Help me build my sorcerer

[Glass Mouse]

Hi guys!

I'm looking forward to playing a D&D 3.5 dungeoncrawl after having been off the game for years. I never was much of an optimizer, but I'm gonna be playing with a bunch of them, so I'd like to pull my weight.

We're starting at 4th level, I'm playing a sorcerer, and I want to specialize in illusions (or, secondarily, enchantments). I'm not restricted to core, but I have to ask permission for anything outside it.

My current sketch is:
Gnome sorcerer who is a little mad: caught in a child-like state (I want to ask the GM to make my familiar a doll) and with a very loose grip on reality. This ties thematically into the "illusionist" part and makes her a great liar. She's under the care of another team member.

Abilities (point-buy 32):
Str 9 (-2)
Dex 12
Con 14 (+2)
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 17 (+1 from 4th level)

Familiar: Snake (+3 to Bluff)

Skills (maxed): Bluff, Concentration, Spellcraft
Skills: Craft (textile) 3*, Survival 2*

Feats: Spell Focus (illusion), Greater Spell Focus (illusion)

*Story reasons.

But like I said, I'm no big optimizer. Any pointers or good advice for a solid, dungeoncrawling sorcerer?

[Juntao112]

Unseen Servant.

[FleshrakerAbuse]

At low levels, color spray for illusionists will be your friend. Alas, you shall soon outgrow it...
Kay: to illusionists: http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871874/Treantmonks_guide_to_Illusion:_Gods_Tools&post_num=6

For your character, I suggest silent image, invisibility, mirror image, and blinding color surge. Roleplaying insanity and loose sanity with those will be fun (mirror image=multiple of you, and share spells means that your familiar will also be cloned).
In combat, use blinding color surge, followed up some color spray to unaffected. Have your silent image distract their characters and have fun.

Featwise, instead of greater spell focus, take mastery of dreams, which will apply to fear effects too (for your enchantments of such).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Use this trick. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267805#4)

[Urpriest]

As a sorceror, it's worth it to specialize in a few spells, but specializing in a school isn't as worth it, since you only have limited spells known and as such you're better off if your spells come from a bunch of different schools so that you can stay versatile.

Have you read any handbooks on the subject? I rather like Solo's guide (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2180.0).

[NeoPhoenix0]

if you are playing a gnome who uses illusions why not go for the shadowcraft mage class from races of stone.

his grip on reality will probably suffer even more since his illusions will be partially real.

[ericgrau]

Those two schools are really hard to pull off. You'll have to play carefully. Charm everything you meet, preferably before any fight begins, and keep him healthy and allied with you for as long as possible for future fights. Because in the next fight the foes might be hard or impossible to charm. if played well charm person will be your best spell since it gives you control of multiple creatures to fight with you. If played poorly it will be your worst spell since in a heated combat most foes will save against it, if they're not outright immune to it.

For spells:
0: daze, whatever
1 (3): color spray (ditch at level 6), silent image, charm person
2 (1): flaming sphere

I couldn't find any 2nd level illusions or enchantments worth taking, since minor image is only a small step up from silent image. So I put in flaming sphere as a good stand-in for now which you can ditch at level 8. It'll keep you from becoming useless in a lot of combats. Open with color spray and/or flaming sphere. Continue with silent image illusions cleverly thought up to distract or delay foes to pull them away from the fight. Once you can't do any of those, fall back on spamming daze as a last resort.

On level 5 you might pick up hypnotic pattern, though you might ditch it around level 10. I wouldn't normally concentrate on it unless it's near the end of the fight or you're running low on spells per day. It's a decent spell but I put in flaming sphere first to reduce the chance that you'll be in a fight where foes aren't affected or are barely affected by your entire spell list. Level 5 might also be a good time to pick up mage armor or unseen servant to be cast ahead of time (not during combat). At level 6 if silent image is going really well you might pick up major image. Otherwise you're once again stuck with taking a more general purpose not-illusion & not-enchantment spell to avoid regretting your character choice. Such as haste, sleet storm, fireball. Again you can get 3rd level illusions/enchantments later. Or you can get ray of enfeeblement at level 5, empower it, and that will give you more flexibility on your 3rd level spell known.

I only had time to scan the PHB. If you scour some splatbooks you might find some kind of phantasm or some such that's good for general combat (not only specific tricks) and that not a lot of things are immune to, to let you stick to illusion.