playing a sorceress for the first time. looking for a prestige class

[shadowseve]

Ok, so I'm looking to see what some good prestige classes are. I'm kinda thinking either incantrix or archmage. Any thoughts on which is better? Btw. There are only two pcs in this campaign.

[Particle_Man]

Malconvoker can be fun, and Sorceress has Bluff as a class skill.


http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?528090-Mastering-the-Malconvoker

[Troacctid]

Of the two, incantatrix is better, but there are a lot of good sorcerer prestige classes. Do you have a particular goal in mind for the character, or are you just looking for "Sorcerer, but more-cerer"?

[shadowseve]

Of the two, incantatrix is better, but there are a lot of good sorcerer prestige classes. Do you have a particular goal in mind for the character, or are you just looking for "Sorcerer, but more-cerer"?

I have nothing really in mind. But I will need to be able to stand on my own from time to time. This is my first real delve into the class.

[Analytica]

Sand Shaper massively increases your known spells.

[Quertus]

I have nothing really in mind. But I will need to be able to stand on my own from time to time. This is my first real delve into the class.

The best way to stand in your own… is with allies. :smallwink: Leadership, summoning spells, undead, constructs - all the standard Minionmancy.

What is the other PC?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Do you already have a race picked out? What level are you starting at, and what level do you reasonably expect to reach?

If you're going to be solo sometimes, and even with only two PCs, more bodies means more actions and the best way to get another body on the battlefield is with Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a). Make it a war-trained Riding Dog, which gets trip, and say you or someone you know used Handle Animal to add the Warbeast template from MM2 to that. As long as you're not a Druid or Ranger you should also be able to get that Magebred from ECS.

Consider taking the feat Arcane Disciple for the Summoner domain to learn the Planar Ally spells, which allows you to take Thaumaturgist (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/thaumaturgist.htm). At 13th level (Thaumaturgist 5) you can use Planar Ally to get a Ghaele Eladrin (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ghaele.htm), and make it your planar cohort.

Another extremely strong prestige class, especially for defensive abilities in a small party or solo, is Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. That has a lot of overlapping prerequisites with Archmage, you could go Sorcerer (plus other PrCs) 9/ Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7/ Archmage 4 for the build.

You want as few actual Sorcerer levels as possible because it doesn't grant any class features, but don't lose any spellcaster levels. Good filler prestige classes include Paragnostic Apostle for only as many levels as what features you want to pick up, Mindbender 1 if you're not good aligned, Divine Oracle 2 or 4 (get the feat prerequisite from the Frog God's Fane in CS), Ruathar, even Sacred Exorcist which meets its own prerequisite with Dispel Evil so you can eventually replace Dismissal as a spell known.

For your race, there are a number of good choices. The Savage Progression Aasimar (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) which you're never required to spend a level to gain the rest of (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a) gets a Cha bonus. Wild Elf gets bow and sword proficiencies and no Con penalty, and can dip Seeker of the Misty Isle (using Ruathar to get Survival as a class skill). Illumian can use Naenhoon with Sacred Exorcist to persist two spells per day, among other benefits. You can't really go wrong with a Human, or a Silverbrow Human in Races of the Dragon. In any case see if you can add the Magic-Blooded template from Dragon 306 p64, which is +0 LA and adds some minor spell like abilities, low-light vision, and Wis -2, Cha +2, but you lose darkvision if you would have had it from your race. The Unseelie Fey template in Dragon Compendium is technically +0 LA but you can't be good aligned with it and it's way too good, but in a small party and especially solo it's easier for the DM to balance encounters against it.

[Vizzerdrix]

Sand Shaper massively increases your known spells.

Mage of the Arcane Order does it better.

[Analytica]

Mage of the Arcane Order does it better.

It's true it gives much wider scope (and sure, you can enter as a sorcerer through e.g. Arcane Preparation), but you are limited to half your caster level in total such spell levels per day whereas the Sand Shaper spells are just regular spells known, more or less doubling those you'd otherwise have, including various spells not on the Wiz/Sor list.

That said nothing stops you from taking both classes (esp. since you only need the one level of Sand Shaper). :)