Is this sorceror legal and viable

[Particle_Man]

I have an idea for a sorceror/archmage that casts no evocation or conjuration spells, but does a lot of shadow magic, as well as retaining versitility in his spells, where possible. Using a 30 pt. Char.gen system (house rule; otherwise as other ability score point system generations in the DMG), I get S8 D14 Co14 I8 W10 Ch18. My skills would be Concentration (6 pts at 1st, then 2 pts/lvl 16th-20th), Knowledge (arcana) (1 pt/level 1st-15th) and Spellcraft (as Knowledge (arcana)). My feats would be Combat Casting and Spell Focus (enchantment) at 1st, then Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (illusion), Greater Spell Focus (illusion), Skill Focus (spellcraft), and Heighten Spell. The Archmage high arcana would always be for the spell-like ability, affecting Greater Shadow Evocation at levels 16th and 17th, and Shades at levels 18th-20th.

The spell list would be as follows:
0th
Daze, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, Read Magic (1st)
Detect Magic (2nd)
Touch of Fatigue (4th)
Detect Poison (6th)
Message (8th)
Mending (10th)
[Switching out Daze for Arcane Mark at 4th]

1st
Ray of Enfeeblement, Sleep (1st)
Feather Fall (3rd)
Protection from Evil (5th)
Alarm (7th)
[Switching out Sleep for Identify at 6th, and Protection from Evil for True Strike at 8th]

2nd
Tasha's Hideous Laughter (4th)
Touch of Idiocy (5th)
Resist Energy (7th)
Detect Thoughts (9th)
Spectral Hand (11th)

3rd
Deep Slumber (6th)
Dispel Magic (7th)
Fly (9th)
Vampiric Touch (11th)
[Switching out Dispel Magic for Magic Circle Against Evil at 10th, and Deep Slumber for Clairaudience/Clairvoyance at 12th]

4th
Shadow Conjuration (8th)
Phantasmal Killer (9th)
Greater Invisibility (11th)
Bestow Curse (13th)
[Switching out Shadow Conjuration for Enervation at 14th]

5th
Shadow Evocation (10th)
Mind Fog (11th)
Feeblemind (13th)
Telekinesis (15th)
[Switching out Shadow Evocation for Mordenkeinan's Private Sanctum at 16th]

6th
Greater Dispel Magic (12th)
True Seeing (13th)
Disintegrate (15th)

7th
Greater Shadow Conjuration (14th)
Project Image (15th)
Finger of Death (17th)
[Switching out Greater Shadow Conjuration for Waves of Exhaustion at 18th and Finger of Death for Limited Wish at 20th]

8th
Greater Shadow Evocation (16th)
Horrid Wilting (17th)
Polymorph Any Object (19th)

9th
Shades (18th)
Weird (19th)
Freedom (20th)

So my two questions are:
1) Have I broken any rules in constructing this character?
2) Is this character viable, despite having no spells from the Evocation or Conjuration schools? Is there (in the 3.5 PHB) an obvious spell from other schools, feat, or skill that my character should have?

 

[Sinjin the Rogue]

"My skills would be Concentration (6 pts at 1st. . ."

You can't have more than [level+3] ranks in a skill, so you could not have 6 ranks in Concentration at first level.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Skill Focus (Concentration) is a much better use of a feat than Combat Casting. IMO.

 

[Wippit Guud]

If you're going heavy into illusion, take a gnome instea of a human... +1 DC to all illusion spells is worth losing the extra feat.

 

[BSF]

Umm, I think you need to recompute your skills. 8 Int is a -1 skill point / level. As a Human, your racial bonus will wash it as 2 skill points / level.

You also have too many points in Concentration at 1st level.

As far as viability ... depends on the game you are running in. But, I think it is entirely possible to play without evocation and conjuration. So long as you enjoy playing it.

 

[Particle_Man]

Thanks for the prompt replies!

About the concentration skill -- D'oh! That's what I get for designing the character from 20th level and working backwards. So I guess I would have 4 points in Conc. at level 1, and an extra point in Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft (thus splitting the other 4 points to 2 ranks for each of the two skills). Then I would put the 2 skill points into Conc. only at level 3. None of the skills will be max'd out, since I don't intend to take Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft beyond 15 ranks, and Conc. will, aside from a few points at 1st (and now 3rd) levels, will see no improvement at all until 16th level.

Gnome...hmmm...I hadn't noticed that new racial ability in 3.5. Well, I guess I could put 2 points into Int (to keep the skills at 2 points per level), and take 2 points from Wis. But losing a feat could hurt. But maybe not too much.

As for combat casting vs. Skill focus (conc.) I will have to think about that. I guess there are other situations where a spell-caster needs to make a conc. check besides casting defensively, so I see your point.

Also, I am not sure I am happy with Finger of Death at 17th becoming Limited Wish at 20th. I might just go with Limited Wish at 17th and switch out something at a lower level. Hmmm...

Anyhow, thanks again!

 

[Wippit Guud]

Gnome...hmmm...I hadn't noticed that new racial ability in 3.5. Well, I guess I could put 2 points into Int (to keep the skills at 2 points per level), and take 2 points from Wis. But losing a feat could hurt. But maybe not too much.

Remember, it's the equivalent of Spell Focus: Illusuion, and it STACKS with Spell Focus: Illusion (+3 total with GSF)

 

[Plane Sailing]

The thing is, this character *isn't* without evocation and conjuration... because the whole point of shades and shadow magic is to allow him access to those spells! (the shadow versions can be every bit as powerful in their own way).

I think it would be perfectly possible (now) to build a sorcerer with genuinely no ability to cast any direct damage spells and yet have him a fun and useful character. Enchantments, illusions, necromancy and transmutations all have plenty going for them.

I've always considered the shadow magic spells to be no-brainer choices for sorcerers because it gives them what they so desperately need... variety in spell choices.

Cheers