Post/Author/DateTime	Post
shades of eternity 04-07-06, 01:48 PM	I finally got my hands on unearthed arcana, and convinced my gm to allow me to play a battle sorceror. Two things 1. How does it compare to a regular sorceror. To be honest, it seems a tad powerful in comparison. 2. What tips for spells, feats, strategies for playing a battle sorceror?
WarDragon 04-07-06, 03:55 PM	1. You're kidding, right? Even if normal Sorcerers weren't underpowered, the Battle Sorcerer's bonuses just barely make up for the loss of casting, especially Spells Known. Not saying it isn't fun to play, just don't expect to be the biggest badass in your party. 2. Take feats that increase your versatility without spreading yourself too thin; the Draconic feats in Complete Arcane and Races of the Dragon are, I think, better for a Battle Sorc than a normal one. Draconic Breath completely removes the need to take any area spells. The spells you do take should be mostly buffs, with a few (ranged) touch attacks. If you're using a bludgeoning weapon, Greater Mighty Wallop is a must; in fact, use a bludgeoning weapon just to take advantage of that spell. Wraithstrike is another essential, allowing you to actually use Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise and actually have a shot at hitting things.
ninjarabbit 04-07-06, 04:31 PM	At lower levels the battlesorcerer has a greater degree of survivability than the regular sorcerer and you really won't notice the loss of spells too much, for example at level 4 you only have one less 1st level spell known than a regular sorcerer. At mid to higher levels you'll start to notice the difference but you should find ways around it and remember that you're really not a pure caster, you're more of a gish (warrior-mage) Some good feats for a battlesorcerer to help make up the lack of spells known include arcane strike, arcane discipline (provided you have a decent wis score and access to items that bump your wis), draconic breath, and draconic legacy. In addition to some buffs you should take some utility spells like limited wish and shadow conjuration. Power attack is also a good one since you'll have a decent BAB and true strike.
Blaque 04-07-06, 07:28 PM	I personally think that htey are pretty neat myself. First thing I'd say is grab the Spell Compendium to get the most of the class. There are a lot of spells in there that help you gish nicely, from Heroics to Wraithstrike. Taking the draconic heritage feats also helps a lot. Also, feats like Arcane Strike or Versitle Spellcaster will help you take care of issues you might have with your dirth of higher level spell slots in the long run, or spells to choose from. Weaponwise, I suggest longsword or scimatar, or if you can aford it, maybe rapier with Weapon Finesse. THey are power attackable, can be keened, all that good stuff. Though, hammers and the lot work out nicely too, to be hoenst. If you are playing variants, actualy, see if you can swap your familiar for an animal companion ala the rules in that book. They aren't as good as a Druid's equivailant, but its less an XP sink when it dies and does give you some nice options combatwise. Knowstones from Dragon #333 are also good to look into. They'll help take care of your lack of spells. Don't expect to be the primary caster though. I think battle sorcerers are for groups that already ahve the core four covered, or as a decent fighter substitue. You are closer to the psionic psychic warrior then a sorcerer as far as tactics, and keep that in midn when you build your character. Ummm, and stuff. Nyarr.
Votan 04-08-06, 12:48 AM	Multi-function spells are a good choice for the battlesorcerer. Things like telekinesis or greater invisibility that can serve many functions for the character. Otherwise the lack of spells known will be a massive handicap.
shades of eternity 04-08-06, 12:12 PM	which book is versatile spellcaster from? Also have my copy of Dragon 311 and the bloodline feats. Would it be a good idea to take one? One last thing Assuming standard attributes (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), where would you place them?
Blaque 04-08-06, 04:19 PM	Versitile Spellcaster is in Races of the Dragon. The net effe ctis burn an amount of lower level spell slots to cast a spell a level higher. Its pretty neat and very useful for spontaneous casters in general. To be honest, I like the cast more then regular sorcerer myself, though I do think it needs more. Then again, I don't like how normal sorcerers and shugenja get absolutely nothing to keep you in the class after level one. Stuff.
ninjarabbit 04-08-06, 06:37 PM	Something else to consider that battlesorcerers get pretty durable familars, only hexblades have more durable familars, so this makes the improved familar feat worth considering.
shades of eternity 04-09-06, 10:40 AM	durable familiars...explain?
kelvinaw273 04-09-06, 10:49 AM	The Battle Sorcerer is designed to Buff and Charge. It allows a kind of fighter-sorcerer without having to multiclass.
