My (Abyssal) sorcerer is going up to level 5 and I'm trying to decide on new spells. She currently has:
0 - read magic, detect magic, ray of frost, message, light, ghost sound
1 - summon monster 1, magic missile, shocking grasp, cause fear, aphasia, mount
2 - summon monster 2, bull's strengthI have one level 2 spell left. Currently considering Create Pit, Stone Call and Scorching Ray.
I would like to keep to conjuration and enchantment spells for flavour reasons.
Never used Ghost Sound and regret taking it :/
Oh, in case it's relevant, feats are Spell Focus (conjuration), deceitful and Dodge. Haven't picked the new feat yet, but I'm having trouble deciding between a metamagic feat or Combat Casting. Or something to do with summoning. :/ Weapon Finesse is also on the list. While she tends not to get into melee... her strength score is 8. She only just doesn't have a penalty to attack. In the unlikely event she hits with her claws/dagger, the damage dealt is 1d4 -2.
Invisibility is real nice. Good for out of combat recon, good for in combat for the rogue types. Casting Summon monster spells while invisible does not break the invisibility, so a good defensive spell also.
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Glitterdust-
It's one of the best 2nd level spells.
It counters Invisibility
It blinds an area
It is a conjuration.
And it looks cool.
I never pick Summon monster up as a 1st level spell. I recommend replacing it at 6 while grabbing haste and Invisibility...don't jump right on SM3. A SM2 + haste is downright brutal from an invisible person.
As for feats. The only meta magics you could benefit from are Extend and Toppling. I recommend buying lesser rods and apply your feat of Augmented summoning or improved Initiative.
For a feat, maybe augment summoning. Spell wise, glitterdust or create pit.
Seconding Augment Summoning for feat and Glitterdust for spell. Nothing wrong with your choice of Create Pit (also a great conjuration spell) but overall Glitterdust is probably the best 2nd level spell in the game.
The reflex DC does, the climb DC doesn't as it's not a save.
The problem with stilled spells in a grapple is that your concentration check still has to beat 10 + their CMB + the level of the spell you're casting. This makes them very unreliable. The preferable alternative is to activate a magic item instead if you can as there's no check required so long as it's worn or in hand already.
Glitterdust
Glitterdust
As neat of a spell as Glitterdust appears to be, I have never been able to practically apply it in a real game. The only real way to use it would be to already have visibility of the creature, and then use it as a means of providing visibility to your allies as well. Otherwise, you're throwing around 2nd level spell slots blindly, not knowing where it is, which is a lot of spell power at your given level. And by that point, you're better off with a spell like See Invisibility, which works on all invisible creatures, and not just a single one.
I'll go with the others; Create Pit is a solid control spell, along with spells like Stone Call and Web. There's also other general utility spells, like See Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Blur...
I do agree with everyone else about the Augment Summoning feat; giving your summons more HP and attack/damage is always nice in keeping them relevant, since (in my opinion) they tend to fall off sooner than everyone gives them credit for. Metamagic feats for a summon-based character aren't really good; at best, you can get Extend Spell, so your summons don't die out so quickly, and at worst, you're burning a valuable feat on something you probably won't have a practical use for. Did I also mention that, because you're a spontaneous caster, that using Metamagics forces them to become Full Round Actions? No? Then there's a problem you'll likewise have to deal with.
The biggest benefits of summon creatures is to create bodies (and thereby soak up attacks/actions of enemies), and to make use of specific SLAs of creatures that you summon (which is most prevalent with Summon Monster, which you possess). Outside that, they're kind of...eh...
After Augment Summoning, I highly recommend the Superior Summons feat, as it increases the number of creatures you summon with each casting by 1. So, when using Summon Monster III, you're summoning 2 of the strongest creatures, instead of just 1.
OTOH, I've found glitterdust reliably useful. First, as a debuff on entirely visible creatures. As such it's preferable to cloud spells because it doesn't cut out your allies' sight of the enemy. Second on intermittently visible creatures - it's great vs. will o' wisps. Last, on entirely invisible creatures it requires a bit of work with your allies to locate them before casting, but once you have it negates their invisibility for all, not just yourself.
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GlitterdustAs neat of a spell as Glitterdust appears to be, I have never been able to practically apply it in a real game.
Even throwing it out against a fighter type you have a decent chance of Blinding him giving ALL your allies 50% miss chance and making him FF for the precision based Hammers to tear into the enemy.
See invisibility is a good spell and I recommend perhaps getting a Page of Spell Knowledge for it at some point. But a scroll would do you just fine till then.
Still spell is not a counter to a grapple. As AVR says you have to pass an absurd Concentration Check. Best thing to do is avoid a grapple by being in the back lines, Staying Invisible, and not looking like a threat or doing anything that seems dangerous to you small HP pool. There are Items to boost your Concentration checks that you can purchase. Spellguard Bracers & Gloves of Elvenkind both come to mind.
Glitterdust unless Metamagic eventually will run out because it uses Will save, which harder to bypass at higher level.
Also, once saved it didn't do much except avoid invisibility. Also it's hard to land if you don't go first in initiative order.
