Ode to a Kobold Sorceror [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ode to a Kobold Sorceror [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Maesto
11-11-07, 08:03 PM I've decided to create one final LG character to enjoy the Greyhawk Ruins plot arc. I've given various roles a try, but never a spontaneous caster, so I'm going to dive into the deep end and try out a sorceror. I've decided to make him a kobold, just to see what all of the fuss is about. Ok, stop rolling your eyes...

After a bit of reading, I've decided the following: all that kobold sorcerors get is access to dracolexi and practical metamagic. Otherwise, you might as well be a human sorceror and enjoy the extra skillpoints, feat, con, and strength. Ok, that's not entirely fair, but hey, it's pretty close.

So, introducing Conan the Barbarian (Sorceror 1), coward extraordinaire.

I've played an elf wizard through to high levels with a stat array of 6/16/12/20/8/8, and my original attempt at stats for the kobold went rather similarly: 6/16/12/12/8/16. However, I don't want to try playing the same character again, and I think that that array is extraordinarily similar to Copper_Wyrmling's sorceror. Given that she always says that she gets away with simply keeping away from the baddies, I'm opting for the daring (and somewhat fragile) 7/10/12/14/8/17. At least that isn't completely shadowbait, and I like playing skilled characters.

Buildwise, I'm contemplating either Sorc X/Fatespinner 4, Sorc 5/Dracolexi 10, or if access drops my way, Sorc 6/Warweaver 5/Fatespinner 4.

Featwise, I'm more inclined to pursue a bunch of metamagic options than the draconic heritage chain. The dragonwrought feat looks really cool flavourwise, and it would be neat to be immune to paralysis (sleep barely ever comes up), but it removes one of the conditions of being able to take practical metamagic, and if you're playing a kobold sorceror, you might as well take practical metamagic (as far as I can gather).

For the dracolexi levels, I was thinking Empower Spell/Eschew Materials/Still Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic/Quicken or Twin Spell (feats up to 12), probably retraining the practical metamagic to the final feat, and then taking the final feat as practical metamagic in that. Note that Dracolexi basically lets all spells be extended for free as well, but gives up a caster level.

For the warweaver build, a similar set of feats, but swap Eschew Materials and Still Spell for Enlarge Spell instead. No extend spell for free as for Dracolexi, and give up a caster level as well, but get the ability to do stupid stuff instead =)

For straight sorc/fatespinner, I was thinking Empower Spell/Twin or Widen or Quicken Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic/A second practical metamagic or another metamagic?

I've always thought that metamagic feats were the playtoys of Sorcerors, so I rather want to take some.

I guess I could also try Sorc5/Dracolexi5/Warweaver5, but that drops two caster levels (never picking up 7th level spells, not getting 6th level spells until 14th level), although it does lead to some rather funky abilities. Feats would go Enlarge/Still/Eschew/Empower/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic, with swift actions devoted to spells and dracolexi words, and spells automatically extened. Quicken doesn't quite fit in; I think empower would be more useful.

So, that's what I've come up with. Yes, I know, I could play a human sorceror and have more fun with stuff, but I want to try the kobold, pathetic as they are! Can anybody with experience with sorc's give any insights? Am I crazy for even considering dropping caster levels? Does some of what I'm considering just not work?

Thanks,

Jolyon

P.S. If this character makes it all the way to 15, which I very much doubt he will, given the amount of time I have left, I'll see what I can do about getting access to the draconic familiar feat to take at 15. Enter one gold dragon wyrmling!
twells
11-11-07, 08:57 PM My two coppers having played some sorcerers ….

First, it is REALLY hard to lose a spell level as a sorcerer. You are already a step behind wizards in spell levels and losing the top-tier spell level really hampers your abilities in keeping up with the APLs. Unless you plan on playing down a lot … I wouldn’t do it. I now have a War Weaver wizard, and it was a tough decision to drop that level and put him at the sorcerer’s spell progression, but War Weaver is just too cool to pass up. I wouldn’t do this with a sorcerer. Same goes for Dracolexi – some cool abilities, but I wouldn’t give up a spell level for them.

