Quick advice for my first caster

[Texas Snyper]

For the most part I think I know what I am doing but I just want to make sure I'm not falling into a noob trap or something like that.

For my current campaign my main character is about to go on a solo quest for other reasons and so her "business partner" is tagging in for an adventure or two. He prides himself in being a very good people person. I still have one feat left to get but I'm not sure what exactly would be a good pick. Right now I've thought about getting: Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Combat Casting, or other. The robe of arcane heritage gets me to the +2 Enchantment DC from arcane bloodline for a total DC increase of +4, DC 26 for 5th level enchantments. Also how are my feat and spell choices?

Level 11 Human Sorcerer (Arcane Bloodline)
Str: 7 (-2)
Dex: 12 (+2) (14 belt)
Con: 14 (+3) (16 belt)
Int: 12 (+2) (16 headband)
Wis: 10 (+0)
Cha: 20 (+7) (24 headband) (+2 levels, +2 race)

HP: 79
AC: 22 (14 touch, 20 flat)
Saves: Fort 9, Reflex 8, Will 10

Traits:
Extremely Fashionable(Diplomacy), Focused Mind

Feats:
Spell Penetration, Piercing Spell, Persistent Spell, Silent Spell, Craft Wonderous Item, Spell Focus[Enchantment](bloodline feat), Greater Spell Focus[Enchantment], **open feat slot**

Spells:
0th: Arcane Mark, Detect Magic, Jolt, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1th: Alarm, Enlarge Person, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement
2th: Darkvision, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Resist Energy, Scorching Ray
3th: Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly(page), Haste, Phantom Steed, Suggestion
4th: Charm Monster, Confusion, Dimension Door, Remove Curse, Terrible Remorse
5th: Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Overland Flight

Skills:
Bluff 25(+11), Diplomacy 28(+11), Fly 6(+1), Intimidate 11(+0), Know(Arcana) 11(+5), Know(Planes) 11(+5), Perception 20(Headband), Sense Motive 15(Headband), Spellcraft 17(+11), UMD 24(+11)

Thrush Sage familiar +3 Diplomacy
Know(Arcana) 16, Know(Local) 17, Know(Planes) 17, All other knowledges 12

Items:
Quarterstaff of entwined serpents (all day magic missiles)
Armor of nat armor +2
Belt of physical might +2 (dex/con)
Circlet of persuasion
Cloak of resist +3
Extend metamagic rod, lesser
Eyes of the eagle
Gloves of Storing (holding extend metamagic rod)
Handy Haversack
Headband of mental prowess +4 (CHA, INT) [Sense Motive, Perception]
Ioun Torch
Page of spell knowledge - fly
Ring of force shield
Ring of protection
Robe of arcane heritage

[avr]

Quicken Spell is your level 11 pick. Being able to disappear as a swift action is too good to not take. I'd also get a few other first level pages to use with that feat - obscuring mist in case the enemy can see invisible when you want to disappear, hydraulic push or snowball to interfere with people trying to full attack you, grease for a little more battlefield control.

[NoTongue]

Ring of force field is not a very good item. Uses up a precious ring slot.

Get yourself a Mithral Buckler +2 or +1 and ability for 3000 less. No arcane spell failure, no armor check penalty.

A sneaky suggestion to play what is human but better would be to play a Peri-Blooded Aasimar.

1.If you take the alternate race trait crusading magic it gives you the same benefits as spell penetration plus bonus knowledge planes.

2.You get +2 charisma and int, the int is bonus skills but better.

3.If you want to be known or pass as human you can take the scion of humanity.

4. You get a few other bonuses on top of this, some energy resistance, bonus to spellcraft and additional knowledge planes, darkvision.

An aasimar is just outright better for your character.

Finally get yourself a mnemonic vestment, I consider it an essential piece of equipment for spontaneous casters. Once a day you use a spell slot to power a scroll instead of burning up the scroll. Very handy for situational utility spells like teleport, identify, tiny hut, scrying, locate object, etc.

[Texas Snyper]

Thanks for the tips, I think I'm going with Quicken, even though I can't quicken invis until 12 but quicken enlarge person and ray of enfeeblement sound pretty nice. Is a quickened Ray of Enfeeblement worth it at this level?

I'm dropping the ring of shield for a ring of spell knowledge III (currently tongues) but I can swap it for other spells later on as I come across them.

The buckler doesn't seem to stack with my mage armor in hero lab so I don't think its worth it.

