Sorcerer or Wizard?

[spyscribe]

Thanks a lot. That helps.

I think that I will hold out on my decision based on how diverse the party ends up being. If the other characters are pretty diverse, I can more easily afford to be a specialized caster. But I can see how the sorcerer is more prone to be ineffective in many situations... at least until mid-levels.

Keep in mind that if you do go the sorcerer route, your DM shouldn't be trying to put you in situations where you can't use any of the character's abilities.

I'm currently playing a low-level sorcerer (now level 4, started at level 1) and it has been a lot of fun. Wizard's flexibliity is very nice, but don't knock the ability to do spell-selection on the fly.

At second level we had a huge (for second level characters) encounter that involved fighting strange magical creatures and an urban fire. My character wound up casting one magic missle (completely useless against aforementioned magical creatures, who knew?), and nine rays of frost (turns out, quite nice for fire-fighting).

If she'd been a wizard, there's no way I would have thought to prep that ahead of time. Which isn't to say that character wouldn't have been able to do something else, perhaps equally cool.

Also, second to Shard O'Glase that it's nice to only agonize over spell-selection once per level, instead of once per day.

 

[Nightstorm]

May I ask what setting youre playing? If you're playing Forgotten Realms, then dump both and become a ELVEN CLERIC with the domains of elf and time. A spell caster with use of a bow. KICK ASS!

 

[Cloudgatherer]

There's also an "ease of use" factor. If you don't like having to select your spell list every day, then go with Sorcerer. You agonize once over what spells to take, then you are done worrying about them.

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

I think it hasn't been mentionned before, but the sorceror is "one level behind", in terms of spell level that accessible to him (a wizard can cast 3rd-level spells at character level 5, the sorceror has to wait for level 6).

Maitre D

 

[idum]

I think that sorcerer is a good choice in a multiclass pg. For example a Rog/sor is a very good choice, because you can select utility spells supporting rogue abilities and combat.
For a monoclass pg, i suggest you wizard for long-term advantages (feats, large spells selection, possibility to create magic items, etc).

 

[AmerginLiath]

And Sorcerors get all simple weapons, versus the smaller wizard weapon selection.

 

[LuYangShih]

The relative power of each class depends greatly on the world you play in. If magic is highly accessible, scrolls can be bought in shops, and Boccobs Blessed Book is equally easy to purchase, the Wizard is better. In addition, if the campaign you are playing tends towards one or two big encounters per session, the Wizard will likely be better again.

On the other hand, if you are playing in a low magic world, where scrolls are hard to come by, Boccobs Blessed Books are unheard of (or banned altogether), and encounters with monsters are frequent, the Sorcerer will generally end up ahead. Usually I prefer Wizards, as with any foreknowledge of the opponent they may be facing, they are far more lethal than any other class. They are the kings of preparation, and if a Wizard knows who and what he will be facing, he has a much greater chance of emerging victorious.

 

[ArcOfCorinth]

Aside from crunchiness, have you thought about the PC itself? I've always perfered Sorcerers over Wizards because of style. Perhaps I'm barbariac (I am from Alabama), but I've always thought the sorcerer was superior because her powers came from within her - she relies on herself. The wizard, on the other hand, gets his powers from an outside source. He isn't born with an affinity to magic. His spellbook is a crutch upon him.

 

[Deadguy]

To summarise LuYangShih's point (okay to add my spin on it! ): the flexibility of a Wizard to be able to learn any spell is very much in the hands of the DM. Partly it is, as LYS says, a matter of whether there are spells available in hte game to learn. A lot of DMs, it seems, deliberately seem to limit access, by putting in few scrolls of arcane spells, and using Sorcerers rather than Wizards, so there are no opponents' spellbooks to capture.

An additional factor, unless you play 3.5, is time. So many campaigns seem to run at full tilt all the time, where no-one can or does take any time out to stop between adventures! So the several days taken to scribe new spells into a Wizard's spellbook just doesn't become an option. If relying on the 2 spells per level that the Wizard gets for free, there's little to choose between numbers of spells known betwixt Wizards and Sorcerers.

Basically, a great deal of the theoretical differences between Wizards and Sorcerers is dependent on the DM's choices. As such, it's probably best to know his or her thinking before making a final choice of Sorcerer or Wizard.

 

[clark411]

The Sorceror Says: "I can cast Fireball 5 times per day or Slow 5 times per day! Or any combination of the two!"

The Wizard Replies: "I made five Fireball scrolls, and five Slow scrolls last level before you even had them. Who'se your Arcane Daddy?"

=)

and in fairness

The Sorceror Retaliates: "Well, at least I didn't have to pay 3170 gold and 250 xp for them!"


Personally, I prefer a wizard to a sorceror. The risk of possibly being caught with your pants down ("Darn, didn't memorize Knock!") is balanced by the ability to always have a scroll handy, and the only limitations are character wealth and time really. That in mind, if your campaign is gold-light or time-constrained.. go sorceror. If the world's going boom in 3 weeks, and you need 15 levels by then, there's no time to prepare!