Create Pit modifies terrain, it works whether enemies save or not, allows for future saves albeit at +2. On certain dungeons can avoid overrun by enemies and give time to set up strategies.
If you usually go first, I'd go Glitterdust, classic save or suck, and then retrain spell to Create Pit, which it will be still useful at higher level
Fox's cunning. +2 DC is very strong. Otherwise I also would go for Invisibility.
After Augment Summoning, I highly recommend the Superior Summons feat, as it increases the number of creatures you summon with each casting by 1. So, when using Summon Monster III, you're summoning 2 of the strongest creatures, instead of just 1.
Superior summons does not increase the number of creatures by 1 like you say. It only increases the count by 1 IFF you are summoning multiple creatures, i.e. Summon Monster III to summon off of the Summon Monster II list:
Benefit: Each time you cast a summoning spell that conjures more than one creature, add one to the total number of creatures summoned.
Well, it turns out Augment Summoning is actually a bonus feat for her bloodline, so I could take that at level 7 instead, for free. Most of the other options require Strength 13. What do you guys think?
Did I also mention that, because you're a spontaneous caster, that using Metamagics forces them to become Full Round Actions? No? Then there's a problem you'll likewise have to deal with.Thanks for mentioning that - I had completely forgotten. Though she only loses her move action for the turn, which I often don't use anyway, so I'm not sure it will be much of a problem.
Superior Summons is a good suggestion but I'd like to get away from using Summon Monster spells all the time.
Regarding spells, I've been strongly considering Glitterdust but have gone with Create Pit this time. Might take that next time.
I will be swapping Summon Monster 1 out next level.
Remember that even if they're bonus feats, you have to qualify for them normally; I'd work towards setting up for it, and then use the bonus feat to select it. (The best part is, since it's a 7th level feat, you get 2 to work with, so it doesn't detract from normal character progression; even though it's a little late to take it IMO.)
You might not have had to use it yet, but the opportunity will come, I assure you; even playing a Heavy Crossbow Bolt Ace with Rapid Reload, in the very first levels, I've had to make decisions about either moving and reloading, or reloading, firing, and taking the 5' step to create or close a gap. I'm sure the GM will eventually throw one of those decisions at you, especially in the case of Metamagic spells.
Superior Summons wasn't as good as I thought; I simply thought it increased the number of monsters you summoned by 1, but it only applies when summoning more than 1 (which is stupid, considering the hefty requirements for it). It could be useful for summoning lesser creatures with a higher level Summon Monster spell for access to extra SLAs, but still...its usefulness then becomes delayed for when you access to creatures with good SLAs.
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Superior Summons wasn't as good as I thought; I simply thought it increased the number of monsters you summoned by 1, but it only applies when summoning more than 1 (which is stupid, considering the hefty requirements for it). It could be useful for summoning lesser creatures with a higher level Summon Monster spell for access to extra SLAs, but...
Army of Lantern Archons is what most people us it for. Light Ray is a Ranged Touch attack that Bypasses all forms of DR. Each Archon can fire 2 a round. Summoning up 1d4+2 or even 1d3+1 is going to be good. After the combat you just have them us the SLA for Aid to everyone. Aura of Menace is not too terrible as they must save against each archon and they can always roll a 1.
But I would never Rush Superior summons IF i even take it. Usually Summons are a much lower CR than the current fight. Just diminishing the CR gap means the summons will eventually just be ignored. (They can't hit well and very weak damage) Its nice when a DM targets them and saves someone from needing a cure but eventually they just are ignored because they are not perceived as a threat like the PCs are.
I keep a pit spell around but at high levels the use gets rare for me. So many things are either too large or have access to fly. Glitterdust can be used proactively when a knowledge check identifies a invis spell like ability hit'em with glitter dust. I have both on my high level sorcerer and both still see play at level 12.
You make a good point, I was still thinking of the spell around Dungeons areas.
Since OP is a Sorcerer, I assumed he wouldn't have Knowledges, but it's still a useful spell for those invi ones.|
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I keep a pit spell around but at high levels the use gets rare for me. So many things are either too large or have access to fly. Glitterdust can be used proactively when a knowledge check identifies a invis spell like ability hit'em with glitter dust. I have both on my high level sorcerer and both still see play at level 12.You make a good point, I was still thinking of the spell around Dungeons areas.
Since OP is a Sorcerer, I assumed he wouldn't have Knowledges, but it's still a useful spell for those invi ones.
Yes it is a decent spell.
If your going to go the Create Pit route you may want to look into a few other things:
1. See if your Melee guy is willing to use bullrush to push things into the pit. Helps both players get more use out of their abilities.
2. Look at spells later that can push enemies into the pits. Hydrualic push, Telekinesis, Pushing hand...
The spell Battering Blast makes for a good one-two punch to get foes into Pits... Force damage and Bullrush right into (Fill-in-the-blank) Pit.
The spell Battering Blast makes for a good one-two punch to get foes into Pits... Force damage and Bullrush right into (Fill-in-the-blank) Pit.
It is also the best single-target damaging spell in the game, beating out spells like Wail of the Banshee, Disintegrate, and so on.