Sorceor spellselection
- Thread starter Hescamar
- Start date
Stick with spells that don't become redundant (ie a higher level spell has the same effect that you will probbly take anyway).
Otherwise just think of spells that are good to cast lots and lots of times and avoid specialty spells.
Magic missle, Acid arrow, (possibly) haste, fireball, whatever suits your taste thats effectively "always" useful.
Otherwise just think of spells that are good to cast lots and lots of times and avoid specialty spells.
Magic missle, Acid arrow, (possibly) haste, fireball, whatever suits your taste thats effectively "always" useful.
Velenne
Explorer
I definately agree with the theme idea. I've played a few sorcerors and this the way to go. You'll need high DC's so go with spellcasting prodigy, then spell focus and greater spell focus in a given school.
Also, as its been said already, always keep in mind that these are spells you'll be casting A LOT. So stick to a school and stick to a theme, don't try to be mr. utility. You're a tank, a specialist, artillery. Leave the rest to the wizards.
Haste is a top priority, a must-have for all sorcerors.
Followed by Improved Invisiblity (unless you're planning on attacking indirectly).
Then just stick to a school and follow the chain of spells all the way up.
Another possibility is being a front-line fighter. This isn't very effective at low levels, but when you get to higher levels, stacking some buff spells on yourself and following it up with a tensor's transformation is rather lethal. Tough for PC's, evilly fun with NPC's if you're the DM. >
Also, as its been said already, always keep in mind that these are spells you'll be casting A LOT. So stick to a school and stick to a theme, don't try to be mr. utility. You're a tank, a specialist, artillery. Leave the rest to the wizards.
Haste is a top priority, a must-have for all sorcerors.
Followed by Improved Invisiblity (unless you're planning on attacking indirectly).
Then just stick to a school and follow the chain of spells all the way up.
Another possibility is being a front-line fighter. This isn't very effective at low levels, but when you get to higher levels, stacking some buff spells on yourself and following it up with a tensor's transformation is rather lethal. Tough for PC's, evilly fun with NPC's if you're the DM. >
Thanee
First Post
A few spells, that I think are really good:
Shield
Magic Missile
Featherfall
Protection from Evil
Mage Armor
Endure Elements
See Invisibility
Alter Self (maybe redundant because of Polymorph)
Knock
Cat's Grace
Endurance
Blindness/Deafness
Haste
Fly
Dispel Magic
Lightning Bolt
Greater Magic Weapon
Dimension Door
Polymorph Other
Improved Invisibility
Teleport (maybe redundant because of Teleport without Error)
Telekinesis
Greater Shadow Evocation
Shades
Greater Dispelling
Analyze Dweomer (unless there's a Wizard as well)
Contingency
Limited Wish
Teleport without Error
Another few very good spells from Tome & Blood and Magic of Faerûn:
Eagle's Splendour
Energy Buffer
Ghostform
Blindsight
Tirumael's Energy Spheres
Firebrand
Ball Lightning
Kiss of the Vampire
Fiendform
Feats to consider:
Spellcasting Prodigy
Spell Focus
Greater Spell Focus
Spell Penetration (maybe)
Greater Spell Penetration (BIG maybe)
Empower Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell
Eschew Materials
Improved Initiative
Bye
Thanee
Shield
Magic Missile
Featherfall
Protection from Evil
Mage Armor
Endure Elements
See Invisibility
Alter Self (maybe redundant because of Polymorph)
Knock
Cat's Grace
Endurance
Blindness/Deafness
Haste
Fly
Dispel Magic
Lightning Bolt
Greater Magic Weapon
Dimension Door
Polymorph Other
Improved Invisibility
Teleport (maybe redundant because of Teleport without Error)
Telekinesis
Greater Shadow Evocation
Shades
Greater Dispelling
Analyze Dweomer (unless there's a Wizard as well)
Contingency
Limited Wish
Teleport without Error
Another few very good spells from Tome & Blood and Magic of Faerûn:
Eagle's Splendour
Energy Buffer
Ghostform
Blindsight
Tirumael's Energy Spheres
Firebrand
Ball Lightning
Kiss of the Vampire
Fiendform
Feats to consider:
Spellcasting Prodigy
Spell Focus
Greater Spell Focus
Spell Penetration (maybe)
Greater Spell Penetration (BIG maybe)
Empower Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell
Eschew Materials
Improved Initiative
Bye
Thanee
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Not to seem brash, but some of Thanee's suggested feats are no-nos.
