Objective is for a general purpose utility caster with useful spells for most situations, but with an emphasis on out of combat usefulness for investigation and adventuring. Here's what I'm thinking. Five spells per level is with greater mental evolution feat (16th level). The fifth spell for each level would be added only once I get that feat.
I'll also have arcane evolution to add one additional arcane spell to the list each day.
Suggestions for key omissions?
***Index***
BL = Bloodline spell
S = Signature Spell
MC = spell from a multi class archetype
CB = Non-arcane spell gained from Crossblooded feat
H = Heightened
/ = spell before the slash it taken at low levels, after the slash at higher levels
***Cantrips***
Detect Magic (BL)
Electric Arc
Ray of Frost
Burning Hands
Telekinetic Projectile
Acid Splash
Prestidigitation (MC)
Light (MC)
Read Aura (MC)
Message (MC)
Mage Hand (MC)
***First***
Magic Missile (BL)
Magic Weapon / True Strike
Summon Animal (S)
Burning Hands / Heal (CB, S)
Illusory Disguise
***Second***
Dispel Magic (BL, S)
Invisibility / See Invisibility
Comprehend Languages
Illusory Creature
Darkness
***Third***
Haste (BL)
Clairaudience
Invisibility Sphere
Invisibility (H, S)
Mind Reading
***Fourth***
Dimension Door (BL, S)
Clairvoyance
Gaseous Form
Fly
Freedom of Movement
***Fifth***
Prying Eye (BL)
Summon Dragon (S)
Mind Probe
Wall of Stone
Tongues
***Sixth***
Disintegrate (BL)
Scrying
Teleport (S)
True Seeing / Chain Lightning
Wall of Force
***Seventh***
Prismatic Spray (BL)
Magnificent Mansion
Reverse Gravity
Plane Shift
Haste (H)
***Eighth***
Maze (BL)
Antimagic Field / Horrid Wilting
Discern Location (S)
Disappearance
Mind Blank
***Ninth***
Prismatic Sphere (BL)
Antimagic Field (H)
True Seeing (H, S)
Power Word Blind (H)
Possession (CB, H)
***Tenth***
Miracle (CB)
Timestop
Gate
You do have a good range there. I like that you haven't neglected a few illusions and wall spells.
Yes too many movement options. You might like to look at what I did Gortle's Spell Guide but that is very combat focused and needs more revision.
I think you have gone for too many spells that you know from previous versions of the game. There are some new ones and redone favourites that are worth your attention. Some suggestions:
Blink, Resilient Sphere, Acid Storm, Pillars of Sand, Shadow Siphon, Shadow Walk, Time Beacon, True Target, Undermine Reality, Foresight
I would recommed at least one battle form spell like Animal Form or Dragon Form - it has a lot of utility value even if you don't take it in a top slot to be combat competitive - and will help you cut down your movement options.
Longstrider heightened lvl 2 ( eventually you could take a wand ).
I'd also take drop dead lvl 5 spell, just to be sure.
Thanks.
Yes, definitely wands for heightened longstrider, and the other low level long duration buffs like mage armour.
Drop dead was very high on my list, but I would have a hard time justifying sacrificing any of my other level 5 choices to get it. Possibly I could drop tongues.
I keep in mind that you want to be a utility caster focused on out of combat (aside - a rogue with archetypes up the wazoo might be interesting alternative)
1) The list may benefit from tightening and focus.
For example, at L4 why take Dim Door, Fly, Gaseous form, AND freedom of movement. Gaseous form is usually done INSTEAD of the others.
2) some spells may benefit from taking them at a higher level
For example, Comp Lang is very lackluster unheightend but becomes much better at L3/L4. Haste is rather bad at L3 (L7 is becomes quite good)
3) Finally, even though you are a utility caster - what is your goto attack spell? Is it TK Projectile? Even a utility OOC caster should have one decent attack spell. Many casters seem to take fireball (sig) as their first xblood spell but there are nice ones other than that on your own list. Are you trying to make a Summoner?
Thanks.
Good point about overlap on Dim Door, Fly, and Gaseous form. But in my mind they all have very different uses:
Fly is not for me. It's for the melee based fighter/barbarian so he can avoid walls, difficult terrain, or get into melee combat with airborne enemies.
