what are the best sorcerer Conjuration/Transmutation spells [Archive]

T.G. Oskar

2016-04-06, 06:33 PM

Well, mostly going from the PHB:
1st level:

Enlarge Person (Trans): Makes you bigger...which implies an increase to Strength, base weapon damage AND reach, at the cost of some AC. Also good if you're planning to Trip for some reason.
Grease (Conj.): A pretty flexible spell. Early on, it's pretty hard to resist, since while the first Reflex save might be surpassed with ease, the Balance save doesn't. Later on, it can be used to aid on disarming locks or disarming an enemy's weapon.
Mage Armor (Conj.): Early on, it's good, but you should replace it afterwards, most likely after getitng a good suit of armor that lets you cast freely.

2nd level:
Alter Self (Trans.): Depending on how well you know your Monster Manual/other books, you can get lots of forms with specific qualities, which can grant you a hefty bonus to (natural) AC, or flight, or a natural attack for your attack routine.
Web (Conj.): Against most physical opponents, this is a superb counter - requires surpassing a Reflex save, and even if they pass it, they're still hindered in terms of movement.
Pyrotechnics (Trans.): A 2-in-1 spell; as a Sorcerer, you want spells that are flexible in most regards, and this offers the blindness effect of Glitterdust or a cloud effect that penalizes Strength and Dexterity, no save. Think about it as a small Fog Cloud, a Glitterdust without the revealing effect, and an AoE Ray of Enfeeblement tacked in one.
(Melf's) Acid Arrow (Conj.): Attack spells aren't great, but this one has a lot more uses - it's Conjuration so it no Spell Resistance, it's acid damage which is rarely resisted, and you can use it to destroy some locks eventually (without the need of Knock!) The extra hits make it damage over time, so you just fire it and get more damage if it suddenly becomes a battle of attrition.

3rd level:
Haste (Trans.): Classic spell, provides a lot of buffs, but specifically that extra attack. Plus, it's an AoE buff, so your allies will benefit as well.
Greater Magic Weapon (Trans.): Slap it on your weapon, and have it become a +5 weapon for almost an entire day. I'd put it on a staff, though, because it's one of those spells you plan to use once, rather than constantly.
Blink (Trans.): Better miss chance than Blur, similar to Displacement, but since it's because you become ethereal, True Seeing doesn't help (a Ghost Touch weapon, though...) Useful when fighting incorporeal creatures, and turns you invisible as well.
Fly (Trans.): Lasts for a short while, but it nets you the ability to fly. Simple.
Stinking Cloud (Conj.): This is your weapon against casters, mostly, since immunity to being nauseated is pretty rare, and Fortitude saves are the caster's weakest saves (at least the arcane ones).

4th level:
(Evard's) Black Tentacles (Conj.): This is if you have a superb ranged weapon, since very few things will be able to escape it, and even if they do, they're still taking bludgeoning damage.
Polymorph (Trans.): As Alter Self, except you get to become monsters now. Like a 12-headed Hydra, for example.

5th level:
Overland Flight (Trans.): The better version of Fly...IF you plan for overland travel, that is. Slightly worse flight capabilities, but lasts for far longer, so it should go on the same staff as Greater Magic Weapon.
Telekinesis (Trans.): It's useful for more than just combat (Sustained Force), and it lets you use combat maneuvers with little trouble (Combat Maneuver). Have it for utility more than anything else.

6th level:
Acid Fog (Conj.): Combine the effectiveness in terms of Battlefield Control of Solid Fog with the damage over time of (Melf's) Acid Arrow, and you can see why this is a good choice. Slap a Web or (Evard's Black Tentacles) on it, and observe how they can't move at all. Preferably the latter before the former (because of line of sight/line of effect, mostly).
Disintegrate (Trans.): The damage is nice, but you're getting it for its utility. Create doors from just about any wall, for example. Or destroy a trap someone has found for you.

7th level:
Ethereal Jaunt (Trans.): Essentially Blink, but you can control it. Same invisibility, same miss chance, add phasing while at it. You'll need a Ghost Touch weapon with it, but Alchemical Capsules are relatively cheap alternatives.

8th level:
Incendiary Cloud (Conj.): Same as Acid Fog, more damage, but easier to resist. If you get a Metamagic Rod of Energy Substitution (preferably Acid), you can make superb use out of it, as it's basically twice as strong as Acid Fog, sacrificing slowness with the ability to move the cloud itself. Otherwise, skip it.
Iron Body (Trans.): You get bonuses to Strength, a plethora of immunities and resistances, but your spellcasting ability becomes extremely limited...except that by the moment you cast it, you probably cast almost all of your other spells and are engaging in combat, so might as well get all those immunities running.
Polymorph Any Object (Trans.): Polymorph's big brother, and it can actually be used to replicate that spell (and Baleful Polymorph, and Flesh to Stone, and Transmute Mud/Rock to Rock/Mud; it's like having 9 spells in one).

9th level:
Shapechange (Trans.): As Polymorph, but even better.
Time Stop (Trans.): This is what you'll use to open the battle, get buffed, then go ahead and fight the heck out of anybody.

As for Amesang's suggestions which I didn't cover - Greater Mage Armor becomes somewhat redundant once you have a decent armor with armor properties; Teleport and Greater Teleport are very nice, but not exactly practical in battle (they're better for when you're moving around); Baleful Polymorph is too specific for a Sorcerer to have; Plane Shift and Greater Plane Shift are better for someone intending to transport people, but it's a reasonable way to replace Etherealness (you take everybody to the Ethereal Plane, but still on the dungeon, and then you just Plane Shift back). For DrMartin's suggestions: Heroics is incredibly flexible in terms of your combat skills, Greater Blink allows you to have better control over your blinking, the Heart of Air/Earth/Fire/Water series eventually gives you certain immunities but can end up being pretty costly in terms of spell slots; Ruin Delver's Fortune is a nice panic button (one of its abilities is granting Evasion, for example), and IIRC Dragonsight is a long-lasting blindsense, which is good against invisible creatures, plus superior (but non-magical) darkvision and low-light vision on top which works for just about anybody. And as for Shadow Conjuration...well, it fits the Sorcerer bill, but other than Major Creation for shadow poisons, not as much.

You should also consider getting the Celerity (PHB II) line of spells, preferably with a way to avoid being dazed; that way, you can turn your spell slots into extra actions (eventually into full-round actions)