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[GUIDE] Born to be Wild, a sorcerer guide.
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<blockquote data-quote="mellored" data-source="post: 7197503" data-attributes="member: 6801209"><p>© = concentration</p><p>ⓣ = twinnable</p><p></p><p><strong>Cantrips</strong>: You start with a solid 4 cantrips, going up to 6. Plenty of room here at least. I suggest 2-3 attack spells, and the rest can go to utility.</p><p>[sblock=cantrips]</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #00ffff">Fire Bolt</span>: Good range and damage makes this the go-to cantrip.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Minor Illusion</span>: Lots of uses.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Prestidigitation</span>: Lots of uses.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Acid Splash</span>: A pseudo-AoE without needing to be twinned. Scales well with 2 targets.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Blade Ward</span>: Good to help keep concentration, also works nicely with quicken.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #0000ff">Booming Blade</span>: A nice melee option if you have decent Dex or a magical weapon. You can quicken + disengage, or use greater invisibility, and other such tricks, to get the extra damage.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #0000ff">Light</span>: Useful.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Mage Hand</span>: Useful.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #0000ff">Ray of Frost</span>: Reducing movement can keep you safe.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #0000ff">Shocking Grasp</span>: Good for getting out of melee.</p><p></p><p>ⓣChill Touch: Less damage than firebolt, and there aren't many creatures that regain HP. But at least it's a different damage type.</p><p>©Create bonfire: <span style="color: #00ffff">Low levels</span> this is a nice area denial, gives your allies a place to push enemies into, and as well as an alternative Dex save which can be used in melee, but as you level, you will have more important things to concentrate on.</p><p>ⓣFriends: Almost more use to piss someone off than persuade them.</p><p>ⓣFrostbite: Pretty good at <span style="color: #0000ff">low levels</span>. But doesn't scale with monster's multi-attack.</p><p>Green Flameblade: The other weapon cantrip. But you can't twin this, and you will generally have an AoE option.</p><p>Mending: Some uses</p><p>ⓣMessage: Some uses</p><p>Mold Earth: Some uses</p><p>ⓣPoison Spray: Short range and con save dampen the high damage.</p><p>Thunderclap: You generally don't want to be surrounded.</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Dancing Lights</span>: Concentration really hurts this. Better to take light.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Control flames</span>: A much more limited presditigitation.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Gust</span>: A few uses.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Shape water</span>: A few uses.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Infestation</span>: Fun, but not useful. Also Con save is bad.</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #ff0000">True Strike</span>: No. Just no. Attacking twice is better than attacking once with advantage. And this will spoil any concentration.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Spells Tips</strong></p><p>Sorcerers have a very limited number of known spells, not even 2 per spell level. I rated versatile spells a bit higher.</p><p>You can trade out your spells. This is particularly useful for damage spells, which don't scale well (except vitriolic sphere).</p><p>Since you can convert slots for SP, you don't need to know a spell for every level. Though avoid trading too much, it's not efficient.</p><p></p><p>[sblock=level 1]</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #00ffff">Chromatic Orb</span>: Good damage and can get dragon's damage bonus, wilds tides of chaos, shadow's darkness, or storms heart. <span style="color: #0000ff">Ice dragons</span> should go for ice knife instead.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Catapult</span>: No bloodline bonus, but adds a bit of utility such as grabbing keys off a table, stabbing a guard with his friend's dagger, and is S only so it works if silenced or hidden. Can't be twinned (which requires targeting creatures).</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">and storm</span> should stick with chromatic orb. Though it doesn't scale well, so trade it out later.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Sleep</span>: Effective AoE spell at level 1. <span style="color: #00ffff">Scales well</span> for a non-concentration spell.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Magic Missile</span>: This does the most baseline damage of any level 1 spell. (Chromatic orb wins with the sub-class boost).