Donal Graeme
First Post
I kind of worded my first post weird. I wasn't asking for what to pick I was asking for the differences between things. Besides the number of spells and having to prepare the spells what is the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard. And what is the pros and cons of the different schools.
Others have covered the principle differences between a sorcerer and wizard, so I will take a stab at the schools for you.
Abjuration focuses on protective spells and wards. Most defensive magic is found here. Pro: strong defenses. Con: weak offensively.
The Conjuration school is about creating, moving and summoning things with magic. Summoning monsters, teleportation spells, spells that summon things out of thin air, that is found in this school. A flexible school, good for offense and defense. Pro: Good at most any situation. Con: Many GMs hate the Conjuration school, and limit spells from it.
Divination as a school is about detection and seeing things that are out of the ordinary. Magical investigation and farseeing are found here. A utility type school, has both offensive and defensive applications. Pro: Great for spotting danger, keeping aware. Con: Only a few useful combat spells.
Enchantment is all about charms and mind-altering spells. Spells that mess with enemies heads, spells that act as "crowd control" can be found here. Can be used offensively or defensively. Pro: Lots of ways to mess with enemies, also has some buffs. Con: Many enemies are immune to enchantment type spells.
Evocation is the primary school for destructive magic, although it encompasses a lot of other spells as well which deal with energy. Fireball, Lightning Bolt, most of the "blast" spells are found here. Very offensive school. Pro: Lots of ways to deal damage here. Con: Enemies with immunity to energy types can ruin your day.
Illusion is the school which includes invisibility effects as well as illusion/mirage effects. It is a school that rewards subtlety, and therefor tends to be more defensive/support in nature. Pro: Very flexible, lots of options available here. Con: Less out of combat utility that many other schools.
Necromancy deals with death spells, death effects and undeath. Most spells for creating, harming or impacting the undead are found here. Has a heavy emphasis on "debuffs" as well. Very offensive minded school, has a significant problem in that many of the spells are evil in nature and thus often more suited to the villains than the heroes. Pro: Can be very powerful in the right hands. Con: Those hands tend to only be evil ones.
Transmutation magic is about changing matter and reality. Most fly spells are found here, as are most of a Wizard/Sorcerer's buffs. A strong school, it focuses on supporting the other members of your party with buffs and enhancements. A strong utility school. Pro: Lots of different ways to help the party in nearly any situation. Con: Not a lot of ability to influence matters besides the party.
Hope this helps.