D&D 3E/3.5 D&D 3.5 Sorcerer spell levels

[akbearfoot]

It's funny after so many years how many people still think sorcerers meta-magic spells take 1-round to cast.

A full round action does NOT take longer than your current initiative. It goes off on your turn and you can even take a 5-foot step before or after. All it does is deny you your move action for the round.

It is not the same time requirement as casting a Summon spell that takes '1 full round'

 

[deleteme123456]

Regarding Metamagic Feats,

In my experience, Heighten Spell is the best friend of Sorcerers. Then, Empower Spell, I guess.

Choose at least one each of spells for 3 different save types (ideally, those do not allow SR). Then use Heighten Spell whenever needed. Now you can forth an enemy to roll it's weakest save at your highest DC.

Well, core only, so far it's been 1 fight / day (newbie DM), which means that fireball has really been just fine... I've got phatasmal killer, and I'll probably pick up hold monster when I finally get 5th level spells (I'm level 8). My feats so far were improved familiar (a lousy choice at the time but it's made for good RP), spell focus/greater spell focus (evoc.). So not completely min-maxed, but on the other hand, the DM isn't exactly challenging us either.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Other good metamagic feats are Sculpt spell (best on spells that are supposed to have a small area, like Grease) for +1 LA, and Energy Substitution (anything but fire) for +0 LA. The latter because for pure damage, fire energy generally has the best, but it's also the most commonly resisted. I like Energy Sub. (Acid) the best.

If you have draconic heritage already, Practical Metamagic can reduce a +1 LA metamagic feat to +0, which is useful. It is one way to play a fire mage. Just grab Searing Spell (+1 LA, Sandstorm) and Practical Metamagic for it.

Since you're evocation focused, Empower is probably the best, though Split Ray can be very good. Empower's more commonly useful, but it also comes in rod form. I don't think they've yet to come out with a rod of split ray.

 

[Shin Okada]

If you take Empower Spell feat, I recommend you to learn spells such as Ray of Enfeeblement and False Life, too. You can also empower those very useful non-damaging spells.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

FWIW, in the campaign in which I'm currently playing a sorcerer, we have a HR that you may find useful: a spellcaster may learn a spell that has been metamagically altered, without knowing the relevant feat.

Instead, the spell is treated as a normal spell of the new level. So, a Magic Missile that is learned to be "Stilled" will be a 2nd level spell that requires no somatic components, one that is "Stilled" and "Silent" will be a 3rd level spell, and so forth. Spontaneous casters still find that the spell takes a full round to cast, so this isn't a way around the "no quickening" rule.

The altered spell can't be cast as its lower-level version, the caster can't double up on metamagic effects (no using Empower Spell on an empowered variant). Despite researching the individually metamagically altered form of a spell, it doesn't give the spellcaster the use of the feat for other spells...unless he goes through the whole process again.

There is still an advantage to taking the feats, then- you can apply it to any (non-identically altered) spell.

So far, its pretty cool. A PC can have access to metamagic effects without sacrificing a feat, essentially sacrificing a spell known instead, gaining power in a specific area, but losing flexibility. It works well for both Sorcerers and Specialists...even those who are only specialists in effect if not in actual mechanics.

And since you're running a sorcerer, it would mean that you get the most out of the few spells you know.

 

[Thanee]

That's not even that much of a houserule, you could do such under the cover of spell research.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Herzog]

For a sorcerer, another houserule I hear people mention might be more interesting:

Allow Heighten Spell (or a homebrew feat) to turn Summon Monster I into Summon Monster II-V at the appropriate levels.

That would leave you with more spells known slots open at the cost of one Feat....

Also, Versatile Spellcaster allows you to do the opposite of what you originally suggested: use two lower level spell slots to cast a higher lvl spell.

 

[Dingleberry]

Back when I was DMing 3.0, we used a house rule similar to DannyAlcatraz's except (i) I required the sorcerer to know the applicable metamagic feat, and (ii) it *did* reduce the casting time to a standard action. Our sorcerer notably used it to fill a 5th-level slot with silent dimension door.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

For a sorcerer, another houserule I hear people mention might be more interesting:

Allow Heighten Spell (or a homebrew feat) to turn Summon Monster I into Summon Monster II-V at the appropriate levels.

That would leave you with more spells known slots open at the cost of one Feat....

Yeah, I recently added that to my houserules, too soon to have play testing on it, though I did use it on an NPC sorcerer recently. In my houserules, Heighten not only allows you to get higher # SM/SNA/SU, I also allow it to modify the dice cap on direct damage spells by the new spell level, as per DMG p. 36. So, a level 5 Heightened Fireball would cap at CL 15 and 15d6 damage. Oh, and I have it written to go all the way to SM IX. Is there a reason you say the houserule you're referring to stops at V? Haven't gotten nearly high enough level yet to see if allowing up to IX becomes broken.

 

[Herzog]

oops. got confused with the Summon Undead spells (which only go up to V)

And I haven't used it as a HR myself yet. No Sorcerers in my parties....