Sorceror Advice

[Li Shenron]

Have you perhaps played a Wizard or a Bard before? How experienced are you of D&D 3ed and how experienced are your fellow players? In case you are very newbie, I would suggest one (or more) of the following choices to increase your raw defences; they have disadvantages or come at a cost, but I myself would definitely be caution at low levels:

1. Toughness: I know most people think it's a lame feat, but if I played a Wiz or Sor starting from level 1, I would seriously take it (maybe as extra human feat), unless I can afford a high Consitution

2. Constitution: if you have more than 2 good scores (Charisma and Dexterity before anything else), and a third with at least +2, you can save the Toughness feat if you put it in Constitution

3. Padded or Leather Armor: they have no armor check penalty, therefore you can use them even without proficiency; they give you +1 or +2 AC at the cost of 5% or 10% spell failure, think if you want to take the chance

I have never played high levels, therefore I am not very expert in which spells become useless later; if I had to play my first Sorcerer, I wouldn't be so sure to last long and I'll pick spells that are most useful NOW, but that's not a suggestion to you.
It's good that you already have an idea to follow from the RP/flavor point of view, and your DM lets you have all cold versions of damaging spells. Choose just a couple of them at first level, like a targeted and an area spell, or maybe even one only for the moment, and take either Mage Armor or Shield (consider pros and cons).

Most important thing probably: before choosing spells known, consider which spells your party companions will cast, and don't learn them. We have a Sorcerer in our group, and at 1st level she chose Detect Magic, Light, Read Magic, Ray of Frost, Obscuring Mist and Mage Armor; except Ray of Frost and Mage Armor, the others were castable by the Cleric and the Druid, which had Scribe Scroll to make it even more useless for the Sorcerer to cast them ever.

 

[Spatzimaus]

I played a Sorcerer for a couple years before retroactively switching him to a Psion. Here's my advice:

Pick one non-combat utility spell at every level. Something the Wizard wouldn't bother wasting a slot on, but that can be useful on the spur of the moment. Comprehend Languages, Clairvoyance, that sort of thing. You don't want to just be the combat artillery.

Consider multiclassing to pick up a couple levels of a combat class (Rogue is a good choice). Having weapons isn't bad, and the extra skill points can go a long way, especially CHA-based skills (hint: Use Magic Device!!!) 3.5E Bard will also be a good choice once they up its skill points. Don't try wearing armor unless you go out of your way to pick non-Somatic spells.

Make sure you have at least one good offensive spell for each save, along with at least one good no-save spell (Magic Missile is okay for low levels, but make sure you have a Disintegrate or something higher up). A good mix of elements is smart, too; if your character is going to be forced to substitute cold into EVERY spell, you'll have a big problem. Taking non-elemental spells helps cover that gap, but most of those are Mind-Affecting.

Plan out your spell progression from the start. It may seem a bit anal now, but unless your DM lets you trade out spells known, you don't have a choice.

For Feats, get Still Spell and/or Silent Spell to deal with being Held or Silenced.

When in doubt, blow stuff up. I mean, it sounds obvious, but your biggest advantage is your spells/day. The Wizard and Cleric might have to pace themselves; you don't. Hear a noise? Nuke it. See a mouse? Nuke it. Group of Orcs? Nuke 'em.

Get a PrC. Really. There's no downside; a Sorcerer gains, at each level, the lowest skill points, lowest HD, lowest BAB, and lowest save increases of any class. The only redeeming factor is the spellcasting, so as long as you stick to "+1 spellcasting level" PrCs you're set.
Getting a PrC like Loremaster that gives more skill points and a larger skill list can make a big difference, even if the other abilities are minor.

 

[Darklone]

2. Constitution: if you have more than 2 good scores (Charisma and Dexterity before anything else), and a third with at least +2, you can save the Toughness feat if you put it in Constitution

I'd say, put your highest score in Cha and the second highest in Con. You may be worse at shooting your Xbow and yet worse with ranged touch spells, but you'll survive.

 

[Eldorian]

