The Hedonist Sorcerer

[Gnorman]

So, I've been toying with the idea of a sorcerer who selects spells not upon whether or not they are useful save-or-whatevers or high-damage or extremely-potent-when-metamagicked-beyond-reason but instead picks his spells based on whether or not they will be useful in everyday life.

It's more of a thought exercise than an actual character building question, so let me put it to you like this: if you were a level 20 sorcerer, what spells would YOU pick? Not to go out and slaughter monsters and gather treasure, but to just enhance your general quality of life?

I'm thinking so far:

LEVEL ONE
Shield
Feather Fall
Silent Image
Charm Person
Unseen Servant
LEVEL TWO
Invisibility (... um. It's... useful. Not that I'd use it to sneak into locker rooms or anything.
Eagle's Splendor
Wings of Cover (the ultimate in OH CRAP)
Alter Self
Spider Climb
LEVEL THREE
Tongues
Fly
Suggestion
Servant Horde
LEVEL FOUR
Polymorph Self
Dimension Door
Shadow Conjuration
Voice of the Dragon
LEVEL FIVE
Draconic Polymorph
Shadow Evocation
Nightstalker's Transformation (might be fun to be a rogue sometimes)
Telekinesis
LEVEL SIX
Disintegrate
Freezing Glance
Permanent Image
LEVEL SEVEN
Greater Teleport
Brainspider
Greater Shadow Conjuration
LEVEL EIGHT
Polymorph Any Object
Discern Location
Greater Shadow Evocation
LEVEL NINE
Shapechange
Shades
Programmed Amnesia

[Tempest Fennac]

What does Wings of Cover do? I'd take Unseen Servant over Disguise Self while wanting Genesis to create my own demi plane (I'd take that in place of Shades).

[Gnorman]

It's like... immediate action, grants you total cover? My thinking is: oh grab, someone just loosed an arrow at me, I need cover! A lot of my selections are based on "Will this allow me to stay alive to continue having fun?"

And Unseen Servant gets covered by the Shadow Conjuration line.

And isn't Genesis epic?

[Tempest Fennac]

According to http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/spells/genesis.htm , it's a level 9 spell. I was thinking that Alter Self would handle what Disguise Self does to a degree, and using a higher level spell slot for Unseen Servant semed like a waste to me. WoC sounds useful, though.

[Farlion]

You forgot some:

Number 1:

Tensers floating disc

Put a nice comfortable chair on it and just float around, become fat and enjoy life!

Number 2:

Enlarge Person

Perfect to sort out barfights!

Cheers,
Farlion

[Killer Angel]

The idea is funny... even if you cannot easily reach lev. 20 without adventuring (so, without a solid selecion of spells. )
Anyway, 2 observations:

LEVEL TWO
Alter Self

LEVEL THREE
Water Breathing

with alter self, you've no need to have also WB

LEVEL THREE
Fly

LEVEL FIVE
Overland Flight

Do you really love to fly, don't you?

[Gnorman]

The idea is funny... even if you cannot easily reach lev. 20 without adventuring (so, without a solid selecion of spells. )
Anyway, 2 observations:



with alter self, you've no need to have also WB




Do you really love to fly, don't you?

Point 1: Yeah, good point. Frees up a third level slot!

Point 2: Who wouldn't want to fly?

[Tempest Fennac]

Flying would be fun. I was also thinking of Fabricate for building an elaborate home until you get Genesis.

[Killer Angel]

Point 1: Yeah, good point. Frees up a third level slot!

I suggest to edit your OP when you'll change a spell slot, so every new reader, will not suggest the same things...

[Draz74]

Hmmm ... you should include Level 0 spells in your options too.

The first few spells I'd pick, in order of priority, would be:

- Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (L7)
- Prestidigitation (L0)
- Limited Wish (L7)
- Greater Teleport (L7) - dang, can't believe I'm out of L7 spells already.
- Scholar's Touch (L1)
- Overland Flight (L5)
- Shapechange (L9)
- Veil (L6)
- Eagle's Splendor (L2)

After that, well, I'd have to pick which areas of hedonism to focus on.

• Ultimately flexible magic? Then start picking Polymorph spells (if my cheese meter can handle them).
• Paranoid stay-alive hedonism? Time for some defensive buffs, divinations, and abjurations.
• Mind Control? Probably the most hedonistic of all, to the point where *I*, as a L20 sorcerer, would have moral problems with them, but certainly potent. But if you're going to pick any mind control, make sure you have enough spells to do it right.
• Genesis? If you want to play god with a demiplane, you'd better get some other planar-related spells to go with it, such as Greater Plane Shift.
• Pranking? Then invisibility, illusions, and stealth buffs turn from ho-hum mediocre options into necessities.

[Devils_Advocate]

This is more important for a wizard, but I've noticed that of the eight schools of magic, four -- Abjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, and Necromancy -- are almost wholly... adversarial. They're things that you use against someone else.

There are exceptions. For example, animating the dead is potentially quite useful and there's nothing inherently adversarial about it. (And yet, it has the [Evil] descriptor. Probably because zombies and skeletons purported have Evil alignment, although that makes no sense either.) There are occasional utilities like endure elements, continual flame, light, floating disk, astral projection, sending, and so on.