Dipteran_Legacy 04-09-06, 11:04 AM	I agree with the poster's who've said to use your spells for buffing. Imo, the battle sorc shouldnt strain for the most versatile spells out there. if such a focused class spreads itself thin, they'll quickly become very sub-par. rather, pick up things like wraithstrike, tenser's trans, etc. in most battles, you'll be sub-par compared to the fighter. but in a few battles a day, you'll tear it up compared to him :) also, the "durable familiar" thing was because familiars always have half the HP of their master. with those big, fat D8's, you've got yourself a fairly tough sidekick. on the stat array, I'd probably suggest: str:13 dex:12 con:14 wis:8 int:10 cha:15 also, if you dont mind being LG, think about 3 levels of pally. it can be worth it for the saves & divine might
Kurama Youko 04-09-06, 11:25 AM	I finally got my hands on unearthed arcana, and convinced my gm to allow me to play a battle sorceror. Two things 1. How does it compare to a regular sorceror. To be honest, it seems a tad powerful in comparison. 2. What tips for spells, feats, strategies for playing a battle sorceror? 1.) Tad Powerful? Are you kidding, are we talking about the same Sorcerer who after first level wish he qualified for a prestige class right then and there because he got nothing in terms of specials after first lv, and that his special feature for first lv was a familiar.... Are you kidding me! The Battle Sorcerer is basically making right on a class that was done wrong from day one. Im a big fan of spontaneous spellcasting namely because of the sorcerer but even I understand that it should have gotten more than it did when it was invented. So to answer the question it blows the normal sorcerer out of the water. Infact just pretend that the Battle Sorcerer was always there and that other sorcerer was the variant. 2.) Depends on what you want to do, taking a theme early helps keep you focused on what you want to try and do, this is true for any character class but it seems to lend it self better to the BS since it is limited in terms of spells known, per day, available prestige classes, and class specific feats. Lets pretend you wanted to be some Crystal Dragon Desendant B.Sorcerer. I would suggest you play a Human. Feat Suggestion would be something like. (B)-Draconic Hertiage (Crystal Dragon) 1st-Spell Rehearsal 3rd-Draconic Breath 6th-Air Bloodline (Dragon Magazine 211) 9th-Draconic Claw 12th-Dragon Cohort (Draconomicon) 15th-Versatile Spellcaster 18th-Arcane Strike Spells like Wraith Strike, Draconic Polymorph, Tensor's Transformation, Overland Flight, Greater Magic Weapon, Greater Mighty Wallop, Polymorph Any Object are all great spells for a Battle Sorcerer. Good weapon for a B.Sorcerer is a Warhammer especially if you can cast Greater Mighty Wallop Prestige Classes to aim for, well if your in the Realms, I would say Gray Hand Enforcerer of Waterdeep, found in the City of Splenders source book. It gives Full BAB, SR, DR, A small emergency healing ability, and 4/5 spellcasting increases. 18th-
ninjarabbit 04-09-06, 11:47 AM	durable familiars...explain? Familars have half the hps of their master and the battlesorcerer has a d8 hit dice vs the d4 hit dice of a sorcerer or wizard so excluding con modifiers the battlesorcerer's familar will on average have about twice as many hps as the regular sorcerer's familar. In fact a battlesorcerer's familar will have about as many hps as a wizard or sorercer.
