3.5 sorcerer prestige class help

[draconicgodking]

hey there, as the title would suggest I'm looking for a prestige class in 3.5 to boost my sorcerer to the next level of firepower, but I'm having trouble finding the right class to make my guy the ultimate blaster so I'm hoping the good people of giant can help. being a sorcerer i'm looking for full caster progression where posible, anything that would raise saving throws for spells like fireball, or give me a caster level boost to overcome SR. thanks in advance for your help.

[Te'Shen]

Well... ultimate blaster is a bit of an oxymoron... and some of these may not really be suitable, but here goes.

Direct damage suffers a bit compared to other things... grab conjuration equivalents over evocation because usually conjuration doesn't allow spell resistance...

A level in binder with the improved binding feat (with Naberius) + Tainted sorcerer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/taint.htm#taintedSorcerer) + anima mage allows for sacrificing constitution and getting it right back to power metamagic and/or hellfire mage (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061207a&page=3) to give a boost to evocations. Or incantrix which allows you to eventually metamagic spells with a spellcraft check... it's not the transformer of prestige classes for nothing.

If you are specializing in cold damage, frost mage from Frostburn is co... nifty. 4 levels of fatespinner is ok at playing with DCs a little, while mage of the arcane order doesn't directly help blasting, but does add a lot of versatility...

Elemental mage is a trap. Avoid it.

Really... anything that crams on more damage and/or debuffs will work and stay away from caster level loss and you're good. If you have a favored spell, consider the arcane thesis feat...

[Cog]

Well... ultimate blaster is a bit of an oxymoron...
Hardly. It may have some downsides versus other kinds of casting, but it's still full casting and so can do some very brutal things. The Mailman (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer) is the classic example of how to pull it off.

[Te'Shen]

Hardly. It may have some downsides versus other kinds of casting, but it's still full casting and so can do some very brutal things. The Mailman (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer) is the classic example of how to pull it off.
Oh... gee... and it uses the incantrix to do so... and uses a conjuration spell as the damage base/one of the suggested opening spells. Go figure. @_@

I was just pointing out that direct damage has more to contend with than other casting choices, and you validated my statements with the build you suggested, including the fact that a good chunk of the advice focuses on pumping up metamagic, screwing the action economy, and finding ways to ignore various resistances... which is, hmmm, the problem with direct damage in the first place.

[CyMage]

Oh... gee... and it uses the incantrix to do so... and uses a conjuration spell as the damage base/one of the suggested opening spells. Go figure. @_@

You seem to equate someone saying 'blasting' with 'Evocation user'... And while the OP has used 'Fireball' as an example that is still only one spell out of many that could be used. As pointed out, even if you focus on blasting, you're still a full caster who can use other tricks.

[Te'Shen]

You seem to equate someone saying 'blasting' with 'Evocation user'... And while the OP has used 'Fireball' as an example that is still only one spell out of many that could be used. As pointed out, even if you focus on blasting, you're still a full caster who can use other tricks.
Sorry. I equate direct damage from spells with evoking the elements because in 2nd ed. where I started (and honestly can barely remember at this point) most direct damage was evocation. It's only with the creation of more and more splats in 3+ that you have more direct damage that Isn't evocation.

And to repeat... again... direct damage just isn't as efficient as other avenues of magic. I didn't say it was horrible, but I did say ultimate blaster is an oxymoron, because it is a contradiction in terms because blasting isn't ultimate/uber in D&D.

And to agree with you, yes, you are a full caster using Other Tricks to make direct damage worthwhile. . . .

[AdalKar]

I don't know if it will be of much help, but I think the spell Wings of Flurry (Races of the Dragon, p.119) is a very good blasting spell (being uncapped and force damage).
Just use some things found here (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872350/Raising_Caster_Level) and BAM, you will be doing lots of damage :smallwink:

[Leon]

or give me a caster level boost to overcome SR. thanks in advance for your help.

Acid Damage spells are you friend - most ignore SR

[sitandbehitski]

If you can get the book allowed, the War Mage from the Dragonlance book Age of Mortals is a great blaster prestige class, you can qualify at level 6 (having to take some worthless feats but it makes up for it) and grants you +3 damage for each dice of damage you do with a spell, grants full caster progression, two bonus metamagic feats, arcane aegis (an AC buff to you and/or allies equal to your casting stat bonus), and lowered arcane spell failure chance while casting in armor.

[Talya]

If you really want to use area spells like Fireball (and it's not a bad idea to have a fireball in your arsenal, they're just not great to rely on exclusively), boost your DCs as high as possible. Don't use spell focus, it's too specific. This seems like a nobrainer, but as a blaster, it's more important than ever to boost your primary casting stat, as well as keeping dexterity moderately high for those ranged touch spells. If you can get access to inherent bonuses easily, get them. If you can't, a PrC like Heartwarder is suddenly worthwhile. (although you end up also being an enchanter...which isn't terrible, so long as your DM isn't obsessed with giving everything important immunity to mind affecting spells.)

[Greenish]

ultimate blaster is an oxymoron, because it is a contradiction in terms because blasting isn't ultimate/uber in D&D.No, it's not an oxymoron. "Ultimate" is an adjective, and modifies a noun, in this case "blaster". You can have blasters of varying efficiency, and the best one can well be called "ultimate blaster".

An "ultimate blaster" may not be an "ultimate caster", but since you're only comparing it to other blasters, that's irrelevant.

[Talya]

No, it's not an oxymoron. "Ultimate" is an adjective, and modifies a noun, in this case "blaster". You can have blasters of varying efficiency, and the best one can well be called "ultimate blaster".

An "ultimate blaster" may not be an "ultimate caster", but since you're only comparing it to other blasters, that's irrelevant.

Indeed.

And let's face it, even an evocation specialist blaster wizard or worse yet, a warmage, is still a full spellcaster that is probably going to outshine ...oh, let's say... an "Ultimate Monk" build. :smallamused:

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

The mailman is fun, but it's also overdone. For a cheese less traveled, try Sorcerer + Wings of Flurry + Spellwarp Sniper. Uncapped cl d6 damage and automatic daze on a ranged touch attack. Split ray and twin for shenanigans at higher levels. Grab Assay Spell Resistance and True Casting if you're having SR problems.