Gastronomie
2015-12-27, 06:26 AM
Well, I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this question, but I couldn't find anywhere better so I'm asking it here. If I'm wrong, please tell me.
I'm interested about "what time" (as well as "what day of the week") you guys most frequently play online roleplaying sessions (Roll 20, Skype sessions, and that sort).
I'm asking this because I live in Japan (btw I'm also Japanese, but I've lived in the US long enough to read/speak English). Japan is 14 hours "ahead" than NYC. Meaning, when it's 8:00PM in New York, it's 10:00AM (next day calender-wise) in Yokohama.
When it's 6:00AM in New York, it's 8:00PM (same day) in Yokohama.
Mother Earth has got to be kidding me.
So, I would like to ask “at what time and what day of the week you guys play online sessions”, to get the picture of when I should be awake on future gaming days.
I have no regrets. This is the only path
Choosing Your Spells Part 1: Sorcerer (Low Levels)
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5c89b06ede19d8e4389d0343aef764990559c0af13fcf907a4 171837a0e4a36a.gif
An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraint,
Protector of the holy balance!
(Image Copyright Ufotable)
Confession: I am generally a very lazy person.
If I felt that the current, pre-existing guides for Sorcerers can be used straight for evaluation of Birthblade spells, instead of writing this section, I would have just wrote “LOOK AT THE OTHER GUIDES” and be done with it. That’s what I did with the core class abilities of Paladins and Sorcerers.
And indeed I will say that for Paladin spells. There are a lot of good guides about Paladins, them being listed in the 5e guides (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377491) thread, and you can look at the stuff there for help. The spells that are important for Paladins and the spells that are important for Sorcerers are not that much different.
However, that’s not how things can go with Sorcerers.
Though I am generally very lazy, I also know when I should work hard. This is one such case, because sadly, the pre-existing evaluations of spells for Sorcerers cannot be so simply converted into the evaluations of a Birthblade spell list.
This does not mean, in any way, that the pre-existing guides suck. They’re indeed wonderful at evaluating the spell list of a full Sorcerer, that’s nothing to doubt. But Birthblades are, as I’ve already told you, a class of its own. It’s a lot different from Sorcerers (while it’s probably a bit similar to a Paladin). Thus their selection of spells should be different from pure Sorcerers as well, meaning that the pre-existing Pure Sorcerer guides cannot be simply copy-pasted into this section.
Another thing: I’ve sorted the spells, not only by spell level, but also by their “genre” - I’ve divided the spells into 6 sections per level, based on usage (some sections are completely hollow for certain levels, and some spells belong in multiple sections).
You should have a good balance of these spells - for instance, just because you want to cripple your enemies, having 90% of your spells be spells that “weaken your enemies” will probably not be as effective as you think, because it goes against the whole Caster premise of versatility. You should always have a dozen options to choose from, so make sure to keep a good balance of these spells (with the exception of Blasting spells - you don’t need any of them till you get Fireball).
Since the evaluation is too long to fit in a single post, I’ve divided this section into two parts.
NOTE 1: Since this is an optimization guide, I will NOT list all the spells that exist in the Sorcerer spell list. Generally speaking, those who are not mentioned are those who are not worth mentioning. If you’re not sure whether I missed something, please comment so and I will explain my reasons, or simply agree with you and edit this post.
If multiple people say they want a full rating of all Sorcerer spells, I might feel like doing so, but for now, I’m not doing that task.
NOTE 2: You should probably leave the situational spells, like Feather Fall and Water Breathing, to your Wizard. Remember that Sorcerers can learn only a limited number of spells.
Spell Genre
Blasting
Spells like Fireball belong here. Almost all the Blasting spells you take should be AoE. This is because warriors are generally already good enough at severely damaging singular enemies, but bad at severely damaging multiple enemies in a turn, meaning that single-target damaging options will most likely be never used, while AoE options can come up to be useful every now and then.
Self Protection
Shield, Mirror Image and the sort. These spells make up for your bit-low HP and easily turn what’s a futile scrawny kid into an invincible behemoth that’s loads tankier than the average pure Fighter.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Spells like Bless and Invisibility belong here. You have the powers required to make the Rogue even better at roguing, or make the Fighter even better at fighting. That’s obviously extremely beneficial for the entire team. Do be aware that most of these spells require concentration, so you constantly need to make the right decisions of “how” exactly to buff your team. Do not use them randomly or without much thought.
Weaken Enemies
Some of these spells, like Hold Person, target just one enemy (unless you upcast it). Others, like Hypnotic Pattern, are AoE spells that can cripple multiple enemies at once (use together with Careful Spell for maximum efficiency). Either way, these are awesome. The former is to be used against powerful bosses, while the latter is to be used against hordes, and to adapt to all sorts of situations, you should have both of them if possible. It may be difficult depending on your spell selection - Sorcerers have a very limited number of spells they can memorize - but it is definitely worth the effort.
Field Control
Spells like Web, Stinking Cloud, and Wall of Fire belong in here. What can be said about these spells in general is that Careful Spell becomes Sky-Blue wonderful when paired with them (especially the ones that don’t deal damage). Having the enemies wasting their turns coughing and reeling while your entire team (equipped with magical gas masks crafted from Careful Spell) steamrolls them is surely a hilarious moment.
If your DM uses battle grids for combat, you should always have at least 1, and preferably over 2, Field Control spells. Manipulating the field is a godly ability. If it’s theater of mind, it’s not as important, but if you’re good at convincing the DM that all the enemy creatures belong in the area of Wall of Fire, it might become just as important again.
Out-of-Combat
Spells like Minor Illusion and Suggestion belong here (though these can actually be used in-combat as well). These spells give you role-play versatility, and if done right, can make you progress within the plot much more efficiently then mindlessly hacking your way through.
These spells can potentially turn the tides of a combat as well... Most of the time, by using it before combat. For instance, before walking into the bandits’ base, you can use Minor Illusion to mimic the voice of a henchmen your team recently captured, proceed to knock on the door, and swing in with your sword the moment the bandits open and greet you. Ambushing is the most easy-to-understand way to use illusions, but there’s a lot more possibilities and technique waiting ot be discovered by you. Imagination is the key.
Luckily, being a Sorcerer, you have the right to choose 4 Cantrips - the largest number of starting cantrips for any class. You should use these to increase your utility, both in and out of combat, but there are several things to keep in mind.
First, since you’re holding a weapon - and weapons generally do more damage than damage cantrips - you should not take the non-GFB/BB damage cantrips unless you have good reason to do so. 1 at best, and most of the time, 0. You can just throw a javelin or shoot a bow if you want.
As for GFB and BB, most of the time, I advice you take them. If you’re a GWM build without War Caster, you might not need them, though.
Unless you have zero creativity, consider Minor Illusion to be something of a “Cantrip Tax”. It works wonders. Take it.
Most non-GWM Paladin/Sorcs will start with GFB, BB, and Minor Illusion, leaving only one free space (two spaces if Sorcerer level 4 or higher, and three spaces if Sorcerer level 10 or higher, and so on). What to do with the last slot(s) is up to you - if you’re a human you might need Light, but otherwise, perhaps take Lightning Lure for field control, or Create Bonfire for the Pyrotechnics combo, or make friends, or mend things, or send private messages to your teammates. Depends on campaign, character, playstyle, and personal preference.
Blasting
Booming Blade (SCAG): TAKE THIS. It’s mandatory for S&B builds, and even GWM builds may find situations where it’s useful (though this will become Black for GWM builds of level 6 and higher). Twin or use with War Caster’s Opportunity Attack for maximum troll laughs.
Green-Flame Blade (SCAG): This one can’t be Twinned (according to the creators of this game), but works with Elemental Affinity and can damage better than Extra Attack depending on the situation. No reason to not take this for S&B. Becomes Black for GWM builds of level 6 and higher, but even then, not a bad choice or anything, a good thing to have up your sleeve.
Fire Bolt: Its damage is worse than GFB or BB (despite being one of the best cantrips in terms of damage), but it can go ranged, with a pretty damn long distance of 120 feet, so it’s possibly useful when all the enemies are afraid of your awesome melee capabilities and are attempting to slink back. If you’re a Fire Draconic Sorcerer with Elemental Affinity this becomes Blue. Otherwise, not much TBH.
Frostbite (EE): Being a CON save spell means it hardly works on certain enemies, but bestowing disadvantage on the first attack is a petty decent ability, making this a respectable back-up option. Is it worth the cantrip slot? Probably not.
