Sorcerer - Ranged Touch Expert

[Cedric]

I'm probably going to be starting a sorcerer soon...and I want this sorcerer to be a ranged attack specialist (easy to do with a sorcerer right? heh)

But instead of just laying down huge damage with AOE spells, I want to be more of finesse, pick one out of a crowd combat specialist.

Anyone think of ideas to make the best use of this as a sorcerer? Spells to take, feats, etc..

Going to be starting at 1st level, Forgotten Realms, western heartlands, human preferred but not required (I'll probably go human though).

I was thinking of working towards arcane trickster or eldritch knight...but I'm not married to ideas. In fact, I prefer the idea of sticking to pure spellcaster (not spending any levels unless they add to my caster level).

Any ideas are appreciated.

Cedric

 

[Cedric]

Sorry...I should add, this is 3.5 we are playing. Using core books, splat books and FR books mostly. But other sources, like dragon magazine are possible.

 

[Crothian]

One of the earlier dragon magazine did a lot with ray spells. Most of the ray spells are ranged tough attacks and their are some great feats one can take with them like Split Ray, weapon focus Ray, and things of that nature.

 

[jgsugden]

Just one comment: You can get a big bang out of your buck by delivering touch spells through your familiar. Especially if you collect spells that make your familiar tough to hit, but good at delivering touch spells.

 

[Lazybones]

Weapon Focus: Ray as a 1st level choice. I don't know if Precise Shot applies to Rays; I don't see why it wouldn't.
High dexterity for those ranged touch attacks, naturally.

Spells to take: 0/Ray of Frost, 1/True Strike (for when those rays just HAVE to hit), 1/Ray of Enfeeblement, 1/Magic Missile, 2/Scorching Ray, 2/Spectral Hand, 3/Ray of Exhaustion, 4/Enervation

 

[CCamfield]

Do you guys think that focussing entirely on spectral hand and touch spells would work? This is an idea I've thought would be cool (inspired by a character in a Roger Zelazny novel) but I tend to play fighter-types rather than spellcasters so I haven't actually tried it.

 

[Crothian]

Of course it would work. There are plenty of spells out there and with the right met magic feats it could be pretty fun.

 

[Cedric]

Now we are rolling on some good stuff.

Here is my complaint about playing a caster. It seems like when I cast an AoE spell the thing I am trying to target saves and either takes pathetic damage or just shrugs it off with evasion.

So I am trying to come up with a character (primarily sorcerer, but maybe Arcane Trickster or Eldritch Knight) to be able to dish out some damage that people can't just save for and ignore.

I don't want to just casually do it either..I want to basically be a spell sniper. That is the idea for my character. I just need help pulling it off.

I don't have all the books myself, but I can get access to them on game nights where we play.

Thanks for the help guys...and keep the good info flowing.

 

[Jolly Giant]

A lot of the typical "archer" feats apply to to all ranged attacks, wether you use a bow, throw rocks or cast spells. So if you Point Blanc Shot you get +1 on your ranged touch attack and your Rays of Frost deal 1d3+1 points of damage. Same deal with Precise Shot. Just don't expect your DM would let you cast an extra ray-spell each round if you take the Rapid Shot-feat!

Weapon Focus: Rays has already been mentioned, and is of course an excellent choice. Tome & Blood also have an equivalent feat to Weapon Specialization that can be applied to rays. (Though I can't remember exactly what it's called right now...)

Arcane Trickster is an excellent route to follow for a "ray-man", btw. Sneak-attacking with a damage-dealing spell can be very effective!

Also, there's the Reach Spell metamagic feat from Defenders of the Faith. It lets you deliver touch-spells as a 30 ft. ray in a slot to levels higher. But if you're playing a sorcerer you're probably not gonna want to use a fullround action to cast your spells...

 

[Cedric]

Actually, I don't mind the full round action so much. If you are crafty about your spell selection and combat setup, having to take the full round action has never been much of a problem. And when it is...well, you don't HAVE to use that Metamagic feat, it's not like you prepared the spell that way.

So I'm liking metamagic feats with sorcerers...full round action or not.

Cedric