Combat casting is probably more useful than toughness. Being able to cast without provoking an AoO is probably more valuable than a few extra HP. Sometimes you cannot simple take a 5 foot step to avoid provoking an AoO. While the +4 bonus does not guarantee you make the roll it significantly improves your chances especially at low level.
At latter level Heightened Spell can be useful to allow your lower level spells to remain relevant. Charm Person is a decent spell, but its low save reduces its usefulness at higher level. As a sorcerer you will have very few high level spells even if you have plenty of slots available. You will often end up using your higher level slots for lower level spells so you might as well improve the DC of the saving throw.
What's your role in the party? What do your fellow players want you to specialize in? You should think about in-combat and out-of-combat. Pick one thing to be great at and one thing to be okay at in each role.
Finally, here's a pretty good guide to the sorcerer to help you think through what the class can and can't do.
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It depends on the bloodline and, even more so, what sort of spells you want to be casting. If you are picking up Scorching Ray from your bloodline and like the look of Ray of Enfeeblement, then you definitely want to consider Point-Blank/Precise Shot. If you are looking at Celestial bloodline summons, then you want Spell Focus & Augment Summoning.
My recommendation is always to play into your bloodline. Some of them are a little trickier to figure out how to do something with (Arcane is too open-ended, for instance) but it is more fun that way & making a decent spell be good via Bloodline Arcana is a satisfying experience (plus it's powerful).
You will want some of the basic feats you are talking about, but the Bloodline feats usually fill in some of those.
Anything that lets you use cha in a new way. My favorite is Noble Scion. Quicken spell is fairly necessary lv12+. After that it depends on your casting style.
As a side note persistent spell is typically better than heighten spell. Mathmatically it averages to a +4 bonus to the save dc. Also you can probably afford to learn a new spell known of a higher level that has similiar/better effect within the 6 levels of advancement needed to gain spell slot 3 levels higher
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I like Steadfast Personality.
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Persistent, I have found to be best on a rod. It's a +2 meta magic so you can often buy it and use it on spells that you would not be able to use it on with the feat. Dropping a spell against the opponents weak save by heightening a spell to your highest or second highest spell level and adding persistent is a surefire way to get a spell to land.
Spell list would be good to know
with that set however
Improved initiative, Spell Focus of choice, Spell Pen, possibly persistent spell around 7 or 9. Energy Attunement is a kewl feat if you go transmutation. Not sure other than that.
Color Spray is a great spell at the level the OP is, with or without a focused build, it'll drop off around 4 or 5ish, but for now its fine, they can forget it later.
Color Spray is a great spell at the level the OP is, with or without a focused build, it'll drop off around 4 or 5ish, but for now its fine, they can forget it later.
Totally agree, Color Spray is THE low level arcane nuke spell. It does decline in effectiveness around level 5 or so, and you can swap it for another spell at level 4 or 6.
I played a fun 3.5 sorcerer with some Draconic feats that let me convert my spells into 2d6 breath weapons per spell level. So I think I had grease and color spray, but could also 1-shot mobs of goblins at 1st level. Very fun.
I've been nostalgic for 3.5 feats lately....
Well, as a Human I always love taking the Focused Study (alternate racial) trait. That replaces your level 1 "any" feat with Skill Focus, at levels 1, 8 and 16. With the extra skill ranks you'll get for INT and Human, you'll certainly have three favorite skills with 10 ranks to pick from, and get that +6 on them. I suggest Skill Focus in either Bluff, Intimidate or Spellcraft.
As a Sage bloodline, you start with a 30' force bolt bloodline ability. Also, a solid "combat cantrip" is Acid Splash (no SR). That's two kinds of short ranged damage. May I suggest Point Blank Shot to get that +1 hit and damage within 30' for these (and others)? That's for your 1HD feat.
At 3 HD you start getting metamagic features. I suggest Heighten Spell, so you can use this metamagic feature going forward.
Once you can cast 5th level spells, Quicken Spell becomes a staple. I recommend it at level 11.
Since by level 9 you'll likely have Skill Focus (spellcraft), have the bloodline +2 to spellcraft, have high Intelligence, and likely many ranks in Spellcraft, your Spellcraft skill will be massive. Take the Craft Rod feat and you can build metamagic rods for every feat you don't have (DC 27; if you have max ranks and skill focus you can take 10). Rods are so varied, that the whole party can benefit from some rod or other. This will amplify party wealth and effectiveness overall.
Here's an example feat build...
EXAMPLE
1: Skill Focus Intimidate (Human trait), Point Blank Shot
3: Heighten Spell
5: Improved Initiative
7: Defensive Combat Training, Still Spell (bloodline)
8: Skill Focus Spellcraft (Human trait)
9: Craft Rod
11: Quicken Spell
13: Spell Focus [A] (bloodline), Greater Spell Focus [A] <-- see Bloodline ability at 15th
15: [Metamagic or Craft of choice]
16: Skill Focus Perception (Human trait)
17: [Metamagic or Craft of choice]
19: [Metamagic or Craft of choice], Improved Counterspell (bloodline)
That's a total of 16 feats... not too shabby