Sword Burst (SCAG): Written not to say it’s good, but rather written to say it’s bad. If you have multiple enemies within melee range, just use Green-Flame Blade. The same can be said for Thunderclap (EE), an inferior version of this spell.
Self Protection
Blade Ward: Not a bad choice as it seems on first glance, since if you’re in a situation where you really want to survive this turn, you can Quicken this to reduce the physical damage you take next turn to half. Sadly, it doesn’t work on elemental (and other non-physical) damage, and while not bad, it’s not an exceptionally good choice either.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Light: If you have darkvision, don’t bother. If you don’t have darkvision, you need it.
(I listed this spell here because it pretty much “negates a severe de-buff bestowed upon you as a terrain feature”.)
Weaken Enemies
Frostbite (EE): Described in “Blasting”. Not bad, but not top-priority either.
Field Control
Booming Blade (SCAG): You could consider this Field Control in its own weird sort of way. Only affects one target but keeps him in place, unless he wants to take that extra damage.
Lightning Lure (SCAG): When there’s too much distance between an enemy and you, this clicks in and saves you from that problem. OR, you can actually use it to drag a friend and keep him away from an Area of Effect or help him disengage (it’s possible for you to move the target just 5 feet, so that he doesn’t take the Xd8 damage).
Create Bonfire (EE, Concentration): The damage doesn’t matter. What matters is that Quickening this makes Pyrotechnics an AoE version of Blindness. If you’re scheduled to take Pyrotechnics, or if you find yourself in a narrow 5-feet corridor and all the enemies are coming at you from the other side of said corridor, this can be good. Otherwise, eh, don’t take this.
Out-of-Combat
Minor Illusion: Your imagination is the only limit to the countless uses of this spell, be it luring enemies into a trap or a different direction, hiding more effectively, scaring enemies away from something you don’t wanna have them touch, making them believe you’re a nice guy or someone with great authority, ambushing them, capturing them, etc, etc, etc... It’s not the sort of versatility a Cantrip can have. If multiple characters in the group can use this, they can be combined together to create even more “believable” situations.
Friends (Conc): Target gets angry at you after the spell ends. Depending on the DM’s rulings, if you’re disguised as someone else when you cast this, the target might get angry at the guy who you were disguised as. In which case, this is Sky Blue no-questions-asked for Changeling DEX builds, and Blue for those who have Disguise Kit proficiency. I imagine most DMs will rule that using the Disguise Kit looks at CHA, and being both a Paladin and a Sorcerer, you’re quite an attractive fellow.
Mending: CRAZY DIAMOND!!
http://67.media.tumblr.com/6076a21a415cb7b63df24418e049d0e7/tumblr_nzoufoTG2C1rwu8gjo2_500.gif
DORARARARARARARARARARA!!!
(Image Copyright Hirohiko Araki)
Well, that aside, it’s a situational but occasionally extremely useful ability. It can greatly help you in certain situations, especially in city campaigns.
Message: Depending on the campaign this becomes Blue or possibly even Sky Blue, especially when you want to communicate to your friends without having other people overhear what you wanna tell them.
Shape Water (EE): There’s a whole thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481560-Creative-Cantrips-Shape-Water) dedicated to this cantrip that makes you want to take it. DM dependent for some rulings, but certainly looks fun.
Control Flames (EE): Thematic for certain builds, and can occasionally come in handy when, say, you want to extinguish a fire, or play tricks with stupid or easily believing NPCs. It’s still very situational.
Mage Hand: Situational, and not top-priority.
Prestidigitation: Minor Illusion is obviously better when it comes to deceiving enemies, but at least this spell lets you clean all that goblin blood off your clothes with a single snap of your fingers.
Most level 1 spells are underpowered (and they should be). Especially, Level 1 Blasting spells. They’re generally sub-optimal at best because of their low damage that can be easily surpassed by a well-placed GFB or BB. The AoEs’ areas are small and their rider effects, if any, are not that appetizing either.
But that goes for almost all level 1 spells in general. Since the number of Spells Known you can have are limited, you will probably not have a large number of level 1 spells known at mid-to-high levels. Most of the time you will be using Shield and not much anything else.
However, I will rate the other options anyway, to give ideas on how to use them.
Blasting
Burning Hands: Starts off nice due to its range (large for a level 1 AoE I guess) but quickly gets bad, especially for Birthblades which have another good damaging option (simply attacking with your sword doesn’t cost you any resources, and if multiple enemies are standing together, GFB can burn two of them at once).
Magic Missile: I honestly am not a big fan of this spell from the start, and it’s even less so with Birthblade builds. Being guaranteed to hit is a good thing, but the damage is simply abysmal and it’s often better to just attack with your sword. However, if your DM constantly shows the players how much HP the monsters have remaining, this might become better. Another way to utilize this is to use against enemy Casters to make them automatically make three Concentration-maintaining saving throws, most likely ending in a failure. In which case this works sorta like Dispel magic.
It’s not a really amazing spell, especially for you, but it still does have its uses.
Thunderwave: The damage is meh, but it allows you to blast a good number of enemies away. This is something normal attacks cannot do, and having a spell-exclusive rider is a good thing. However, Warlocks can do similar stuff with Repelling Blast, so you might as well leave this job to them and just use your level 1 slots for Shield.
Ice Knife (EE): Look, the general rule here that I’m trying to explain here is that you should try to keep away from damaging spells that don’t have insanely large areas of effect. They generally aren’t worth belonging in Spells Known.
Chromatic Orb: Just attack with your friggin’ sword you coward, why are you even holding it in your hand in the first place. These sorts of spells that can “have their effects be achieved by non-magical means” should be kept away from, especially for a master swordsman like you. You’re delving into magic to find new possibilities, and getting to deal damage to a singular target is not a new possibility.
The same can be said for Catapult. I just supposed I should note these here because these sorts of spells are often rated good for Sorcerers in their guides. These spells may be good for Sorcerers, but not for you.
Self Protection
Shield: Become invincible for a round at the laughably low cost of a reaction and one level 1 spell slot. There is no excuse to not taking this spell.
Mage Armor: Most characters don’t need it (including DEX builds, since most have Draconic Resilience). If you’re a non-Draconic Bloodline DEX build, sure, take it.
False Life: Just pointing out you have no reason to take this, since you have Cure Wounds as a spell of the same level.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
N/A
Weaken Enemies
Sleep: As often said, it’s devastating at low levels, making enemies unconscious without a save, but it quickly starts to suck from around level 5 and higher. This is because the inflation of the enemy monsters’ general HP is extremely high-paced, especially at low levels, and the HP limitation of Sleep quickly becomes too small for the monsters to fit into.
The same can be said for Color Spray.
Field Control
Fog Cloud (Concentration): Everyone in a certain area gets Blinded (wind may move around the cloud). It’s similar to Darkness, except you can’t see through it with Devil’s Sight or Eyes of the Dark.
The really weird thing about being Blinded is that when two creatures within darkness or heavy fog are both Blinded, both gain advantage on attack against each other, but at the same time both bestow advantage on attacks against themselves, meaning that both sides will make attack rolls as normal (by RAW, due to advantage/disadvantage not stacking, it does nullify any other advantages and disadvantages, though). Thus this isn’t as much of a “defensive option” as one may hope.
Then what is it good for?
There are two main things here. The first is that opportunity attacks can only be done against targets you can see, meaning that within the area of Fog Cloud, no one can make opportunity attacks (unless they have Blindsight or something). Within the area of Fog Cloud, you, and everyone (including your enemies) can freely move around without caring about opportunity attacks, making the combat situation a lot different than it normally is.
Combining this with Booming Blade is a pretty damn nice combo. Jump into the fog, hit an enemy, and retreat without provoking OAs. If the enemy wants to move and chase you, he must take the extra damage.
The second thing is that 99% of target spells cannot target people the Caster cannot see, meaning that using Fog Cloud on an enemy Caster basically renders him useless. HOWEVER, if cast using a level 1 slot, the Caster is free to escape the area of Fog Cloud on his next turn, and no one can stop him from doing that (because he doesn’t provoke OAs either). Upcasting can make the radius 40 feet (at level 2), or perhaps larger, in which case the Caster cannot move out of the obscured range, and for a turn, cannot use some of his spells (he can still use attack roll spells and AoE spells. However, some DMs, including I, will rule that he will be confused and that if he wishes to use an AoE spell, he will hurl it in a random direction).
Or, simply use it when your parts wants to hide.
Fog Cloud is the only Field Control spell of the “field-affecting type” (Wall of Fire, Evard’s Black Tentacles etc.) you get at this level, and it’s not a bad option to use. However, once you go to higher levels, chances are you will want to swap this out due to the limited number of Spells Known (even if you originally chose it).
