Dasrak, if you were to obtain a Ring of Spell Knowledge III at level 10 then you still have the same issue of lacking access to your two highest spell levels. Either way, the Arcanist clearly has it better, and without using a Ring of Spell Knowledge or Mnemonic Vestment. And the Sorcerer typically wants more than a Headband of Charisma (which you will generally want a +6 version of) and Cloak of Resistance. A Belt of Constitution is also usually desired, as is a Handy Haversack and often enough a Circlet of Persuasion. Forge Ring is indeed not standard, but maybe you could make a ring your arcane bond, though you would of course still require sufficient downtime to craft it.
Lastly, on the subject of scroll scribing again, let me just cite the magic item creation rules, which the Scribe Scroll feat itself explicitly says to refer to for further explanation ("See the magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information."):
Quote: Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by +5 for each prerequisite the caster does not meet. The only exception to this is the requisite item creation feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting their spell prerequisites. Here too, it states that access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed for prerequisites that take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator. As such, you can make scrolls using external assistance according to the rules that Scribe Scroll itself explicitly tells you to refer to.
Mysterious Stranger, there are plenty of ways to vary up how you deal damage. And when casting Battering Blast, you fire an additional ball of force for every 5 caster levels above 5th. At caster level 10 it does 5d6+10 damage twice (and thus 10d6+20 damage total). And at caster level 15 an Intensified Battering Blast does 7d6 damage+14 three times (and thus 21d6+42 total).
Expanded Arcana is recommended in the context of Paragon Surge which temporarily gives a bonus feat of the caster's choosing as a means to temporarily obtain access to a new spell known of your choice when needed. I did not recommend it as a feat you should take as a Sorcerer, just as a feat to select with Paragon Surge. In addition, if you were simply to procure a first level Ring of Spell Knowledge it should not be too difficult to cast basic utility spells like Endure Elements or Disguise Self either. None of this will place the Sorcerer on an even footing with the Arcanist when it comes to utility spellcasting, but it does improve utility spellcasting. Not to mention the Sorcerer is not obligated to fill his spell list solely with blasting spells. You could indeed obtain some general purpose utility spells as spells known as well.
@Mysterious Stranger
For the school savant arcanist, which opposition schools would you recommend that would have the least impact on the versatility in utility? If we are theorizing 12th level arcanists, which 3 exploits should they get (or up to 7, if we convert all their regular feats to extra exploit)?
Should potent magic, quick study, or one of the consume exploits be their first exploit at 5th level?
Pargon Surge has some limitations that are not being considered. First and foremost is you must be a half elf to use it. It also has the limitation that the feat gained must be the same one every time you cast it in one day. That means it can be used to gain only one spell of your maximum spell level or two of lower level and you cannot change which spells until the next day. Since the duration of the spell is only 1 minute per level you lose the extra spells when the duration runs out. It also means you have taken it as a spell known and cast it every time you want to use those spells.
Since it is a 3rd level spell the crossblooded sorcerer does not have access to it until 7th level. So, to use it to cast a 3rd level spell takes 2 rounds and at least one extra 3rd level spell. If the 3rd level spells are cast more than 7 minutes apart it will mean that the 7th level sorcerer can only cast that 3rd level spell twice and can cast his 3rd level bloodline spell once. The 3rd level bloodline spell for the solar (the best bloodline for the second bloodline) is daylight and the orc bloodline spell is rage. Neither of those spells are of good for a blaster. It also means the sorcerer does not get an actual 3rd level spell besides Paragon Surge until 9th level. This does not look like a good choice.
Any way the sorcerer has of changing the damage type will use up resources that the arcanist does not have to spend. That leaves the arcanist free to use those resources on other things. If the sorcerer is using metamagic rod the arcanist can be using a different metamagic rod. If the sorcerer spends a feat for a metamagic feat the arcanist can get a different metamagic feat. So, when the sorcerer is throwing the fireball that does cold damage the arcanist is throwing an intensified fireball that does cold damage.
With very few exceptions almost anything the sorcerer can use the arcanist can also use. Other than bloodline mutations and sorcerer archetypes they both have access to the mostly the same abilities.
There is no need to take the Solar bloodline. If you'd taken the Draconic bloodline as a second bloodline for your Crossblooded Sorcerer you would have Mage Armor, Resist Energy, and Fly as bloodline spells.
