Paragon Sorcerer advice

[Theroc]

Alright, going to be playing in a paragon level play by post soon, and I wanted to make a primarily frost focused sorcerer.

So far all I know is the pointbuy will be standard, and that we are starting at 11th level.

The DM has the Characterbuilder, so anything will be 'allowed', but I only have access to the PHB and PHB2, so anything outside of those I'd need some form of writeup for.

Was thinking Dragon Sorcerer/Dragonsoul Heir and using DragonFrost along with wintertouched and lasting frost to gain combat advantage(hopefully), as well as generally hampering and hindering with cold effects (Though other elements are okay, I'd rather get more frost oriented stuff.

I'm still somewhat new to 4E, so I'm no CharOp expert.

Other party members will include a monk, a Hybrid Cleric/Wizard, a Swordmage and a Warden, as well as possibly a Swarm Druid.

Does anyone have any specific or general advice for me?

 

[Mentat55]

What race? Assuming you have no preferences, dragonborn make great dragon sorcerers (duh), and go really well with mono-energy builds. This is because of the feat Draconic Spellcaster, which grants you a scaling feat bonus to attack rolls with arcane powers that have the same keyword as your dragon breath.

You'll want Dragonfrost as one at-will, and if you are a dragon sorcerer, you'll probably want Burning Spray. Then you can pick up Arcane Admixture to add cold to Burning Spray, so both your at-wills do cold damage.

If you pick up Improved Draconic Soul, you'll be ignoring 15 points of cold resistance with your arcane powers at 11th level. Since you'll probably use a fair number of blasts, you probably want to invest in Leather Armor Proficiency, and maybe even Hide as well (perhaps at 12th), because you'll be getting into melee. You'll also want Sorcerous Blade Channeling, so you can use your ranged attacks when you get in close without provoking OAs.

Dragonsoul Heir is a good PP, but for a cold mage, Blizzard Mage (Arcane Power) seems thematically appropriate. And it has some neat abilities, like being able to shift while immobilized, or having speed 3 when slowed.

Because you punch through so much cold resistance, and because you want to rock the Wintertouched/Lasting Frost combo, taking all the cold powers you can only makes sense. There seems to be one cold power every time you take a new attack power, sometimes two. Not usually the best power, but this build is all about heaping up tons of damage on targets.

 

[Theroc]

What race? Assuming you have no preferences, dragonborn make great dragon sorcerers (duh), and go really well with mono-energy builds. This is because of the feat Draconic Spellcaster, which grants you a scaling feat bonus to attack rolls with arcane powers that have the same keyword as your dragon breath.

You'll want Dragonfrost as one at-will, and if you are a dragon sorcerer, you'll probably want Burning Spray. Then you can pick up Arcane Admixture to add cold to Burning Spray, so both your at-wills do cold damage.

If you pick up Improved Draconic Soul, you'll be ignoring 15 points of cold resistance with your arcane powers at 11th level. Since you'll probably use a fair number of blasts, you probably want to invest in Leather Armor Proficiency, and maybe even Hide as well (perhaps at 12th), because you'll be getting into melee. You'll also want Sorcerous Blade Channeling, so you can use your ranged attacks when you get in close without provoking OAs.

Dragonsoul Heir is a good PP, but for a cold mage, Blizzard Mage (Arcane Power) seems thematically appropriate. And it has some neat abilities, like being able to shift while immobilized, or having speed 3 when slowed.

Because you punch through so much cold resistance, and because you want to rock the Wintertouched/Lasting Frost combo, taking all the cold powers you can only makes sense. There seems to be one cold power every time you take a new attack power, sometimes two. Not usually the best power, but this build is all about heaping up tons of damage on targets.

Dragonborn was my intended race, Dragon Frost and Burning spray were my at-will choices.

I do not have Arcane Power, so I have no idea what Blizzard Mage is or does. I'd prefer to stick to PHB and PHB2 for PP's and that sort of thing, as they have much more to know than say, a feat or magic item.

What is Arcane Admixture?

 

[Mentat55]

Arcane Admixture is a paragon tier feat (so you'd have to retrain a heroic feat at level 11, assuming you'll take Lasting Front at level 11) that lets you add a keyword (from a short list) to an arcane power of your choice. So you can add the cold keyword to Burning Spray, and now you have an at-will ranged cold attack and an at-will close blast fire/cold attack.

Blizzard Mage gives you some nice cold attacks -- I especially like the level 20 daily power, calls up a powerful blizzard. But if you want to stick with the PHB2, that should not be a problem. I think Arcane Admixture and Draconic Spellcaster were the most important feats I pulled from Arcane Power, and I think you have just enough cold powers in the PHB2 to be ok. Of course, you don't need to take only cold powers -- but it really makes sense if you are going to go with the Lasting Frost/Wintertouched combo. I suppose you could use a Frost Dagger as an implement (I know there is not a consensus on weather the at-will power applies to implement attacks made with the dagger, but still) to make almost any power a cold power.