Be aware that this ability completely kills the party Rogue since it makes using Sneak Attack impossible.
Thunderwave: Detailed in “Blasting”. Not bad, and can move people around, but not that amazing.
Out-of-Combat
Charm Person: For all your role-playing needs. It’s pretty much limited to outside combat, but you get to be able to make an enemy a friend with just a single WIS save. Wonderful in infiltration and various other situations.
Disguise Self: I think getting proficiency in the Disguise Kit is a generally better option (by RAW Disguise Self has a lot of limits on what you can become, and most importantly it’ll be difficult to impersonate other people). Either way, combine with Friends for maximum effect.
Silent Image (Concentration): Minor Illusion’s older brother, which is a good thing. It uses a slot, which is a bad thing. If you want to be that good at illusions, just take Warlock 2 or 3 for the Misty Visions invocation. This isn’t what you use Sorcerer Spells Known for.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Now we’re talking. Level 2 introduces a lot of spells that slowly start to draw out the outline of the Birthblade build - from the defensive spells like Mirror Image, to the major debuffs like Hold Person, and the field controllers like Web. Suggestion and Phantasmal Force are dazzling both in and out of combat, and are sure to affect your party’s approach to the problems they face.
The damaging spells are yet to be worth taking, though. We will need to bide our time till level 3 for that.
Blasting
Shatter: Best AoE damage spell for this level. Not that that’s really something to boast about, given how the others really, really suck. Another level and you get Fireball, from which is where the Blasting spells finally get a rating of over Blue... Actually, Fireball suddenly gets it to Sky Blue, but that’s that.
Looking at the stuff unique to this spell, Shatter one can destroy nonmagical objects within the area as well. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on the situation, but you might be able to be creative with it.
Scorching Ray: As always, simple damage can be replaced by the SCAG cantrips for you. Depending on how your DM rules Elemental Affinity, it might become “add CHA mod” or “add CHA mod x3”. Creators seem to have intended the former, which sucks hard, but even with the latter, not an ideal option for Birthblades.
The reason why I’m posting these here is because I really want to emphasize that being a Birthblade, you should not take these. Many spells that are good for pure Casters become terribad for gish builds.
Self Protection
Mirror Image: The fact this doesn’t require concentration is either a misprint or a result of a troll lurking in the writers of WotC. It’s really damn useful, and you should put it to your advantage.
Misty Step: I listed it in here because it can get you out of dire situations and help you slink back into the backrow when you desperately need it, but it also can be used for various other purposes. The fact it’s a Bonus Action is what really makes it shine.
Blur (Concentration): Pretty good defensive spell for this level. If it didn’t require concentration it would’ve been insanely powerful. But there’s absolutely no way there’s a level 2 spell that buffs your defenses by a ton and doesn’t require concentration, right? I mean, if such thing existed it would be really powerful, so you should take it, but...owait.
(Starts to becomes redundant after you hit Sorcerer 7 and gain Greater Invisibility.)
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Misty Step: Technically not a buff, but it increases your combat versatility by using for purposes such as “disengage” and “dash”. Think of it sorta like Cunning Action. For both offensive and defensive purposes, this spell is solid and good.
Invisibility (Concentration): Best used on an Assassin (if your party includes one, this becomes Sky Blue). It can also be useful in RP situations, but in combat, it’s a bit of a pain how the effect ends so easily. You better use it on someone who isn’t wearing heavy armor, meaning that unless you’re a DEX build you should cast it on someone else.
Levitate (Concentration): Poor man’s Fly. Does allow someone to engage in melee with flying monsters to lock them down with OAs, but generally, the thing to say is “just friggin’ use Fly”.
Enlarge/Reduce (Concentration): Basically allows anyone to be good with grappling and also inflicts a bit of extra damage. It’s probably not the best way to use your precious Concentration, though.
Weaken Enemies
Hold Person (Concentration): Quickening and proceeding to Crit-Smite the hell out of the poor humanoid is almost sure to kill the guy on the spot. Even if he doesn’t die there, chances are he will die within the round. A truly devastating spell, and while it doesn’t work on all enemies, you should still have it due to its hilarious synergy with Divine Smite.
Suggestion (Concentration): With a bit of creativity, you can subdue not one, but multiple enemies with this spell, or perhaps even end the encounter with the enemies fleeing and running for their lives. Since this spell heavily relies on DM discretion, you should ask your DM beforehand about his definition of a “suggestion that sounds reasonable”, and make sure everyone in the party is okay with what you do before using it.
This spell is also listed in “Out-of-Combat”, since it’s extremely versatile.
Phantasmal Force (Concentration): Taking one monster out of the fight (be it freeze on the spot or run away for dear life) is easy with this spell, but with the right situation and the right imagination you can make the enemy pretty much kill himself, or even make him go on your side, acting like Dominate Monster. An excellent spell, and even if the enemy is dubious, he must use an action (or several actions if he’s unlucky or stupid) to realize the illusion is a fake.
Pyrotechnics (EE): Use together with Create Bonfire (perhaps Quickened) for maximum versatility. Used as a Debuff spell, it’s like Blindness/Deafness, except it is an AoE (which is a seriously good thing). Do keep in mind that Pyrotechnics can blind the targets for only 1 turn, opposed to how Blindness/Deafness persists till the guy succeeds on his save.
This spell can also be used as a Field Control spell that resembles Fog Cloud, except without requiring concentration. It’s also extremely thematic for Fire Draconic Sorcerers.
Levitate (Concentration): This is rated Purple for when helping friends and for using outside combat, but when used on enemies, it’s possible to make this like a really poor man’s Banishment, albeit restricted to monsters with only melee attacks, by sending him floating into the air where he can harm nobody. Not that it will come up very often, especially with it requiring concentration, but being able to pepper him with arrows while he’s raging and screaming, suspended mid-air, might be a nice thing to have. The problem is that you probably don’t have the Spells Known capacity.
Maximillian's Earthen Grasp (EE, Concentration): STR saves may be resisted by large foes, but being Restrained is a pretty nasty condition. The fact it requires concentration makes it a mediocre choice at best, optimization-wise, but it’s not like it’s bad, so if you think it’s thematic I guess you can take it.
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/145/804/3c1.gif
^ Example of someone with this spell being thematic. MY BRAIN TREMBLES!! ^
(Image Copyright Tappei Nagatsuki)
Blindness/Deafness: It’s a debuff that doesn’t require concentration (that’s a rare thing), but it’s a CON save (commonly resisted, especially by the powerful, burly bosses that you really wanna Blind), the target re-rolls it every turn, and while the Blinded condition is indeed crippling, there are worse. You can Twin it if you want, but if you want to affect multiple enemies at a time, Pyrotechnics is another option.
It is really thematic for an Evil or Chaotic Neutral character though.
Field Control
Darkness (Concentration): If you’re a Shadow Sorcerer, this becomes Gold - though it’s only when you cast it using Eyes of the Dark, and casting it with a level 2 slot is unthinkable. Together with Eyes of the Dark, you can completely lock down an enemy Caster.
For other people, Darkness is generally a variation of Fog Cloud. This one has a smaller area, but it can be moved around the battlefield (although depending on the target from which the darkness originates, enemies can move it around as well).
Web (Concentration): Crowd control is a good thing, and it becomes astonishing when combined with Careful Spell. If you don’t have Careful Spell, this becomes a bit less attractive, but if you do, you must take it.
Pyrotechnics (EE): Use together with Create Bonfire (perhaps Quickened) for maximum versatility. Used as a Field Control spell, it’s like Fog Cloud, except it doesn’t require concentration (which is a seriously good thing).
This spell can also be used as an AoE debuff spell that makes Blindness/Deafness cry his eyes out and go blind. It’s also extremely thematic for Fire Draconic Sorcerers.
Cloud of Daggers (Concentration): Requires concentration and is far too easy to avoid. It should be noted, however, that its damage requires no save, meaning it’s sorta like Magic Missile in how it inflicts damage no matter what. The image created by this spell is rather nice.
http://38.media.tumblr.com/cfa9f535ffb0a238926f0ef1ba5c395b/tumblr_mfpbsxhzc41ra3f3yo1_r1_500.gif
^ If you’re a vampire with Time Stop, this spell becomes Gold. ^
(Image Copyright Hirohiko Araki)
Out-of-Combat
Suggestion (Concentration): Also listed in “Weaken Enemies”. Used right, this can alter the course of an entire campaign. Be it gaining loads of wealth or accelerating the downfall of the evil aristocrat, this spell has the power to do it on its own. Since this spell heavily relies on DM discretion, you should ask your DM beforehand about his definition of a “suggestion that sounds reasonable”, and make sure everyone in the party is okay with what you do before using it.
