Post/Author/DateTime	Post
clanner 07-23-04, 04:09 PM	not quite sure how this goes. still kinda new.I rolled in order 14,12,17,13,16,14. not sure where to put these. please help.
Skrimshaw 07-23-04, 04:19 PM	Click on sorcerer http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&%20threadid=207643#post2947217
ninjarabbit 07-23-04, 04:23 PM	Str 13, Dex 14, con 16, int 14, wis 12, cha 17
clanner 07-24-04, 12:39 AM	thank you. I'm trying to folow the book but I'm a little confused. what doI do next?
ninjarabbit 07-24-04, 04:40 PM	Pick your skills and feat and what spells you want I guess.
clanner 07-25-04, 03:17 AM	I have one final question. how do I name a character? not just elven names but names for all species. how would I come up with one?
Neverborn 07-25-04, 04:55 AM	Use your imagination!:)
TheDarkestOfAngels 07-25-04, 05:27 AM	Originally posted by clanner not quite sure how this goes. still kinda new.I rolled in order 14,12,17,13,16,14. not sure where to put these. please help. Well, I guess I could give you some general advise. As far as your ability scores: Str: 12 Dex: 14 Con: 16 Int: 14 Wis: 13 Cha: 17 Personally, I would suggest being human, but if you want half elf, that won't hinder you in any way. Pick any familiar (doesn't have to be right when you start your character. Can be later, when you have more funding available.) A bat, Hawk, Owl, Rat, Snake, Toad, and Weasel are all excellent choices for a familiar. As you level up, put all of the points you gain (you get an additional ability point at level 4 and every 4 levels thereafter) all into charisma. Charisma is your lifeblood as a sorcerer. Learn it. Love it. Charish it. It is your most important stat. As for skills, I suggest concentration, knowledge: arcana, and spellcraft can get you prepared for epic levels. Concentration will allow you to cast defensively if you're too close for comfort to a baddie. If you've any skill points left over, I suggest Bluff, a decent crafting skill, or a profession (which is as good way to make money on the side.) As a half elf, you get seven feats total over the twenty levels of a sorcerer that you can aquire. Eight if you're human (which is why I suggest human.) I suggest getting Eschew materials (though you might be able to convince your DM to houserule it as a free feat. If not, I suggest taking it either at level one or level eighteen.) Silent Spell and Still Spell are definate musts for sorcerers. They allow you to cast spells without a verbal or somatic component (respectively). Which allows you to cast spells without saying anything or moveing, both of which are normally required. These feats can save your life. Extend Spell (double the duration of a spell) Quicken Spell and Arcane Preparation (arcane preparation is from the tome and blood manuel, Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and the player's guide to faerun. It allows you to cast spells with a metamagic feat without that nasty increase in time. THough you have to prepare it like a wizard. It's a tradeoff, but the reward is very, very great. Trust me. You want to quicken spells. Finally, either get maximize spell or empower spell. I personally prefer maximize spell for the ease of use. If you start at level one, I suggest getting a ranged simple weapon, such as a light crossbow or a sling and perhaps a two handed weapon such as a quarterstaff, longspear, or regular spear. Shortspears are pretty much default for a sorcerer for a reason as well. But reach weapons are nice. Because of arcane spell failure, don't get armor of any kind. As a spell you want to get early in the game, mage armor is nice to have. But I'll get into spells in a moment. If you take eschew materials as a feat, you won't have to worry about material components (unless it costs 1gp or more, in which case, you have to supply the material.) As such, you don't have to carry much more than food, water, and other basic supplies. (a perk of being a sorcerer.) Spells you definately want at lower levels is different from spells you want at higher levels. As such, take as much advantage of teh spell swap ability (read the spells description in the sorcerer class features description on page 54 of the 3.5 PHB.) At level one, detect magic and one attack spell are both a must for that level. I recommend resistance, detect magic, prestigitation, and perhaps light (to take advantage of your 1/2 elven lowlight as much as needed. One of the few boons of being a half elf.) Your first few first level spells will make all the difference. You want spells that are long lasting and strike hard. Because hitpoints on baddies rarely hit the double digits, you could actually pass by using ray of frost or acid splash