Gnome Scorcerer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Gnome Scorcerer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Leeroy
10-22-06, 10:24 AM im planning on going a gnome scorcerer

i rolled 10,16,14,16,14,18 any sugestions on anything about this?

im new played one campaigne that was canned so any help at all on this topic is great
Godzilla
10-22-06, 10:52 AM Since you're a Sorcerer, you want a high Charisma, so put the 18 there. Dexterity and Constitution are good for Sorcerers, since you can't have any armour, so put a 16 for Dex, and a 14 for Con, since you get +2 to Con because you're a Gnome. Don't put the 10 on Inteligence, because that'll hamper how many skill points you have, and you can never have to many. You could put the 10 on Wisdom since you'll have a good Will save modifier being a Sorcerer, and the 14 on Strength, or the other way around, but keep in mind that Gnomes lose 2 on their Strength scores.
That's what I'd do, at least.
cog_and_taz
10-22-06, 10:52 AM Well, honestly I have no idea what you want, do you need a backstory, optimization, what?

Also, nice rolls! I suggest distributing them as follows...

str 10(8) dex 16 con 18(16) int 14 wis 14 cha 14
Kradlo
10-22-06, 11:01 AM im planning on going a gnome scorcerer

i rolled 10,16,14,16,14,18 any sugestions on anything about this?

im new played one campaigne that was canned so any help at all on this topic is great
That's one heck of a set of rolls there. If your rolled in front of your GM, you're set, but if not you'll want to double check with him first. Some GMs require that your character be rolled up in front of him.

That said, a sorcerer wants his best score to be Charisma; it's the ability that determines the Difficulty Class of his spells (how hard they are to resist), and his bonus spell slots.

Including his racial modifiers, I'd go with Str 8 (10-2), Dex 16, Con 18 (16+2), Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18. A sorcerer should try to avoid melee, so having a low Strength score isn't a problem. He'll have good hit points with that Con modifier (8 HP at first level, and 1d4+4 per level after that), and a good AC with the high Dex score.

For skills, max out Concentration, Knowledge: Arcana, and Spellcraft (4 ranks each). For your last 4 skill points, you may want to go with 4 ranks in Craft: Alchemy, since your Gnome gets a +2 racial bonus. Alchemical goodies are excellent items for adventuring parties. Or max out your Bluff skill (4 ranks).

Your starting feat may be something like Skill Focus: Concentration. Personally, I prefer it to Combat Casting because that feat grants a +4 bonus to Concentration checks while casting on the defensive (i.e., casting a spell without provoking an attack of opportunity), or while grappled, while Skill Focus adds a +3 bonus in all circumstances. That includes when you take damage, a common situation.

Another option is Eschew Materials. This lets you cast spells that normally require a material component of 1 gp value or less without that component. It means you don't have to fish around in a spell component pouch in combat, and you're not as vulnerable if your spell component pouch is stolen or confiscated.

Do check with your Game Master on these. Some don't bother checking material components in the first place, or grant Eschew Materials to sorcerers for free. I'm not one of those, but your GM might be.

Good luck, and have fun!
GEEKAZOID
10-22-06, 11:14 AM Gnomes are a LOT of fun!
I played a gnome bard in 3.0, before it became favored class. It was a perfect fit. Much mischief was had by me!

I would assign the stats as follows: STR 10, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 16, CHA 18. This is before racial mods. Int gives a few more skill points. Str will drop to 8, but who cares, you don't need it as a sorcerer. Cha at 18 boosts your spell dc and only needs 1 more point to get 9th lvl spells. Your Con will bump to 16, great for added hp. And all your saves will have a +3 bonus. Good stats!

When choosing your spells, think about your gnome's personality and pick spells that fit. For my bard I chose unseen servant, mage hand and the like. He used these as his entourage. Two castings of unseen servant would carry him around as if he were in a sedan chair. I also made much use of illusions, sometimes to get the other pcs in trouble when in town.

What are your plans for personality/ background? Grim and brooding? Trouble making prankster? Well prepared adventurer?
Leeroy
10-22-06, 11:27 AM firstly thanks to those who posted they all seem the same give or take,

well i am yet to create a player background (i think i need help there too :S)

im new and just trying to get the game play and rules and so forth worked out but will attempt to write one the next couple days...

perhaps a trouble making prankster bent on proving him self to be a competant spell caster againt mighty opponents?
AquaticSpaceChicken
10-22-06, 11:51 AM I'm currently playing a gnome wizard (I love gnomes), and I would like to recommend you reconsider putting your low stat in strength. I took one look at my character sheet when I first did up my character, and switched my stats around so that I could put a 14 in strength instead of a 10.

