Help me build a versatile Sorcerer

[mikebr99]

Well you are in luck because Polymorph has Target:Willing living creature touched. So just use it on the fighter and let him go to town.

Especially if you can turn him into a high CON creature for the extra hps right?


Mike

 

[Camarath]

I think that Pax's suggestion of Firebrand is a very good one you might want to take that if you can.

Especially if you can turn him into a high CON creature for the extra hps right?

Lets not bring that into this thread.

 

[Pax]

1.) Mass Fire Damage (Fireball)

Given it's CotSQ, and that's clearly a Realms product - if he can get ahold of a copy of Magic of Faerun, he'll do far better with Firebrand - for thehigher damage cap o the one hand, and the MUCH more flexible AoE on the other (it's much easier to catch multiple - even ALL - enemies in a Firebrand, without hitting party members, than it is with a Fireball).

It's only drawbackis in being 4th level instead of 3d. Then agian ... how many 4th level attack spells ARE there? ^_^

2.) Mass Cold Damage (Cone of Cold)
3.) Acid Damage (Acid Arrow)
4.) Electrical Damage (Lightning Bolt)

The second-level Gedlee's Electric Loop (Magic of Faerun) serves this purpose reasonably, withthe added benefit of occasionally stunning your targets.

Or, from the Dragonlance setting hardcover, Shocking Spark - an electrical damage version of Scorching Ray.

5.) Force Damage (Magic Missile)

Also Thunderlance. Not auto-hit, but duration, reach, and a generally nice spell all 'round.

6.) Sonic Damage (Shout)

I'd say Shatterfloor would be better - because it has the secondary benefit of some (limited, but presentnonetheless) non-combat applications, especially bridge removal.

7.) Will Save Enemy Negation (Hold Monster)
8.) Fort Save Enemy Negation (Flesh to Stone, Disintegrate)
9.) Reflex Save Enemy Negation (Resilient Sphere)
10.) Duration Damage spell (Acid Fog)
11.) A mass damage spell with no reflex save (Ice Storm, Horrid Wilting)

I'd give preferential status to Ice Storm here, actually. It's got SOME cold damage (partial dual-duty), and it does more than JUST damage (multi-utility).

^_^ YMMV, of course. ^_^

 

[apsuman]

Don't forget about your magic items. Since in 3.5 sorcerers can "forget" spells then when your sorcerer acquired those bracers of armor at level 5 he just went ahead and forget that mage armor spell.

So, if you can render a spell useless via a magic item dont burden yourself by keeping it around.

Here are spells that I like:

Magic Missile
Burning hands (great with the sculpt spell feat)
Silent Image (always useful)
Ray of enfeeblement

Web
Acid Arrow
Schorching Ray
Shatter
Darkvision
Invisibility

Lightning bolt (I always like it more than fireball)
Protection of Energy
Ray of exhaustion
Dispel Magic

Dimention Door
Stoneskin
Fire Shield
Greater Invisibility
Enervation
Summon Monater IV*

Wall of Force
Persistent Image
Telekenesis


I especially like Summon Monster IV because you can extend it when you get to 10 level. You can summon 1d3 summon monster 3 creatures and you can summon 1d4+1 from summon 1 or 2 lists. In the 3.0 phb a formian worker was one of the potential summonees and with 8 of them you can get cure serious wounds. A yeth hound, mephit, lantern archon, or howler are all good creates to be able to summon. Any of the celestial or fiendish creates have darkvision.


All this, imho.

 

[Urbanmech]

Wall of Fire is pretty rocking as both a damage spell and a tactical utility spell. Now you can place the wall on a line of creatures and they will take 2d6+8 (8th lv caster) damage with no save. You can also use it to entrap an enemy and they can either stand in the cylindrical wall and take damage or take more while running through it. It is also great because it deals double damage to undead.

At higher levels pick up some of the bigbys hand spells and push enemies through your wall.

 

[Thanee]

I don't know, I don't want to always polymorph myself and jump into melee... :\ I thought I could use it to replicate some interesting ability here and there, but it doesn't replicate supernatural ones and not even special qualities.

Only psions can do that...

Anyways, Polymorph is much more than a combat spell (it is some sort of quite cost-efficient last resort for combat, tho - and ignores Spell Resistance as well ). It grants flight, burrowing, water-breathing, stealth, healing (lvl hp per casting, but at least something), darkvision (does it actually grant darkvision? almost looks like it does not... weird ), disguise, ...

Polymorph is probably the second most versatile spell right after Limited Wish.

