, I'm running a Human Arcane Bloodline Sorcerer, and I'll be hitting 4th level after our next session probably. I'm aiming for battlefield control, but eventually the dungeon we're running is probably going to have a bunch of high CR evil outsiders, so there's that to keep in mind.
Currently my spell selection is:
Color Spray
Grease
Ear Piercing Scream
Identify
so far Grease has been my undeniable clutch spell.
I have scrolls, notably duplicates of Mage Armor, Summon Monster I, and Shield.
and at 4th level I'll get a new 1st level spell, my first 2nd level spell, and I'll get to trade out a 1st level spell.
I have Improved Initiative, Spell Focus: Conjuration, and Persistent Spell. I took the Magical Lineage trait for Grease so will have access to a CR 18 Persistent grease as a level 2 spell. I'm planning on taking Augmented Summoning, possibly at level 5.
My tentative plan is to take Summon Monster II and Hydraulic Push and sub out Color Spray for Silent Image. Does that sound smart?
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Wait, you're using scrolls of Summon Monster I? I'm a little puzzled by that, the duration seems to be too short (just one round) to get much use out of it.
At any rate, if you're going to look into summoning... you may wish to consider Vanish even though Invisibility is coming up soon. Often you need a round of safety to get your summoning going, or else enemies will shoot you during the casting to disrupt the spell. It also has value since most of your other spells are close range so you're incurring some risk anyway. The only problem with my advice is you'd have to spend a spell-swap on Vanish later once you pick up Invisibility, so this is 'a suggestion to consider' rather than 'you must do this.'
Grease is as good as you've realized, and worth keeping.
However, Grease is why I'm going to urge against picking up Hydraulic Push. They don't do the same thing, but they cover roughly the same role of controlling the enemy's position and attack options.
You may wish to consider Magic Missile. Yes, it runs contrary to the Control idea. Not everything can be reliably controlled. There are some nasty creatures in this level range that MM is very suited to dealing with, so it may be worth considering.
Silent Image is something I have no particular experience for or against its use, but others widely advise it. Probably a decent choice overall.
Your spell list seems pretty good in general, so you don't have to worry about mangling this up too badly; unless you do blatantly dumb stuff you should be fine.
I like the break spell in place of color spray or summon monster 1, but that depends entirely on what sort of enemies you are facing.
Mount is generally going to be a better spell for you than summon monster 1 (it's a much bigger meat shield and lasts longer).
Identify seems like a waste of a spell to me. Are you so skill-rank poor that you can't get ranks into spellcraft to identify things?
I like vanish pretty much at all levels. Reason? Quicken Metamagic. Who cares that the duration is low when the reason you are taking it is to give you an swift action to turn invisible long enough to get out of trouble (or into trouble if you plan on delivering close/touch range spells).
As a GM i gave a mini boss sorcerer vanish and cast it quickened, frustrated the party considerably(could have been casting normal level spells in those slots, but a metamagic low level spell is usually better than a unmodified high level one).
Honestly I like vanish more than I like invisibility right now because of this. I could even skip invisibility completely and never swap out vanish (of course still take improved invisibility eventually, but wait until its your 3rd or 4th spell for that level).
I’m a big fan of Glitterdust, I would recommend taking that for your second level spell, especially if you are geared toward battlefield control.
I’ve blinded numerous fighters and monsters, including heavy hitting Ogres and even a Hill Giant. It has saved our party more than once.
I also like the spell as it coats anyone, even if they make their save, and makes it impossible for them to go invis or stealth. Great for those pesky mages or rogues.
I hadn't thought about Mount or the fact that a scroll of Summon Monster I would only last one round. Dumb.
From level 4 to 11, I'll be getting 8 level 2 spells total, with human bonus spells. And I'll most likely be using exactly 1 of my swaps on a level II spell.
The spells I'm DEFINITELY planning on taking are:
Summon Monster II
Glitterdust
Invisibility (Arcane Bonus)
Oppressive Boredom (I foresee a lot of Persistent Spell with this one)
Create Pit
Fog Cloud
I figure I'll take Summon Monster II first since Summons are at their best the first level they become available, and it will make Augmented Summoning a meaningful feat at level 5. Our game is using the entire SRD minus guns, psionics and 3rd party material, so the alternate summons are available. Hello Grig and Hell Hound.
I'm open to suggestions as to what other level 2 spells to take. These will be gained at levels 9 and 11, and I'll probably swap Summon Monster II out for something at level 8.
As for 1st level spells. Really people don't like Hydraulic Push? It scales with caster level all the way up to 20 and it attacks CMD rather than a save. There are enemies, especially small enemies with great Reflex saves and so-so CMDs. But maybe it can wait.
Vanish and Create Mount do sound appealing. I'm confused about Mount, though. Do you have to get on it? Can it walk around the battlefield blocking enemies and soaking up hits away from you if you want it to. Is it combat trained? Do you control its actions like other summoned monsters?
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Don't misunderstand; I'm not dumping on Hydraulic Push. It's a good spell. My advice against it mostly stems from you having a similar role spell already, Grease. Yes, they do very different things... but their end results are similar; you are controlling where they can be at on the battlefield.
You could take Hydraulic Push and do something useful, no doubt about it. There will even be times where you would say "Hell yeah, glad I picked it!" So please don't interpret my advice as doomsaying.
Nonetheless, I think you would be well served by picking a few spells that allow you to do things beyond very short range. Most of your spell list currently requires you to be fairly close to the action, and I think a few with longer reach might benefit you.
Although you are getting Invisibility for free, the majority of your invisible durations are covered with Vanish or extended Vanish. Why use a 2nd level spell when you can use a 1st?
I would take Web over Fog Cloud. Summon Monster II + Web or Glitterdust by 5th level.