</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Chaos Bolt</span>: Lower damage than chromatic orb, with a low chance of an extra attack. Better with <span style="color: #00ffff">empowered</span>, which gives you an extra chance to get that bonus attack.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">False Life</span>: a good chunk of extra THP at level 1. But <span style="color: #ee82ee">fades quickly</span>, so trade it out for shield later.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Ice Knife</span>: Decent single target damage, plus a little splash. <span style="color: #daa520">Ice dragons</span> want this though. At least at low level since this scales poorly.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Shield</span>: You can't do much if you're dead. This spell effectively get's <span style="color: #00ffff">better as you level</span>, definitely worth picking up at some point. It's also a reasonable use of SP to create more level 1 slots if needed.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Fog Cloud</span>: There are some good sneaky uses for this, and it stays useful at higher levels. Note that not being able to see a creature (disadvantage), or be seen by the creature (advantage), cancels out.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Silent Image</span>: Good utility. Combines nicely with subtle.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Thunderwave</span>: Low damage, but pushing has it's used, particularly if you have zones.</p><p></p><p>Absorb Elements: Similar to shield, this spell get's <span style="color: #00ffff">better as you level</span>. Half damage from a fireball can both keep you alive, and keep concentration.</p><p>Burning Hands: The highest damage AoE option at level 1. Which isn't saying much.</p><p>ⓣCharm Person: Utility.</p><p>Comprehend Languages: Utility.</p><p>©Disguise Self: Another utility. Better if you also have <span style="color: #00ffff">subtle</span> metamagic, as it allows some great subterfuge.</p><p>©Expeditious Retreat: More utility.</p><p>Mage Armor: Most sorcerers shouldn't be taking 20+ attacks in a day. Though this effectivly scales, so it might be worthwhile at <span style="color: #0000ff">later level</span>. Worthless for <span style="color: #ff0000">dragon</span>.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Color Spray</span>: With it's limited range and short duration, it's generally worse than sleep.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Detect Magic</span>: Rarely used utility. And remember, you can't use it as a ritual.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Earth Tremors</span>: Prone doesn't do much if their already this close. Might have some uses if multi-classed into a melee.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Feather Fall</span>: Rarely used utility. Unless you're<span style="color: #00ffff"> level 14+ dragon or storm</span>, where falling is a serious threat.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Witch Bolt</span>: This can add up if you are stuck in a small room, and you don't yet have competing concentration spells. Though it <span style="color: #ff0000">completely fails to scale</span><span style="color: #ff0000">.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Jump</span>: Really hard to make a case for.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #ff0000">Ray of Sickness</span>: Too many rolls for such a minimal effect.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=level 2]</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #FFD700">Suggestion</span>: Only 1 save for a full 8 hours of control makes this great in and out of combat. "Help us kill your boss", "Surrender unconditionally" or "Go get me a beer". Some DM's may <span style="color: #EE82EE">not play along</span> though.</p><p></p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #00FFFF">Blindness/Deafness</span>: A weaker control effect, but the fact that it's not concentration makes useful. It's better to cast it in a higher slot then twin.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #00ffff">Hold Person</span>: Great control, and gives allies advantage and crits.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #00ffff">Levitate</span>: A nice combo of control and utility. Though many melee creatures have good Con and ranged won't care. A good candidate for <span style="color: #00ffff">heightened</span>.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #00ffff">Phantasmal Force</span>: Great control that target's the generally low Int, with some possible damage. A cave-in is a good default, or twin it to make 2 enemies see each other as enemies, but some creativity can really make this shine. Some DM's may <span style="color: #ee82ee">not play along</span> though.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Scorching Ray</span>: Great damage at this level. <span style="color: #0000ff">Scales ok</span>. Combo's with <span style="color: #ffd700">hold person/monster's</span> advantage and crits.</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Shatter</span>: Good AoE damage, for the moment.