Phantasmal Force (Concentration): Use in RP moments with the right set-up and imagination, and you almost automatically get an NPC on your side, or alternatively, force him into getting a mental breakdown. Use Heightened Spell to make sure the enemy doesn’t realize he’s being tricked.
Invisibility (Concentration): Also listed in “Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)”. You better use it on someone who isn’t wearing heavy armor, meaning that unless you’re a DEX build you should cast it on someone else.
Alter Self (Concentration): Allowing yourself to breath underwater is really pointless when the rest of your party can’t, and the Natural Weapons aren’t that attractive either. The way this effect is written I think you can impersonate as other people as well, but I’d just use the Disguise Kit if I wanted to make such a character.
Enhance Ability (Concentration): Advantage on checks. Generally better to just be a Bard and inspire your friends.
Knock: Can become Blue depending on the campaign, but regardless of whether the campaign needs it or not, the Wizard does it better. Just politely ask him to prepare it, wait till next morning, and it’s job done.
Levitate (Concentration): Wanna retrieve that item hanging 50 feet above you? Yeah, well, ask the Wizard. You don’t get that many Spells Known.
This is the level where warriors get Extra Attack and their DPR becomes doubled. Meanwhile, Casters get access to the grand collection of these uber-powerful spells that already start making you look godly.
This is the level at which the classic Fireball finally, comes storming into the battlefield, roasting an entire horde of goblins and calling it a day. This is the level at which you start to fly through the air, hypnotize an entire encounter, get to say “NO” to the enemy caster and waste his turn, and get to do a bunch of other awesome stuff.
There are not as many broad options as the level 2 spells, though. The real goodies come online at level 4.
Blasting
Fireball: THIS is from where the damaging spells actually get into the level that it’s impossible to mimic with just normal attacks and cantrips (which means you now have better versatility). The damage itself is just “good” for a character of this level, but Fireball’s insanely large area of effect means it can incinerate an entire horde on its own (low-CR monsters like Goblins and Kobolds may die even if they succeed on the save). There’s almost no excuse to not taking this spell, more so if you have Elemental Affinity.
HOWEVER, you may also note that having just 1 AoE is not enough in certain cases. Fireball specifically states in the text that any flammable objects within range start to burn, and this means that, say, if you’re fighting in a forest or in a town with a lot of wooden buildings, depending on the judgments of the DM (the pace at which the fire spreads etc.), this spell can potentially kill yourself as well. This does not necessarily mean you need over 2 damaging AoEs - rather, you should take at least 1 “non-damaging but crippling AoE with a large area”, like Hypnotic Pattern, and make sure that even if you face a horde in a place where hurling a Fireball may damage the environment too much, you have means of counter-measure.
Lightning Bolt: It’s a bit difficult to get over 3 monsters into the area, unlike Fireball (in which case it’s actually harder to not get over 3 monsters into the area). The damage is the same, and contrary to popular belief, Lightning damage is just as commonly resisted as Fire damage (though more enemies are immune to Fire). Overall, not worth taking.
Melf's Minute Meteors (EE, Concentration): Does same damage as Fireball over the course of two turns, becomes better with three. However, the area is depressingly small (“any creatures within 5 feet of the point”), and it allows the low-HP enemies to take more turns before they’re burned to death. It’s not bad, but generally not good enough to belong in your readied list either.
Erupting Earth (EE): While magical bludgeoning damage is never resisted, the average damage of this spell is 18.5, whereas Fireball is 28 (14 even if resisted), meaning that the merit gained when used on a monster with fire resistance is only 4.5 - not something that makes this worth taking, especially when its area is considerably smaller than Fireball. The only situation in which you should take this is when all your opponents are immune to fire, but even then, Lightning Bolt exists if you want.
The part about turning the area into difficult terrain is... Not bad, I guess, and it might be useful in certain situations, but most of the time, not worth throwing this into Spells Known.
Self Protection
Protection from Energy: This is not your job. At least you can Twin it, but really, this is not your job.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Fly (Concentration): Not only do you get to move at double the speed, you can also fly over traps, cripple earthbound enemies by raining death from above, get into melee range of flying enemies, and even upcast it to affect multiple friends as well. Always beware of losing concentration and falling to your death.
Haste (Concentration): Twin for maximum effect. Be careful when using it, however, since once you’ve chosen to cast it, you cannot cast other Concentration spells for the remainder of the fight.
This blue rating assumes you already have War Caster or Resilient (CON) as well as Aura of Protection by the time you’ve took it, and if you do not, this becomes a trap option.
Flame Arrows (EE, Concentration): On first glance it’s like giving your friend archer Hex. Then you realize it becomes double the Hex when you combine it with Elemental Affinity for an additional 1d6 + CHA mod damage per hit. If your DM permits it and there’s two archers in your party, it becomes quadruple the Hex when you combine it with Twinned Spell (by RAW, Twinned Spell only works on spells that target “creatures”, not “objects”). It’s normally not worth taking, but if there’s at least two archers in your party, you’re a Fire Draconic Sorcerer, and you have Twinned Spell, it’s good. The problem is that you might as well leave someone else in the party to do that job for you, since your concentration is precious indeed.
Weaken Enemies
Hypnotic Pattern (Concentration): Massive range, save-or-suck. If the still-awake enemies waste their turns shaking their friends awake, just smash their heads while they waste their precious actions. It’s a nice option for when your enemies are pretty tough, or when you don’t want to burn everything around you. If you took the Careful Spell Metamagic option, this spell becomes mandatory.
Counterspell: If multiple characters in your party already have this, you might want to skip this and go for more versatility instead, leaving that job to your friends (unless your DM has a habit of throwing in lots of Casters). Remember that you have a lot of good uses for your reaction, like opportunity Booming Blade or Shield.
However, this spell can cripple encounters on its own, and every party should have at least 1 or 2 characters who can use it.
Fear (Concentration): This spell is quite interesting and powerful. Any creature who fails his WIS save drops whatever weapon he is holding and then proceeds to run away as fast as possible using his action. And he cannot repeat the save until he can’t see you anymore. This means that:
Monsters who rely on weapons to attack are completely disarmed and rendered powerless (someone in your party can pick up the discarded weapon and put it into his bag or something)
The affected monsters waste their actions doing nothing harmful for your team
The affected monsters provoke opportunity attacks from you and your friends
If the fight is in a place without any ways to hide from you, the target cannot do anything until he hits a wall, and even after he does, he had disadvantage on all his attacks (and in many cases, he can only make futile fist attacks)The only downside is that its range is a cone, and that it doesn’t work on Constructs and some other big monsters.
Combine with War Caster + Booming Blade for massive guaranteed damage. If you really want to kill somebody for running away, also use your bonus action that turn for Quickened Spell + Booming Blade, and inflict him twice the damage (this should be done after Fear goes off successfully, since otherwise you might sorta waste the Booming Blade if the enemy succeeds on the WIS save).
However, be aware that this spell may be anti-synergetic with the fact you’re mostly gonna fight in melee. If your enemies dash away, you cannot catch up to them unless you want to spend your actions Dashing as well. This goes for your friends too. Barbarians, for instance, may get angry at you for using this spell because he has no enemies he can attack near him, and his Rage ended earlier than originally assumed.
Dispel Magic: It’s costly, requiring an action and a level 3 slot, but solid and good when you need it. DMs like I often introduce battlefields where the enemies have already set up magical traps (the ground in front of the enemy frontline is the area of Evard’s Black Tentacles etc.), so if your DM is one of those people, this becomes Sky Blue.
Stinking Cloud (Concentration): The Blue Rating assumes you took the Careful Spell Metamagic option. If you didn’t, then this is Purple.
Bestowing disadvantage on your opponent’s attacks is one thing. Getting to waste the actions of your opponents is another. It’s truly hilarious when paired with Careful Spell, the only downside being that CON saves are often resisted by bulky foes.
Field Control
Stinking Cloud (Concentration): Detailed in “Weaken Enemies”.
Sleet Storm: Huge area, lots of debuffs. Can be Careful Spelled, but ehhh.... I’d just go for Web or Stinking Cloud.
Out-of-Combat
Daylight: One of those spells that are mostly useless, but extremely useful in the right situation (such as when you’re fighting a vampire). Interestingly, Wizards do not have access to this spell,but Druids do, so just leave it to them if you need it.