If you pick Polymorph you can drop Disguise Self and get Mage Armor instead, which gives you more gold (no need for bracers). You can spend that on an item that grants permanent darkvision and can drop that spell as well then.

You might also want to consider Command Undead, that's one great spell, even though limited to undead as target.

Suggestion is also highly useful (much better than Hold Person normally) and somewhat versatile (can be used to extract information, for example).

See Invisibility is also very useful, I picked it over Invisibility recently.

Ray of Enfeeblement is pretty darn powerful as well.

Firebrand is very good at 5th (if you take Dimension Door, you don't really need Teleport). You can also swap our Fireball/Lightning Bolt by then, so no problem to pick that first.

One often overlooked and immensely powerful spell is Tirumael's Energy Spheres from Magic of Faerûn / Player's Guide to Faerûn. It's not so great against targets with multiple energy resistances, however.


As for feats, I'd probably think about the following:

Empower Spell
Silent Spell
Spell Penetration
Greater Spell Penetration

Extend Spell is nice, but effectively it doesn't really do much.
Heighten Spell is not needed at your level (much later).

Bye
Thanee

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

"I'd say Shatterfloor would be better - because it has the secondary benefit of some (limited, but presentnonetheless) non-combat applications, especially bridge removal."

Two more benefits to Shatterfloor - a) its save is Will - based (so Evasion becomes useless) and b) it has sonic-based damage, few people/things carry resitances to that. It also is a 15' spread (not a cone as mentioned previously ) and has medium range. Another advantage - in the area of effect, ground movement speed is halved ( which makes it great to block lines of charging, too). A definite favourite of mine

" Given it's CotSQ, and that's clearly a Realms product - if he can get ahold of a copy of Magic of Faerun, he'll do far better with Firebrand - for thehigher damage cap o the one hand, and the MUCH more flexible AoE on the other (it's much easier to catch multiple - even ALL - enemies in a Firebrand, without hitting party members, than it is with a Fireball).

It's only drawbackis in being 4th level instead of 3d. Then again ... how many 4th level attack spells ARE there? "

Firebrand is 5th level arcane, unfortunately, but one of the best damage spells around - especially against large monsters. True, you can only hurt any target once per _spread_, and overlapping spreads from Firebrand do not give extra damage, but with creative targeting you can hit different squares occupied by one creature with several seperate spreads.....

Personally I would recommend getting Dimension Door, Polymorph (one of the ultimate tool spells - just think Rust monster, Ooze, Hags - have you ever trie d to turn an ally into an Annis Hag ? Nasty ! - snakes, spiders... basically it's the "leatherman-tool" of spells ), Dispel Magic, Shatterfloor, Magic Missile Scorching Ray and Invisibility - anything else is fluff.
A cantrip to recommend is Acid Splash (MoF) which is pretty handy to eat through a lot of thin materials (few things have more than 2 HP and hardness gets ignored for acid) . Mestil's Acid Breath (MoF) is another pretty good attack spell.

As for the LFJ (Lutzaen's Frequent Jaunt ) mentioned above - please take note that while it allows multiple dimension doors, the jumps are only "close" instead of "long" range, and the spell lasts for only 1 round/2 levels, which means 4 to 5 jumps at your current level. Usually, if trying to escape from a pressing opponent/matter, one does want to get more distance that just 50 or 60' - just about charge range for most opponents.

As for feats - with regard to metamagic I would recommend getting "Energy Substitution", "Silent Spell" and - very nice - "Transdimensional Spell" from Unapproachable East, which allows to incorporeal/ethereal/shaodwed and even extra-dimensional targets without miss chance at the same time as corporeal ones, at a mere level+1 increase - basically this feat turns any attack spell into a (force) effect one, and can be an absolute lifesaver. "Empower Spell" is a matter of taste, but maybe handy. "Spell Penetration" looks like another nice pick, given the setting and its infamous denizens - Drow, who of course have spell resistance...

If you want darkvision cheaply and rather permanently - get yourself a 'hairy spider' familiar (page 27, FRCS), which confers 'darkvision' to its master - often overlooked.....

 

[Thanee]

One thing, that is easily forgotten. Sorcerers need a source to learn spells not from the PHB (i.e. Firebrand), a scroll or a teacher or something.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Any of the Shadow Conjuration / Shadow Evocation spells are OBVIOUSLY spells you will consider MUST-HAVES.

I really don't think so anymore. They are surely very good, but not must-haves.

Bye
Thanee

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

One thing, that is easily forgotten. Sorcerers need a source to learn spells not from the PHB (i.e. Firebrand), a scroll or a teacher or something.

Bye
Thanee

ahem - where might that rule be found ?