Evocation Based Sorcerer. More to life than explosions!

[13ones]

The first pen and paper character I ever made was a half-orc fire based sorcerer. It was horribly built and generally more of a threat to itself and others than it was to any of the encounters (also the first big boss was a 'black' dragon but was in all effectiveness a red dragon. Stupid cheating DM). But since then I've learned from my mistakes and I've learned there is more to Evocation to blowing sh*t up! This is my current build for an Evocation based Sorcerer at level 20. Any advice or corrections you folks are willing to make please feel free to point it out! This is off a 25-point buy system with no traits.


Ezra Stormwalker
Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 20
CG Medium humanoid (human) (orc)


DEFENSE

AC 37, touch 20, flat-footed 28 (+4 armor (Extended Shield Spell), +5 deflection, +6 Dex, +5 Natural Armor, +8 Bracer of Armor)
hp 120 (6 at first, half+1+Con+FCB going forward)
Fort +13, Ref +17, Will +18

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee Gauntlet (1d3), Falchion+1 (2d4+1)
Ranged dagger (1d4/19–20)
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 20th):

9th (7/day)— Wish(Bloodline), Mage's Disjunction, Energy Drain, Time Stop
8th (7/day)— Powerword: Stun(Bloodline) (DC 28), Horrid Wilting, Sunburst (DC 32), Maze (DC 28), Prismatic Wall, Polar Ray, Irresistible Dance (DC 28), Prediction of Failure( DC 28)
7th (7/day)— Greater Teleport(Bloodline), Prismatic Spray (DC 31), Forcecage (DC 31), Insanity (DC 27), Form of the Dragon II, Spell Turning
6th (8/day)— True Seeing(Bloodline), Freezing Sphere (DC 30), Chain Lightning (DC 30), Ice Crystal Teleport (DC 26), Tar Pool (DC 26), Disintegrate (DC 26), Summon monster VI
5th (8/day)— Overland Flight(Bloodline), Wall of Force, Feeble mind, Icy Prison (DC 29), Persistent Image (DC 25), Telepathic Bond, Baleful Polymorph(DC 25)
4th (8/day)— Dimension Door(Bloodline), Ball Lightning (DC 28), Confusion (DC 24), Black Tentacles, Enervation, Greater Invisibility, Dragon's Breath (DC 28), Resilient Sphere (DC 28)
3rd (8/day)— Dispel Magic(Bloodline) (DC 23), Fireball (DC 27), Haste, Howling Agony(DC 23), Ash Storm (DC23), Shifting Sands(DC 23), Spike Pit (DC 23)
2nd (9/day)— Invisibility(Bloodline), Mirror Image, Glitterdust (DC22), Stone Call, Scorching Ray (DC 26), Pyrotechnics (DC 26), Web (DC 22), Blur
1st (9/day)— Identify(bloodline), Colour Spray(DC 21), Burning Hands(DC 25), Shield, Enlarge Person (DC 21), Obscuring Mist, Grease (DC 21)
0th (at will)— Read magic, Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Spark, Message, Mending, Penumbra

Bloodline arcane

TACTICS

Before Combat Ezra casts Blur, greater invisibility, and extended shield (using her metamagic rod) before the start of the encounter.

During Combat In combat, Ezra serves as artillery from range, blasting foes with chain lightning, heavily metamagiked fireballs , and other powerful evocations ; supports his allies with spells such as haste and enlarge person; and controls the battlefield with walls of force and fire, web, and controlling evocations, illusions, and enchantments, and debuffs foes with powerful Necormancy and Fear effects.

Base Statistics
Without shield, Ezra statistics are AC 33, touch 20, flat-footed 24.
STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 30
Base Atk +10; CMB +9; CMD 25
Feats: Spell Focus (evocation), Fast Learner, Greater Spell Focus Evocation, Improved Initiative, Combat Casting, Maximize Spell, Heighten Spell, Dazing Spell, Spell Perfection: Ball Lightning/Fireball/Dragon's Breath, Improved Counterspell, Elemental Spell, Eschew Materials, Quicken Spell
Skills Bluff +22, Climb +3, Knowledge (planes) +15, Perception +4, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +15
Languages Common, Varisian
SQ arcane bond (familiar,green sting scorpion named Varis (+4 to Initiative)), bloodline arcana (+1 DC for metamagic spells that increase spell level), metamagic adept (3/day), new arcana, School Power: Evocation (+2 to DC)
Racial Traits: Skilled: +1 skill point per level, Sacred Tattoo: +1 luck bonus to saves, Burning Assurance: +2 to diplomacy checks.

