Spell Perfection on a Sorcerer

[Oserath]

I'm playing a sorcerer currently through the Rise of the Runelords AP. I am 8th level now, and am starting to think about my later game build.

Main things I want to do (roughly in this order):
-Summon
-Debuff/Dispel
-Battlefield Control
-Buff

Current build:

Spoiler:

Human Draconic (Bronze) Sorcerer
Feats: Toughness, Combat Casting, Spell Focus: Conj., Augment Summoning, Imp. Initiative, Craft Wondrous.

If I want spell perfection, I need three metamagics. Those will be at 9th, 11th, and the bloodline feat from 13th (Quicken). That leaves my 13th level feat open for a second spell focus or any other choice. The MM feats that I have in mind are Reach Spell (for bestow curse, and other good touch spells) and either persistent, echoing, dazing, piercing, or heighten. Spell Penetration will probably come in at 17th.

With this in mind, what is my best choice for perfection? I really like enervation for dropping powerful foes, but it won't work on undead. I like the idea of dazing ball lightning, but I'm not sure how common immunity is, and that's a lot to sink into one trick.

This campaign will be taking us up to 17th or 18th level, by my understanding.

[andreww]

For Metamagic you definitely want Quicken in there, it is especially useful combined with Spell Perfection.

I would make your perfect spell either Level 5 or 6 if you have Magical Lineage.

If you are going down the Dazing route then Chain Lightning is about the best spell to combine with it for mass Dazing. If you don't have Lineage then Fire Snake will do wonders as well. If persisting single target debuffs then Flesh to Stone (with Lineage), Baleful Polymorph, and Suffocation are good options.

Summon spells are not a great choice with Perfection as you aren't getting much from metamagic effects.

You have some summoning feats so may want to consider the feat which gives you an extra creature and check if your GM allows that to be doubled with Perfection in which case your highest level summon might well be a good choice.

[Blueluck]

Augment Summoning adds +4 STR +4 CON, so would add +8 STR +8 CON with Spell Perfection.

If you have Heighten Spell, you can use a lower level spell for Spell Perfection.

[Oserath]

I hadn't actually thought about whether the summoning feats would get a boost from spell perfection, might make a high Summon monster really good, even if it loses out on metamagic utility.

I think my summoning is pretty much as good as it needs to be, with Augment, so I was figuring that Perfection would give me a second highly useful choice in any fight.

[Wasum]

Dazing persistent aqueous orb. Shapable dazing spell, working all fight long, just insanely powerful.

[bfobar]

I think dazing persistent ball lightning is better than aqueous orb because you get a swarm of the buggers to mob monsters with, but both have a similar result.

You can also take spell specialization if your int is high enough and get a +4 caster level increase on your spell perfection spell. That makes spell resistance easier to penetrate and the spell harder to dispel along with the usual level increases.

[bfobar]

Also, do metamagic feats count as feats that spell perfection doubles? Because then Focused Spell would give you a +4 save DC bonus.

[Wasum]

Ball lightning only hits one target per ball per round. Aqaeous Orb hits every creature it passes.

[bfobar]

Ball lightning also has a higher save, one more round of daze duration, flies, affects all creatures immune to non-lethal damage, can be elemental rod metamagicked into ball acid or something, and does more damage. So different strengths (I think better), similar result.

[Blueluck]

Wasum wrote:

Dazing persistent aqueous orb. Shapable dazing spell, working all fight long, just insanely powerful.

Wasum wrote:

Ball lightning only hits one target per ball per round. Aqaeous Orb hits every creature it passes.

As a conjuration spell, you don't have to deal with SR or elemental resistance/immunity, and the saving throw will benefit from Spell Focus Conjuration. Also, it causes multiple reflex saves, which is ideal for Dazing Spell.

The only downside to Aqueous Orb is that it grants targets cover.

[bfobar]

And it sits on the ground.

[Blueluck]

bfobar wrote:

And it sits on the ground.

Ay, there's the rub!

Thanks for pointing that out.

[andreww]

Wasum wrote:

Ball lightning only hits one target per ball per round. Aqaeous Orb hits every creature it passes.

The benefit of Ball Lightning is that you can have each ball target the same creature and force multiple saves so you make it more likely that the Daze sticks. It is pretty much death to any single creature who doesn't have electrical resistance/immunity.

A Persistent Dazing Ball Lightning makes a creature make 10 saves per round or be out of the fight. With Spell Perfection it's only a level 6 spell slot.

[strayshift]

As a Sorcerer I think meta-magics re the key to your flexibility.

Extend spell I take at level 3 even though it only really is of use at level 4+, it can extend your conjuration, battlefield control and (especially) your buffing spells.

Piercing I would go for next as you will be facing it sooner rather than later I would imagine.

Heighten Spell is brilliant for pumping up the save DC's in combination to spell Perfection also.

That's the three I'd choose.

[andreww]

Piercing can be replaced by Spell Penetration/Greater Penetration. They also get doubled by Spell Perfection which Piercing does not.

Heighten is decent but is overshadowed by Persistent which gives more benefit for a smaller increase in spell level. Forcing two saves is easily worth a 3/4 point DC boost.

Extend becomes fairly irrelevant at higher levels.

Personally I think the best options are Persistent, Dazing and Quicken. Persistent makes all of your save or suck spells much more potent. Dazing is the most powerful debuff in the game as nothing is immune to it. Quicken is simply mandatory to keep up at higher levels and works exceptionally well with Perfection.