Sorcerer FAQ/advice?

[apsuman]

Another bit of advice, try to get spells the work together.

For example, Invisibility stops if you attack someone but does not stop if you cast summon spells. If you like summon spells then invisibility might be more attractive at the lower level. If you want to lighting bolt opponenets then you probably want improved invisibility.

Haste is great, and very powerful. However, it really lets you go through your spells at twice the rate. Still, Haste + any attack spell is a good combo, haste + true strike + crossbow is also helpful under certain circumstances.

Do not be afraid to customize your sorcerer to your taste, you could "skip" magic missle and take a different spell, however, keep in mind that these spells are popular for sorcerers for a reason.


g!

 

[smetzger]

burning hands

Your kidding right? This spell sucks unless your an arcane archer. The area of effect is small and starts with you so you have to get in close to use it, which is not a wise choice for a d4 hit point character.

 

[Henry]

As apsuman says, Haste is great if you plan to only face one big encounter in a given day. If you are uncertain of what you will face, then it's not that worth it.

Consider a one gallon jug of water. You must use this water to put out a small fire. You could (1) pour the water out as normal, conserving some for any future fires to put out, or (2) cut a huge gash in the jug, and just let the water flood the fire to put it out quickly. See the difference?

Of course, if you've got plenty of water to spare, (e.g. several magic wands, or other reserve resources), then feel free to let 'er rip.

We once had a variant sorcerer in a campaign who the DM let use his hit points as spell points (1 level per 1 hit point), and gave him a d6 hit dice to boot! That player abused the haste spell like a red-headed step-child, and the two clerics of the party stood behind him and loaded him up with healing spells (we would alternate: one cleric would heal one round while the other was casting offensive or other buffing spells.) NEVER EVER LET A DM DO THIS.

 

[Henry]

Your kidding right? This spell sucks unless your an arcane archer. The area of effect is small and starts with you so you have to get in close to use it, which is not a wise choice for a d4 hit point character.

Burning hands has a 10' radius, in a 180 degree arc. That's a LOT of creatures. Furthermore, its damage for a low-level caster increases faster than magic missile, and an empowered one does even more average damage than a magic missile.

Granted, it's not useful for everything. Against fighters or creatures of equivalent hit dice to you, it's ill-advised. Against a mass of lower level creatures, it's quite useful. A single mage can take out anywhere from 4 to 6 creatures of 1/2 hit dice to 2 hit dice, and melee types have a good chance to fail against it.

Note also that I paired it with the shield spell. Shield and Burning Hands do work fairly well together for a sorcerer; I know this from practical experience. Whereas a magic missile works on one creature at a time, or at most three creatures by 5th level, a burning hands can work on a fairly big group.

Admittedly, it is the poor man's fireball, at 1st through 4th level as a sorcerer, that's what you are - power poor.

 

[apsuman]

burning hands

Burning hands can be a good spell, in the hands of the right sorcerer.

With the correct metamagic feat (extend, or is it widen, i dunno) the radius can be altered.

Empower is nice too, cast at level 6. Empowered it does average range of 7.5-30, average 18.75, save for 9.375. Compared to fireball, 6d6, average range of 6-36, average 21 save for 10.5. I think its a fair comparison and a usefull spell until level 8 or so.

If Extended (not my favority meta magic) to level 3 you can covera 180 degree arc out to 30 feet. that is damage to everyone in a 30 foot radius.

But that takes me to a refinement of a point I was trying to make earlier. Do not try to make yourself a one trick pony, but make sure that you have spells that work together (invis and summon, haste+ truestrike, etc.) but also make sure your spell selection makes the most of your feats, and your feats make the most of your spell selection.

Heighten is really good, but if you do not have that many spells with DCs to increase then you are not doing yourself any favors by taking it. For example, Heighten makes charm person be a credible threat against every fighter of your level no matter what level you are. But is that is the only spell you plan on using the Heighten feat for, then either choose a different line of spells or a different meta magic or both.

So, if enlarge is your kind of feat, then take spells like burning hands. Cone of cold is also probably up your alley too.

g!