Roleplaying Trouble [Archive] - Wizards Community

Roleplaying Trouble [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Gorbeck
01-30-08, 02:12 PM I need some help/advice. When my group started a new campaign, I decided to play a dragon-based sorcerer with an emphasis on fire. I took the Draconic Heritage feat from Races of the Dragon and selected the Gold dragon as my heritage. I'm currently a 5th level sorcerer and a 4th level Dragonheart Mage (RotD). I've been roleplaying my character with a "Fire in my blood" emphasis, but now that we're ninth level, I'm running into trouble.

My group used to consist of a human cleric, a human rogue, and my sorcerer. The rogue has since dropped out leaving only me and the cleric. My stats are:

Str: 8
Dex: 8
Con: 16
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 20

I'm just about useless in melee combat, although I can take a few hits thanks to my high Con and the Draconic Toughness feat. The problem I'm running into is that any time we fight something that has fire immunity or resistance (and the list is surprisingly long), I might as well just run away. Both the cleric and the DM are pressuring me to take Energy Substitution and from a player perspective I know that this could be very useful. However, from a character/roleplaying perspective, I don't see this as a possibility. Maybe I'm being stuborn, but I just don't think a fire sorcerer would ever chose to do any other type of elemental damage, any more than a fire elemental would chose to "substitute" its fire with anything else!

So what do you think? Am I being too stuborn? Is trying to roleplay "getting in the way" of having an effective character? Is there anything else I can do to avoid having to take energy substitution or non-fire-based spells and still have an impact in combat against fire resistant creatures? Thanks for your help!
CrimsonDeath
01-30-08, 04:47 PM "Of course you fight fire with fire. You fight everything with fire." ~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

If you're a spellslinger after Jaya's own heart (and I know I am) and you have access to the book Sandstorm, consider the Searing Spell feat. For a +1 spell slot adjustment, your fire spells can ignore fire resistance and even deal half damage to fire-immune creatures, including creatures with the fire subtype.

If you don't have access to Sandstorm, consider learning some spells that hinder opponents by doing things other than damage-- Ray of Enfeeblement, Glitterdust, Evard's Black Tentacles... You probably get where I'm going with this by now. Or you could learn spells that improve your own combat abilities, such as Tenser's Transformation; dragons are known for being formidable melee combatants, so it wouldn't be entirely off-concept to emulate that capacity.
Pillow_Pants
01-30-08, 05:21 PM Searing Spell is a great way to go. You have a cleric, so you have a melee combatant right? Hmm . . . how devout is your character spiritually? Can you find a way to add the holy descriptor to your fire spells, changing some of the fire damage?
Gorbeck
01-30-08, 06:22 PM Never even looked at Sandstorm! I'll have to pick it up just for that feat, because it's exactly what I'm looking for.

Hmm . . . how devout is your character spiritually? Can you find a way to add the holy descriptor to your fire spells, changing some of the fire damage?

Yes, actually, I can! My character prays to Bahamut more often than the cleric prays to his god. :D
CrimsonDeath
01-31-08, 04:28 PM In that case, Consecrate Spell (Complete Divine) turns half a spell's damage into holy damage, which bypasses energy resistance and immunity. (The other half remains whatever damage type it already was, and is subject to resistance and immunity as normal.) It's also a +1 spell slot adjustment. If all your spells are already fire spells, I'd go with Searing Spell instead just because it completely bypasses resistance.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
02-01-08, 03:08 PM In that case, Consecrate Spell (Complete Divine) turns half a spell's damage into holy damage, which bypasses energy resistance and immunity. (The other half remains whatever damage type it already was, and is subject to resistance and immunity as normal.) It's also a +1 spell slot adjustment. If all your spells are already fire spells, I'd go with Searing Spell instead just because it completely bypasses resistance.