Why?

You get a -2 strength for being a gnome, PLUS you'll only have 75% of the carrying capacity of a medium sized character, PLUS you start with a reduced movement rate. It doesn't take much to encumber a gnome spellcaster once you have even a little equipment. You could easily find yourself going 15' or even 10' if your DM keeps track of such things.

So you should weigh in how your DM handles such things, and if the reduced movement rate will bother you. I like to use buff spells, so the tactical advantge of a good movement rate matters. For a blast 'em up type caster, it might not matter as much.
trapspringer
10-22-06, 11:51 AM You should put a sixteen in constitution and an eighteen in charisma. Your ten should go in strength. Everything beyond that is totally irrelevant to the crunchy aspects of the character.

AS for background, I always ask my players three questions to get them started on fleshing out their characters.

1: Where is your family?

2: Why do you adventure?

3: What was the single most defining moment in your life?

As a DM, I dare you to have an actual living parent somewhere that isn't a king or a dragon.
GEEKAZOID
10-22-06, 12:00 PM You get a -2 strength for being a gnome, PLUS you'll only have 75% of the carrying capacity of a medium sized character, PLUS you start with a reduced movement rate. It doesn't take much to encumber a gnome spellcaster once you have even a little equipment. You could easily find yourself going 15' or even 10' if your DM keeps track of such things.
That's exactly the situation I had.
Solution= unseen servant to carry the load for me, or wait for the stronger types in the party to carry it. They would even carry the gnome if needed. He thought of himself as a superstar and was above carrying his own luggage.

Sometimes you need to NOT think of your character in terms of stats and game rules. Think of them as real people and figure how they would overcome limitations.
GEEKAZOID
10-22-06, 12:12 PM Perhaps for history he could be a misfit...

As his latent magic talents manifested he would accidentaly cause many catastrophies. He was then kicked out of his gnomish community and now wanders abroad as he learns to control his magic. One day he will return as a mighty sorcerer and prove once and for all he is not a menace to society!
trapspringer
10-22-06, 05:12 PM That's exactly the situation I had.
Solution= unseen servant to carry the load for me, or wait for the stronger types in the party to carry it. They would even carry the gnome if needed. He thought of himself as a superstar and was above carrying his own luggage.

Sometimes you need to NOT think of your character in terms of stats and game rules. Think of them as real people and figure how they would overcome limitations.

Also remember a lot of the crap you carry around weighs half as much as it would for a medium character.
DrMorganes
10-23-06, 01:56 AM STR: 14 (-2)
DEX: 16
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 18

Final scores after racial adjustments

STR: 12. Handy for dealing with encumbrance issues. As a sorcerer, you'll need to choose your known spells carefully. Odds are you don't want to waste them on things like Unseen Servant or Tenser's Floating Disc.
DEX: 16. Nimble casters act quickly - allowing them cast spells earlier in the round - and have a higher AC.
CON: 16. +3 HP/level more than doubles your average HP. +3 to Concentration checks is nice, too!
INT: 16. I put this here because I've always been a skill monkey, and +3 skill points/level will come in handy. You only have 3 class skills that are truly relevant: Knowledge (Arcana), Concentration, and Spellcraft. Alchemy is a nice option, but you'll need the extra skill points to boost the cross-class skill. Additionally you get 3 bonus languages. Draconic is always a good choice for arcane casters, and who doesn't like to yell racial slurs at orcs and goblins in their own language? ;) However, those extra skill points may be better put to use in Bluff (another useful class skill) and Diplomacy (cross-class, but boosted by your crazy-high CHA).
WIS: 10. You're average here. With every other attribute above average or better, is this so bad? Your class Will Save bonus will help offset this.
CHA: 18. You're a sorcerer. 'Nuff said.

My concept here is for a bit of a wise guy. You're quick intellectually, which can translate into witty comments and quick jokes. Coupled with your high Charisma this means folks find you pleasant and entertaining. However, you sometimes get carried away (average WIS) and let your love of a good joke override your better judgement. You use your racial spellcasting ability for entertaining (Prestidigitation goes well with serving wenches' skirts, for example), though you are quite creative in using it to help get you out of trouble if necessary.

Swapping CON and INT will reduce your skill points in favor of higher hit points without having much impact on this character concept. However, I'd keep at least a 14 in INT; you don't want to give up ranks in Knowledge (Arcana), Concentration, or Spellcraft!

