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You can search around and find all sorts of options for spells that deal non-fire damage.. even if you don't go third party publishers Paizo has published so many books that you can find lots of gems.
Most notable coming immediately to mind is Snowball. All the damage of shocking grasp with none of the melee range requirement or Spell Resistance susceptibility, and as an added bonus it isn't even fire damage.
Words of Power has all kinds of blasting spells you can make. :)
I think the most optimal blasting is your sorcerer setup at level 1 and then take the rest of your levels in admixture wizard. Sadly, this makes you a prepared caster rather than spontaneous.
Just another option if you're not married to Sorcerer.
There's always cone of cold and whatever that free quickened version of cone of cold is called.
Maybe find a way to curse an opponent so they lose fire resistance or fire immunity?
Also flurry of snowballs, which is Evocation, but has SR: No, strangely enough. (Ought to be conjuration and No or Evocation and Yes.)
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Also flurry of snowballs, which is Evocation, but has SR: No, strangely enough. (Ought to be conjuration and No or Evocation and Yes.)
Really, I feel that Evocation should just generally be "no", but that's a different discussion more suited to the house rules forum. That snowballs spell sounds like a conjuration spell, but I find it annoying how much evocation gets stepped on so I'd let it slide as a DM.
I hear people raise the praises of the Admixture wizard, but you can buy elemental shifts with Elemental Rods, Lesser for 3000 gold. You can't buy the extra damage you do with a bloodline arcana. Although, with a tribal setting, you might have a little trouble getting rods.
If you nab Snowball, Shocking Grasp, Corrosive Touch, and Spectral Hand(or the reach metamagic) along with your fire, you should be able to at least damage most things. You also shouldn't run into too much fire immunity or resistance in the first four levels or so. It does happen, but that's what Acid Spash and Ray of Frost is for. Back up damage is still damage, and you will still get +1 damage per die from it (orc bloodline might be a bit OP).
I like sonic damage...gets through more often than not for me...research your own spells and make up names if you can.
Cost me most of my loot for a holy sonic spell...Choir Blast...after the Iomadae debacle in the world wound path...it seemed to fit.
I play a 1ED pathfinder mishmash that works for us...I'd just ask your DM...bring pizza!...no DM can resist pizza!
The rules are in the Magic section of the core Rulebook, but new spells should definitely be run by your GM first.
Again though, the Words of Power subsystem(Ultimate Magic) is really, really awesome at blasty type sorcerers.
The rules are in the Magic section of the core Rulebook, but new spells should definitely be run by your GM first.
Again though, the Words of Power subsystem(Ultimate Magic) is really, really awesome at blasty type sorcerers.
the DM won't let me use the words of power :(
In a tribal setting? WoP fit the theme sooooo much better. It's an older, rougher, more raw and archaic language that modern magic is refined from. It's the Latin to our English, if you will. And it's super easy to do. You basically just learn single words that you combine into a raw magical force, like the Dragon Shouts from Skyrim.
You could know each of the element words, a couple range/area words and a couple modifiers and boom: you can cast around 20 versions of your attack spells. Also the trade off for that flexibility is that range and damage are usually reduced, bringing the sorcerer down a peg in the blaster category and possibly balancing some output between you and the others (depending on experience and builds)
Shame you can't convince him otherwise, it's perfect for the settings.
For a high level cold blast, Freezing Sphere seems pretty good, although the damage cap is rather close to the caster level you need to be able to cast it at all. But this limitation isn't as bad as it sounds, because being a cold spell, you can use it with Rime Spell (which costs only +1 spell level, makes targets that fail their saves Entangled, and also works with your lower level cold spells, including the Snowball mentioned above). Also, Freezing Sphere is Long range (more than you're likely to be able to use in most situations) and has a good blast radius (40' radius burst).
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I think the most optimal blasting is your sorcerer setup at level 1 and then take the rest of your levels in admixture wizard. Sadly, this makes you a prepared caster rather than spontaneous.
The BEST blasting route is:
Cross-blooded Gold Draconic-orc Sorcerer 1/ Adamixture Wizard 19
Yes your still a prepared caster...Last time I checked that is a GOOD thing. This means you can prepare alternate Plans when blasting just isn't going to work.
With this Build you get +2 damage per Dice rolled Due to the Cross blood and the Wizard brings in Intense Spells Which lets you add 1/2 your wizard level to damage on a spell that does hit point damage. And the Wizard brings the ability to change the element of the spell. Your fireballs are now Acid balls.
The extra damage from the Crossblooded dip IS multiplied on a critical hit and is multiplied by the Empower feat. The Intense Spells from the wizard only applies to 1 ray if multiple hits, not mulitipled on a critical, and is not increased with empower spell.