While all of the Aasimar stuff is cool and good to know, it just doesn't fit this character but thank you! (He's CN worshiper of Calistria)

And the mnemonic vestment clashes with my robe of arcane heritage for the +2DC and +1 use of metamagic adept.

[avr]

Ah, right. One more page to get or spell to swap for - Vanish. I'm not that fond of Ray of enfeeblement because it has so many points of failure. An attack roll, close range, Fort save for half (usually the best save on a bruiser) & spell resistance. YMMV.

Hero Lab's wrong & a buckler does definitely stack with mage armor.

[Melvin the Mediocre]

I'd swap fireball for stinking cloud as it is more versatile.

[Dastis]

Wildblood with arcane bloodline is worth considering

No staff of entwined serpants. As a sorcerer you already have magic missiles all day.

Battering Blast > fireball for non dedicated blasters

Peircing spell is typically a metamagic rod

Craft rod is a great craft feat for sorcerers. Possibly better than craft wondrous item just because they don't know many spells

Improved Familiar is definately worth considering

I prefer quicken spell at lv13

You can move some of the skill points off umd. Only need a +19 for auto success for everything but scrolls

I prefer Gloves of Elvenkind for hand slots. +1 Training(quick draw
) gauntlets > than gloves of storing for rod abuse and cheaper to boot

Heightened awarness is another 1st level spell that remains nice

+X Mithril buckler > ring of force sheild. Cheaper and easier to enchant

Well done btw

[Texas Snyper]

So I guess I forgot to include that one of his key things is that he is definitively a people person. He handles people well. The wildblooded INT wouldn't work. It is also why he has his Thrush (+3 Diplomacy). I can understand why no staff. I'm actually thinking MM isn't even needed at this point (am I wrong for some reason that 5d4+5 is a good thing to have at this point in the game?). A reg rod of Piercing would be good if I could squeeze it into the budget but it won't fit.

Imp. Familiar is nice but the +3 diplo and sage knowledge rolls are really all I need from the familiar.

Love the gloves of elvenkind, haven't seen those before and are by far amazing. Also wow heightened awareness is awesome, its ~almost~ a free Imp Init feat as a spell.

Also, I figured out the problem with my hero lab and the shields. The staff of entwined serpents = 2H so it wasn't allowing buckler AC gains. Once I dropped the staff I was getting shield AC so we're good there now.

Thank you for all of the suggestions!

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

How long is this character going to be played? because for one or two sessions the crafting feats might not see value on that investment.

Given your spell list I'm not convinced quicken spell is worth it for you unless you're getting a page of Vanish.

are you attracted to fireball for the AOE element? because for plain damage you'd be better with battering blast.

Bouncing Spell and Threnodic spell might interest you.

[andreww]

Texas Snyper wrote:

So I guess I forgot to include that one of his key things is that he is definitively a people person. He handles people well. The wildblooded INT wouldn't work.

That very much depends on whether or not you are willing to take the Clever Wordplay trait and run your diplomacy from Int. You could take Student of Philosophy (and run most of both diplomacy and bluff from Int) or Cunning Liar (Int for Bluff).

Making Int your primary casting stat means you also get a huge number of extra skill point.s to use and can max out the key social skills as well as a variety of others.

On your spells you have a lot of redundancy in there. I find for a sorcerer, even one specialised in a particular school) that there is still little benefit to taking multiple spells which largely do the same thing.

Feeblemind, Confusion, Terrible Remorse and Hold Monster are largely all doing the same thing, dropping powerful will saves on an opponent in combat. You really don't need 4 of those.

Unless you need to provide it as a buff Fly and Overland Flight are redundant. I certainly wouldn't pay the 9000gp for a Page of Spell Knowledge (or 4500 if you are crafting it). Phantom Steed and Fly certainly seem redundant together. I would recommend picking up Heroism as a great buff spell.

Spells I might consider as options include Heightened Awareness, Liberating Command, Glitterdust, See Invisibility, Page-Bound Epiphany, Daylight (deeper darkness is a pain), Tongues (especially useful for an enchanter), a pit of some kind and Emergency Force Sphere (for staying alive). I think you need better options for when your enchantment spells wont work.

For your remaining Feat I would suggest Improved initiative. As a control/save or suck caster you need to go first. I would also by lots of level 1 pages of spell knowledge for a variety of utility spells.

If you want a comparison, below is my level 11 Int based Arcane sorcerer. He is focused on conjuration rather than enchantment but you can see how the change to Int primary affects things. His Int is 2 higher than it would normally be due to a PFS boon he has applied to him.

