Wizards vs Sorc

[Redevil621]

What would be the better choice, im very new to 3rd edition, and the sorcerer is completely new from second edition.

i know all about wizards, how they cast spells with intel and what now, but what im really asking is, do most people perfer wiz or sorc and why

 

[Airwolf]

I like the sorcerer

Personally I like the sorcerer.

It really depends on what you want to do. The Sorcerer doesn't have a spell book and can cast on the fly. They don't have to study in the morning. They just pick the spell they want to cast and do so.
The down side is they have a limited number of spells to choose from at each level. You also can't change spells later on so its a really good idea to try and plan your spell choice early in the game.

Wizards get lots more spells and have to decide each morning which to learn. They also have to carry a spell book, this became a problem in the game I play in when the wizard's spell book was lost in a fire.
Wizards also get higher level spells a level earlier than a sorcerer does.

Anyway I like the cast on the fly method, it seems to fit my idea of the fantasy wizard better. I also think that a sorcerer makes a better multi class later on if you want that for your character.

Just my random thoughts on the matter.

 

[Olive]

well, i much prefer wizards. I've plaid one for the last three years, but since I moved city/country and started DMing, everyone has played sorcerers.

wizards have a versitility to them, due to spell selection, and a scholarly nature that i really enjoy. plus choosing the right spells for the day makes them really challenging.

also: the slower rate of spell level advancement of sorcerers makes them even more boring at low levels than wizards, IMO

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Since you're new to 3rd edition, I would recommend that you play a wizard. Sorcerors' spell selection is irrevocable. If you pick a spell that was great in previous editions but is no longer worthwhile, you're stuck with it for the rest of your career. For wizards, that's not as big a deal. (It can be replaced with a bit of gold and needn't be prepared anyway).

In short, here's a summary of the differences:
Feats:
Sorcerors get much more milage out of metamagic feats since they can apply them when they cast the spell.
Wizards get more milage out of item creation feats since they're more likely to have the prerequisite spells for an item they want to make and can aquire those spells if they don't already have them.
Wizards also have more feats since they get scribe scroll for free and bonus feats every 5 levels.

Skills:
Wizards have a better skill list than sorcerors (which makes it easier for them to qualify for prestige classes) and, since intelligence rather than charisma is their prime attribute, wizards generally are smarter and therefore get more skill points.

Weapons:
Sorcerors get more weapon proficiencies but after 2nd level, who cares? If you're in melee you're generally up a creek anyway. (Unless you're designed as a melee arcanist but that's pretty hard to pull off and I wouldn't recommend it for your first character).

Spells Known:
Sorcerors select the spells they can cast every time they level up.
Wizards select the spells they can cast every morning when they prepare spells.
Wizards don't actually get that many more free spells than sorcerors although they can spend money to expand their repertoire. They do, however get two spells of the highest level they can cast every time they level up so at any given point in time, the wizard will have two to four times as many spells known at their higherst level than a sorceror of equal level.

Spells per Day:
Except at first and second level, sorcerors have no spells/day advantage over a specialist wizard on their highest level of spellcasting ability. They will, however, have significantly more lower level spells than a wizard of equal level.

Spell progression:
Sorcerors gain new spell levels one level behind wizards. This makes wizards a superior choice for most multiclassing (although charisma gives sorcerors excellent synergy with paladins). This is also why specialist wizards always have at least as many spells per day at their highest spell level. (At odd levels, the wizard has higher level spells than the sorceror and therefore wins by default. At even levels, the specialist has 2+1+ability bonus spells per day in the highest level spell slot and the sorceror has 3+ability bonus).

Preparation:
Sorcerors don't have to prepare their spells ahead of time. At their highest level of spellcasting ability this isn't much of an advantage since the wizard could just prepare the same spell in all of his slots and have almost as much flexibility as the sorceror. In other levels of ability, however, this is very significant as the sorceror doesn't need to guess whether true strike, shield, or magic missile will be more useful on any given day.

Vulnerabilities:
Sorcerors don't have spellbooks.

Magic Item Versatility:
Sorcerors can use all magic items. Specialist wizards can't use items (scrolls, wands, etc.) from their opposed schools unless non-spellcasters would be able to use those items.

 

[Olive]

also: i'd get you DM to let you use monte cook's alt sorcerer from Book of Eldrich Might 2. I played on game with the PHB sor, then got BoEM2 and updated the character... a lot more versitle and more able to represent the charasmatic aspect of the sorcerer...

