Sorcerer Utility.

[Eolin]

Hiya everybody. Whenever I need DnD help, you guys supply it.

I've got a DnD game that will be coming up soon. Its going to be a gestalt game, and I am likely to play a cleric/sorcerer. and likely get a raven familiar -- what with the flying and the talking, they're the best.

So, the question is really simple:
What spells should my sorcerer pick up? Remember, I'll have cleric spells, so I don't need spells that are on the cleric list or that duplicate them.

Tell me if this sounds right for what I could use each spell level:
an attack spell -- like fireball.
a defensive spell -- such as mage armor.
some sort of scrying spell -- like identify.
a utility spell -- like unseen servant.

Does all that sound right? Anything I've missed?
Eolin.

 

[Evilhalfling]

What cleric are you the god of?
War god/sorc would have a different selection of spells from a god of magic or a god of thievery.
What level are you? your message implied 6ish - or are you planning out your entire list now?
What roles do you need to fill? a cleric/sor could be:
front line, with truestrike, shield, mirror image, and haste
artillery with magic missle, fireball and web
or support - enlarge, invisiblity, fly, bull str ( I know you can cast it as cleric, but you cant hit everyone in the party with it that way.)

the flavor of each sorcerer can be compleatly different based on spell selection. And you should consider flavor as an important factor.

 

[Eolin]

That's very true.

I am Definetly not planning to be a melee combatant. If I'm ever on the front lines, I'll be trying to get off and trying not to get killed.

And yeah, level isn't important as I'm bored and planning it out. So the clericy spells allow me to protect the party and heal them. The sorcerer spells will be largely offensive. and things that clerics don't do well. But what I'm looking for is that sort of category of spells that I might not have thought of.

 

[Li Shenron]

So the clericy spells allow me to protect the party and heal them. The sorcerer spells will be largely offensive. and things that clerics don't do well. But what I'm looking for is that sort of category of spells that I might not have thought of.

As you say, first of all stay don't take spells which you can otherwise cast as Cleric, therefore it is important that you know which spells you will get from your domains. For example, if you have the Magic domain, don't bother about learning Identify, which also will have no cost as a Cleric spell!

Don't select too many offensive Sorcerer spells, because you don't need one per spell level. As an example, if you start from level 1, you can choose Magic Missile, then don't choose any 2nd level offensive and wait for Fireball or Lightning Bolt. In any case, an area offensive spell is a must since Clerics have very few.

Clerics also have good defensive spells, but not great straight AC-boost spells. Normally Clerics don't need spells which give armor/shield bonus to AC because they can wear armor and use shield, but in your case it is important to minimise Arcane Spell Failure!
One way to do that is to get Still Spell, for the times when you really don't want to miscast your Sorcerer's spell.
The other way is to simply cast Shield, which is a great spell foe Sorcerers. You can also forgo armor completely if you have Mage Armor (or even better Bracers of Armor if you start high-level already), in which case your ASF will be 0% but in general you will have a lower AC, since mundane/magic armor go past beyond +4. You have to consider the trade-off carefully between AC and ASF, the gestalt combination lets you have more HP than a normal Sorcerer so this may lead you to use no armor.

Finally and most importantly, there are those tricky useful spells which only Sorcerers and Wizards cast, and I think you should take as many as you can. Invisibility spells, teleportation spells and multi-use spells are many and you have many possibilities.
Some choices on top of my head (try not to choose more than a spell for the same purpose):

1 - Grease, Unseen Servant, Charm Person
2 - Glitterdust, Summon Swarm, Detect Thoughts, False Life, Spectral Hand, Spider Climb
3 - Stinking Cloud, Clairvoyance, Vampiric Touch
4 - Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Polymorph
5 - Dominate Person, Telekinesis

Mutually exclusive choices to consider...
a mass-blocking spell: Web/Slow/Black Tentacles
an invisibility spell: Invisibility/Greater Inv/Inv Sphere
a visual illusion: Minor Image/Major Image/Persistent Image
a flight spell Levitate/Fly/Gaseous Form/Overland Flight
a teleportation spell Dimension Door/Teleport/Greater Teleport/Mass Teleport
Shadow Conjuration/Greater S.C. to replicate multiple lower level spells.

 

[Li Shenron]

Forgot to explain that Spectral Hand can be the key to a wonderful synergy. It works only on spells up to level 4th, but both on your Sor and Cle spells. In fact, Clerics have many touch spells that they wish they could cast from faraway . With S.H. you can stay away from melee and cast healing or any other touch with no fear.

 

[Thanee]

Take a look at the rules forum, there are a couple polls for spells every wizard should have. There are some, which also every sorcerer should have, too.

Here are a few considerations (PHB only):

1 - Mage Armor, Shield, Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement, Unseen Servant, Enlarge Person, Feather Fall, Charm Person, Identify.
2 - False Life, Mirror Image, See Invisibility, Glitterdust, Web, Invisibility, Scorching Ray, Rope Trick.
3 - Fly, Blink, Gaseous Form, Lightning Bolt, Fireball, Haste, Slow, Suggestion, Heroism.
4 - Polymorph, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Evard's Black Tentacles, Stoneskin, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability.
5 - Wall of Force, Teleport, Hold Monster, Cloudkill, Dominate Person, Magic Jar, Persistent Image.
6 - Contingency, Analyze Dweomer, Disintegrate, Shadow Walk.
7 - Limited Wish, Greater Teleport, Spell Turning, Forcecage.
8 - Mindblank, Polymorph any Object, Horrid Wilting, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Greater Shadow Evocation.
9 - Shapechange, Timestop, Dominate Monster, Shades, Gate.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Eolin]

Ooooh ... I hadn't thought of the spectral hand connection. That's marvelous. that's a great idea.