Major Image (Concentration): You can learn only a limited number of spells. If you want to be an illusionist just go Wizard or Warlock. Or use Phantasmal Force.
I'm interested about "what time" (as well as "what day of the week") you guys most frequently play online roleplaying sessions (Roll 20, Skype sessions, and that sort).
I'm asking this because I live in Japan (btw I'm also Japanese, but I've lived in the US long enough to read/speak English). Japan is 14 hours "ahead" than NYC. Meaning, when it's 8:00PM in New York, it's 10:00AM (next day calender-wise) in Yokohama.
When it's 6:00AM in New York, it's 8:00PM (same day) in Yokohama.
Mother Earth has got to be kidding me.
So, I would like to ask “at what time and what day of the week you guys play online sessions”, to get the picture of when I should be awake on future gaming days.
I have no regrets. This is the only path
Choosing Your Spells Part 1: Sorcerer (Low Levels)
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An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraint,
Protector of the holy balance!
(Image Copyright Ufotable)
Confession: I am generally a very lazy person.
If I felt that the current, pre-existing guides for Sorcerers can be used straight for evaluation of Birthblade spells, instead of writing this section, I would have just wrote “LOOK AT THE OTHER GUIDES” and be done with it. That’s what I did with the core class abilities of Paladins and Sorcerers.
And indeed I will say that for Paladin spells. There are a lot of good guides about Paladins, them being listed in the 5e guides (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377491) thread, and you can look at the stuff there for help. The spells that are important for Paladins and the spells that are important for Sorcerers are not that much different.
However, that’s not how things can go with Sorcerers.
Though I am generally very lazy, I also know when I should work hard. This is one such case, because sadly, the pre-existing evaluations of spells for Sorcerers cannot be so simply converted into the evaluations of a Birthblade spell list.
This does not mean, in any way, that the pre-existing guides suck. They’re indeed wonderful at evaluating the spell list of a full Sorcerer, that’s nothing to doubt. But Birthblades are, as I’ve already told you, a class of its own. It’s a lot different from Sorcerers (while it’s probably a bit similar to a Paladin). Thus their selection of spells should be different from pure Sorcerers as well, meaning that the pre-existing Pure Sorcerer guides cannot be simply copy-pasted into this section.
Another thing: I’ve sorted the spells, not only by spell level, but also by their “genre” - I’ve divided the spells into 6 sections per level, based on usage (some sections are completely hollow for certain levels, and some spells belong in multiple sections).
You should have a good balance of these spells - for instance, just because you want to cripple your enemies, having 90% of your spells be spells that “weaken your enemies” will probably not be as effective as you think, because it goes against the whole Caster premise of versatility. You should always have a dozen options to choose from, so make sure to keep a good balance of these spells (with the exception of Blasting spells - you don’t need any of them till you get Fireball).
Since the evaluation is too long to fit in a single post, I’ve divided this section into two parts.
NOTE 1: Since this is an optimization guide, I will NOT list all the spells that exist in the Sorcerer spell list. Generally speaking, those who are not mentioned are those who are not worth mentioning. If you’re not sure whether I missed something, please comment so and I will explain my reasons, or simply agree with you and edit this post.
If multiple people say they want a full rating of all Sorcerer spells, I might feel like doing so, but for now, I’m not doing that task.
NOTE 2: You should probably leave the situational spells, like Feather Fall and Water Breathing, to your Wizard. Remember that Sorcerers can learn only a limited number of spells.
Spell Genre
Blasting
Spells like Fireball belong here. Almost all the Blasting spells you take should be AoE. This is because warriors are generally already good enough at severely damaging singular enemies, but bad at severely damaging multiple enemies in a turn, meaning that single-target damaging options will most likely be never used, while AoE options can come up to be useful every now and then.
Self Protection
Shield, Mirror Image and the sort. These spells make up for your bit-low HP and easily turn what’s a futile scrawny kid into an invincible behemoth that’s loads tankier than the average pure Fighter.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Spells like Bless and Invisibility belong here. You have the powers required to make the Rogue even better at roguing, or make the Fighter even better at fighting. That’s obviously extremely beneficial for the entire team. Do be aware that most of these spells require concentration, so you constantly need to make the right decisions of “how” exactly to buff your team. Do not use them randomly or without much thought.
Weaken Enemies
Some of these spells, like Hold Person, target just one enemy (unless you upcast it). Others, like Hypnotic Pattern, are AoE spells that can cripple multiple enemies at once (use together with Careful Spell for maximum efficiency). Either way, these are awesome. The former is to be used against powerful bosses, while the latter is to be used against hordes, and to adapt to all sorts of situations, you should have both of them if possible. It may be difficult depending on your spell selection - Sorcerers have a very limited number of spells they can memorize - but it is definitely worth the effort.
Field Control
Spells like Web, Stinking Cloud, and Wall of Fire belong in here. What can be said about these spells in general is that Careful Spell becomes Sky-Blue wonderful when paired with them (especially the ones that don’t deal damage). Having the enemies wasting their turns coughing and reeling while your entire team (equipped with magical gas masks crafted from Careful Spell) steamrolls them is surely a hilarious moment.
If your DM uses battle grids for combat, you should always have at least 1, and preferably over 2, Field Control spells. Manipulating the field is a godly ability. If it’s theater of mind, it’s not as important, but if you’re good at convincing the DM that all the enemy creatures belong in the area of Wall of Fire, it might become just as important again.
Out-of-Combat
Spells like Minor Illusion and Suggestion belong here (though these can actually be used in-combat as well). These spells give you role-play versatility, and if done right, can make you progress within the plot much more efficiently then mindlessly hacking your way through.
These spells can potentially turn the tides of a combat as well... Most of the time, by using it before combat. For instance, before walking into the bandits’ base, you can use Minor Illusion to mimic the voice of a henchmen your team recently captured, proceed to knock on the door, and swing in with your sword the moment the bandits open and greet you. Ambushing is the most easy-to-understand way to use illusions, but there’s a lot more possibilities and technique waiting ot be discovered by you. Imagination is the key.
Luckily, being a Sorcerer, you have the right to choose 4 Cantrips - the largest number of starting cantrips for any class. You should use these to increase your utility, both in and out of combat, but there are several things to keep in mind.
First, since you’re holding a weapon - and weapons generally do more damage than damage cantrips - you should not take the non-GFB/BB damage cantrips unless you have good reason to do so. 1 at best, and most of the time, 0. You can just throw a javelin or shoot a bow if you want.
As for GFB and BB, most of the time, I advice you take them. If you’re a GWM build without War Caster, you might not need them, though.
Unless you have zero creativity, consider Minor Illusion to be something of a “Cantrip Tax”. It works wonders. Take it.
Most non-GWM Paladin/Sorcs will start with GFB, BB, and Minor Illusion, leaving only one free space (two spaces if Sorcerer level 4 or higher, and three spaces if Sorcerer level 10 or higher, and so on). What to do with the last slot(s) is up to you - if you’re a human you might need Light, but otherwise, perhaps take Lightning Lure for field control, or Create Bonfire for the Pyrotechnics combo, or make friends, or mend things, or send private messages to your teammates. Depends on campaign, character, playstyle, and personal preference.
Blasting
Booming Blade (SCAG): TAKE THIS. It’s mandatory for S&B builds, and even GWM builds may find situations where it’s useful (though this will become Black for GWM builds of level 6 and higher). Twin or use with War Caster’s Opportunity Attack for maximum troll laughs.
Green-Flame Blade (SCAG): This one can’t be Twinned (according to the creators of this game), but works with Elemental Affinity and can damage better than Extra Attack depending on the situation. No reason to not take this for S&B. Becomes Black for GWM builds of level 6 and higher, but even then, not a bad choice or anything, a good thing to have up your sleeve.
Fire Bolt: Its damage is worse than GFB or BB (despite being one of the best cantrips in terms of damage), but it can go ranged, with a pretty damn long distance of 120 feet, so it’s possibly useful when all the enemies are afraid of your awesome melee capabilities and are attempting to slink back. If you’re a Fire Draconic Sorcerer with Elemental Affinity this becomes Blue. Otherwise, not much TBH.
Frostbite (EE): Being a CON save spell means it hardly works on certain enemies, but bestowing disadvantage on the first attack is a petty decent ability, making this a respectable back-up option. Is it worth the cantrip slot? Probably not.
Sword Burst (SCAG): Written not to say it’s good, but rather written to say it’s bad. If you have multiple enemies within melee range, just use Green-Flame Blade. The same can be said for Thunderclap (EE), an inferior version of this spell.
