New AL Sorcerer: Debuff based

[Naanomi]

Summer is starting for me (I'm a teacher) which means I have a lot more time to try and catch some AL games here and there. I have a few AL characters but nothing back at the 'level 1' tier, so I'm going to write something up new. I am thinking a sorcerer (my last AL sorcerer got to mid-high level then died fighting an elemental prince), but I am wanting to go a different direction with this one... I want to be focused primarily on debuffing opponents.

Mechanical design goals:
-Have lots of debuff options available, at least one at every casting level (besides level 1, there just are no good options). I understand this puts me with a lot of 'concentration' reliance; but I should start every fight with a good debuff
-Utilize saving throws exclusively instead of attack rolls, I want to roll dice as little as possible

I still have a few holes in my plan, so look and see if anything doesn't fit or if you see better options... this was all thrown together pretty quick.

Character Fluff:
Background Story:
Meeya's earliest clear memory is of being sold. She vaguely remembers being sold and traded before, of many masters, chains exchanging hands, of being owned by horrible unspeakably cruel things. She never had a memory of not being owned by another, no sense of ever having been anything other than a slave. Being sold to the deuregar by her forgotten masters was in many ways a positive step, the pains of manual labor were at least less arbitrary. Even being captured by hobgoblin raiders and being resold to work as a drow house-slave was better than her vague childhood memories.

However, when the drow house who owned her suffered from the politics of their people, she was traded to the illithid with the other slaves of the house; and some of the creeping horrors of her youth returned. However her life as chattel for the mindflayers was not long lived. Another slave, an old woman of a people she didn't know who spoke a tongue she didn't recognize chose to shelter Meeya, keep her from the attention of her new alien masters for her own purposes. This 'friend' kept her fed, and for reasons of her own insisted on slowly tattooing Meeya from head to toe in unrecognizable writing; something she thought was strange but well worth the price for some kindness and protection.

When the tattoos were completed, something changed. The memories of what happened are unclear, but Meeya remembers leading the slaves to escape the pens, of striking down her masters, and then of falling unconscious once they had all fallen. When she awoke, she was on the surface and alone; blinded by a sun she had never seen before. Still little more than a child, she was found by a hunter and taken to a nearby town. When her magic became apparent, she was largely shunned; but when a local criminal gang attempted to 'take her in' to exploit her magic, she struck back and attracted the notice of a traveling harper. She traveled with him for a time, before striking off on her own to see more of the world and make the most of the freedom she has never known before.

Appearance:
Meeya is a human female, pale from a life lived away from the sun and thin from a childhood of malnourishment; but despite this she has been described as vaguely 'pretty', especially her striking pale-grey eyes. Her just-past shoulder length almost blue-black straight hair is generally in her face, though is sometimes pulled back into a simple knot if it is getting bothersome. Although clearly human, she isn't exactly a fit for any of the known Faerunian ethnicities; a trait accentuated by her unusual, equally difficult to place accent. She is often seen wearing a vaguely distant expression with her head down and with little movement, well honed from a lifetime of being unobtrusive as a survival mechanism, though when her anger is evoked her countenance shifts suddenly and extensively to a malice filled gaze and sneer with an almost manic demeanor. Height: 5'2'', Weight: 122 lbs

Meeya's skin is covered in line after line of intricate tattooed writing, all the deepest black and varying in size between about one cm and one inch in height. The writing is unknown even to the greatest of scholars, and attempts to translate it magically have failed as well. While rarely doing so while observed, the writing shifts and changes, never exactly the same in size or pattern. It tends to cover most of her limbs and torso, though almost never covers her face or hands (though it is anything if not unpredictable) and has never completely disappeared to the best of her knowledge.

Meeya prefers simple clothing that covers as much of her body as possible without drawing attention to herself. She generally wears drab traveler's clothes including a long cloak with a deep hood, and almost always wears gloves on her hands and scarf around her face. In general she prefers to avoid 'feminine' clothing such as dresses, skirts, and impractical footwear.