Gaseous form is for infiltrating to places that we haven't been to before and therefore can't Dim Door into them.
Dim Door is primarily for me to escape if things go completely A up. Gaseous form won't allow me to get away quick enough. Dim Door let's me get to safety fast, leaving my friends behind to die like chumps. I can always come back for their corpses later. A lone survivor is better than a TPK.
I'm getting haste at 3rd level whether I want it or not because it's my bloodline spell. And I'm taking it again heightened to 7th.
Agree that 3rd level comprehend languages is a lot better than 2nd level. But I'm already hard pressed for 3rd level options. I don't even have fireball. At least 2nd level allows questions to be understood and then responded to with nodding or head shaking.
In combat, at low levels:
Magic weapon on the fighter.
Haste on the fighter.
Summon animal to give the fighter a flanking buddy, meat shield / soak up some damage, and hopefully maybe even deal a bit of damage.
Starting at 8th level: heal on the fighter
Dispel magic to debuff enemies.
And when all else fails, yes, my assortment of offensive cantrips.
At higher levels he's got no shortage of offense with:
Summon dragon
Disintegrate
Chain lightning
Primatic Spray
Reverse gravity (which is insanely powerful against non flying enemies)
Maze
Horrid wilting
Power word blind
Possession
I'm also planning on giving him multiclass druid and taking wildshape for some additional melee punch if the team needs it.
I think you have gone for too many spells that you know from previous versions of the game. There are some new ones and redone favourites that are worth your attention. Some suggestions:
Blink, Resilient Sphere, Acid Storm, Pillars of Sand, Shadow Siphon, Shadow Walk, Time Beacon, True Target, Undermine Reality, ForesightI would recommed at least one battle form spell like Animal Form or Dragon Form - it has a lot of utility value even if you don't take it in a top slot to be combat competitive - and will help you cut down your movement options.
Thanks. I didn't so much go from previous editions as I went simply from the core rulebook. Some of those spells I've never heard of, but will check them out.
Out of the spells that I know:
Blink: seems like as much a liability as a benefit. DR/5 is not particularly useful unless you are getting hit quite a lot which as a sorcerer is a position I never want to be in. And randomly teleporting 10 feet is just as likely to be disastrous as it is helpful.
Acid storm: does very little damage unless enemies just stand in the rain for 5 or 6 rounds.
Shadow Walk: I originally had this in my top five. But it dropped down to my 6th choice, just failing to make the repertoire. But I figure with arcane evolution I can add it to my repertoire in the morning if I plan on having to travel long distances in the coming day. One minute casting time means it can't be used for rapid escape from combat so if I'm going to need it there's a good chance I'll know in advance that I'm going to need it.
The other options you suggested (the ones I know) are all good choices but I'm not sure what I would cut to make room for them.
About battle forms, I'm planning on taking mutli class druid and wildshape which will give me useful battle forms up until spell level 5.
For higher levels I very seriously considered dragon form. But between summon dragon and chain lightning I figured I had the energy area attacks covered.
If I was going to take dragon form I would want to replace one of my existing offensive spells, which would mean one of:
Chain lightning (6)
Haste (heightened 7)
Horrid Wilting (8)
Power word blind (heigtened 9)
Suggestions?
Thanks. I didn't so much go from previous editions as I went simply from the core rulebook. Some of those spells I've never heard of, but will check them out.
You are handling things quite well. I'll leave you to the specifics and just makes suggestions/comments
I think on Blink as Grapple defense. The randomness can be coped with or even you can persist with it, to give you chance of teleporting through a door you can't see through.
Acid Storm is area denial as much as damage, for those situations where the enemy does not want to move.
Resilient Sphere is a low level (for this build) save or suck spell for certain types of creature. Over to you if it is good enough. Probably doesn't scale well enough for level 20 use.
A lot depends on your skills and skill feats. If you have some good single action offensive skill use then maybe single action spells like PowerWord Blind lose some of its attraction. Examples:
Bon Mot
Intimidation to Demoralise
Battle Prayer
Evangelize
Scare to Death
Also you might like to consider your reaction if you are doing nothing else with it beyond a one shield block. Blood Vendetta and Shadow Siphon are good.