I plan on making a sorcerer in an upcoming game who makes use of the experimental spellcaster feat from the Words of Power magic system; I like the idea of Wordcasting, but I I believe the system gives up more than it gains in the long wrong, so I don't want to commit this character to it.
Rather, I'd like to pick up a few words here and there using the aforementioned feat. For those of you who have used the system, or read through it, what would be the most useful words to pick up for a sorcerer? Are there any clever combination of wordspells that will endure into the higher levels?
The first Word that comes to mind is Undeath, since it gives free zombies and skeletons with just a Standard Action.
The first Word that comes to mind is Undeath, since it gives free zombies and skeletons with just a Standard Action.
Good call. I'm also thinking of Wrack and Frost Fingers. Wrack because I like it as a good area debuff, one that will hopefully stay useful as I level up, and Frost Fingers because I like cold damage, and there aren't very many good cold spells compared to fire. The stagger debuff is also awesome.
Taking too many feats to get multiple words might not be optimal. With that said, don't take blasting words. Their strength is in their ability to be combined, but you (probably) wont be doing that.
I was thinking of taking the feat 2 or 3 times over the cource of the campaign to pick up some of the better words; Undeath has been mentioned as being superior to Animate Dead, for instance. Normally, I'd eagerly go for the Servitor spells, but those won't scale, sadly.
I like Frost Fingers because it has solid damage and a stagger, plus it can be intensified to basically match a fireball in damage, plus the debuff.
That's a standard trade for a sorcerer, isn't it? One feat for one spell?
That's a standard trade for a sorcerer, isn't it? One feat for one spell?
The first time you pick the feat, it's only one spell. Each additional time, you get to pick two words of any level you can cast to add. So really, taking it three times would net me 5 wordspells.
It may not be the greatest use of a feat, but it's better than Extra Arcana.
At low levels words of power does give up far, far more than it gains. However, as you get into the middle levels the flexibility inherent in the system starts to account for some of the power. However, experimental wordcaster can't come close to replicating their flexibility.
As to what words to pick, well that is difficult. Undeath is a very, very good word. Make no mistake about it. But you're trading a feat and gaining a single spell known. I'm not sure that's really a trade I'd want to make very often, if at all, no matter how good the spells are.
It's really a hard decision for me. The wordcasting system offers amazing flexibility, and some of the words are clearly better than their standard equivalent.
On the other hand, many of the words are far worse; their version of mage armor is clearly inferior, and as more and more books get published, the standard caster gets more options. I highly doubt wordcasting will receive any more support from paizo; I sense it will go the same way that WotC did with their own variant magic systems. Which makes me sad because the system has a lot of potential.
I guess Experimental Spellcaster is me trying to have my cake and eat it too.
Shameless Bump
*Bump*
The first Word that comes to mind is Undeath, since it gives free zombies and skeletons with just a Standard Action.
Be sure to clarify with your GM whether the word can create variant undead. The word's description doesn't specify, and the variant undead rules in bestiary 1 are unhelpful, so a GM is basically left to just do a gut ruling one way or the other. If the spell doesn't allow for fast zombies or bloody skeletons, it goes from a no-brainer first-pick to just average.
It may not be the greatest use of a feat, but it's better than Extra Arcana.
Yup; pretty much always better to go with experimental wordcaster rather than extra arcana if you're going to pick it up more than once. Sure, the versatility doesn't really add up like a true wordcaster, but if you pick and choose the best wordspells you're still going to get something nice out of it.
I suppose it depends what you want your sorcerer to be doing.
For a buffing-type sorcerer, you could take Disappear and Accelerate (pseudo-pounce), both 2nd level effect words with boost options.
Cast either by themselves as 2nd level spells, cast both at the same time as a 4th level spell, boost Disappear for greater invisibility as a 4th level spell, or cast boosted Disappear + Accelerate at the same time as a 5th level spell. All with the selected target word, which could in itself be boosted to affect the whole party, albeit at the cost of a spell slot 3 levels higher.
I think you'll definitely get more value out of lower-level effect words, for these kinds of reasons.
Another trick is having the Corrosive Bolt 2nd level effect word and the lengthy metaword. By itself corrosive bolt ignores SR, deals up to 5d4 acid damage in the first round and again in the 2nd round. Can be Intensified to 10d4, and using the Lengthy metaword makes it last 4 rounds instead of 2 as a 3rd level spell. Again, boost the Selected target word to affect multiple enemies as a 6th level spell (would work a bit like chain lightning in this case, but you'd have to roll to hit each target instead of them getting a save to half damage)
Wrack (1st level) pairs up nicely with Paralyze Humanoid (3rd level).
There was a guide knocking around here a few days ago. You could take a look through it?
Ohhh, that's a good list. I completely overlooked Corrosive Bolt, because there was some sort of confusion over the duration, but I can see the usefulness of adding that spell; acid being one of the least resisted elements, it's hard to find some good spells that deal that type of damage (without using the metamagic feat to change elements.
Disappear is also pretty nice; two spells for the price of one.