When it comes to changing damage types, first, as I have mentioned many a time by now, you can simply cast a different spell that does a different type of damage to begin with (Lightning Bolt, Ball Lightning, Snowball, Intensified Corrosive Touch and later Acidic Spray, Burst of Force, Cone of Cold, Lightning Arc and then Cold Ice Strike and Chain Lightning). This costs no resources whatsoever, aside from spells known and you can trade spells known for different spells of the same spell level at 4th level and every even level thereafter once you have a better spell for your needs. But really you should already have spells like Battering Blast at this point, which are very unlikely to be resisted. And if you truly wish to use a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Elemental Spell it is cheap enough and the Sorcerer could use the Blood Intensity bloodline mutation instead of Intensified Spell. This is not a real disadvantage. The sorcerer is not really losing damage here.
Look, when it comes to utility, the Arcanist obviously has the Sorcerer beat, but when it comes to blasting, the Sorcerer has the Arcanist beat. And the Sorcerer can still develop some tools to ensure he is capable of utility magics. Furthermore, being a Half-Elf is not exactly a detriment to the Sorcerer, not when it offers a bonus to charisma, the best spell, and access to the best favored class bonus. You could also forego the Crossblooded archetype and improve your spells known if you wish. Your fire spells will suffer for it, but your versatility will benefit from the amount of spells known.
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The couple times I've tried to play blaster casters, I ran into the problem where I either had powerful AoE spells but needed single target spells, or I had powerful single target spells but plenty of missed opportunity for AoE attacks (thus not reaching my potential damage output).
If I tried to keep both, I was missing the utility spells I'm used to... especially when going up against creatures with high spell resistance, where it would be more effective to buff my party members.
I think to counteract these situations, you need to look at the party composition. If you have a lot of melee allies, than an AoE spell focus is more complicated. If you have another PC that can dole out useful buffs, having a wider spread of useful damage spells is easier to handle.
Most of the single-target spells I mention are first level spells. You could also just focus on AoE spells if you prefer and use the Selective Spell metamagic (which is available as a rod and won't require 10 levels that way), which allows you to exclude a number of targets equal to your spellcasting ability modifier (charisma in this case) from AoEs. There are ways to make this work without having to use up all your spells known.
The main benefit to the solar bloodline is that Its 1st,5th and 8th level bloodline spells are much better for a blaster than anything the draconic gives. Even its 7th level bloodline spell is pretty good. Some of the bloodline spells for the draconic bloodline are ok, but the only one I would call good is wish. Having all three form of the dragon spells is redundant and wasteful.
Searing Light may be a single target spell that scales up slower than burning hands in some cases it is much better than most spells. If you are fighting undead it can go up to 10d6 instead of 5d4 and vs undead that are vulnerable to sunlight it can do 10d8. Vs most things it maxes out at 5d8. Even against object it does 5d6. It is not a fire spell so it will only get +2 per die and is not an area of effect spell, but it will remain relevant vs undead at any level. It works well with intensified spell as a 2nd level spell at high levels.
Flame Strike is a fire spell with a high damage cap that can get damage through even through fire resistance and immunity.
Sunburst is another spell that does decent damage but vs undead it is deadly. The ability to destroy any undead that is undead that is specifically harmed by bright light is also good.
The problem I have with bloodline intensity and piercing is that is has very few uses per day. They work well when you need only single spell but if you need to spam out a spell they run out quickly. I would take intense spell for any character with spontaneous casting that focuses on blasting.
Taking spells other than fire spells reduces the damage bonus from the other bloodline of the crossblooded archetype. It is something that will need to be done, but doing so reduces the damage advantage the sorcerer has. Ideally, he should have one fire spell and one other damaging spell of another energy type for each spell level. With the reduced spells know this does limit other spells the sorcerer will have. I am not saying he will have none, but he will have a lot less options than the arcanist. The real pinch will come on the sorcerer’s highest-level spells.
To me either character would be a welcome addition to any party. Each of them offers something different, but both will be effective.
Searing Light's damage is extremely circumstantial. Most of the time it's frankly a bad spell and you would rather cast Snowball, perhaps intensified. If you are facing undead you would likely rather cast Intensified Burning Hands where this fire-maximizing blaster does 10d4+40 damage in an AoE than Searing Light which would do 10d8+20 damage to a single target.
