Eeezee
2009-02-01, 04:37 AM
I'm trying to optimize the sorcerer's spell list for levels 1-9. The rules: Pick your favorite arcane spells as follows
Level 1 - 5 spells
Level 2 - 5 spells
Level 3 - 4 spells
Level 4 - 4 spells
Level 5 - 4 spells
Level 6 - 3 spells
Level 7 - 3 spells
Level 8 - 3 spells
Level 9 - 3 spells
Try to stick to the SRD, and NO CHEESE! I'm not bothering to pick Polymorph because no reasonable DM allows you to use it to effectively. Similarly, I skipped Alter Self. Notable spells from other books should be noted separately. Give some justification if you feel it's necessary. For instance, if you have some clever use for Tiny Hut and want it on your list let us know why.
My contribution:
Level 1 -
Mage Armor - because I can cast it once and it lasts all day, Shield is better on a wand. Also, I'm not counting on my DM giving me some sweet armor
Grease - Great spell, forces a Reflex save and balance checks
Ray of Enfeeblement - Woot for ray damage
Charm Person - For flavor and roleplaying purposes
Feather Fall - Because a wand of feather fall requires you to draw it. Again, my DM is too down to Earth to give me a wand bracer. I'd pick Magic Missile, but a lvl 9 Magic Missile wand isn't that expensive
If going outside of the SRD, definitely Nerveskitter instead of Feather Fall
Level 2 -
Glitterdust - because blinded creatures are as good as dead, plus invisibility detection
Web - An uber battlefield control spell, although the two anchoring points is a bad limitation
Scorching Ray - I'd like a low level way to set things on fire. And 12d6 is nothing to sneeze at
Invisibility - Great utility and even works as a defensive buff. Also, when you're invisible you get a +2 on your attacks and you ignore opponents' Dex bonus. Great for popping someone with a ray
Mirror Image - making hitting me extra unfair
Level 3 -
Haste - Great group buff, helps rays, helps AC and reflex saves, run faster, and melee allies love that extra attack from full round attacks
Dispel Magic - is awesome
Phantom Steed - Better than Fly for a lot of reasons once you reach a certain level. Also, this is a good reason to have Feather Fall.
Stinking Cloud - Nauseated creatures are useless
Ray of Exhaustion - Make opponents suck even if they save
Slow gets an honorable mention, but Stinking Cloud is just as good, sometimes better.
Level 4
Dimension Door - Did you just grapple me? No
Solid Fog - One of the best battlefield control spells ever, since it has no save
Enervation - Negative levels are simply awesome
Black Tentacles - GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! And the tentacles are INVINCIBLE. And even if they manage to beat the grapple check, they still move at half speed and might even get grappled again. Imagine a Stinking Cloud and a Solid Fog hovering over this. Ooooh yeaaaah
Honorable mentions:
Shadow Conjuration - If you're not choosing too many level 1-3 conjuration spells, this one's okay. For instance, a Shadow Phantom Speed only has 20% of its health (all summoned shadow creatures have 20% health, although they can do 100% damage against believers). Shadow Stinking Cloud gives a Will save, at which point it's only 20% as likely to work. This is only useful if you want access to Summon Monster I, II, and III and only if you're using the monsters to spring traps or scare townsfolk.
Invisibility, Greater - Lacks the utility of Invisibility due to its rounds/level duration instead of min/level, making it just a defensive buff. But at this point there might be people who can see through invisibility anyway.
Level 5
Cloudkill - Con damage even on save! And it kills minions immediately. Pretty nifty
Teleport - In a story-heavy campaign, this is very nice to have
Wall of Stone - I prefer this over Wall of Force because it's permanent and you can shape it however you want, although it can be destroyed and is smaller. And you can't see through stone. I really like utility spells that also serve as battlefield control.
Shadow Evocation - This one I think is actually worth it, because there are some good evocation spells that I miss but are still effective even at 20%. Also, the save DCs for the spells are set to Shadow Evocation (5th) rather than the spell's (4th or lower)
Shout, since Sonic damage is so unique and deafens creatures
Resilient Sphere, for protecting yourself or trapping others
Fireball, a trademark
I'd suggest Wind Wall, but objects automatically make their save :(
Tenser's Floating Disk, which actually does have lots of out of combat uses
Shatter, which is guaranteed to be 20% effective but hopefully that doesn't matter at this level
Honorable mentions: Wall of Force, 1 round/level but it is invincible, except against certain spells. Short duration and must be one, flat plane, meaning it can't be shaped in fun ways like Wall of Stone. This is unfortunate
Level 6
Disintegrate - Unfair amounts of damage and neat utility! And technically a ray, so Split Ray means double damage! Potentially that's 80d6 in an 8th level spell slot, 10d6 if they make both saves (5d6 per ray on save)
Dispel Magic, Greater - Maximum caster level bonus increases to +20 and it can remove curses, even curses that Dispel Magic can't remove
Contingency - Works best if if your DM lets you couple it with a scrolled spells. Nothing in the wording seems to indicate that this is a problem. Otherwise, this is still very useful
Honorable mentions:
True Seeing - Highly useful, too expensive
Geas/Quest - Just to be a jerk
Antimagic field - For emergencies, only if you have a non-casters in your party and you're facing a lot of magic users
Acid Fog - Only jerks use this. It's pitiful damage, but it's still mean
Freezing Sphere - Blaster spell that does cold damage but also has utility
Unfortunately, we're down to 3 choices by this point, and none of the above are that useful
Level 7
Limited Wish - Why any sorcerer would NOT pick up this I'll never know
Forcecage - 2hrs/level (sweet), no saving throw (SWEET), invulnerable cage (except to certain spells, as normal for force effects).
