[3.5] Choose your best sorcerer spells, arcane levels 1-9

[Eeezee]

I'm trying to optimize the sorcerer's spell list for levels 1-9. The rules: Pick your favorite arcane spells as follows
Level 1 - 5 spells
Level 2 - 5 spells
Level 3 - 4 spells
Level 4 - 4 spells
Level 5 - 4 spells
Level 6 - 3 spells
Level 7 - 3 spells
Level 8 - 3 spells
Level 9 - 3 spells

Try to stick to the SRD, and NO CHEESE! I'm not bothering to pick Polymorph because no reasonable DM allows you to use it to effectively. Similarly, I skipped Alter Self. Notable spells from other books should be noted separately. Give some justification if you feel it's necessary. For instance, if you have some clever use for Tiny Hut and want it on your list let us know why.

My contribution:

Level 1 -
Mage Armor - because I can cast it once and it lasts all day, Shield is better on a wand. Also, I'm not counting on my DM giving me some sweet armor
Grease - Great spell, forces a Reflex save and balance checks
Ray of Enfeeblement - Woot for ray damage
Charm Person - For flavor and roleplaying purposes
Feather Fall - Because a wand of feather fall requires you to draw it. Again, my DM is too down to Earth to give me a wand bracer. I'd pick Magic Missile, but a lvl 9 Magic Missile wand isn't that expensive

If going outside of the SRD, definitely Nerveskitter instead of Feather Fall

Level 2 -
Glitterdust - because blinded creatures are as good as dead, plus invisibility detection
Web - An uber battlefield control spell, although the two anchoring points is a bad limitation
Scorching Ray - I'd like a low level way to set things on fire. And 12d6 is nothing to sneeze at
Invisibility - Great utility and even works as a defensive buff. Also, when you're invisible you get a +2 on your attacks and you ignore opponents' Dex bonus. Great for popping someone with a ray
Mirror Image - making hitting me extra unfair

Level 3 -
Haste - Great group buff, helps rays, helps AC and reflex saves, run faster, and melee allies love that extra attack from full round attacks
Dispel Magic - is awesome
Phantom Steed - Better than Fly for a lot of reasons once you reach a certain level. Also, this is a good reason to have Feather Fall.
Stinking Cloud - Nauseated creatures are useless
Ray of Exhaustion - Make opponents suck even if they save

Slow gets an honorable mention, but Stinking Cloud is just as good, sometimes better.

Level 4
Dimension Door - Did you just grapple me? No
Solid Fog - One of the best battlefield control spells ever, since it has no save
Enervation - Negative levels are simply awesome
Black Tentacles - GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! And the tentacles are INVINCIBLE. And even if they manage to beat the grapple check, they still move at half speed and might even get grappled again. Imagine a Stinking Cloud and a Solid Fog hovering over this. Ooooh yeaaaah

Honorable mentions:
Shadow Conjuration - If you're not choosing too many level 1-3 conjuration spells, this one's okay. For instance, a Shadow Phantom Speed only has 20% of its health (all summoned shadow creatures have 20% health, although they can do 100% damage against believers). Shadow Stinking Cloud gives a Will save, at which point it's only 20% as likely to work. This is only useful if you want access to Summon Monster I, II, and III and only if you're using the monsters to spring traps or scare townsfolk.

Invisibility, Greater - Lacks the utility of Invisibility due to its rounds/level duration instead of min/level, making it just a defensive buff. But at this point there might be people who can see through invisibility anyway.