Yeah, and then just say it's a gift from Bahamut. Use the mechanics of one feat, and the fluff of the second. Problem solved. Also, if you're so devoutly given over to Bahamut, and it seems to be working, why not invest in some cold spells as well? Bahamut is known for a cone of cold breath weapon. If you've got Dragon Magic, there's Gold Dragon Lineage: sacrifice a spell slot to give allies a luck bonus on saves. There are plenty of dragon-themed spells. Why not go for the ones that have a gold dragon theme?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Gorbeck 01-30-08, 02:12 PM	I need some help/advice. When my group started a new campaign, I decided to play a dragon-based sorcerer with an emphasis on fire. I took the Draconic Heritage feat from Races of the Dragon and selected the Gold dragon as my heritage. I'm currently a 5th level sorcerer and a 4th level Dragonheart Mage (RotD). I've been roleplaying my character with a "Fire in my blood" emphasis, but now that we're ninth level, I'm running into trouble. My group used to consist of a human cleric, a human rogue, and my sorcerer. The rogue has since dropped out leaving only me and the cleric. My stats are: Str: 8 Dex: 8 Con: 16 Int: 14 Wis: 10 Cha: 20 I'm just about useless in melee combat, although I can take a few hits thanks to my high Con and the Draconic Toughness feat. The problem I'm running into is that any time we fight something that has fire immunity or resistance (and the list is surprisingly long), I might as well just run away. Both the cleric and the DM are pressuring me to take Energy Substitution and from a player perspective I know that this could be very useful. However, from a character/roleplaying perspective, I don't see this as a possibility. Maybe I'm being stuborn, but I just don't think a fire sorcerer would ever chose to do any other type of elemental damage, any more than a fire elemental would chose to "substitute" its fire with anything else! So what do you think? Am I being too stuborn? Is trying to roleplay "getting in the way" of having an effective character? Is there anything else I can do to avoid having to take energy substitution or non-fire-based spells and still have an impact in combat against fire resistant creatures? Thanks for your help!
CrimsonDeath 01-30-08, 04:47 PM	"Of course you fight fire with fire. You fight everything with fire." ~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage If you're a spellslinger after Jaya's own heart (and I know I am) and you have access to the book Sandstorm, consider the Searing Spell feat. For a +1 spell slot adjustment, your fire spells can ignore fire resistance and even deal half damage to fire-immune creatures, including creatures with the fire subtype. If you don't have access to Sandstorm, consider learning some spells that hinder opponents by doing things other than damage-- Ray of Enfeeblement, Glitterdust, Evard's Black Tentacles... You probably get where I'm going with this by now. Or you could learn spells that improve your own combat abilities, such as Tenser's Transformation; dragons are known for being formidable melee combatants, so it wouldn't be entirely off-concept to emulate that capacity.
Pillow_Pants 01-30-08, 05:21 PM	Searing Spell is a great way to go. You have a cleric, so you have a melee combatant right? Hmm . . . how devout is your character spiritually? Can you find a way to add the holy descriptor to your fire spells, changing some of the fire damage?
Gorbeck 01-30-08, 06:22 PM	Never even looked at Sandstorm! I'll have to pick it up just for that feat, because it's exactly what I'm looking for. Hmm . . . how devout is your character spiritually? Can you find a way to add the holy descriptor to your fire spells, changing some of the fire damage? Yes, actually, I can! My character prays to Bahamut more often than the cleric prays to his god. :D
CrimsonDeath 01-31-08, 04:28 PM	In that case, Consecrate Spell (Complete Divine) turns half a spell's damage into holy damage, which bypasses energy resistance and immunity. (The other half remains whatever damage type it already was, and is subject to resistance and immunity as normal.) It's also a +1 spell slot adjustment. If all your spells are already fire spells, I'd go with Searing Spell instead just because it completely bypasses resistance.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 02-01-08, 03:08 PM	In that case, Consecrate Spell (Complete Divine) turns half a spell's damage into holy damage, which bypasses energy resistance and immunity. (The other half remains whatever damage type it already was, and is subject to resistance and immunity as normal.) It's also a +1 spell slot adjustment. If all your spells are already fire spells, I'd go with Searing Spell instead just because it completely bypasses resistance. Yeah, and then just say it's a gift from Bahamut. Use the mechanics of one feat, and the fluff of the second. Problem solved. Also, if you're so devoutly given over to Bahamut, and it seems to be working, why not invest in some cold spells as well? Bahamut is known for a cone of cold breath weapon. If you've got Dragon Magic, there's Gold Dragon Lineage: sacrifice a spell slot to give allies a luck bonus on saves. There are plenty of dragon-themed spells. Why not go for the ones that have a gold dragon theme?