But it's the other schools that are most useful for things other than thwarting others: research, transportation, entertainment, communication, construction, etc.

Like I said, more of an issue for a wizard, who might be dropping schools. Just something I've thought about.

[Gnorman]

Hmmm ... you should include Level 0 spells in your options too.

The first few spells I'd pick, in order of priority, would be:

- Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (L7)
- Prestidigitation (L0)
- Limited Wish (L7)
- Greater Teleport (L7) - dang, can't believe I'm out of L7 spells already.
- Scholar's Touch (L1)
- Overland Flight (L5)
- Shapechange (L9)
- Veil (L6)
- Eagle's Splendor (L2)

After that, well, I'd have to pick which areas of hedonism to focus on.

• Ultimately flexible magic? Then start picking Polymorph spells (if my cheese meter can handle them).
• Paranoid stay-alive hedonism? Time for some defensive buffs, divinations, and abjurations.
  
• Mind Control? Probably the most hedonistic of all, to the point where *I*, as a L20 sorcerer, would have moral problems with them, but certainly potent. But if you're going to pick any mind control, make sure you have enough spells to do it right.
• Genesis? If you want to play god with a demiplane, you'd better get some other planar-related spells to go with it, such as Greater Plane Shift.
• Pranking? Then invisibility, illusions, and stealth buffs turn from ho-hum mediocre options into necessities.

Ultimately why I didn't include Dominate Whatever. Charm and Suggestions seem... somewhat more okay, if still somewhat immoral. Programmed Amnesia could definitely be abused, but I prefer to use it to imbed a deep-rooted trigger in my enemies' brains that make them all act like chickens whenever I say a command word. They get to live their lives (mostly) normally, but if they try to hurt me? Chicken time.

[Randel]

I know in Faith of Eberron there is the spell Unseen Crafter. I think its a level 2 spell. It creates an unseen servant that crafts things for 1 day/level and can take ten on craft checks.

Just take a few ranks in craft and invest in some magic items to raise your craft check and then every spell slot from 2nd and up can be converted into money! With extend spell then slots 3rd and up last twice as long. Since you are a sorcerer, you can just decide to cast the spell right before going to sleep, using up any slots you haven't used up during the day.

Though with fabricate you can make stuff instantly instead of waiting, but Unseen Crafter still can use those lower level slots for something.


Also: Flesh to Stone and Stone to Flesh

Turn interesting beasts or people into statues. The beasts to be suvineers or samples to preserve rare wildlife (animal preserve: If adventurers start hunting unicorns to extinction then you have a few petrified ones you can restore to bring the population back). People who are ill or old could be petrified and remain in a stasis until you restore them, or you could add some homebrew magic to let them walk or talk in their petrified state (if somebody could put a permanent animate object on them).

Plus, turn granite into delicious steak!

[Flickerdart]

Just take a few ranks in craft and invest in some magic items to raise your craft check and then every spell slot from 2nd and up can be converted into money! With extend spell then slots 3rd and up last twice as long. Since you are a sorcerer, you can just decide to cast the spell right before going to sleep, using up any slots you haven't used up during the day.

Or just use it to craft infinite quarterstaves and clubs, then drop them on enemies.

[Randel]

Oh, also check the Summon Monster line of spells. Notably SM 7 which lets you summon a Djinni (who can cast create food and water, create wine which is like create water but with wine, Persistent Image, and Major Creation with plant matter being permanent as a 20th level caster)

And SM 4 lets you summon Lantern Archons who can cast continual flame at will.

So, if you have Summon Monster 7 you can summon up a Djinni who can create a ton of food and wine and stuff for you, or you can summon 1d4+1 lantern archons who can put continual flame on a bunch of torches and stuff for you for free. Thats also not counting the various other monsters you could summon up to fight for you if you really need them to.

[Lycanthromancer]

Dude. Wish, wish, wish, all the way. Though I'd have to turn it into a Sp ability to forgo the XP cost...

[Chronos]

In the Summon Monster line, there's also the Bralani, from SM 6, which can cast some healing spells.

And while Genesis is great and all, it's hard to justify as a sorcerer spending one of your three precious ninth-level spells known on a spell you'll probably only ever cast once. If you really want Genesis, you'd be better off to buy a scroll of it.

[ShadowFighter15]

Don't subsequent castings of Genesis increase the size of the demiplane?

[Innis Cabal]

LEVEL ONE
Shield
Feather Fall
Silent Image
Charm Person
Unseen Servant

LEVEL TWO
Invisibility (... um. It's... useful. Not that I'd use it to sneak into locker rooms or anything.
Eagle's Splendor
Wings of Cover (the ultimate in OH CRAP)
Alter Self
Spider Climb

LEVEL THREE
Tongues
Fly
Suggestion
Servant Horde

LEVEL FOUR
Polymorph Self
Dimension Door
Shadow Conjuration
Voice of the Dragon

LEVEL FIVE
Draconic Polymorph
Shadow Evocation
Nightstalker's Transformation (might be fun to be a rogue sometimes)
Telekinesis

LEVEL SIX
Disintegrate
Freezing Glance
Permanent Image

LEVEL SEVEN
Greater Teleport
Brainspider
Greater Shadow Conjuration

LEVEL EIGHT
Polymorph Any Object
Discern Location
Greater Shadow Evocation

LEVEL NINE
Shapechange
Shades
Programmed Amnesia

Thing is. Alot of these spells....you arn't going to cast every day....five or six times. And tus are a waste of space.