I created a Kobold sorcerer for Greyhawk Ruins, and I am having some fun playing him. Don’t discount the Draconic Heritage feats at the low levels – I took the Dragonblood Sorcerer substitution level at first with Draconic Breath and have been VERY effective in combat, at least for these lower levels. The Draconic Breath frees up spells to be chosen for more utility & battlefield control. I will retrain the feat later when spells become a more effective way of dealing damage. I also became mounted after the first AR to move in and out of close range, since supernatural abilities don’t require Concentration checks.

The advice I give is from my own experience … your mileage may vary.

twells
kjenks
11-11-07, 10:16 PM I took exactly the same course -- Draconic Breath, mounted kobold sorc, Greyhawk Ruins. Works great so far.
Hariman
11-11-07, 11:51 PM I'd pass on Dracolexi for a sorcerer. Dracolexi is FAR better on a Bard.

Sorcerers lose a great deal from that one lost caster level.

Fatespinner is cool. Skipping the last level of Fatespinner is a good idea, as the final Fatespinner ability is limited by the caster's HD/Caster level.

If you're planning on taking this sorcerer to level 12, I recommend:

Starting with Draconic Heritage/Draconic Breath. It's a good combo, especially at the lower levels.

Extent Spell at 3rd level.

Empower Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower) at level 6. Either retrain out of Extend Spell or Draconic Breath. Being able to Empower your second level spells should make your second level attack spell deadlier.

Rapid Metamagic at level 9.

Retrain Draconic Breath (or Extend spell) to Quicken Spell or Twin Spell and take Practical Metamagic at level 12.

Taking Twin Spell/Practical Metamagic lets you delay Rapid Metamagic till level 12. Quicken Spell doesn't. Both have the effect of increasing spells per round.

Also, Twinned/Empowered for +4 is kick ass. The only thing better is Empowered/Split Ray for +2!

