Ok, I’m building my first sorcerer for a long running campaign. We are voting Wednesday on if we are starting at level 1 or 3 so that’s unknown. We are using point buy for stats. We are going to be using gritty realism for healing but not spell slots. The hang will be 50/50 combat and social. I’m torn between the classic draconic sorcerer and the abhorrent mind origins… What I have decided so far is that I’m going to play a custom lineage from Tasha’s. For the racial feat I’m going to take magical initiate. Where I’m looking for advice in that is to either go with sorcerer for utility cantrips or warlock and take eldritch blast as my sole damaging cantrip. Or should I scratch that all together and take something like telekinetic and boost my CHA to 18 and rely on the standard sorcerer cantrips for damage, like firebolt and chill touch?
I don't think that eldritch blast really stands out without an invocation. It's slightly better than firebolt, but I don't think it's really worth spending a feat unless you can get agonising blast as well. I am playing an Aberrant Mind sorcerer in a gritty realism campaign currently, and went with Telekinetic at 1. The subclass provides mind sliver, and the telekinetic feat gives an invisible mage hand, so that leaves gives a total of 7 cantrips at level 4 - plenty of room to choose a couple each of damage and utility.
Also don't sleep on ray of frost, unless you play mostly theatre of the mind battles. The slow effect can be extremely useful when they are right on that ~30ft away range, forcing them to dash instead of attack. A successful ray of frost after a misty step means they can't attack you that turn.
I’m not sold on aberrant mind yet. I’ve only play sorcerers before as part of sorlock builds, or high level one-shots. Usually I play wizards so I don’t feel restricted or having to plan things as much as I am with this build. I’m wanting to go with a somewhat haughty noble. Like a cross between percival graves, serverus snape and Tyrion Lannister so draconic bloodline makes sense from a flavor standpoint. But I do love the expanded spell list of the aberrant mind lol
I prefer AB over Draconic. My character is an Eladrin and she is pretty haughty. Having telepathy has been very useful in our campaign. At level 6 you can cast your psionic spells with sorcery points the same way you would if you had subtle spell. Have you considered metamagic adept for a feat? You get two extra sorcery points and two more metamagics. It's not a big deal at low levels but by the time you hit level 6, you may wish you had at least one more metamagic option. Sorcerers get more cantrips than other classes. I rely on firebolt but have mind sliver and chill touch for back up. The nice thing about AB is that you get a great 1st level damage spell - Dissonant Whispers - for free and you can twin it. You could get Hex at first level which is classified as a divination spell so you could trade Arms of Hadar when you level up.
I second ray of frost as a cantrip. I also agree that eldritch blast is okay but better with invocations.
I prefer aberrant mind to draconic. Draconic just is what it is, and that's a blaster. Aberrant mind leaves you with more options because it's got more spells, and it does some things that A wizard can't such as use mind sliver to set the table for a quickened save or suck spell with a -1d4 to the save. more spells, is more options.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
If you are using the feat to pick up EB might I suggest getting Spell Sniper instead. Apart from doubling the range of all your attack roll spells, those spells also ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover.
Spell sniper wouldn’t be off much use, cantrips are the only steps that I plan to take that require attack rolls and if I took EB it would be the only attack roll spell at all.
Fair enough, in that case I suggest getting Fey Touched to boost CHA to 18 and picking up Tasha's Hideous Laughter if you want a good extra control spell. Or Bless if nobody else can cast it. But Laughter is very good especially if you take Twinned Spell, for the cost of 1 measly Sorcery point you can CC 2 creatures once a day. Telekinetic is also a good choice.
Found out we are starting at level 3. The rest of the group is a war cleric, vengeance paladin, hunter ranger, blood hunter mutant, and swashbuckler rogue. So I want a sorcerer that can complement the group.
Found out we are starting at level 3. The rest of the group is a war cleric, vengeance paladin, hunter ranger, blood hunter mutant, and swashbuckler rogue. So I want a sorcerer that can complement the group.
Might be a bit late, and this is purely because of the party make-up, but you could go bard1/sorc2 to start with. Gets you 2 more cantrips + 4 more lvl 1 spells which, if you pick them, means you can ritual cast Identify/Detect magic/Comprehend Languages and also take Faerie Fire. You can throw out Inspiration based on your CHA, another skill to pick, light armor and helps you fill out a support role in what seems like a melee focused party (They will all love you for Faerie Fire). Then ditch Magic Initiate.
We actually had to postpone the first game because of personal reasons with one of the players. we are gonna pick things up this week. If and I mean IF I multi-classesd Id probably go warlock for a level and 2 sorcerer, get my 3rd and 4th sorcerer levels down then take a 2nd and then third in warlock and then go sorcerer from there on out. Ive done the sor-lock thing before and it can be fun, and it would fit this character, im just not sure if I want to go that route again though.