Greater Spell Penetration? Are you joking? I mean, Spell Penetration is probably a tad over the top but a *second* feat to overcome the SR of those rare creatures which have it. IMC, we have three arcane spellcasters: not one has Spell Penetration.
Eschew Materials? Are you honestly suggesting that having to spend a full-round to cast a spell is worth the saving of not having to have a material component pouch? This is a wasted feat.
Instead, consider Improved Initiative. Mage-battles often boil down to Initiative, especially at higher-levels.
Go easy on metamagic feats: one or two could be handy, but be careful about them due to the full-round requirement. Empower, Maximise and Chain are usually pretty good bets. Definitely take Greater Spell Focus.
Prestige Classes: Consider Elemental Savant from Tome and Blood, or perhaps a few levels of Fatespinner. Both are very powerful.
As for frontline-sorceror, be careful. Dispel Magic can end your fun and your life. If you're insistent, Dragon Disciple is the way to go, but buffed-frontliners are better suited to combat clerics (divine favour, death ward, divine might, righteous wrath, recitation...). Artillerist is better.
Spellswise:
1st: Magic Missile, Shield, Mage Armour, Expeditious Retreat.
2nd: Melf's, any buff spells (starting with Eagle's Splendour), GLITTERDUST (often overlooked- blinds in a 10' radius and reveals invisible creatures)
3rd: Haste, Slow, Blink, Fly, one of Lightning Bolt/Fireball.
4th: Improved Invisibility, Polymorph Self/Other, Evard's Black Tentacles (overlooked but perfect vs. enemy spellcasters).
5th: Feeblemind, Dominate, Wall of Force, Cone of Cold
6th: Disintegrate, Antimagic Shell, Mass Haste, Tenser's Transformation if you're that way inclined
7th: LIMITED WISH (most useful spell of its level for sorcerors by a LONG way), Prismatic Spray, Teleport w/o Error, Forcecage.
8th: Horrid Wilting, Otto's Irresistable Dance, Maze, Polymorph Any Object (yes, it supersedes Poly Other, but PO is so powerful at its level that its obsolescence at ultra-level doesn't really matter, and PAO is both a great utility spell and combat spell)
9th: Time Stop, Imprisonment, Meteor Swarm, Energy Drain, Shapechange. NOT Wish: at 5000XP a hit, you will hardly ever want to cast it.
Greater Spell Penetration? Are you joking? I mean, Spell Penetration is probably a tad over the top but a *second* feat to overcome the SR of those rare creatures which have it. IMC, we have three arcane spellcasters: not one has Spell Penetration.
Eschew Materials? Are you honestly suggesting that having to spend a full-round to cast a spell is worth the saving of not having to have a material component pouch? This is a wasted feat.
Instead, consider Improved Initiative. Mage-battles often boil down to Initiative, especially at higher-levels.
Go easy on metamagic feats: one or two could be handy, but be careful about them due to the full-round requirement. Empower, Maximise and Chain are usually pretty good bets. Definitely take Greater Spell Focus.
Prestige Classes: Consider Elemental Savant from Tome and Blood, or perhaps a few levels of Fatespinner. Both are very powerful.
As for frontline-sorceror, be careful. Dispel Magic can end your fun and your life. If you're insistent, Dragon Disciple is the way to go, but buffed-frontliners are better suited to combat clerics (divine favour, death ward, divine might, righteous wrath, recitation...). Artillerist is better.
Spellswise:
1st: Magic Missile, Shield, Mage Armour, Expeditious Retreat.
