Need help creating a kicking Sorcerer

[Nareau]

I've got a Sorcerer cohort in one game, and she's lots of fun. She's more or less specializing in Illusions (with Spell Focus: Illusion, Major Image, etc.). It allows her to be incredibly versatile. As soon as she can, she's going to learn Shadow Evocation and Shadow Conjuration (which will greatly increase her spell list). One nice thing with these spells is that they still count as Illusions in terms of spell DC.

 

[Malcolm]

1 lvl pally pays off

I play a high-level Pally/Sorceror (16th in one system, 12th in another), let me tell ya that 1 level of pally has saved my bacon multiple times.

1.) Flying around wearing robes = Arcane caster in the eyes of other casters. They will hit you with Blindness/Deafness, Poison, Poly other, Disintegrate, and Destruction trying to get you to flunk that 1 Fort save that removes you from the battlefield.
You need the saves, remember: You're not a Wizard, you prolly won't have the spell in your repitorie that is "protect me vs. X" effect.
As soon as you flunk 1 Fort save, you're out of the combat and possibly out of the game.
Missing out on 1 level of casting? Lol. try playing a Sorc to the high-end game that is 15+ on a regular basis and you'll find that most Sorcs drop within the first 2 rounds if they don't have some save leeway or an item advantage. Your opponents at that level, if run well, will know that Clerics can heal and need to be taken out, but the Clerics spells are usually wrapped up in Healing/buffing, etc. while the Arcane caster has spells at every level solely designed for flattening a battle-field. Once you reveal yourself they should be coming after you: You have less hit points, worse AC, and worse Saves than a Cleric of your level. Once you're out of the picture battles usually become less confusing.

2.) My build = 1Pally/7Sorc/8 Divine Oracle if you're limited to 16 levels.
The Oracle has 2 benefits that you want: a.) Access to Divination spells that you can use up Sorc slots with if you have to (see DoF). and b.) No longer flat-footed, no flanks, and Evasion. Unfortunately you'll miss out on the "never surprised" part.

The spells I take: I focus, as Spider does, on Illusions and how to manipulate them well. With high DCs to begin with, the interaction "Will" save really doesn't matter; if they're going to fail the save from the spell then they're going to fail the interaction save as well. Plus alot more choices will open up to you for Conjuration/Evocation effects.

btw: if you have your choice of races and are expected to survive, go Asimar.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Would you really take a two level hit for the sorcerer? 1 level for paladin, 1 level for the ECL of aasimar?

 

[d12]

Absolutely take Ghost Form from T&B - its a defensive, mobility, scouting and escape spell. Take it instead of teleport.

 

[haiiro]

If you can choose spells from third party sources, check out Book of Eldritch Might I & II, because they have some great spells (particularly ones with more than one energy discriptor, like cold and sonic, or acid and fire).

I'll second this recommendation. Don't forget the various orbs and lesser orbs in T&B -- they rock.

Spellcasting Prodigy (from the FRCS) is generally a good 1st level feat choice, especially in combination with Spell Focus and GSF.

Take a PrC of some sort as soon as possible, unless you're using Monte's sorcerer from the BoEM2. With the PHB sorcerer, apart from your spells you get the worst of everything -- skill points, HD, saves, heck even the skill list isn't very good. As long as the PrC you choose gets full spellcasting progression and doesn't have a lot of suboptimal prereqs, almost anything is an improvement.

 

[Technik4]

Some suggestions on combos:

As others have said, illusions can be a potent school. My personal mix is illusions with summon spells (only get a summon every other level 1,3,5,7,9 or even fewer if you want). If you make major images of the same types of thing you summon, foes won't be able to tell the difference.

Spells with multiple ways to use them are really helpful. Grease, Glitterdust, Gust of Wind, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, etc.

Technik