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Wizard vs. Sorcerer
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<blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 7549830" data-attributes="member: 1465"><p>I haven't really seen a Sorcerer in play across many levels, but <em>on paper</em> I still have the impression that it's inferior to the Wizard.</p><p></p><p>In terms of versatility and out-of-combat utility, there is no match between then two. The difference in the amount of spells known is unquestionable. As a Sorcerer, you have to either choose one niche role, or if you want a little versatility you then have to limit yourself to one-two spells per type. Fortunately 5e offers at least some scalability with many spells, so it's possible to stick to a single low-level attack spell all your career and bump it up in slot level to keep it reasonably efficient at later levels, but a Wizard's life will still be easier.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I did some calculations a long time ago, and it seemed to me that indeed Arcane Recovery and Sorcery Points were almost the same at all levels in terms of mere spell slots that can be created using them in the course of one day, but there are multiple caveats:</p><p></p><p>1) Sorcery Points are FAST because they only cost you a bonus action and you can use them anytime i.e. just when you need them; Arcane Recovery is SLOW because you need a short rest to activate it, and you cannot split the recovery to multiple short rest but you have to do it all at once (it says "once per day"), and obviously you can regain slots only after you've spent them (unlike with Sorcery Points) > Sorcerer has the edge on this</p><p></p><p>2) But... other abilities compete for Sorcery Points: it's not only extra slots, but also metamagic and subclass features. That's VERY much a disadvantage.</p><p></p><p>So while you can say that Sorcery Points = Arcane Recovery in terms of <em>maximum</em> number of spells slots, the Wizard can pretty much always get all those spells slots, albeit certainly not on the fly. The Sorcerer who does that however, is losing all her metamagic capabilities as well as a few subclass features for the day.</p><p></p><p>Add to the above the fact that Rituals are spells cast without expending slots, and in tier 4 the Wizard gets more generous low-level bonus casting than the Sorcerer (compare the Wizard's Spell Mastery + Signature Spells versus the Sorcerer's Sorcerous Restoration), and it's clear that the Wizard casts MORE spells per day than a Sorcerer. The Sorcerer may be able of <em>slightly</em> reduce the difference by losing concentration spells less often thanks to Constitution saving throw proficiency, but this actually depends on how often they use concentration spells.</p><p></p><p>Finally, the old idea that spontaneous casting is better than preparation casting is totally wrong in 5e. It is not the slightest better, when the number of spells the Sorcerer knows is basically the same as the number of spells the Wizard prepares. It essentially means that the Wizard can be seen as a Sorcerer who can change her known spells every day.</p><p></p><p>So what can salvage the Sorcerer from plain and simply losing the comparison?</p><p></p><p>Well, the Sorcerer does have a certain possibility of pushing her spells a bit more in emergency or "nova" situations, thanks to metamagic and the faster creating of spells slots. But I think you need to have the right campaign and gamestyle to make this a real and frequent advantage. If this is what they had in mind when they designed the Sorcerer, I don't think it was a good idea.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Li Shenron, post: 7549830, member: 1465"] I haven't really seen a Sorcerer in play across many levels, but [I]on paper[/I] I still have the impression that it's inferior to the Wizard. In terms of versatility and out-of-combat utility, there is no match between then two. The difference in the amount of spells known is unquestionable. As a Sorcerer, you have to either choose one niche role, or if you want a little versatility you then have to limit yourself to one-two spells per type. Fortunately 5e offers at least some scalability with many spells, so it's possible to stick to a single low-level attack spell all your career and bump it up in slot level to keep it reasonably efficient at later levels, but a Wizard's life will still be easier. I did some calculations a long time ago, and it seemed to me that indeed Arcane Recovery and Sorcery Points were almost the same at all levels in terms of mere spell slots that can be created using them in the course of one day, but there are multiple caveats: 1) Sorcery Points are FAST because they only cost you a bonus action and you can use them anytime i.e. just when you need them; Arcane Recovery is SLOW because you need a short rest to activate it, and you cannot split the recovery to multiple short rest but you have to do it all at once (it says "once per day"), and obviously you can regain slots only after you've spent them (unlike with Sorcery Points) > Sorcerer has the edge on this 2) But... other abilities compete for Sorcery Points: it's not only extra slots, but also metamagic and subclass features. That's VERY much a disadvantage. So while you can say that Sorcery Points = Arcane Recovery in terms of [I]maximum[/I] number of spells slots, the Wizard can pretty much always get all those spells slots, albeit certainly not on the fly. The Sorcerer who does that however, is losing all her metamagic capabilities as well as a few subclass features for the day. Add to the above the fact that Rituals are spells cast without expending slots, and in tier 4 the Wizard gets more generous low-level bonus casting than the Sorcerer (compare the Wizard's Spell Mastery + Signature Spells versus the Sorcerer's Sorcerous Restoration), and it's clear that the Wizard casts MORE spells per day than a Sorcerer. The Sorcerer may be able of [I]slightly[/I] reduce the difference by losing concentration spells less often thanks to Constitution saving throw proficiency, but this actually depends on how often they use concentration spells. Finally, the old idea that spontaneous casting is better than preparation casting is totally wrong in 5e. It is not the slightest better, when the number of spells the Sorcerer knows is basically the same as the number of spells the Wizard prepares. It essentially means that the Wizard can be seen as a Sorcerer who can change her known spells every day. So what can salvage the Sorcerer from plain and simply losing the comparison? Well, the Sorcerer does have a certain possibility of pushing her spells a bit more in emergency or "nova" situations, thanks to metamagic and the faster creating of spells slots. But I think you need to have the right campaign and gamestyle to make this a real and frequent advantage. If this is what they had in mind when they designed the Sorcerer, I don't think it was a good idea. [/QUOTE]
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