Sorcerer Spell Selection - Plz help new player maximize color and fun

[RoyalTenenbaum]

Thank you in advance for any advice/tips! I've learned so much already from the many sorcerer guides circulating around the forums. I am new to D&D and feel a bit unprepared for the complexities of this class. I was looking forward to spells like sleep, suggestion, phantasmal force, and hypnotic pattern but we just started an undead-heavy campaign. Most everything we meet is immune to charm. I would appreciate your help picking spells that are thematic to the character / maximize party tactics / offer fun combat combos. I don't care as much about being optimized power-wise as long as the effects are fun and memorable. We use fantasy grounds and have access to PHB, EE, & XGtE options. I am about to be level 3 and pick metamagics.

Character Theme: Modeled after Wheel of Time Guild of Illuminators. Master of firework displays / great with alchemy. On a personal level, his science-y/chemist background makes him a denier of magic (pretty ridiculous behavior in D&D setting), creating an internal conflict wherein he tries not to use his innate magical gifts or at least obscure them by blaming explosive effects on his fireworks going off.

Party Members: 2 dwarven monks, 1 human fighter, 1 dragonborn cleric

Megamatic considerations:

Subtle: This seems very on-theme for the character. He wants to hide the fact that he is a magic user. Practically, I don't see how it's that beneficial in this undead-heavy campaign where the charm-type spells are ineffective.
Twinned: The first thought here is to grab Enlarge/Reduce and enlarge both monks to beef up all their unarmed strikes.
Quicken: I really like the combo'ing options of this one. I like the spell Maximilian Earthen Grasp and channeling its action. Might be better at 10th level?
Empower: Seems very useful with all the blasty stuff this character will have but I don't think the act of re-rolling dice for more damage seems all that fun.


Spell Selections at Level 3 (w/ Twinned & Quicken):

Cantrips: Prestidigitation, Firebolt, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
Level 1 Spells: Chaos Bolt
Level 2 Spells: Pyrotechnics, Maximilian Earthen Grasp (C), Enlarge/Reduce (C)


-Level 4: Add Shield
-Level 5: Add Fireball
-Level 6: Add Haste
-Level 7: Add Wall of Fire
-Beyond: It will be awhile before I have to plan this out.

There are so many fun spells. I wish the sorcerer had more spells known. Are there any combo/tricks with quicken and pyrotechnics? It doesn't seem like the Create Bonfire cantrip is allowed to interact since it's magical but that is precisely the type of thing I WOULD have liked for this character. Cantrip a bonfire in the middle of the enemies and quicken pyrotechnics to blind a handful of them.

Cheers.

[InspectorG]

What kind of Sorcerer did you choose? Draconic?

What role do you play in the party? Controller? Blaster?

Whats the setting? Lots of RP? Dungeon Dive?

IMO:

Drop Prestidigitation for Chill Touch(vs Undead) or pick a better utility. Mending for extra gold if needed, Light if you are fighting in the dark a lot.(Light/Dancing Lights have battlefield uses not many think about). Mage Hand is always handy...

For Blasting, Magic Missile is better at low levels due to the Auto-Hit. It sucks to waste a slot on a whiffed attack spell.

For Control, Earthen Grasp is great vs casters/archers - be sure to quicken Minor Illusion to cut their Line of Sight and disable them.

Fog Cloud allows for some stealth, divide and conquer, or to deal with invisible opponents.

Trade Pyrotechnics for Web to have some Terrain Control. The requirement for a non-magical fire for Pyrotechnics stifles it too much.

Reduce/Enlarge is a decent buff/utility until better buffs come along. Or trade it for a self buff: Shield, Disguise Self, Mirror Image.


As far as more spells? There are scrolls if your DM uses them. If you have access to magic item shops, save for a wand. Inventive Sorcerers can make $ with Cantrips. Mending broken enemy equipment to sell, Mold Earth has day labor uses(remember to negotiate a good pay), Shape Water has artistic, performance, and machining uses if your DM allows.

[J-H]

I recently DM'd a Castlevania campaign which included a Sorcerer until his heroic sacrificial death at level 9 allowing the rest of the party to escape a TPK.