</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Cloud of Daggers</span>: Good damage and is one of the few damage spells that actually <span style="color: #00ffff">scales well</span>, but is hindered by concentration. Better if you have <span style="color: #00ffff">allies that can control movement</span>, like a grappler, or ranger with ensaring shot.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #0000ff">Enlarge/Reduce</span>: The buff of choice at this level, as well as some decent utility, but a bit short lived. Also, the <span style="color: #EE82EE">debuff if poor</span>.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000FF">Gust</span><span style="color: #0000FF"> of Wind</span>: 15 back, and double movement is 30', enough to shut down many melee enemies, at least <span style="color: #ee82ee">in a hallway</span>. It's still effective even against high Str enemies. Can be used with careful metamagic to not affect your allies. Better if an <span style="color: #00FFFF">ally has a zone</span> to push things into.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Mirror Image</span>: Absorbs <span style="color: #00ffff"><em>up to</em> 3 hits</span>, but requires <span style="color: #ee82ee">knowing you'll be targeted in advance</span>. Which makes it great if you plan on <span style="color: #00ffff">running into melee (storm)</span>. <span style="color: #0000ff">Scales somewhat</span> as damage-per-attack increases, and the lack of concentration keeps it useful as you level. There is negative synergy with <span style="color: #ee82ee">heavy armor and shield</span>, and to a lesser extent dragon or mage armor (more Dex has no net effect).</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #0000ff">Invisibility</span>: Good, long lasting utility. This is one of the few spells where extend would come in handy.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000FF">Web</span>: Good area of control, especially with <span style="color: #00FFFF">careful</span> that allows your allies to move freely.</p><p></p><p>©Alter Self: Utility. Better for <span style="color: #0000ff">water campaigns</span>.</p><p>ⓣ©Crown of Madness: A <span style="color: #00ffff">great effect</span> even if you drop it after 1 round, but it <span style="color: #ee82ee">takes some finesse to use</span> well, and can only target <span style="color: #ee82ee">humanoids</span>. Meaning that <span style="color: #00ffff">hold person</span> wins in most use cases. It's easy to get 1 attack if you pay attention to initiative, and target the enemie(s) who goes next before others have a chance to move away. Also, some creatures have crappy melee attacks, so make the caster punch your fighter. Get's much better if you have a <span style="color: #00ffff">rogue with sentinel</span>, who will love the off-turn attack, or some <span style="color: #0000ff">movement denial</span> .</p><p>©Detect Thoughts: Utility.</p><p>ⓣ©Enhance Ability: Utility.</p><p>©Maximilian’s earthen grasp: Damage and control is good, but Str isn't the best thing to attack.</p><p>Misty Step: Utility.</p><p>©Spider Climb: Utility</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Aganazzar’s</span><span style="color: #ee82ee"> scorcher</span>: Short range leaves this only slightly better than burning hands.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Blur</span>: Taking both concentration and an action makes this a bit weak. Stick with Mirror Image if you take any at all. Better if you have <span style="color: #0000FF">high AC</span>.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Darkness</span>: Not much use unless you have a <span style="color: #00ffff">special sense (warlock's devils sight).</span> Note that not seeing your enemy (disadvantage), and them not seeing you (advantage) cancels out to a normal attack.</p><p>ⓣ<span style="color: #ee82ee">Darkvision</span>: Most races have this; can be good for <span style="color: #0000ff">humans</span>.</p><p>©ⓣ:<span style="color: #ee82ee">Dragon's</span><span style="color: #ee82ee"> Breath</span>: PC's will have an action that's nearly as good, that doesn't take up a spell slot, and a better action at level 5. However, this can work well with <span style="color: #0000ff">summons, skeletons,</span> and the even <span style="color: #0000ff">familiars </span>(it's not an attack, so they can use their own action).</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Knock</span>: Rarely used utility.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">See Invisibility</span>: Rarely used utility. Detect thoughts can usually work just as well.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Shadow Blade:</span> A nice weapon that you probably won't be using.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Warding Wind</span>: Can be used to protect your allies as well as yourself. Just not with <span style="color: #ff0000">ranged weapon allies</span>.</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #ff0000">Dust devil</span>: End of turn means this will rarely do anything.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ff0000">Earthbind</span>: Too specific.