 

[abyssaldeath]

Here is the cold based Sorcerer that I played. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Korinn, level 12
Dragonborn, Sorcerer, Dragon Guardian
Spell Source: Dragon Magic
Dragon Soul: Dragon Soul Fire
Guardian's Resistance: Dragon Soul Cold
Dragon Breath Key Ability: Dragon Breath Strength
Dragon Breath Damage Type: Dragon Breath Cold
Background: Vilhon Wilds (Vilhon Wilds Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 12, Dex 13, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 22.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 14, Con 11, Dex 12, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 17.


AC: 25 Fort: 22 Reflex: 20 Will: 26
HP: 79 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 20

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +12, Nature +11, Dungeoneering +11, Athletics +15

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +7, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Endurance +7, Heal +6, History +9, Insight +6, Intimidate +14, Perception +6, Religion +7, Stealth +7, Streetwise +12, Thievery +7

FEATS
Level 1: Arcane Spellfury (retrained to Arcane Fire at Level 11)
Level 2: Draconic Spellcaster
Level 4: Armor Proficiency (Leather)
Level 6: Hurl Breath
Level 8: Wintertouched
Level 10: Weapon Focus (Light Blade)
Level 11: Lasting Frost
Level 12: Dual Implement Spellcaster

POWERS
Sorcerer at-will 1: Dragonfrost
Sorcerer at-will 1: Burning Spray
Sorcerer encounter 1: Frostbind
Sorcerer daily 1: Ice Javelins
Sorcerer utility 2: Spatial Trip
Sorcerer encounter 3: Ice Dragon's Teeth
Sorcerer daily 5: Glacial Armor
Sorcerer utility 6: Sudden Scales
Sorcerer encounter 7: Rimestorm
Sorcerer daily 9: Ice Stalagmites
Sorcerer utility 10: Dragon's Resolve

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Jagged Dagger +3, Magic Staff +3, Cloak of Distortion +2, Stanching Drowmesh +3, Bracers of the Perfect Shot (heroic tier), Eagle Eye Goggles (heroic tier), Boots of Free Movement (heroic tier), Viper Belt (heroic tier), Potion of Healing (heroic tier) (5), Fine Clothing, Hunter's Kit, Grappling Hook, Siberys Shard of Merciless Cold (heroic tier)
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

 

[Rothe_]

If it is allowed, get a frost dagger as one of your implements - ask your DM beforehand if it works with wintertouched and such things. That way you can pick any powers you want and have them deal cold damage. If you cannot use a frost weapon, it is not a huge loss - just take mostly cold powers.

 

[Destil]

I like essence mage a lot. You need to sink some feats into Arcane Admixrure, but that just lets you do things like make Burning Spray a close burst 4 with thunder or let it work with lasting frost and wintertouched...

 

[Elric]

Here is the cold based Sorcerer that I played. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Korinn, level 12
Dragonborn, Sorcerer, Dragon Guardian
Spell Source: Dragon Magic
Dragon Soul: Dragon Soul Fire
Guardian's Resistance: Dragon Soul Cold
Dragon Breath Key Ability: Dragon Breath Strength
Dragon Breath Damage Type: Dragon Breath Cold
Background: Vilhon Wilds (Vilhon Wilds Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 12, Dex 13, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 22.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 14, Con 11, Dex 12, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 17.

If you're building a character from scratch, you could start with Str 13, Con 11, Dex 12, Int 13, Wis 9, Cha 17 and put all stat boosts into Str- this gets you the same final ability scores as above, but Int 14 instead of Int 13.

 

[Kzach]

Here's a build of sorcerer I'm trying out soon myself:

Drow, Sorcerer, Daggermaster
Build: Chaos Sorcerer
Spell Source: Wild Magic
Darkfire: Darkfire Charisma
Background: Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 11, Con 12, Dex 19, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 23.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.


AC: 24 Fort: 19 Reflex: 23 Will: 26
HP: 85 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 21

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +10, Intimidate +18, Diplomacy +16, Bluff +16, Thievery +14

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +9, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance +6, Heal +4, History +5, Insight +4, Nature +4, Perception +4, Religion +5, Stealth +12, Streetwise +11, Athletics +5

FEATS
Level 1: Armor Proficiency (Leather)
Level 2: Sorcerous Blade Channeling
Level 4: Dual Implement Spellcaster
Level 6: Arcane Spellfury
Level 8: Sorcerous Assassin
Level 10: Sneak of Shadows
Level 11: Merciless Killer

POWERS
Sorcerer at-will 1: Chaos Bolt
Sorcerer at-will 1: Acid Orb
Sorcerer encounter 1: Thunder Slam
Sorcerer daily 1: Dazzling Ray
Sorcerer utility 2: Focused Chaos
Sorcerer encounter 3: Essence Prism
Sorcerer daily 5: Reeling Torment
Sorcerer utility 6: Chaotic Defense
Sorcerer encounter 7: Chaos Ray
Sorcerer daily 9: Contagious Curse
Sorcerer utility 10: Devour Magic

ITEMS
Magic Drowmesh +3, Vicious Dagger +3, Wraithblade Dagger +2, Iron Armbands of Power (heroic tier), Gauntlets of Blood (heroic tier), Amulet of Protection +3

 

[abyssaldeath]

One thing that I want to say about my build is that it is kind of boring. The powers don't have a lot of dice to roll and it does a lot of bonus damage, but thats about it. It's about as straight forward as you can make an Arcane striker. Surprisingly though, he wasn't as squishy as he looks.