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I would say that this is dangerously close to a definition of "gish." I mean, suppose I started with two levels in fighter and then went into wizard. It would cost me two spell slots at first level, three at second, four at third, four and fourth, and three at fifth, to say nothing of the...

Thunderous smite makes such a great combination with booming blade, too--smack them ten feet away and make them stay there. Prone. The work-around is to start as a paladin and then multiclass into wizard. The problem with that is that you're pretty useless for your first level, and your skills...

The thing I wouldn't like about starting out fighter is that it would slow down spellcasting (and the armor is actually worse so long as I have a +3 Dex mod or better). I'd have to wait another level for that big bump in power that comes from doubling your spell slots at third level, and I do...

Can't twin scorching ray, either. Disintegrate would be the one to cite, if you're set on twinning a damage spell. Most sorcs prefer to use it on concentration buffs like haste and greater invisibility, since it costs one sorcery point per spell level.

This might be a stupid question, but can a straight-up abjurer function in close combat? I'm in the early stages of conceiving a character for an upcoming game, and my idea is to start with an elf for the Dex bonus and weapon proficiencies. With 16 Dex and mage armor, he'd have 16 AC baseline...

Seems to me like a DM call, and one dependent on details of the location and the mindset of the targeted creatures. That's an exaggeration. There are plenty of creatures--thinking especially of dragons, but also mundane things like big cats, bears, wolves--which have ordinary Wis saves but...

I'm mostly thinking about it because I've just made a devil's tongue tiefling bard/rogue, but can't enthrall be used to give your allies a surprise round? You, having proficiency (and maybe expertise) in stealth, sneak near enough to the enemies to cast the spell, and then your allies move into...

I think that pedalism is a bit of a distraction. Merfolk are not bipedal; they can't walk at all. A satyr, on the other hand, is a biped, yet not a humanoid. Humanoid-ness may itself be beside the point. Chimps are much closer to the shape of humans than are birdfolk. Seriously, try to find a...

As a sorcerer player, I found this guide a very interesting read, and I enjoyed the damage graphs toward the end. I have three comments, which I will order from complainingest to questioningest. 1) I think you do a disservice to cone of cold to call it mid-sized. Its volume is more than twice...

Thanks, MacMind. RulesJD, I can honestly say that I had never thought of using it on the initiative roll. Great suggestion.

Yep, these are the keys. Getting the DM to house rule is the only way to affect the d20 roll directly, so it's the most powerful option, though perhaps the hardest to get done. Using tides of chaos as often as possible allows you to skip the d20 roll to get directly to surges, but it still...

Thank you, tuxedoraptor, for your deeply considered and constructive critique. The time that you devoted to understanding the project of this piece and the decisions I made to effect the desired tone and style is manifest. I will take your "reccomend"-ations regarding spelling into...

Thanks for the correction, mellored. I'll touch up the guide this weekend, if I can find time. DW, I'm not going to say that you're wrong, but that strikes me as a very realpolitik conception of the game. I prefer to collaborate with the DM to create a story, even as PCs are fighting monsters...

You're welcome, Mike, and thanks for the kind words! For everyone who's interested, I just found the time to add in and format the last few sections of the guide. There is still work to be done on multiclassing and the things we have already talked about in the comments, but the shape of the...

Point heard, Hemlock, though I think that people tend to oversimplify the calculation of empowered spell. I don't want to get into that at the moment, as I'm on my way to work, but I will throw out that a mean by itself does not summarize a set of outcomes. Consider the difference between 3d6...

Thanks for the feedback. You and CapnZapp have definitely convinced me that I need to rewrite a few sections to be more explicit about my thought process. My concern at lower levels is largely maximizing the effects of wild-magic surges through positioning and having AoE spells to multiply the...

D'aw shucks, I think I'm blushing. Thanks for all the support. Hemlock, thanks for going into depth with blade ward vs. dodge. I didn't want to take up too much space with the comparison, but it's great to have it in the comments. Though blade ward doesn't reduce falling damage, investiture of...

Playing Dice with the Universe: A Slant Guide to Wild-Magic Sorcerer I stand up next to a mountain, And I chop it down with the edge of my hand. Well, I stand up next to a mountain. I chop it down with the edge of my hand. I pick up all the pieces and make an island, Might even raise a little...