Level 5
Cloudkill - Con damage even on save! And it kills minions immediately. Pretty nifty
Teleport - In a story-heavy campaign, this is very nice to have
Wall of Stone - I prefer this over Wall of Force because it's permanent and you can shape it however you want, although it can be destroyed and is smaller. And you can't see through stone. I really like utility spells that also serve as battlefield control.
Shadow Evocation - This one I think is actually worth it, because there are some good evocation spells that I miss but are still effective even at 20%. Also, the save DCs for the spells are set to Shadow Evocation (5th) rather than the spell's (4th or lower)
Shout, since Sonic damage is so unique and deafens creatures
Resilient Sphere, for protecting yourself or trapping others
Fireball, a trademark
I'd suggest Wind Wall, but objects automatically make their save :(
Tenser's Floating Disk, which actually does have lots of out of combat uses
Shatter, which is guaranteed to be 20% effective but hopefully that doesn't matter at this level

Honorable mentions: Wall of Force, 1 round/level but it is invincible, except against certain spells. Short duration and must be one, flat plane, meaning it can't be shaped in fun ways like Wall of Stone. This is unfortunate

Level 6
Disintegrate - Unfair amounts of damage and neat utility! And technically a ray, so Split Ray means double damage! Potentially that's 80d6 in an 8th level spell slot, 10d6 if they make both saves (5d6 per ray on save)
Dispel Magic, Greater - Maximum caster level bonus increases to +20 and it can remove curses, even curses that Dispel Magic can't remove
Contingency - Works best if if your DM lets you couple it with a scrolled spells. Nothing in the wording seems to indicate that this is a problem. Otherwise, this is still very useful

Honorable mentions:
True Seeing - Highly useful, too expensive
Geas/Quest - Just to be a jerk
Antimagic field - For emergencies, only if you have a non-casters in your party and you're facing a lot of magic users
Acid Fog - Only jerks use this. It's pitiful damage, but it's still mean
Freezing Sphere - Blaster spell that does cold damage but also has utility

Unfortunately, we're down to 3 choices by this point, and none of the above are that useful

Level 7
Limited Wish - Why any sorcerer would NOT pick up this I'll never know
Forcecage - 2hrs/level (sweet), no saving throw (SWEET), invulnerable cage (except to certain spells, as normal for force effects).
Project Image - A shadow image of yourself that acts as you command it and can serve as an origin point for any spell you cast so long as you maintain line of sight. Just cast invisibility. Okay, sometimes that won't work, but this is still great if the enemy doesn't know where you are.

Honorable mentions:
Waves of Exhaustion - No save, just suck, although spell resistance applies

Prismatic Spray - YES! Huge cone range, blinds low HD creatures, and possibility of more than one effect. 3/8 that they take minor damage, 4/8 that they take a Save or Die, 1/8 that they take TWO rays with any of those effects
Shadow Conjuration, Greater - NOW we're talking. Up to 6th level and 60% real, this becomes a great spell! Summoned Monster VI is pretty slick, especially since you can cast it and it won't break Invisibility. And if you really want, you can cast Greater Shadow Wall of Stone and learn Wall of Force instead
Reverse Gravity - So long as the creature can't fly or levitate, it's out of the battle for 1 round/level. Since they oscillate at the top of the "fall" this forces concentration checks on casters and makes it harder for archers to shoot you. Even if they make the Reflex save they're still rooted in place.

Level 8
Irresistable Dance - No Save, just lose upon touch
Maze - No Save, just lose but with range! Intelligence breaks it though, so don't use on wizards
Shadow Evocation, Greater - Now you can cast sweet spells like Prismatic Spray and Wall of Force

Honorable Mention:
Moment of Prescience - This might save your life, and it lasts all day. I like that kind of buff

Level 9
Shades - Shadow Conjuration up to 8th level and 80% real. Suddenly you can cast a lot more spells
Time Stop - Infinite power.
Prismatic Sphere - as the wall but a sphere... but better, since you can walk through it.

Honorable Mention:
Energy Drain - 2d4 negative levels, no save
Wish - XP cost is just too high, but I could be talked into swapping this with Prismatic Sphere

[Thespianus]

I'd like to give an Honorable Mention to Ray of Stupidity (I know, it's in the SpC, not SRD).

1D4+1 Int damage with no save is just diamond-covered win against large strong animal-type monsters (or dinosaurs *spit*).

Attacked by a Dire Bear? Dire Tiger? Drop 'em like they're dumb with this fine, fine spell.

Granted, it might not be super all the way to level 20, but it's a pretty handy little thing on mid-level game play.

