Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="amnuxoll" data-source="post: 4453784" data-attributes="member: 13028">For the most part, I think that the best spells are in the PHB.  I did a similar study of the "canonical" sorcerer build on another message board.  (The results are below.)  The problem is that other choices (feats, ability scores, prestige classes) can have a big effect on what's best.  So, my list makes some generic assumptions in order to achieve a baseline.Nonetheless, I think this can be a very informative catalog for the 3.5e sorcerer...These assumptions are made:1.  Average saving throw DCs (16 Charisma at 1st level; all ability    bumps to Charisma; Cloak of Charisma purchased early and upgraded    ASAP; but no Spell Focus)2.  Average ranged touch attack (perhaps a 14 Dex to start)3.  Average AC and hp4.  Prefers to avoid getting into melee range (i.e., avoids offensive    touch spells)5.  No metamagic feats (as suboptimal as that is)6.  No prestige classesThe spells are listed prefixed with what level you are when you takethem.  If a spell is swapped out, that is indicated with an arrowcontaining the level when the swap occurs that points to the newspell.Other Notes:1.  The pattern to my spell selection is to have a good spell from each    of these categories that uses the highest or second highest    available spell slot:    1: damage dealing spell (Starting at 6th level I try to always       have one that effects one creature and one that effects an       area.)     2: protective or buff spell (or anti-buff in the case of dispel       magic)    3: battlefield control or BDF disabling spell (these        ideally must have no save or require a Will save)    4: utility spell   2.  Another consideration is to cover the bases with saving throws and    SR.  Ideally I want to have at least one knockout spell that    requires a Will save and one that requires Fort.  Damage dealing    spells cover the Reflex save category.  Finally, I wanted to have    about two spells (one low level and one high) that ignore spell    resistance.3.  In some cases, there's clearly a choice to be made between two or    more spells that that serve a similar purpose or have the same    category (e.g., they are both utility spells).  In this case, I've    put what I think is the "usual" and/or "best" choice first and the    other choices in parenthesis after it.    4.  Under each spell level heading, I've listed the scrolls that the    sorcerer should have on his person at all times.  These get cost    prohibitive pretty quickly and money is better spent on other    items.  So, it's a very limited list and it peters out after 3rd    level.  1st level Spells:-----------------1: Magic Missile (Lesser Orb of <energy>)1: Mage Armor--12--> Expeditious Retreat3: Shield5: Grease (Color Spray/Cause Fear)--6--> Ray of Enfeeblement7: Guided Shot (Unseen Servant)Scrolls: Prot. Evil, Comprehend LanguagesNotes:- Braver sorcerers should swap the order of Grease and Shield- Lesser Orb is going to make you more effective earlier but less  effective later.  Consider taking the lesser orb but swapping in  magic missile later2nd Level Spells:-----------------4: Glitterdust (Scorching Ray)5: False Life (Alter Self/Mirror Image)7: Swift Fly9: Invisibility --8--> Resist Energy11: Alter Self (Rope Trick)Scrolls: Spider Climb, Locate ObjectNotes:- Magic Missile usually has more expected damage than Scorching Ray  unless the sorcerer is particularly good at ranged touch attacks.- Alter Self becomes much more valuable for sorcerers who are willing  to get closer to melee3rd Level Spells:-----------------6: Fireball (Lighting Bolt/Resonating Bolt)7: Haste (Dispel Magic)9: Displacement (Blink)11: Greater Mage ArmorScrolls: Wind Wall, Invis. Sphere, Magic Circle vs. EvilNotes:- Fireball beats Lightning Bolt not only because of greater range but  also because you have to get to a place where you can be charged to  cast the latter.- Displacement beats Blink mostly because you can cast it on others.4th Level Spells:-----------------8: Evard's Black Tentacles (Otiluke's Resiliant Sphere/Rainbow Pattern/Confusion)9: Orb of <energy> (Enervation/Blast of Flame)11: Dimension Door (Greater Invisibility/Stoneskin)13: Assay Resistance (Polymorph)5th Level Spells:-----------------10: Prismatic Ray (Cone of Cold/Arc of Lightning)11: Wall of Force (Telekinesis)13: Mass Fly 15: TeleportNotes:- Cone of Cold can make caster vulnerable by forcing him to move to a  position that's reachable by enemy BDFs.6th Level Spells:-----------------12: Contingency (Greater Heroism)13: Disintegrate (Greater Dispel Magic/Flesh to Stone/Chain Lightning)15: Repulsion7th Level Spells:-----------------14: Limited Wish (Power Word Blind/Prismatic Spray)15: Spell Turning (Energy Immunity)Directly Offensive Spells on this list with no SR:--------------------------------------------------Primary:    Grease (1st)    Glitterdust (2nd)    Evard's Black Tentacles (4th)    Orb of <energy> (4th)Secondary:    Lesser Orb of <energy> (1st)    Arc of Lightning (5th)    Power Word Blind (7th)</blockquote>

Verification