Quicken is good for more damage, but not great.
Twin was almost never used...like he got Haste & Twin and I don't think he ever used it. He should have. He also didn't use any battlefield control spells.
Buff spells didn't get used very much, as combat only lasts 3-6 rounds most of the time.
If I were building for it, I'd take Quicken and Twin.

Cantrip
Chill Touch imposes disadvantage on the undead target, and most undead are not immune to necrotic. Great for a vampire that's in your face.
Frostbite and Ray of Frost are lower damage, but offer CC options at the Cantrip level.

1st level
Chaos bolt is not very good unless you have a d8 that throws an 8 at least half the time. He ditched it by level 5. Chromatic orb is better if you need elemental damage.
Burning Hands is decent AOE for hordes of zombies, but see below if you have 2nd level spells.
Illusions SHOULD work on undead...disguise self to look like a skeleton?
Shield is very helpful for blocking ranged attacks and ranged spell attacks.
Mage Armor is OK, but maybe you can pick up light armor or be a Dragon Sorc or something?
I always like Magic Missile, for enemies where you just can't hit. Boss monsters often have higher ACs, and 3d4+3 is a lot better than 6d6 (Scorching Ray) that misses.

2nd level
Dragon's Breath gets you a 3d6 15' cone AOE (equivalent to Burning Hands), but you get to pick the element, and it lasts for Concentration or 1 minute. It's really pretty good, and you can give it to another player, or even Twin it if you run into a need for a LOT of AOE.
Dust Devil or Flaming Sphere may be good. You get to move it around as a Bonus action while casting a cantrip with your action. I'm taking DD on my Abjurer and can give first-hand experience a few weeks from now.
Mirror Image is expensive spell-slot wise, but does not require Concentration. Good if you're taking a lot of fire.
Shatter is a nice blasting spell, but you get more mileage out of Dragon's Breath if you don't mind getting up close.
Web is your best CC option this level.

3rd level
Fireball or Lightning Bolt, pick your favorite.
Blink takes Concentration, and was rarely used.
Dispel Magic & Counterspell can both be lifesavers, if you're facing spellcasting opponents.
Twin Haste on the party's two beatsticks, then try not to lose your Concentration!
Slow & Tidal Wave both offer CC options.

4th level
Sickening Radiance is highly rated, but enemies can walk out of it pretty easily.
I would rather Twin Greater Invisibility. You'll make the rogue and fighter types who can't self-generate advantage very happy.
Vitriolic Sphere is decent blasting. Wall of Fire is too stationary, and I have no experience with Watery or Stone Spheres.

5th level
Synaptic Static is really nice. Didn't get much else done at this level before he got chopped up by a genie.

[Kireban]

Check with your dm if it is fine with him that enlarge gives 1d4 to monk's fists. RAW doesn't allows this since it works on weapons.

[RoyalTenenbaum]

Wow thanks so much for the responses!

To answer a few questions:

Origin: Draconic (16 AC)
Style preference: Primarily a blaster but my party is 2 monks, 1 fighter, and 1 cleric so I feel I need some utility. Thematically, I would like theatrical explosive effects.
Setting: We just finished up Death House in Barovia (crazy fun). I think broadly this is Curse of Strahd? Please no spoilers.

Chill touch is a great recommendation. Here's my latest "draft" of eventual progression. Granted, I probably have years to nail this down. Fun to dream though.

Starting at Level 3: (Empowered & Twinned Metamagics)
Cantrips: Firebolt, Chill Touch, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
Spells: Chaos Bolt, Shield, Scorching Ray, Enlarge/Reduce

I think the Chaos Bolt will be fun with empowered MM to up odds of chaining. Scorching Ray also seems good w/ the fire draconic background and empowered MM. Enlarge/Reduce seems fun for twinning the two party monks. I am fairly confident the DM will allow the "hands as weapons" angle.

Level 4: Add Prestidigitation cantrip; Add Max's Grasp; Replace Chaos Bolt w/ Pyrotechnics

Pyro is too much in character theme not to have. Plus, I think with firebolts, fireballs, and such going off, something is bound to catch fire that can then segue into using this spell.