Kurama Youko 04-09-06, 12:17 PM	As far as stratgeries go, here is a pretty simple one. When you get the ability to learn and cast 4th lv spells. Cast Polymorph or if you dont mind wanting until you can learn 5th lv spells Draconic Polymorph cast that and change into a Sharrukh (Serpent Kingdom) I think they have a base 25 Str, if you use Draconic PM, thats a 33 Str on a medium sized creature. You should have Greater Mighty Wallop by now as well and even if your only 14th lv (this is the caster lv needed to turn into a Sharrukh with polymorph.) you should be able to increase the weapon size in terms of damage by 3x so that it does damage as a gargantuan weapon. A Warhammer is the weapon i suggested before so 1d8 now becomes 4d6+11 or 4d6+16 if wielded two handed.. the damage can go if assuming you cast greater magic weapon, or the weapon has special abilities like holy or flaming or what have you, maybe you have a belt of giants strength +6 or a belt of Mighty prowess (+6 Str & Con).. all in all you should be doing some decent damage. As good as any other medium sized fighter at least... and thats before adding arcane strike to the mix... if you could fit power attack into this then power attack could be a good option as well.
Hariman 04-09-06, 01:14 PM	Familars have half the hps of their master and the battlesorcerer has a d8 hit dice vs the d4 hit dice of a sorcerer or wizard so excluding con modifiers the battlesorcerer's familar will on average have about twice as many hps as the regular sorcerer's familar. In fact a battlesorcerer's familar will have about as many hps as a wizard or sorercer. Actually, they'll probably exactly match the regular sorc or wizard. I have a hexblade4 and the level 4 wizard in the party has 3 less hp than my familiar. Greater Mighty Wallop + Wraithstrike + Greatclub or Heavy Flail = 1 round to prepare before being able to dish out a maximum of 6d8. Warhammer or Morningstar only go up to 6d6. A morningstar has the added advantage of being both Piercing and Bludgeoning, foiling 2 types of damage reduction. Let's see, other feats, Take one level of rogue and then you can take Razing Strike, combine that with Mighty Wallop/Wraithstrike and Golems will now fear you. Arcane Preparation and Quicken Spell will let you Quicken lower level buffing spells, freeing up actions to let you blast or buff. Practical Metamagic (AKA: Easy Metamagic) will make it even easier to quicken those spells. Critical Strike will be good at lower levels to increase threat range and add a little damage to your weapons. Greater Invisibility is a must, for obvious reasons. Phantom Threat is good for high touch AC enemies. Whirling Blade is godlike when combined with the prior buffs on your weapons, although you can't really cheese it too much, because whirling blade is for slashing weapons only. I'm out of Ideas for now. Hariman PS. If you take Weapon Finesse, remember that it can be applied to melee touch attacks.
Kadasbrass 04-09-06, 01:22 PM	My first character was a Battle Sorcerer and was easly one of the most powerful characters in the group. As mentioned above, Arcane Strike is a nice feat to grap (Complete Warrior) but I wouldn't wait till level 18.
ninjarabbit 04-09-06, 02:29 PM	My first character was a Battle Sorcerer and was easly one of the most powerful characters in the group. As mentioned above, Arcane Strike is a nice feat to grap (Complete Warrior) but I wouldn't wait till level 18. The battlesorcerer can qualify for arcane strike at level 6 and is pretty much the only character who can get arcane strike at level 6.
Kurama Youko 04-09-06, 09:21 PM	the only problem is battle sorcerers are only proficient with one 1-handed martial weapon and all simple weapons, I think that would bar them from using a Great Club or a Heavy Flail. I only put Arcane Strike at that point because thats when it occurd to me, everything i listed was pretty much what was best when it occurd to me.
Ruhl-Than Sage 04-09-06, 10:17 PM	The more combat worthy Familiars from the Complete Warrior are easily accessible to a Battle Sorcerer and their greater HP/BAB help their familiar's too. You could gain a Blink Dog or Hell Hound by 7th level; or a Hippogriff or Winter Wolf by 10th level. Hell you qualify for a Krenshar or Worg by 4th level! I would definately go for the Improved Familiar if you are going to go Battle Sorcerer, and the Augment Familiar spell from that book might actually be worth spending one of your precious spells known on too.
