First Time DM'ing 3.5 Sorcerer... Should I Be Worried?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

So I'm going to be DM'ing a new player who is creating a 3.5 sorcerer. Should I be worried? What should I look out for?

I've had little experience with sorcerers (most of my players would rather play wizards) but the one time I do recall is someone playing a high-level sorcerer and it was the same spell (disintegrate) over and over and over again, ad nauseum. It became, "Oh, he passed his save? I cast it again. And again, and again, until he fails." Very cheesy, IMO.

 

[Mort]

So I'm going to be DM'ing a new player who is creating a 3.5 sorcerer. Should I be worried? What should I look out for?

I've had little experience with sorcerers (most of my players would rather play wizards) but the one time I do recall is someone playing a high-level sorcerer and it was the same spell (disintegrate) over and over and over again, ad nauseum. It became, "Oh, he passed his save? I cast it again. And again, and again, until he fails." Very cheesy, IMO.

I've found that dealing with a high level sorcerer is much easier than dealing with a high level wizard. Wizards, especially high level ones, have a versatility that is much more challenging to the DM (what with scrolls, item creation and getting every spell they can get their hands on).

That said, what exactly is the sorcerer to do? Disintegrate was likely the only spell of that level the player had (maybe he had a whopping 2), as such he'd use it on monsters, items, heck maybe even to dig a pit.

If your used to dealing with wizards, the sorcerer should be a breeze to deal with, but yes their shtick can be a little repetitive.

 

[Ulrick]

Have the PC's arch-rival be another sorcerer that just slightly higher in level than he is, so he always has one extra bullet (magic missile, fireball, etc) in the barrel so to speak.

 

[S'mon]

IME the main difficulty is their fragility. Beginning sorcerers rarely have much defensive magic and die very easily. If they survive to 6th level they can get Fireball and become rather fearsome.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Sorcerers are better at using metamagic (excluding quicken) that Wizards are. A sorcerer with searing heat (Sandstorm: eliminating fire resistance, and reducing immunity) can be pretty scary as they then can take other feats to improve their fire magics, and not have to worry about resistances getting in their way much. Add in extend spell and the like and they get some versatility there.

DMing for sorcerers is mostly being aware of their spell selection. If they have the perfect spell for a situation, they can spam it 10 combat rounds in a row, whereas a wizard might do it only twice or even less. That is a powerful ability.

So watch their spell list mostly, and their metamagic feats, for that is where the sorcerer shines the most.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I would say that there is no reason to worry. So long as you accept that the players are responsible for the PCs' actions and the consequences thereof, how cheesy or un-cheesy, and how successful or how dead, the sorcerer is will not matter.


RC

 

[Runestar]

but the one time I do recall is someone playing a high-level sorcerer and it was the same spell (disintegrate) over and over and over again, ad nauseum. It became, "Oh, he passed his save? I cast it again. And again, and again, until he fails." Very cheesy, IMO.

IMO, that seems no more cheesy than a fighter who keeps using the full-attack action on his enemy until the latter dies. That is to say, not at all.

I can assure you that if he goes direct damage (eg: fireball at 6th lv), that is really the least of your worries. More annoying was this sorc in my party once that had a penchant for sculpted glitterdusts at 6th+ lv (he used the metamagic specialist variant in PHB2, so there was no time increase).

 

[EroGaki]

So I'm going to be DM'ing a new player who is creating a 3.5 sorcerer. Should I be worried? What should I look out for?

I've had little experience with sorcerers (most of my players would rather play wizards) but the one time I do recall is someone playing a high-level sorcerer and it was the same spell (disintegrate) over and over and over again, ad nauseum. It became, "Oh, he passed his save? I cast it again. And again, and again, until he fails." Very cheesy, IMO.

The only advantage a sorcerer has over a wizard, or any other magic user, is the ability to cast a spell over and over and over. They have a very limited number of spells known, so naturally they will constantly cast the same spell: that's what the designers intended. Calling that cheesy is like calling a fighter who power attacks constantly cheesy. IMO.

I'd say you have nothing to worry about, though. Sorcerers lack the versatility of other magic users, so sooner or later someone will figure out his attack spells, and have suitable counters.

 

[Plane Sailing]

As others have said, nothing to worry about.

 

[On Puget Sound]

If you're GMing for a sorcerer there are some precautions you should take:

1) Make them use your dice. Many sorcerers enchant their dice. If they insist on using their own dice, dip them in salt water to purify them.

2) If you kill their character, be prepared to dispel or prevent a curse. Don't leave any connections for sympathetic magic (nail clippings, a hairbrush with hair in it, etc) in the bathroom or elsewhere in reach. Make friends with a priest of the faith of your choice. Be aware....

what? The character is a sorcerer? Not the player?

Never mind......