Level 5: Add Fireball; Replace Enlarge/Reduce with Haste
Level 6: Add Counterspell; Replace Shield with Misty Step
Level 7: Add Polymorph; Replace Max's Grasp with Wall of Fire
Level 8: Add Greater Invisibility; Replace Pyrotechnics with Slow (slow + fireball combo)
Level 9: Add Synaptic Static; Replace Misty Step with Dimension Door
Level 10: Add Telekinesis; Replace Haste with Enervation *Add Quicken Metamagic
Level 11: Add Disintegrate; Replace Wall of Fire with Sunbeam

So known spells would be:
Scorching Ray (L2), Fireball (L3), Slow (L3), Counterspell (L3), Polymorph (L4), Greater Invisibility (L4), Dimension Door (L4), Synaptic Static (L5), Telekinesis (L5), Enervation (L5), Disintegrate (L6), Sunbeam (L6)

Offense: Scorching Ray, Fireball, Sunbeam, Enervation, Disintegrate, Synaptic Static (listing like this seems like too much?)
Defense: Counterspell, Slow
Other: Polymorph, Greater Invisibility, Dimension Door, Telekinesis,

Metamagic interactions I was looking forward to trying:
-Twin Enlarge/Reduce, Haste, Greater Invisibility, Polymorph
-Quickening Sunbeam, Enervation, Maximillian's Earthen Grasp

Cheers!

[Kireban]

Shield and absorb elements are good even in high levels. Same with misty step.
Remember that you can have only one concentration spell at a time, so having too many known may not be that useful.
And since you have only few high level slots, maybe you should select fewer high level spells since you wont be able to use them much.

[Necroanswer]

Your spell choices seem top-heavy to me. What are you going to do with your 1st and 2nd level slots? You can convert them to sorcery points, but it doesn't seem efficient to me. (I guess it would work with a 5 minute adventuring day). I would recommend keeping some 1st and 2nd level spells. Shield is worth holding onto even if it isn't exciting.

[RoyalTenenbaum]

Your spell choices seem top-heavy to me. What are you going to do with your 1st and 2nd level slots? You can convert them to sorcery points, but it doesn't seem efficient to me. (I guess it would work with a 5 minute adventuring day). I would recommend keeping some 1st and 2nd level spells. Shield is worth holding onto even if it isn't exciting.

Thanks! This makes a ton of practical sense. I tried revamping. Admittedly, those big spells are juicy temptations.

Starting at Level 3: (Empowered & Twinned Metamagics)
Cantrips: Firebolt, Chill Touch, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
Spells: Chaos Bolt, Shield, Scorching Ray, Enlarge/Reduce (C)


Level 4: Add Max's Grasp (C); Replace Chaos Bolt with Blindness/Deafness
Level 5: Add Fireball; Replace Enlarge/Reduce (C) with Haste (C)
Level 6: Add Counterspell; Replace Scorching Ray with Misty Step
Level 7: Add Mirror Image; Replace Max's Grasp (C) with Wall of Fire (C)
Level 8: Add Slow (C); Replace Haste (C) with Polymorph (C)
Level 9: Add Synaptic Static; Replace Blindness/Deafness with Greater Invisibility (C)
Level 10: Add Telekinesis (C) *Add Quicken Metamagic.
Level 11: Add Disintegrate; Replace Wall of Fire (C) with Sunbeam (C)

So known spells at Level 11 would be:

SP1: Shield
SP2: Misty Step, Mirror Image
SP3: Slow (C), Counterspell, Fireball
SP4: Polymorph (C), Greater Invisibility (C)
SP5: Telekinesis (C), Synaptic Static
SP6: Sunbeam (C), Disintegrate

Offense: Fireball, Synaptic Static, Sunbeam (C), Disintegrate - Pretty happy here. Mix of AOE and single target high output options.
Defense: Shield, Mirror Image, Counterspell - Shield and Mirror Image seem great for upping the ability to maintain concentration.
Buff/Debuff/Utility: Misty Step, Slow (C), Polymorph (C), Greater Invisibility (C), Telekinesis (C) - good variety of in- and out- of combat tricks.

5/12 known spells would require concentration.

Maybe there is some way to be more precise in the progression.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

I'm currently playing this adventure with a Fire Dragon Sorcerer, and he's been really effective. I don't think it would be too much of a spoiler to say I've got a bit of mileage out of my Charm Person spell. I would suggest having a chat with your DM though because Charms (and Illusions) can have a lot of variation in DM interpretation for effectiveness.