Darth Sephiroth 04-09-06, 11:44 PM	I mixed some of the Battle Sorcerer into the normal Sorcerer to make the Standard Sorcerer for a campaign I've been working on recently. Bluff and Intimidate are class skills, HD goes to d6 (Not quite up to the Battle Sorcerer but better than the Sorcerer), gains the AP (Light) and Light armor casting. The Spellcasting doesn't lost some spells as the Battle Sorcerer does. And it seems balanced for me.
shades of eternity 04-14-06, 01:30 AM	The concept I was kicking around was a "naga the serpent" type character drop dead gorgeous female type, with red dragon blood in her, and a touch of malcolm reneolds ethics. Basically have to make her nonevil though, according to the gm. Any suggestions would be most helpful.
Hariman 04-14-06, 06:24 PM	Chaotic Neutral is a good alignment for a non-evil woman with red dragon blood in her. She could be a "Out for herself" type that sticks by the party for any number of reasons. Reasons include: Fallen in love with a party member. Owes a debt to a member of the party. Hates an enemy that the party is after. Party member befriended her. Party pays her a share, which is better than most parties try to pay her. On a mission that requires the party's help. Because they haven't tried to kill her yet. Or she could be a girl that is rejecting the evil blood in her veins to do good. Although I do wish that I knew who and what you were referencing when describing her personality traits.
The_Shaman 04-14-06, 08:43 PM	Generally, it seemed to me the class' weakest spot were the spells known, so it would make some sense to go for that. If you can afford high wisdom (basically no lower than your charisma), you could take the feats from Complete Divine which give you the spells from one of the domains from your deity. That, or if you are very, very good, you may go for exalted arcanist... but it might be a bit tough on you. Arcane strike aids you for versatility, and if you don't go for max charisma (which basically means you don't get to those high-level spells without help), you could sacrifice a few levels for a bloodline. You will get your caster levels, but less spells known (big problem) and a few less casts per day (weeeell, not THAT big problem). Of course, it might be better to do this if the party already has someone good at magic, especially if it has a "pure-caster" wizard or sorcerer. Also in the case you decide to sacrifice high-end spellcasting, you could multiclass to a warrior-like class and go either for paladin-sorcerer, rage mage, green star adept, or, quite simply, dragon disciple. By the way, don't underestimate the DD - you will get about as many spells at least from its first few levels than from your normal B-sorc progression, and a d12 hit die. Oh yeah, and decent fortitude progression. Someone please tell me if attribute bonus from an item allows you to cast higher-level spells. If yes, starting with a decent wisdom and getting at least one domain of spells (with a feat) is probably the bargain for a battle sorcerer. After all, that is 1 new spell known for each level. Anyway, on to the concept... I suppose CN is a pretty decent alignment for a sorceress with red dragon blood in her veins, especially if she's feeling a bit oppressed under Daddy's wing (and given his temper, she probably would) and wants to strike it out on her own or just see the world. She would probably be a bit more avaricious than most people, but the alignment certainly allows that. She is likely to be quite distrustful of her comrades at first, but if she manages to get herself into a mess which they get her out of she may grow attached to them. Or, perhaps, she is after an item which she knows is currently owned by someone the party's enemy or at least is in the general direction the party's going, and she sees her teammates more as temporary employers than friends. I suppose the concept and the build (the stats that you gave earlier) somewhat exclude high wisdom score and extra "domain" spells, as the character probably won't be very religious, at least at first. Still, the option is quite valuable, so I'm a bit loath to let go of it :) Later on, she could fit the Olidamarran cult (maybe Sharess, or Sune or Tymora if she goes CG) if she's more light-hearted, but still her wisdom probably won't be her highest score. As for stats, my idea would be either Str 12 Dex 14 Con 10 Wis 13 (for extra spells) Int 8 (she's human, right? otherwise the con may be 8) Cha 15 - caster build, I suppose the "drop dead gorgeous" part pretty much fixes where the 15 goes. or Str 13 Dex 14 Con 12 Wis 8 Int 10, Cha 15 (more combat-oriented, with the boni from a few levels in the DD prestige class or a red dragon bloodline becomes seriously good in kicking posteriors)
shades of eternity 04-15-06, 04:25 AM	here's a nasty thought. What if the gm will only allow stuff from the main three books (phb, dmg, and mm) besides the battle sorceror from ua. how can you optimize spells, feats, equipment to get the most bang for your buck?
