Suggestions for Non-Damage Sorcerer Spells


Advice


For the campaign we're playing in now my wife and I are playing a matched pair of characters. We are twin magical gnomes with different personalities (ying and yang twins: a study in contrasts). She is an evocation-focused wizard: 90% of the time she is casting direct damage spells on the enemy. Fireball, flaming sphere, magic missile: anything to bring down the bad guys.

Meanwhile, I am a Fey Bloodline Sorcerer. In contrast, I have taken NO direct damage spells. From first level I was using Silent Illusion and Grease to confound opponents. I am now 5th level, and have things like Spider Climb and Hideous Laughter.

What I am looking for is suggestions of spells I can take. Because a sorcerer is so limited in spells known, I have to choose wisely. (For instance, I had thought Enlarge Person would be a useful buff for my party members, but turns out they felt the reach and extra damage weren't worth the AC and Dex penalties so I had to swap out that spell.) I am looking for interesting utility spells or effective battlefield control and debuff spells. Both because I'm a "prankster" personality and also because I don't want to steal my sister's shtick, it shouldn't be anything that does direct damage.

Any suggestions for useful (low-level: 1st through 4th level spells) spells that fit this style?


For battlefield control, spells like Web and Create Pit are good.

Most of the cloud spells (minus obscuring mist) can be extremely good for non-lethal, especially against a group of enemy archers.

Invisibility, Vanish and (Especially) greater invisibility usually come in handy often. Especially since you can use it on other party members.

Glitterdust is generally useful. Gives potential blindness and helps you and your party find invisible creatures.

If you like save or suck spells, Bestow Curse can royally screw over your opponents if they fail the save.

Tiny Hut is actually really good against ranged opponents as you and your allies can see out and the opponents cannot see in. Not to mention a good spell for setting up camp in.

Sleet / Ash Storm are good if you can get the jump on your enemies from further away. They have a long range and large area of effect. I'd probably take Sleet Storm over Ash Storm though.

And of course I'm sure there are plenty others.


Reduce Person gives nothing but buffs to a small character.


Thanks for the help, guys.

The options that really stood out for me were:

Web - 2nd level, excellent battlefield control spell, even capable of ending certain encounters which I had overlooked
Glitterdust - 1st level, not a new idea, but this multi-purpose spell is widely recommended for Sorcerers
Tiny Hut - 3rd level, standard out-of-combat utility spell but with interesting uses in-combat as well
Reduce Person - 1st level, somehow I hadn't realized that, as IejirIsk says, there is practically no downside for a small character. My str, weapon damage, and intimidate are already so low as to be useless, this only helps with ranged attacks, defense, and stealth.


also, meant reduce for a ranged char poses no major downsides, but yea, caster's too


Are you more into prannking enemies or helping friends? There's a lot of useful second-level buff spells (resist energy, blur, stat-boosting -- no fighter will turn down bull's strength, scare, false life, and levitate.

Third level spells just blossom out there into huge numbers of things, but maybe you aren't thinking oft them yet. Pit spells, haste, fly, heroism, hold person, blood rage, tiny hut, ray of exhaustion, slow...


It's all about Haste. Always. Forever.


Hmm, oddly your classes seem a bit opposite.
I'd have thought the blaster would do better as a sorcerer for more spells per day, especially since they always know what spell to use (the one that goes boom).
The wizard, however, would do better at utility because they can prepare scrolls of anything and know more spells.

Obviously you are doing this for thematic reasons, not mechanical ones, so that point doesn't matter too much.

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Anyway, I agree that Glitterdust is a good option. If there are rogues in the party Glitterdust makes enemies easy to hit and vulnerable to sneak attack!

The invisibility spells and Haste are also good, as others have said.


Aqueous Orb (APG) is my very favorite spell in the world.

Level 3, deals 2d6 nonlethal damage and rolls your enemies up in a giant ball of water. Excellent control with a little damage, although enemies can drown inside.

Most importantly, it's hilarious. I've now got a Lesser Persistent Metamagic Rod for it on my wizard. Persistent Aqueous Orb requires 4 Reflex saves a round per creature I can roll it over.

Stinking Cloud (3) and Confusion (4) can both win a battle without dealing any damage at all.


Yar, Stinking Cloud is neat.

Slow is also great. Less of a game winner, but targets a much weaker save, so it kinda evens out.

Both are third level, which you'll get next level.

Due to your Bloodline Arcana however, Opppressive Boredom might be right up your alley. Targets Will saves (usually a Monster's weak point), is a Compulsion effect (which gives you your +2 to the DC), and basically takes one guy out of the fight for 5 rounds at this level (or until he makes one of the higher-than-normal saves).

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