In your Core build your going to want the following:
Traits: Magical Lineage- Fireball, and Wayang Spell Hunter- Fireball
Feats:
Improved Initiative
Spell Specialization: Burning Hand (turns to fireball when you get it.)
Spell Focus: Evocation
Intensify Spell>Empower Spell>Dazing Spell>Quicken Spell (In that order and only when you can actually apply them)
Spell Penetration
Spell specialization: Fireball (welcome to your crowning achievement as your throwing out Intensified, Empowered, Dazing Fireball as a 4th level spell Followed swiftly by a Quickened, Intensified, Empowered Fireball in the same round.)
I skip maximize until I have a free feat...usually around level 15 with spell perfection. Empower is actually better and more usable. with those 2 traits you can be throwing empowered fireballs at level 6 easy enough for 63 damage average. If your rush the empower feat. I prefer to take them in order I gave you. Intensifying a Burning hands to a level 2 spell for 10d4+23 is just nasty.
I also typically forgo the familiar for the versatility of the Ring arcane bond for this build. I do love my familiars but as a wizard who will fill a lot of his prepared slots with blasts....having a free spell out of your book when needed helps add to the Versatility of the character.
A feat I did not mention but many people do is...Varisian Tattoo-evocation. It gives you a +1 caster Level. it is an amazing feat and it is worth mentioning. But I typically skip it myself. That is totally up to the builder of the character.
If you want to play a cold blaster you could consider Marid/Orc rather than Draconic/Orc. You lose 1 damage/die but you gain the ability to turn all your fire and lightning blasts cold. Rime Spell is the key feat here. Because you are a spontaneous caster you apply metamagic at the time of casting, not the time of preparation. So you can turn the Fireball cold and apply Rime to it unlike an Admixture Wizard. This build is competitive to a wizard build (weaker but still in the ballpark) and should give you unparalleled versatility for these restrictions. You can now buy a lesser Selective rod rather than an Elemental one for the money and still fireball after round one. Magical Lineage (Fireball) is really recommended here.
I play a 1ED pathfinder mishmash that works for us...I'd just ask your DM...bring pizza!...no DM can resist pizza!what is the save VS pizza?
SAN check, honestly. If you refuse pizza, you're already too far gone.
Words of power is your best option for a blaster. You lose out on lots of utility spells, but you gain a massive control over the way you cast blasting spells. It's a pretty fantastic system.
You have the right of it. Eventually you want both on your fireballs, but early on Empower is better.
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I've got a Sorcerer in the works for PFS: Cross-blooded, Draconic/Primal, the later of the two a mutation of Elemental.
Race: Human
Traits: Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp) is a given. Wayang Spell Hunter always seemed a bit cheesy to me, but your mileage may vary.
Feats: Reach Spell, Spontaneous Metafocus (Shocking Grasp)
The goal here is to get Shocking Grasp with +2 damage per damage die as a spammable ranged touch attack. Reduced spells known doesn't matter when your signature move is available from the start, and you can always add things like Intensify or Maximize and make use of your higher slots of spells per day. It's easy to pick up a feat to switch the element (Acid seems like the safest bet) for when resistances and immunities inevitably become an issue.
Of course, it does have a drop-off point around level 10 or 12, but that's the endgame for Pathfinder Societies. If you're going to go past level 14, then this build might not work so well.
I've got a Sorcerer in the works for PFS: Cross-blooded, Draconic/Primal, the later of the two a mutation of Elemental.
Race: Human
Traits: Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp) is a given. Wayang Spell Hunter always seemed a bit cheesy to me, but your mileage may vary.
Feats: Reach Spell, Spontaneous Metafocus (Shocking Grasp)The goal here is to get Shocking Grasp with +2 damage per damage die as a spammable ranged touch attack. Reduced spells known doesn't matter when your signature move is available from the start, and you can always add things like Intensify or Maximize and make use of your higher slots of spells per day. It's easy to pick up a feat to switch the element (Acid seems like the safest bet) for when resistances and immunities inevitably become an issue.
Of course, it does have a drop-off point around level 10 or 12, but that's the endgame for Pathfinder Societies. If you're going to go past level 14, then this build might not work so well.
Shocking Grasp is a melee touch attack.
I guess, but that's another spell level. You could find a better spamspell if you want it to be ranged. Everything else works though, so go for it I guess.
Elemental Spell (Metamagic)
You can manipulate the elemental nature of your spells.
Benefit: Choose one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. You may replace a spell’s normal damage with that energy type or split the spell’s damage, so that half is of that energy type and half is of its normal type.
Level Increase: +1 (an elemental spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.)
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you must choose a different energy type.
Found in the: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player's Guide.