What makes a good sorcerer?

[UngeheuerLich]

its not chaos, its wild...

and halflings are known for their luck...

so it seems quite sensible for them to gamble with their magic...

 

[Wycen]

Any suggestions on good feats? I know the PHB2 will probably have some, but lacking that for the time being, any suggestions?

 

[Nytmare]

Of course you could spin it as incompetent wizarding, like Short-Round from Goonees.

Short Round - Temple of Doom

Data - Goonies

You make me ashamed to admit I'm from Jersey.

Spoiler

I am also ashamed to admit that I know that Data's real name is Dick Wang.

 

[keterys]

For feats... multiclass is always good (my wild mage halfling wanted to pick up Acrobatics and Thievery), weapon focus staff or dagger, reaper's touch (acid orb and dragonfrost usable as melee basic attacks)... the sorcerous dagger feat where they can do their ranged spells through a dagger as melee 1 spells.

 

[Wycen]

I went with a halfling chaos sorcerer, Chromatic orb and chaos bolt.

The first utility powers don't impress me but maybe the later will.

I'm wondering what my second daily should be. I have no area effect attacks, right now, but in the future that would probably be useful, our party doesn't have a wizard. I love massive damage, 6d6 for dazzling ray!, but if I try to be a "team player" (bleh!) then an area affect would be useful.

 

[Mort_Q]

... but if I try to be a "team player" (bleh!) then an area affect would be useful.

I don't see the connection between the two.

You're a Striker, not a Controller, regardless of whether or not you're a "team player."

 

[Victim]

The sorcerer extra damage feature can add to several targets, unlike other striker bonus damage features. So areas or multi-hit powers can multiply the bonus. So usually, I prefer those sorts of powers on the sorcerer, especially since the damage difference usually isn't that big.

But Dazzling Ray provides so much extra damage that I like regardless.

 

[zlac]

Why do you all like dazzling ray so much?
Assume you have 18 cha and 16 secondary damage ability (yes, I know you have 18&18 or 19&18, but that does not help dazzling ray on this one!)
If you hit with dazzling ray, you deal 6d6+7, that's 28 damage on average, and only half if you miss...
If you take Dragonfang Bolt instead, you can target two creatures, you do 2d8+7 damage to each, that sums up to 32 damage on average and on hit you deal 5 ongoing damage (so if you hit it's 42 damage actually). And you deal full damage on miss!!!
For each damage point you get from weapon and increased ability scores you actually get two!

 

[Victim]

Why do you all like dazzling ray so much?
Assume you have 18 cha and 16 secondary damage ability (yes, I know you have 18&18 or 19&18, but that does not help dazzling ray on this one!)
If you hit with dazzling ray, you deal 6d6+7, that's 28 damage on average, and only half if you miss...
If you take Dragonfang Bolt instead, you can target two creatures, you do 2d8+7 damage to each, that sums up to 32 damage on average and on hit you deal 5 ongoing damage (so if you hit it's 42 damage actually). And you deal full damage on miss!!!
For each damage point you get from weapon and increased ability scores you actually get two!

Because there are a lot of monsters that are flat out immune to poison, even at low levels.

 

[zlac]

Yeah, you have a point, poison damage sucks for undead, constructs and most elemental monsters, but not many others.
But then again, all you have to do is don't target them. It's not a tough job as you can easily spot that something is undead, construct or elemental, there are plenty of other monsters to fight.
The power is daily so if you can't use it in this encounter, you can use it in next one.
Only major problem could be if the campaign revolves around fighting loads of undead, then it sucks (not my campaign, atleast not yet, lol)!
Oh well, you can always retrain it for radiant dazzling ray it if you're in the 10 level undead dungeon, lol!
I'm lvl4 and my (now it's dex 19, cha 19) drow wild sorceress "couldn't" use Dragonfangs in two encounters only, and I still used it in another encounter before resting. Nothing was wasted so it's not bad at all, and the damage output is huge (even if you couldn't use it once every 3 "days", it would still do more damage than dazzling ray)!
But anyways, what i liked the most with my sorceres was to damage one monster and kill 4 minions with just one chaos orb. Minions will defense sucks, and the dice was crazy on even numbers!