You could swap WIS and STR for a worldly, if somewhat scrawny, adventurer who knows it all and has seen a good portion of it.
MerrikCale
10-23-06, 05:57 PM STR: 14 (-2)
DEX: 16
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 18

.

what he said. Thats how i would distribute it

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Leeroy 10-22-06, 10:24 AM	im planning on going a gnome scorcerer i rolled 10,16,14,16,14,18 any sugestions on anything about this? im new played one campaigne that was canned so any help at all on this topic is great
Godzilla 10-22-06, 10:52 AM	Since you're a Sorcerer, you want a high Charisma, so put the 18 there. Dexterity and Constitution are good for Sorcerers, since you can't have any armour, so put a 16 for Dex, and a 14 for Con, since you get +2 to Con because you're a Gnome. Don't put the 10 on Inteligence, because that'll hamper how many skill points you have, and you can never have to many. You could put the 10 on Wisdom since you'll have a good Will save modifier being a Sorcerer, and the 14 on Strength, or the other way around, but keep in mind that Gnomes lose 2 on their Strength scores. That's what I'd do, at least.
cog_and_taz 10-22-06, 10:52 AM	Well, honestly I have no idea what you want, do you need a backstory, optimization, what? Also, nice rolls! I suggest distributing them as follows... str 10(8) dex 16 con 18(16) int 14 wis 14 cha 14
Kradlo 10-22-06, 11:01 AM	im planning on going a gnome scorcerer i rolled 10,16,14,16,14,18 any sugestions on anything about this? im new played one campaigne that was canned so any help at all on this topic is great That's one heck of a set of rolls there. If your rolled in front of your GM, you're set, but if not you'll want to double check with him first. Some GMs require that your character be rolled up in front of him. That said, a sorcerer wants his best score to be Charisma; it's the ability that determines the Difficulty Class of his spells (how hard they are to resist), and his bonus spell slots. Including his racial modifiers, I'd go with Str 8 (10-2), Dex 16, Con 18 (16+2), Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18. A sorcerer should try to avoid melee, so having a low Strength score isn't a problem. He'll have good hit points with that Con modifier (8 HP at first level, and 1d4+4 per level after that), and a good AC with the high Dex score. For skills, max out Concentration, Knowledge: Arcana, and Spellcraft (4 ranks each). For your last 4 skill points, you may want to go with 4 ranks in Craft: Alchemy, since your Gnome gets a +2 racial bonus. Alchemical goodies are excellent items for adventuring parties. Or max out your Bluff skill (4 ranks). Your starting feat may be something like Skill Focus: Concentration. Personally, I prefer it to Combat Casting because that feat grants a +4 bonus to Concentration checks while casting on the defensive (i.e., casting a spell without provoking an attack of opportunity), or while grappled, while Skill Focus adds a +3 bonus in all circumstances. That includes when you take damage, a common situation. Another option is Eschew Materials. This lets you cast spells that normally require a material component of 1 gp value or less without that component. It means you don't have to fish around in a spell component pouch in combat, and you're not as vulnerable if your spell component pouch is stolen or confiscated. Do check with your Game Master on these. Some don't bother checking material components in the first place, or grant Eschew Materials to sorcerers for free. I'm not one of those, but your GM might be. Good luck, and have fun!
GEEKAZOID 10-22-06, 11:14 AM	Gnomes are a LOT of fun! I played a gnome bard in 3.0, before it became favored class. It was a perfect fit. Much mischief was had by me! I would assign the stats as follows: STR 10, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 16, CHA 18. This is before racial mods. Int gives a few more skill points. Str will drop to 8, but who cares, you don't need it as a sorcerer. Cha at 18 boosts your spell dc and only needs 1 more point to get 9th lvl spells. Your Con will bump to 16, great for added hp. And all your saves will have a +3 bonus. Good stats! When choosing your spells, think about your gnome's personality and pick spells that fit. For my bard I chose unseen servant, mage hand and the like. He used these as his entourage. Two castings of unseen servant would carry him around as if he were in a sedan chair. I also made much use of illusions, sometimes to get the other pcs in trouble when in town. What are your plans for personality/ background? Grim and brooding? Trouble making prankster? Well prepared adventurer?
Leeroy 10-22-06, 11:27 AM	firstly thanks to those who posted they all seem the same give or take, well i am yet to create a player background (i think i need help there too :S) im new and just trying to get the game play and rules and so forth worked out but will attempt to write one the next couple days... perhaps a trouble making prankster bent on proving him self to be a competant spell caster againt mighty opponents?