Also, it delivers Int-damage with a ray, so it qualifies for sneak attack damage, in the cases that SA applies (maybe with a Sorcerer/Unseen Seer combo)


EDIT: Oh, and also Persistent Blade (level 1, Evocation, also SpC). A small dagger of force that flies around attacking and *flanking*. We are currently having lots of fun with this puppy in our campaign. Our Sorceror casts it, and my Rogue character start lashing out the Sneak Attack dice. It's yummy! :)

[Tempest Fennac]

This is what I'd pick.


0:
Prestigitation.
Mending.
Read Magic.
Detect Magic.
Light.
Mage Hand.
Ghost Sound.
Message.
Arcane Mark.

1:
Grease.
Ray of Enfeeblement.
Mage Armour.
Charm Person.
Expeditious Retreat.

2:
Glitterdust.
Scortching Ray.
Mirror Image.
Web.
Rope Trick.

3:
Haste.
Suggestion.
Fly.
Slow.

4:
Black Tentacles.
Solid Fog.
Enervation.
Greater Invisibility.

5:
Dominate Person.
Cloudkill.
Baleful Polymorph.
Feeblemind.

6:
Disintegrate.
Mass Suggestion.
Greater Dispell.

7:
Finger of Death.
Spell Turning.
Power Word: Blind.

8:
Power Word: Stun.
Prismatic Wall.
Mind Blank.

9:
Mass Hold Monster.
Meteor Swarm.
Foresight.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Here's a quick and dirty list, in order of preference; any non-core/cheese spells have core alternatives:

1st:
Color Spray until around 6th level, then switch it for Magic Missile.
Mage Armor for obvious reasons.
Ray of Enfeeblement for when damage is useless but it's not worth a higher level spell slot.
Summon Monster 1 because you never know when you'll need a redshirt.
Protection from Evil means being outright immune to attacks from some very powerful opponents.

2nd:
Glitterdust
Web
Rope Trick
Gust of Wind
Scorching Ray

3rd:
Ray of Exhaustion
Phantom Steed
Protection from Energy
Fireball

4th:
Black Tentacles
Summon Monster IV until you get VI, then switch for Solid Fog.
Dimension Door
Enervation

5th:
Hold Monster
Wall of Force
Cloudkill
Persistent Image

6th:
Greater Dispel Magic
Summon Monster VI until you get VIII, then swap for Freezing Fog (SC) or Acid Fog
Ray of Light (SC) or Disintegrate

7th:
Forcecage (cheese)
Greater Teleport
Reverse Gravity (cheese)
Limited Wish
Power Word Blind (if no Ray of Light) or Banishment or Finger of Death

8th:
Greater Shadow Evocation
Summon Monster VIII
Superior Invisibility (SC)
Polymorph Any Object (cheese)
Horrid Wilting

9th:
Time Stop
Iceberg (Frostburn)
Maw of Chaos (SC)
Prismatic Sphere
Gate (cheese)
Wish

[Bosh]

Summoning tends to be better for sorcerers than for wizards since it is so versatile that it is good for plugging holes in a sorcerer's spell list. Same for illusions.

[Battleship789]

Some of this has already been covered in an earlier thread. And another thread.

I agree with most of these though I have to add/remove some:

2- Add rope trick, though it can be hard to choose between spells at this level (and this spell is fairly cheesy).
3- If you are going to get Greater Dispel Magic, rotate out the normal one at level 12 and put something else in. You can't dispell anything with a +10 bonus after 12-14th level, unless you roll incredibly well.
6- I'd use a scroll of Contingency, you don't use it enough to warrant the spell slot. Replace it with Acid Fog and free up a 4th level spell (Solid Fog) for something else.
7- Forcecage is very useful, but has an expensive material component. Besides, you have Greater Shadow Evocation at 8th level in case you do want to cast it. Project Image is just an action that you could have used for something offensive (only really useful to deliever touch spells, but thats what a familiar is for. Plus, you already have a low level spell that has more images and lasts 10 times longer, Mirror Image), switch these for something else, possibly Prismatic Spray, Spell Turning (empowered of this is fun) or Plane Shift.

Otherwise, pretty solid.