Flame Strike is, to be quite frank, largely useless. I believe you are underestimating the sheer amount of fire damage a Crossblooded Sorcerer specialized in blasting does. If you have Flame Strike, you have 11 levels of Sorcerer, so your caster level would be 13, assuming you have Bloatmage Initiate and Varisian Tattoo and yet no further sources of additional caster levels by now. An Intensified Fireball - which is a 4th level slot - would do 13d6+52 damage, or 97.5 damage on average. Flame Strike - as a 5th level slot - would also do 13d6+52 damage. If an enemy happens to have 40 fire resist, which is an absurdly high resistance, Fireball and Flame Strike would both do 57.5 damage, the same amount, because the half of Flame Strike's damage that would be fire damage is still more damage than the fire resistance of the target. It is only when you are casting against fire immune enemies or your enemies with more than 20 fire resistance (assuming no use of Blood Piercing) pass reflex saving throws that Flame Strike might perform better, but if you are casting against fire immune enemies, Flame Strike is still a highly undesirable choice of spell to be casting because you lose half of your damage when you could have been casting Cone of Cold or Burst of Force. In other words, there is no compelling use for Flame Strike. The higher damage cap is the only real perk and that is only meaningful when you need the damage cap of an Intensified Flame Strike (bear in mind that Blood Intensity has a higher damage cap should you need it), but even then you might favor a spell like Fire Snake where you can more freely shape the path in which it does damage.
Blood Intensity and Blood Piercing do have limited uses but they are still very useful, even if you use the Intensified Spell feat, because it can save you that increased cost or provide a higher cap in a pinch, especially if you also use other metamagics, and so you are distinctly better off for having them.
In the end the Sorcerer would make a better blaster but the Blood Arcanist would still be decent in a pinch, but the Arcanist would still suffer for its lower damage and fewer spell slots when blasting. It is really a question of whether you want superior and more frequent blasting or superior utility.
Undead are fairly common in most campaigns. So, while the extra damage from searing light is circumcision it still comes up enough to be useful. It is a ranged touch attack but does not allow a save for half damage and has a longer range. At higher levels level appropriate targets will usually have a good enough reflex save that they will make the save most of the time. As a 2nd level spell (intensified) at 20th level the sorcerer would be doing 10d8 +20 points of damage to most targets and doing 15d6+30 points vs the lich. It is also not subject to any kind of energy resistance.
Mysterious Stranger wrote: Undead are fairly common in most campaigns. So, while the extra damage from searing light is circumcision it still comes up enough to be useful. ... one way to nip the problem in the bud 8^0 lol...
I'd think summoning some lantern archons might work as well as most PCs are not 20th level...
You really don't need that. By the time you have 11+ caster levels you would have plenty of ways to do high damage without offering your foes a reflex saving throw and Searing Light would still be one of your weaker options.
It is going to really depend on the campaign. Many of the campaigns I have been in tend to feature a lot of undead. One that I run it is the primary focus of the game. In that campaign searing light does extremely well.
Even in a campaign that is not that heavily focused on undead it is a way to keep lower-level spells relevant. By having this option, I free up some of those other options for use on tougher foes. How often is a 1st level spell of any use once you get to 15th level or even above 9th?
Mysterious Stranger wrote: Even in a campaign that is not that heavily focused on undead it is a way to keep lower-level spells relevant. By having this option, I free up some of those other options for use on tougher foes. How often is a 1st level spell of any use once you get to 15th level or even above 9th? As I am currently running a 15th level character, I feel that I've got some fairly recent experience to speak on that matter.
I get routine usefulness out of Magic Missile, Shield, and Shocking Grasp (all from 1st level spell slots) that have noticeable impact on the encounter. Yes, there are things I have that either boost the damage cap, change the damage type, or allow allies to deliver the dangerous touch spells for me (or for me to cast personal spells on them instead) but there is a reason I still prepare those spells daily. Cheetah's Sprint as well. I'm sure there are others but I'm not playing a sorcerer/wizard and have a limited spell list.
If it matters any, its the final book of the Giantslayer campaign.
Mysterious Stranger wrote: Even in a campaign that is not that heavily focused on undead it is a way to keep lower-level spells relevant. By having this option, I free up some of those other options for use on tougher foes. How often is a 1st level spell of any use once you get to 15th level or even above 9th? All the time? Spells like Silent Image and Obscuring Mist are quite handy even at higher levels. A Bard's Saving Finale is also commonly used at all levels. Divine Favor is only one extend lesser metamagic rod away from lasting 20+ minutes at levels above 9th, meaning you could cast it before well before combat and still have it last long enough for multiple battles. Casting it 3 times makes for 1 hour of Divine Favor. Heightened Awareness is another popular spell. There are plenty more that see use.
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