Need help building a Sorcerer.

[DracoDei]

"EQUESTRIA BEGINS" PLAYERS STAY OUT!

I find myself a bit embarrassed by my lack of tactical accumen here... if I was trying to make a PC sorcerer I would simply read one of the handbooks people have written.
I need to make a character with 7 or 8 levels of Sorcerer and one (or maybe 2) level(s) of Commoner (Actually a house-rule for how I do level adjustment). I'm not quite sure how to do this effectively for an opponent who is expecting to be acting without allies or (much) time to buff.
They are going to be expecting an attack in a general way, but won't know exactly when it is coming, they will probably be in their won home when the PCs attack. If the PCs go for a night attack, their familiar may wake them up if it detects the PCs. They might or might not know who the PCs are and have had a day or two to get ready, but as far as spell-slection and designing their house for defensibility they are mostly expecting fliers with an affinity for attacking with lightning and/or archery from beyond reach and a race with +6 to strength and consistution. Maybe ONE reall spellcaster in whatever squad comes after them (in actuality the PCs have NO real spellcasters to attack with).

I would prefer not to metagame by taking into account the PCs actual capabilities.

The race and/or setting gives them the following features:
40' movement
Small size
WORSE THAN HUMAN nightvision
Never need somatic, verbal, or inexpensive material components. Despite the lack of Somatic Components, Arcane Spell failure chance still applies.
Use a spellpoint/mana system meaning they can spam their highest level spell if they like.
The familiar is just an extra-smart animal. Can't deliver touch attacks, or have its master seeing through its eyes or anything like that.
Divinations that look more than a few seconds into the future do not exist in this setting, and shapechanging magics are nerfed into uselessness, unless perhaps they want to turn into the same species as their familiar.
Magical Flight exists, but requires spending some skill points to get.

Can flurry of blows (mostly useful for making sure melee touch attacks connect).

So, how should I build this character?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You should use the report button on your own post and ask to have this moved to the appropriate subforum (3.5/PF?).

It's good to have synergy in what spells he knows and what metamagic he'll use. Take this example (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?353631-Sorcerer-BBEG-fight-help-for-my-game-tonight#3) of a Rakshasa with Sorcerer 10 spellcasting and the tactics I detailed for him. Basically figure out what his highest level spells should be, then design the rest around that.

Consider replacing some of the Sorcerer levels with prestige class levels. If he's not good aligned, one level of Mindbender with the feat Mindsight and the spell Ray of Stupidity is absolutely amazing, especially if he has Split Ray or similar. The Flurry of Blows thing doesn't make a lot of sense, he'd be trying to hit their normal AC with unarmed strikes instead of their touch AC, so it's just a downgrade. Melee touch spells aren't all that great anyway, but if you want to go that route use Master of the East Wind in Dragon 314 p36 and/or Enlightened Fist in CA, just don't reduce his number of effective Sorcerer levels for it so he's still a suitable challenge.

At Sorcerer 8 he'll have 8/5/3/2/1 spells known, I'd make his one 4th level spell Greater Invisibility. The 2nd level spells need to include Wings of Cover, and I'd also give him Spider Climb given the difficulty of flight. That leaves one 2nd, two 3rd, and all the 1st level and lower spells. If you like touch spells, Shivering Touch in Frostburn is the cream of the crop, Vampiric Touch can be useful, and Chill Touch can be used multiple times when cast. The remaining 2nd level spell could be Wraithstrike, which he can Lesser Rod of Extend and it won't take longer to cast because the spontaneous metamagic casting time increase only applies if the spell's normal casting time is a standard action or longer. Other 1st level spells should include Mage Armor, Shield and/or Nightshield, maybe Magic Missile and/or Power Word: Pain, and probably Alarm so he has some warning.

For feats, if you're giving him a Monk level be sure to take Ascetic Mage in CV, and Practiced Spellcaster. You can go Monk 1/ Sorcerer 4/ Enlightened Fist 5 for a 10th level character with Sorcerer 8 spellcasting. Overall I think the extra two levels won't really help him be more of a challenge, it will instead enable the gimmick you're after without making him less challenging. Make sure his familiar is something that can fly, a hummingbird familiar gives +4 initiative so that can significantly help.

[DracoDei]

I have reported it.

I have MANY house rules. I omitted them at a (misguided) attempt at simplicity. I'll try to at least partially fix that now. Sorry, but I'm REALLY bad at knowing what to explain and what to leave out.


Flurry CAN be used effectively with touch attacks. If you hit normal AC you deal unarmed strike and the spell effect. If you miss that but hit touch AC you just deliver the spell effect. A miss is a miss. Probably no more than one instance of a multicharge spell (like you mentioned for Chill Touch) in a round though.
Metamagic does not increase casting time.
Familiars provide NO improvement to their master, not even "Alertness when within arms reach".


Improved Invisibility is, indeed, something I had been considering.

I'll look into the rest later. Need to at least TRY to sleep now (I may not succeed, in which case I may check this thread again.).

[Peelee]

Moved to 3.5