Best level 7/8 spells for a high level evil sorcerer?

[NewJeffCT]

Why not get it all over with, and have the NPC just surrender?

No single 8th level spell + 2 7th level spells is going to put even a moderate dent into the stride of 7 17th level PCs... and then 2 NPCs "of similar level".

Given this, the smart move would be to surrender, give up, acquiesce to their demands.

Then the former BBEG can plot his revenge, while pretending to reform.

Maze can take out 1 PC for the duration of the fight. Otto's Irresistible Dance can take out one for 2-5 rounds. Trap the Soul can do similar. Power Word Stun can also take out many PCs of that level for the duration of the fight, though not hit point tanks. Avasculate is great at weakening a hit point tank - I used it once against the raging barbarian... Me: "How many hit points do you have?" Player: "274?" Me: "You take 137 points of damage and need to make a Fortitude save now..."

Firestorm can be a good clerical one to take down hit points for several PCs at once, as it is shapeable and has a huge area of effect (17 ten foot cubes at level 17) Probably won't kill them, but can heavily weaken several.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Ummm...what?

If you mean he'll get ganged on by sheer numbers, I thought this evil sorcerer was part of Jeff's drow party he asks for advice on in another thread.

yes, the sorcerer is part of the drow raiding party. They have two arcane casters that they use to teleport in & out of places, two clerics for healing/buffing/will save effects, plus the duskblade and at least 1-2 drow warrior types, plus some slave warriors (ogres barbarians or orog fighters, or similar)

The lead sorcerer, the duskblade and the lead priestess are all about the same level as the party, but I already have the spells for the priestess and the duskblade. The other wizard/sorcerer and the other cleric are a bit lower level.

 

[green slime]

Allright (I prefer to stick with Core);

7th)
Waves of Exhaustion: no save, ½'s speed, -6 to Str & Dex will seriously crimp the tanks ability to dish out damage, and manuever around the battlemap.

and

Plane Shift: Will touch attack to send a creature to the Negative Energy Plane. To take care of those that get too close, or to escape.

8th)

Horrid Wilting: Long range ½ Fort non-energy damage to bomb the Psionic and the wizard.

 

[Dandu]

For a Core game, I'd choose Greater Planar Binding, Finger of Death, and Project Image myself.

 

[green slime]

For a Core game, I'd choose Greater Planar Binding, Finger of Death, and Project Image myself.

For an NPC sorcerer Bad guy?

I've always wanted to try out simulacrum. At 800 gp to create an 8th level sorcerer follower that looks identical to you, its a bargain. 11 simulacrum and 1 real sorcerer really ups the odds of the real sorcerer getting away. And 11 x 8d6 fireballs is going to hurt everyone except those with improved evasion.

 

[Dandu]

For an NPC sorcerer Bad guy?

Planar Binding: Minions
Finger of Death: Killing
Project Image: Distraction

 

[jasin]

Planar Binding: Minions

8th-level can get you greater planar binding which can get you "friends" which aren't minions by any stretch of imagination: planetars can cast 9th-level cleric spells!

That'd be a pretty dastardly trick to pull on a party: they face a 16th-level sorcerer and a planetar, and get EL 16 XP. After all, the planetar is part and parcel of the sorc's abilities.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'm not sure about that. Summons give no xp. But calling spells actually bring the creature to you, and if he dies, it's for real. The PCs would even get the Planetar's gear! They would get xp for defeating him, IMO, though it would still make the fight much harder and be rather dastardly. Then again, I'd imagine the called Planetar would not want to die, so he'd try to escape when weak, instead of fighting to the end. Besides that...it'd be rather difficult for an evil sorcerer to make a pact with a celestial to kill a good party. And by ECL 17, they surely must have some notoreity...

 

[Thanee]

I have to second Arcane Spellsurge. Awesome spell, especially for a sorcerer with some metamagic feats (Heighten Spell works nicely to make other spellcastings a full-round action, in order to get them reduced back to a standard action, so you can always benefit from the extra swift action casting).

Bye
Thanee

 

[NewJeffCT]

I'm not sure about that. Summons give no xp. But calling spells actually bring the creature to you, and if he dies, it's for real. The PCs would even get the Planetar's gear! They would get xp for defeating him, IMO, though it would still make the fight much harder and be rather dastardly. Then again, I'd imagine the called Planetar would not want to die, so he'd try to escape when weak, instead of fighting to the end. Besides that...it'd be rather difficult for an evil sorcerer to make a pact with a celestial to kill a good party. And by ECL 17, they surely must have some notoreity...

I tend to give out a bonus XP award for defeating powerful outsiders, even if they are summoned. Just doesn't "feel" right to me to have a level 11 or 12 cleric able to summon an CR11 or 12 demon or devil and the party has to defeat both (that happened earlier in the campaign - the party had to defeat the evil cleric, his summoned barbed devil and a powerful fighter...)