My list would be this, not using anything out of core, Cheese substitutions in ():

1-Grease, Feather Fall, Magic Missle, Shield, Ray of Enfeeblement
2-Rope Trick, Mirror Image, Scorching Ray, Web, Glitterdust
3-Haste, Stinking Cloud, Phantom Steed, Slow
4-Enervation, Dimensional Anchor, Black Tentacles, Greater Invisibility
5-Cloudkill, Telekinesis, Wall of Force, Teleport (Baleful Polymorph instead of Telekinesis if cheese is allowed)
6-Disintigrate, Greater Dispel Magic, Acid Fog
7-Limited Wish, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Spell Turning
8-Greater Shadow Evocation, Power Word Stun, Maze (Polymorph Any Object for Power Word Stun)
9-Time Stop, Wish, Prismatic Sphere (Shapechange instead of Wish)

[Triaxx]

1-Shield, Grease, Magic Missile, Sleep (Replace with Ventriloquism after Solid Fog becomes available), and Expeditious Retreat.
2-Web, Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image, Protection from Arrows, Eagle's Splendor
3-Dispel Magic, Fireball, Haste, Slow
4-Dimensional Anchor, Solid Fog, Stoneskin, Dimension Door
5-Cloudkill, Overland Flight, Teleport
6-Chain Lightning, Mass Cat's Grace, Mass Bull's Strength
7-Finger of Death, Project Image, Greater Arcane Sight
8-Horrid Wilting, Summon Monster 8, Mind Blank
9-Wail of the Banshee, Shades, Meteor Swarm

[Enlong]

Pure Genius

[ericgrau]

These saw actual play, and worked very well. That's also why some higher spell levels are missing, and there's a couple of non-core spells (sorry). Almost every spell saw frequent use, except as noted. He frequently made it so that the monsters could barely scratch the party. The direct damage spells were backups, and saw less frequent use since our party already had a specialized arcane damage dealer.

Level	Name
1	Mage Armor
	Shield
	Feather Fall
	Alarm
	Benign Transportation (SC)
2	False Life*
	Invisibility
	Melf’s Acid Arrow ^
	Glitterdust*
	Baleful Transportation (SC) ^
3	Invisibility Sphere ^
	Shrink Item: on a rotating (caster level) cycle so (caster level) items
		were always effected.  Good for carrying several large objects
		from the PH equipment table.
	Fireball
	Protection from Energy
4	Dimension Door
	Solid Fog*
	Otiluke’s Resilent Sphere*
	Greater Invisibility*
5	Stoneskin*
	Wall of Stone*
	Wall of Force
6	Mass Bear’s Endurance
	Veil 
7	Brilliant Aura* (SC)
^ = This is one of the few spells that didn't turn out to be that useful.
Practically every single spell besides those three saw frequent use.
I also regret not having dispel magic, especially to remove my on solid
fogs (they're not dismissable).  Haste is missing b/c the party
wizard liked to cast it.
* = Favorites.  You can burn higher level spells known/per day to fuel
4th level slots if needed, heh:.  And, yes, stoneskin is a
4th level spell.

He had a ton of cheap utility scrolls as well.  About every session I
used 1 of those, and it was always completely different and
unpredictable.  Money well spent: It didn't take much gp and he was
always prepared for the strangest things.

[Leon]

One
Mage Armour
Magic Missile
Ray of Enfeeblement
Floating Disk
Animate Rope

Two
Scorching ray
Mirror Image
Touch Of Idiocy
Ghoul Touch
False Life

Three
Dispel Magic
Protection From Energy
Vampiric Touch
Slow

Four
Dimension Door
Enervation
Charm Monster
Resilient Sphere

Five
Telekinesis
Baleful Polymorph (Otherwise know as Bufos Hex)
Wall of Stone
Hold Monster

Six
Chain Lightning
Disintegrate
Greater Heroism

Seven
Reverse Gravity
Limited Wish
Mage's Sword

Eight
Telekinetic Sphere
Mind Blank
Horrid Wilting

Nine
Time Stop
Energy Drain
Summon Monster 9