D&D 5E Optimizing Favored Soul Sorcerer

[TheBigHouse]

I've been thinking about this and pose an alternative. Paladin 2/Favored Soul X could make a really interesting "Gish" character without wasting the double extra attacks. Go Half-Elf or Variant Human with bonuses to Strength and Cha (+Con for Half-Elf). Wear Heavy Armor, carry a Greatsword. Take Resilient Con/Warcaster and Great Weapon Master as feats (if you start as Sorc you do gain Con save but you lose Heavy Armor and hit points). You now have Heavy Armor, Smiting, and a Fighting Style (either GWF or Defense), and eventually 9th level spells. Take Life for additional defensive spells, as you will have enough blasting spells as a Sorc. Also, take Greenflame Blade as a cantrip.

Now, you can attack (either two attacks for multi-smite or Greenflame Blade for scaling damage), with smite bursting damage, quicken a healing or offensive spell on top of that, and eventually you'll be flying as well. That's a lot of versatility in a single package. The Paladin mainly gives you heavy armor, fighting style, and burst smiting.

Edit: If Favored Soul loses its bonus spells this is less powerful but still viable. You still get Cure Wounds and Bless at least.

Edit 2 Electric Boogaloo: Pal 6/Storm Sorc is also very interesting, though it takes longer to come online. You do get more Paladin abilities like Divine Grace though. I would also consider Draconic Sorc because you get the +1 hit points which might help as a Gish (1d6+1 is close enough to 1d8).

Yea, I also like Pali 2 / Favored Soul X. Pali 6 gets you that tasty +cha to all saves, though, and if you are an oath-breaker Pali 7 gets you + cha to attacks.

I think either one works well.

 

[Minsc]

I assume that the "final" version of favored soul will lose the bonus spells. If they replace bonus spells with allowing the fss to get the 2nd level channel divinities (which would keep the connection to the clerical domains), what would be the best favored soul sorcerer then?

I agree. Perhaps the favored soul will still pick a domain, and have those domain spells as an option instead of a flat bonus. That seems a bit more balanced.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

If they hadn't linked the favored soul to the domains in the UA, I would have been good with something like "you can spend 1 SP to add 1d8 radiant damage to spell you cast (maybe with a limit of 5 SP) with maximum radiant damage if the target is undead or a fiend"*, but favored soul plus domains just clicked my trigger. The big problem with my suggestion is that the added spells are a 1st level subclass feature and the channel divinities are 2nd level (and it would abuse the favored in favored soul too much to get them earlier than clerics do). Admittedly, by second level it wouldn't matter any more (and the second level channel divinities are nice but not that OP), but I suspect a lot of people would still be upset.

* I have no doubt that this would be a popular. Honestly, it would fit the favored soul pretty well, but after thinking of domains, it seems one dimensional to me.