Dragonblood Sorcerer racial sub

[BooNL]

I was browsing racial subsitution levels just now and came across the Dragonblood Sorcerer (RotD p107). Now, the levels don't really look useful - I'd rather give up my familiar to get standard action metamagic and the 7th level looks very meh, yay for useless bonus lvl 2 spell - but the 4th level caught my eye.

Basically you give up a spell known from any level the sorcerer can cast, bar the highest level. It also loses a spell per day from that level and the next highest level. The spell lost cannot have material cost, xp cost or require a focus.
In return you can cast that spell as an SLA 3/day.

Now, giving up 2 slots to cast 3 spells of a level lower than your highest doesn't sound overly impressive, but I was wondering what kind of fun stuff could be had with this.
The spell would also have to be one you cast more than 1/day, but not more than 3/day.

Any ideas?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Mirror Image, or glitterdust might be useful, you never know when they will be useful, but since you are a sorcerer already....

[Kosjsjach]

Here's what I think.

You can't make your SLA from a spell with a costly material component, XP cost, or required focus, and you lose a higher-level spell slot (in addition to a slot for the original spell), so I really don't see the usefulness of this ability. It's basically a Silent Stilled spell of your choice 3 times a day, but I think the cost is too high.

My understanding was that the Dragonblood Sorcerer was only useful for the first level free Draconic Heritage feat to help you enter the Dragonheart Mage PrC, but even then, there are better ACFs to trade for your familiar.

Again, this is just my opinion.

EDIT: The Bonus Spells Known from 7th level are pretty good, but practically everything I've ever read on boards concerning Sorcerers advised to PrC out as soon as possible. I don't know if this makes it worth it to hang around.

[BooNL]

My point exactly. For a wizard, this would be a pretty cool sub. But for a sorcerer... you can already spontaneously cast anything you want.

Basically, this sub is only good if you have a spell you know you will cast 3/day and is generally considered more powerful than a higher level spell.

So I turn to this board, does anyone know of such a spell?

[Zaq]

Frankly? No. Sorcerers nominally have two "benefits" over wizards: more spells per day, and spontaneous casting, so you have what you need when you need it. This is ignoring one of those two benefits in favor of the other... you get even more spells per day, but you're less spontaneous, because you've basically "prepared" your SLA in advance.

There's no shortage of spells that are good enough to use every day, but you really don't need to be taking a hit to your other spells in order to use them. You're a sorcerer. If you don't have enough spells per day, play a Warlock, because that's all that will make you happy.

[PhoenixRivers]

With the <Metamagic> SLA, you'd get 3 applications of a Metamagic for free.

So, for example, if you went with Enervation:

Maximize SLA: Enervation
Empower SLA: Enervation

Now, you've given a 5th level spell... But you get 3 Maximized Empowered Enervation's per day.

[BooNL]

With the <Metamagic> SLA, you'd get 3 applications of a Metamagic for free.

So, for example, if you went with Enervation:

Maximize SLA: Enervation
Empower SLA: Enervation

Now, you've given a 5th level spell... But you get 3 Maximized Empowered Enervation's per day.

That is not a bad idea. Though a very focused tactic if you're wasting two feats on metamagic SLA's only to use on one spell.

Sadly, I think that might be the only option. Too bad, as I quite like the racial sub, I just can't find a way to make it work.

[Gpope]

If you've got Versatile Spellcaster, you're essentially breaking even: you're trading an X-level slot and an X+1 level slot (the equivalent of 2 X-level slots) for a 3/day X-level spell. You lose some flexibility and get the perks of having it as an SLA, but your total output is about the same.