</p><p>©ⓣ<span style="color: #ff0000">Mind Spike</span>: Low damage and breaks your concentration on other spells.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Pyrotechnics</span>: Too hard to use. Even with <span style="color: #0000FF">quicken + bonfire</span>, it's not worth much.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Snilloc’s snowball swarm</span>: Lower damage and smaller size than shatter. Not even cold dragons will want this.</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=level 3]</p><p><span style="color: #00ffff">Fireball</span>: The best AoE spell of this level, and for the next few. Might still be good at higher levels for clearing out low level hordes.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #00ffff">Haste</span>: A great buff, particularly for <span style="color: #ffd700">twin-high damage allies</span> (great weapon master / sharpshooter). Still useful with <span style="color: #0000ff">single sword and board</span>. Works particularly for a <span style="color: #ffd700">rogue</span> who can use the haste action to attack, and the normal action to ready an attack off-turn for double sneak attack, or just attack again if they miss. Alternatively, use it to hit-and-run with booming blade, or just double dash to escape a bad situation. Just make sure your <span style="color: #ff0000">concentration isn't interrupted</span>.</p><p>©<span style="color: #00ffff">Hypnotic Pattern</span>: The go-to control spell for most of the game; 1 save to take someone out of the fight and a free crit to whoever wakes them up. Just make sure to kill one enemy at a time, and avoid waking others. <span style="color: #ffd700">Careful</span> metamagic can help here.</p><p>©<span style="color: #00ffff">Careful + Stinking Cloud</span>: Given how much the utility of this spell changes with careful, I'm rating it twice. With careful, you and your allies can safely hide in it, while reducing enemy actions. Note that not seeing your enemy (disadvantage), and them not seeing you (advantage) cancels out to a normal attack. That means you can also cast firebolt in melee (1 advantage cancels out all disadvantage). <span style="color: #ee82ee">Make sure to warn your allies</span>, as no sight stops many spells and effects (both <span style="color: #ff0000">friendly sacred flame</span>, and <span style="color: #00ffff">enemy </span><span style="color: #00ffff">medisa's</span><span style="color: #00ffff"> gaze</span>). But if they are prepared, they can make good use of it. For instance, bonus action attack (spiritual weapon) and standard action to hide, or using wild shape/polymorph/summon (animate objects) for a special sense which gives advantage.</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Clairvoyance</span>: Nice utility. It can help you know if it's time to buff up. Though you might want to wait until later levels when a level 3 slots means a bit less.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Counterspell</span>: Trading a slot for a slot is usually a bad deal for PC's, but trading a reaction to stop an action is a good trade. While this can technically be twinned, I don't think it will even come up.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #0000ff">Enemies Abound</span>: Best if cast in the middle of a horde, but then, so is hypnotic pattern. Could pull off some really fun tricks with <span style="color: #ffd700">stealth and subtle</span>.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Fear</span>: A good control effect can give your allies some OA's (<span style="color: #00ffff">rogues</span>). Better with <span style="color: #00ffff">careful</span> metamagic.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Lightning Bolt</span>: The same damage as fireball, but generally harder to hit multiple enemies with.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000FF">Melf’s minute meteors</span>: A good bit of damage, and good targeting, but spread out over a few turns. If your <span style="color: #00FFFF">DM likes swarms that are spread out</span>, this works great. <span style="color: #ee82ee">Scales poorly</span>.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #0000ff">Fly</span>: Good utility, and an auto-win for some battles.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Major Image</span>: Lots of utility.</p><p>©<span style="color: #0000ff">Slow</span>: Slightly bigger area than hypnotic pattern, with built in careful, but quite a bit weaker effect. Better for <span style="color: #00ffff">ranged parties</span> who can outrun the enemy.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Thunder Step</span>: Escape + damage. Even better for <span style="color: #00ffff">storm</span>, who can maneuver into a good position, and deal extra damage.</p><p></p><p>Blink: Not attacking you just means they hit your allies. So it doesn't help too much.</p><p>Dispel Magic: Utility.</p><p>Erupting earth: A good bit less damage than fireball in exchange for some difficult terrain, which is generally not worth it. However, this <span style="color: #0000FF">scales rather well</span>, and beats fireball by level 5, and is only slightly behind cone of cold.