Author Topic: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)  (Read 9773 times)

Offline Libertad

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8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« on: February 01, 2013, 01:17:49 AM »

« on: February 22, 2010, 05:28:30 PM »



This mini-guide isn't meant to tell you which are the best sorcerer spells or how to play or build your sorcerer. Rather this guide is simply meant to create a thought process for picking out sorcerer spells and to help maximize your sorcerer's effectiveness.
[/size]« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 05:59:11 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]

Offline Libertad

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Re: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2013, 01:18:05 AM »

« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2010, 05:29:04 PM »





#1 Cover Your Bases: A good sorcerer is able to do many things: buff, debuff, battlefield control, blast, save-or-suck, and utility. You’ll also want to be able to target all 3 saving throws. In fact you’re pretty much a mini-god. You won’t be able to pull it off at low levels but generally speaking by mid-levels you should have most of your bases covered and at high levels you should have almost all of them covered. Multifunctional spells like summon monster, glitterdust, shadow evocation and conjuration, and polymorph add to your flexibility. However you don’t have to do everything, especially if you have party members who can do some of these things, leaving you to be able to focus more in certain areas.

#2 Avoid Being Redundant:  You don’t need several different spells that basically do the same thing: you don’t need 5 different blast spells or 4 different spells that target the will save. Some examples of spells that basically do the same thing are mage armor-shield, most blast spells, most enchantments, and spells that grant the same types of bonuses.
[/size]« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 06:02:21 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]

Offline Libertad

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Re: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2013, 01:18:27 AM »

« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2010, 05:29:54 PM »





#3 Action Economy is King: You really want to be able to have swift, immediate, and free actions and more. More actions in a round = more win. Spells like nervesketter and greater mirror image help achieve this while spells like time stop and arcane fusion break the game. Certain PrCs like Abjurant Champion and feats like arcane preparation and quicken spell can also get you swift spells.

#4 Metamagic breathes new life into old spells: Something simple like heighten spell, split ray, or empower spell can make low level spells like charm person, glitterdust, and scorching ray viable at medium or even high levels. Think twice before replacing these spells and/or upgrading to another spell.

#5 Pick spells you intend on spamming: Quite frankly you don’t know enough spells to pick uber-specialized spells. Also you don’t want spells with expensive material and/or experience point costs. To be blunt if it’s a spell that you don’t see yourself casting multiple times a day then you probably shouldn’t pick it, you aren’t a wizard so don’t pretend to be one (unless you’re using your bluff skill). For example I love greater magic weapon but it’s simply not a spell generally you’ll be casting a lot, you’re better off letting the wizard or cleric cast it.

#6 Avoid spells that are just as good on scroll or wand:   Mount might be a nifty spell but it’s just as good on a wand so you shouldn’t waste a precious spell known slot on it. Again you’re not a wizard so don’t try to be one
[/size]« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 06:10:37 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]

Offline Libertad

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Re: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2013, 01:18:47 AM »

« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2010, 05:30:32 PM »




#7 Work within your party when picking your spells:  If your skillmonkey is a beguiler then you probably won’t need glitterdust, haste, dispel magic, and most illusions and enchantments. If your Big Stupid Fighter is a druid or cleric then you shouldn’t need a whole lot in buffs since they can buff themselves so you can focus on other areas. The point is that you shouldn’t be overlapping areas that other party members can cover, you simply don’t know enough spells to do this. Conversely if your party is really lacking something then it’s something you should try and cover. For example if your party has a beguiler, warmage, fighter, and barbarian in it then you’ll want to go heavier on the buffs and battlefield control spells.

#8 Don’t forget to pick up some of the really good spells: Don’t ignore the really good spells when you’re following the other rules. Good spells are good spells for a reason.
[/size]« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 06:14:41 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]

Offline Libertad

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Re: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2013, 01:19:08 AM »

« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2010, 05:31:38 PM »





Sample Build #1

Silverbrow human paladin2/sorcerer4/spellsword1/abjurantchampion3 heading towards finishing off his AC levels and sacred exorcist.
Feats: power attack, combat casting, knowledge devotion (makes it easier to qualify for SE and gives a combat boost), practiced spellcaster, arcane strike
The rest of the party: Cleric, focused conjurer, beguiler

Spells known:
1: shield, protection from evil, enlarge person, nervesketter, ray of enfeeblement
2: wraithstrike, alter self, wings of cover
3: ray of exhaustion, vampric touch
4: wings of flurry

Comments: Since the rest of the party can pretty much cover everything this frees up this sorcerer to focus on self-buffs/defense, swift and immediate spells (5 spells can be cast as swift or immediate actions), a couple of debuffs, and wings of flurry caps it with decent damage (11d6) and a daze effect to anything in a 30’ radius, good since this gish will likely be in the thick of combat.
[/size]« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 06:20:26 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]

Offline Libertad

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Re: 8 Simple Rules For Selecting Sorcerer Spells (ninjarabbit)
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2013, 01:19:26 AM »

« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2010, 05:33:10 PM »





Sample build #2

Human sorcerer5/mindbender1/mageofthearcaneorder4
The rest of the party: druid, factotum, duskblade
Feats: arcane preparation, heighten spell, co-operative spell, mindsight, split ray (from MotAO,) fiery burst   

Spells Known:
1: silent image, grease, charm person, nervesketter,  beign transposation
2: glitterdust, ray of stupidity, scorching ray, invisibility
3: haste, dispel magic, stinking cloud
4: greater mirror image, polymorph or Evard's Black Tentacles if polymorph isn’t allowed
5: summon monster V

Comments: This time the sorcerer has to do the bulk of the arcane casting. Because of this he’s using more multi-functional spells like grease and summon monster V and the spell list is less focused in any one specific area. Spellpool covers out-of-combat utility casting and long term buffs. A split rayed scorching ray does 24d6 damage thanks to fiery burst bumping the CL of it by 1. Heightened scorching ray allows fiery burst to do 5d6 damage.

[/size]« Last Edit: February 26, 2010, 06:13:28 PM by ninjarabbit »[/t][/color]