Ideal: I was given the gift to annihilate those who would chain others, I will not waste that gift that was given to me
Bond: I know too well the cost of innocence lost, so will do anything to prevent any child from suffering
Flaw: I will never be bound to another, I would rather flee or die fighting than risk being under someone else's power again
Starting Stats:

Race: Variant Human
Background: Customized 'Inheritor'
Class: Sorcerer 1
Alignment: Chaotic Good (leaning Chaotic Neutral)

Strength: 8
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 16

Skills:
Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Acrobatics, Stealth
Thief Tools
Common, Undercommon, Deepspeech

Sorcerous Origin: Wild Magic

Cantrips: Frostbite, Acid Splash, Light, Mage Hand
Spells: Mage Armor, Magic Missile

Feats: Alert

Faction: Harpers

Starting Equipment: (sold a lot at half price according to AL rules to buy other stuff)
Daggers X2
Component Pouch
Thief Tools
Traveler's Clothes
Waterskin
Arcane Focus: Crystal
Pouch: 4 silver, 1 copper
Mule
Bit + Bridle
Pack Saddle
Saddle Bags
Rations: 10 Days
Feed: 10 Days
Mess Kit
Bedroll
Tinderbox
Inheritor Item: Tattoo with 'morphic' special trait

Level Up Plans:

Level 2: Spell: Shield
Level 3: Spell: Enlarge/Reduce; Metamagic: Twin Spell, Heighten Spell
Level 4: Spell: Misty Step; Cantrip: Thunderclap; ASI: +2 Charisma
Level 5: Spell: Slow
Level 6: Spell: Counterspell
Level 7: Spell: Polymorph
Level 8: Spell: Banishment; ASI: +2 Charisma
Level 9: Spell: Hold Monster
Level 10: Spell: Animate Objects; Cantrip: Poison Spray; Metamagic: Subtle Spell
Level 11: Spell: Disintegrate
Level 12: ASI: Warcaster
Level 13: Spell: Reverse Gravity
Level 15: Spell: Dominate Monster
Level 16: ASI: Lucky
Level 17: Spell: Wish; Metamagic: Extend Spell
Level 19: ASI: ??? +2 Dexterity ???

[TheUser]

You should definitely avoid heighten spell if you are a wildmage; the ability to bend luck at level 6 is already a much safer and cheaper way to crap on saves.

That having been said, you should also be rotating out low level spells as new levels become available (magic missile is pretty lack luster at higher levels even if you upcast it).

Careful will let you take on the "debuffer" role very easily with spells like hypnotic pattern and fear, or you can get empower and get a few damage spells in the mix (while your concentration effects are up).

Good luck and have fun sir

[Zene]

I like the concept! Regarding your spells: Remember that each level, in addition to any additional spell known you get, you can also swap out one old spell for a new one. Do since you're looking at concentration-based debuffs, if you thibk you won't be using certain old ones as you get new ones, don't be afraid to swap them out.

[Naanomi]

You should definitely avoid heighten spell if you are a wildmage; the ability to bend luck at level 6 is already a much safer and cheaper way to crap on saves.
Yeah but combining the two (expensive so not often but...) is a real 'you need to fail this save now' sort of setup

[King539]

Don't take extend spell. Just don't. It's utterly worthless.

[Corran]

I would keep heightened. Aside that it can be used together with bend luck, heightened is actually ''better value for money'', or at least it will be so in the majority of cases (comparing benefit to cost of sp). Moreover, heightened does not have to use your reaction, as bend luck does (or so I seem to remember, AFB atm).

I would throw away twinned. Not only because twinned debuffs are rarely worth it (cant think of an exception, I am sure there must be one, but yeah, generally twinning debuffs is not worth it), but also because it competes with better, yet as costly use of your metamagic (I sat better, because you wont be going with twinned buffing). I would pick careful in its stead, assuming you include some AoE debuffs.

I would strongly advice cutting down on concentration options, and picking up some more concentration-free spells, like for example, mirror image.

[PeteNutButter]

Cool idea overall. A few notes:

Exclusively buffing/debuffing in 5e is generally not feasible due to the concentration mechanics. You'll end up cantriping most rounds (rolling attack dice) as you are already concentrating on something.

I'd recommend Blindness/Deafness for a level two spell as it is actually NOT concentration. Sucky thing though is it is a con save.

If it's an AL character without a consistent DM, be wary of playing wild magic sorcerer, as it is so DM dependent and results will vary.

Overall should be fun.

[Naanomi]

All my cantrips are 'save' cantrips, no attack rolls...

Blindness is no concentration? Wow I missed that... goodbye Enlarge/Reduce!

I like twin for debuffs actually... heighten for people who may save, twin for people who probably won't. Nothing like a twinned Dominate Monster to turn an encounter around

[Lombra]

I feel like twin heightened careful and subtle will likely fill all your needs, a wizard in my party is playing like a disabler/debuffer and is pretty much the mvp, so go ahead and focus on these things without any worries!