And that is it. The big problem I find is my AC. I have NO idea how to get it high enough, no matter what level I'm at. Mage armor and Shield are always up low level but I'm really struggling to get an AC to be decent for a caster at my level. I think I haven't forgot anything.

So yeah, tell me what you guys think? Do you think this could be effective at a 20th level perspective?

[andreww]

The Sorcerer is basically my favourite PF class, it has many many options available to it. Some suggestions I would make include:

1. Feats. You have some choices of dubious worth here. Fast Learner and Improved Counterspell are both very iffy. Fast Learner is not adding much. I assume you are using the human FCB which you should be, are an extra 20hp or skill points really worth a feat when you could have another metamagic. Similarly combat casting is absolutely not required. At this level you cannot fail to cast defensively, the highest DC is 33. Your charisma should easily be 34 or 36. Casting while grappled is generally either impossible or irrelevant because you are wearing a ring of freedom of movement.

Feats that you seem to be missing are mostly Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration. They will be doubled by Spell Perfection for that one spell (you can only take it once) but the rest of your spells need to break SR. The otherworldly kimono and orange ioun stone will help but the feats are also a big part of it. I would also strongly consider silent and/or still spell. I would take empower over maximise although personally I would skip both and focus on getting daze to stick and expanding my metamagic options. You should take persistent spell over heighten, it is much better.

I would switch Improved Initiative for Noble Scion of War to use charisma instead of dex for initiative.

2. Spells. I think you have too many different evocations. You really don't need all that many to make use of your abilities especially with a useful elemental spell metamagic feat. Horrid Wilting, Freezing Sphere and Polar Ray in particular are fairly weak. Other I would strongly consider changing include:

Prismatic Spray - this is really very random and often ends up doing next to nothing if you roll poorly.

Insanity - it is just a slightly high level single target will save or suck. Persistent Confusion or Feeblemind will almost invariably be better

Tar Pool = ground based area entangle is really weak at high level especially when many enemies fly or teleport and especially when using dazing spell

Form of the Dragon II - the duration of this is too short and see below

Black Tentacles - this is useful when you get it but fast starts to fall behind CMD

Enervation - with no split ray or twin ray this is a very small debuff

Colour Spray - this should be traded out somewhere around level 4

I also think there are some key spells you might want to look at:

Shapechange - it doesn't have the crazy power of the 3.x version but it is better than all of the Form/Shape spells if only because it has an actually useable duration. Note it allows copying of Form of the Dragon III which is one of the few ways to gain immunity to elemental damage

Arodens Spellbane - do you want to be immune to disjunction and anti-magic field all day long? I thought so...:)

Mind Blank - this is a key spell for high level casters. Not because of the resistance bonus, although it is nice, but because you become immune to see invisibility and true sight. This is crucial at high level where those abilities are very common.

Greater Planar Binding - for obvious reasons. Bring along your preferred level 16 cleric cohort. You are charisma based so you don't even need Moment of Prescience to guarantee it.

Polymorph any Object - baleful polymorphs big brother. Most useful because it lacks baleful polymorphs living creature limitation

Plane Shift - planar exploration becomes more common at higher level and it is also one of the best will based save or sucks in the game.

Limited Wish - cheaper to use than wish, very flexible

Repulsion -- I love this spell more than is healthy. It has a huge radius and is an enormous screw you to big melee brutes. It is huge non mind affecting control

Contingency - for obvious reasons

Fickle Winds - you will be flying all of the time. Archers can be annoying. This makes them irrelevant.

Emergency Force Sphere - possibly the best defensive spell in the game

Wall of Fire - on its own not really very good but combined with dazing spell this murders entire encounters on its own. Anyone failing the initial save without significant fire resistance is toast. Hungry Pit works for similar reasons.

See Invisibility - invisibility is common at higher levels, you want this as a permanent spell or quite possibly as a spell known as well

Acid Arrow, Aqueous Orb and Ice Spears - these are conjuration based damage spells which ignore SR. On their own only the Orb really is any good, but stick dazing on them and they become amazing.

As far as AC goes there are a few things you are missing:

+5 mithril buckler has no ACP and no ASF and grants a +6 shield bonus to AC

The jingasa of the fortunate soldier adds another +1

The dusty rose prism ioun stone adds another

Shapechanging into a huge dragon with form of the dragon III gives you a net 6 point increase and +8 con.

Seamantle is a level 8 spell which can give you a +8 cover bonus.

Mostly however at high level your defence consists of being undetectable with Mind Blank and Greater Invisibility. Blindsense/sight can still find you but they tend to have very short ranges while your spells do not.