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Ok, I’m building my first sorcerer for a long running campaign. We are voting Wednesday on if we are starting at level 1 or 3 so that’s unknown. We are using point buy for stats. We are going to be using gritty realism for healing but not spell slots. The hang will be 50/50 combat and social. I’m torn between the classic draconic sorcerer and the abhorrent mind origins… What I have decided so far is that I’m going to play a custom lineage from Tasha’s. For the racial feat I’m going to take magical initiate. Where I’m looking for advice in that is to either go with sorcerer for utility cantrips or warlock and take eldritch blast as my sole damaging cantrip. Or should I scratch that all together and take something like telekinetic and boost my CHA to 18 and rely on the standard sorcerer cantrips for damage, like firebolt and chill touch?
I don't think that eldritch blast really stands out without an invocation. It's slightly better than firebolt, but I don't think it's really worth spending a feat unless you can get agonising blast as well. I am playing an Aberrant Mind sorcerer in a gritty realism campaign currently, and went with Telekinetic at 1. The subclass provides mind sliver, and the telekinetic feat gives an invisible mage hand, so that leaves gives a total of 7 cantrips at level 4 - plenty of room to choose a couple each of damage and utility.
Also don't sleep on ray of frost, unless you play mostly theatre of the mind battles. The slow effect can be extremely useful when they are right on that ~30ft away range, forcing them to dash instead of attack. A successful ray of frost after a misty step means they can't attack you that turn.
I’m not sold on aberrant mind yet. I’ve only play sorcerers before as part of sorlock builds, or high level one-shots. Usually I play wizards so I don’t feel restricted or having to plan things as much as I am with this build. I’m wanting to go with a somewhat haughty noble. Like a cross between percival graves, serverus snape and Tyrion Lannister so draconic bloodline makes sense from a flavor standpoint. But I do love the expanded spell list of the aberrant mind lol
I prefer AB over Draconic. My character is an Eladrin and she is pretty haughty. Having telepathy has been very useful in our campaign. At level 6 you can cast your psionic spells with sorcery points the same way you would if you had subtle spell. Have you considered metamagic adept for a feat? You get two extra sorcery points and two more metamagics. It's not a big deal at low levels but by the time you hit level 6, you may wish you had at least one more metamagic option. Sorcerers get more cantrips than other classes. I rely on firebolt but have mind sliver and chill touch for back up. The nice thing about AB is that you get a great 1st level damage spell - Dissonant Whispers - for free and you can twin it. You could get Hex at first level which is classified as a divination spell so you could trade Arms of Hadar when you level up.
I second ray of frost as a cantrip. I also agree that eldritch blast is okay but better with invocations.
I prefer aberrant mind to draconic. Draconic just is what it is, and that's a blaster. Aberrant mind leaves you with more options because it's got more spells, and it does some things that A wizard can't such as use mind sliver to set the table for a quickened save or suck spell with a -1d4 to the save. more spells, is more options.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
If you are using the feat to pick up EB might I suggest getting Spell Sniper instead. Apart from doubling the range of all your attack roll spells, those spells also ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover.
Spell sniper wouldn’t be off much use, cantrips are the only steps that I plan to take that require attack rolls and if I took EB it would be the only attack roll spell at all.
Fair enough, in that case I suggest getting Fey Touched to boost CHA to 18 and picking up Tasha's Hideous Laughter if you want a good extra control spell. Or Bless if nobody else can cast it. But Laughter is very good especially if you take Twinned Spell, for the cost of 1 measly Sorcery point you can CC 2 creatures once a day. Telekinetic is also a good choice.
Found out we are starting at level 3. The rest of the group is a war cleric, vengeance paladin, hunter ranger, blood hunter mutant, and swashbuckler rogue. So I want a sorcerer that can complement the group.
Might be a bit late, and this is purely because of the party make-up, but you could go bard1/sorc2 to start with. Gets you 2 more cantrips + 4 more lvl 1 spells which, if you pick them, means you can ritual cast Identify/Detect magic/Comprehend Languages and also take Faerie Fire. You can throw out Inspiration based on your CHA, another skill to pick, light armor and helps you fill out a support role in what seems like a melee focused party (They will all love you for Faerie Fire). Then ditch Magic Initiate.
Just an option.
We actually had to postpone the first game because of personal reasons with one of the players. we are gonna pick things up this week. If and I mean IF I multi-classesd Id probably go warlock for a level and 2 sorcerer, get my 3rd and 4th sorcerer levels down then take a 2nd and then third in warlock and then go sorcerer from there on out. Ive done the sor-lock thing before and it can be fun, and it would fit this character, im just not sure if I want to go that route again though.