 

[rathor]

prestige class.

i like the sorc's prestige class dragon deciple in Tome and Blood...

but, i like to play the wizards. I love the scolorly feeling to a wizard. Gotta stroke the long beard while trying to remember a spell. And specilization is a lot of fun.

 

[Humanophile]

When I play personally, I like wizards. But I'm a big fan of the generalist, sagacious nature thereof. For actual party composition, I find that sorcerers fit in better. Sorcery encourages you to become intimately familiar with your spells (always a benefit when you're just getting used to a new system), and makes you a better mobile artillery platform. Wizards are good generalist troubleshooters and artificers, but they don't have the same rush that comes with blowing bad guys to bits, and the artificer part can actually be a drawback. (Your allies will expect you to help make stuff for them. You'll want to make stuff for yourself. This all will tap your XP reserves in ways no sorcerer would put up with.)

It really depended on how you played in second edition, though, and what you want to do. Most people I know went through a "free casting" phase in second edition, but skimped on wizards ability to find new spells, therefore creating effective sorcerers. If you used to play with a handful of favorite spells, go Sorcerer all the way. If you used to like a lot of variety and different spell lists day to day, play a Wizard.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Wizards = versatility over the long term
Sorcerors = versatility over the short term

In other words, over the course of a given day (or combat), a Sorceror has more options than a wizard will, not being bound by the spells he has prepared in the morning. A Wizard, though, over the course of a week, will have more options than the sorceror, not being bound by the spells he has chosen to learn for life.

In practice, Sorcerors are better combat mages (more spells per day = more fireballs per day!), and Wizards are better dungeon-crawling mages (being able to pull some rarely-used, specialized spells from their book). It's sort of the difference between Fighters and Rogues (especially with the Sorceror's weapon proficiencies )

Personally, I prefer Sorcerors, but only because I hate bookkeeping. Just a little X next to the appropriate level spell. Keep them stocked with wands, and you're set.

Wizards are however pretty universally accepted as the "better" class (their spell progression pretty much nullifies any argument otherwise, IMO... although I think the margin between them is smaller than most people think.) It all depends on the type of gaming you prefer: If you're a strategic, meticulous thinker, Wizards are a better fit, and if you're more of a heroically-kick-in-the-door type, Sorcerors are more appropriate.

 

[Buttercup]

I think it helps if you think of them as filling completely different roles. The wizard can be the party's all around, utility caster. The sorcerer is really more of a machine gun. If you are going to multiclass, fighters, rogues and monks can all benefit from having a few levels of sorcerer, depending on the spells one selects. Conversely, a sorcerer can really rock if you take 2 fighter levels and grab all the bow feats, then focus on missile type spells.

Monte's alt.sorcerer from BoEM2 is really much better than the PHB sorcerer, IMO. His version has skills that use the sorcerer's high charisma, and it also gets a d6 for hitpoints.

For your first time playing a 3e game, I think I would advise you to play a wizard, even though (IMO, of course) they suck until about level 3 or 4. You will advance to that point so rapidly that it won't be too bad, and you can focus on learning the new game mechanics instead of a new class. But do get around to playing a sorcerer, especially if it's Monte's, at some point. They're really lots of fun.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

I have played a wizard and 2 sorcerer's so far. In my opinion, here are the differences:

wizard=versatility

sorcerer=firepower, as in you can use the spells that you can use often. So if you are an evocation sorcerer, you can cast almost every battle. If you are an enchantment sorcerer, the enemy will often be your friend and ally. If you are a summoning sorcerer, you are a walking army.

specialist wizard= this is actually a fairly good path to follow as well. You can almost equal a sorcerer in firepower with greater versatility. You just have to be willing to give up a few spells.


I am playing up a sorcerer/elemental savant (air) right now. He is an evoker sorcerer whom affectionately refer to as "The Living Storm". He is very fun.

I also have a wizard I enjoy. He is more introspective and tactical. He casts very rarely and usually picks times when a spell will turn the battle in our favor.

I enjoy both. I feel you can pick either a wizard or a sorcerer based on your concept. Play around with concepts until you find something that fits. When working with sorcerers try to have a theme for your spell list. For example, "The Living Storm" is all about magical might and his spell list reflects spells that allow him to appear as a "Living Storm". He can cast lightning, encase himself in a electrical shield, haste himself to move like the wind, and other interesting spells such as this.

If you have a good concept and prepare, you really can't go wrong either way.