Self Protection
Blade Ward: Not a bad choice as it seems on first glance, since if you’re in a situation where you really want to survive this turn, you can Quicken this to reduce the physical damage you take next turn to half. Sadly, it doesn’t work on elemental (and other non-physical) damage, and while not bad, it’s not an exceptionally good choice either.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Light: If you have darkvision, don’t bother. If you don’t have darkvision, you need it.
(I listed this spell here because it pretty much “negates a severe de-buff bestowed upon you as a terrain feature”.)
Weaken Enemies
Frostbite (EE): Described in “Blasting”. Not bad, but not top-priority either.
Field Control
Booming Blade (SCAG): You could consider this Field Control in its own weird sort of way. Only affects one target but keeps him in place, unless he wants to take that extra damage.
Lightning Lure (SCAG): When there’s too much distance between an enemy and you, this clicks in and saves you from that problem. OR, you can actually use it to drag a friend and keep him away from an Area of Effect or help him disengage (it’s possible for you to move the target just 5 feet, so that he doesn’t take the Xd8 damage).
Create Bonfire (EE, Concentration): The damage doesn’t matter. What matters is that Quickening this makes Pyrotechnics an AoE version of Blindness. If you’re scheduled to take Pyrotechnics, or if you find yourself in a narrow 5-feet corridor and all the enemies are coming at you from the other side of said corridor, this can be good. Otherwise, eh, don’t take this.
Out-of-Combat
Minor Illusion: Your imagination is the only limit to the countless uses of this spell, be it luring enemies into a trap or a different direction, hiding more effectively, scaring enemies away from something you don’t wanna have them touch, making them believe you’re a nice guy or someone with great authority, ambushing them, capturing them, etc, etc, etc... It’s not the sort of versatility a Cantrip can have. If multiple characters in the group can use this, they can be combined together to create even more “believable” situations.
Friends (Conc): Target gets angry at you after the spell ends. Depending on the DM’s rulings, if you’re disguised as someone else when you cast this, the target might get angry at the guy who you were disguised as. In which case, this is Sky Blue no-questions-asked for Changeling DEX builds, and Blue for those who have Disguise Kit proficiency. I imagine most DMs will rule that using the Disguise Kit looks at CHA, and being both a Paladin and a Sorcerer, you’re quite an attractive fellow.
Mending: CRAZY DIAMOND!!
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DORARARARARARARARARARA!!!
(Image Copyright Hirohiko Araki)
Well, that aside, it’s a situational but occasionally extremely useful ability. It can greatly help you in certain situations, especially in city campaigns.
Message: Depending on the campaign this becomes Blue or possibly even Sky Blue, especially when you want to communicate to your friends without having other people overhear what you wanna tell them.
Shape Water (EE): There’s a whole thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481560-Creative-Cantrips-Shape-Water) dedicated to this cantrip that makes you want to take it. DM dependent for some rulings, but certainly looks fun.
Control Flames (EE): Thematic for certain builds, and can occasionally come in handy when, say, you want to extinguish a fire, or play tricks with stupid or easily believing NPCs. It’s still very situational.
Mage Hand: Situational, and not top-priority.
Prestidigitation: Minor Illusion is obviously better when it comes to deceiving enemies, but at least this spell lets you clean all that goblin blood off your clothes with a single snap of your fingers.
Most level 1 spells are underpowered (and they should be). Especially, Level 1 Blasting spells. They’re generally sub-optimal at best because of their low damage that can be easily surpassed by a well-placed GFB or BB. The AoEs’ areas are small and their rider effects, if any, are not that appetizing either.
But that goes for almost all level 1 spells in general. Since the number of Spells Known you can have are limited, you will probably not have a large number of level 1 spells known at mid-to-high levels. Most of the time you will be using Shield and not much anything else.
However, I will rate the other options anyway, to give ideas on how to use them.
Blasting
Burning Hands: Starts off nice due to its range (large for a level 1 AoE I guess) but quickly gets bad, especially for Birthblades which have another good damaging option (simply attacking with your sword doesn’t cost you any resources, and if multiple enemies are standing together, GFB can burn two of them at once).
Magic Missile: I honestly am not a big fan of this spell from the start, and it’s even less so with Birthblade builds. Being guaranteed to hit is a good thing, but the damage is simply abysmal and it’s often better to just attack with your sword. However, if your DM constantly shows the players how much HP the monsters have remaining, this might become better. Another way to utilize this is to use against enemy Casters to make them automatically make three Concentration-maintaining saving throws, most likely ending in a failure. In which case this works sorta like Dispel magic.
It’s not a really amazing spell, especially for you, but it still does have its uses.
Thunderwave: The damage is meh, but it allows you to blast a good number of enemies away. This is something normal attacks cannot do, and having a spell-exclusive rider is a good thing. However, Warlocks can do similar stuff with Repelling Blast, so you might as well leave this job to them and just use your level 1 slots for Shield.
Ice Knife (EE): Look, the general rule here that I’m trying to explain here is that you should try to keep away from damaging spells that don’t have insanely large areas of effect. They generally aren’t worth belonging in Spells Known.
Chromatic Orb: Just attack with your friggin’ sword you coward, why are you even holding it in your hand in the first place. These sorts of spells that can “have their effects be achieved by non-magical means” should be kept away from, especially for a master swordsman like you. You’re delving into magic to find new possibilities, and getting to deal damage to a singular target is not a new possibility.
The same can be said for Catapult. I just supposed I should note these here because these sorts of spells are often rated good for Sorcerers in their guides. These spells may be good for Sorcerers, but not for you.
Self Protection
Shield: Become invincible for a round at the laughably low cost of a reaction and one level 1 spell slot. There is no excuse to not taking this spell.
Mage Armor: Most characters don’t need it (including DEX builds, since most have Draconic Resilience). If you’re a non-Draconic Bloodline DEX build, sure, take it.
False Life: Just pointing out you have no reason to take this, since you have Cure Wounds as a spell of the same level.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
N/A
Weaken Enemies
Sleep: As often said, it’s devastating at low levels, making enemies unconscious without a save, but it quickly starts to suck from around level 5 and higher. This is because the inflation of the enemy monsters’ general HP is extremely high-paced, especially at low levels, and the HP limitation of Sleep quickly becomes too small for the monsters to fit into.
The same can be said for Color Spray.
Field Control
Fog Cloud (Concentration): Everyone in a certain area gets Blinded (wind may move around the cloud). It’s similar to Darkness, except you can’t see through it with Devil’s Sight or Eyes of the Dark.
The really weird thing about being Blinded is that when two creatures within darkness or heavy fog are both Blinded, both gain advantage on attack against each other, but at the same time both bestow advantage on attacks against themselves, meaning that both sides will make attack rolls as normal (by RAW, due to advantage/disadvantage not stacking, it does nullify any other advantages and disadvantages, though). Thus this isn’t as much of a “defensive option” as one may hope.
Then what is it good for?
There are two main things here. The first is that opportunity attacks can only be done against targets you can see, meaning that within the area of Fog Cloud, no one can make opportunity attacks (unless they have Blindsight or something). Within the area of Fog Cloud, you, and everyone (including your enemies) can freely move around without caring about opportunity attacks, making the combat situation a lot different than it normally is.
Combining this with Booming Blade is a pretty damn nice combo. Jump into the fog, hit an enemy, and retreat without provoking OAs. If the enemy wants to move and chase you, he must take the extra damage.
The second thing is that 99% of target spells cannot target people the Caster cannot see, meaning that using Fog Cloud on an enemy Caster basically renders him useless. HOWEVER, if cast using a level 1 slot, the Caster is free to escape the area of Fog Cloud on his next turn, and no one can stop him from doing that (because he doesn’t provoke OAs either). Upcasting can make the radius 40 feet (at level 2), or perhaps larger, in which case the Caster cannot move out of the obscured range, and for a turn, cannot use some of his spells (he can still use attack roll spells and AoE spells. However, some DMs, including I, will rule that he will be confused and that if he wishes to use an AoE spell, he will hurl it in a random direction).
Or, simply use it when your parts wants to hide.
Fog Cloud is the only Field Control spell of the “field-affecting type” (Wall of Fire, Evard’s Black Tentacles etc.) you get at this level, and it’s not a bad option to use. However, once you go to higher levels, chances are you will want to swap this out due to the limited number of Spells Known (even if you originally chose it).
Be aware that this ability completely kills the party Rogue since it makes using Sneak Attack impossible.