The_Shaman 04-15-06, 05:44 AM	Spells: go for versatility if main arcanist (i.e. shadow evocation), buffs and self-buffs if there is someone else to lob the fireballs. Basically you don't have the spells known to cover more than one area (two at the very max), so when it comes to magic, you may want to consider what the party can do for you. If prestige classes are allowed, I'd suggest either Dragon Disciple for the bonus abilities or Eldritch Knight for the extra spell levels and better BAB (if you want to go for more attacks/round), possibly even both as they aren't mutually exclusive, and 2 levels of DD won't cost you that many spells. The downside is that you will be a few spellcasting levels behind a full-scale sorcerer, but imo a battle sorcerer isn't exactly a pure arcanist in the first place. Your character is a sorceress, so the only thing she loses on are the powers of her familiar. I am sorry I can't tell you anything more at the moment, but what you aim for is likely going to be influenced by what your character's party is. You're not the skill machine of the group, most likely, but a B-sorc's tendency to be a bit close to the fray makes concentration a must, and intimidate can also help you in social situations as you have the charisma and personality for it, while knowledge (arcana) or spellcraft ties with a draconic parentage - not to mention being able to cast arcane magic. Being able to freely cast in light armor means spells such as Magic Armor are moot (unless cast on either the familiar or the monk) after you get your hands on your first chain shirt, and with a better BAB progression spells that increase a mage's combat powers make much more sense than they would otherwise. As a sorcerer, someone with a close and somewhat chaotic affinity to magic, you could I suppose at least argue for spells outside the big three :D , and currently I am thinking of one that summons a force pike with variable length and level-dependent damage (4th level, Guide to Faerun). If you are more of a warrior-mage weapon focus (or weapon finesse if your dexterity is notably higher than your strength, or improved critical later on) may pay off, while if you go for a particular spell school one spell focus could also be useful. I'm not completely sure where it is from, but Improved Familiar is listed in d20srd and they have mostly basic stuff; with a d8 hit die it would make sense to go for a familiar that is more useful in battle (maybe a small elemental, shocker lisard, or a celestial/fiendish version of an animal if you are good/evil - later they will get damage reductions as they improve in HDs). Given your sorceress' concept, she could probably have the leadership feat as she would likely have a big enough personality to blow people off their feet and follow her even against their better judgement ;D . If you have any extra feats to allocate, you could go with improving either a weak save or adding more power to your typical attack means (say, point blank shot-rapid shot, the TWF tree - you're not likely to use a shield anyway, or the power attack-cleave if you have higher Str and want to go two-handed), or add one or two metamagic feats to improve your spellcasting and give yourself more versatility. In general, unless for flavor reasons you go for a spell theme, spells such as shield, mirror image and blur (for staying power), protection from whatever, detect whatever, true strike (if you go combat), invisibility, slow and/or haste and grease/web/Evard's tentacles can always come in handy, and the old fireball (or anything flashy that goes boom, even pyrotechnics if you go utility) is hardly out of place for a sorceress with a red dragon blood in her and an explosive personality. Shadow evocations and conjurations may be particularly suited to you: a conjuration will either give you a useful crowd control spell if you don't have it (such as grease/web/sleet storm, even if sub-par compared to the real one), or summon an ally to flank with. Alter self is a favorite of mine: whether you want a pixie's wings or a lizardman's armor bonus, it's yours as easy as 1 standard action. As for equipment, it depends whether you like to duke it out as a light fighter, pepper them with arrows in between the spells, or want to go spells only. Ability-enhancing equipment will be useful anyway (particularly constitution won't hurt as most battle sorcerers forget they aren't full-blown fighters or hexblades), as well as anything that raises your AC. If you have some skills no one in the party can offer, it would also be useful to get some equipment that gives you a bonus to them. Magic weapons and light armor are also useful, but again it depends on your preference for melee or skirmish combat (sure, it's not 100% Naga, but you can compensate on the personality and evil laugh :D ). Just, if you have a decent strength, remember to keep a small weapon dealing a different kind of damage in case your limited spell selection and trusty main weapon prove useless against a particular creature. Unlike the regular soldier, you are not completely useless when your spells are.