Level 11 Int Sorcerer:

Gunther Gallonica
Male half-orc sorcerer (seeker, wildblooded) 11 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 70)
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22

--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+4 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +3 shield)
hp 79 (11d6+33)
Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +14
Defensive Abilities sacred tattoo

--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee dagger +3 (1d4-2/19-20)

Sorcerer (Seeker, Wildblooded) Spells Known (CL 11th; concentration +25)
. . 5th (6/day)—overland flight, possession[OA] (DC 25), wall of force
. . 4th (8/day)—acid pit[APG] (DC 26), arcane eye, black tentacles, charm monster (DC 24), dimension door, dragon's breath[APG] (DC 24), elemental body I, emergency force sphere, enervation, fear (DC 24), shadow conjuration
. . 3rd (8/day)—aqueous orb[APG] (DC 25), daylight, dispel magic, haste, heroism, communal resist energy[UC], tongues
. . 2nd (9/day)—burst of radiance (DC 22), full pouch (DC 22), glitterdust (DC 24), investigative mind[ACG], invisibility, mirror image, page-bound epiphany, pilfering hand[UC], see invisibility, suppress charms and compulsions
. . 1st (9/day)—blend[ARG], burning hands (DC 21), charm person (DC 21), disguise self, ear-piercing scream[UM] (DC 21), feather fall, grease, heightened awareness[ACG], identify, liberating command[UC], mage armor, magic missile, monkey fish[ACG], shield, silent image (DC 21), snowball (DC 23), true strike, unseen servant
. . 0 (at will)—acid splash, arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 20), light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close (DC 20), prestidigitation, ray of frost
. . Bloodline Sage

--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 7, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 30, Wis 11, Cha 7
Base Atk +5; CMB +3; CMD 17

Feats Additional Traits, Endurance, Expanded Arcana[APG], Expanded Arcana[APG], Greater Spell Focus (conjuration), Improved Initiative, Persistent Spell[APG], Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits clever wordplay, eyes and ears of the city, fate's favored, world traveler

Skills Appraise +14, Bluff +14, Craft (alchemy) +14, Diplomacy +29, Disable Device +28, Escape Artist +22, Fly +11, Knowledge (arcana) +26 (+30 spells), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +21, Knowledge (engineering) +11, Knowledge (geography) +11, Knowledge (history) +12, Knowledge (local) +13, Knowledge (nature) +11, Knowledge (nobility) +11, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +21, Linguistics +11, Perception +22, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +16 (+20 spells), Stealth +18, Survival +0 (+2 to avoid becoming lost); Racial Modifiers +2 Knowledge (local)

Languages Auran, Common, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Ignan, Kelish, Orc, Osiriani, Polyglot, Terran, Undercommon

SQ arcane bolt, new arcana, orc blood, seeker lore, trapfinding +5

Combat Gear lesser extend metamagic rod, mnemonic vestment[UE], potion of gaseous form, potion of remove blindness/deafness, scroll of air bubble (x4), scroll of alarm, scroll of alter self, scroll of command undead, scroll of comprehend languages, scroll of crafter's fortune, scroll of dimension door, scroll of endure elements (x2), scroll of erase, scroll of expeditious retreat, scroll of gust of wind, scroll of life bubble, scroll of magic circle against evil, scroll of magic weapon, magic weapon, scroll of mirror image (x3), scroll of mount (x2), scroll of obscuring mist (x2), scroll of resist energy, scroll of ride the waves, scroll of rope trick, scroll of summon monster i (x2), scroll of teleport, scroll of unseen servant (x2), scroll of wind wall, wand of dimension door (5 charges), wand of grease (50 charges), wand of infernal healing (31 charges), wand of mage armor (23 charges), wand of shield (33 charges), acid (5), air crystal (2), alchemical grease[APG] (2), alchemist's fire (3), alkali flask[APG] (2), antiplague[APG] (2), antitoxin (2), blood-boiling pill (4), cardice oil, ghast retch flask[UE], gravelly tonic[ACG], heatstone[ISWG], holy weapon balm[ACG], reagent, cold iron (10), reagent, magnesium (2), reagent, pesh, reagent, phosphorus (10), soothe syrup[APG], soul stimulant[UE], stillgut[ARG], tanglefoot bag, tunnel creeper, vermin repellent[UE] (2); Other Gear +2 mithral buckler, dagger, belt of physical might +2 (Dex, Con), cloak of resistance +4, cracked dusty rose prism ioun stone, cracked magenta prism ioun stone, cracked magenta prism ioun stone, cracked magenta prism ioun stone, cracked magenta prism ioun stone, cracked pale green prism ioun stone (saves), eyes of the eagle, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, lesser talisman of freedom[OA], page of spell knowledge (blend)[UE], page of spell knowledge (disguise self)[UE], page of spell knowledge (feather fall)[UE], page of spell knowledge (investigative mind)[UE], page of spell knowledge (liberating command)[UE], page of spell knowledge (mage armor)[UE], page of spell knowledge (magic missile)[UE], page of spell knowledge (monkey fish)[UE], page of spell knowledge (page-bound epiphany)[UE], page of spell knowledge (shield)[UE], page of spell knowledge (true strike)[UE], page of spell knowledge (unseen servant)[UE], ring of protection +1, vest of escape, wayfinder[ISWG], coffee pot[UE], cold weather outfit, earplugs[APG], grappling hook, ink (2), inkpen (2), journal[UE] (2), masterwork thieves' tools, masterwork tool, masterwork tool, masterwork tool, masterwork tool, measuring cord (10 ft.) (2), mirror, paper (10), piton (5), potion sponge[ARG] (5), powder[APG] (2), scroll case, silk rope (50 ft.), smoked goggles[APG], soap, spell component pouch (2), spell component pouch, trail rations (5), waterskin, winter blanket, wooden holy symbol of Abadar, wrist sheath, spring loaded