</p><p>ⓣ©Protection from Energy: A good buff, if you know what's coming.</p><p>Tidal Wave: The loss of damage and area compared to fireball usually is made up for by prone.</p><p>ⓣTongues: Utility. Could be importaint for <span style="color: #00ffff">suggestion</span>.</p><p>Water Breathing: Utility</p><p></p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Flame </span><span style="color: #ee82ee">arrows</span>: The same damage as melf's minute meteors, but it requires a bow, and doesn't do half on a miss, or in a burst.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Sleet Storm</span>: Unless you're facing a lot of spell casting enemies, this just isn't much control.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ee82ee">Stinking Cloud</span>: Enemies can usually walk out of this, or dash though (no save on enter). A little better if you have forced movement.</p><p><span style="color: #ee82ee">Water Walk</span>: Water breathing is usually better.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Catnap</span>: It only saves a little time.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Daylight</span>: Not worth it for an upgraded cantrip.</p><p>ⓣ©<span style="color: #ff0000">Gaseous Form</span>: I don't expect you need to fly though many keyholes.</p><p>©<span style="color: #ff0000">Wall of water</span>: Warding wind is a level lower and gives you similar protection.</p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mellored, post: 7197503, member: 6801209"] © = concentration ⓣ = twinnable [B]Cantrips[/B]: You start with a solid 4 cantrips, going up to 6. Plenty of room here at least. I suggest 2-3 attack spells, and the rest can go to utility. [sblock=cantrips] ⓣ[COLOR=#00ffff]Fire Bolt[/COLOR]: Good range and damage makes this the go-to cantrip. [COLOR=#00ffff]Minor Illusion[/COLOR]: Lots of uses. [COLOR=#00ffff]Prestidigitation[/COLOR]: Lots of uses. [COLOR=#0000ff]Acid Splash[/COLOR]: A pseudo-AoE without needing to be twinned. Scales well with 2 targets. [COLOR=#0000ff]Blade Ward[/COLOR]: Good to help keep concentration, also works nicely with quicken. ⓣ[COLOR=#0000ff]Booming Blade[/COLOR]: A nice melee option if you have decent Dex or a magical weapon. You can quicken + disengage, or use greater invisibility, and other such tricks, to get the extra damage. ⓣ[COLOR=#0000ff]Light[/COLOR]: Useful. [COLOR=#0000ff]Mage Hand[/COLOR]: Useful. ⓣ[COLOR=#0000ff]Ray of Frost[/COLOR]: Reducing movement can keep you safe. ⓣ[COLOR=#0000ff]Shocking Grasp[/COLOR]: Good for getting out of melee. ⓣChill Touch: Less damage than firebolt, and there aren't many creatures that regain HP. But at least it's a different damage type. ©Create bonfire: [COLOR=#00ffff]Low levels[/COLOR] this is a nice area denial, gives your allies a place to push enemies into, and as well as an alternative Dex save which can be used in melee, but as you level, you will have more important things to concentrate on. ⓣFriends: Almost more use to piss someone off than persuade them. ⓣFrostbite: Pretty good at [COLOR=#0000ff]low levels[/COLOR]. But doesn't scale with monster's multi-attack. Green Flameblade: The other weapon cantrip. But you can't twin this, and you will generally have an AoE option. Mending: Some uses ⓣMessage: Some uses Mold Earth: Some uses ⓣPoison Spray: Short range and con save dampen the high damage. Thunderclap: You generally don't want to be surrounded. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Dancing Lights[/COLOR]: Concentration really hurts this. Better to take light. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Control flames[/COLOR]: A much more limited presditigitation. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Gust[/COLOR]: A few uses. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Shape water[/COLOR]: A few uses. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Infestation[/COLOR]: Fun, but not useful. Also Con save is bad. ©[COLOR=#ff0000]True Strike[/COLOR]: No. Just no. Attacking twice is better than attacking once with advantage. And this will spoil any concentration. [/sblock] [B]Spells Tips[/B] Sorcerers have a very limited number of known spells, not even 2 per spell level. I rated versatile spells a bit higher. You can trade out your spells. This is particularly useful for damage spells, which don't scale well (except vitriolic sphere). Since you can convert slots for SP, you don't need to know a spell for every level. Though avoid trading too much, it's not efficient. [sblock=level 1] ⓣ[COLOR=#00ffff]Chromatic Orb[/COLOR]: Good damage and can get dragon's damage bonus, wilds tides of chaos, shadow's darkness, or storms heart. [COLOR=#0000ff]Ice dragons[/COLOR] should go for ice knife instead. [COLOR=#00ffff]Catapult[/COLOR]: No bloodline bonus, but adds a bit of utility such as grabbing keys off a table, stabbing a guard with his friend's dagger, and is S only so it works if silenced or hidden. Can't be twinned (which requires