All the bolded spells can easily be bought as scrolls and should be.

[Talic]

Thing is. Alot of these spells....you arn't going to cast every day....five or six times. And tus are a waste of space.

All the bolded spells can easily be bought as scrolls and should be.

I don't know about all of those.

If I can speak any language, and go anywhere?

I'd be eating breakfast in France, lunch in Philly, sunbathe in Italy, and pop home for dinner... And I'd do it often. Positively Hedonistic!

As for dimension door... Ever seen the movie Jumper?

[Devils_Advocate]

Some things are better left to magic items. Alter Self, unlike Disguise Self, won't change your outfit, but that's what a Vestment of Many Styles is for. For flying, you're way better off choosing Overland Flight over Fly, and getting a flying carpet if you want someone else be able to fly with you. Fly doesn't last nearly long enough to do the whole "I can show you the world" bit properly anyway.

Ultimately why I didn't include Dominate Whatever. Charm and Suggestions seem... somewhat more okay, if still somewhat immoral.

Yeah, there's a pretty big difference. Charming can make someone like you without them even knowing you did anything. It's unethical, but not inherently unpleasant for the person you do it to. Domination usurps control of someone's mind away from their will with them aware that you're doing it. Like violence, it may be justified, but it's not something you do to innocent people for your own convenience if you're not evil.

Programmed Amnesia could definitely be abused, but I prefer to use it to imbed a deep-rooted trigger in my enemies' brains that make them all act like chickens whenever I say a command word. They get to live their lives (mostly) normally, but if they try to hurt me? Chicken time.

That is both crazy prepared and crazy awesome.

Also: Flesh to Stone and Stone to Flesh

Ooh, those are interesting. Flesh to Stone is, I think, the easiest way to prevent resurrection, because the target doesn't technically die. You just have to keep the statue away from anyone who might try to revive it. On the other hand, it makes it easy for you to revive the person. No expensive material component needed! There's just the minor problem that they die if they fail a Fort save. But then you can fall back on conventional raising anyway.

Note that, despite the misleading wording in the PHB, Break Enchantment will not counter Flesh to Stone, as it is over 5th level.

Petrification is a good option for a restless adventurer experiencing boredom and ennui during a time of peace. It's easy to imagine a statue with a scroll of Stone to Flesh in a chest next to it, awaiting trouble.

"In case of emergency, please depetrify hero."

Don't subsequent castings of Genesis increase the size of the demiplane?

Yes. The amount of added volume grows geometrically, too. Of course, the usefulness of added volume probably falls off even faster...

[DamnedIrishman]

I'd take the following:

1st Level

Block the Seed
Share Sensation
Animate Image

2nd Level

Disrobe
Peacock's Beauty

3rd Level

Phantasmal Lover
Limited Telepathy

4th Level

Mind to Mind
Love Nest
Orgasmic Vibrations
Looking Glass

5th Level

Seduction

6th Level

Kiss of Life
Through the Looking Glass
Peacock's Beauty, Mass

7th Level

Come to Me

8th Level

Orgasmic Vibrations, Mass

9th Level

Youth's Beauty



All from the Book of Erotic Fantasy...

[Kylarra]

Might I also suggest the reserve feats from Complete Mage? They'd allow you to have more offensive spells known in the case that you need them, but you'd get minor abilities pretty much at-will.

[Lycanthromancer]

Might I also suggest the reserve feats from Complete Mage? They'd allow you to have more offensive spells known in the case that you need them, but you'd get minor abilities pretty much at-will.

Yeah. Like the ability to cause orgasm by touch...

Oh. Right.

[DamnedIrishman]

Yeah. Like the ability to cause orgasm by touch...

Oh. Right.

Pish posh. Orgasmic Vibrations has a range of 25ft+ 5ft per caster level. As for the mass version...

[Gnorman]

I'd take the following:

1st Level

Block the Seed
Share Sensation
Animate Image

2nd Level

Disrobe
Peacock's Beauty

3rd Level

Phantasmal Lover
Limited Telepathy

4th Level

Mind to Mind
Love Nest
Orgasmic Vibrations
Looking Glass

5th Level

Seduction

6th Level

Kiss of Life
Through the Looking Glass
Peacock's Beauty, Mass

7th Level

Come to Me

8th Level

Orgasmic Vibrations, Mass

9th Level

Youth's Beauty



All from the Book of Erotic Fantasy...

You know, as appropriate as these might be for a hedonist... "Block the Seed" just put me forevermore off of the BoEF.

[Talic]

I'm not so much on graphic adult material in my D&D. I prefer to keep that kinda roleplaying in the section of my life that doesn't define my skill in ranks.