Lastly, I don't know which FCB you are using but if it isn't the extra spell known for every level from 4 onwards then it probably should be.

[Dastis]

Mb. Meant crossblood with arcane to boost your save dcs higher as you are a save or suck caster.

Magic Missile is the go to attack spell for a reason. Its a default action to take in combat that literally always works regardless of target.

+1 training gauntlet/cetus for any quickdraw/improved initiative feats. Save your feat slots for when you cant replace it with an item

[Texas Snyper]

With the Clever Wordplay to keep diplomacy stat keyed, the only ones hit by the switch to sage are bluff and UMD which aren't big hits anyways. Although I did lose the familiar's +3 to diplomacy. So here is how I'm looking now:

Level 11 Human Sorcerer (Arcane Bloodline, sage wildblooded)
Str: 7 (-2)
Dex: 12 (+2/+3) (14 belt)
Con: 14 (+3/+3) (16 belt)
Int: 20 (+5/+7) (26 headband) (+2 race, +2 levels)
Wis: 12 (+1)
Cha: 10 (+0)

HP: 89
AC: 23 (14 touch, 21 flat)
Saves: Fort 9, Reflex 8, Will 11

Traits:
Extremely Fashionable(Diplomacy), Clever Wordplay

Feats:
Spell Penetration, Piercing Spell, Persistent Spell, Silent Spell, Craft Wondrous Item, Spell Focus[Enchantment](bloodline feat), Greater Spell Focus[Enchantment], Improved Initiative

Spells:
0th: Arcane Mark, Breeze, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound , Jolt, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1th: Alarm(page), Enlarge Person, Heightened Awareness, Identify, Liberating Command, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist(page)
2th: Darkvision(page), Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Resist Energy, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3th: Dispel Magic, Fireball, Haste, Phantom Steed(page), Suggestion, Tongues, Heroism(ring)
4th: Charm Monster, Dimension Door, Remove Curse, Secure Shelter
5th: Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Overland Flight

Skills:
Appraise 12(+1), Bluff 18(+11), Diplomacy 23(+11), Fly 6(+1), Know(Arcana) 24(+11), Know(Geo) 12(+4), Know(History) 9(+1), Know(Local) 19(+11), Know(Nature) 9(+1), Know(Nobles) 12(+4), Know(Planes) 22(+11), Linguistics 19(Headband), Perception 12(Headband), Sense Motive 12(Headband), Spellcraft 29(+11), UMD 17(+11)

Items:
+2 Mithril Buckler
Armor of nat armor +2
Belt of physical might +2 (dex/con)
Circlet of persuasion
Cloak of resist +3
Extend metamagic rod, lesser
Handy Haversack
Headband of Vast Int +6 [Sense Motive, Perception, Linguistics]
Ioun Torch
Page of spell knowledge - Alarm
Page of spell knowledge - Darkvision
Page of spell knowledge - Obscuring Mist
Page of spell knowledge - Phantom Steed
Gloves of Elvenkind
Ring of protection
Ring of Spell Knowledge III [Heroism]
Robe of arcane heritage
Scroll of daylight x3, glitterdust x3