AquaticSpaceChicken 10-22-06, 11:51 AM	I'm currently playing a gnome wizard (I love gnomes), and I would like to recommend you reconsider putting your low stat in strength. I took one look at my character sheet when I first did up my character, and switched my stats around so that I could put a 14 in strength instead of a 10. Why? You get a -2 strength for being a gnome, PLUS you'll only have 75% of the carrying capacity of a medium sized character, PLUS you start with a reduced movement rate. It doesn't take much to encumber a gnome spellcaster once you have even a little equipment. You could easily find yourself going 15' or even 10' if your DM keeps track of such things. So you should weigh in how your DM handles such things, and if the reduced movement rate will bother you. I like to use buff spells, so the tactical advantge of a good movement rate matters. For a blast 'em up type caster, it might not matter as much.
trapspringer 10-22-06, 11:51 AM	You should put a sixteen in constitution and an eighteen in charisma. Your ten should go in strength. Everything beyond that is totally irrelevant to the crunchy aspects of the character. AS for background, I always ask my players three questions to get them started on fleshing out their characters. 1: Where is your family? 2: Why do you adventure? 3: What was the single most defining moment in your life? As a DM, I dare you to have an actual living parent somewhere that isn't a king or a dragon.
GEEKAZOID 10-22-06, 12:00 PM	You get a -2 strength for being a gnome, PLUS you'll only have 75% of the carrying capacity of a medium sized character, PLUS you start with a reduced movement rate. It doesn't take much to encumber a gnome spellcaster once you have even a little equipment. You could easily find yourself going 15' or even 10' if your DM keeps track of such things. That's exactly the situation I had. Solution= unseen servant to carry the load for me, or wait for the stronger types in the party to carry it. They would even carry the gnome if needed. He thought of himself as a superstar and was above carrying his own luggage. Sometimes you need to NOT think of your character in terms of stats and game rules. Think of them as real people and figure how they would overcome limitations.
GEEKAZOID 10-22-06, 12:12 PM	Perhaps for history he could be a misfit... As his latent magic talents manifested he would accidentaly cause many catastrophies. He was then kicked out of his gnomish community and now wanders abroad as he learns to control his magic. One day he will return as a mighty sorcerer and prove once and for all he is not a menace to society!
trapspringer 10-22-06, 05:12 PM	That's exactly the situation I had. Solution= unseen servant to carry the load for me, or wait for the stronger types in the party to carry it. They would even carry the gnome if needed. He thought of himself as a superstar and was above carrying his own luggage. Sometimes you need to NOT think of your character in terms of stats and game rules. Think of them as real people and figure how they would overcome limitations. Also remember a lot of the crap you carry around weighs half as much as it would for a medium character.
DrMorganes 10-23-06, 01:56 AM	STR: 14 (-2) DEX: 16 CON: 14 (+2) INT: 16 WIS: 10 CHA: 18 Final scores after racial adjustments STR: 12. Handy for dealing with encumbrance issues. As a sorcerer, you'll need to choose your known spells carefully. Odds are you don't want to waste them on things like Unseen Servant or Tenser's Floating Disc. DEX: 16. Nimble casters act quickly - allowing them cast spells earlier in the round - and have a higher AC. CON: 16. +3 HP/level more than doubles your average HP. +3 to Concentration checks is nice, too! INT: 16. I put this here because I've always been a skill monkey, and +3 skill points/level will come in handy. You only have 3 class skills that are truly relevant: Knowledge (Arcana), Concentration, and Spellcraft. Alchemy is a nice option, but you'll need the extra skill points to boost the cross-class skill. Additionally you get 3 bonus languages. Draconic is always a good choice for arcane casters, and who doesn't like to yell racial slurs at orcs and goblins in their own language? ;) However, those extra skill points may be better put to use in Bluff (another useful class skill) and Diplomacy (cross-class, but boosted by your crazy-high CHA). WIS: 10. You're average here. With every other attribute above average or better, is this so bad? Your class Will Save bonus will help offset this. CHA: 18. You're a sorcerer. 'Nuff said. My concept here is for a bit of a wise guy. You're quick intellectually, which can translate into witty comments and quick jokes. Coupled with your high Charisma this means folks find you pleasant and entertaining. However, you sometimes get carried away (average WIS) and let your love of a good joke override your better judgement. You use your racial spellcasting ability for entertaining (Prestidigitation goes well with serving wenches' skirts, for example), though you are quite creative in using it to help get you out of trouble if necessary. Swapping CON and INT will reduce your skill points in favor of higher hit points without having much impact on this character concept. However, I'd keep at least a 14 in INT; you don't want to give up ranks in Knowledge (Arcana), Concentration, or Spellcraft! You could swap WIS and STR for a worldly, if somewhat scrawny, adventurer who knows it all and has seen a good portion of it.
MerrikCale 10-23-06, 05:57 PM	STR: 14 (-2) DEX: 16 CON: 14 (+2) INT: 16 WIS: 10 CHA: 18 . what he said. Thats how i would distribute it