Pros and Cons of Sorcerers vs Wizards and vice versa

[jarlaxlecq]

I've read gone through the handbooks but I’m still a n00b in terms of D&D (not enough people to play with in my area, at least people I know) I like the sorcerer but man, 4 spells, that’s it? I know that the sorcerer isn't supposed to be more of an artillery gun and not very versatile but how can people get by on so few spells?

 

[Grog]

Well, it's 4 spells per level (or 3 or 5, depending). I know that, whenever I used to play a wizard in 1E and 2E, I only ended up using a few spells from each level myself. So sorcerors seem okay to me, though they really got hosed in the revision.

 

[jarlaxlecq]

Well, it's 4 spells per level (or 3 or 5, depending). I know that, whenever I used to play a wizard in 1E and 2E, I only ended up using a few spells from each level myself. So sorcerors seem okay to me, though they really got hosed in the revision.

how where they hosed in 3.5 vs 3?

 

[James McMurray]

How did the revision hose them? Other than the fixing of haste? Sorcerers actually got boosted by the revision because they can now swap out lower level spells once they become useless.

To stay on topic:

I've played sorcerers and wizards, and one thing that sorcerers have over wizards is their staying power. They just keep blasting away. They're also simpler to play, since you don't have to worry about memorizing spells in the morning. Once you've picked your spells, you just mark off slots every day.

Wizars, of course, have sheer versatility. They can know any spell they need to at any given time, and therefore are more capable in more situations. Of course, sorcerers can make up for this lack through scrolls and wands a bit.

 

[Grog]

They got hosed because of spells got broken into multiple spells, ex. Poly Other being replaced by Polymorph and Baneful Polymorph.

 

[James McMurray]

That was less of a hosing and more of a fix. Polymorph Other was a must-have spell for just about every sorccerer under the sun, because it gave access to excellent buffing and save or die all in a single efficient package.

 

[Deset Gled]

Besides the differences in the way they cast, you should consider the following differences:

A wizard will always have a high intelligence, which means that they will have lots of skill points even though the class only grants 2+int mod per level. A sorcerer's high charisma will make them "social", but there are no extra bonuses for high charisma. In fact, its possible for the wizard to surpass the socialness of the sorcerer by buying ranks in diplomacy, intimidation, and other charisma based skills. Personally, I really like the idea of giving a sorcerer 4+int skill points per level, as Monte Cook did in his revised version. I was quite disappointed this change didn't make 3.5.

Over the course of leveling, a wizard gets 4 bonus magic feats and Scribe Scroll for free. The sorcerer gets none of this. A good rule variant (also from Monte's alternate sorcerer) is to give a sorcerer Eschew Materials for free at first level. Again, I was dissapointed to find this change didn't make 3.5.

The sorcerer gets proficiency in all simple weapons, where the wizard only gets a select few.

A sorcerer cannot use Quicken Spell without also taking Arcane Preparation.

Hope this helps.

 

[Creamsteak]

Personally I let a couple of the sorcerers disadvantages slide. The above mentioned, "Must have arcane preparation to use quickened spells" for instance is really redundant to me. A wizard is still the better long-term choice. Sorcerers with the fitting spell selection can outshine the wizards on the short term, but never the long.

 

[Thanee]

In direct comparison, the Sorcerer is simply more powerful at higher levels. He'll have almost all the decent spells by then (especially in 3.5 where many must-haves have been nerfed ), thereby lowering his initial disadvantage, but more versatility in applying them and is also much better with Metamagic (altho gets no bonus feats), except for Quicken Spell for obvious reasons (Arcane Preparation seems like a must-have feat at higher level Sorcerers now that Haste is gone).

The Wizard does have a wider selection of spells and therefore can specialize himself for any given situation known beforehand. That's the wizards main strength, they are about unbeatable if prepared correctly, but they need to know what they are up to. At higher levels they also have enough slots to get at least a decent alround package during their daily meditation. It's a good tactic to leave some slots open for later use, so you can better react to upcoming situations (still need some rest, 15 Minutes, to fill them, but that's quite possible in many situations). Their advantage is also the free Metamagic feats and the quicker access to higher level spells. Wizards are by far the better choice for multiclassing because of that!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

A wizard is still the better long-term choice. Sorcerers with the fitting spell selection can outshine the wizards on the short term, but never the long.

Interesting, it's exactly the opposite for me!

In lower levels (short term) the Wizards are far better because of quicker spell access mainly, but in the long run the Sorcerers keep up with them by having a decent spell selection, more spells per day and so on.

Bye
Thanee