Thunderwave: Detailed in “Blasting”. Not bad, and can move people around, but not that amazing.
Out-of-Combat
Charm Person: For all your role-playing needs. It’s pretty much limited to outside combat, but you get to be able to make an enemy a friend with just a single WIS save. Wonderful in infiltration and various other situations.
Disguise Self: I think getting proficiency in the Disguise Kit is a generally better option (by RAW Disguise Self has a lot of limits on what you can become, and most importantly it’ll be difficult to impersonate other people). Either way, combine with Friends for maximum effect.
Silent Image (Concentration): Minor Illusion’s older brother, which is a good thing. It uses a slot, which is a bad thing. If you want to be that good at illusions, just take Warlock 2 or 3 for the Misty Visions invocation. This isn’t what you use Sorcerer Spells Known for.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Now we’re talking. Level 2 introduces a lot of spells that slowly start to draw out the outline of the Birthblade build - from the defensive spells like Mirror Image, to the major debuffs like Hold Person, and the field controllers like Web. Suggestion and Phantasmal Force are dazzling both in and out of combat, and are sure to affect your party’s approach to the problems they face.
The damaging spells are yet to be worth taking, though. We will need to bide our time till level 3 for that.
Blasting
Shatter: Best AoE damage spell for this level. Not that that’s really something to boast about, given how the others really, really suck. Another level and you get Fireball, from which is where the Blasting spells finally get a rating of over Blue... Actually, Fireball suddenly gets it to Sky Blue, but that’s that.
Looking at the stuff unique to this spell, Shatter one can destroy nonmagical objects within the area as well. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on the situation, but you might be able to be creative with it.
Scorching Ray: As always, simple damage can be replaced by the SCAG cantrips for you. Depending on how your DM rules Elemental Affinity, it might become “add CHA mod” or “add CHA mod x3”. Creators seem to have intended the former, which sucks hard, but even with the latter, not an ideal option for Birthblades.
The reason why I’m posting these here is because I really want to emphasize that being a Birthblade, you should not take these. Many spells that are good for pure Casters become terribad for gish builds.
Self Protection
Mirror Image: The fact this doesn’t require concentration is either a misprint or a result of a troll lurking in the writers of WotC. It’s really damn useful, and you should put it to your advantage.
Misty Step: I listed it in here because it can get you out of dire situations and help you slink back into the backrow when you desperately need it, but it also can be used for various other purposes. The fact it’s a Bonus Action is what really makes it shine.
Blur (Concentration): Pretty good defensive spell for this level. If it didn’t require concentration it would’ve been insanely powerful. But there’s absolutely no way there’s a level 2 spell that buffs your defenses by a ton and doesn’t require concentration, right? I mean, if such thing existed it would be really powerful, so you should take it, but...owait.
(Starts to becomes redundant after you hit Sorcerer 7 and gain Greater Invisibility.)
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Misty Step: Technically not a buff, but it increases your combat versatility by using for purposes such as “disengage” and “dash”. Think of it sorta like Cunning Action. For both offensive and defensive purposes, this spell is solid and good.
Invisibility (Concentration): Best used on an Assassin (if your party includes one, this becomes Sky Blue). It can also be useful in RP situations, but in combat, it’s a bit of a pain how the effect ends so easily. You better use it on someone who isn’t wearing heavy armor, meaning that unless you’re a DEX build you should cast it on someone else.
Levitate (Concentration): Poor man’s Fly. Does allow someone to engage in melee with flying monsters to lock them down with OAs, but generally, the thing to say is “just friggin’ use Fly”.
Enlarge/Reduce (Concentration): Basically allows anyone to be good with grappling and also inflicts a bit of extra damage. It’s probably not the best way to use your precious Concentration, though.
Weaken Enemies
Hold Person (Concentration): Quickening and proceeding to Crit-Smite the hell out of the poor humanoid is almost sure to kill the guy on the spot. Even if he doesn’t die there, chances are he will die within the round. A truly devastating spell, and while it doesn’t work on all enemies, you should still have it due to its hilarious synergy with Divine Smite.
Suggestion (Concentration): With a bit of creativity, you can subdue not one, but multiple enemies with this spell, or perhaps even end the encounter with the enemies fleeing and running for their lives. Since this spell heavily relies on DM discretion, you should ask your DM beforehand about his definition of a “suggestion that sounds reasonable”, and make sure everyone in the party is okay with what you do before using it.
This spell is also listed in “Out-of-Combat”, since it’s extremely versatile.
Phantasmal Force (Concentration): Taking one monster out of the fight (be it freeze on the spot or run away for dear life) is easy with this spell, but with the right situation and the right imagination you can make the enemy pretty much kill himself, or even make him go on your side, acting like Dominate Monster. An excellent spell, and even if the enemy is dubious, he must use an action (or several actions if he’s unlucky or stupid) to realize the illusion is a fake.
Pyrotechnics (EE): Use together with Create Bonfire (perhaps Quickened) for maximum versatility. Used as a Debuff spell, it’s like Blindness/Deafness, except it is an AoE (which is a seriously good thing). Do keep in mind that Pyrotechnics can blind the targets for only 1 turn, opposed to how Blindness/Deafness persists till the guy succeeds on his save.
This spell can also be used as a Field Control spell that resembles Fog Cloud, except without requiring concentration. It’s also extremely thematic for Fire Draconic Sorcerers.
Levitate (Concentration): This is rated Purple for when helping friends and for using outside combat, but when used on enemies, it’s possible to make this like a really poor man’s Banishment, albeit restricted to monsters with only melee attacks, by sending him floating into the air where he can harm nobody. Not that it will come up very often, especially with it requiring concentration, but being able to pepper him with arrows while he’s raging and screaming, suspended mid-air, might be a nice thing to have. The problem is that you probably don’t have the Spells Known capacity.
Maximillian's Earthen Grasp (EE, Concentration): STR saves may be resisted by large foes, but being Restrained is a pretty nasty condition. The fact it requires concentration makes it a mediocre choice at best, optimization-wise, but it’s not like it’s bad, so if you think it’s thematic I guess you can take it.
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/145/804/3c1.gif
^ Example of someone with this spell being thematic. MY BRAIN TREMBLES!! ^
(Image Copyright Tappei Nagatsuki)
Blindness/Deafness: It’s a debuff that doesn’t require concentration (that’s a rare thing), but it’s a CON save (commonly resisted, especially by the powerful, burly bosses that you really wanna Blind), the target re-rolls it every turn, and while the Blinded condition is indeed crippling, there are worse. You can Twin it if you want, but if you want to affect multiple enemies at a time, Pyrotechnics is another option.
It is really thematic for an Evil or Chaotic Neutral character though.
Field Control
Darkness (Concentration): If you’re a Shadow Sorcerer, this becomes Gold - though it’s only when you cast it using Eyes of the Dark, and casting it with a level 2 slot is unthinkable. Together with Eyes of the Dark, you can completely lock down an enemy Caster.
For other people, Darkness is generally a variation of Fog Cloud. This one has a smaller area, but it can be moved around the battlefield (although depending on the target from which the darkness originates, enemies can move it around as well).
Web (Concentration): Crowd control is a good thing, and it becomes astonishing when combined with Careful Spell. If you don’t have Careful Spell, this becomes a bit less attractive, but if you do, you must take it.
Pyrotechnics (EE): Use together with Create Bonfire (perhaps Quickened) for maximum versatility. Used as a Field Control spell, it’s like Fog Cloud, except it doesn’t require concentration (which is a seriously good thing).
This spell can also be used as an AoE debuff spell that makes Blindness/Deafness cry his eyes out and go blind. It’s also extremely thematic for Fire Draconic Sorcerers.
Cloud of Daggers (Concentration): Requires concentration and is far too easy to avoid. It should be noted, however, that its damage requires no save, meaning it’s sorta like Magic Missile in how it inflicts damage no matter what. The image created by this spell is rather nice.
http://38.media.tumblr.com/cfa9f535ffb0a238926f0ef1ba5c395b/tumblr_mfpbsxhzc41ra3f3yo1_r1_500.gif
^ If you’re a vampire with Time Stop, this spell becomes Gold. ^
(Image Copyright Hirohiko Araki)
Out-of-Combat
Suggestion (Concentration): Also listed in “Weaken Enemies”. Used right, this can alter the course of an entire campaign. Be it gaining loads of wealth or accelerating the downfall of the evil aristocrat, this spell has the power to do it on its own. Since this spell heavily relies on DM discretion, you should ask your DM beforehand about his definition of a “suggestion that sounds reasonable”, and make sure everyone in the party is okay with what you do before using it.
