Lightning based blaster build?

[LudicSavant]

A Draconic Sorcerer has a number of shortcomings as a lightning blaster, one of which being the sheer limitation of spells known -- they only learn 11 spells from 1-10, and an excruciating 4 spells from 11-20. They don't even have enough spells known to have two choices per spell level. And they'll be missing out on big amp spells as well, like Simulacrum et al.

Being a good blaster is also about more than just having Lightning Bolt Ball on your spell list, it also means having stuff like Sleet Storm that combos with it (you don't need to see where you're dropping AoEs, so it combos), or -- like Psyren said -- being able to deliver your blasts from superior positioning using Manifest Mind.

[Psyren]

The sheer paucity of 5e Sorcerer spells known is another reason I'm excited for the 2024 PHB!

[Witty Username]

Scribe Wizard's perks beside the damage type permutation make the Scribe Wizard a better Lighnting Blaster than Draconic Sorcerer?

Draconic sorcerers only advantage is 5ish damage to a single target when casting an applicable spell.

It is pretty lackluster as a blasting option.

[sithlordnergal]

EDIT: I just checked, the Scribe Wizard cannot have lightning-damage-substitution spells using a 9th level spell slot.

And they can only have lightning substitution spells using a 8th level spell slot if the DM allows Illusory Dragon as an "all damage type" spell in the spellbook, even if the text is explicit you choose the dragon's damage type on casting.

So that's between one and two whole spell levels the Sorcerer Blaster has access to, while the Scribe Wizard Blaster hasn't.

Eh? What are you talking about? Scribe Wizards have a way to turn spells into lightning damage very easily at 9th level. The wording for their ability is "When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only."

So you have to have a spell that has the required damage type. Prismatic Wall is a 9th level spell that deals Fire, Acid, Lightning, Poison, and Cold damage, that satisfies the requirement for Scribe Wizards. Its kind of like how Storm Sphere grants Lightning or Bludgeoning damage. I will admit, the Scribe Wizard does lack thunder damage at high levels. But that's not a major issue.

[Psyren]

Eh? What are you talking about? Scribe Wizards have a way to turn spells into lightning damage very easily at 9th level. The wording for their ability is "When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only."

So you have to have a spell that has the required damage type. Prismatic Wall is a 9th level spell that deals Fire, Acid, Lightning, Poison, and Cold damage, that satisfies the requirement for Scribe Wizards. Its kind of like how Storm Sphere grants Lightning or Bludgeoning damage. I will admit, the Scribe Wizard does lack thunder damage at high levels. But that's not a major issue.

Indeed - Scribes can get Electric Meteors just fine, and proceed to maximize them with a Destructive Wrath multiclass.

Draconic sorcerers only advantage is 5ish damage to a single target when casting an applicable spell.

It is pretty lackluster as a blasting option.

Elemental Affinity adds the bonus to one damage roll, not one target. That distinction matters, because spells where you make a single damage roll and apply the result to multiple targets - such as, say, the vast majority of AoE damage spells, or spells like Magic Missile where you roll once and multiply - will effectively multiply the damage bonus accordingly.

For example - when your Bronze Draconic Sorcerer fries 3 ogres with a lightning bolt, the 8d6 damage is a single damage roll which you then apply your Charisma modifier to - which ultimately means each of the three ogres is also getting +Cha to damage. If your Charisma bonus is +5, the total damage bonus you gained from that feature for that casting is therefore +15, not +5.

[Unoriginal]

Eh? What are you talking about? Scribe Wizards have a way to turn spells into lightning damage very easily at 9th level. The wording for their ability is "When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only."

So you have to have a spell that has the required damage type. Prismatic Wall is a 9th level spell that deals Fire, Acid, Lightning, Poison, and Cold damage, that satisfies the requirement for Scribe Wizards. Its kind of like how Storm Sphere grants Lightning or Bludgeoning damage. I will admit, the Scribe Wizard does lack thunder damage at high levels. But that's not a major issue.

You're correct, and I apologize for my mistake. What I wrote was because I misrembered Prismatic Wall.

[LudicSavant]

Transmuted Spell is very weak compared to the Scribes equivalent. It eats a precious metamagic slot, chews through your Sorcery points, can't transmute spells of 6 damage types, and you can't even use another metamagic at the same time, giving up one of the few advantages a Sorcerer might have otherwise had. If you want to stay 'on-theme', it's also asking a lot of your limited spells known space to have a decent assortment of storm spells (for when you don't have SP to spare) and non-storm spells (for when you do).

By contrast the Scribes Wizard can casually bypass the resistance of every creature in the game, with a far wider array of spell shapes and such, and more casting resources (since they don't blow their Arcane Recovery in order to fuel their type changes).

The Draconic Sorcerer is also looking at a far worse spell list -- not only because a lot of important blaster role spells aren't even on it (like all the summoning and minionmancy spells, action economy amps, etc), but also just because you have so few known that you're going to have a lot of gaps even among the things that are on your list.

