I'm joining a campaign that has ran for some time now. They have a bard, a fighter, a rogue and a barbarian/cleric/fighter in their group. So a place for an arcane spellcaster is open and I'm making a sorcerer to fill that slot. And bumping it up to level 10 straight away.
Trouble is, I've never made (or played) such a high level character. So I'm not quite sure what would be the best route to take. All PF material is legal for this build.
Something that the sorc should be able to do:
- Crowd control, as in fireballing etc
- Defend herself from Red Mantis assassins (apparently the group has angered them quite profoundly)
- Able to survive in dungeons a lot, because good olde hack 'n' slash dungeon crawling is the theme
Also, because the game is so high level (at least for me), what matters should I take into consideration game-wise? And by this I mean compared to the low-level games I usually play?
Let it rain!
How will you be doing ability score generation?
How will you be doing ability score generation?
20 point buy.
Also realised there's 62 000 gps I have to spend on something! Where to start...
On Ability Scores
I'm going to presume that, whatever race you are, you'll be getting a racial bonus to your charisma score? You'll probably want something in the neighbourhood of..
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 10
CHA 16
You can take STR, INT, or WIS down to 8 and bring one of the other three up to 12, and/or lower DEX to 12 to free up 3 points for spending elsewhere. If you really want to dump your other ability scores, you could try to squeeze your CHA up higher than that 16, but in general I wouldn't recommend doing it. I likewise wouldn't recommend a CON other than 14. Any higher would just be so expensive, while any lower would make you very fragile with those D6 HD.
On Bloodlines
Have you looked at these yet? Is there one you fancy? Arcane is the most all-around powerful of them, but some of the others are fun, too, though you will be a little more niche with them than you would be with Arcane.
On Feats
Do take Improved Initiative. Do take Spell Penetration. Do take Spell Focus. Probably take Toughness. The rest is going to depend on what type of spells you want to build your character around, which in turn will tie into your bloodline. If you're taking a bloodline that excels at a niche thing, you'll want to make yourself to really excel at that niche thing.
On Equipment
Headband of Alluring Charisma +4: 16,000 gp
Belt of Mighty Constitution +2: 4,000 gp
Robe of Arcane Heritage: 16,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +3: 9,000 gp
Goggles of Minute Seeing: 2,500 gp
Lesser Extend Metamagic Rod: 3,000 gp
Lesser Empower Metamagic Rod: 9,000 gp
Efficient Quiver: 1,800 gp
TOTAL: 61,300 GP
Or, if your Bloodline powers aren't doing enough for you to make the Robe of Arcane Heritage worthwhile, spend 32,000 on a +6 headband.
Why the goggles?
I agree with Anetra on abilities score, putting STR down to 8 to have 12 INT could be useful. For the race, Human should be your choice, as the favored class option from APG allows you to gain more known spells.
Your bloodline choice will depend mainly from how you want to play your sorcerer. Arcane is really powerful, especially if you want to focus on metamagic. Fey is great if you want to focus on enchantment spells. Don't forget to look at the tattoed sorcerer archetype.
For your feats, Spell penetration becomes mandatory at 10th level. Improved Initiative is always useful. Spell Focus must be taken only if you focus mainly on one school. Sorcerers go well with metamagic si you should always consider taking a few : Heighten is great and Extend is always useful (but a rod could be enough for this one), Empower & Intensify are good for blasters, Persistent is to be considered, Silent can help in some situations.
The only magical gear you need is a headband of charisma and cloak (or vest) of resistance. A few lesser metamagic rods and some scrolls (for the spells you don't know but may need to cast) are useful. With UMD as a class skill and your charisma, you should be able to use divine wands without problem. A handy Haversack might help to carry your stuff with your low strength.
Why the goggles?
Hahaha, oh man, yeah, you're right to question that. I actually meant the Eyes of the Eagle, damn things both cost 2500 and the names are both so perception-ey.
There's more than a few sorceror guides out there, do a search.
My rule of thumb is that spells with multiple functions are better than spells with one function, and that spells that affect others are better than spells that don't.
Ex: Wall of Ice can be a wall, it can trap enemies underneath, it can be a protective roof.
Ex: Mage Armor is better than Shield. It can be cast on yourself, the monk, the animal companion, anyone who's going on a boat, the person you're escorting, or the fighter when the wraiths attack.
I also need the following abilities:
attack Reflex saves
attack Will saves
attack Fort saves
attack touch AC
buff the group
protect the group
provide transportation
You have some options here; but my standouts are resist energy, dimension door, and haste.
BTW, you are FAR better off saving some gold for scrolls. Your spell list can't do everything, and if you're the only arcanist, you need a bit of breadth as well.
for example, you either don't need water breathing at all, or you really, really, need it right now.
For the choice of spells here is a little list :
Cantrips are not a problem for sorcerers as they know lots of them and can cast all of them all day long. Some are useful at any level : Light with the Heighten Spell feat can dissipate any darkness spells.
Level 1 :
- Protection from Evil => protects you or a friend from summoned creatures, possession, domination.
- Magic Missile => nice damage for its level + auto hit
- Ray of Enfeeblement => with a ST Fort for half and a duration in rounds, it's no longer as good as it was but it's still a good debuff for a boss fight, combined with metamagic (Empower and/or Persistent)
- Grease => make enemies fall (or lose his weapon), help a grappled friend
- Mage Armor => buff AC of your friends, works against incorporeal
Level 2 :
- Invisibility => always useful, for you, the scout. As a sorcerer you can easily spam it to put all your groupe invisible for a short duration
- Glitterdust => reveals invisible creatures and blinds on a will ST.