Make a list of attack, defence, and utility. Make sure that the attack spells list contains at least one from each type of save, for every 3 spell levels (ie, don't go more than 3 spell levels without having an attack spell based on each save). Make sure you have a good amount of both phsyical and magical defence spells, ghost form is great for this, 50% miss on both, also incorprabilty and flying utility. Make sure your utility are of wide scope, such as Shades and Shadow Conjuration. Eyebite is a good spell for sorcerers too. Make sure you get empower spell, it means you don't need a level 5 reflex spell, or a level 9, if you use fireball and delayed blast. It's useful in other ways too. Not taking sleep is a good idea, consider instead colorspray, it still stuns even at high levels. Take alter self, it's a great utility spell. Don't take polymorph self, take polymorph other and use it on yourself, but make sure your new form can cast spells, or have a friendly dispel around. Take dispel magic as your second 3rd level, fireball first (or iceblast, from Tome and blood). Level 6 is a great level if you get fireball. Get a mithral buckler as soon as you can afford one, and wearing light armor at low levels is not a bad idea either. Shield is a great spell. Disintegrate is a must have. Contigency is a good spell too. Consider the archmage PrC, or the elemental savant, as has been suggested. If you're the only arcane caster, take identify as your 4th or 5th 1st level spell, it will handle most magic items, and it's not worth a higher level slot for a better divination. Clairavoance/clairaudience is a good divination. Chain spell is a pretty nice metamagic too, turns a single target spell into a mass target spell, so you don't need to take the higher level versions. Really great on non offensive spells, like greater magic weapon and haste. Speaking of which, if you plan on aiding the party, take those two spells. With chain spell you can get mass haste and mass greater magic weapon with only one feat. Definately put Con as your second stat, HP are better than ac and ranged to hits. Try and avoid enchantments, you can get charm monster from eyebite. Illusions are a better way to go, some of them effect undead and constructs too. If you go archmage, I suggest spell focus evocation and illusion. Don't get utility spells that you expect any other caster in the party to have, or that you expect to get in the form of magic items.

Sorry if I rambled, I don't have my 20 level sorcerer plan handy. I'm going from memory on how I made it and what spells were in it. He was a pretty well made guy if you ask me tho.

Eldorian Antar

 

[Pax]

Your best bet is, ask the DM what level he expects the campaign to reach. Make a characetr of that level -- make that yoru GOAL.

Especially select all the spells you want to know at that point.

You could throw away everythign else, but keep that spell list!!! Use IT to pick your new spell(s) learned at each level.

Mind you, knowing your feats ahead of time is also a good idea. I tend to write out every feat I'll get through level 20 on my sheet. I then put in circles next to each one, to the left of the feat. When I get the feat, I fill the circle in -- keeps me reminded of my goals THERE, too. But that trick holds true for ANY class, not just Sorcerors.

For sorcerors, the spells are the single most important factor. Screw up on that angle, and you stand to cut the legs out form under yourself -- and not just in terms of min/max power, either, but in terms of general FUN.

...

Strongly consider the Spell Thematics feat, if the otehr casters in your group don't have it. That'll help set your magicks apart from everyone else's. 8)

 

[doktorstick]

Strongly consider the Spell Thematics feat, if the otehr casters in your group don't have it. That'll help set your magicks apart from everyone else's. 8)

After reading the errata on it, I'm grabbing it at L3.

Thanks for all the advice.

/ds

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Consider multiclassing to pick up a couple levels of a combat class (Rogue is a good choice). Having weapons isn't bad, and the extra skill points can go a long way, especially CHA-based skills (hint: Use Magic Device!!!) 3.5E Bard will also be a good choice once they up its skill points. Don't try wearing armor unless you go out of your way to pick non-Somatic spells.

IMHO this is bad advice.

A level or two of any combat class isn't going to make a big enough difference with your BAB, saves, or special abilities to be worth getting spell levels at higher levels.

If you take 2 levels of rogue, you are going to get a few more skills that you aren't going to be able to put many skill points into. You also get some weapon proficiencies, but you won't have enough HP or the AC necisary to be in melee combat. Just taking a weapon prof feat would be better if you really want to fight. Or be an elf, they get prof with bows and longswords.

Think about it. At 7th level, a sorc has 3rd level spells. A Sorc 5/Rogue 2 gets 2nd level spells. A wizard will have 4th level spells. That's a huge difference so that you can get 1d6 sneak attack damage sometimes and a few skill points.

--Sorcerous Spikey

 

[krunchyfrogg]

Spikey is right.

Don't multiclass; you're already behind the wizard in spell levels.

Also, the UMD advice is silly, IMHO. You already have access to any arcane magic item...

 

[Eldorian]

Multiclassing into anything other than a good PrC or a class that allows you to meet the reqs of a good PrC is suicide for a sorcerer. If you pick a PrC without full spell advancement, you'll definatly have to redesign your spell list. If you're more than 2-3 levels behind the party in caster level, expect to have many of your spells resisted by saves and SR. If you decide to multiclass to rogue, definatly go into arcane trickster. Otherwise, avoid multiclassing.

Eldorian Antar

 

[Ciaran]

I am going to play a human that has an ice elemental (or white dragon) in his bloodline. He'll get the cold subtype. Secondly, element spells will be converted to [cold] as per the Energy Substitution feat.

/ds

Instead of Energy Substitution, you should try and convince your DM to let you create cold-based versions of your elemental spells from the get-go. After all, when a sorcerer's spells are supposed to come forth from his inner nature, it doesn't make sense that a half-ice elemental would gain the ability to cast fireball, and would have to learn to turn that into a cold attack through study and training.

So see if you can get icy grasp instead of shocking grasp, frosty sphere instead of flaming sphere, coldball instead of fireball, and so on. You'll save a feat and avoid a good bit of cognitive dissonance, and your DM will be happy that you won't be able to toss a real fireball at his pet fire-vulnerable monster... unless you pick up Energy Substitution to make your spells not cause cold damage.

- Eric