Project Image - A shadow image of yourself that acts as you command it and can serve as an origin point for any spell you cast so long as you maintain line of sight. Just cast invisibility. Okay, sometimes that won't work, but this is still great if the enemy doesn't know where you are.
Honorable mentions:
Waves of Exhaustion - No save, just suck, although spell resistance applies
Prismatic Spray - YES! Huge cone range, blinds low HD creatures, and possibility of more than one effect. 3/8 that they take minor damage, 4/8 that they take a Save or Die, 1/8 that they take TWO rays with any of those effects
Shadow Conjuration, Greater - NOW we're talking. Up to 6th level and 60% real, this becomes a great spell! Summoned Monster VI is pretty slick, especially since you can cast it and it won't break Invisibility. And if you really want, you can cast Greater Shadow Wall of Stone and learn Wall of Force instead
Reverse Gravity - So long as the creature can't fly or levitate, it's out of the battle for 1 round/level. Since they oscillate at the top of the "fall" this forces concentration checks on casters and makes it harder for archers to shoot you. Even if they make the Reflex save they're still rooted in place.
Level 8
Irresistable Dance - No Save, just lose upon touch
Maze - No Save, just lose but with range! Intelligence breaks it though, so don't use on wizards
Shadow Evocation, Greater - Now you can cast sweet spells like Prismatic Spray and Wall of Force
Honorable Mention:
Moment of Prescience - This might save your life, and it lasts all day. I like that kind of buff
Level 9
Shades - Shadow Conjuration up to 8th level and 80% real. Suddenly you can cast a lot more spells
Time Stop - Infinite power.
Prismatic Sphere - as the wall but a sphere... but better, since you can walk through it.
Honorable Mention:
Energy Drain - 2d4 negative levels, no save
Wish - XP cost is just too high, but I could be talked into swapping this with Prismatic Sphere
Level 1 - 5 spells
Level 2 - 5 spells
Level 3 - 4 spells
Level 4 - 4 spells
Level 5 - 4 spells
Level 6 - 3 spells
Level 7 - 3 spells
Level 8 - 3 spells
Level 9 - 3 spells
Try to stick to the SRD, and NO CHEESE! I'm not bothering to pick Polymorph because no reasonable DM allows you to use it to effectively. Similarly, I skipped Alter Self. Notable spells from other books should be noted separately. Give some justification if you feel it's necessary. For instance, if you have some clever use for Tiny Hut and want it on your list let us know why.
My contribution:
Level 1 -
Mage Armor - because I can cast it once and it lasts all day, Shield is better on a wand. Also, I'm not counting on my DM giving me some sweet armor
Grease - Great spell, forces a Reflex save and balance checks
Ray of Enfeeblement - Woot for ray damage
Charm Person - For flavor and roleplaying purposes
Feather Fall - Because a wand of feather fall requires you to draw it. Again, my DM is too down to Earth to give me a wand bracer. I'd pick Magic Missile, but a lvl 9 Magic Missile wand isn't that expensive
If going outside of the SRD, definitely Nerveskitter instead of Feather Fall
Level 2 -
Glitterdust - because blinded creatures are as good as dead, plus invisibility detection
Web - An uber battlefield control spell, although the two anchoring points is a bad limitation
Scorching Ray - I'd like a low level way to set things on fire. And 12d6 is nothing to sneeze at
Invisibility - Great utility and even works as a defensive buff. Also, when you're invisible you get a +2 on your attacks and you ignore opponents' Dex bonus. Great for popping someone with a ray
Mirror Image - making hitting me extra unfair
Level 3 -
Haste - Great group buff, helps rays, helps AC and reflex saves, run faster, and melee allies love that extra attack from full round attacks
Dispel Magic - is awesome
Phantom Steed - Better than Fly for a lot of reasons once you reach a certain level. Also, this is a good reason to have Feather Fall.
Stinking Cloud - Nauseated creatures are useless
Ray of Exhaustion - Make opponents suck even if they save
Slow gets an honorable mention, but Stinking Cloud is just as good, sometimes better.