targeting creatures). [COLOR=#0000ff]and storm[/COLOR] should stick with chromatic orb. Though it doesn't scale well, so trade it out later. [COLOR=#00ffff]Sleep[/COLOR]: Effective AoE spell at level 1. [COLOR=#00ffff]Scales well[/COLOR] for a non-concentration spell. [COLOR=#00ffff]Magic Missile[/COLOR]: This does the most baseline damage of any level 1 spell. (Chromatic orb wins with the sub-class boost). [COLOR=#0000ff]Chaos Bolt[/COLOR]: Lower damage than chromatic orb, with a low chance of an extra attack. Better with [COLOR=#00ffff]empowered[/COLOR], which gives you an extra chance to get that bonus attack. [COLOR=#0000ff]False Life[/COLOR]: a good chunk of extra THP at level 1. But [COLOR=#ee82ee]fades quickly[/COLOR], so trade it out for shield later. [COLOR=#0000ff]Ice Knife[/COLOR]: Decent single target damage, plus a little splash. [COLOR=#daa520]Ice dragons[/COLOR] want this though. At least at low level since this scales poorly. [COLOR=#0000ff]Shield[/COLOR]: You can't do much if you're dead. This spell effectively get's [COLOR=#00ffff]better as you level[/COLOR], definitely worth picking up at some point. It's also a reasonable use of SP to create more level 1 slots if needed. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Fog Cloud[/COLOR]: There are some good sneaky uses for this, and it stays useful at higher levels. Note that not being able to see a creature (disadvantage), or be seen by the creature (advantage), cancels out. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Silent Image[/COLOR]: Good utility. Combines nicely with subtle. [COLOR=#0000ff]Thunderwave[/COLOR]: Low damage, but pushing has it's used, particularly if you have zones. Absorb Elements: Similar to shield, this spell get's [COLOR=#00ffff]better as you level[/COLOR]. Half damage from a fireball can both keep you alive, and keep concentration. Burning Hands: The highest damage AoE option at level 1. Which isn't saying much. ⓣCharm Person: Utility. Comprehend Languages: Utility. ©Disguise Self: Another utility. Better if you also have [COLOR=#00ffff]subtle[/COLOR] metamagic, as it allows some great subterfuge. ©Expeditious Retreat: More utility. Mage Armor: Most sorcerers shouldn't be taking 20+ attacks in a day. Though this effectivly scales, so it might be worthwhile at [COLOR=#0000ff]later level[/COLOR]. Worthless for [COLOR=#ff0000]dragon[/COLOR]. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Color Spray[/COLOR]: With it's limited range and short duration, it's generally worse than sleep. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Detect Magic[/COLOR]: Rarely used utility. And remember, you can't use it as a ritual. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Earth Tremors[/COLOR]: Prone doesn't do much if their already this close. Might have some uses if multi-classed into a melee. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Feather Fall[/COLOR]: Rarely used utility. Unless you're[COLOR=#00ffff] level 14+ dragon or storm[/COLOR], where falling is a serious threat. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Witch Bolt[/COLOR]: This can add up if you are stuck in a small room, and you don't yet have competing concentration spells. Though it [COLOR=#ff0000]completely fails to scale[/COLOR][COLOR=#ff0000].[/COLOR] [COLOR=#ff0000]Jump[/COLOR]: Really hard to make a case for. ⓣ[COLOR=#ff0000]Ray of Sickness[/COLOR]: Too many rolls for such a minimal effect. [/sblock] [sblock=level 2] ⓣ©[COLOR=#FFD700]Suggestion[/COLOR]: Only 1 save for a full 8 hours of control makes this great in and out of combat. "Help us kill your boss", "Surrender unconditionally" or "Go get me a beer". Some DM's may [COLOR=#EE82EE]not play along[/COLOR] though. ⓣ[COLOR=#00FFFF]Blindness/Deafness[/COLOR]: A weaker control effect, but the fact that it's not concentration makes useful. It's better to cast it in a higher slot then twin. ⓣ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Hold Person[/COLOR]: Great control, and gives allies advantage and crits. ⓣ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Levitate[/COLOR]: A nice combo of control and utility. Though many melee creatures have good Con and ranged won't care. A good candidate for [COLOR=#00ffff]heightened[/COLOR]. ⓣ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Phantasmal Force[/COLOR]: Great control that target's the generally low Int, with some possible damage. A cave-in is a good default, or twin it to make 2 enemies see each other as enemies, but some creativity can really make this shine. Some DM's may [COLOR=#ee82ee]not play along[/COLOR] though. [COLOR=#00ffff]Scorching Ray[/COLOR]: Great damage at this level. [COLOR=#0000ff]Scales ok[/COLOR]. Combo's with [COLOR=#ffd700]hold person/monster's[/COLOR] advantage and crits. [COLOR=#00ffff]Shatter[/COLOR]: Good AoE damage, for the moment. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Cloud of Daggers[/COLOR]: Good damage and is one of the few damage spells that actually [COLOR=#00ffff]scales well[/COLOR], but is hindered by concentration. Better if you have [COLOR=#00ffff]allies that can control movement[/COLOR], like a grappler, or ranger with ensaring shot. ⓣ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Enlarge/Reduce[/COLOR]: The buff of choice at this level, as well as some decent utility, but a bit short lived. Also, the [COLOR=#EE82EE]debuff if poor[/COLOR]. ©[COLOR=#0000FF]Gust[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000FF] of Wind[/COLOR]: 15 back, and double movement is 30', enough to shut down many melee enemies, at least [COLOR=#ee82ee]in a hallway[/COLOR]. It's still effective even against high Str enemies. Can be used with careful metamagic to not affect your allies. Better if an [COLOR=#00FFFF]ally has a zone[/COLOR] to push things into. [COLOR=#0000ff]Mirror Image[/COLOR]: Absorbs [COLOR=#00ffff][I]up to[/I] 3 hits[/COLOR], but requires [COLOR=#ee82ee]knowing you'll be targeted in advance[/COLOR]. Which makes it great if you plan on [COLOR=#00ffff]running into melee (storm)[/COLOR]. [COLOR=#0000ff]Scales somewhat[/COLOR] as damage-per-attack increases, and the lack of concentration keeps it useful as you level. There is negative synergy with [COLOR=#ee82ee]heavy armor and shield[/COLOR], and to a lesser extent dragon or mage armor (more Dex has no net effect). ⓣ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Invisibility[/COLOR]: Good, long lasting utility. This is one of the few spells where extend would come in handy. ©[COLOR=#0000FF]Web[/COLOR]: Good area of control, especially with [COLOR=#00FFFF]careful[/COLOR] that allows your allies to move freely. ©Alter Self: Utility. Better for [COLOR=#0000ff]water campaigns[/COLOR]. ⓣ©Crown of Madness: A [COLOR=#00ffff]great effect[/COLOR] even if you drop it after 1 round, but it [COLOR=#ee82ee]takes some finesse to use[/COLOR] well, and can only target [COLOR=#ee82ee]humanoids[/COLOR]. Meaning that [COLOR=#00ffff]hold person[/COLOR] wins in most use cases. It's easy to get 1 attack if you pay attention to initiative, and target the enemie(s) who goes next before others have a chance to move away. Also, some creatures have crappy melee attacks, so make the caster punch your fighter. Get's much better if you have a [COLOR=#00ffff]rogue with sentinel[/COLOR], who will love the off-turn attack, or some [COLOR=#0000ff]movement denial[/COLOR] . ©Detect Thoughts: Utility. ⓣ©Enhance Ability: Utility. ©Maximilian’s earthen grasp: Damage and control is good, but Str isn't the best thing to attack. Misty Step: Utility. ©Spider Climb: Utility [COLOR=#ee82ee]Aganazzar’s[/COLOR][COLOR=#ee82ee] scorcher[/COLOR]: Short range leaves this only slightly better than burning hands. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Blur[/COLOR]: Taking both concentration and an action makes this a bit weak. Stick with Mirror Image if you take any at all. Better if you have [COLOR=#0000FF]high AC[/COLOR]. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Darkness[/COLOR]: Not much use unless you have a [COLOR=#00ffff]special sense (warlock's devils sight).[/COLOR] Note that not seeing your enemy (disadvantage), and them not seeing you (advantage) cancels out to a normal attack. ⓣ[COLOR=#ee82ee]Darkvision[/COLOR]: Most races have this; can be good for [COLOR=#0000ff]humans[/COLOR]. ©ⓣ:[COLOR=#ee82ee]Dragon's[/COLOR][COLOR=#ee82ee] Breath[/COLOR]: PC's will have an action that's nearly as good, that doesn't take up a spell slot, and a better action at level 5. However, this can work well with [COLOR=#0000ff]summons, skeletons,[/COLOR] and the even [COLOR=#0000ff]familiars [/COLOR](it's not an attack, so they can use their own action). [COLOR=#ee82ee]Knock[/COLOR]: Rarely used utility. [COLOR=#ee82ee]See Invisibility[/COLOR]: Rarely used utility. Detect thoughts can usually work just as well. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Shadow Blade:[/COLOR] A nice weapon that you probably won't be using. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Warding Wind[/COLOR]: Can be used to protect your allies as well as yourself. Just not with [COLOR=#ff0000]ranged weapon allies[/COLOR]. ©[COLOR=#ff0000]Dust devil[/COLOR]: End of turn means this will rarely do anything. ©[COLOR=#ff0000]Earthbind[/COLOR]: Too specific. ©ⓣ[COLOR=#ff0000]Mind Spike[/COLOR]: Low damage and breaks your concentration on other spells. [COLOR=#ff0000]Pyrotechnics[/COLOR]: Too hard to use. Even with [COLOR=#0000FF]quicken + bonfire[/COLOR], it's not worth much. [COLOR=#ff0000]Snilloc’s snowball swarm[/COLOR]: Lower damage and smaller size than shatter. Not even cold dragons will want this. [/sblock] [sblock=level 3] [COLOR=#00ffff]Fireball[/COLOR]: The best AoE spell of this level, and for the next few. Might still be good at higher levels for clearing out low level hordes. ⓣ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Haste[/COLOR]: A great buff, particularly for [COLOR=#ffd700]twin-high damage allies[/COLOR] (great weapon master / sharpshooter). Still useful with [COLOR=#0000ff]single sword and board[/COLOR]. Works particularly for a [COLOR=#ffd700]rogue[/COLOR] who can use the haste action to attack, and the normal action to ready an attack off-turn for double sneak attack, or just attack again if they miss. Alternatively, use it to hit-and-run with booming blade, or just double dash to escape a bad situation. Just make sure your [COLOR=#ff0000]concentration isn't interrupted[/COLOR]. ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Hypnotic Pattern[/COLOR]: The go-to control spell for most of the game; 1 save to take someone out of the fight and a free crit to whoever wakes them up. Just make sure to kill one enemy at a time, and avoid waking others. [COLOR=#ffd700]Careful[/COLOR] metamagic can help here. ©[COLOR=#00ffff]Careful + Stinking Cloud[/COLOR]: Given how much the utility of this spell changes with careful, I'm rating it twice. With careful, you and your allies can safely hide in it, while reducing enemy actions. Note that not seeing your enemy (disadvantage), and them not seeing you (advantage) cancels out to a normal attack. That means you can also cast firebolt in melee (1 advantage cancels out all disadvantage). [COLOR=#ee82ee]Make sure to warn your allies[/COLOR], as no sight stops many spells and effects (both [COLOR=#ff0000]friendly sacred flame[/COLOR], and [COLOR=#00ffff]enemy [/COLOR][COLOR=#00ffff]medisa's[/COLOR][COLOR=#00ffff] gaze[/COLOR]). But if they are prepared, they can make good use of it. For instance, bonus action attack (spiritual weapon) and standard action to hide, or using wild shape/polymorph/summon (animate objects) for a special sense which gives advantage. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Clairvoyance[/COLOR]: Nice utility. It can help you know if it's time to buff up. Though you might want to wait until later levels when a level 3 slots means a bit less. [COLOR=#0000ff]Counterspell[/COLOR]: Trading a slot for a slot is usually a bad deal for PC's, but trading a reaction to stop an action is a good trade. While this can technically be twinned, I don't think it will even come up. ⓣ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Enemies Abound[/COLOR]: Best if cast in the middle of a horde, but then, so is hypnotic pattern. Could pull off some really fun tricks with [COLOR=#ffd700]stealth and subtle[/COLOR]. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Fear[/COLOR]: A good control effect can give your allies some OA's ([COLOR=#00ffff]rogues[/COLOR]). Better with [COLOR=#00ffff]careful[/COLOR] metamagic. [COLOR=#0000ff]Lightning Bolt[/COLOR]: The same damage as fireball, but generally harder to hit multiple enemies with. ©[COLOR=#0000FF]Melf’s minute meteors[/COLOR]: A good bit of damage, and good targeting, but spread out over a few turns. If your [COLOR=#00FFFF]DM likes swarms that are spread out[/COLOR], this works great. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Scales poorly[/COLOR]. ⓣ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Fly[/COLOR]: Good utility, and an auto-win for some battles. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Major Image[/COLOR]: Lots of utility. ©[COLOR=#0000ff]Slow[/COLOR]: Slightly bigger area than hypnotic pattern, with built in careful, but quite a bit weaker effect. Better for [COLOR=#00ffff]ranged parties[/COLOR] who can outrun the enemy. [COLOR=#0000ff]Thunder Step[/COLOR]: Escape + damage. Even better for [COLOR=#00ffff]storm[/COLOR], who can maneuver into a good position, and deal extra damage. Blink: Not attacking you just means they hit your allies. So it doesn't help too much. Dispel Magic: Utility. Erupting earth: A good bit less damage than fireball in exchange for some difficult terrain, which is generally not worth it. However, this [COLOR=#0000FF]scales rather well[/COLOR], and beats fireball by level 5, and is only slightly behind cone of cold. ⓣ©Protection from Energy: A good buff, if you know what's coming. Tidal Wave: The loss of damage and area compared to fireball usually is made up for by prone. ⓣTongues: Utility. Could be importaint for [COLOR=#00ffff]suggestion[/COLOR]. Water Breathing: Utility ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Flame [/COLOR][COLOR=#ee82ee]arrows[/COLOR]: The same damage as melf's minute meteors, but it requires a bow, and doesn't do half on a miss, or in a burst. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Sleet Storm[/COLOR]: Unless you're facing a lot of spell casting enemies, this just isn't much control. ©[COLOR=#ee82ee]Stinking Cloud[/COLOR]: Enemies can usually walk out of this, or dash though (no save on enter). A little better if you have forced movement. [COLOR=#ee82ee]Water Walk[/COLOR]: Water breathing is usually better. [COLOR=#ff0000]Catnap[/COLOR]: It only saves a little time. [COLOR=#ff0000]Daylight[/COLOR]: Not worth it for an upgraded cantrip. ⓣ©[COLOR=#ff0000]Gaseous Form[/COLOR]: I don't expect you need to fly though many keyholes. ©[COLOR=#ff0000]Wall of water[/COLOR]: Warding wind is a level lower and gives you similar protection. [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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[GUIDE] Born to be Wild, a sorcerer guide.
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