Kurama Youko 04-15-06, 12:22 PM	... shaman, you really need to break those post down into paragraphs or sections or something. *rubs eyes* Anyway, if you can only use the 3 core books, then you have to understand in those books there was hardly anything in them for the Sorcerer to begin with.. so your pretty much playing a gimped sorcerer who just happens to have more hp/bab.. Power Attack, Extend Spell, Empower Spell would then probably be your best bets.. if you had to stick with the 3 core books only rule. Power Attack True Strike would be your best bet in doing really good melee damage outside of polymorphing into larger creatures. If i had to use the 3 core books only i wouldnt bother with a battle sorcerer at all, i'd just play a freakin druid or cleric.
The_Shaman 04-15-06, 07:27 PM	I suppose B-Sorc was favored for the flavor, rather than use... It is somewhat weaker in most regards than a cleric, but it can still be fun to play and useful for the party. I have heard the idea a few times that it might be a small boost to give a sorcerer a minor bloodline for free (no "bloodline" level); perhaps you could speak to the DM to allow you to "downgrade" bloodlines by 1 level (say, taking a major bloodline and treating it as an intermediate one in terms of how much levels you have to spend. RD bloodline isn't the best thing for a sorcerer anyway, imo, and you will use material from UA in the first place. On second thought, looking once again at the eldritch knight, it has very little to offer the battle sorcerer (as a base class), except for a slightly better BAB (full progression instead of 3/4). Ironically, it even has less HPs. Apparently it's weaker than I thought at first, unless your DM allows you to tweak it a bit, say adding more fighter feats (it is considered somewhat underpowered as it is now, apparently). On the other hand, given how the b-sorcerer doesn't get much else save a familiar and spellcasting, a prestige class offers some extra goodies that may be nice. I already said my opinion on the Dragon Disciple, although the two classes aren't the only options for a sorcerer from the DM guide. Still, I don't suppose she (your sorceress) would go towards mystic theurge, and as a battle-sorceress she is royally... cheated... if she thinks about becoming an archmage with her low number of spells known. On the other hand, if she has stickier fingers and a not exacly legalistic outlook on life, the arcane trickster could give her a few extra options at the price of HPs and a lower attack progression. It's a nifty PRC in my opinion (gets more SPs, among other things), but the 3+ levels of rogue it asks for are a problem for a spellcasting class that already lags behind in levels at which it gets new spells and spells known.. Loremaster would not seem to suit the theme (not to mention it also requires a lot of spells known - and divinations, of all spells), and thaumaturgist is rather specialized in conjuration - which could work, but is still a bit off the theme and would be better if there is another party member with arcane magic. If the character is a half-elf or a true elf, she could go towards arcane archer, but somehow I don't think that's likely given the concept.
Lion_Legionnaire 04-15-06, 08:12 PM	Fun to play and useful for the party is all I really looking for in a character class. Mechanics are totally secondary for me. I am more interested in the storytelling... ;) As for the topic at hand, advice for playing a battle sorcerer, I would suggest you take The Shaman's suggestions and run with them.
shades of eternity 04-16-06, 03:06 AM	What magical items should a battle sorceror keep an eye out for and/or if you should get using a 5th or 10th level build? Open to all books.