And then there's Manifest Mind, which gives you a considerable advantage in terms of senses and positioning, and allows you to use some of the storm-themed spells in important new ways (such as examples given in posts above).

[Witty Username]

Elemental Affinity adds the bonus to one damage roll, not one target. That distinction matters, because spells where you make a single damage roll and apply the result to multiple targets - such as, say, the vast majority of AoE damage spells, or spells like Magic Missile where you roll once and multiply - will effectively multiply the damage

Weird, I recall it having a really clunky wording like "you may add your charisma bonus to the damage roll against one of those targets" but doesn't seem to be.

Either way it offers less than Evocation wizard which has the same effect with better spell manipulation effects like sculpt spells, or scribe that has proxy targeting and a much wider range of applicable spells for Lighnting damage.

Sorcerer just doesn’t offer much for blasting.

[Psyren]

I'm definitely not here to say sorcerer > wizard in a blasting capacity (or any others really.) I was just correcting the reading of that one ability.

[LudicSavant]

Scribe Wizard's perks beside the damage type permutation make the Scribe Wizard a better Lighnting Blaster than Draconic Sorcerer?

Elaborating on my previous answer:

Manifest Mind is a great ability for blaster casters!

Carpet bomb behind walls (including walls you created yourself!), while locking the enemy in. Shrug off control effects on yourself and keep blasting. Extend the range of your spells. Position Rime's Binding Ice or Cone of Cold exactly where you want it without sacrificing your own positioning. Make things like Thunderclap or Thunder Step or Thunderwave into ranged AoEs. Scout through walls and leverage that information to deadly effect. Or cackle as enemies use an Action and third level slot to dispel it, only for you to get it back with a 1st level slot and a bonus action.

Master Scrivener gives you more scrolls, which means more blasting resources. It also gives you a free slot and upcast of something like, say, Rime's Binding Ice Shock, which is a top shelf blast + control spell.

And there's just the general fact that it's a Wizard instead of a PHB Sorcerer, and thus has a lot more spells known, from a meaningfully better list that has a lot of critical tools for the damage-dealer role.


____


Another fun trick you can do with Scribes + Tempest is that if you take Tempest to 6, you can do some mean things with the Thunderbolt Strike and multi-hitting spells that got their damage type swapped to lightning. For example Ice Knife can hit twice (and thus activate it twice), and Wall of Fire Lightning can hit over and over again, knocking people back and forcing them to have to go through the wall again for extreme pain that doesn't allow saving throws. Or use Magic Missile to for cheap, guaranteed pushes into hazards. Hazards that also are made of lightning, and thus also push people, bullying them even further!

[Witty Username]

I think Treantmonk had as his personal favorite as Evard's Lightning Tentacles, grappled and pulled deeper in at the same time.

[LudicSavant]

Another fun one: Lightning damage type Fire Shield with level 6 Tempest. Knocks people back 10 feet on every hit on you, good luck getting your full multi-attack routine off on an already hard-to-hurt target (since it's an armored wizard + gets great positioning options from Manifest Mind). Bonus points if you just stand at the exit of the Wall of Lightning or Evard's Lightning Tentacles and they get knocked back into it.

[Blatant Beast]

Or cackle as enemies use an Action and third level slot to dispel it, only for you to get it back with a 1st level slot and a bonus action.

Melf's Minute Meteors, makes a frowning face emoji at the bonus action cost. ;)

A Babau Demon, is only a CR 4 Creature, and per the original statblock in Volo's Guide to Monsters, a Babau can cast Dispel Magic, Darkness, and Fear at will.

Each of those spells, impose their own varying degree of difficulty on the Manifested Mind of the Awakened SpellBook. In some circumstances, a Scribe Wizard using their Awakened Spellbook as a spell focus can be a trap, as to summon the Manifested Mind, the book needs to be on your person, (hence why Fear can be problematic).

In an Old School, meat grinder, 8 Deadly++ Encounters a day, with a Tucker's Kobold style DM: eating into 1st level spell slot casts of Shield and Silvery Barbs can be relevant.

A Scribe Wizard being able to cast from the Manifested Mind is also limited to their proficiency bonus per day. It is a incredibly powerful ability, but not something that can be used every turn.

I like the Order of Scribes subclass, the flavor alone, is very cool, but a Scribe wizard practically speaking, might have to forego using their Awakened Spellbook as a focus. Indeed, the Scribe Wizard almost needs to hide that book on their person, as being on the wrong end of a Telekinesis spell, or having the Hulk just rip the book from their hands, can put the subclass at quite a bit of disadvantage.

Having a Blue Glowey manifestation of one of history's fussiest magical scholars, or even a large, glowing, free floating vapor of a tome, can pose some Roleplay issues. To take an example from the Wheel of Time series, having a chance encounter with White Cloaks, (a fantasy faction that hates magic), while the Awakened Mind is active, can make the initial attitude Hostile.

Beyond, those small quibbles regarding the subclass, the tactics you mentioned are solid.