Those are the feat options I'd use.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Maesto 11-11-07, 08:03 PM	I've decided to create one final LG character to enjoy the Greyhawk Ruins plot arc. I've given various roles a try, but never a spontaneous caster, so I'm going to dive into the deep end and try out a sorceror. I've decided to make him a kobold, just to see what all of the fuss is about. Ok, stop rolling your eyes... After a bit of reading, I've decided the following: all that kobold sorcerors get is access to dracolexi and practical metamagic. Otherwise, you might as well be a human sorceror and enjoy the extra skillpoints, feat, con, and strength. Ok, that's not entirely fair, but hey, it's pretty close. So, introducing Conan the Barbarian (Sorceror 1), coward extraordinaire. I've played an elf wizard through to high levels with a stat array of 6/16/12/20/8/8, and my original attempt at stats for the kobold went rather similarly: 6/16/12/12/8/16. However, I don't want to try playing the same character again, and I think that that array is extraordinarily similar to Copper_Wyrmling's sorceror. Given that she always says that she gets away with simply keeping away from the baddies, I'm opting for the daring (and somewhat fragile) 7/10/12/14/8/17. At least that isn't completely shadowbait, and I like playing skilled characters. Buildwise, I'm contemplating either Sorc X/Fatespinner 4, Sorc 5/Dracolexi 10, or if access drops my way, Sorc 6/Warweaver 5/Fatespinner 4. Featwise, I'm more inclined to pursue a bunch of metamagic options than the draconic heritage chain. The dragonwrought feat looks really cool flavourwise, and it would be neat to be immune to paralysis (sleep barely ever comes up), but it removes one of the conditions of being able to take practical metamagic, and if you're playing a kobold sorceror, you might as well take practical metamagic (as far as I can gather). For the dracolexi levels, I was thinking Empower Spell/Eschew Materials/Still Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic/Quicken or Twin Spell (feats up to 12), probably retraining the practical metamagic to the final feat, and then taking the final feat as practical metamagic in that. Note that Dracolexi basically lets all spells be extended for free as well, but gives up a caster level. For the warweaver build, a similar set of feats, but swap Eschew Materials and Still Spell for Enlarge Spell instead. No extend spell for free as for Dracolexi, and give up a caster level as well, but get the ability to do stupid stuff instead =) For straight sorc/fatespinner, I was thinking Empower Spell/Twin or Widen or Quicken Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic/A second practical metamagic or another metamagic? I've always thought that metamagic feats were the playtoys of Sorcerors, so I rather want to take some. I guess I could also try Sorc5/Dracolexi5/Warweaver5, but that drops two caster levels (never picking up 7th level spells, not getting 6th level spells until 14th level), although it does lead to some rather funky abilities. Feats would go Enlarge/Still/Eschew/Empower/Practical Metamagic (Empower)/Rapid Metamagic, with swift actions devoted to spells and dracolexi words, and spells automatically extened. Quicken doesn't quite fit in; I think empower would be more useful. So, that's what I've come up with. Yes, I know, I could play a human sorceror and have more fun with stuff, but I want to try the kobold, pathetic as they are! Can anybody with experience with sorc's give any insights? Am I crazy for even considering dropping caster levels? Does some of what I'm considering just not work? Thanks, Jolyon P.S. If this character makes it all the way to 15, which I very much doubt he will, given the amount of time I have left, I'll see what I can do about getting access to the draconic familiar feat to take at 15. Enter one gold dragon wyrmling!
twells 11-11-07, 08:57 PM	My two coppers having played some sorcerers …. First, it is REALLY hard to lose a spell level as a sorcerer. You are already a step behind wizards in spell levels and losing the top-tier spell level really hampers your abilities in keeping up with the APLs. Unless you plan on playing down a lot … I wouldn’t do it. I now have a War Weaver wizard, and it was a tough decision to drop that level and put him at the sorcerer’s spell progression, but War Weaver is just too cool to pass up. I wouldn’t do this with a sorcerer. Same goes for Dracolexi – some cool abilities, but I wouldn’t give up a spell level for them. I created a Kobold sorcerer for Greyhawk Ruins, and I am having some fun playing him. Don’t discount the Draconic Heritage feats at the low levels – I took the Dragonblood Sorcerer substitution level at first with Draconic Breath and have been VERY effective in combat, at least for these lower levels. The Draconic Breath frees up spells to be chosen for more utility & battlefield control. I will retrain the feat later when spells become a more effective way of dealing damage. I also became mounted after the first AR to move in and out of close range, since supernatural abilities don’t require Concentration checks. The advice I give is from my own experience … your mileage may vary. twells
kjenks 11-11-07, 10:16 PM	I took exactly the same course -- Draconic Breath, mounted kobold sorc, Greyhawk Ruins. Works great so far.
Hariman 11-11-07, 11:51 PM	I'd pass on Dracolexi for a sorcerer. Dracolexi is FAR better on a Bard. Sorcerers lose a great deal from that one lost caster level. Fatespinner is cool. Skipping the last level of Fatespinner is a good idea, as the final Fatespinner ability is limited by the caster's HD/Caster level. If you're planning on taking this sorcerer to level 12, I recommend: Starting with Draconic Heritage/Draconic Breath. It's a good combo, especially at the lower levels. Extent Spell at 3rd level. Empower Spell/Practical Metamagic (Empower) at level 6. Either retrain out of Extend Spell or Draconic Breath. Being able to Empower your second level spells should make your second level attack spell deadlier. Rapid Metamagic at level 9. Retrain Draconic Breath (or Extend spell) to Quicken Spell or Twin Spell and take Practical Metamagic at level 12. Taking Twin Spell/Practical Metamagic lets you delay Rapid Metamagic till level 12. Quicken Spell doesn't. Both have the effect of increasing spells per round. Also, Twinned/Empowered for +4 is kick ass. The only thing better is Empowered/Split Ray for +2! Those are the feat options I'd use.