- Mirror Image => good personnal protection ot avoid getting hit
- Resist Energy
- See Invisibility
- Web => very good crowd control, no SR, even on a successful ST, creatures are really hindered in their movement
Level 3 :
- Clairaudience / Clairvoyance => very useful to spy a target, know what awaits you behind the door
- Fly
- Haste => best buff spell
- Slow => best debuff spell
- Fireball => area fire damage may serve in some situations but this is far from being the most useful spell
- Blink or Displacement => good protection spells. One is personnal and really effective with a little dawback, you can share the other with your friends
- Dispel Magic => not so great in Pathfinder RPG but you may need it.
Level 4 :
- Charm Monster => everyone is your friend
- Enervation => debuff that works on anything but undeads
- Stoneskin => gives DR to yourself or a friend
- Black Tentacles => nasty crowd control spell
- Dimension Door => free yourself from grapple, flee the combat, cross the lava river
- Confusion => the enemies kill each other
- Wall of Ice => very versatile Wall spell, useful in and outside of combat
Level 5 :
- Break Enchantment => removes a lot of condition, not the first spell to know but always have a scroll on yourself
- Dismissal => if you fight a lot of outsiders
- Hold Monster => enemy fails ST, fighter use coup de grace, end of combat !
- Prying Eyes => spot all around you, search a dungeon in a few minutes
- Baleful Polymorph => now you fight a tiny little rabbit
- Wall of Force => less versatile Wall but very useful
- Telekinesis => very versatile
Anetra, Noir le Lotus, PridefulOne, rkraus2, that's.. that's a lot of good advice! How can you squeeze so much information in such a short time!?!
rkraus2, I know that there are good guides to do this and I'm going to consult them. First and foremost, however, I like to ask people about their opinion. Because I like the feedback and the conversation that ensues.
I think I'm going for the Tattooed Sorcerer. Human as a race. Bloodline.. don't know yet. Arcane or Fey.
And forgot to add: the campaign is Curse of the Crimson Throne. PF rules. It's quite a slow campaign, for they started it 2008 with the PF Beta rules...
If you want to be a Tattooed Sorcerer, I'd recommend doing it with the Fey Bloodline rather than the Arcane Bloodline; the Arcane Bloodline's arcana becomes less useful and much more difficult to use without the 3rd level bloodline power.
If you do Fey bloodline, you'll want to load up on your Enchantment DCs with Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus. Persistent Spell is a good metamagic for DC casters.
I'd also recommend taking Spell Focus Necromancy and the Threnodic Spell metamagic, to allow you to use your mind-affecting enchantments on undead -- otherwise, your Big Guns will be completely ineffectual against them.
1 - Spell Focus Enchantment
Human Bonus feat - Spell Focus Necromancy
3 - Greater Spell Focus Enchantment
5 - Persistent Spell
7 - Threnodic Spell
9 - Improved Initiative
Wait on Quicken Spell so you can spend your second Bloodline Feat on it at 14th level, and if at 15th level you decide you want to take Spell Perfection, I'd suggest taking it for Hold Monster.
On equipment, fey bloodline sorc -> DC caster -> a +6 Headband of Alluring Charisma is of more benefit than a +4 headband with a Robe of Arcane Heritage.
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All this help I've gotten so far has made me really fuzzy inside. So thank you very much!
And finally, the sorc is nearing completion! There are still some issues though. First, the GM told me that the actual level is 11. So he's looking like this now:
Yussuf Shundar-Quah, male human (shoanti) sorcerer 11 (Arcane Bloodline) NOTE: he's NOT a tattooed sorcerer
Second, I'm having some trouble choosing the spells. I've made some choices, I'll list them here. After these choices I'll list the open slots I haven't decided yet - and the spells I'm considering for them:
Spells
Level 1:
- Ear-piercing Scream
- Grease
- Identify (Bloodline Spell)
- Mage Armor
- Ray of Enfeeblement
- Protection from Evil
- Enlarge Person (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell)
Level 2:
- Glitterdust
- Invisibility (Bloodline Spell)
- Mirror Image (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell)
- Resist Energy
- See Invisibility
- Web
Level 3:
- Clairaudience / Clairvoyance (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell)
- Dispel Magic (Bloodline Spell)
- Displacement (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell)
- Fireball
- Fly
- Haste
Level 4:
- Black Tentacles (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell)
- Dimension Door (Bloodline Spell)
- Enervation
- Wall of Ice
Level 5:
- Overland Flight (Bloodline Spell)
- Telekinesis
Open Spell Slots per Spell Level
Level 0-1:
One (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell @ 5th level)
1st: Silent Image? (Better in wand?)
Level 0-2:
One (Human Favored Class Bonus Spell @ 7th level)
Level 2, 3, 4 and 5:
One each (for going up to level 11).
3rd: Windwall? Slow?
4th: Solid Fog? Enlarge Person, Mass?
5th: Wall of Force?
Level 0-4:
One (For 9th level Bloodline Power)
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What spells do you think I need in wands / scrolls in addition for these? Rope Trick? Silent Image?
Feats
Also don't know a squat about them. These I have: Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative (Bloodline Feat), Toughness (GM states as the tagline of this campaign: prepare to die), Spell Penetration. So I'm lacking two feats still.
---
Choosing between a bonded object and familiar is an issue too, at the moment I'm going for owl familiar.
Also, UMD, do I really need it? And if so, how many ranks? As stated, the party has a multiclassed cleric, don't know how many levels of cleric he actually has...
Okay, selected them spells. Feats still open. Character's almost ready. Thanks for all of you!