as your only direct-damage attack spell until level 3, when you gain your 3rd 1st level spell. (you should let the melees do most of the damage dealing, anyway.) Cantrips you gain at later levels will mostly be a wash. But prestigitation is always fun, arcane mark is a favorite of mine. Mage hand can be incredibly useful at times. You never know when you need to lift and move something small that you cant reach. Message can also be useful. I suggest that mage armor definately be a 1st level spell. Especially if you have a monk or unarmored friend in the party. Other good spells include grease (very useful), sleep, cause fear, and ray of enfeeblement. Feather fall is helpful too. Though that can be taken much later. By 4th level, magic missle becomes useful (because you get 3 missles to use at 5th level). Using spell slwap, you'll eventually want to rid yourself of sleep (which you can do at 6th level) for something else, as it will be useless by then. When you gain your 1st second level spell, you shouldn't get a direct damage spell. that's usually a player's first inclination, but resist it. If you've been following my advice explicitly, then you should have just gotten magic missile, which should serve as your only attack spell until you get 3rd level spells. Your first 2nd level spell could be a variety of incredibly useful spells. Alter self, glitterdust, web, and levitate or spider climb are all useful as your first 2nd level spell. Beyond that, you can access other nifty spells when you start getting more 2nd level spells under your belt. I've always liked detect thoughts, personally, as I see it as the most useful detection spell of all of them. Gust of wind, shatter, mirror image, blindness/deafness, and rope trick are all useful when you have a few 2nd level spells already under your belt. Now, when you gain 3rd level spells, your first one should really make it count. Now, you can access trademark wiz/sorc spells such as fireball, lightning bolt, and fly. Though, you could technically wait until 7th or 9th level for an attack (direct damage) spell to replace magic missile as your dominant form of attack. What your first third level spell should be a representative of how you contribute to your party, however. If you're holding back the lines and buffing, then haste, rage, or heroism are excellent spells. If you want to help the melee combatants and make their jobs easier, then hold person, ray of exhaustion, and slow are all excellent choices. If you're in a dominant "blaster mage" sort of position and you like being the one that really deals damage, then perhaps lightning bolt, fireball, deep slumber (you'd have to trade this one out at level 12 or so). But never do without Dispel magic (definately trade this out whenever you take greater dispel magic.) But don't forget those defensive or otherwise useful spells. Fly, invisibility sphere, displacement, clairaudience/clairvoyance, arcane sight, and -maybe- phantom steed are all useful spells. You really can't do much wrong with 3rd level spells. 4th level spells also have a number of useful spells in it. I've always liked bestow curse, but charm monster, greater invisibility, polymorph, enervation, phantasmal killer, shadow conjuration, locate creature, dimension door, and dimensional anchor are all excellent choices. Your level one pick would do well if it were versitile. Polymorph works well, but some combat spell can also do well also. Dimension door, phantasmal killer, and charm monster are all goodies, I think. If you get dimension door as a spell, switch it out as soon as you get teleport or greater teleport. 5th level. Now we're getting somewhere. For your first spell, you should get something that you could use for a variety of tasks. Telekinesis is a decent spell. There are a few that are "must haves" for sorcerers at this level. Teleport is also very, very useful. Though it might be best to wait to get it as your second first level spell and use whatever other means you have until then. Cloudkill, Dismissal, Break Enchantment, dominate person, mind fog, cone of cold, sending, persistant image, shadow evocation, and baneful polymorph are all excellent choices for 5th level spells. Your first sixth level spell, like any other, should be something you could expect to cast often. Disintegrate is very useful. However, Greater Dispel Magic doesn't need to be the first spell you pick, but it should be a spell you pick. Don't leave home without it. Other useful spells include antimagic field, Repulsion, Greater Heroism, and Contingency. Chain lightning is moderately useful, and, if your character is at least somewhat combat saavy, tensor's transformation might be a decent