Are Sorcerers really that bad?

[Angel Tarragon]

Has anyone here chosen a RAW sorcerer over a wizard?

I can't say that I have.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Sorcerors are plenty strong if stamina matters.

This comes up in discussions of the power level of Wizards and Clerics. If the party is allowed the luxury of choosing the timing of their combats, Wizards and Clerics do not have to worry about running out of spells, their power level will be very high if they have a good selection of high level spell slots at their fingertips in every combat.

In my experience in a campaign that ran marathon dungeon crawls, a Wizard or Cleric was effectively tapped out after burning through just 60%-70% of his slots; there are just too many gaps in their spells selection and the party power level noticeably drops as the spellcasters fall back on wands and scrolls. Pacing yourself to have a good spell for an emergency requires a lot of careful guessing.

A Sorceror will effectively have *twice* as many spells to cast over the course of the whole day because there are no spell slots wasted on the wrong spells. Furthermore, his spell selection may look less diverse at the start of the day, but it could easily be much better than a Wizard as the day wears on. And it is every easy to save one high level spell slot for an emergency and that one slot becomes any spell the Sorceror knows.

 

[Nifft]

I've seen a very effective Sorcerer. The key is to tailor your spells known to your tactics & play style. This is just like a Fighter picking Feats -- you have to know what you want to be good at, and then focus on that.

-- N

 

[Crothian]

Has anyone here chosen a RAW sorcerer over a wizard? Or can I conclude that the RAW sorcerer is really a bit weak, and could stand to use a few feats/skills/spells known worth of boosts?

Yes, I have.

 

[wuyanei]

Yes, I have.

And what role did you chose to play in the party (that is to say, what spells did you place most emphasis on)? How do you think it would have compaired to having a wizard play that role?

Of course, now that I think about it, I phrased my previous post poorly. Perhaps I should have written: "Has anyone here chosen a RAW sorcerer over a wizard for game mechanical reasons?" instead. There are plenty of role playing reasons to chose a sorcerer, or simply for a change of pace after many years of playing a wizard.

 

[DragonLancer]

Has anyone here chosen a RAW sorcerer over a wizard? Or can I conclude that the RAW sorcerer is really a bit weak, and could stand to use a few feats/skills/spells known worth of boosts?

I have, on many occasions. Never played one thats been tweaked.

Of course, now that I think about it, I phrased my previous post poorly. Perhaps I should have written: "Has anyone here chosen a RAW sorcerer over a wizard for game mechanical reasons?" instead. There are plenty of role playing reasons to chose a sorcerer, or simply for a change of pace after many years of playing a wizard.

I prefer the RAW game mechanical sorcerer over the same RAW wizard.

 

[Crothian]

And what role did you chose to play in the party (that is to say, what spells did you place most emphasis on)? How do you think it would have compaired to having a wizard play that role?

He was artillery mixed in with a variety of other spells. He was centered on a feat out of Scarrled Lands that was like Power of Mesos or something like that. It limited him on spells he had to choose first and was more for role playing then sheer power. But also with the high charisma he was able to be the group leader and an effective one. A wizard can't do that as easily.

I don't think you can look at just the mechanics when choosing a character class. The setting, the players, the DM and so many other facotrs comes into creating a character least for us.

 

[wuyanei]

I don't think you can look at just the mechanics when choosing a character class. The setting, the players, the DM and so many other facotrs comes into creating a character least for us.

This, I most certainly agree with!

 

[wuyanei]

I prefer the RAW game mechanical sorcerer over the same RAW wizard.

May I ask why?

 

[Dimwhit]

I like Sorcerers, but I never play them. Mainly because of their spell progression. If the 2nd level spells weren't delayed until 4th level, but came in at 3rd like Wizards, then I'd play them more. I also don't like how few feats they get.

Unlike many, I think they're the best class for metamagic feats.