2nd: Melf's, any buff spells (starting with Eagle's Splendour), GLITTERDUST (often overlooked- blinds in a 10' radius and reveals invisible creatures)
3rd: Haste, Slow, Blink, Fly, one of Lightning Bolt/Fireball.
4th: Improved Invisibility, Polymorph Self/Other, Evard's Black Tentacles (overlooked but perfect vs. enemy spellcasters).
5th: Feeblemind, Dominate, Wall of Force, Cone of Cold
6th: Disintegrate, Antimagic Shell, Mass Haste, Tenser's Transformation if you're that way inclined
7th: LIMITED WISH (most useful spell of its level for sorcerors by a LONG way), Prismatic Spray, Teleport w/o Error, Forcecage.
8th: Horrid Wilting, Otto's Irresistable Dance, Maze, Polymorph Any Object (yes, it supersedes Poly Other, but PO is so powerful at its level that its obsolescence at ultra-level doesn't really matter, and PAO is both a great utility spell and combat spell)
9th: Time Stop, Imprisonment, Meteor Swarm, Energy Drain, Shapechange. NOT Wish: at 5000XP a hit, you will hardly ever want to cast it.
Thanee
First Post
You're probably right with (Greater) Spell Penetration, but I just listed some feats to consider, not must-haves!
And I agree, that Improved Initiative is surely one good feat for wizards/sorcerers! I'll add it to my above list!
Glitterdust is only really useful in combination with See Invisibility and Sorcerers just don't get enough 2nd level spells to get both, IMHO. I'd always take See Invisibility over Glitterdust, because the latter does nothing to detect invisible attackers in the first place!
Eagle's Splendour is a good one, too. More spellpower can't hurt.
Bye
Thanee
And I agree, that Improved Initiative is surely one good feat for wizards/sorcerers! I'll add it to my above list!
Glitterdust is only really useful in combination with See Invisibility and Sorcerers just don't get enough 2nd level spells to get both, IMHO. I'd always take See Invisibility over Glitterdust, because the latter does nothing to detect invisible attackers in the first place!
Eagle's Splendour is a good one, too. More spellpower can't hurt.
Bye
Thanee
Thanee
First Post
Could you explain to me, why so many people seem to consider Melf's Acid Arrow as a must-have?
The concentration checks are laughable at best and every halfway decent mage will have no problems with them.
I think it's a waste of an extremely valuable 2nd level slot (those buff spells are just too good!) and an action as well, if you cast it, especially at higher levels.
I really wonder about those drastically different opinions about that spell and just can't see its high usefulness!
Continuous damage is great, no kidding, but the damage is simply too low to cause any distress.
Bye
Thanee
EDIT: Damn '-things!
The concentration checks are laughable at best and every halfway decent mage will have no problems with them.
I think it's a waste of an extremely valuable 2nd level slot (those buff spells are just too good!) and an action as well, if you cast it, especially at higher levels.
I really wonder about those drastically different opinions about that spell and just can't see its high usefulness!
Continuous damage is great, no kidding, but the damage is simply too low to cause any distress.
Bye
Thanee
EDIT: Damn '-things!
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Darklone
Registered User
Hmm
As frontliners... I saw lots of halforc barbarian sorcerers with one or two levels of barbarian (uncanny dodge and hitpoints and more skillpoints as beginners plus fast movement... ah well you know). For one level you don't lose much and it fits a character better than barbarian wizard
Those chars don't go for high save spells... but for greataxes and buff spells.
What I would do? definitely go by theme. Haste may be fine, but do you want another standard sorcerer? There are some utility spells in books that I like a lot and that you can use very versatile... Phantom Steed saved the day more than once here.
As frontliners... I saw lots of halforc barbarian sorcerers with one or two levels of barbarian (uncanny dodge and hitpoints and more skillpoints as beginners plus fast movement... ah well you know). For one level you don't lose much and it fits a character better than barbarian wizard
Those chars don't go for high save spells... but for greataxes and buff spells.
What I would do? definitely go by theme. Haste may be fine, but do you want another standard sorcerer? There are some utility spells in books that I like a lot and that you can use very versatile... Phantom Steed saved the day more than once here.
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