Phantasmal Force (Concentration): Use in RP moments with the right set-up and imagination, and you almost automatically get an NPC on your side, or alternatively, force him into getting a mental breakdown. Use Heightened Spell to make sure the enemy doesn’t realize he’s being tricked.
Invisibility (Concentration): Also listed in “Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)”. You better use it on someone who isn’t wearing heavy armor, meaning that unless you’re a DEX build you should cast it on someone else.
Alter Self (Concentration): Allowing yourself to breath underwater is really pointless when the rest of your party can’t, and the Natural Weapons aren’t that attractive either. The way this effect is written I think you can impersonate as other people as well, but I’d just use the Disguise Kit if I wanted to make such a character.
Enhance Ability (Concentration): Advantage on checks. Generally better to just be a Bard and inspire your friends.
Knock: Can become Blue depending on the campaign, but regardless of whether the campaign needs it or not, the Wizard does it better. Just politely ask him to prepare it, wait till next morning, and it’s job done.
Levitate (Concentration): Wanna retrieve that item hanging 50 feet above you? Yeah, well, ask the Wizard. You don’t get that many Spells Known.
This is the level where warriors get Extra Attack and their DPR becomes doubled. Meanwhile, Casters get access to the grand collection of these uber-powerful spells that already start making you look godly.
This is the level at which the classic Fireball finally, comes storming into the battlefield, roasting an entire horde of goblins and calling it a day. This is the level at which you start to fly through the air, hypnotize an entire encounter, get to say “NO” to the enemy caster and waste his turn, and get to do a bunch of other awesome stuff.
There are not as many broad options as the level 2 spells, though. The real goodies come online at level 4.
Blasting
Fireball: THIS is from where the damaging spells actually get into the level that it’s impossible to mimic with just normal attacks and cantrips (which means you now have better versatility). The damage itself is just “good” for a character of this level, but Fireball’s insanely large area of effect means it can incinerate an entire horde on its own (low-CR monsters like Goblins and Kobolds may die even if they succeed on the save). There’s almost no excuse to not taking this spell, more so if you have Elemental Affinity.
HOWEVER, you may also note that having just 1 AoE is not enough in certain cases. Fireball specifically states in the text that any flammable objects within range start to burn, and this means that, say, if you’re fighting in a forest or in a town with a lot of wooden buildings, depending on the judgments of the DM (the pace at which the fire spreads etc.), this spell can potentially kill yourself as well. This does not necessarily mean you need over 2 damaging AoEs - rather, you should take at least 1 “non-damaging but crippling AoE with a large area”, like Hypnotic Pattern, and make sure that even if you face a horde in a place where hurling a Fireball may damage the environment too much, you have means of counter-measure.
Lightning Bolt: It’s a bit difficult to get over 3 monsters into the area, unlike Fireball (in which case it’s actually harder to not get over 3 monsters into the area). The damage is the same, and contrary to popular belief, Lightning damage is just as commonly resisted as Fire damage (though more enemies are immune to Fire). Overall, not worth taking.
Melf's Minute Meteors (EE, Concentration): Does same damage as Fireball over the course of two turns, becomes better with three. However, the area is depressingly small (“any creatures within 5 feet of the point”), and it allows the low-HP enemies to take more turns before they’re burned to death. It’s not bad, but generally not good enough to belong in your readied list either.
Erupting Earth (EE): While magical bludgeoning damage is never resisted, the average damage of this spell is 18.5, whereas Fireball is 28 (14 even if resisted), meaning that the merit gained when used on a monster with fire resistance is only 4.5 - not something that makes this worth taking, especially when its area is considerably smaller than Fireball. The only situation in which you should take this is when all your opponents are immune to fire, but even then, Lightning Bolt exists if you want.
The part about turning the area into difficult terrain is... Not bad, I guess, and it might be useful in certain situations, but most of the time, not worth throwing this into Spells Known.
Self Protection
Protection from Energy: This is not your job. At least you can Twin it, but really, this is not your job.
Buffing Friends (and/or Yourself)
Fly (Concentration): Not only do you get to move at double the speed, you can also fly over traps, cripple earthbound enemies by raining death from above, get into melee range of flying enemies, and even upcast it to affect multiple friends as well. Always beware of losing concentration and falling to your death.
Haste (Concentration): Twin for maximum effect. Be careful when using it, however, since once you’ve chosen to cast it, you cannot cast other Concentration spells for the remainder of the fight.
This blue rating assumes you already have War Caster or Resilient (CON) as well as Aura of Protection by the time you’ve took it, and if you do not, this becomes a trap option.
Flame Arrows (EE, Concentration): On first glance it’s like giving your friend archer Hex. Then you realize it becomes double the Hex when you combine it with Elemental Affinity for an additional 1d6 + CHA mod damage per hit. If your DM permits it and there’s two archers in your party, it becomes quadruple the Hex when you combine it with Twinned Spell (by RAW, Twinned Spell only works on spells that target “creatures”, not “objects”). It’s normally not worth taking, but if there’s at least two archers in your party, you’re a Fire Draconic Sorcerer, and you have Twinned Spell, it’s good. The problem is that you might as well leave someone else in the party to do that job for you, since your concentration is precious indeed.
Weaken Enemies
Hypnotic Pattern (Concentration): Massive range, save-or-suck. If the still-awake enemies waste their turns shaking their friends awake, just smash their heads while they waste their precious actions. It’s a nice option for when your enemies are pretty tough, or when you don’t want to burn everything around you. If you took the Careful Spell Metamagic option, this spell becomes mandatory.
Counterspell: If multiple characters in your party already have this, you might want to skip this and go for more versatility instead, leaving that job to your friends (unless your DM has a habit of throwing in lots of Casters). Remember that you have a lot of good uses for your reaction, like opportunity Booming Blade or Shield.
However, this spell can cripple encounters on its own, and every party should have at least 1 or 2 characters who can use it.
Fear (Concentration): This spell is quite interesting and powerful. Any creature who fails his WIS save drops whatever weapon he is holding and then proceeds to run away as fast as possible using his action. And he cannot repeat the save until he can’t see you anymore. This means that:
Monsters who rely on weapons to attack are completely disarmed and rendered powerless (someone in your party can pick up the discarded weapon and put it into his bag or something)
The affected monsters waste their actions doing nothing harmful for your team
The affected monsters provoke opportunity attacks from you and your friends
If the fight is in a place without any ways to hide from you, the target cannot do anything until he hits a wall, and even after he does, he had disadvantage on all his attacks (and in many cases, he can only make futile fist attacks)The only downside is that its range is a cone, and that it doesn’t work on Constructs and some other big monsters.
Combine with War Caster + Booming Blade for massive guaranteed damage. If you really want to kill somebody for running away, also use your bonus action that turn for Quickened Spell + Booming Blade, and inflict him twice the damage (this should be done after Fear goes off successfully, since otherwise you might sorta waste the Booming Blade if the enemy succeeds on the WIS save).
However, be aware that this spell may be anti-synergetic with the fact you’re mostly gonna fight in melee. If your enemies dash away, you cannot catch up to them unless you want to spend your actions Dashing as well. This goes for your friends too. Barbarians, for instance, may get angry at you for using this spell because he has no enemies he can attack near him, and his Rage ended earlier than originally assumed.
Dispel Magic: It’s costly, requiring an action and a level 3 slot, but solid and good when you need it. DMs like I often introduce battlefields where the enemies have already set up magical traps (the ground in front of the enemy frontline is the area of Evard’s Black Tentacles etc.), so if your DM is one of those people, this becomes Sky Blue.
Stinking Cloud (Concentration): The Blue Rating assumes you took the Careful Spell Metamagic option. If you didn’t, then this is Purple.
Bestowing disadvantage on your opponent’s attacks is one thing. Getting to waste the actions of your opponents is another. It’s truly hilarious when paired with Careful Spell, the only downside being that CON saves are often resisted by bulky foes.
Field Control
Stinking Cloud (Concentration): Detailed in “Weaken Enemies”.
Sleet Storm: Huge area, lots of debuffs. Can be Careful Spelled, but ehhh.... I’d just go for Web or Stinking Cloud.
Out-of-Combat
Daylight: One of those spells that are mostly useless, but extremely useful in the right situation (such as when you’re fighting a vampire). Interestingly, Wizards do not have access to this spell,but Druids do, so just leave it to them if you need it.
Major Image (Concentration): You can learn only a limited number of spells. If you want to be an illusionist just go Wizard or Warlock. Or use Phantasmal Force.