Battle Sorcerer vs Warmage

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Battle Sorcerer

Cleric BAB
HD d8
Light Armor Proficiency (can be increased to Medium w/ feat)
-1 Spell/Day (6 becomes 5, etc)
Wide spell selection
Metamagic Specialist option (PHB2)

Warmage

Wizard BAB
HD d6
Light/Medium Armor Proficiency (can be increased to Heavy w/ feat)
Limited spell selection (Warmage only plus Evocation; can be offset w/PHB2)
Sudden Metamagic
Warmage Edge
Eclectic Learner option (PHB2)

Thoughts?

 

[Thanee]

Thoughts?

Yeah. What's your point?

You should compare the Battle Sorcerer with the Duskblade, or with a Fighter/Sorcerer/Eldritch Knight, since those are fighter-mage hybrids.

The Warmage is a pure spellcaster and not meant to use mundane weapons.

Bye
Thanee

P.S. BTW, you forgot to list the Warmage's most powerful ability up there.

 

[Klaus]

I'd compare the Battle Sorcerer with a Swashbuckler/Wizard/Eldritch Knight or Spellsword. Nice Int synnergy there.

But between Warmage and Battle Sorcerer? Battle Sorcerer, hands down.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

P.S. BTW, you forgot to list the Warmage's most powerful ability up there.

I'm blork and I left my book at home.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Actually the battle sorcerer is -1 spell slot and -1 spell known fo each spell level. That is a lot of versatility down the drain.

I do not consider the batle sorceror to be a very good option for a pure caster. If you want him to be some kind of fighter, maybe, just maybe (but then the stalwart sorceror from Complete Mage is good.) If you get a mithril chain shirt with the twilight ability there is no arcane spell failure and no penalty so even without proficiency a sorceror can wear it.

IMHO, losing a psll known from each level is a killer, even if you use other feats to get some spells known back like draconic feats, or initate feats. Sorcerors are always hurting for spells known, nad a bit of extra BAB, a couple more hit points, and lightarmor proficiency is too much for me.

My current favorite fighter/mage build is

Duskblade 9
Bard 1
Sublime chord 10

Good fighting abilities, casting in light armor, decent BAB, and 9th level spells. Withteh nice add on that most of the duskblade's abilities are for ANY arcane spell, so with sublime chord you can get some nice synergy.

 

[Victim]

Battle Sorcerer

Cleric BAB
HD d8
Light Armor Proficiency (can be increased to Medium w/ feat)
-1 Spell/Day (6 becomes 5, etc)
Wide spell selection
Metamagic Specialist option (PHB2)
-1 Spell Known/spell level

Warmage

Wizard BAB
HD d6
Light/Medium Armor Proficiency (can be increased to Heavy w/ feat)
Limited spell selection (Warmage only plus Evocation; can be offset w/PHB2) but more spells known
Sudden Metamagic
Warmage Edge
Eclectic Learner option (PHB2)
Shield Proficiency and casting

The battle sorc seems like a crippled sorcerer - it's not like sorcs know so many spells that losing 1/level isn't a huge deal. While the warmage has a limited list of spells known, it still packs some battlefield control, cleric/druid spells, special attacks, and even a buff besides the usual blasty goodness.

Sure, the warmage isn't as good in melee, but it's not supposed to be a melee class. And I'd rather not use the Battle Sorc if I did want to make a melee caster.

 

[Thanee]

I'm blork and I left my book at home.

I'm pretty sure you know the ability (even though you might not realize it ).

What I'm talking about is, that they know their entire spell list!

That's a lot of spells known to choose from at every moment, even though their selection is - of course - quite narrow. Warmages are pure blasters, but they are very good at that. Being able to pick the right offensive spell at every moment, makes them quite effective in what they do.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Klaus]

Battle Sorcerer Spells Known
———————— Spells Known —–———————
Level 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 3 1 — — — — — — — —
2nd 4 1 — — — — — — — —
3rd 4 2 — — — — — — — —
4th 5 2 1 — — — — — — —
5th 5 3 1 — — — — — — —
6th 6 3 1 1 — — — — — —
7th 6 4 2 1 — — — — — —
8th 7 4 2 1 1 — — — — —
9th 7 4 3 2 1 — — — — —
10th 8 4 3 2 1 1 — — — —
11th 8 4 4 3 2 1 — — — —
12th 8 4 4 3 2 1 1 — — —
13th 8 4 4 3 3 2 1 — — —
14th 8 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 — —
15th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 1 — —
16th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 —
17th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 —
18th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 1
19th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1
20th 8 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2

Seems like quite enough for me, specially since you can, with Arcane Strike, turn any spell you know into a damaging power (+spell level to attack, + spell level *d4 to damage).

 

[werk]

...thoughts

I like my deathtouched battle sorcerer OK. Really limited on spells, but not completely useless without them.

I've never considered playing a warmage.

 

[Blightersbane]

I now have experience with playing a Psion and a Warmage. I think the Psion / Kineticist takes the "big banger" booby prize hands down the Warmage a close 2nd but just not close enough.

Blightersbane