[Witty Username]

I actually have an anecdote from a friend on the spellbook, he was in a game where magic was illegal.

Something happened that caused the town guard to search his house, since wizard this is bad. But all was not lost, he chucked his spellbook in the Fireplace and evaded the fuzz.

Because he was a scribe wizard, this was a mild inconvenience.

Stealing the book is a one combat problem, and that wouldn't be worse than a focus or component being stolen, every caster needs to worry about that.

[LudicSavant]

In an Old School, meat grinder, 8 Deadly++ Encounters a day, with a Tucker's Kobold style DM

As I'm sure you know (given that choice of phrasing), that's pretty much just a normal adventuring day for me

In some circumstances, a Scribe Wizard using their Awakened Spellbook as a spell focus can be a trap, as to summon the Manifested Mind, the book needs to be on your person, (hence why Fear can be problematic).

I'm not sure I'd go as far as calling this a trap. Losing your spellbook as a Scribes Wizard to a Babau is about as hard (potentially harder, depending on what protections you're putting on the book) as it is for a Babau to destroy a +1 magic shield you're holding -- and I'd rather lose the spellbook than the shield, because worst case scenario is that you lose access to a couple subclass features for a little bit (then get everything back when you short rest). And in the meantime you can still cast just fine.

And this is easier said than done for a Babau. To make you drop what you're holding, they must first land the fear, which only has a DC11, and Scribes Wizards aren't known for making themselves easy targets. Second, they must either successfully destroy or abscond with the spellbook, while angry PCs are trying to obliterate them, and they are not very good at doing either of those things themselves. In fact, if they wanted to destroy the spellbook on the spot, it could quite possibly take them numerous rounds to deliver enough damage to actually do so.

It doesn't strike me as notably more onerous than other forms of going after a PC's equipment. And indeed, a Scribes Wizard is actually immune to the usual long-term effects of having your spellbook destroyed.

[SourDragon]

Just my two cents but getting tempest to 6 and then scribes g8ves you the ability to do lightning magic missle that could push back an enemy multiple lots of 10ft- 40ft to start at 1st level!

[Arkhios]

I agree with almost everything. Exception: Bronze dragonborn.

I'm puzzled, why is Bronze Dragonborn better than Blue Dragonborn, other than from personal preference that has nothing to do with mechanics? Are you perhaps referring to the Metallic Dragonborn in contrast to Chromatic Dragonborn from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, which aren't equal with the Dragonborn in 2014PHB? And even if you were, I'd still say that the Chromatic Blue Dragonborn is better than Metallic Bronze Dragonborn.

As for the Scribe... I was about to suggest it right away as soon as I read the OP. Yes, I agree. Whole-heartedly. It's definitely on top of my list whenever I think of an energy-type specialist, whichever that energy type is.

Currently I'm playing a character that is likely going to focus on cold, necrotic and/or psychic damage, purely for flavor reasons.

Spoiler: OFF-TOPIC! Echo Knight/Scribe Wizard w/Specter Transformation (from Grim Hollow by Ghostfire Gaming)

Show

The character was formerly human Knight of the Order who died, but was brought back to life as a Reborn by unknown forces related to something called Realm Confluences (a periodic cataclysmic event that comes and goes over millenia, essentially very similar to what is happening in the Witcher series, but with even more serious repercussions to the world). Due to getting caught in the middle of such a confluence, the character's soul was infused with shadow energies and other souls from the Shadowfell, which is causing him to transform into an aberrant Specter.

Due to his former training he is skilled with both sword and sorcery (or wizardry), and both Echo Knight and Scribes features are flavorful choices that let him manifest echoes of his soul at some distance, and both attack with their weapons and eventually cast spells from afar. And those three damage types are quite commonly represented by the denizens of the Shadowfell, with perhaps the exception for Psychic, which is more related to the character's aberrant nature.

[Blatant Beast]

As I'm sure you know (given that choice of phrasing), that's pretty much just a normal adventuring day for me

I saw you use the phrase in another thread, and it stuck with me, as Tucker’s Kobolds is a Grognard deepcut, if there ever was one.

I'm not sure I'd go as far as calling this a trap. Losing your spellbook as a Scribes Wizard to a Babau is about as hard (potentially harder, depending on what protections you're putting on the book) as it is for a Babau to destroy a +1 magic shield you're holding --

I was not referring to a Babau destroying the Scribe Wizard’s Spellbook, (the Scribe Wizard is like Google, their spell search history is always saved), more referring to the fact the Awakened Mind itself can be taken out, which also would take out some of the higher level subclass abilities.

In terms of being an elemental blaster, any energy swapping abilities are not impacted by the Spectral Spellbook not being manifested. It is a good base, for the O.P.’s desire, plus being a Wizard is a win, overall…I agree there.

I like the Scribe Wizard, as I mentioned, I just become irked as certain D&D content providers, such as Treantmonk, basically claim the subclass is unstoppable because Dispel Magic is a rare ability in the Monster Manual….which is a bit too rosy an assumption for my taste.