Utlility sorcerer?

[Arcane possession]

Currently playing my first sorcerer in a group of 6 (1 gold-digging rogue, 1 damage obsessed magus, 1 lonely ranger, 1 power mad barb and a righteous paladin).
Started off focusing more on control casting and odd buff, but the more I play the more I seem to be dabbling across the board, the optimization of the class seems less interesting than pure flavor.
So my question is can a sorcerer with its selection of spells known become a utility player, strong in all areas except melee on a consistent basis?

[strayshift]

Are you human (or half-human)? Put simply the key to the answer is your number of spells known. The human alternative favoured class bonus is HUGE for Sorcerers. Talk to the Magus as well and see what they are memorising and look at what you consider desirable buffs/utility spells at each level.

You have a lot of characters in the party that SHOULD be decent in combat and so buffs like Haste, Enlarge Person, etc. should play to your parties strengths. Utility Spells like Invisibility, Darkvision, Fly are also useful (especially with the Extend Spell metamagics).

Finally I don't see much healing and so your Use Magic Device skill may be important for using wands, etc.

Sorry to be so generalised but I don't know the character details and also how you guys play.

[Arcane possession]

yes I play a human and am taking advantage of the favored class benefit. Talking to the magus about memorized spells is almost impossible due to his alignment, the GM let him choose lawful evil and thus prides secrecy above cooperation. We did have a cleric but the magus killed him in battle due to confrontation, so the healing capabilities have diminished.
Although I have mentioned many times my party seems to like to play a purely reactionary tactic.
Normally the barb charges in on BBE, the magus follows shortly after, the ranger and rogue focus on any other creature. The paladin helps where needed.
Presently the bonus spells have been instrumental at helping the party but the more we progress I wonder if my tactic of non-specialization will ultimately be the downfall of a TPK.
This generalization of my role has been a headache when a take feats.

[strayshift]

I suspect your parties lack of healing and co-operation (also a Paladin and an evil magus?) will be your downfall, not your build.

[Reynard_the_fox]

Arcane possession wrote:

yes I play a human and am taking advantage of the favored class benefit. Talking to the magus about memorized spells is almost impossible due to his alignment, the GM let him choose lawful evil and thus prides secrecy above cooperation. We did have a cleric but the magus killed him in battle due to confrontation, so the healing capabilities have diminished.

Although I have mentioned many times my party seems to like to play a purely reactionary tactic.
Normally the barb charges in on BBE, the magus follows shortly after, the ranger and rogue focus on any other creature. The paladin helps where needed.
Presently the bonus spells have been instrumental at helping the party but the more we progress I wonder if my tactic of non-specialization will ultimately be the downfall of a TPK.
This generalization of my role has been a headache when a take feats.

Oh my. No offense, but this party sounds like a bit of a mess - even an evil character should know better than to kill the guy that heals him. It sounds like your best bet is to cast the enemy into disarray - if they can't utilize teamwork against you, then the strength of your individual party members should be enough to win the day. Spells like Confusion and Fog Cloud will be your friend. (Barbarian wants to charge the boss but there are minions in the way? Fog Cloud so they don't get AoOs as he rushes past them.)

When it comes to "generalization"... it depends on what level you are and what the Paladin and Magus like to cast, but it's certainly possible to cover a broad number of situations even with the limited spells of a sorcerer. Start with spells with lots of applications, like Summon Monster VI or Shadow Conjuration/Evocation. If you think you can wrangle the party long enough to touch them all at once, having access to Communal Resist Energy and/or Communal Protection From Evil will really save your bums in some situations; alternately, an all-purpose buff like Haste is always useful. Dispel Magic is another one that is frequently useful. Fill in the rest of the spell list with your favorite spells; just make sure you have at least one of each "type" (blasting, battlefield control, debuff, etc.) and you can't really go wrong. Oh, and make sure you have some scrolls of the weird stuff - you don't often need spells like Wind Wall or Water Breathing, but when you do, you need them a lot.

As to generalist feats, here's a list that should always be good:
Toughness
Improved Initiative
Improved Familiar (for Arcane bloodline)
Great Fortitude/Iron Will
Persistent Spell
Silent Spell (if you like to use Invisibility)
Expanded Arcana (if you really want extra versatility)
Combat Casting
Skill Focus
Quicken Spell

[Artanthos]

Arcane possession wrote:

Currently playing my first sorcerer in a group of 6 (1 gold-digging rogue, 1 damage obsessed magus, 1 lonely ranger, 1 power mad barb and a righteous paladin).

Started off focusing more on control casting and odd buff, but the more I play the more I seem to be dabbling across the board, the optimization of the class seems less interesting than pure flavor.
So my question is can a sorcerer with its selection of spells known become a utility player, strong in all areas except melee on a consistent basis?

A Ring of Spell Knowledge makes a sorcerer more versatile as a utility caster than a wizard.

[Ravingdork]

Pages of spell knowledge.

Lots of 'em.

EDIT: Never waste your personal spells on utility unless you KNOW you will use it EVERY DAY.