Level 4
Dimension Door - Did you just grapple me? No
Solid Fog - One of the best battlefield control spells ever, since it has no save
Enervation - Negative levels are simply awesome
Black Tentacles - GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! And the tentacles are INVINCIBLE. And even if they manage to beat the grapple check, they still move at half speed and might even get grappled again. Imagine a Stinking Cloud and a Solid Fog hovering over this. Ooooh yeaaaah
Honorable mentions:
Shadow Conjuration - If you're not choosing too many level 1-3 conjuration spells, this one's okay. For instance, a Shadow Phantom Speed only has 20% of its health (all summoned shadow creatures have 20% health, although they can do 100% damage against believers). Shadow Stinking Cloud gives a Will save, at which point it's only 20% as likely to work. This is only useful if you want access to Summon Monster I, II, and III and only if you're using the monsters to spring traps or scare townsfolk.
Invisibility, Greater - Lacks the utility of Invisibility due to its rounds/level duration instead of min/level, making it just a defensive buff. But at this point there might be people who can see through invisibility anyway.
Level 5
Cloudkill - Con damage even on save! And it kills minions immediately. Pretty nifty
Teleport - In a story-heavy campaign, this is very nice to have
Wall of Stone - I prefer this over Wall of Force because it's permanent and you can shape it however you want, although it can be destroyed and is smaller. And you can't see through stone. I really like utility spells that also serve as battlefield control.
Shadow Evocation - This one I think is actually worth it, because there are some good evocation spells that I miss but are still effective even at 20%. Also, the save DCs for the spells are set to Shadow Evocation (5th) rather than the spell's (4th or lower)
Shout, since Sonic damage is so unique and deafens creatures
Resilient Sphere, for protecting yourself or trapping others
Fireball, a trademark
I'd suggest Wind Wall, but objects automatically make their save :(
Tenser's Floating Disk, which actually does have lots of out of combat uses
Shatter, which is guaranteed to be 20% effective but hopefully that doesn't matter at this level
Honorable mentions: Wall of Force, 1 round/level but it is invincible, except against certain spells. Short duration and must be one, flat plane, meaning it can't be shaped in fun ways like Wall of Stone. This is unfortunate
Level 6
Disintegrate - Unfair amounts of damage and neat utility! And technically a ray, so Split Ray means double damage! Potentially that's 80d6 in an 8th level spell slot, 10d6 if they make both saves (5d6 per ray on save)
Dispel Magic, Greater - Maximum caster level bonus increases to +20 and it can remove curses, even curses that Dispel Magic can't remove
Contingency - Works best if if your DM lets you couple it with a scrolled spells. Nothing in the wording seems to indicate that this is a problem. Otherwise, this is still very useful
Honorable mentions:
True Seeing - Highly useful, too expensive
Geas/Quest - Just to be a jerk
Antimagic field - For emergencies, only if you have a non-casters in your party and you're facing a lot of magic users
Acid Fog - Only jerks use this. It's pitiful damage, but it's still mean
Freezing Sphere - Blaster spell that does cold damage but also has utility
Unfortunately, we're down to 3 choices by this point, and none of the above are that useful
Level 7
Limited Wish - Why any sorcerer would NOT pick up this I'll never know
Forcecage - 2hrs/level (sweet), no saving throw (SWEET), invulnerable cage (except to certain spells, as normal for force effects).
Project Image - A shadow image of yourself that acts as you command it and can serve as an origin point for any spell you cast so long as you maintain line of sight. Just cast invisibility. Okay, sometimes that won't work, but this is still great if the enemy doesn't know where you are.
Honorable mentions:
Waves of Exhaustion - No save, just suck, although spell resistance applies
Prismatic Spray - YES! Huge cone range, blinds low HD creatures, and possibility of more than one effect. 3/8 that they take minor damage, 4/8 that they take a Save or Die, 1/8 that they take TWO rays with any of those effects
Shadow Conjuration, Greater - NOW we're talking. Up to 6th level and 60% real, this becomes a great spell! Summoned Monster VI is pretty slick, especially since you can cast it and it won't break Invisibility. And if you really want, you can cast Greater Shadow Wall of Stone and learn Wall of Force instead
Reverse Gravity - So long as the creature can't fly or levitate, it's out of the battle for 1 round/level. Since they oscillate at the top of the "fall" this forces concentration checks on casters and makes it harder for archers to shoot you. Even if they make the Reflex save they're still rooted in place.
Level 8
Irresistable Dance - No Save, just lose upon touch
Maze - No Save, just lose but with range! Intelligence breaks it though, so don't use on wizards
Shadow Evocation, Greater - Now you can cast sweet spells like Prismatic Spray and Wall of Force
Honorable Mention:
Moment of Prescience - This might save your life, and it lasts all day. I like that kind of buff
Level 9
Shades - Shadow Conjuration up to 8th level and 80% real. Suddenly you can cast a lot more spells
Time Stop - Infinite power.
Prismatic Sphere - as the wall but a sphere... but better, since you can walk through it.
Honorable Mention:
Energy Drain - 2d4 negative levels, no save
Wish - XP cost is just too high, but I could be talked into swapping this with Prismatic Sphere