The_Shaman 04-16-06, 09:50 AM	Again, it would probably depend on your role in the party. Charisma-enhancing equipment is generally good, but not as good as for the straight sorcerer: you won't be using that many save-requiring spells, probably, and the extra spell slots are nice, but don't help with your main problem of few spells known. In general, if you fight from a range, dexterity and charisma-boosting items are preferable, if from up close, strength and constitution may be more important. The armor is preferably chain shirt (iirc B-sorcs had no arcane spellcasting failure in light armor), maybe mithril medium armor (if it counts as light for spellcasting purposes). The armor should be masterwork at least, and among the magical versions... well, unless you use shield, anything that protects you against arrows is good, especially if your sorceress is not a close combat gal (in which case simply go for the bonus AC). If it's magical and has extra properties... depending on the campaign,an axe/hammer/spearblock armor (from CW, DR 5/- vs a particular form of physical damage) may be worth its prize. Seeing the dragon connection, in the Draconomicon there are a few dragon material items that may come in handy, such as the crimson dragonhide bracers (bracers giving Natural AC bonus and a little fire resistance), if the character has actually spent some time near a Red (she might have just pocketed a few scales as a parting gift). Extra AC always helps, and since you probably won't be using bracers of armor... An alternative is to go towards ability-enhancing items for that slot, such as gauntlets for ogre strength if you like to get down and dirty... oops, in close combat with your foes :P The weapon, seeing as your dex will be good but not extraordinary, could be a longsword and/or longspear (if you prefer reach). Longsword as a standard str-based 1h martial weapon, longspear if you prefer a two-handed weapon. Later on, if you take 1 level of fighter or a similar class that gives you proficiency with all melee weapons (and basically if you want to go towards the eldritch knight), you could use a halberd, greatsword, or heavy flail (though I have no idea exactly whatthe GM Wallop is and where it comes from, it seems people like it). Particularly if you go towards DD or have a draconic bloodline, your strength will be among your better stats. If you have higher carrying capacity, make sure you have sidearms for additional types of damage. As for enhancements (I suppose by lvl 5 you could have gathered enough cash for a magic weapon), Bane of something or aligned weapons are great if you are likely to face a particular foe. Exit wound bows (if you can afford them) are great if you go for archery, while a deflecting weapon and a good reflex save will make your character that much more durable against archers. A flaming weapon is also an idea if you want to play to your character's heritage - and do a bit more damage, which helps. In general, weapons won't be your first priority if you are the main arcanist, but if not, and you dabble in more martial classes - go for it, especially if the DM is generous with equipment. Oh, by the way, you don't need me telling you this but if you do go for bows, make sure they are mighty. Archery is generally bad on damage. As for additional equipment, generally, it's a good idea to take care of your weaker saves if you can bring them up enough to stand a reasonable chance against a certain attack. If you don't have a nymph's cloak, a cloak of resistance or of displacement will likely be the most useful choice, although a cloak of hiding (or similar) can be useful if your sorceress decides to be a bit of a thief. As for rings, it again depends on how you want to play it. In general, a ring of deflection is a good buy unless you receive it from other sources, such as prot. from evil when your enemies are mostly evil. Rings of feather falling or minor elemental resistance are always useful, and a ring of invisibility is great when you want to position yourself well for getting out of danger or into it, but it's a bit expensive for low-level character. Amulets... well, if you can afford an amulet to boost your con score, ok, but it's not high priority and you probably have more important stuff to worry about, so just get whatever you can for this slot. Now, for boots, if you can get something useful, ok, if not, just have your character wear something to accentuate her great fashion sense (or equally great body). Boots of reflexes, speed or striding are all good, as are any giving you ability bonuses. For the head, a helm would be a bit out of line for a Naga-ish sorceress, but a hat of disguise gives you a lot of options when you decide to act in a less straightforward manner.
The_Shaman 04-16-06, 09:50 AM	N.P.
shades of eternity 04-16-06, 12:40 PM	thanks guys, especially shaman, for the info my understanding and I just found of the details of the game. It is going to be a forgotten realms campaign. I am going to try to show/twist the gms arm to use complete warrior and arcane, but know FRCS, Player's guide to Faerun and Magic of Faeun are going to be use. I think Faiths and Pantheons and Lords of Darkness are going to be used by the GM. I've done my own analysis on using these books and will put it up when complete you guys rock :w00t: er, where is the Nymphs cloak?
Keoki 04-16-06, 12:49 PM	the only problem is battle sorcerers are only proficient with one 1-handed martial weapon and all simple weapons, I think that would bar them from using a Great Club or a Heavy Flail. Nothing's really barring them from using any weapon - one of the nice things about Third Edition is that proficiency is only a feat away.
shades of eternity 04-16-06, 01:37 PM	here's my compiled notes on the subject http://www.planetadnd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2701 enjoy :)