Alright, here's the scenario, my friends and I may do a short campaign over the winter break and I was thinking of playing this character who is a starsoul Alkark or Dynavik sorcerer (get it? dinosaur? meteors? etc.). However I must admit I'm still somewhat new to spellcasters in Pathfinder. So I'd appreciate it if you guys could help me make a decent build, that is fairly easy to use/understand. And truth be told I don't think it'll surpass the first few levels.
So anyway just some feats, suggestions in which direction I should go, any kind of advice really. Hell I'll even settle for whether or not this is a good idea.
Here are some of the features of the races I'm going for:
Alkark: +2 to any ability, +1 CMB and CMD, Medium, +2 for 2 INT, CHA or WIS-based skills other than intimidate.
Dynavik: +2 DEX, +2 CHA, -2 CON, Small (+1 Size Bonus AC, +1 attack rolls, -1 CMB and CMD, +4 stealth checks)
Thanks in advance ^ ^
If it's just a 1-2 level campaign, take:
*Color spray and magic missile as 1st level spells (color spray ends fights, magic missile always hits and is long range)
*The Minute Meteors ability is AOE - useful vs. swarms. Keep it in mind.
*0th level - light, detect magic, ray of frost and daze.
*spellcraft, k(nature), k(arcana)
*at least 12 con, dex, and int, at least 18 cha
*Feats: Hmmm.... spell focus (evocation) if you were going to higher levels. At low level, maybe just toughness.
*Traits: to taste; Eastern Mysteries if the dm allows it.
With my suggestions, you sorcerers bloodline ability won't see use at first level. You could switch magic missile for burning hands or ear-piercing scream.
Last "short campaign" I think the highest level we saw was between 3-4 (our samurai racked up a lot of solo xp).
I mostly wanted to do this to experiment with the sorcerer for future campaigns, see if I like it and if it's useful. But do you think I'd be better off going with a witch?
Anyway appreciate the advice so far ^ ^. I'll have to ask him about the Eastern Mysteries, but I can probably make a case for an Alkark with that trait, because it says they're "cultured" and well rounded, hence why they get a +2 to any ability.
A witch would play quite different from a sorcerer.
Sorcerers, especially at higher levels, are expected to be "boomsticks": casting lots of area affect/high damage spells over and over again. In that role, things like spell focus and spell penetration are really handy, and a few metamagic feats (empower, penetrating, dazing).
For sorcerers spell selection is critical. At higher levels, you would probably want 50% offensive (fireball, chain lightning, burning hand), 25% self/party buffing (haste, stoneskin, mage armor), 25% utility (feather fall, d-door, fly, invisibility), or thereabouts.
Witches are prepared casters like wizards. They choose spells each day, but have a smaller overall spell list than wizards. They tend not to do blasting so much as mind effecting and debuffing spells. In this they excel due to their hexes; Misfortune, Evil Eye and Cackle in particular skew statistics in the parties favor. They generally lack area of effect, blasting spells. Don't play them if your party is expecting a fireball hurler of you. They can also do a little healing.
You need to be careful about the witch patron selection, because it will open up a few spells that may prove useful. Time Patron is popular (gets you haste). In the long run, they probably take a bit more work/learning about spells as you have to change selection each day, but also more flexibility.
Witches have some overlap with sorcerers in feat selection; spell penetration and spell focus are handy. They lack blasty spells, so metamagic feats like bouncing, which has a single target, are much better.
A sorcerer is what you send up against an army. A witch you send up against the army's general. In both cases, you put your party fighter in front of them, cause they are squishy.
UM has a Stars patron which is thematically similar to starsoul, although the Light patron (also UM) mechanically has a more similar spell list to Starsoul.
If you want some of the sorcerer's blastiness, you could take the Elemental patron (APG); not a very strong option, though. Too much dilution of focus, IMO.
Dip 1 level of Oracle of Heavens.... for Awesome Display!
The reason why I was considering witch is I was wondering if it'd be more helpful and if I'd get more use out of it in a smaller campaign. As for the patrons? I've already considered that but every guide I've read advises strongly against all of those patrons. If I went with a witch, I was planning on a different character toying with some of the builds others have made.But that does kind of put it into perspective and I guess it depends if I want to buff/debuff or blast.
And appreciate the suggestion, but I'm still kind of new at this and want to keep it somewhat simple, without having to multi-class/dip, etc. Because I'm afraid I'll screw up somewhere with that,lol.
Casting favors dedicated individuals. Each level of spellcasting is basically gaining access to a whole new set of superpowers. Multi-classing can be effective, but it usually requires some sort of long term vision - in the short term it's a huge setback to a character.
If we're limiting the discussion to low levels, for a witch I would go with Beast patron (charm animal) - unless there is a druid in the party; then maybe vengeance (burning hands) or stars (faerie fire) instead.
Also, you obviously can build a sorcerer which doesn't focus on blasting/aoe. I just wouldn't do it with a starsoul bloodline.
Thank you, your advice has been more than helpful. I'm still torn in between the two, but I think I have a good basis to go off of and have a better idea of what kind things I should consider for both of them. Either way I'm almost positive they're probably going to need some sort of spell caster and whether it's a sorcerer or a witch remains to be seen.
I'm still open to suggestions if anyone else has advice. But overall I thank you for your time, patience and insight.
I want to see someone play a Time Patron Witch.
Silence, haste, disinegrate, and teleport are all really solid Time patron spells.
You also get three-fold aspect, which isn't great since you can get it anyways as a witch,but it's still creepy being able to choose to walk around as a child, woman or crone at whim.