idea, though having 1d4 hitpoints +con per level makes it not such a good idea. Seventh level spells are immensely useful. There are several here that proove quite useful at any time in the sorcerer's career, even deep into epic. When you gain your first 7th level spell, it should, like always, be useful and doing something that you either do often, or a lot of smaller tasks. Finger of Death comes into mind. Not universally able to do a great lot of things, but save-or-dies are always great to have (as a PC). Forcecage, delayed blast fireball, and maybe banishment (if you have dismissal, trade it out either before you get banishment or soon after). However, other useful spells include spell turning, greater teleport (switch out teleport either before you take this or after or don't take teleport at all if you're gonna take this spell), prismatic spray, simulacrum, and DON'T forget limited wish. Of all the spells you can get in the book, this one is a must for all sorcerers. If you don't get that spell, a large 500lb hairy fairy man will magically appear over your head in an oversized buick and land on you. Because he's your concience. 8th level spells also have a number of useful spells in them. Polar ray is nice because it's a ranged touch attack spell that either hits its target and deals full damage or you miss and do none. (though RTA spells at that level tend to hit more often than not.) But I might hold out for meteor swarm. Especially if you already have delayed blast fireball. Mind Blank and Moment of Prescience are quite useful also. As is Dimensional lock, Greater Shadow Evocation, Horrid Wilting, Iron Body, and especially polymorph any object. PaO is extremely useful. Iron body is also useful if, by chance, you happen to find yourself in melee combat more often than you like. Combine with Tensor's Transformation for really, really nasty effects. You'll thank me later. Temporal stasis is nice also, but it requires an expensive material component. besides, PaO is better, but Temporal Stasis is always permanent. (and you don't have to worry about angry enemies coming back to haunt you. Your first ninth level spell should also be indictive as per how you fill your niche in the party. Wail of the Banshee is nice. Very nice. Gate is tremendously versitile and all-round useful, despite the xp cost. Foresight, timestop, and shapechange are also useful as 1st 9th level spells as well. Beyond that, Mordenkainen's Disjunction can be a life-saver, as is dominate monster, power word kill, meteor swarm, shades, energy drain, and wish is also useful (despite the heavy xp cost, it also can be a lifesaver.) As a few odd suggestions also, I'd suggest planning out your spellsheet as early as possible to make the best use of your limited spell list. That way, you can end up with fewer redundant or useless spells and you can be extremely versitile and effective as you continue to gain experience. The spells I mentioned are all core only. Other useful spells exist outside of the PHB as well. (I also like Kauper's Skittish Nerves from the Magic of Faerun book as a level one spell, for example). However, I decided not to peruse all of my materials since it would require more time than I have and I don't know what resources you have available. Furthermore, if you're gonna be a "vanilla" sorcerer, suggest using the sorcerer in my sig. I made it and mostly balanced it (though it still isn't finished), but it should be decent to go. (If your DM thinks it's too much, then subtract the permanent spells and ask him or her if he or she thinks its ok then. Reason being that it allows you to get class features (and skills) you wouldn't otherwise get with the sorcerer. In any case, if you've any questions or comments, feel free to contact me in some manner. (preferably by PM or by posting a response on this thread specifically addressed to me.) EDIT: as far as a name goes, usually names with a lot of e's, a's, i's, y's, n's, L's, with the occasional ' and odd letters to seporate the name (to give it a "fantasy" feel) work nicely and sound elvish. Like Eylyanne, Alyssea, Yi' lienna, Ey' yei' anny, Iieiaa (for Female examples) Males can use r's, s's, and m's (but their names can never start with them) and maybe the occasional w Such as Lyiess, Erysie' len, Yaemra, Irwyi 'mes for example. Just make it sound flowery, pretty much. If you want a badass elf, then you can just make the name shorter. Avoid names that result in ones that sound humanish. Erl, for instance.
ninjarabbit 07-25-04, 07:53 AM	The 13 is better off in str than wis. There is no difference if you have a 12 or 13 in wis but there is a difference between a 12 and 13 in str in the amount of stuff you can carry.