Enlarge/reduce is very cool because it can serve both as a party buff and as an enemy debuff, I would always keep it in the pocket.

[solidork]

Levitate is an unconventional but potentially powerful CC effect against a melee enemy; they only get the initial save, and if they have little/no ranged attacks then you're in a pretty good position. You've got limited slots though, so I would definitely take Blindness/Deafness over it. It's a real shame that Sorcerers don't get Command.

[Naanomi]

Enlarge/reduce is very cool because it can serve both as a party buff and as an enemy debuff, I would always keep it in the pocket.
Twinned Enlarge/Reduce is fun because you can grow one person and shrink the other... always fun to make the colossal thing unexpectedly grappleable

[SharkForce]

early on, sleep is a very powerful crowd control spell. it loses its shine somewhat as you gain levels and tend to face enemies with more HP, though it can still clean up weakened targets well. in any event, as noted you can replace it for better things. alternately, fog cloud is like CC if used properly (for example, against a group of ranged enemies hanging far back, or to level the playing field if your party is in darkness that your enemies can see through). another possibility might be earth tremor, from the elemental evil supplement (which appears to be your +1 already as far as i can tell, based on the fact you chose a cantrip from it). it isn't amazing as a debuff, but it is a debuff.

looking at your spell list, most of the stuff you can twin (apart from enlarge/reduce, which you said you're getting rid of, and polymorph which you won't have until 4 levels later) are things you could just upcast to get multiple targets. considering how expensive twin is in sorcery points, i'm not sure that's worthwhile. i mean, it's worthwhile to twin polymorph (because polymorph is amazing when you first get it, though i'd exchange it for something else later), but i wouldn't take twin just for polymorph, i'd want more options. in any event, i'd replace polymorph eventually. at level 7, it is so good it's hard to argue for anything else, but as you gain levels, giant ape and t-rex forms don't keep up very well, and something like greater invisibility would be better.

blindness/deafness i find is... underwhelming. yeah, it's no concentration. it's also single target, and they get a new save every round. not ideal, imo. if you're looking for level 2 debuff spells that don't require concentration, you might consider pyrotechnics, another spell from elemental evil. it does require that there be a flame, but that isn't too hard to accomplish, and it can function as an AoE blind (1 round, but you'll probably blind for more total rounds than a single target blindness/deafness would and you get the benefit upfront as an added bonus) or a concentration-free small area fog cloud. you may wish to consider having a fire spell as setup (create bonfire could work, though the concentration requirement is less than ideal. of course, carrying a torch could also work, so there's that to consider).

for a crowd control/debuff oriented sorcerer, i really strongly recommend careful. i'm not sure if you've read many sorcerer guides, but i think most of them at this point must have figured out that any spell which does nothing on a successful save (like, say, web, or most crowd control spells in general) is completely safe to use on your own party with careful. which means your party can fight inside of a web spell, pass every single save, and force every single enemy that wants to melee them to come in as well. this also works with sleet storm (they'll still be blinded and terrain will be difficult, but they won't fall or risk losing concentration), grease (which for reasons i can't comprehend, sorcerers don't get, so scratch that), and stinking cloud, among others. note that it works on *every* save those people make, so seriously, just cast those spells and camp in them as needed/desired. as an added benefit, it would combine well with your thunderclap cantrip, which hits all creatures (not just enemies) nearby... but on a successful save does nothing ;) and it would also help with earth tremor, which i mentioned above for possible level 1 CC. it would also allow you to replace slow, which is not so much a bad spell as it is less good than other options, especially if you have careful spell.

heighten, i'm not personally a fan of. remember, it's only the first save for a single target. it can be worth it, but i'd at least consider pushing it back... you don't really have the spells to make it amazing at level 3 anyways. later on, when you have banishment, you at least have something to make it worth using, because banishment only offers one save anyways, so heighten works on *all* the saves that target will be making. not to mention, at level 3 heighten costs a huge amount of your available resources. at low levels especially, resources are super tight for any caster, and sorcerers are no exception.

poison spray is a fairly underwhelming cantrip. i'd consider replacing it. i personally am partial to mold earth, but YMMV.

i'm pretty sure there's no AL campaigns that would get you to level 19, or even close to it. in the unlikely event that it does happen, however, i would recommend the ASI goes to con.