BTW, you are level 5 and so you only have 5 Sorc Points.
Lol, that's kind of funny. I was thinking through slot / point trade options that I didn't included in the post and that was part of one of them that I missed on my lack of proof read.
Cantrips: Firebolt, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Light
1st level: Shield, Sleep, Magic Missile
2nd level: Alter Self, Suggestion, Levitate, Misty Step
3rd level: Hypnotic Pattern, Haste
Arcane Recovery: Up to 3 levels worth of spells
It's a pretty typical list and I was a bit torn between hypnotic pattern and fireball, tbh, but fireball is more universal in the end.
What I don't like about your list is too many concentration spells. Alter self, suggestion, levitate, hypnotic pattern, and haste all take up the concentration slot. In the cases of alter self and suggestions the durations also interfere with ritual casting opportunities. They are all good spells but they can interfere with one another.
I would also point out the sorcerer points can create spell slots to match the arcane recovery without the need to take a short rest. 5 sorc point creates either a 1st and 2nd level slot, or a 3rd level slot. It's the less likely use of points over meta-magic but the option exists.
That's what I was thinking when I posted the 6 sorc points because the sorcerer argument against arcane recovery is spending the 5 points on a 3rd level spell slot without a rest, popping off a 1st level slot for a sorc point and that would match the slot the wizard spends on armor. That would leave the sorcerer with the same spells cast as the wizard and still have 1 point for a twinned cantrip. It was something I chose to leave out at the time.
The sorcerer can cast more spells per day than the wizard can even with arcane recovery by swapping the high level slots for more low level slots, but that's used about as often as action surge for something other than attacking, IME. It's also an argument destroyed by spell mastery later, lol, so you might see why I chose not to push that argument too far. ;-)
1. The spells that I left the same as your sorcerer choices I couldn't find a good justification for changing. There just wasn't another spell that could produce similar results in many situations.
That and they are decent spells, lol. Having less spells from which to choose is definitely a drawback but that doesn't make the spells on the list sorcerers can choose poor by comparison. ;-)
2. I think hypnotic pattern is better than fireball in most aoe situations, especially on a wizard. On a sorcerer fireball is a little more general purpose and so makes sense IMO. So I'm not faulting your choice, I'm just pointing out the added spells allowed me to configure them such that I still had decent direct damage when needed and also a slightly better aoe spell IMO.
I can't fault either as a choice. The challenge I found with wizards is in knowing that I would be better off with one over the other in the first place. Sometimes the information is there, sometimes it's not. In the end, however, it doesn't turn out crucial. I can cast fireball, or sleep, or suggestion instead; or spam firebolts. Options the wizard has didn't take away having options for the sorc.
I want to be clear here. Spell prep and more spells known is an advantage. I don't believe it's as big of an advantage as it appears based on posts I see sometimes.
(The new additions)
3. Magic Missile. This is the only additional pure combat spell out of the bunch. I literally took it so that I wouldn't be so far behind in damage when you twinned haste. I can use magic missiles to make up some of the difference. I still don't reach the same single target damage potential, but I get much closer with this.
It's also nice to have a force damage back up. In the end it's still another damage, and I went with a different cantrip for alternative damage that includes forced movement. The bonus cantrip over wizards at first level is something I find as under-rated. It doesn't matter in higher levels but it's nice at low levels.
4. Levitate. Good control spell for single target enemies without ranged attacks, single save. Also helps in exploration phase as it allows party to easily bypass some obstacles. For example, it can allow a rogue to get over the castles wall to do a scouting mission.
The rogue can climb over the wall with a climber kit, with advantage via the help action. Or a team can group check it. It's still a nice spell, so imagine if you could twin it. ;-)
The alternatives from my list would be to use suggestion (also viable control and can be twinned) or outright killing. Death is still the best condition to apply. ;-)
5. Misty Step. Teleportation is always nice in exploration phases. The ability to teleport in combat as a bonus action is great too. You can put some serious distance between yourself and the enemy with this spell and a dash action when needed.
Nice to fit in and again not crucial. I have to live with disengage and move in combat, but I can apply haste to help if needed. Out of combat exploration it's true I have to still climb or what not that everyone else in the party has to do, but that's not something that really turns into an issue.
My conclusion: Your sorcerer is good. He reigns supreme when it comes to single target damage for a caster. However, he lacks defensive abilities to get away from enemies when needed. He lacks the extra control of levitate. The out of combat utility of levitate and misty step. It's hard for him to justify taking one of the best control spells in the game, hypnotic pattern as the choice would leave him with no direct damage spells.
Some things he does have to do the non-magical way. That's a trade-off with which I can live for the option of busting in with a quickened fireball and twinned firebolt.
1. The wizard knows a total of 14 spells. I've only chosen 9. The rest can easily be rituals. Rituals also add a lot of utility, which is why you've suggested the sorcerer take ritual caster. The downside to ritual caster is that it means you only have 2 rituals known vs the wizards 5. That's a lot more rituals. That's a lot more utility. IMO
I've suggested the sorcerer can take ritual caster. I don't actually do it myself. Usually someone else in the part has it and it's a duplication of abilities, and the "play with it during rests / downtime" option exists.
I would point out that if the rest are rituals, then the spell swapping stopped being a thing. A wizard cannot swap hypnotic pattern out for fireball if he's filled his spell book with rituals instead of fireball. ;-)
2. The good wizard subclasses are generally better than the good sorcerer subclasses, at least through most of the game. IMO
I don't disagree here. I think wizards get more out of their subclasses than sorcerers do. It's part of the trade off. Sorcerers can get flying for free later through subclasses which changes a lot of the exploration arguments above and I'm still a fan of draconic resilience giving more hit points and armor class without spending a slot on mage armor, something I noticed you didn't do in you wizard example that I would have done instead of taking magic missile.
D), it's an actual sorcerer exclusive spell (from XGE), and it's only VS -- no material component that can actually be a bit pricey at low levels.
